The annoying ringing of a bell echoed in the room. The sharp pitch sliced the air, including ear holes. One would wonder if they lost their sense of hearing from it. If it was any sharper, it could probably burst an eardrum.

It also grew louder by the second. What did it aim for? Impair people? Break their dreams?

How about it gets broken instead? The pleasant thought eased the pain. The sound of its mechanism cracking could create smiles. No more series of pings to stress or to irritate others.

Then, everyone could enjoy peaceful days.

“Emily, wake up.”

Stinging pain forked over Emily’s upper arm. Her blue eyes flew open. Her window seat greeted her sight. She jerked her shoulder off the bed and twisted her neck. A pair of stormy green eyes glared down at her.

That shade had always made her think of dried tea leaves.

“Good morning, mom” she blinked. She shifted her weight on both of her lower arms, holding herself up.

“I’m surprised you didn’t wake up as soon as you heard the bell” Hachi chuckled. She sat on her daughter’s canopy bed. She turned off the blaring alarm tone from her phone.

“I was busy dreaming about how to smash it” Emily snorted with an eye roll, “Why did you choose that one? Why not wedding bells? Bet I would have woken up faster.”

Hachi flicked her daughter’s forehead, “Don’t think so. I think you’d take it as part of your dream.”

“Okay, maybe that’s true” Emily pouted, rubbing the sore spot. A dull ache pressed against the sides of her head. What time did she sleep last night? She only remembered reading a new webtoon. After that, she wasn’t sure anymore.

Did she fall asleep in the middle of a chapter again?

“Why did you wake me?” Emily yawned, lying back down, “I don’t have school today. I have house arrest.”

For a punishment, it didn’t feel that bad. She didn’t have assignments. She also wouldn’t take the quizzes she missed. Sure, it would pull down her grades but so what?

As long as she’d pass, it was okay.

“Because you are suspended,” Hachi reminded, her tone rising up by the end. She exhaled sharply, “I can’t believe you hit a student—especially a student council member.”

A call from the Headmistress had been the last thing she expected during her meeting with the wedding planner. They rarely had the time to do so because of her pact work schedule. Then, it got disrupted because her daughter had decided to test her combat skills while in school.

“Aw, come on, mom” Emily groaned. She grabbed a pillow and covered her face. It muffled her voice. She didn’t regret what she did but she did feel bad for disturbing her mother’s day, “Don’t tell me that you wouldn’t have done the same thing.”

“Look, as much as I’d love to bury Skye alive with you, it wasn’t okay to attack Neal about it” Hachi huffed. After they went home, she heard the entire story and explanation. She wasn’t sure if it was Emily’s narration or something but it made her blood boil.

This would have been a lot easier if she didn’t need to discipline her daughter.

Emily pulled the pillow down to look at her mother, “So if I were to do murder and hide the body, you’d help me?”

Hachi shook her head slowly. Of course, her daughter picked up that part from her statement while the rest went out of Emily’s ears. She had always been headstrong—even breaking the rules if needed. The worst part was Hachi couldn’t even probably scold her for it because Emily inherited it from her.

That didn’t mean she’d let her daughter get away completely unscathed.

“I’ll think about it,” she teased, wrinkling her nose.

Emily sat up, hugging her mother’s waist. She rested her chin on Hachi’s shoulder, “Have I ever told you that you’re the best mom ever?”

A fingertip pushed her forehead away.

“Shut up. Get out of bed. It’s almost 12 noon.”

“But no school means more sleep” Emily whined. She wasn’t even awake yet. Her brain functioned at less than half its normal speed. Heck, it wasn’t even near one-fourth. Her body moved sluggishly too. Their nerves were still asleep.

“Did you stay up late again?” Hachi asked suspiciously. She noted the dry eyes and dark circles. First day of suspension and her daughter already broke her curfew! This really wouldn’t do.

“No?”

“Sure, I believe you” she snorted, rising to her feet. She pulled off the bed covers on Emily. A mischievous smile spread on her lips, “Also, no school because of suspension... means you have extra chores.”

“What?!”

“That’s right. You heard me, missy” Hachi crossed her arms over her chest, “Get up and do your chores.”

Emily pressed her hands together and rested the side of her face on them. She fluttered her eyes and produced her best innocent face, “How about I just help with wedding plans?”

“Fat chance, Emiliana” her mother chortled, “That wouldn’t feel like punishment for you, now would it?”

Smug moments like this made parenting worthwhile for Hachi. A part of her wondered if Emily had been spoiled too much as a kid. Her father refused to let her lift a finger. She whacked him for it. Since her daughter was close to reaching adulthood, Hachi figured that she needed more life skills.

She surely needed to learn the importance of a clean environment—which she’d have to do herself if she wanted to live in a dorm or an apartment someday.

“It won’t…” Emily denied. Then, she thought better of it, “Well—I mean—at least, you have extra help. Speed up the process. Lessen your burdens. Sounds like a win-win for the both of us.”

Hachi leaned down and pinched her daughter’s nose, “Nope, not changing my mind.”

She laughed as she released it, straightening her spine.

Emily tucked her legs under her and shifted her weight to her knees. Her eyes lit up with tiny stars in them. She clapped her hands and said, “How about I spend my house arrest with Aunt Lilly supervising me?”

“Now, that just sounds like a vacation opportunity for you,” her mother answered. This had always been her daughter’s habit ever since Alex moved there. She’s grabbed any chance to stay over and escape from chores, “I already let you go last time. You have used up all your request cards.”

“But—”

“But what? You miss your boyfriend?”

Emily scoffed, gawking at her mother, “Jae is not my boyfriend, mom.”

Hachi smirked, “I didn’t say it was Jae though.”

The few working wires in Emily’s brain stopped, realizing the trap that she walked into. No… no, no, no, no…. No! NO! She would not accept this. No way in heaven, on earth or in hell would ‘Jae’ be linked with the word, ‘boyfriend’. Someone else could say it but her? No. She objected to have that embedded in her mind.

It would cause nothing but trouble!

She raised up her arms and made a cross, “This topic is closed, never to be opened again.”

“If you say so” Hachi snorted.

“What chores am I going to do then?” Emily sighed dejectedly. Her good mood about her suspension had vanished. She dreaded housework to the core. It wasn’t in her nature. She always thanked the servants because she knew that she wouldn’t be able to do what they do.

At least, not without spitting out profanities or getting distracted.

“Go clean your studio.”

Emily’s eyes popped out of their sockets. Horror washed over her bed hair and into her scalp, “What? No—Mom, that place is a disaster!”

That didn’t even cover it. The room looked like a tornado came in. Paint jars and tubes littered the floor. Sketches stuck on the walls in weird angles. She also had a table with a pile of leftover fabrics on it. Every time she remembered a piece and needed it, she’d rummaged through the pile and put them back—in a jumbled state.

Brushes, chalks, pencils, pens… she’d leave them at the spots she stayed at while she used them. Containers with dirty water also had the same treatment. When a brush had dried up too much, she’d merely buy a new one and put the old one in a jar of thinner.

In other words, it had too much clutter.

It was heavily disorganized.

It resembled a colorful dump site.

It was the last place Emily had the will to clean!

“Exactly” Hachi grinned as if she could read her daughter’s mind. “Get to it if you want to finish before the sun sets. If you don’t, I’ll deduct your allowance.”

“But mom—”

“But nothing!” She scolded. The amused look on her face had been replaced by a scowl, “You still have your gadgets. I could have taken them away but this is what you’ll get instead. I didn’t raise you to be lazy or to not accept the consequences of your actions. You should have already expected this.”

Emily pressed her lips together. She had expected it but she didn’t think it would be to this extent. She groaned mentally. Her mother was right. The studio would have been the obvious punishment. If she didn’t have her gadgets, she would have locked herself in there instead.

“Just think of yourself as a Disney princess while you work” Hachi began to head for the door. Her hand on the knob, she winked at her daughter, “Maybe whistle too.”

Emily flopped on the bed as soon as the door closed.

At least, she had the whole suspension time to clean the studio, right? Wait… did her mother say her allowance would be lowered if she didn’t finish by sun down? Emily grabbed the pillow again and yelled into it. She didn’t even know where to begin with that place!

Her day couldn’t possibly become worse, could it?

Just then, her ears picked up the sweet melodic ringtone. A pink rabbit with one arched brow sang to her. A voice that she believed had the power to melt away any cold heart. The kind that could turn a bad day into a good one. It mellowed into her head like a cushion that eased her burdens.

It was almost like it knew that she needed comfort.

Pillow still over her face, Emily picked up the call.

“What is it?”

“Well, hello to you too, sunshine.”

On second thought, that song was just the calm before the dark gray storm.