The endless overtime hours were taking a toll on my sleep hygiene. I’ve been sleeping terribly these past few weeks due to the pressure I put on myself. And for what? Free vanil desserts from a boss who only knows how to say, “Good job, you’re doing great, sweetie”? There are moments when I’m on the verge of a breakdown, wanting to throw everything to hell, but I do this to treat myself to small luxuries now and then, gain work experieo someday publish my own novel, and, above all, to take my sister out on the days she’s free.

  It was around 9:30 A.M. in the heart of the ercial district. The noise of the electrigines created a ruckus in my ears, but despite how annoying it was, I couldn’t help but appreciate the beautiful cars passing by—metallic paints from another world, extravagant designs of the test models, aails that sent the prices of those junkers skyrocketing. The air in this area was remarkable, as the atmospheric filters seemed to be of better quality than those in the rest of the districts. After all, no visitor would want their precious lungs poisoned by the toxic gas that bs many parts of the city sihe war.

  Through my sungsses, I gazed at the enormous skyscrapers that looked like they were plucked straight from the wet dreams of any architecture student. It was as if every year they felt the o add five more floors, eae trying to outdo the other. It was like a damn race to see who could reach the moon first! Just a child’s game. For now, I was sitting on a ben a lovely park surrounding the tral bank, a massive dome of blue gold and bck steel, decorated with holographiotional signs. A beautiful sight, I must say. It almost made me feel like one of those rich cirls who waste their time watg people from above. A powerful fantasy, though a risky one.

  “Wendy! Is that you, dear?” I quickly turo my side and saw it was my sister, dressed in a rather casual outfit: wide denim pants, a green pid shirt with long sleeves, and a cute tryside hat with a ribbon around the brim that matched her shirt. She was radiant, as always.

  “No, dummy, I’m a flying crocodile. Obviously, it’s me, Linny! Who else?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t know if you’re really my sister or a flying crocodile. It’s polite to ask, isn’t it?” She let out a soft ugh, teasing me.

  “Tsk... Stupid.” I stood up from the bench to give her a kiss on the cheek and a tight sisterly hug. “It’s so good to see you, Dr. Linny Smith! You look as beautiful and radiant as ever. Did you get off work early?”

  “Aw, stop, you’re embarrassing me.” A faint blush spread across her cheeks. “No, no, no. Actually, I just got off my shift. I went home to shower and just now caught up with you. You know how it is, 34-hour shifts.”

  Hearing that, I almost went bald from how shog and terrifying her fession was. My mouth hung open so wide that a fly could’ve easily flown in without me notig. Linny looked around, trying to figure out why I was reag like this. Knowing my sister and her incredible ability to adapt, it’s possible that after the first month, the physical aal exhaustion had faded. I pced my hands on her shoulders and yelled in her face.

  “YOU’RE CRAZY, LINNY!”

  “WHY WOULD I BE CRAZY, SIS?”

  “GIRL, THAT’S TOO MUCH WORK. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?”

  “SAVING LIVES! DUH.”

  A crazy frontation about jobs, work hours, and sisterly drama drew the attention of several people around us, making us the ter of attention. I took Linny’s hand and looked her in the eyes.

  “Follow me if you want to live.”

  “What are you talking about, Wendy?” I yanked her along, whether she wao or not. “WAIT, WENDY!”

  We walked through the heart of the city for a while. Since I often came here to clear my mind and work on transtions at a cyber-café I could find, I khe area well. I felt so proud that I was the one who had secretly written several tourist guides for the i. After 35 minutes of walking and a few detours to try on brand-name clothes we’d never buy, we finally arrived at a nice spot. Just passing by the building, we were hit by the aroma of fresh berries that soothed the soul. We decided to enter one of the best cafés oskirts, so I let my sister go first out of courtesy. The bell on the door alerted the staff that two new ers had arrived.

  “Where did y me, Wendy?”

  “Hush! Or you’ll ruin the magic.”

  The café acious as two full bars bihe floor was made of metallic marble that absorbed the light, leaving a fortable, refle-free path. The walls were adorned with holographic hearts and even floating kitty emotis. Some of them were real and scurried around the ers. Linny didn’t seem too vinced about being there, but everything ged when she found out about the surprise I had prepared.

  “Guys, we’re here! Where are the pastries?” I cupped my hands around my mouth to make a makeshift megaphone, alerting everyoo my presence. Soon, several people emerged from behind the ter and shouted with all their might:

  “WELE TO THE MEOW-CAFE: WILD KISSES. WE HOPE YOUR STAY IS AS PLEASANT AS BE.”

  A silence spread through the room after the revetio my sister stunned. Her jaw dropped just like mine had an ho. She couldn’t believe she was standing in front of four men dressed in maid outfits, striking weird poses meant to look ‘cute.’ The stillness didn’t st long. A thunderous ugh shattered everyone’s eardrums. Linny’s ughter was so powerful that it attracted the café’s cats, who curiously approached her, sitting down and waiting for something to happen.

  “Oh my God! I ’t believe you set this up... Why?” She tried to calm down through tears, but she just kept ughing.

  “They say ughter is the best medie, right? So, a dose of giggles and kitties ’t hurt.”

  “Wow, you know more about medie than I do, huh, Wendy?”

  “A little. You know me, I ’t sit still for too long, so I’ve got side gigs. e o’s sit down.”

  We looked for the best table in the café. They were all really nice, but I felt it couldn’t just be any table—it had to be THE table. In the end, we settled by the window, where we could watch the street while having breakfast. Linny told me about her work and how she had to deal with some challenging situations: unruly patients, terminal illnesses, really tough ses. That’s why I admire her so much. Despite all that, she’s mao push through no matter the obstacles.

  I didn’t pay much attention to what she was saying because my eyes wao the people walking bad forth outside. I couldn’t help but feel the world crumbling before my eyes, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Being alone, pletely isoted, was terrifying. Or maybe it remonition of what my life would be like if I didn’t achieve the same success as my sister. Energy... isn’t something I recover easily. I barely graduated with average grades in literary arts... Why was everything turning bck?

  “That’s why we had to interveherwise, he could’ve died... Wendy? Hey! Are you even listening?”

  “Crap! Yes, I’m listening, damn it.” I had dozed off without even realizing it. “I’m sorry. I’ve only slept four hours. I just firansting the entire novel.”

  “The Afri romane? What was it called...?”

  “ ‘Falling for Your Pearl-White Smile.’ It’s really sweet. It’s about a couple seeking happiness away from the chaos of the ever-ging city. It reminds me a lot of when we lived oskirts with our parents. I know! I’ll save you a copy when it’s published.”

  “Are you really w for a publisher that still prints physical books?”

  “That’s right, my dear sister. The covers are metal, and the pages are simple holograms. But the feeling of holding a physical book is the same!”

  We spent the time ughing until the food arrived. The smell of pancakes and honey flooded my nostrils, making me incredibly hungry. Muscur men in those elegant outfits carefully pced the breakfasts oable. I noticed a little e cat brooe of them was wearing. It shone in subtle tones, but the fasation stayed locked in my mind. One of the guys set dowes, while another served the milkshakes. The pancakes were drenched in the sweet ar of bees, with small fruits decorating the edges, their juices mingling with the honey. Edible flowers sat atop the stack, shamelessly begging to be devoured ie.

  “Delicious!” After the first bite, Lin out a sigh of satisfa. “It’s like the pancake is melting in your mouth... Oh, how lovely!”

  “And you haven’t even tried the milkshake.” I took small sips, further tempting her curiosity.

  With every bite, the food seemed to grow richer in fvor and sweetness. Soon, the ptes were empty after just a few bites, sips, and even wishes. Two sisters with full stomachs left a generous tip for each of the handsome workers who served us. We left the café around 11:20 A.M. and walked to the cable car tower, where we’d see just how massive it was. You could stack 100,000 humans, and they’d never reach the top.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea? You know I’m terrified of heights...”

  “Linny, rex, you’re with me. Don’t you trust your sister?”

  “Not really...”

  “LINNY!”

  Another burst of ughter made us the ter of attention again. I took my noisy sister’s hand ao buy tickets before b a . Eleagic cables held the metal pieces of the together, and small thrusters propelled the jourhe first time I rode this, I was dizzy the whole time, but now it’s like taking dy from a baby. Of course, I phis knowing Linny had never had the ce to ride one alone. Once we sat down, the attendants adjusted everything. A few mier, we were on our way, asding to the highest point of the city. The ndscape looked like blocks of t stacked on top of each other, metallic boxes using neon lights as their source of illumination, and hundreds of thousands of tiny fireflies walking the streets, waiting to bee famous oworks.

  “This is terrifying... Oh my God, we’re going to fall!”

  “You’re such a drama queen. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  “Only our parents!”

  “That’s because everyone in the family knew how much of a coward you be sometimes, girl.”

  “ANYONE WOULD BE A COWARD UP HERE!”

  “Nu huh. The first time I rode this, I was as calm as a drop of water in the middle of a pond.”

  I lied shamelessly, uo ugh to keep fr. My poor sister was so tehat the veins in her neck were starting to show. I hugged her tightly, ah watched as we slowly reached the top. There were just a few minutes left in the ride, but in that time, I mao catch my breath from all the crap of being stu that colossal gray shoebox called Wildcore. In moments like this, I missed the green hills of the town we came from, but I’m afraid those po longer exist today. All because of the damn corporations and their endless hunger for power.

  Linny didn’t dare speak during the ride. She just g to me with a tight grip. Maybe she’d leave a mark, or maybe two, but I cherished this preoment, knowing it wouldn’t happen again for a while, given my sister’s hectic schedule. A small tear rolled down my cheek aed into the floor after falling. I rested my on Linny’s head so she wouldn’t notice how sad I was starting to feel. I turned my gaze to the deepest part of the sky, where strange bck triangur shapes appeared at an incredible speed.