"Ma, Pa, here we are again," I said to the two marble tiles that are plated on the ground near we stand. Together with me are my two siblings. Before the day of our parents' tenth death anniversary ends, we three decided to pay them a visit here in the only cemetery of Purrbeau.

"I'm sorry if we can only visit you once this year. Life is getting harder and I am busy making ends meet. These two are busy with their schooling. Hopefully, you will understand."

I laughed as I brush the bead of tear that cascaded down my left cheek. Although I seem strong to the eyes of everyone that knows me, little they did know that when the topic comes to my late parents I often get so emotional.

Between me and my two younger siblings, I am the only one that has a clear memory of our parents. That said, there's no denying also I'm the one that is much attached to our mother and father compare to them. The two were so young when our parents run into an accident that immediately forfeited their lives. Michael, my younger brother, was just four when that happened and is a crybaby. And Liselle, my younger sister, was just six and still waited for our parents to wake up in their respective closed caskets.

"Brother," I heard Liselle spoke so I immediately turned to face her. Although this vulnerable kind of me is very rare to witness, I already care nothing when I am in this place. After all, we were family in here. No need to act strong all the time.

With a teary-eye, I smiled at Liselle. From her concerned sight, I once again faced my late parents' gravestones.

"Ma, Pa, I don't mean to brag but my Michael and Liselle have grown into two smart and honest kids that I'm so proud to say that I'm the one raising them. Liselle-- with a face just like you, Mother-- has found a wallet in the train one day in the past while she commutes her way to school. Instead of keeping it for her to have more money, she searched for the owner of it and give it back with no single coin is missing. And Micheal-- with a face same to us two, Father-- was topping all the Grade Eight class in their school. He is also being eyed to be the school's representative in the upcoming national Mathematics quiz bee."

I kissed the head of Liselle and ruined the hair of Michael. After that, we decided to place a picnic blanket on where we stand for us to be comfortable as we talked to our late parents. We shared the sandwiches that Liselle prepared and we filled the deafening silence that envelopes the entire place with laughter...

Since we arrived at the cemetery at five in the afternoon, I, Liselle, and Michael spend almost two hours talking truthfully to our late parents. At one time, Liselle told our parents that a classmate approached her and said he wanted to court her but she immediately turned him off, and Michael is already receiving scholarship offers even though he will graduate high school four more years from now.

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What the two said has shook me. But as I listen to them, I think I'm already the very proudest older brother to his younger siblings. Really my sacrifice to drop my ambition to become a doctor is progressing in the right path. Liselle really knows her priorities, and Michael is receiving attention the good way. Hopefully, you will be a successful teacher and engineer someday.

At 6:48, when everything in the sight is becoming much darker, I, Liselle, and Michael decided to get going. We bid farewell to our parents' gravestone and told them that if next year will give us any luck, we will be visiting them often. Fifteen minutes of walking and we finally arrive home.

Right after I opened the door of our dilapidated house, Michael immediately ran past me and approached the second-hand colored television that has been given to us by his school teacher impressed by his performance in academics. Every day this is the routine of Michael: after arriving home from their school with Liselle, they'll help together to prepare dinner, by 6:45 PM he will already position himself to watch T.V..

He really found news as entertainment, I bet all intelligent people do.

But by the time the screen of the television has been turned to life, I stand frozen on my spot for this particular news is being aired.

"Good evening, you are still watching the Blue News. So last night we are hearing reports that Mindrey Incorporated had finalized the list of its chosen participants to demonstrate this particular game with its environment is very fictional yet the feeling is realistic using their very well reviewed Mindrey Gear. Out of millions of people who showed their interest to be one of those public demonstrators, only 100 from it has been picked, and another 50 have been chosen randomly from the billions of people worldwide that are able to play the game. And exclusive, tonight, we will be seeing them."

After the news anchor said the last line, instantly the screen has been filled with many faces. And one by one, when ample seconds pass, it was replaced by another set of different faces. And by the fifth time the faces on the screen change, located at the middle of the top part, is my face that I remembered was my profile picture on one of the social media accounts that Liselle made for me that I use once every blue moon.

By seeing that photograph of me, my two young siblings immediately face me. Their stares are asking me why in the world I would be belong in the 150 people that Mindrey Incorporated has chosen without them knowing-- as their older brother-- that news out of my mouth in the first place.

Still seeing different faces flashing on the screen from the corner of my eye, I said, "I am not hiding something. I am still true to our sworn statement to each other that there is no secret, ever. And the reason why I did not tell you about that is because I am not interested in it."

"What? Not interested?" the two spoke in synchro. Their current expressions and tone are really telling me that they were shocked by what they heard from me much more than what they've seen on T.V..

But just as I will state my stand as to why I did say 'not interested'. The door entering our dilapidated house not a second opened. My best friend once again entered without knocking.

And even though he has all the time to calm his system because of running that I don't know why, still catching his breath he said, "Many people are coming, Nat. But don't give that letter you have to them. At. Any. Cost."