Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
I knocked lightly on the apartment door, feeling the smoothness of the metal.
Now that I went to the beach like I wanted, it was time for my next mission for spring break.
Visiting my family.
"Huh? Who…?" a man mumbled as he opened the door.
He was a middle aged man with a sharp but gentle gaze. His hair, while similar to mine in color, was well combed.
Wearing a plain white t-shirt and blue shorts, he gave off a casual presence.
This man was my father.
Upon realizing who I was, a smile came to his face.
"Welcome back my son, it's great to see you."
"Hey Dad, it's great to see you too,"
He moved to the side, welcoming me into the house.
When I entered, I was immediately welcomed with the feeling of suffocation.
"Oh my little rascal! I missed you so much!" My mother chirped as she held me in a tight embrace.
"M-mom, you're killing me," I muttered as I tried to break free of her grip.
Noticing her mistake, my mother released her arms.
She still didn't calm down though.
"So how's life without us? I bet you're lazing around aren't ya?" Mom asked as she put me in a headlock and gave me noogie.
"Congratualations Mom! You guessed correctly! Want a cookie?" I replied sarcastically.
"I would actually," Mom answered with agrin.
"Sorry, I don't have any," I mocked.
Mom released me from the headlock and I stretched my body for a bit.
"Where's Rowan?" I asked.
"Oh yeah. ROWAN! COME HERE NOW!" My mom yelled.
Soon, a dark haired young boy entered the living room.
He was about 8 years old and held a controller in his hand.
When he saw me, his eyes slightly widened.
"Elliot?" He said in surprise.
I walked over to him and put my hand on his head.
"Hey little bro, I missed ya," I said as I ruffled his hair.
His eyebrow twitched.
"I hate when you do that…" He muttered.
"I know," I replied with a grin.
Rowan glared at me.
If you couldn't tell already, Rowan was my little brother.
"How's school been going?" I asked, taking my hand off his head.
"It's been fine," he answered calmly.
Inwardly, I shook my head.
'He's always like this…'
I took a moment to glance around the house.
The walls were white which blended well with our furniture, giving a modern aesthetic.
Our apartment wasn't super fancy or expensive, but you could tell we were decently well off after taking a good look.
My eyes then landed on my family.
Like I explained a while back, our apartment was far away from Laxus Flare Academy so I was living with my uncle for the time being.
That meant I only saw my family on times where I had no school like breaks, regents week, or holidays.
It was only temporary since my family was going to move closer in my sophomore year.
But I still missed them a little though.
So getting to see them brought a smile to my face.
'Huh?'
Behind my brother, I noticed a picture frame on our tv stand.
Inside the frame, was a picture of me on my 5th birthday.
'That was…a while ago.'
Seeing my younger self, a skirmish feeling welled up in my chest.
I couldn't recall many memories past 8 years old.
Perhaps it was because of my poor memory.
Nevertheless, that made seeing a younger version of myself feel somewhat odd.
That version of myself looked, acted, and thought so much differently than I did,
It was like I was looking at a completely different person.
My views on both the world and myself had changed so much too.
It made me wonder…
When exactly did I start hating myself?
Was the 5 year old boy I saw brewing with self loathing?
How did I become…me?
Soon, I'd have to get a job.
And it was only going to be a few years until I finished high school and went to college.
Then, I'd be an adult with responsibilities and obligations.
Once that happened, what type of person would I be?
My body trembled for a split second.
I didn't want to imagine.
I didn't want to grow up.
'Chill out.'
I took a silent breath.
Overthinking wasn't gonna help anyone, especially not me.
If I wanted to change, that kind of mindset had to be challenged.
That's what I decided.
"Hey mom, do you have any snacks?" I asked.
My stomach growled.
"I'm starving."