Leo began to believe that he would become the worldâs greatest hero if he endured well until he left the punishment room.
Yesterday, I fell asleep because I was sick so I slept.
A day passed like that. During the day, Matilda brought a bottle of water for us to drink.
And when night came, Daniel came again.
âSister! I need to go in right away. Get this right now!â
Daniel shoved the bread through the grates and left the place in a hurry.
As the sun rose, Leo woke up first and began to twist his body in the narrow punishment room.
He was used to a lot of physical activity, so it seemed very difficult for him to be confined here.
âLeo. Letâs eat.â
I tore the bread that Daniel had given me the day before. Originally, the tough bread had dried up so hard that it could only be eaten after soaking it in the remaining water and becoming soft.
âBut when is the older brother coming?â
âAh. Do you want to see Edward?â
âI like the big one better than the smaller one. My older brother secretly gave me candy. The little one is just mean.â
Leo had been talking non-stop, as if he had decided to solve the boring thing through chatter.
âIf a mantis and a wasp fight, who wins?â
âWhat will my sister do when she becomes a stag beetle? When I become a wasp, Iâll sting on my brotherâs butt.â
âIf I jump off the third floor with a blanket, will I be able to fly like a bird?â
I made a dozen meaningless assumptions about what to say so much, and then whispered in small whispers. I was very restless. Then Leo said,
âSister. I like my sister very much.â
âYesâŚ?â
âI like my older sister more than my brothers.â
Then Leo went into my arms to make a fool of himself.
I donât know how long heâll be like a little baby, but for this moment, I couldnât resist Leo.
âSister. When I grow up, I will protect you from the villains.â
It may be a passing word from his childhood, but the tip of my nose wrinkled because his heart was beautiful.
âItâs impressive. When did you get so big?â
When he was just born, he was small and red and wrinkled, like a monkey.
âSister. I love you.â
I kissed his forehead and patted his back.
A long time after eating the bread, Leoâs stomach rumbled.
Iâm old enough to starve, but Leo was only eight years old.
But in the meantime, Leo laughed and rubbed his stomach.
âLeo. Are you hungry?â
âYes.â
I got up to knock on the door, thinking I couldnât stay like this. Then there was the sound of a lock being opened from outside and the door was wide open.
âCome out.â
âHuh?â
âFrom today on, you will be responsible for the monster brother.â
âA monster?â
âYes. Monster!â
I knew right away who she was referring to.
âDaniel is not a monster.â
âHuh. What ten-year-old memorizes administrative laws and listens to the verses? Does that mean that he knows which book is on which page and what line? Oh man, I have never seen such a strange monster in my life.â
âDonât say that.â
âAnyway, go quickly and check on your brother. I mean, do it well so something like today doesnât happen again!â
âWhat happened?â
âIf you go, you will know.â
With an anxious mind, I grabbed Leoâs hand and quickly went to the menâs room to find Daniel.
Without having to look into the room, Daniel and two other boys were standing in the hallway with their arms crossed.
âDaniel!â
âBrother!â
ââŚSister?â
Daniel, who saw us, widened his eyes. I was also quite surprised.
There was a bruise on Danielâs face. His nose was mottled with blood, and his clothes were wildly torn and full of blood and dirt.
My god, while Iâm goneâŚ
âWhatâs this?!â
Without realizing it, I became very angry. Daniel averted my gaze and shook his head.
âDid you hit him?â
The two boys averted their gaze and pursed their lips. Unlike Daniel, the guys had a bruise or two on their eyelids, but I couldnât see any blood on them.
âWhy did you hit him?!â
âThat guy got into an argument first! I mean, he said we were blind, stupid, idiots who couldnât even read properly!â
âNo! Sister, they⌠They called me a monster! And they said I was the idiot to talk to Mrs. Miller!â
âTheseâŚ!â
Without realizing it, I held back my fist that was about to come out. Heat rose from my chest.
However, since I am an intelligent person and I am a 14-year-old girl, I tried my best to put up with my irritation.
âWhy is Daniel such a monster?! Itâs because heâs a hundred times smarter than you and two hundred times smarter than you, so why a monster!â
âThatâs right! My brother is smart!â
Leo added from the side. Then the two guys stared at me and spoke.
âIf heâs smarter than us, would he hit someone like that?â
ââŚâ
âDaniel. Hands down They are not wrong.â
âButâŚâ
âOh my god. They were the ones who quarreled and hit you first, so why are you being punished with me? No wonder! Wait, Iâll have to tell Mrs. Miller and come back!â
I was leaving Leo and going to see Mrs. Miller again, but Daniel came rushing in and grabbed my hand.
âSister. Donât. You will be locked up again. Iâm fine.â
Lie. Daniel was the most delicate and fragile of our four siblings.
As a result, he grew up like a flower among the plants in the greenhouse. Although he sometimes quarreled with Edward, he quarreled and quarreled with Leo, but he did not get hurt so badly because of the quarrel between the brothers.
It was unacceptable for a guy who was thinner and smaller than his peers to be beaten like this.
Itâs those guys who called Daniel a monster who need to stop this from happening, not Daniel.
I was so angry that I was suffocating.
Pls read only at pink muffin tl.
âIâm not okay.â
âSisterâŚâ
âIf it just goes like this, I canât be angry. Iâm sure weâll figure out whatâs wrong, and whether Mrs. Miller locks me in or beats me up, thatâs for later.â
I said so, but I didnât shake Danielâs hand first. Then I thought I would be ignoring Danielâs will and acting my own way.
I stared at Daniel, hoping for permission. Then, after hesitating for a while, Daniel let go of my hand. I ruffled the boyâs hair and smiled.
âLeo please.â
âYes. Donât worry.â
After leaving Danielâs answer behind, I headed straight to Mrs. Millerâs room.
Tuk. Tuk.
I knocked on the door. Then I heard footsteps inside and the door opened.
âWhat happened as soon as you came out?â
âAre you asking because you donât know?â
âWhat?â
I swear I didnât know I could be so cocky and arrogant. Now that my parents arenât around, the only thing I trust under the sky seems to be making me aggressive.
âIâm the only one who can protect them. So Elizabeth Herrington, you must be stronger than anyone else.â
Letâs not be afraid, letâs not shrink. After telling myself that, I recklessly pushed my body into her room.
âWhy does Daniel have to face punishment together? He is the victim.â
âHe caused trouble.â
âWhat is the matter?! It was the kids who teased him first.â
âAnyway, the guy who was teased has a problem, right?â
You crazy old woman!
âTo say that the victim also has problems, where the hell did that logic come from? With that in mind, even if I hit Mrs. Miller right now, I have a problem, so should I reflect on it together?â
âWhat, what? You cheekyâŚ!â
âApologize to Daniel right now. And donât ever think of him that way again. Heâs the nicest and smartest guy ever!â
âI donât want to hear it, so stop. Stop!â
âItâs neglect and unfair corporal punishment for bullying!â
âWhy are you talking like an adult? I am in charge here! If you say that one more time, you will be thrown into the punishment room again!â
âFine! Put me there! Then I will accuse you!â
âThe girl who doesnât even know grace!â
As my voice rose, automatically Mrs. Millerâs voice rose as well. She raised her hand high.
For a moment my heart pounded hard, but not wanting to show my frightened look, I looked straight at her.
Seeing this, Mrs. Miller stopped her hand in her mid-air, and she glared at me vigorously. Then she smiled meanly.
âOkay. Fine.â
ââŚâ
Are you apologizing? Did I win? Did Mrs. Miller accept my request? Is the accusation scary?
All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind. Suddenly I was confused by the change in her attitude I saw.
While I hesitated to answer her in embarrassment, Mrs. Miller pulled something from her desk drawer and handed it to me.
âIâm going to apologize to Daniel separately, so you can run an errand.â
âErrand⌠huh?â
What errand all of a sudden?
âThe other kids canât go because theyâre young, but I think itâs worth letting you go.â
My face wrinkled, wondering what she was talking about. She didnât even care about my expression and went on to say what she had to say.
âIt is an ambiguous place to send mail, so you have to send the letter yourself. This is Grandma Lafiera, who lives at 18 Moera Row next to Draghi Square.â
âCome on, wait a minute. I donât even know where that is.â
âItâs 2pm now, so if you hurry, you can come back tonight.â
Then, Mrs. Miller said, holding the loaf on her desk in her hand.
In the meantime, I have been starving terribly, and the smell of bread was so strong that I began to eat bread in a frenzy. My pride was gone.
Mrs. Miller handed me the water from her kettle. I felt like I was going to live, literally, as sheI roughly filled my tummy.