Nina's eyes fluttered open in the dim light of early morning.
She groaned and reached out instinctively to silence her alarm, only to be met with empty air.
Her hand groped around her nightstand for a moment before her fingers finally wrapped around her phone.
She blinked blearily at the screen. 6:50 AM. Her alarm wasn't due for another ten minutes.
"Tch." She flopped back down, dragging the blanket over her face. "Too early…"
She tried to drift back to sleep, but something was off. A strange, prickling sensation crawled down her spine. Her instincts screamed at her to stay awake.
"Danger?"
She wondered silently, adrenaline rushing through her veins. Without thinking, she jolted upright and turned toward the end of her bed.
There stood her younger brother, Leo, his arms crossed, eyes narrowed in deep scrutiny. His expression was serious—too serious for this early in the morning.
"What are you doing? You look like a ghost who just found out he died."
Nina asked, voice rough with sleep.
Instead of answering right away, Leo tilted his head and said.
"Are you really serious about that job?"
Nina blinked.
"Huh?"
"That café job. What kind of idiot angel hires someone like you? You're lazy. You nap after breakfast. You hate dealing with people."
He continued, as if he hadn't just invaded her room and stared her awake.
Nina squinted at him, offended and too tired to argue properly.
"Says the kid who hasn't done a single chore since summer break started."
"Don't change the subject."
She groaned and threw her blanket off with a huff.
"Yes, I'm serious. I got hired because I'm capable, Leo. I'm not as useless as you seem to think I am."
He gave her a skeptical look that made her want to launch a pillow at his head. Instead, she lifted a hand, letting the air around her pulse faintly with energy.
With a small flick of her fingers, an invisible force shoved Leo backwards.
"Hey—!"
He yelped as his feet lifted off the ground and he tumbled out of the room, landing with a loud thud on the hallway floor.
"That's your wake-up call."
Nina said dryly, dragging herself out of bed.
"Ow! This is so unfair! You shouldn't be allowed to use powers like that inside the house!"
Leo shouted from the hallway, rubbing his back.
"Then stop insulting me first thing in the morning!"
Before Leo could argue further, a blur of movement flew down the hall. Their youngest sibling, Luna, leapt over Leo's sprawled body with practiced ease.
She skidded to a stop in front of Nina's door, turned her head slightly, and said.
"Mom's calling for you."
Then she disappeared into her room, shutting the door with a satisfying click.
Leo groaned from the floor.
"She could've helped me up…"
Nina sighed and rubbed her temples.
"A perfect morning, isn't it? Your siblings adore you. Your power is finally being recognized. And now your mother beckons you like the queen you are. Shall I summon a throne for your breakfast?"
Her Patron mused, a tinge of amusement in his voice.
Nina rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smirk that formed on her lips.
"Yeah, yeah. All hail Queen Nina of Morning Chaos."
She trudged over to her dresser and grabbed the first hoodie she could find—one of her old ones with bleach stains near the hem—and pulled it on over her sleep shirt.
Her hair was a mess, and she knew she looked like a zombie that had just learned how to walk upright, but if her mother wanted to talk to her at the crack of dawn, this was the version of Nina she'd get.
Making her way down the hall, she passed Leo still sprawled out on the floor. She stepped over him without comment.
"I'm telling Mom you threw me."
He muttered.
"Be my guest."
She replied, knowing fully well that their mother won't believe something like that.
As she descended the stairs, the familiar scent of breakfast hit her nose—eggs, toast, and something sweet like jam or syrup.
She turned the corner and entered the kitchen to see her mother by the stove, flipping pancakes.
"Sit. We need to talk."
Her mom said without looking at her.
Nina blinked and cautiously took a seat at the table.
"You're working now. That's good. Just don't mess this up."
Her mother said, glancing at her with a raised brow.
"I won't."
Nina replied.
Her mother didn't smile, but she did place a warm pancake in front of her.
Nina scarfed down her breakfast, barely tasting the pancakes her mother had made.
She wasn't in the mood to savor anything—not when she had a job to get to and a nosy younger brother who clearly didn't believe she could handle it.
The moment her plate was clean, she washed it, muttered a quick goodbye to her mother, and ran upstairs to change.
A plain black hoodie, some jeans, and her worn-out sneakers would do. She tied her hair up in a quick ponytail and checked herself once in the mirror.
Not perfect—but passable.
As she stepped out the front door, a chill ran down her spine.
Leo.
She didn't need to turn around to know he was following her.
She could sense him—faint and trying to be subtle, but not subtle enough. Nina sighed through her nose and slipped around the corner of their street, pretending not to notice.
[Persistent little rat. Are you going to put him in his place again?]
Her Patron said dryly.
"Not this time."
Nina murmured back.
Instead, she ducked into a side alley and took a completely different route toward the café.
At the next intersection, she paused behind a delivery truck, masked her presence with a thin veil of aura, and waited.
After a few long minutes, she sensed Leo pass by on the other side, none the wiser.
Only when she was sure he was gone did she step out and resume her path.
It added an extra ten minutes to her commute, but it was worth it to avoid another interrogation. She was in no mood to explain herself again. Especially not to him.
Meanwhile, a few blocks away, Leo huffed and kicked a pebble as he came to a stop.
"She's gone. How does she do that every time?"
He muttered, annoyed.
He pulled out his phone, preparing to check Nina's location—only for the screen to light up with an incoming call.
Boss.
Leo groaned and looked away as if ignoring it would make it disappear. The ringing continued.
"Not now… Stupid timing."
He muttered.
Still, something deep inside told him he needed to take this call.
With a reluctant sigh, Leo pressed accept and held the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Leo, I need you at the office. Something's come up."
Came the familiar deep voice of his superior.
"Now? I was—"
Leo asked.
"It's urgent."
Leo clicked his tongue and looked down the road again, hoping to catch a glimpse of Nina, but she was long gone.
"Yeah, fine. I'm on my way."
He said, ending the call.
As he pocketed the phone, he muttered under his breath.
"Work always calls at the worst possible time."
Still, he adjusted his bag and turned in the direction of his agency. Whatever his boss wanted to talk about, it didn't sound like something he could afford to ignore.
______
More feedback would be nice. I like when you give me Power Stones and comments. It helps me write more.