With a dull look in his eyes, he slowly walked in. As he did, the moonlight peeked through the clouds momentarily, casting a soft glow around him.

He opened the door and stepped inside. The darkness seemed to consume him as he let the door close on its own.

He ascended the steps towards his room, but paused when he reached the top. At the end of the corridor, there was a room with Ruby’s name on it. He couldn’t help but sigh as he looked at it, the memories flooding back. But soon, he walked into his own room and collapsed onto his bed. As he closed his eyes, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

The house, once filled with laughter and joy, now echoed with silence

In the morning, the sound of chirping birds woke him up. However, he just stayed there, staring at the ceiling, unsure of what to do next. Eventually, he stood up and went downstairs. As he descended the steps, he noticed a letter on the floor. He walked over to it and saw that it was from the Westminster Academy of Higher Learning, his dream college to which he had applied a few months back.

He opened the letter by tearing it up and then read what was written inside. It was an acceptance letter; he was expected to join within a week.

Upon seeing this, no surge of happiness came over him. Instead, he just looked melancholic. He remembered that he had given this letter to his grandfather to post while he was going out, and how happy they had looked when they saw that he was applying. Now, the joy of acceptance was overshadowed by the sorrow of their absence.

After reading the letter and staring at it for a while, he put it down. He then walked into the kitchen, took some bread and butter, and silently made a sandwich. He ate it in silence, lost in his thoughts.

"Ding Dong," the doorbell of the house suddenly rang. However, he ignored it, continuing to eat his sandwich in silence. But the person on the other end was persistent and kept ringing the bell.

Finally, when he had finished his sandwich, he walked to the door and unlocked it.

"You finally opened," a girl's voice rang out as he opened the door. Standing there was a girl with brown hair and eyes, her face full of worry as she saw him still in the black clothes he had been wearing.

"Hey Ethan, I heard about your grandparents," she said, a bit hesitant as she looked at him. His face, however, remained as impassive as before. "How are you holding up?" she asked, not quite knowing what to say.

“Oh, hey Grayce, I’m doing quite alright. Why do you ask?” Ethan said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Grayce looked at him, not quite believing his words, and walked in. “You know, I came as soon as I heard,” she said, her face full of concern. “Hey, if you need to, you can stay with my parents for a while,” she offered.

“There’s no need, I can take care of myself,” Ethan said, cutting her off.

Grayce Smith was Ethan’s childhood friend. They were once neighbors and used to play together when they were little, spending almost all their time together. However, a few years back, her parents had moved to another city because of their jobs.

***

"We both know that's not true," Gracye said, a scowl etched upon her face. She walked through the house towards the kitchen. "Look at this, you ate bread and butter for breakfast," she pointed out, gesturing towards the packet of bread and the butter on the dining table. After that, she turned her gaze towards Ethan, looking him up and down.

"You have been wearing the same suit from the funeral yesterday," she observed, her voice quieting down as she uttered the last sentence. "It would be best if you just move in with us for some time. We can go to the same college and spend our time like before," she whispered

"You know that I can't do that, right?" Ethan asked

"Why not?" Grayce asked, looking down.

"I-I have my own plans. I plan to go to the Westminster Academy of Higher Learning," he lied.

"You know that I can't do that, right?” Ethan asked.

"Why not?” Grayce asked, looking down.

"I-I have my own plans. I plan to go to the Westminster Academy of Higher Learning," He lied,

In truth, Ethan had no plans. He didn't see a future. it felt as though he had nothing to live for. What was the purpose of going out to study when the motivation for it was no more? When his parents and sister had died, his grandparents supported his studies even though they didn't have much. They only had enough savings to pay the bills and put food on the table. As for his father and mother, they died when they were going to another city for an interview for a high-paying job. It was a chance for them to earn more to support their family.

However, they never came back, consumed by the fire of a weapon of death. A hint of pain flickered through Ethan's eyes as he thought about this, but he soon suppressed it back down to the place it crawled up from. He didn't want to think about it.

"I'll leave the country within a week," Ethan said, as he looked at Grayce.

"What after that? What do you plan on doing after that?" She asked him. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes, the mere thought of him leaving forever frightening her to her core.

"What are you crying for?" Ethan asked, as he used his fingers to wipe off the tears that were about to spill.

"It's not like we would never meet again. You're crying as though you will never see me again," he said, a small smile forming on his face for the first time since the incident.

"Promise me," she said in an oddly sweet and cute voice.

"Sure, why not? I promise," Ethan said. It wasn't as if they couldn't talk; they just had to communicate through messages and calls.

"So, where are you staying anyway?" Ethan asked, changing the topic.

"Here, of course. I want to make sure that you don’t just eat this," she said, pointing towards the bread and butter. "You'll only eat this stuff instead of cooking yourself something good," she added, as she went back out of the house and returned with a bag, most likely full of clothes.

Stolen story; please report.

"Alright, now go and wash up. I'll cook something for you," she said, as she pushed him out of the kitchen. Ethan just shook his head and moved to the bathroom. He took a shower while he stared blankly at the wall, deep in thought. It wasn't a bad idea to just leave the country. He felt he had nothing left here, a thought that brought a tinge of pain to his face.

After washing up, he walked out. However, he didn't head to the kitchen. Instead, he roamed throughout the ground floor of the house, looking at each photo, each wall, each small detail of the house as though committing it to memory. However, as he moved up towards the first floor, he stopped when he saw that corridor.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!"

He heard a voice from his memories where three kids ran through the corridor. One was his younger self, who looked happy as he ran, laughing all the while. A smaller version of Grayce chased him down, while his little sister, with black eyes and hair just like their mother's, and a tinge of red in them just like their father's, ran after both of them. She was laughing even though she didn't understand what was going on. She followed them everywhere with a small, sweet smile on her face.

As he walked, he found himself standing in front of his sister's room. He looked at the nameplate hanging on the door. It looked as though someone had written their name in a hurry, which she did, using a crayon to write her name on it, too excited for the snacks that their dad had bought for them after work.

He grabbed the handle of the door, rotating it and giving it a small push. The door opened to reveal toys spread all around the room. The bed was made up as though she had left just this morning. The table to the side still held all the fairy tales she used to ask him and their mother to read at night. A small photo frame held a family photo, all of them wearing smiles on their faces.

His grandmother used to clean this room daily, making sure not to move anything from the place she left them. Perhaps it was a way to remember her, or a way to ensure that she was never forgotten. As for him, he had come here after they had held a funeral for their parents and his sister. After that, he had never mustered the courage to come here again. Whenever he remembered those happy memories, he felt hollow inside. A profound sense of loss filled his heart. All those memories felt like knives that chipped away at his heart.

He silently picked up the family photo and just stood there. However, he couldn't keep this up for long. He sat down on the floor, blankly looking at the photo, remembering all the happy days of his life, all the times he had enjoyed with his family, all the times he had fought with his sister. If he had known what would happen, he would have treated her better, or stopped them from going that day altogether.

The day they had left for the interview, he was angry at them for not taking him with them. He wanted to go and explore the city with them, but he had school that day. As for his sister, she was free. After all, she had just finished her exams and her school was off.

He had acted as though he had been sleeping when they left, not even saying goodbye, not even seeing that sweet smile of his sister and his parents before they left. And he had regretted that all his life.

When he got the news of their death, it felt as though the world had ended. He felt as though he had lost it all. He became an orphan in just one day. Fortunately, his grandparents decided to move here from the countryside just to take care of him. They had supported him all they could, doing part-time jobs to make sure that he could study. He also found a new goal too. He wanted to lessen their burdens and earn enough to take care of them too.

However, it was too late for that too. They had left him just like his parents and sister had.

As he looked at the photo, his eyes blurred, and tears that he and kept back had started to spill, he watched as the tears fell on the photo.

While blankly looking at the photo his eyes moved to the bracelet he was wearing, it was black in color with his name etched on the side, his parents had given this to him and his sister as gifts.

As he looked at the bracelet he felt, his eyes void of all emotions, his fingers rubbing it unconsciously a habit he had developed after their death, it was a reminder of the last gift by his parents and also a shackle that reminded him of the happy memories that seemed to become sad now, only a way to remember them by, a memento to remember that they ever existed in this world.

“Knock knock,” Grayce’s soft voice called, accompanied by a gentle tapping on the door. “Hey, breakfast is ready.”

Ethan turned to look at her. In her eyes, he saw only twoi emotion: pity and sadness. He knew he was pitiful, but he didn’t want anyone to remind him of it. The world had already proven it to him by repeatedly taking everything he had. Was it fate? He wondered as he slowly stood up and placed the picture back where he had found it.

“Yeah, let’s go,” he said, heading out of the room and down to the ground floor. Grayce followed him.

***

Grayce’s POV

Seeing him there, tears streaming down his face as he clutched the photograph of his family, I felt utterly helpless. What words could possibly offer solace to someone who had lost everything? First, his parents and sibling, and now the only family he had left.

There was a profound silence, broken only by his sobs. I wondered if he would find the strength to recover this time. In the past, his grandparents had been there to support him, but now, I questioned whether I could pull him back from this abyss.

As I sat there, eating the waffles I had cooked, I couldn’t help but ask him, “When do you plan on leaving?” The thought crossed my mind: would he ever return? After all, the institute was in another country.

He hesitated for a moment before answering, “I think I’ll leave in a week.”

“But what about your home?” I pressed. “Who will take care of this place?”

He looked at me, his expression conflicted. “I plan to sell it,” he said.

“Why would you do that?” My outrage spilled out. “This is your home! You can’t just sell it, pack up, and leave as if it doesn’t matter.” Deep down, I knew that if he sold this place, I might never see him again.

“I know how you feel however it’s not my home anymore, Grayce” he said in a sad and manacolic tone, as he looked around the place as though etching this place into his memory.

“A family makes a home. And I no longer have family left. This place would just remind me about the time I spent with them. And you know when I think about them it hurts, to see this place like this ... .so silent with no life left. And even if i didn’t plan on selling it i would have to pay taxes for this place which i cant play, so i’ll just pack everything that matters and sell this place and leave and start over somewhere else” he said, and my heart sank when i heard his voice.

“You know if you ask my parents they can take care of this place, and even help you financially, they can pay the taxes” i said my voice desperate,

“I can’t do that, Grayce. It would be just a burden for your parents. Even if they agree to pay for this place, I would not,” he said.

I could only look down, not knowing how to stop him from leaving forever. As though reading my mind, he said, “You know it’s not like we are never going to talk again. We can video call and stuff like that to keep in touch. So stop looking down.”

“You promise?” I asked.

“Yeah, I promise,” he said.

***

Ethan’s POV

After convincing Grayce, she looks a little happier—or at least as happy as she could look. I can’t blame her; she had rarely met my grandparents. She was close with my parents and sister. When she learned about their deaths, she locked herself in her room for a few days, crying all day long. Her parents had to do a lot to get her out. However, after that, she came to me, trying to cheer me up while barely holding herself back from crying when she tried to do so.

“Anyway, how about you visit some old girlfriends of yours? I want to tidy up the place and pack anything that I find worth keeping, as well as things that I should sell if I see no value in them,” I said.

“No, I can also help,” she said, standing up.

“Hey, listen, Grayce… I need some time alone to figure things out. So please, I know you want to help, but I need some alone time right now,” I said, looking at her with a small smile that didn’t quite feel happy.

“Alright, but I’ll be back tomorrow morning. I don’t want to see you lurking around like before, alright? And please take care of yourself,” she said, picking up the plates and putting them into the dishwasher.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?” she said, giving me a hug, and I hugged back.

“Alright, see you tomorrow,” I said with a smile.

“Bye,” she waved as she left the house. I thought to myself,

“Alright, let’s start with the attic and find stuff to sell.” Making my way up to the first floor, I discovered the rope that pulled down the stairs. As the stairs descended, so did the dust that had been gathering on top of them for years.