I.M.POSTER

Chapter 1.5: A special person

It was time for goodbyes, a chance to share your final moments with all your loved ones before your departure. Today was the day you'd be permanently leaving the face of the Earth. No more setbacks, no more family vacations, no more special holiday visits.

It was over, this was it.

You all knew this day would come, you had all prepared for it, there was no more of a reason to be sad.

No reason at all.

Not a single reason whatsoever.

Nope...nada.

In fact, it was exactly as you expected it to be. First, you bid adieu to your parents, they were the only family you had to be quite frank. Next, you listened to your father's stone-cold lectures about leadership and responsibility, then hugged your mother as she fixed your face one last time.

"I'll never get to see you again," she said, eyes drooping in sadness. "At least let me baby you before it's too late."

You smiled softly while pulling her hands away from your face. "You have Arthy, you can baby him in my place."

She scoffed, "I'll be stuck with your brother for the rest of my life, I'll only get to have you for the next few hours." With that, she went back to licking her thumb and cleaning the corner of your lip. You cringed at how disgusting it was, but still, you let her do it.

She looked at you with reminiscent eyes, while gently stroking your cheek. "I knew you'd be the first to leave the family. As a kid, you would always cause trouble by either running around or running away. For the longest time, it'd made me feel as though you secretly hated us or something. Had me questioning my own parenting skills, not gonna lie."

Your hand covered her own, leaning your face into her palm.

"I had accepted the fact that at some point you would need to spread your wings and fly," she looked down, "I just never knew it'd be so soon."

She started to cry, cleaning the tears off her face while leaning into your father's embrace. He wrapped a stiff arm around her, which was very surprising considering the fact that he wasn't a very affectionate person. Seeing this side of him emphasized just how much of a big deal this all was, for everyone including yourself.

"Our lives will be much better without you around," he said. "Without all your ruckus and problem-causing, your mother and I will finally get to enjoy the peace and quiet that we deserve. You can trust me on that one."

You smiled, knowing that was his own way of expressing how much he would miss you. You can only imagine how difficult it must be to be a parent, to spend a quarter of your life raising your children, only to watch them grow up and leave, right before your eyes. Then to spend the rest of your days all wrinkly and alone till you both die in each other's embrace if you were ever lucky enough to live that long anyway.

The whole thing sounded so confusing. It made you question the entire point of it all, becoming a parent that is.

How ironic, you thought to yourself, when, inevitably, I'll become one myself.

"Arthy," your mother spoke, which appeared as though she was speaking to no one in particular, "come say goodbye to your sibling."

Suddenly, you see a flash of red approach you, and in almost an instant you're being squished into a tight embrace. You look down and see that same smile from before on your younger brother's face, nuzzling it into your chest.

"It's not fair though," Arthy pouts, "I should be the one to go Polus, not you."

It shocked you at the way he appeared to not be phased in the slightest that the end of the world was literally just days away. He was acting as if you were just moving out of the house like you could return whenever you wanted to.