"Not My Sister“
Sunny struggled with the violin. He tried his best, he really did but his sister was driving him up the wall. He loved music as my v as his sister did, his friends gifting him his violin made him happy, it meant more time with his sister, it meant Mari wouldn't be cooped in the music room all they practicing.
It means they could make music together.
Oh how hopeful he was back then.
His sister slowly changed. The change was so sudden. Mari wanted them to join a recital, to learn a duet for the violin and piano. The thought of a large crowed made Sunny nervous, but his sister eased him.
"It's going to be fun, Sunny! Our friends get to watch and we'll make Mom and Dad proud!"
Of course he was up to the challenge. He wants to make his parents proud, he wants his dad to be proud of him more so. He won't bring his sister down.
But playing the violin was hard.
Sunny had to sit through day after day of his bow making an awful squeak, his small fingers not digging hard enough in the string, making the notes dull. He was disappointed at first, but what did he expect? He just got the violin this Christmas, he won't be an expert like her sister in a day.
Besides, the recital was 5 months to go.
Throughout their practice, Mari has already mastered half of the piece alone in a week. Sunny was only skimming through his, he didn't get any solid note yet and she was breezing through her part.
She would comfort him, telling him that he doesn't need to worry and he has plenty of time. He needs to do better.
It didn't go well the next month.
Mari was done with her part and Sunny was still learning his, she waited patiently, she gave him pointers and showed him how it was done. He appreciated the help.
He was jealous whenever his friends visit. He wasn't allowed out of the music room, he was still practicing, unless he was going out to eat. Him and Mari practiced all day long while their friends hangout and crashed in their home.
He had to remind himself, over and over again, that whatever he was doing, was for Mari.
Everything he was doing was for his sister.
So he ignored Kel's laughing as he seemingly bounced from wall to wall. The smell of Hero's cooking before he brings it to the music room. The loud yelling Aubrey does everytime Kel threatened to come close to her in his zoomies. He even ignores Basil's soft laughter and the sound of his camera as he takes a picture to preserve the moment.
Sunny needs to do this, he has to.
It was at the third month that Sunny managed to learn his part of the piece, it was a bit too long for Mari's taste but it was a feet a beginner don't commonly achieve. It was time for them to play together. Sunny would try his best but his nervousness makes him mess up.
This was when his sister slowly started to change.
Mari craves perfection. Everything she does needs to be perfect. She would get frustrated and start over whenever she didn't do a note right or if she missed just one beat. She would throw her paper away if one stroke of her writing was off. Her side of the room was completely neat and clean, opposite to the organized mess his side was.
She started to target her frustrations at him. At first it was hidden behind small encouragement. Then advice. Sunny made sure to take note of all the things she said, writing over his music sheet so he could see it everyday in practice.
Soon enough the advice was getting out of hand. She was telling him to do things that SHE would normally do and things that he shouldn't do so her piano would stand out. She would grab his violin and show him how he was supposed to do it in exasperation.
By the last month of their practice, there were many notes he would miss the timing off and Mari didn't stop making him practice, often telling him to skip meals until he has everything down.
His hand was calloused and his fingers were blistered but he ignored it.
He only did this so he could spend more time with Mari, so why did he feel this way?
Mark would often slam at her piano keys, telling him he wasn't good enough.
She would practically yell at him.
The violin he loved became something he resented the most.
When he thought everything was going well, there was only one note he can't do.
"Sunny! You had all the time in the world and you still can't figure that out?! The recital is in two days and you better get that note down by tomorrow! We're not ending the practice until I say so!"
Sunny was tired. He was so tired. The emotions he kept at bay for the longest time was daring to climb out of his throat. Everytime he looked at his music sheet he wants to rip it apart. Everytime he heard the piano he wants to rip his ears out. Everytime he places his wounded fingers on his violin strings he wanted to throw it. Hear the satisfying crack as it collides tp the ground.
But loves the violin, his friends gifted it to him, and maybe, if he did well in the recital, Mari would stop being mean.
He practiced and practiced until he dropped.
Mari was still not satisfied.
The night before the recital, Sunny woke up late at night, or early in the morning depending on what you think midnight is.
He walked down the stairs, went to the music room and grabbed his violin to practice.
To his surprise, his music sheet was missing.
Sunny immediately ran to her, dread filled his stomach but he tried his best to make his face remain neutral as ever.
Sunny was half way up the stairs, his violin and bow still in hand. Mari practically throws the music sheet at him as he reached the top.
As per usual, he didn't answer.
"Why did you write all over your music sheet, Sunny?! You're 12 but you're not a kid anymore! I know you love drawing but this is getting excessive!"
"What do you have to say to yourself?!"
She yells to him. Forcing Sunny to look at her Mari grabbed his chin.
Something in him snapped.
He wants to go back to his room.
In a fit of range, he held tightly on the neck of his violin and threw the music sheet off the stairs, the papers scattering about and landing on the stairs in different ways.
"Why you— you're so immature, Sunny!"
Mari's hair practically puffed as she huffed.
"Pick those up now! Give me your violin and pick those up!"
Sunny didn't make a move. Mari grabbed his violin, making him struggle. He wasn't going to give it to her, it was his. He can't let her! She won't let her—
The scuffling above the stairs lead to his sister grabbing the violin, but it slipped from her hodl and crashed on the floor at the door of the stairs. Sunny grew to resent his instrument but the crack that he heard made him sick.
His friends worked hard for it.
Everything he did for Mari...
Mari turned to him, her hair flailing about. Sunny could only look back at the broken violin on the floor.
"You're making this hard for me! I want everything to go perfect! Somehow— you! You always get in the way! Dad was right— you're useless!"
She yelled at him. Sunny felt the darkness was suffocating him. He grabbed on the railing, his eyes not leaving the instrument.
"Come on! Say something!"
Sunny looked back at Mari, tears gleaming in the dark.
At his words, a loud slap soon followed.
"I always did my best to be a perfect big sister! I did everything I could to be perfect for you and you tell me that?!"
Sunny didn't even flinch as a red hand mark appeared on his cheek.
"No... Something else did this..."
It can't be Mari, right? His sister was too perfect. It can't be her that threw his violin down the stairs, it can't be her that yelled at him, it can't be her that slapped him.
"Something.... Something was behind you— it can't be you, Mari. Something was— it was behind you."
It can't be Mari, it wasn't Mari.
It was something behind her.
"The only time you talk you're blaming me?! Blaming your imagination?!"
Mari snapped. Sunny ignored her, letting his tears fall down, the apathetic and emotionless look he always had cracked. He walked down the stairs, wanting to pick up the broken pieces of his beloved violin.
"Don't walk away from me!"
Mari grabbed Sunny's wrist. He shakes it away, turning around.
Unfortunately, he lost his footing.
The last thing he saw was his sister's horrified face. Her hair covering half of her face, one visible eye was wide in shock as he felt the wind rush through his ears.
That image soon morphed into something... Into was he thinks that was making his beloved sister this way.
Mari could only watch as his little brother utter a small gasp.
He fell, tumbling down and hitting his head before landing on his violin, the wood stabbing into his side.
His glassy gaze fixated on SOMETHING on the stairs rushing towards him as everything went black.
You're safe here, Dreamer.
