Weekly Appointment

HERSHEY JUST woke up and was still feeling a little bit sleepy when she noticed that many eyes were staring at her. She immediately pulled up her blanket until it covered half of her face. She felt too conscious about how she looks like, now that a lot of people gathered inside her room waiting for her to wake up.

"W-what is it?" she asked nervously.

"It's time for your weekly appointment," the maid answered.

Ever since she was a child, this appointment was always needed to be held. No matter what she was doing or where she was. She needs to meet that person. It's an appointment that no one ever wanted. It was just a yearly appointment before, however as years passes by, their appointments were slowly getting frequent, 'till recently it became a weekly thing.

She nodded as she roam her eyes on the people looking at her. Her mom, older brother, two maids, a doctor, and a nurse was all there. It was too weird for Hershey too see them all inside her room. Even considering on her current condition, it was rare for her to have many guests just for her appointment.

It was because it's never been that serious.

"Why are you all here?"

Queen, Hershey's mother, answered on behalf of everyone. Her eyes were filled with worry, but Hershey failed to notice this. "You've been asleep for two days straight"

Hershey immediately sat down as she blinked twice, thrice, until she couldn't count how many times she blinked any more. She was still trying to process what her mother just told her.

"What?" she finally said after a couple of minutes of silence.

"It's true. I visited you two days ago and even yesterday but you were still asleep. Good thing, you finally woke up," a feminine and familiar voice was heard. There, a young lady wearing a plain green dress, walked inside her room. It was Mina, Hershey's best friend and cousin.

"It looked like the symptoms are starting to show up." Bryce, Hershey's brother, calmly speculated.

That is when it finally hit Hershey. It's now starting. Evidences of the curse were finally starting to appear. Before, it was not that obvious since she was able to act what normal people could do and she could not feel any pain like what a sick person should feel.

She nodded and bowed her head. She smiled, not knowing what to feel or react. "I see," was the only thing she could muster to say.

The Mendez's personal doctor coughed, "May I talk to Hershey for a bit to inform her current condition?"

Everyone obliged to the doctor's request. Everyone left the room.

The doctor gave a sigh before he walked closer to Hershey. Matthew came from the Serrano family who serves the Mendez's as their doctor. His ancestors made sure that they won't betray the Mendez family and they would serve them eternally, in exchange of a prosperous life. Needless to say, Mendez family also did their part. They made sure that the Serrano family is tied to them and they wouldn't betray them no matter what.

Due to their close relationship with each other, Matthew pity Hershey's current condition. How unlucky she was to be the one receiving the punishment that she was not even guilty of.

Matthew didn't believed at the Mendez's curse when his father told him about it before. It was because it was too improbable to happen and ridiculous to even think. But then, it was the truth.

Someone in the Mendez family will always have someone to carry the Zero-hour curse. It's a rare disease where a person have a specific time limit. And up until now, no one were able to stop or heal this disease. Someone in the Mendez family is always doomed to be the sacrifice for their family to inherit this Zero-hour curse.

"You only have two years left," Matthew reminded Hershey the harsh truth.

The specific time limit originally was a bit longer. As far as what Matthew remembered from what his father said to him before, the one who received this curse originally had a 50 years long of life span. However, every time someone from the Mendez family inherits this disease, the time limit decreases by a year.

Unfortunately, Hershey inherited this when the limit is only up until the age 25.

"I know" Hershey calmly said, fully aware of her situation.

"As what your brother said, the symptoms are starting to appear. You weren't able to feel any pain before and was able to act as a normal person up until now, since your disease is basically just your time limit. However, as you approach the age of 25, death will also try to slowly court you. If you don't want to die earlier than 25, try to fight it"

Hershey nodded. Matthew gave her some prescription and asked about what other unusual things have she started to experience.

When the doctor left her room, Hershey laid back down on her bed. She sighed as she stares at the ceiling.

"Don't go back to sleep, Shey"

Hershey turned her head back to where the door was. She saw Mina standing there. It was quite evident that she just cried.

"Why are you crying? You're not the one who's dying," Hershey joked as she sit back up again.

"Stupid" Mina muttered. "So, what's your plan?"

"What plan?"

"Aren't you gonna start doing the things you like? You have the money and the resources to do so?"

Hershey tilted her head at what Mina just said. "What I like?" she whispered to herself as she try to think of something.

She could not think of anything.

"Oh, please. Don't tell me you still don't have anything you like?"

Mina was right. She was just simply satisfied with her life already. To be honest, Hershey wouldn't even mind if she died right now and there. She have no ambitions, thus she also have no regrets.

Hershey looked at Mina's eyes. She quickly avoided it, when she noticed that Mina was about to cry again.

"Well, I guess... that artist" Hershey said in a low voice.

Mina's eyes sparkled when Hershey finally said something. "That artist?"

Hershey nodded, "I want to meet him. I really don't know why but I am so captivated on that painting. I want to know the artist's view when he started creating it. For some reason, whenever I think about it, it calms my heart and gives me a peace of mind. It have a warmth and gentle atmosphere around it, you know? I feel like if I get to know him more and see that painting once more, my life will already be completed"