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Lukas's POV

Lukas James

"Lukas! C'mon, wake up!"

My eyes opened groggily as I groaned, pulling the blanket over my head. During the month since Parallel shut down, I went back to my past cocooned self, refusing to do anything else but sleep and eat every so often. I never thought I would go back to who I was before, but when I found out I would never see Meredith again, I panicked and couldn't think of anything else to do but cry myself to sleep until I ran out of tears.

Lyra took over my YouTube channel to keep it alive, covering for my sorry ass. She knew that it was the only thing I would pour my heart soul into after this. They enjoyed her company just as much as they enjoyed mine, but recently, the requests to get an update on me and my mental health became too much for my sister to handle. Last night, I promised I would join Lyra on a livestream and focus on becoming happier and livelier.

Lyra's hands gripped onto the blanket, tugging on it in an attempt to get me up. After a few struggling moments, she sighed heavily and threw it back on me.

"Lukas," she said sternly. I lazily flopped over, catching a glance of the glare in her green eyes. She hissed under her breath, "You promised."

Sitting up, I remained silent, my eyes looking at her blankly. "I know, and I wish I didn't," I replied, being honest with her.

"Get dressed," she said, turning around as she crossed her arms. "I'll go make breakfast for you— which you better eat— so come down later. Then, we'll start the livestream."

I huffed and stood up, trudging towards my closet. Should have just said no... Before she exited, she looked at me with a stunned expression, making me stare back.

"What?"

A small smile was on her face, and she said quietly, "Sorry." She turned away to avoid facing me. "This is the first time you're actually listening to me ever since what happened.."

Lyra closed the door behind her, leaving me as my eyes widened at her sincere words. My shoulders slumped, and my head lightly hit the door of my closet as I leaned forward against it, glancing down at the floor. My eyes shut. Did I really ignore her that many times..? Inhaling, I let myself breathe evenly before changing into a pair of sweatpants and a random shirt.

After changing, I went into the bathroom, brushing my teeth and washing my face. I couldn't help but stare at my reflection in the mirror, my blue eyes cold and tired. My hand ran through my hair, brushing it out to make it look a little less flat. While I walked down to the dining room, I heard my sisters talking to each other. Lyra was telling Rachel that she was finally able to haul my ass out of my bedroom.

Rachel turned to see me standing there silently. She stood up herself and walked up to me, giving me a gentle and warm hug. I was a little startled and confused by what it meant, but it didn't stop me from hugging her back. I forgot how nice it felt to be hugged by someone, so her hugging me made my heart pound with meaning.

"I missed seeing you out of your room, you geek," she muttered into my ear, her arms tightening around me. She pulled away and smiled at my questioning expression, pinching my cheeks in her hands. "Just because I'm not Mom or Dad, I'm still gonna worry about my stupid baby brother."

"Sorry," I attempted to apologize, my voice changing as she pulled on my cheeks.

"You better be, asshole," Rachel teased, smiling sweetly. I frowned, making her laugh as she ruffled my hair. Letting go of me, she went to the dining table and grabbed her bag. "Well, I have to go meet up with the other people in my group project." Looking over her shoulder at Lyra, who walked out of the kitchen with a plate of food, she asked, "You good?"