Bag packed with everything needed.

Eat.

Attend morning classes.

"No, wait," Loukas bit down on his lower lip as he buttoned up his shirt.

 "Before that, hang up posters for the announcements of new computers being installed. What kind was it again?"

He got up and clutched at his pendant as he recounted the list.

Attend my first-morning class: Accounting 201.

Write my daily report to send to Uncle.

Get to my shift.

Come home and water the plants.

Do homework and watch a movie...

Loukas shook his head, "N-no, I may not have time for that, so just the homework."

He let out a sigh of relief and nodded with approval at his listed tasks of the day. He slipped on his brown leather converse shoes and gave his laces a good tug.

The ginger-haired man felt himself relax once he repeated the tasks to himself, glad he could remember them for once and was certain he could do them

A soft jingle interrupted his internal recounting. He recognised that tune as his cell's ringtone, the default irritatingly comforting drone. He nervously picked up the phone from the counter, nearly dropping it as he glanced at the name, well aware of the type of people who would call him at all.

“Oh, thank goodness,” He muttered with a sigh as he saw a familiar yet pleasant name.

Cherly.

“Cherly,” Loukas said, answering, as he relaxed, “N-normally you call a-a little later.”

He felt like he was forgetting something.

“Yeah, that was the plan, but you couldn't believe what I had to deal with this morning,” Cherly huffed.

 Loukas heard on the other end his brother, most likely flopping onto his spring mattress in frustration.

He did not hear any mutterings or voices other than his brother's.

No one else would overhear them for once...

"Oh um, sorry, what even happened anyway?" Loukas cradled the phone near his ear as he ran a brush through his soft hair.

“You know I should enter University next year, right? So all morning and all night I've been getting badgered about causing a fuss and ruining our family name”

His brother's voice dripped with thick sarcasm at the term "ruining our family's name."

“Oh, So um... Y-you want to vent?”

"Of course, you know me."

The younger boy chuckled on the other end.

"You know uncle came in this morning with the whole I know it's hard. He knows father still insists on ignoring my existence until now, so hard doesn't cover it. I rather he keeps ignoring if that was how he treats me."

Cherly never enjoyed doing what their family wished for them. 

Woodside Institute was more or less in the Asbjorn family's back pocket with their donations, so it made sense for both of them to be registered there.

Regardless of their wants. Loukas sensed Cherly’s resentment 

crawl through the speaker, so he smiled on the other end and said, “I mean, I get it, but Cherry…. I’ll be there and um... We can share a room... Away from um... Them.”

He might as well state the positives of this.

“Urg, don't call me that I'm not a child anymore,” Cherly groaned as Loukas picked up his bag. At least he seemed more focused on that rather than the obvious issues in their homelives.

“Hmm, I got a new job at the library last month,” Loukas made sure he had everything on him as he headed to the kitchen for...

One last thing.

“I don't get it. It's work and you already get enough funds to live on, but whatever. I guess some people enjoy boring work.

"It's not that boring I um... I get to read a lot of n-new books"

"Thrilling as long it makes you happy. Anyway, I'm getting breakfast. Talk to you later.”

The call ended and the tall man rubbed his hands together as he bent down to find what he was looking for in the fridge.

Next on the list

Eat.

Loukas felt better after the talk. It was difficult to continuously keep in touch with his younger brother lately.

A piece of bloody raw meat stood before his red eyes on a white plate, spilling its red water, and causing stains of crimson. He disliked how hungry he felt as he laid his eyes upon his meal.

He did not dwell on this feeling for too long. As swiftly as he could, he sank his sharp teeth into the raw beef’s flesh.

Loukas savoured the taste of meat and blood as he drank and devoured it.

A growing feeling of shame curdled in his stomach as he consumed the piece of horse muscle. 

So sweet and perfect in every way.

It was his only shameful indulgence of that week, and he planned to keep it that way.

Loukas licked away the evidence of his meal off his fingers and lips.

With a heavy sigh, he got up and left through the front door to a new day.