Hyomin woke up suddenly. Yawning, the birds chirped softly. It was odd for a day to be so sunny. She noticed the curtains were open, letting sunshine flood into her room. She was definitely not a day person. "Eonni," Areum spoked, peeking out from the side of her bed. Hyomin almost jumped. Glaring at her mischievous sibling, she burrowed back under the covers. "You know I'm not a morning person, close those blinds. I'm going back to sleep." And with that, she dosed off.

  "Aish," the younger girl muttered, briskly walking to the front of her sisters bed. "Sometimes, I wonder how we're even related," she muttered, gripping the blankets tightly. In a single motion, the sheets were suspended in the air, then carelessly tossed onto the floor. Hyomin blindly reached for the blankets, curling up slowly. The cold finally got to her. She forced herself up, Areum watched in amusment, happy that she had succeeded the job.

  "What do you want?" Hyomin turned to her sister, picking up the blankets. "Take me to the Academy, you ," she said with a smirk, and skipped happily out of the room to get ready. Hyomin rolled her eyes. It wasn't too odd that her sister had asked her to take her to school, but the way she behaved just annoyed her.

  Quickly getting ready, she simply tossed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt on. Areum walked to the front door, dressed casually in a oversized light yellow sweater. Done up with a few bracelets and the the necklace she always wore. "Well, this is a change," Hyomin noted, eyeing her sister's clothing "What?" Areum asked, looking at her sister. "Your style tends to be more girly. And you're finally wearing those boots Dad bought you?" the older one asked, eyes wide at her sister's behavior.

  "Well, yes. Do you have a problem with it?" Areum murmured, tying the shoe laces. Hyomin sensed something different. Ah yes, was it love? "Crushed," she mumbled. Areum's sharp hearing caught it, and she turned her head up with a smirk. "Oh yeah, sure I am. And how about you?" chuckling and nudging her sister. "I don't have one, idiot," Hyomin spat, glaring at her. Areum just rolled her eyes. Eonnie just doesn't want to admit it.

  She grabbed the car keys, dashing to the garage. Areum scrambled for her things, and ran to the kitchen for a quick breakfast while her sister pulled the car up. "Get in the car loser, we're going shopping," Hyomin chuckled, imitating the 'Mean Girls' movie she had watched. "Are those American movies good anyway?" Areum questioned, nibbling at the toast. "Apparently," she replied. Having a short conversation about new weapons being released and such, the car ride there wasn't too long.        

     “See ya sis," Areum said, jumping out of the car. "Don't call me if you need a ride!"

__________

  Soyeon heard the loud, echoing  sound of her pumps meeting the marble hallway. She brushed her long, styled hair away from her dolled-up face and made her way toward the main hall. Her most-awaited package should be here by now. Soyeon pushed open the heavy door to the main entranceway and walked in. Though her shoes did their best to keep her unbalanced, she managed to maintain a steady stance.

  How could this house have so many doors? She thought to herself, knowing that her mother had a certain want to put as many ‘beautiful pieces of architecture’ in the house as possible. Hearing another pair of feet, she dashed to open the front door.  

  “Aish.” she mumbled to herself when her pale face met the harsh rays of the sunlight, she stumbled, and tried to somehow block the sun. Her heals didn’t help her at all. Quickly, Soyeon held a hand to her eyes, doing her best to shield them from harm and, after picking up the expected parcel, she swiftly turned around and returned to her cold house. Trying her best to be quiet, she flitted to her room. Sitting the package on the bed, she looked around for a pair of scissors, excited to tear it open.

   Gently tugging the parchment paper away from the item, her eyes sparkled. It was a beautiful pair of silk shoes. They were very delicate. She could’ve gotten them encrusted in jewels, but chose just to have the baby blue stand out. Trying them on, they seemed to be a perfect fit. She felt like Cinderella. Looking into the mirror, a pang of emptiness hit her, accompanied by a wave of loneliness.

   The mirror reflected her sister’s empty room, and the way Soyeon tried to hide her sadness under makeup. Even she herself saw it. The shoes were a way of trying to fill the giant hole in her heart with some form of joy. Being happy made her forget.. even if was for a little while. It was a feeling she hadn’t felt in so long. And nostalgia, sweet, sweet nostalgia. It made her remember why she loved her dear sister so much. When they were little, they were obsessed with Cinderella. Her older sister taught her all about the tale, and they were the perfect fangirls together. She remembered how they used to wear expensive dresses that were covered with pretty frills and laces, they used to dance around hand in hand as they sang the songs that Cinderella had sung just the same. She even remembered how they used to dream about how they would one day wake up and be just like Cinderella herself.

 Her vision became blurry, tears dotted her cheeks. It didn’t matter that her mascara or any other product was running. All the memories hit her at once. She wasn’t here anymore. It broke her heart to believe so. When they were little, they had each other, through thick and thin. They developed a relationship that no other siblings had. Her breaths became short and ragged, unable to stop. They only really had each other, their parents had never given them love. Just money.