"First day of school, done," Iván said with a stretch as he stepped outside, breathing in the fresh air.
"See you tomorrow, Aurora," he added, waving at her.
She nodded in return—expressionless, no smile, nothing. Like a doll.
Ivan still found it a little strange, but after spending the day with her, he was starting to get used to it.
Making his way to his mom's car, he fiddled with the keys, hopping in and started the engine. A grin spread across his face.
Minus the dead body and the whole soccer situation, maybe living here wouldn't be so bad after all.
Pulling out of the school parking lot, he drove toward his little sister's school. And of course, what was a drive without some music?
"Making my way downtown, walkin' fast—"
He blasted the music without a care in the world, one arm hanging out the window as the cool wind rushed past.
The drive was short, and his little sister was already waiting on the sidewalk.
"Yo," Iván said, rolling down the window.
"Took you long enough," Sofia huffed.
"Yeah? Well, get used to it. Now hop in—let's go get some ice cream."
"You're the best brother ever," she said with a bright smile as she climbed in.
"I know," Iván replied, grabbing a pair of sunglasses from the center tray and sliding them on. "Let's roll."
Sofía gave him a side-eye and a curious hum. "Where'd you even get those?"
"The gas station," he said proudly. "They've been waiting for the day you'd finally admit I'm cool enough to wear them."
"I will retract what I said earlier, you're the worst" she said.
"Can't take it back now—you already said it," he said with a grin as they drove off.
"So, sis, how was your first day?" he asked as they sat enjoying the ice cream he'd just bought.
"Boring… but there was this boy."
"What boy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He kept bugging me, so I did what dad taught me to do when boys won't leave me alone—I punched him in the face."
In that moment, he didn't know what to say to her, but Sofia was what—five years old? She probably didn't remember much. But he did. He remembered the old man, their dad, telling her to punch the boys in her kindergarten class if they picked on her.
Which, of course, was followed by their mom telling her she absolutely couldn't do that.
He let out a sigh.
"You didn't get in trouble, did you?"
"Nope. The boy was too embarrassed to tell the teacher a girl hit him." She shrugged.
"Right… still, you shouldn't go around punching kids in the face. I know Dad told you that, but he was mostly joking. There are consequences to our actions, okay?"
"This isn't fair… why does Dad—"
"Don't cry on me now," he said gently. "Dad wouldn't want us to."
"Okay… okay," she whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Can we go home?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
The drive home was quiet. Sofia stared out the window, lost in thought, while Iván gripped the wheel, the weight of the day settling heavily on him. His mood had soured, sadness creeping in like an unwelcome shadow.
There was a reason he spoiled his sister—he hated seeing her this way.
And on days like this, the best thing he could do was bring a little light back into her world.
"Hey," he said softly, glancing over at her. "Once we pick up Mom, how about we build a blanket fort at home and watch some movies on DVR?"
Her face lit up just a bit. "Yeah… and I want snacks."
"Snacks it is," he smiled. "Let's make it a good night."
After dropping off his sister, Iván drove to the school to pick up his mom. She walked out looking completely exhausted, weariness written all over her face.
"Long day, Mom?" he asked as she approached.
"Yeah," she sighed, slipping off her heels as she climbed into the passenger seat. "You drive—I'm too tired."
"Sofia and I are planning to build a fort tonight," he said, starting the car. "I mean… you probably already know why."
She glanced at him, her expression softening.
"Dad?" she asked gently, already knowing the answer.
"Yeah," Iván nodded quietly. "I kinda promised Sofia we'd get snacks."
"That's fine," she said with a tired smile. "Just don't stay up too late."
"We won't," he promised.
The rest of the day was spent building a fort with his sister—something they'd been doing together for as long as he could remember.
It was something he enjoyed—experimenting with different ways to drape blankets over chairs and figuring out how to keep them from collapsing.
He stepped into the garage, rummaging through boxes.
"How the hell do you lose a 50-inch TV?" he muttered, frustration mounting as he sifted through the clutter.
Then it hit him.
"Wait—I'm dumb. It's in the back shed."
He made his way toward the backyard. The closer he got to the shed, the more the hairs on his neck stood up. Like something was watching him.
Brushing off the unease, he opened the shed door.
There it was. The TV. Right where movers left it.
Now how am I going to carry it?
Before he could even think of a solution, a sharp snap came from behind him.
He spun around.
"Holy shit!"
His heart was pounding in his chest—
"Sofía! You scared the living daylights out of me!"
She just grinned.
"You should've seen the look on your face."
He exhaled, still recovering.
"Yeah, well… you almost gave me a heart attack."
"Mom told me to tell you dinner's ready," Sofía said, poking her head in.
"Yeah? What about the TV?" Iván asked, glancing at the box.
"Why don't you just use yours?"
"Bruh…" he muttered.
She giggled as she turned to leave.
"You really forgot you had your own TV, huh? You're so dumb sometimes."
"Wow, thanks," he called after her, shaking his head with a smirk—just glad to see her in a better mood.
By the time dinner was done, the two siblings were tucked away in their blanket fort, completely absorbed in a game of Minecraft.
"Ah! It's going to kill me!" she screamed as a zombie chased her.
Iván burst out laughing just as a creeper exploded, taking out both her house and her character in one blast.
"How did a creeper spawn in my house?!" she yelled, glaring at him.
"I told you to put torches down, didn't I?"
"Yeah—"
A long, distant howl echoed through the air, cutting her off mid-sentence. They both looked up, startled.
"Was that… a wolf? In California?" she asked, wide-eyed.
Deep within the woods, shadowy figures watched the house in silence, their eyes glowing faintly in the dark as the howl faded.