34 Talented Me! 04

That's right. What was she supposed to do… Avina chose martial arts because she was afraid of getting hurt again, and although it was possible to be hurt in this modern world, she regretted not taking the singing skill. At the very least, she could have attracted fans that way, but who can she attract by fighting?

It's like having the option to choose between a cookie and brownie, both being delicious. You choose a cookie and thought you can enjoy a delicious cookie because you chose it, but then you found out there was a million dollars to the person who can give away a brownie. Now what. Sure, both the cookie and brownie were delicious, but if you chose the brownie, you could have received a million dollars. Who would care about a delicious cookie or brownie then! It's a million dollars!!

Avina's movements froze at the thought of her lost brownie chance and soon her expression became downcasted. 5025, who was waiting for more pats, opened its eyes and saw the dark Avina. Turning over onto its paws, it patted Avina.

"Don't worry, Host! Martial arts skills are very useful!"

Avina looked at the cat comforting her and muttered, "But not in this world…"

"You never know!" 5025 continued to comfort Avina. "You now have the skills to protect yourself! Isn't that already very good?"

"Yeah, you're right. I just wish I chose the singing skill. Maybe it would have been more useful," Avina sighed explaining her thoughts. Fans don't go to the most violent star, but the sweetest or prettiest or most handsome.

Well, this was the part where Avina just had to roll with it. So for the next few hours, Avina worked her crown off and studied like crazy. Afterward, she practiced more modeling walks and poses. When she finally felt she had a break, her family came home.

The sound of the door closing echoed in the small house before jingles of keys sounded and a soft sigh. Avina walked out of her room peeking through the corner at her new family. Matching the face to Wilona's memory, the man was her older brother, Derrick.

In the original story, Derrick was not mentioned much. In Wilona's memory, he was the only support Wilona had once Adi ditched her. Believing in his sister, he struggled to balance work with pulling Wilona out of her darkest days. If Wilona was here, she would have most likely wished for Derrick to live a life where he did not need to exhaust himself so much. To provide for their family, her brother and parents worked themselves to the bone. Maybe that was why Wilona had such a soft attitude to the world, she couldn't afford to become a burden to anyone.

Derrick, who had just finished his shift, wearily rubbed his eyes. Upon lifting his head, he saw Wilona peeking from behind the wall. A warm smile bloomed on his face, and he asked softly, "What is little Wilona doing?"

Noticing Derrick had found her, she looked at 5025, but realized it already disappeared. She got worried Derrick may have found out about the white cat. She did not know if they would kick 5025 out if they knew she brought a cat home.

Despite being only a few years younger, Derrick still treated Wilona like a kid. No matter what happened, Derrick would always stand in front of her to protect her or secretly offer her candy. In Derrick's eyes, Wilona never grew up from a baby sister.

Wilona soon also shined a bright smile on her face looking at Derrick. Her feet patter against the wood floor, and she leaped hugging her brother. "Welcome home!"

She quickly took off his coat hanging it before helping him sit down at the dining table. Bringing the cold dishes on the table, she placed them in the microwave heating them. Wilona filled a cup with warm water handing it to Derrick. "How was work today?"

Derrick took a sip and looked at his considerate, kind, and caring little sister. No matter how hard work was, he was willing to do anything to provide her with the best comfort life could afford. "Pretty easy."

Avina stared at Derrick's false relaxed smile. He had lines of tiredness beneath his eyes, and eye bags hanging. His hands had layers of calluses and dirt lined underneath his nails. Despite working hard, he had a slender body without an ounce of meat. His hair had dust hanging at the tip and every movement of his brought a light shower onto his shirt.

"Then you go clean up. I'll set your meal for you," Avina stood up pulling Derrick towards the bathroom. She grabbed a pair of clothing from his room and shoved it in with him. The task may have been to become famous, but somewhere in her heart, Avina knew that Wilona's wish was to provide a better life for her family.

They didn't let her get a job, so she focused all her attention on studying. If she managed to get into the best college and career, she could change their entire lives.

After Derrick finished washing up, the two of them sat together and chatted. Derrick had his meal while Avina stared at him wolfing down the food. She never once experienced hunger in her life or Ariel's. She could never imagine working so hard to the point of hunger. Grabbing her chopsticks, she placed more meat into the bowl of Derrick. She also added another bowl of soup and added more rice to his bowl. In the end, Derrick ate his fill and lied lazily on his chair.

Looking at the clock, it was already 11 p.m. Derrick pushed her to go sleep while he sat at the table counting his earnings and hours. Avina glanced once more at the hard-working youth before going to bed. She didn't get a chance to see the parents, but she already knew they were like Derrick - kind and hardworking.

Avina layed in bed looking at the ceiling and wondered how she would change their world. Who knew where Wilona went to, but Avina felt an obligation to help Wilona in every way possible, not just the mission. To become famous was easier said than done. She could pivot from the show, but that wouldn't technically mean she would become famous. She may attract attention, but that was all.

Adi had the air of a sophisticated rich young lady attracting a swarm of fans who liked the image of richness, but softness. Wilona was poor and meek. In the best light, it made people want to protect her. In the worst, she was a wallflower - unnoticed. No matter what, Avina did not want to change Wilona's personality. She wanted to change her fate, but not herself. Wilona was Wilona, not Avina.

Countless thoughts swarmed her head, and she soon drifted off to sleep. After she closed her eyes, a small light appeared from her side, and 5025 reappeared. Nestling, it slept at the small space next to her neck. Its light tail waved around before landing softly on her shoulder. Pink ears twitched slightly before stopping, and 5025 was also asleep.

Waking up, Avina dressed in her school uniform and grabbed her bag. She looked at the house, and it was once again empty. The only thing was the breakfast on the table with three little cards waiting for her. Flipping through the cards, they were from her parents and Derrick each wishing her a great day at school. Underneath the cards were a couple of wrinkled dollars.

Avina carefully folded the money and placed it in her wallet. She ate breakfast, washed the dishes, and rode the bicycle to school. Upon reaching it, she felt all sorts of strange stares being cast her way. Avina locked her bicycle up and continued walking to class.

Along the way, more students stared at her and she held her head low avoiding the gazes. Avina turned her attention to the monitors and saw Adi in class laughing with her other friends.

'What's with all the stares I'm getting?' Avina couldn't help but ask 5025. She felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the stares. It felt like they could see her everything and were judging her every movement down to the centimeters.

5025 looked around at the murmuring people and their judging stares.

'I don't know, Host," 5025 said slowly. The closer they got to the classroom, the more intense the stares were. Soon, those whispers were no longer whispers. Mixes of the words "disgusting", "thief", and the word everyone knows that start with B, "beggar" could be heard in every direction.

What was going on?