''Allen... Hey, Allen...'' I soflty hear someone speak to me while feeling pressure on my cheek.

''Pssst... Allen...'' I hear once again as the poking turns into pinching.

As i open my eyes, I see that it was my Sister who was the culprit of waking me from my sleep

''What do you need sis?'' I ask while slowly focussing on her image as my eyes grew accustomed to the bright light filling my room

Wait, Bright light?

''Alice, do your brother a favour and tell him the time'' I ask my sister while trying to form a akward smile on my face.

''Its 10:12 brother'' she returns the favor with a smile which could melt ice.

Ah yes, the Ice-melting smile of my sister which went the complete opposite considering her looks, her long pale-blond hair, ice-blue eyes and bordering white-skin were a strange match for such a heart-warming smile...

Well, I keep calling her my sister, but upon looking at my Dark-blond hair and steel colored eyes one can pretty easily figure out that she isnt my sister by blood.

Not that it matters, as knowing her from my childhood on made sure I developed a deep family relation with her.

while I do love teasing her in any way possible, she and I can count on eachother when needed, which was quite necessary since my mother and her father are on a continueous travel across the world leaving us to take care of herself.

One could even say that she is the only reason why I finished my studies. Otherwise, I would have probably become one of those shut-ins and played RTS's the whole day.

MMORPG's are overrated anyway, I prefer most kinds of Strategy games.

Hold on... Why am I recalling all of this now? Im late!

''Sh*t!'' I yell as i come across the sudden realisation and jump out of my bed

''Alice, where is my suit?'' I ask while poking my head around the corner of the kitchen

''Hallway, left Closet, folded in the lower-right drawer'' she simply says while continueing frying something in the pan

''Thanks sis!'' I quickly exclaim before sprinting towards the closet

As I grab my suit and sprint back to my room, another realisation dawns upon me

''Hold on sis, why are you still here? arent you suppose to be at school'' I ask her while stopping in front of the kitchen

Alice takes a deep breath before letting out a deep sigh ''Brother, if you werent such a scatter-brain, you would remember that the summer-vacation just started''

''Right...'' I quickly note before continueing my sprint

A few minutes later, I actually look acceptable with my suit, watch and tie properly fixed in place as I walk into the kitchen

''Here brother, have some eggs'' Alice quickly notes while placing a plate with 2 pieces of toast and a omelet on top

''Truly nothing is more delicious then the Chicken-spiced cheese filled omelet made by my little sister'' I exclaim after a whiff of the omelet reaches my nose

My comment did the job I wanted it to do as i saw Alice blush and quickly face towards the sink as our eyes met, muttering something before turning on the crane and starting to clean the dishes

I quickly finish the Spiced-Omelet and return to my house-sprinting as I sprint towards the bathroom.

After a grand session of toothbrushing and trying to fix my hair I return to the hallway, pop a quick chewing-gum, grabbed my suitcase, stepped in my shoes and exited our apartment.

''Rather Straße 51, D-40476 Düsseldorf, this should be it'' I say to myself as i look at the industrial complex before me

As I walk towards the entrance, or so i assume I am greeted by someone who I can only assume is a member of the staff working here

''You must be one of the people who replied to the job advertisement, arent you a bit late? we started at 10:25'' he asks me with a raised eyebrow

''Ah yes, I am quite sorry, I got lost on the way here'' I quickly reply a quick lie to him, as simply telling that I overslept doesnt leave a good first-impression after all.

''Mhm, anyway, the last person is currently being interviewed, so if you hurry up you might be able to fool them'' he notes while pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

''Thank you sir'' I reply before i continue my walk towards the massive building

''Perhaps I should have asked him for directions...'' i quickly realise while i enter through the automatic doors

Luckly, there was a small sign which read:

''All job-applicants are to wait in the hallway untill their turn has arrived''

After i read the message I dumped myself into one of the chairs, placed my suitcase in front of me and simply waited

''Next'' I heard someone say from the other side of the door.

I quickly stood up and entered the room.

''How strange, i thought Miss Camrell said she was the last one?'' a man dressed in a navy-blue suit said while adusting his glasses as i entered the room

''Good morning'' I note as I enter the room and straighten my back while standing infront of his office

The suited man simply shrugs and says ''Have a seat" upon saying, I immediatly follow his order and sit myself on the chair while placing my suitcase on his desk

''Now then, let me see the goods'' the man tries to joke however, he is met with my straight face.

As i place my folder on his desk, he starts to scan the contents

''Allen Black, 23, 1,89 meters tall, 90 kilograms, Bloodtype AB Minus... Isnt that pretty rare?'' He asks me

''If I remember correctly, it is one of the rarest bloodtypes one can get, yes'' i reply to him while keeping a stern face

''Relatives... mother alive, 50 remarried, 16 years, father died of cancer at age 7, no siblings, Carl Romanta, 53, daughter Alice Romanta, 18 '' the man continued his mumbling as i simply sat there

Suddely, the man raises his head with a quick motion which startled me a bit

''I completely forgot to introduce myself, quite sorry about that'' he suddely apologised

''Please do not be sorry, I forgot as well'' i quickly re-assure him

''He, anyway, Im Grossman, Walter Grossman'' he exclaims after he let out a small inward chuckle before returning to the folder

''So Mister Black, how is the situation at home? are you getting along with your new Father?'' Mister Grossman asked me

''Its just me and Alice as my mother and Carl are always traveling the globe.'' I explain while my head starts to dip

''The only good side of this is that we havent recieved any massive bills or had any problems with loansharks I suppose'' I continue as a grim smile covers my face.

‘’Alright… Anyway Mister Black, can you tell me a bit more about yourself?’’ Mister Grossman asked, trying to diffuse the uneasing mood.

‘’Where should I start?’’ I quickly reply to him with eagerness.

''You can start by telling me something about yourself, no need to be shy.''

I briefly glanced around the office Mister Grossman was located in while trying to think of something to say

''Well'' I started ''According to the locations where my internships were held, I am quite the hard worker once I focus on something''

Mister Grossman nodded in thought, seemingly focussed on my reply. ''Alright, what do you think you could add to this company?'' he questioned after breaking out of his 'spell'

My back straightened slightly as I begun my reasoning ''Mister Grossman, I believe my personality traits of hardworking, extensive knowledge about both mettalurgy and construction together with my young age would make me the perfect addition to your company''

''The only issue one might have is that I like to experiment with cooking, so some personell might complain about weird smells during the break'' I added shortly after.

If my eyes hadnt betrayed me, I could have sworn I saw the smallest of grins appear on his face, before turning back into the standard buisness-pokerface.

Grossman's eyes briefly flickered between my folder, laying on his desk and myself before the next question came ''If I were to call your boss, at one of the places where you held a internship, what do you think he would tell me, if I were to ask about you?''

''As I had already explained, I believe he would surely note my capability for hardworking, as well as extensive knowledge and eagerness of course'' I replied, trying to persuade him more.

‘’Tell me about your hobbies, what is your favorite genre of both movies and books, ect’’ Mister Grossman explained

‘’My hobbies huh… I suppose playing strategy games on my PC is one. I also quite like reading.'' I replied

''Anything else?'' Mister Grossman quickly followed

I took a deep breath while in thought, quickly scanning through my numerous intrests Ive held over the years

''Blacksmithing is another, as is generally anything to do with metals really'' I wondered, my thoughts appearing from my mouth

A faint smile appeared once more on Grossman's face for a brief second before being hidden once again by his well trained buisness-face.

‘’Now then Mister Black, that was all for now, both myself and my company thank you for this conversation and you will hear from us within a week’’ Mister Grossman said as he placed down the folder

Hold on, has he been reading this the whole time while talking to me?

Eh…. Really….?

‘’Yes, the pleasure was mine’’ I reply as I pack up my suitcase and leave the room, while giving a short greeting to Mister Grossman before I leave

As I step back in my car, I drive home without and trouble and am greeted by Alice as I step through the door.

‘’Brother, how did it go? Did you get the job?’’ she asked while poking her head around the door to the living room

‘’I will receive a reply within a week’’ I simply reply as I place my suitcase down and take of my shoes.

‘’Can you atleast tell me how it went?’’ Alice exclaims with irritation bleeding through her voice

‘’I suppose it was one of the better ones I had?’’ I mumble confused which leaves me with Alice pouting before removing her head from the doorway.

As I enter my room I remove my suit and slip into something more comfortable while powering up my PC.

‘’Now, which one of you two should I play?’’ I ask myself as I held up two games, one in each hand.

‘’Im feeling... You!’’ I say as I awnser my own question with a grin while holding up the game in my right hand.

As the hours start to bleed away, I succesfully brought glory to the Byzantium empire using my favorite Turtle-Roller technique.

‘’Ah yes, nothing better than to build a massive fortress, research every available tech and stomp the enemy with a maximum population army’’ I said as a smile filled with glee covered my face

Just as I finished the game I heard Alice call me from the kitchen

‘’Brother, dinner is served’’ she yelled

I begrudgingly got up from my chair and made my way to the kitchen table

‘’Unlike the magnificent omelet I got this morning, spinach with cooked potatoes and a Bratwurst is not something I looked forward to’’ I mumbled while taking a seat

‘’Allen, Spinach is good for your blood!’’ Alice replied with a stern voice as she takes her seat as well.

After dinner, we both hang out in the Livingroom watching some TV until we go to bed.

As I awoke I looked over to my alarmclock on my desk and notice that for once, I didn’t oversleep!

With a almost disturbing smile that could startle even the most veteran of soldiers I lay another few seconds in my bed before I left the warm comfortness.

With a yawn I enter the livingroom and notice that Alice is already awake, does she even sleep?

‘’Ah, good morning brother!’’ she says upon noticing me entering the room.

‘’Wait, what?’’ she suddenly continues before jerking her head towards the clock hanging above our TV.

‘’Brother, its 9:00AM!’’ she says with a face filled to the brim with surprise

‘’Ouch, that one hurt…’’ I reply noticing her face while walking towards the front door

‘’No letter yet huh’’ I think to myself while shifting through the mail, although they did say it could take up to a week, so I shouldn’t complain.

‘’Hey Alice, since Im already awake, mind if I take care of breakfast?’’ I ask her upon returning to the livingroom

Her reaction was less then preferable, as her face switched between disgust, surprise and dissapointment.

‘’If you really wish, I don’t mind.’’ She says

‘’Just try and keep it… normal… will you?’’ she continued

‘’Im not sure which one pained me the most’’ I reply holding my heart with a frown on my face.

With a quick spin I walk to the kitchen and start preparing breakfast.

‘’First off, ingredients…’’ I think to myself while searching through the kitchen

‘’Should i prepare a salad? I hope Alice wont mind if i turn the breakfast into a brunch’’ I continue while grabbing a lemon, a bit of oil and yoghurt dressing, a lettuce and last but not least; a canned fruit coctail.

‘’There that should be it’’ i say to myself while grabbing the lettuce and walking over to the sink

As i started washing the lettuce, i grabbed a knife and it to trim the roots away from the lettuce while Separating out the leaves and throwing the onces I didn’t like away.

After I cleaned and seperated the leaves, I wrapped them in a clean tea towel and shook them dry, I then piled the leaves into a large salad bowl.

When that was done, I grabbed the yoghurt dressing and oil. Using a fork, I mixed the 2 together while adding in a bit of freshly-squeezed lemon juice.

Once that was done, I slowly poured the dressing over the lettuce and opened the fruit coctail with a can-opener and combined that into the mix as well using 2 London lettuce spoons and placed the salad on the table.

‘’Next, we need something with a temperature difference’’ i mumble to myself

‘’Oh, what about Cheese-Toast? its simple but nice’’ i suddenly realise

I quickly grab the cheese from the fridge and activate the oven.

‘’And place the cheese on the bread, a bit of Italian spice…’’ I mumble while recalling the recipe

‘’There, that should be it’’ I say with a smile on my face as i watch the oven melting the cheese and toasting the bread. After a few minutes, the by now brunch is completed.

‘’Alice, brunch is done!’’ I call out from the kitchen while taking a seat at the table

‘’Im coming brother!’’ I hear her saying while turning off the TV

However, as she enters the kitchen her face is hit with a realisation

‘’Allen, how bad is it…?’’ she says with a face showing grim expectations

‘’I simply made a sweet salad and some cheese-toast!’’ I exclaim

Upon hearing this, her face returns to the usual ice-melting smile and she takes a seat

‘’May I have the salad brother?’’ Alice asks me while I was cutting of a piece of the Cheese-toast.

‘’Mmh? Oh ofcourse Alice, here you go’’ I say with a smile while passing her the bowl with the salad.

‘’Brother, before I start, what kind of salad is this?’’ Alice asks me while inspecting the bowl

‘’it’s a simple sweet-tasting salad, nothing strange in it’’ I reply to her with a smile

As she notices my smile, Alice lets out a sigh ‘’you would find it normal if there was uncooked beef in a salad…’’

‘’Well, I suppose nothing ventured, nothing gained’’ Alice continues while slightly shrugging her shoulders.

Alice brought the spoon up to her mouth and took the bite.

‘’Its… suprisingly norm…’’ Alice thought to herself before feeling a slippery substance in her mouth which made her swallow in surprise. (the salad of course)

‘’Brother, what did I just feel?’’ she asked me

‘’Fruit coctail, what? Don’t tell me you didn’t like it?’’ I replied

‘’Oh thank god it wasn’t something strange, sorry brother I simply got startled by the sudden slippery substance in my mouth’’ Alice said while visibly relaxing.

‘’That sounded suprisingly erotic’’ I say with a cheeky grin on my face, which makes alice turn completely red

‘’NNNGGGHH’’ I heard coming from Alice her direction while she was pouting

‘’My sister really was adorable when she tried to be mad’’ I think to myself.

After we had our brunch, the rest of the day went by fairly quick.

I played a game of Rule and Subdue Blue Alarm 3 while Alice was watching TV and after I finished my game, I joined her on the couch and we sat together untill it was bedtime.

‘’Hey Brother!’’ I heard Alice yell at me from the living room

‘’Allen!’’ she yelled again while coming into my room

‘’Ngh…. Wake up you lazy!’’ she yelled once more while pulling the blanket of my bed

‘’What… happened to the… cute little sister wakeup… I received 2 days ago…’’ I reply, still half asleep

‘’I just tried something else this time’’ she said with a smile

‘’Anyway, do you want to go shopping? I need to go get some stuff for today’s dinner’’ She continued

‘’Sure, give me a second to wa…’’ I tried to reply, only to be interrupted by a massive yawn

And I suppose, people saying that yawns are contagious had it right this time, because upon seeing my yawn, Alice followed my lead and yawned herself

‘’Cute’’ I simply said with one of my cheeky grins covered on my face.

‘’BROTHER, NOT AGAIN’’ she screamed at me, while once again her face turned red. After which, she stormed out of my room, leaving me to get ready for the trip.

After doing my usual morning routine, Alice and I go outside, step in my car and drive off to the stores. I couldn’t park my car near the store, so I had to settle for a alley around 5-10 minutes away.

As we were walking to the store, I thought that I felt someone watching us, but quickly dismissed it and entered the store.

‘’Hey brother, what do you want for dinner tonight?

Shall i make pasta?’’ Alice asks me while checking multiple different types of pasta

‘’Spaghetti would be nice’’ i nod in confirmation

‘’Pesto or tomato based?’’ she replies

‘’I dont mind, pick which ever you like’’ i exclaim while shrugging

‘’Pesto it is then, we need to get some chicken as well, should we buy it in the supermarket or at the butcher?’’ she asks while grabbing a jar of pesto

‘’Although i prefer the butcher, we should simply pick the supermarket version for economic reasons’’ i reply with a sigh

‘’I hope you get the job brother’’ Alice suddenly says out of the blue while we were walking tot the meat-part of the supermarket

‘’I hope so too Alice, i hope so too’’ i simply reply while grabbing a box of chicken

‘’Anything else we need’’ i continue

‘’Nope, this should be it, we have the rest of the ingredients at home’’ Alice replies while checking her groceries list

After we grab a few more stray items we go to the cash desk which drains some of my green life-energy…

As both Alice and I enter the alley, we suddenly hear multiple people approaching from a nearby passage in the alley past my car, followed by a voice with a thick accent.

‘’Yo kid, is that your car? Don’t cha you know who runs this block, eh? You tryin to mess with us or something?’’

Both me and Alice were suprised by hearing the unknown voice, as it was quite early.

As the both of us looked towards the passage we saw 4 men appearing out of it.

The men were of average build, wielding both clubs and pipes. The one who called out a bit earlier stumbled to my car,

and with a flail of his bat smashed one of my car’s headlights.

“Mhm!… Don’t just stand there, Answer me!?” the man said shortly after.

"Look, i dont want any trouble, im sorry for parking my car here, i didnt see the sign stating that you owned this alley'' i replied adding a snarky comment

The thug gave me a icy glance before turning his focus to Alice, “And, who is this nice little girl over here” he said as the man drew closer with his companions following closely after him.

After he raised his hand to touch her, I quickly grabbed his arm to prevent him from doing so.

“You got some nerve touching me kid” he replied to my action

''You have a deathwhish or something huh?'' he continued after i increased my grip on his arm

''You sure we cant borrow her for a night? ill be sure to 'compensate' for it if you know what i mean'' the man continued with slight discomfort showing on his face while there was a clear smell of alcohol in the air, while he said that, he patted the pocket of his pants, clearly showing a rectangular shape.

Upon hearing his offer, my normally calm demeanor slowly changed and my face contorted into anger.

''If you dare to think for a single second that i would sell my SISTER to scum like you, then i will make sure you never even dare think of doing so again''

''You got some nerve saying that to me.'' The thug replied with a surprised look on his face

''Kid, you got any idea who you’re dealing with?” The thug continued as the suprised look was replaced by irritation

''No, and i dont care'' I said while his anger was replaced by a eerie smile.

''You little bra..!'' the Thug yelled before being cut off and fainting from the pain which was caused by my knee, which struck him right in the groin.

''Tsh, i said i didnt want trouble...'' I mumbled to myself

''Hey F*cker! what the hell do you think youre doing!'' one of the other thugs still standing near my car screamed.

Both he and the other remaining thugs started to walk towards both me and Alice.

''Allen, S... shouldnt we... run?'' I heard Alice whisper from behind me, fear clearly covering every word which she said.

''Dont worry, i dont go to the gym for show'' i replied with a smile while looking over my shoulder

''However, just to be sure, go ahead and walk back to the store, okay?'' i asked, the reply came with a soft ''Mhm'' followed by the tapping of shoes hitting the stone bricks beneath

''To be honest, the only thing i have going for me is my size...'' i thought to myself, seeing all 3 of the armed thugs drawing closer

''Well that, and the fact that these idiots are quite drunk...'' my thought continued as i tried to reassure myself

As one of the Thugs came within a few meters of me, I switched my stance to a more comfortable one, lowering my posture.

As soon as he entered within 2 meters of myself, I took a step forward and my arm flashed out as the tug raised his weapon for a overhead strike, and with a slight arc, hit the target, a fist, right into his lower jaw.

I didnt grant him time to counter, and followed my left arm with my right as I jammed my fist under his ribs aiming for his liver.

When my second punch connected, i felt a sharp pain errupt from the left side of my ribcage, taking a quick look enabled me to see the baseball bat buried slightly in my body.

I twisted myself to the left after I pushed my first opponent away to face the new threat.

With adrenaline coursing through my body, i faced the thug on my right.

I suddenly felt the force of a object approace me from behind, I quickly yerked my body to the left which was followed by another deep sharp pain, this time coming from my right shoulder.

Trying to numb the pain by biting my lip, i lashed out to the thug in front of me and struck his face with my fist.

I quickly raised my right leg and planted my foot in his stomach, only to kick him away with full force.

However, this left me vulnerable, which the Last Thug took full advantage of as he pushed me towards the wall with full force, with my face taking the full hit as the brick wall smashed into it.

Slowly sliding to the ground i struggled to twist my body around, when i manage to do so i slowly look both to the left and right as my eyes refocus.

On my left i see one of the thugs in a similar position as me, only knocked out.

On my right is the end of the street, i hope Alince managed to get away safely... and in front of me... well... im greeted by a angry looking thug with his iron pipe looming over the right side of his body, ready to strike down and deal the final blow.

I respond to his figure looming over me by bringing out a smile and saying:

''Do your worst'' before returning my face to normal, closing my eyes and waiting for the inevitable.

Yet, the following what happened was not pain, but fear, followed by relief as i heard a certain voice scream my name through the alley followed by what must have been the footsteps of atleast 5 people.

I reopen my eyes and slowly turn my head to the origin of my voice.

My sister, Alice, tears running down her face.

Standing behind her, 3 men and 2 Police Officers, both a man and a woman.

With a slight smile once again appearing on my face, i turn my head back and look up at the thug, who was slowly lowering his pipe

''I would be runing already if i was in your shoes, you know?'' i whispers to the thug.

As he heard my whisper, he yerked his head toward me before slowly nodding, dropping his pipe and sprinting off in the direction which he and his 'Friends' came from, leaving them behind.