"Why do smell like cigars?" Matthew’s mother was fuming at her son first thing after he arrived home.
"I went to a bar to talk..." Matthew tried to explain, but was soon interrupted.
"You went where?! You’re not old enough to drink young man!"
"I didn’t drink!"
"I knew I shouldn’t let you go to the dungeon. My boy is an alcoholic!"
"Mom! I didn’t drink! I just went to talk to another adventurer I befriended in the dungeon."
"Dear..." Matthew’s father came in and wrapped his arms around his wife. "It’s ok, he’s home and he’s uninjured. Come with me."
"I just don’t understand why he wants to gallivant into such dark places risking his life..." Matthew’s mother started to complain to his father while he took her away to their bedroom.
Matthew sighted. He didn’t like to make his family worry, but that’s what he chose to do. He went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and met his sister there:
"Was it fun?" she asked while putting back a jug of orange juice in the fridge. Already dressed on her pajamas, even though it was only 7 PM.
Sarah was a beauty. With long straight hair as black as her brother’s and the same bright blue eyes, as tall as him at 5’ 11’’, she was being scouted for model magazines since she was 14. A slender athletic body, now at 16, she drew attention wherever she went. Even with a beauty mask on anyone would fall in love with her.
Except her brother.
"I had the time of my life!" Matthew answered annoyed. It was common for the two to bicker with each other.
"Why can’t you just be normal?" Sarah asked while drinking a cup of juice with anger in her voice.
"What do you mean?"
"Why do want to be an adventurer? Do you know how much mom was worried? Even dad wasn’t normal today. Are you stupid?"
"It’s my life, I’ll do what I want."
"It’s not your life! How do you think mom and dad will be if you die in there?!"
That sentence hit him like a truck. He indeed never thought of the possibility of dying. Imagining his mother crying over his coffin with his father trying to console her, but unable to hold his own tears... It really brought a huge pain on his heart. But pride couldn’t allow him to stay silent.
"At least you’d be happy"
Sarah immediately threw her juice on him with tears on her eyes.
"Jerk!" she said filled with anger before running upstairs.
Matthew felt remorse as soon as he spitted out those words. He grabbed a rag and slowly cleaned the floor while thinking about what his sister said. He was being selfish, but it was something he really wanted to do. How to weight in those two things?
Matthew went upstairs, knocked on Sarah’s door. After a while and no answer he knocked again. This time Sarah opened the door. Her eyes red and her beauty mask teared around the eyes.
"What do you want?" She said without making eye contact and still mad.
"I’m sorry." Matthew said truly heartfelt.
"Are you going to quit?"
"No." He said and after Sarah kept quiet he continued. "This is something I wanted to do all my life. I’ll not give up on it."
"Then just go and die!" Sarah said loudly and tried to close the door, but Matthew stopped her.
"I’ll not die Sarah. I promise you. I’ll do it for a year. If it gets too dangerous, I’ll quit. I promise I’ll be very careful and only enter safe dungeons. But it’s something I really want to do, I’ll not give up on it now."
Sarah didn’t answer, so Matthew turned to leave. And just then she said:
"It’s a promise. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Don’t be a hero. Run away if it gets dangerous."
Matthew hugged her and patted her head.
"And look on the other side. If I do become a powerful adventurer no one will mess with my little sister."
"You jerk." Sarah said with a smile on her face.