When the sun comes up and its rays illuminate your room, what is your reason to wake up?

Is it just because that's how natural circadian rhythm functions?

But if the world and the human body were not designed to function this way, and we could sleep for as long as we wanted, do you think people would still wake up?

Would we go through the same daily routine of brushing our teeth, taking a bath, eating the same breakfast, getting dressed, and going to school, college, or a 9-to-5 job, only to come back home tired, eat, play games, party, and scroll on our phones until we fall asleep?

Some may argue that there are things we want to explore and pursue for momentary happiness. However, there are certainly more hardships and sad occurrences in a day and in life overall than happy ones. So, does that make it all worth it?

If sleeping for as long as one wanted was an option, some of us would sleep for days, months, or even years to escape from difficult times and choices, during sad and depressing moments.

So why does one wake up when life is full of hardships? What drives us to keep going?

There's always the option to end it all, and some do choose that path when everything else seems meaningless. But for those who survive, what motivates them to keep fighting? Is it just human instinct, or is it what we call indomitable spirit? What is the driving force behind this resilience?

The only answer I can think of is love.

Love for family that helps you endure a tiring and strenuous job that you hate. Love for a dream that you work day and night to achieve. Love for a hobby, a purpose, or a goal in life. Or love for a person who makes everything else less painful, who makes every wrong in the world right, and every hardship worth fighting for. Love makes life worth living.

For me, it's the last one. As long as I have her, I can live forever in this cruel and mundane world.

Carl Jones, a young man of 21 stood near the entrance gate of the college campus in an inconspicuous dark grey hoodie. He had natural light grey hair and brown eyes fixated on a girl.

Lana Braun. She is the reason I wake up in the morning.

Wearing her white crop top and blue pants that hugged her figure, she walked with her classmates. Her crystal blue eyes glimmered with her long black hair swaying gently as she moved. Carl followed her as she took leave from her classmates.

Me and her go way back as if bound by destiny. After having disappeared for eight years she came back to my life. All I know is that she was taken away in a juvenile mental facility but I don't exactly know what happened. The memories of my past are all foggy in my mind.

After searching tirelessly for years I found her going to the same college as me. When I first saw her after all these years, the emotions that had been piled up inside me for so long started to gush out. But when I confronted her she acted like a stranger. She couldn't remember me. How could she not remember me? She had promised to be by my side forever.

She seemed different and changed in the years we have been apart. I could tell that she was suffering.

At first I was completely devastated to see her not recognise me. It felt as if my reason for living had suddenly been lost and my world had come to an end. But then I realised that I have to save her, just like she saved me eight years ago on that bridge. I know deep in my heart that my Lana is still somewhere inside her. I still love her and always will, nothing can change that. She is my saviour, my destiny.

She doesn't seem to have any close friends and there are some who even mock her for her past. But such things don't matter to me. All I know is that we are meant to be. During difficult times, I recall the day I met Lana. The day she saved my life was the moment I became hers forever.

As he trailed her from a distance, he made sure not to stand out, keeping his hood over his head and taking a different train than her.

I had been wanting to talk to her, but I couldn't muster up the courage. I didn't know where to start or what to say. I had been alone for a very long time. And before I knew it, I found myself following her home every day after college for the past year and a half.

Lana suddenly turned around, as if sensing someone following her. Carl quickly hid behind a corner, avoiding detection. Carl watched Lana as she walked into her grand house.

Like me, Lana was an orphan too, adopted by a rich guy, who passed away. Now she lives in this big house all alone.

Carl returned to his small and dusty, one-room apartment after taking the train home. Exhausted from the evening's events, he quickly laid down on his bed and closed his eyes. Sleep came easily to him, and soon he was enveloped in darkness.

"Anggh.."

Carl turned and tossed around in the bed tormented by broken visions in his sleep.

In his dreams, he found himself surrounded by people wearing black cloaks, chanting prayers in unison that were unrecognisable. The visions were tinted with an orange hue from flickering flames. A blackstone knife etched a red circular pattern with a star within it, touching its periphery. Blood followed, washing away the pattern, and then eternal darkness.

Carl's brow furrowed as he sweated and groaned.

"Aaaangh…"

Gasping for air, he clenched his fists, occasionally mumbling Lana's name.

With a jolt, Carl slowly opened his eyes, feeling disoriented. He found himself in an unfamiliar room, dimly lit by the moonlight streaming in from the windows.

Where am I? It looks like it's still dark outside.

He looked around. Behind him was the main door and to his side were two sofas placed perpendicular to each other.

It seems that I am in the living room of some big house.

As he walked further into the house, he noticed animal heads mounted on the walls, expensive vases and paintings he had never seen before in his life. There were stairs in the front which led to a second floor.

Am I dreaming? But this feels too real to be one. I have never seen these things before.

He noticed a photo frame on the wall next to the stairs, but it was too dark to make out the details. Curious, he approached it, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the photo of a little girl. He felt a pang of familiarity, but couldn't quite place it.

Suddenly, a sound from the other side of the wall caused every muscle in Carl's body to tense up. He cautiously walked past the stairs and entered a passageway that led to what looked like a kitchen.

There, he saw a light coming from an open fridge door with someone behind it. On moving closer, he saw a girl bent forward looking for something. His face turned red when he noticed that girl was wearing blue coloured underwear. He could see her round buttocks, plump thighs and smooth skin. The girl stood up with a milk carton in her hand. She was wearing a loose paper white t-shirt.

Carl's eyes opened wide.

Lana!!?

Lana noticed his presence and looked in his direction. Carl quickly hid behind the wall to the right of the kitchen.

Am I in her house? Wait, did she see me? She couldn't have recognised me in the dark, right?

He heard the sound of the fridge door closing, followed by footsteps coming towards the living room. Carl panicked and went further inside. He stood against the wall of the kitchen and a small space that seemed like a different room but in continuity to the main hall.

She stepped into the living room and looked around. Carl held his breath as he stood just a few feet apart on the other side of the wall. The sound of footsteps faded away as she went upstairs. He let out a big sigh of relief.

What is going on? Why the hell am I inside her house!? Did I unconsciously break into her house? If I get caught, it will be the end for me. I should find a way out immediately.

Carl approached the main door and grabbed the knob, ready to leave. But then he recalled Lana in her sleeping clothes, and his thoughts shifted.

I am in the same house as Lana. A minute ago, I came closer to her than I have ever been in the last two years. Who knows when I will get an opportunity like this again. A little stroll wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

Carl wandered around the main hall, then went upstairs, waiting for Lana to fall asleep. As he walked down the hall, he saw a room with the door open and peeked inside.

It's Lana's room!

He could see her sleeping with the blanket up to her waist. Unable to resist he entered inside and stood next to her bed.

She looks so pretty even while she's asleep.

He gazed at her cheeks and lips, as well as her tee-shirt, but he shook his head, trying to dispel the dirty thoughts. Instead, he looked around the room, admiring the cute plushies and posters on the walls. On the right side of the room was a big mirror with her makeup set. Carl picked up the perfume, taking a deep sniff. Next to it was her lip balm.

Lana must have applied this lip balm on her lips this morning.

He picked it up and twisted the base to reveal the lip balm. Pressing it against his lips, he coloured them peach in colour.

Wait. Isn't applying this similar to indirectly kissing her?

His heart raced with exhilaration. He saw a dress put on a hanger next to the mirror. It was a light blue top and a pink skirt. He ran his hands over the top and the skirt.

Does she pick out the clothes to wear tomorrow before going to bed?

He brought the skirt close to his face and took a sniff as he pressed it against his face.

Her scent. It hasn't changed.

But as he lifted the skirt the hanger fell. Carl, startled by the noise clenched his fist tight hoping that Lana won't wake up. He slowly turned around and saw that she was sitting up on the bed, staring right at him.

Shit!