When The Timer Hits Zero. ~Iwaoi~

~Part One~

'Tooru! Happy birthday!' my mom says as she enters my room. Today is the day I finally turned twelve; an age I've looked up to ever since I turned eleven.

I open my eyes slowly to look at my mom. She smiles at me, a bright and pretty smile. Most people say I have the exact same smile as she does. But as I look at her, the first thing I noticed isn't the bacon and eggs she made me, nor the gift she is holding. The first thing I notice is a small but very clear timer on her chest, close to her heart.

My eyes widen and I gasp. I rub my eyes once, twice, but the numbers are still there, slowly counting down. 'Tooru? Are you okay?' my mom says, clearly worried. I decide that now is not the time to tell her, as it might just be my imagination. 'Oh, sorry, I haven' t fully woken up yet.' I respond, trying to reassure her wth a smile.

After the very tasty bacon and eggs and opening my gift (it was the last volume of my favourite manga!), I walk downstairs to greet my dad. He's sitting at the table, reading today's paper and drinking a cup of coffee.

'Happy birthday, Tooru!' he stands up and kisses me on my cheek, giving me a big hug. 'You're growing so fast, I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday...' he says, wiping away the tears that're welling up in his eyes.

My dad gave me a new video game. While I have wanted it for a long time, I can't find myself wanting to play it. As soon as I saw my dad, I was shocked. Unlike my mom, my dad doesn't have a timer. His chest is as empty as it was yesterday.

'Alright honey, I have to go to work. I'll be back earlier than usual today! Love you!' my mom kisses me and my dad on the cheek and walks out. My dad managed to get free today, but sadly, my mom didn't. As the rest of the day passes, I forget about my mom's timer, thinking that it was an illusion.

That's when my family came to visit. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, they all came to celebrate my birthday. Everywhere, on every chest, a timer counted down. They were all different, some of them being several years, and some of them being just months.

Them I realized that I hadn't looked down at my own chest yet. I was scared to, honestly. Slowly but surely I look down. I shriek, unaware that I am still in a room full of people. On my own chest there is a timer. Though I can't see it clearly from this angle, I can see several years on it.

'Hey, are you okay?!' My cousin, the one sitting closest to me, grabs me by the shoulders. I can feel my hands shaking, but I manage to calm down my voice and fake a smile. 'Yes, there was a bug, and...' Without even finishing my sentence, my cousin screams. 'A BUG? A BUG!'

Just a second after, pretty much everybody is yelling and standing on tables (like the bugs will not get up there). My dad and aunt are looking for the non-existent bug. And at exact that moment, the person that is the most scared of bugs walks in: my mom.

Of course, she immediately jumps on the table as soon as she hears people scream 'BUG!'. Normally, this situation would make me laugh, but I can only think of one thing: my mom's timer is at three days.