Impromptu Party

Liz carefully brought out a box, one which held a long-forgotten sight. My eyes widened at the sight of the small chocolate cake nestled within the partially transparent box. 

For a moment, I couldn't speak. The last time I had seen a birthday cake, much less one meant for me, was a few years ago. The last cake I had had was on my eighth birthday, a beautiful cheesecake topped with sliced strawberries and bleeding blueberries. 

In fact, it was the last thing I ate before… before that happened. I choked up at the memory, hurriedly wiping away my tears. Fortunately, everyone misunderstood the reason for my sudden show of emotion as joy.

"Woah, you don't need to be so emotional. Just thank Mr. Atten for getting you the cake," Louis said gently.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Atten." I said seriously, though inwardly I was wondering why the miser had actually bought me a cake.

Mr. Atten coughed lightly. "Consider it as encouragement to do well in the future," he said haughtily.

A few minutes later, we had cut the cake into nine portions and I was slowly eating my slice as my five siblings ran around setting up an impromptu party, blowing up balloons and hanging up a few decorations. My attempts to help were brutally shut down, even by the nine-year-old Mira.

There was a kind of peace to sitting untouched in the bustling chaos all around me, like being in the eye of a loving storm. Each of my 'siblings' - from Liz, who was the second eldest at fifteen, to Ernst, an intellectual and quiet youth eleven years of age - were unconditionally caring toward each other. 

It was somewhat surprising even, how cohesively we worked together. Liz was by nature cool-headed and mature, but shared an intimate bond with Lily, who was playful and a little wild at thirteen. 

Meanwhile, Louis was far more grounded and stable despite being at a similar age to Lily. In fact, they were both thirteen, but Lily had been born in early April, while Louis was eight months younger, having been born in December. He had a great read on anyone's emotions and often played the role of peacemaker.

Ernst and Mira were the youngest of the bunch and often had difficulties helping us with the work. Ernst was not particularly strong and had a hard time carrying trays or bearing heavy loads, while his timid nature made it a lot harder for him to take orders while maintaining a semblance of order in the chaotic environment of the restaurant. 

Mira was too young to be able to do much, but she tried her best to help out by carrying odd items or remembering orders. She was naturally the most cared-for member of the household, and even Mr. and Mrs. Atten softened at the sight of her pleading face.

It was then that my surroundings distorted as my vision blurred and I dropped into darkness.

____________________________________________

My trance shattered as all the memories of the day's events returned to me. The Trials, the argument with the System and the explosion. 

"So, are you finally ready to speak, boy?" asked the figure in annoyance.