Souris awoke on the couch as usual to her 9:29 AM alarm, rolling over as she sighed. After a few seconds of laying in place, she eventually sat up. She grabbed her phone, swiping to the right with her index finger on the screen to turn her alarm off as she swiftly got off the couch and maneuvered her way over to her computer. As of recently, she had slowly shut herself out from the world, getting lost in her own comfort zone.

But today, it was different. 

Today was her last day of high school.

For months, she had been counting down the days. From 47 to now 0. She wasn't particularly excited, but relieved. Everyday was stressful for her, keeping her grades up and trying to make herself and her father proud. So, now that she was sat in front of her computer, logging into her school system, she felt a slight sense of pride. She put on her headphones, connecting to the first class of the day. She looked to her left, seeing that her father and sister were smiling at her. Her sister, Samson, then spoke up with an excited tone, "Good morning, Souris! Are you excited? We definitely are." 

Souris nodded, still tired. "Absolutely, it's a huge relief to finally be done with waking up at 9 in the morning." She let out a small laugh, slightly shaking her head as she turned back to her computer. She entered the class, sighing as she continued on with the rest of the school day. None of the classes were too focused on learning, but instead they were circulating around celebration. There wasn't much to learn, so she took advantage of that free time and spoke more with her sister and father. 

"We can finally be with you more often. Hell, even for the whole day!" Samson exclaimed, overjoyed as her smile reached from ear-to-ear. 

Her father nodded, with a softer smile on his face. "Yes, I'm sure we're both pretty elated to finally have more time to spend with you." He looked to Souris with a loving look in his eyes, getting up from the mattress on the floor as he gave her a soft pat on the shoulder, walking upstairs into the kitchen. Samson sat up, impatiently making her way towards Souris. She put her hands gently on Souris' shoulders, smiling brightly. 

"Hey, I know we already asked you, but aren't you excited? You don't have to work so hard anymore!" Souris sighed with a small smile on her face. "Yes, yes. Very excited.. I've wanted a break for so long. To be honest I.." She trailed off, looking down at her feet. "I.. Oh, nevermind." She shook her head, looking back to her computer screen. She wanted to drop out of school a long time ago, but she knew she couldn't. With every last fiber of her being, she tried her best to keep going. Her father came downstairs shortly afterwards, holding a mug full of coffee as he sat down at his desk. A few hours passed before it became 12:30; Souris' lunch break.

She closed the lid of the laptop, leaning back in her chair as she stretched and cracked her knuckles. "Oh, I'm starving. What do we have to eat?" She asked, spinning around in her chair to face her father and Samson. Her father softly smiled as he turned to face both girls, "Well, I could make eggs and toast. I know we haven't had that in a long while, and I'm probably the only one who makes the best eggs and toast." He laughed softly before taking a quick sip from his coffee mug. 

Samson glared at her father for a moment before rolling her eyes, "Sure, sure.. Let's just get to it already!" She got off of the bed, standing up as she walked up towards the kitchen. Her father soon sighed as he followed her, his deep footsteps echoing throughout the house. Souris smiled softly, watching the two go into the kitchen before she got up from her chair, sitting down on the couch. In front of the couch was a large flat screen TV which was mounted on the wall, as well as a small wooden table next to the TV. 

While she waited, Souris grabbed the remote and starting browsing through channels on the TV, eventually picking the news. After a few minutes, Samson and her father came downstairs with a plate and a bowl. The plate was full of buttered toast, while the bowl was full of scrambled eggs. Souris smiled, walking towards the table as she sat down. Samson put down the plate of toast, sitting as well before her father put down the bowl of scrambled eggs and joined the two girls at the table. The bowl had a thick layer of steam coming off of it, which meant the eggs were extremely fresh. 

Souris licked her lips impatiently, "Wow.. I've been dying to have some of this! I'm sure it's absolutely great." She giggled before grabbing a piece of toast, putting a small pile of eggs on top of it. She carefully blew on the eggs to cool them down before taking a bite. As she chewed, she let out a sigh of satisfaction. Samson laughed, seeing how her sister enjoyed the food. "Yikes, girl! You really like that, huh? I don't blame ya." Samson smirked, giving Souris a gentle nudge on the shoulder before beginning to eat as well. 

Their father simply smiled softly. "Is there anything good on the news? I haven't heard anything interesting happening lately." Souris nodded, grabbing the remote as she turned up the volume. The news had now turned to the weather report, where the weatherman stood in front of a large screen as he spoke with a firm voice. "Over in Berrytown, high levels of pollen have been reported. If you or any family members have any allergic reactions, please stay inside at all times, or call 911 for any medical emergencies. My name is David Len, and this has been your local weather report." The weatherman gave a quick, charming smile to the camera before the screen faded out, beginning to play commercials.

Souris looked to her family, anxious. "High levels of pollen, huh? Bad news for me, I can't go outside now." Samson gave Souris a comforting, encouraging smile, "Hey, don't be all sad. It's hot outside anyway, no one wants to go out. It's for the best." Her father agreed as he nodded, giving Souris a soft pat on the shoulder. "Yeah, no need to get upset over it, dear. We have each other, that's what matters." 

Souris nodded, putting her piece of toast down on a paper towel as she looked out of the window. Outside, there seemed to be a thick haze building up in the air, giving the town an eerie feeling. She sighed, looking back to her family with a slight smile. "Yeah.. you're right. I guess I should be focusing on more important things. At least it's cool in here." She giggled, taking another bite of her toast. Samson smiled, playfully ruffling up Souris' hair.