Excitement or Hysteria? (1)
The night passed on without me even realizing the time.
I stood up all night coming up with the design, ingredients, and measurements so that this cake could be flawless.
When I came up with the basic idea of the cake and the overall ingredients and measurements, it was so late that I hadn't even noticed that I fell asleep at my desk.
~
"So, she's finally beginning to reach toward her dream again, huh?" Light sparkles with fairy wings observed the girl sleeping at her desk from above. The sound of a gentle, small girl emanated from the sparkles, flying around in the air. Its true form was concealed due to the light that shone from it.
"Finally… I might be able to meet her this time," the girl's voice said in relief. Suddenly, the sparkling creature disappeared to leave the girl to rest peacefully.
* * *
"Onee-chan… Onee-chan… ONEE-CHAN!" A young boy's voice called out to me and I rapidly awakened.
Scanning my surroundings, it took me a second to realize that I fell asleep at my desk.
A young boy with medium-length black hair and dark brown eyes stood next to me.
This young boy is the first child of Kaori named Haruto. Haruto is 13-years-old and only half a year younger than me.
Another boy, much younger than Haruto with short black hair and light brown eyes stood right next to him. This one is the second child of Kaori named Eiji, who is 8-years-old.
"Oh, Haruto and Eiji, it's you guys," I noticed as I stretched out my stiff back and neck against the desk chair.
"It's not like you to sleep this late," Haruto claimed as Eiji nodded in agreement. I looked over at the clock that was next to my bed to see that it was 8:00 AM when I usually got up around 3 hours earlier.
"I guess I went to sleep really late," I explained as I finished stretching out my back and arms.
"I heard Mom and Dad talking to you last night," Eiji said and I looked at the both of them in surprise.
"You were up that late, huh?" I noticed and they both nodded in unison.
"We heard you were planning on transferring to another school," Haruto said faintly and I breathed in a heavy sigh.
'So they heard pretty much everything?'
"Are you going to switch schools and leave us?" Eiji said with a sad look in his dark eyes. He looked like an abandoned puppy!
I couldn't help but feel like I was doing something wrong to them. Should I feel guilty?
Eiji was still 8-years-old and Haruto was only half a year younger than me. They joined me and my father 4 years ago when I was 10, two years after my mother died. We never treated each other poorly but we hesitated to talk to one another. It was only until my father and Kaori got married that we began to talk to one another through short conversations and brief encounters at first. We didn't hate one another since the boys' father left them and their mother for another woman, and my mother passed away on my side.
Both the boys and I were sensitive about our parents remarrying but we slowly got used to each other although it took time. We saw that my dad and Kaori were happy in their relationship so we did nothing to reject it.
I would often walk with the boys to school and help them with their homework when they needed me. We weren't related by blood but we treated each other kindly and respectfully. I knew that they always wanted a sister and I so happened to be there for them when they needed one.
It stung a little because I knew that they were still sensitive about someone leaving them since their father walked out on them.
"Don't worry, I won't leave you guys. I'll call you and send you texts so that you won't forget me," I reassured the two boys and they looked at me sensitively.
"I don't want you to go, Onee-chan," Eiji said and I softly patted his head to calm him down.
"Eiji, I have to be accepted into the school first before I can enter." I gave a small smile to the adorable young boy.
"Is this what you were doing the whole night?" Haruto asked, pointing at my papers filled with handwritten notes and drawings.
"Ah, yeah. The school I'm looking to transfer to is doing a baking entrance exam. I have to come up with something that could be accepted so that I can enter. Do you guys like it?"
I showed both of them the drawing of the dessert I was looking at, which made and their eyes widened in disbelief.
"Onee-chan drew this? Wow! This looks amazing!" Eiji said in surprise as if he just found a million dollars.
"Not bad," Haruto stated briefly and I smiled at them.
The younger brother was much better at expressing his emotions than the older one, though I could tell Haruto meant the same as Eiji.
"But I thought you hated baking? Why do you want to go to a baking school?" Haruto asked curiously and I sat back on my chair.
'I guess it doesn't really make sense to change my mind this quickly,' I thought to myself.
I couldn't tell what expression I had on my face but the two boys looked regretful for asking that question.
"N-never mind! Y-you don't have to answer that," Haruto retracted and I shook my head.
"No, it's fine… When I was young and my mom was still around, my dream was always to become a famous patisserie just like her. I guess I suddenly realized that I gave up wanting to forget about that dream. I just hope it's not too late for me to accomplish this," I answered seriously.
"I don't think it's ever too late to achieve your dreams! So once you get in, we'll support you all the way!" Eiji claimed with a grin while Haruto stood back, but I couldn't understand the look on his face.
"Thanks. Well, since I'm up already, I want to try and give it a go. Will you guys be my taste testers?"
"R-really?! Of course! I want to eat whatever Onee-chan makes!" Eiji spoke with a belated smile on his adorable face.
"I guess... just don't poison me," Haruto said and I scowled at him.
"I won't poison you."
And so, I went downstairs into the kitchen to grab the ingredients I needed to make the dessert I spent all night planning.
A strange feeling rushed in me that I hadn't felt since I baked with my mom. Was it excitement, or was it hysteria? All I knew was that it felt strange to be back in the kitchen again.