Beep! Beep! Beep! I woke up every day to the sound of my alarm, realizing my parents will never be here to wake me up. Every day, memories of the past would endlessly flow, leaving me feeling nostalgic.

     For the rest of my life, I would have to carry this burden forever. Who would've thought that the couple that was killed by a drunk driver had a 6 year old daughter they needed to pick up from school? I remembered that day vaguely, when all of my friends left one by one with their parents, I eagerley waited for my parents who were late to come and pick me up. They usually came on time, but as the sky got darker my teacher brought me back inside the school. I sat on a chair, and as I was twiddling my thumbs I heard a phone ring in the office. I let out a sigh imagining it was my parents apologising because they had a late meeting, and that they would come pick me up right away, but I was mistakened. I didn't know what was going on at the time as I was only 6 years old, but I knew it was something bad. 

***

Autumn of 2000.

My teacher's footsteps quietly echoed throughout the hallway. Her head was lowered in a solemn mood, and I could see that her eyes were red and swollen from crying. 

"Suji, I need to tell you to be strong for your mother and father." 

"Your parents have just been in an accident, but they are in a better place. Your parents are in heaven watching over you."

When those words all strung together and finally made sense, I did my best not to shed a tear. Who will be there to take care of me? Who can read me stories at night, or assure me that there are no monsters under the bed? Surely, no one could ever do that except for my own parents.

***

October of 2010

     "Suji! Suji!" Sulli impatiently said as she snapped her fingers in front of Suji's face. "Look at the time, we're going to be late for school!", Suji quickly gained back her conscious, and dragged herself to the bathroom to get ready. "Have a good day at school!", the younger children and the orphanage directors encouragingly said as the two girls darted though the door, they looked back and waved good bye to their family.