"Asher! Where the hell are you? Hurry up!"
The voice of a young girl echoed loudly from downstairs.
Upstairs, a sixteen-year-old boy could be seen stacking several boxes together in a hurry.
His room was almost completely bare now, with barely anything left inside. Most of his belongings had already been packed away, leaving behind only a few scattered items that still needed to be moved.
His black hair fell loosely over his face, and he hurriedly pushed it back every few seconds.
His piercing amethyst eyes remained fixed intently on the task at hand.
Within a few minutes, he was done.
Asher quickly grabbed a backpack and strapped it over his shoulders before standing upright.
At six feet tall, he had to slightly duck his head when carrying the boxes stacked high in his arms.
He picked them up, his lean muscles straining beneath his clothes as he turned around and began walking towards the door.
"Oh, damn. Jesse, you shout a lot."
Asher shook his head with a small smile.
Reaching the door, he twisted the handle with his foot, causing it to creak open.
He walked out without bothering to close it behind him.
However, it didn’t remain open for long.
A few seconds later, the door slowly swung shut on its own.
Asher made his way down the staircase, carefully balancing the boxes in his arms.
At the bottom, he spotted a young girl who didn’t look older than fourteen.
Brown hair cascaded down her back in beautiful waves, while her glaring yellow eyes seemed capable of boring holes straight through him.
The moment she saw him, her already prominent frown deepened.
"Why were you taking your sweet time?" Jesse asked.
Asher reached the base of the staircase and tilted his head slightly, revealing his smiling face from behind the stack of boxes.
"Oh, come on. It’s not like the truck will be leaving anytime soon."
He walked past her without another thought.
"That doesn’t mean you should take your sweet damn time. Tsk."
Jesse scoffed.
Before Asher could respond, the sound of footsteps descending the stairs caught their attention.
Jesse looked up.
A young man with more defined muscles than Asher was making his way downstairs.
An undercut hairstyle sat neatly on his head, while his brown eyes carefully tracked each step to make sure he didn’t trip.
Like Asher, he was carrying several boxes in his hands.
"Who is annoying my cute little sister?"
His deep, thick voice echoed through the room.
"Brother Jayden, it’s Asher," Jesse immediately reported with a pout.
Jayden reached the bottom of the stairs and placed the boxes down with a loud thud.
He then stood upright and ruffled Jesse’s hair with a wide smile.
"Come on. You shouldn’t let anything ruin your mood. I mean, we’re moving to a new city. Isn’t that awesome?"
Jesse remained silent for a few seconds before shrugging.
"Yeah, sure. But Asher is so annoying."
"I know."
Jayden smirked.
"Ohoy~! What do you mean by that, big bro?"
Asher raised a brow.
Jayden simply chuckled, picked up the boxes again, and walked away.
Asher stared after him with a frown.
"Ash, darling! Hurry up with those other boxes in the kitchen!"
A woman’s voice called from outside.
Jesse immediately rushed forward and grabbed a few boxes from the living room.
Asher sighed before turning towards the kitchen.
Within a few moments, he returned outside with the remaining boxes.
A large moving truck was parked in front of the house, its back already packed with most of their belongings.
Two more people were helping load the truck.
One was a middle-aged man with long black hair tied neatly into a ponytail.
The other was a woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She had brown hair and beautiful black eyes, along with the warm expression of a mother who had spent the entire morning making sure everything was in order.
These were Jack and Clara Reid.
And together with their three children, they made up the Reid family.
They were all preparing to leave their current home behind and move to a new city.
Vespers City.
Jack had recently received a promotion that required him to relocate there. He was scheduled to resume work in the city the following month.
Asher had also received admission into a college in Vespers City.
Jayden, meanwhile, wanted to try his luck at finding a job there after failing to secure one in their current city.
Because of all these circumstances, the family was forced to relocate to Vespers City.
Asher loaded the box he was carrying onto the truck while the driver helped wherever he could.
It was a bittersweet moment.
They were leaving behind a house filled with so many memories.
This was the city where Asher and Jesse had been born, lived, and grown up for years.
Naturally, they felt a little sad about leaving everything behind.
Their friends too.
Asher finished arranging the boxes neatly inside the truck before stepping away.
Jayden walked over to the passenger seat and climbed inside.
The rest of the family rushed toward their car and settled into their seats.
Once the kids in the backseat were comfortably strapped in, Jack could be seen walking back toward the car after making sure the entire house was locked properly.
He stopped for a moment and stared at the house.
Clara stood beside him.
After a few seconds, Jack smiled softly and pulled his beautiful wife into a hug.
"Man... I’ll miss this place," Jack said with a small smile.
Clara nodded while fighting back the tears threatening to spill down her face.
She sniffled before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Well, we knew we couldn’t live here forever. Come on, we shouldn’t be late."
She broke away from the hug.
"Dad, Mum, hurry up! We don’t have all day."
Jesse hurried them along, her head poking out through the car window.
"Ay, sir, can I get a move on?" the truck driver called out.
Jack looked at him for a few seconds before sighing and nodding.
The driver started the truck while Jack and Clara walked toward their own car.
Soon, the truck rolled out of the driveway, with the family car following closely behind.
Asher turned his head toward the car window and stared outside.
Their neighbours could be seen peeking through their windows, waving as the family left.
A heavy feeling settled in Asher’s chest as the car carried him farther away.
Memories of the time he had spent there flooded his mind, forcing him to close his eyes for a few seconds.
"Don’t think about it. A new life is straight ahead. I’m sure the city will be much better for us. I’ll make new memories and friends there... I hope."
Asher silently muttered to himself.