Chapter 0 : Prologue

Prologue

"Thanks, Mrs. Anderson." Max smiled to the florist and accepted the white rose bouquet from her hand. She is the owner of the only flower shop he had seen around the neighborhood.

" Your welcome Max and I've told you to call me by my name didn't I?" she said with a frown on her face. But her uplifted lips betrayed all of her façades. "Excited much? She's just had been there for few months right?" she shook her head when she saw the young man's excited smile.

"It can't be helped Mrs. An- I mean Kylie. This is the longest time we've been apart after all. You've known us since we're just a little brat, and you know how clingy can she be. I know from mum that you have more than ten seconds of a good laugh when she told you how hard for us to coax Karen to study abroad." I shrug and smiled bitterly when I saw her laughing at her own memory.

"Yeah, I know that I really have a good laugh there. What I love the most is the part when you run for your life and hide here after she woke Mr. Abraham's Dog and let it chase after you instead of your sister. Thankfully you've known for your quick feet, else you can't save your own butt from being bitten that day" She laughed uproariously, which didn't befit for her age. Gray just stood there with a red face and dry laugh.

"Cough… anyway, I have to go now Kylie, I have to meet her soon. It isn't far though, she didn't want me to fetch her up at the train station and told me to meet her at the nearest subway instead. She didn't want me to be too tired she said." Gray chuckled and shook my head. He hid a small bitter smile as he looks at his wristwatch.

"Off you go then, please be careful on the road. I think you should listen to what she said, she's your cutest and only sister after all. She has the best intention for you in mind." She said and waved to him, as she watches him walk away then vanished on the corner. She just sighed deeply with eyes full of pity. He is such a sweet boy, who is really protective to his only sibling. But then he somehow got an illness which made him physically weak. No one knows what it is, but everyone has a silent agreement to not show him a pitying gaze. Our life experience had told us how bad it feels to be pitied, more so to a formerly active and cheerful young boy. Kylie just makes a long and heavy sigh as she looks to the corner, before coming back to her shop.

Max started the "journey" with full of confidence and hopefully can face his younger sister, Karen, with a confident smile like always. But, with his body condition, it seems to be an empty boasting on his part. He is diagnosed by a new kind of Distal muscular dystrophy which made his muscle degenerate over time. Symptom has appeared as he reaches 6 years of age but didn't give any visible effect until he reaches 18 years old. His condition steadily goes downhill since then. He is 24 right now, and just a few hundred meters of a simple walk is very hard for him. His breaths haggard and he can feel that he has put too much burden to his muscles. It's still more than half hours from the appointment time, and the subway is just around 250 meters away from where he stands, and yet, he didn't have enough confidence for him to reach there in time.

His family has told him to accept his condition and not burden his body too much, but he refused. He is too stubborn and prideful for his own good, and he himself already realized it long ago, he didn't want to change. He's the only son from his generation, and he always wants to be seen as a hero for his only baby sister. He will lose if he uses a wheelchair, he won't be a hero for her sister anymore. He knows that his sister understood his condition and won't change anything she felt for him. But his pride won't let him surrender to his condition. He will fight until the last second to be always seen as a hero by his sister. Little that he knows, that his wish will be fulfilled soon enough.

With a sheer will, he finally reaches the last crossroads to reach the subway station. As he walks to the street's edge, he sniffs the flowers scents from the bouquet. When he saw the white roses there, he can't help to smile. White roses are his sister's favorite flower. She always said that roses mean love, her love for her family, and white means hope for her. Max didn't really know about colors and flowers, but he knows a little that white didn't mean hope. When he asked her for that, she just smiled and said: 'White isn't meant to be hope, but it becomes hope to me, when I saw your condition becomes better the first time we came to the hospital. The doctor's white coat has a deep impression for me, and that's why I want to be a doctor. I want you to be healed and cheerful like you used to be'. As he remembers that conversation, his tears fall down to the white rose bouquet on his hand. The bouquet silently watching the hand held it trembled, trying hard to hold on. Max is sobbing silently in the crowd as he waited for the traffic lamp turn green. The traffic lamp beeps which means that the lamp has turned green. He snapped from his musing and looked up to the road. He has to meet his baby sister with confidence and smile like he used to. He can't let her know that he was already depressed about his condition. He still wants to fight to the last drop of his blood, at the same time, he isn't that sure with his own bodily condition. He let a confused and unsure sigh escaped from his mouth, and start stepped forward along with the crowd.

"Max!" he heard someone calling his name from across the street. He smiled when he was sure who's voice it belongs to. He looks around to find the person and his smile blooms as he saw a familiar face. He saw a young lady waving around her hands with a big suitcase beside her. She wears the blue jacket with a hoodie that he bought her a few months ago before she was gone abroad to study. Today she looks beautiful with her usual metal framed glasses and her long black hair tied in a ponytail. It's totally different from her usual short-haired style. Maybe, going abroad for a few moths changes her to be more mature? Who knows? At least that sweet sincere smile on her face assured me that she is alright.

Max waves back to her and gives a sign that he will come to her, but she shook her head and told him to stand where he was with her eyes. He just can smile weakly and give a small nod which replied by her usual cheerful smile. As she walks to him, they keep communicating with their eyes. She walks in a moderate speed at the back of the crowd as she pulled her luggage along. She still kept her habit to carry more things that she should, mostly gifts and small souvenirs. Max just stood there and chuckled. When they were young, he used to carry her things, but now they both know he can't anymore. He waits and glared to reprimand her that she shouldn't keep her bad habit. She just closes her eyes and sticks her tongue out, one of the sign that she knows she was wrong. Max chuckled to his sister's childish behavior and shook his head. She still has a quarter way to go when someone they heard someone's scream. Max look around to see what's going on, everyone froze and his face paled. A big truck is speeding up fast, run a red light to where Karen stood. Maybe because she was too shocked, she just stood there with trembling feet. Max knows that she was shocked, he can't just shout at her because it's too noisy and he doubts his voice will get to her. The only thing he could do is praying to the gods to let him use his quick feet at least this one last time. As he does his utmost to run and reach his sister, he can feel excruciating pain on his muscles. But he must endure it and keep running.

"Karen! Aaarrrgh!" he shouted loudly as he runs to her, it's also his way to endure the pain. Everyone looked in horror and can't imagine what would happen. Everyone is sober enough to get out of his way as he runs to reach his sister. His feet didn't disappoint him, fortunately, he can reach his sister in time to push her out of the way, but he was still hit by the truck. He bounced off a few dozen meters from the collision site. He was hit on his shoulders and hips, thankfully his head the truck didn't hit his head directly. Even so, he knows that he won't survive this accident since he can feel blood started to fill his lungs. Karen snapped out her shock and look around to find her savior. Tears stream down on her face as she saw her savior's condition. She stands up and runs to him, choked by her tears, speechless. Max's bloodied hand rub her soft face as he gave her a small smile.

"Thankfully my legs worked when I need them to." Max chuckled and lifts his left leg slightly since he can't feel his right side.

"Don't talk brother, save your breath alright? Medic is on their way, you'll be alright" She said quickly, panicked. She grabs his left hand tightly.

"I know, I'm your hero after all! But, if somehow I don't, take care of yourself properly from now on ok? Be an amazing doctor I know you will be. Help as many people you can. Find an amazing guy like me to spend your life with… also, tell mom and dad that I'm sorry that I can't be an amazing son they want me to be." He said resolutely, with his hand caressing Karen's cheek. Karen can't refute, she already crying uncontrollably. She was holding her brother's hand that makes her cheek red with blood.

"Goodbye, Karen… I'm sorry." Max said softly with a relieved smile, as his hand lost its power, lying there on a bloodied road lifelessly. Karen cried mournfully along with the sound of sirens surrounding her. This is also a form of release for Max. At least he won't be tortured by his helplessness because of his degenerating muscles. Or maybe, like one of his favorite character Albus Dumbledore: for the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. Is his mind well-organized? He doubts it even till his consciousness fully fades away.

What he doesn't know, that his favorite character is correct this time, even when his mind isn't that well-organized.