《A lonely Sunrise》 Teaser Everyone who lives here knows that you shouldn''t be outside after 8. Yet all the parties start at 11pm, the time when you can be arrested for anything, or even shot at. He just shakes his head. As if that would happen today. He stares blankly up at the flats. Dad will be sitting there, with shards of glass around his feet and half-eaten plates on the carpet. He doesn''t want to be the one to hold Dad''s hair again, to wash away all the stains, to wake up at 3.30 in the morning just to freshen up the flat in time for the SOC to arrive. But someone has to do it, right? "Don''t think so much," he says to himself before stumbling in. Part of him has missed all this. All the cracked walls, and the concrete that peeks through the wallpaper. All the nights when the windows vibrate to the beat of the music, but also the quiet mornings when everyone is too hungover to do anything. But his whole body just says no. He doesn''t want to stand there again, watch everyone destroy their lives more and more every day, let alone be one of them. But he has no choice. No one does. He takes a deep breath and turns the key. "What?" The first thing that greets him is how clean the hallway is. The coats that usually are on the floor are now spotless and hung up neatly. Even his shoes are neatly tucked under them. "I''m home," he shouts, and looks around some more. What has happened? Have they been evicted and a new couple has moved in? Has Dad found a girlfriend who has actually taken care of him and got him back on his feet? Or is this like every damn time he tells him to "change" and that what he''s doing is "unacceptable." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Seth?" He hears his father say. His light footsteps echo in the hallway. This is it. What should he say? Will he just pretend it''s nothing and carry on as usual? Or will he finally say something. That this won''t work. They both know it. Nothing. Not a single word comes out of their mouths. They don''t have to say anything. The looks speak for themselves. Seth stares at the glossy floor. Dad desperately blinks away the tears before sighing. For the hundredth time they stand here. "Any time now," Seth thinks. "We might as well get it over with." All the times he''s been scolded, his yelling has become fodder, and all the times he''s ended up leaving again have made "home" feel like a crappy motel you never want to see again. Still, he has to pay all the bills, make sure he gets something to eat, all on a student grant and part-time job on the docks. All that, while your classmates complain about their parents refusing to buy a car. But at the same time... All those times he actually pulled himself together, if only for a few weeks... Maybe this is one of those times. Finally, they meet each other''s eyes again. "There you are," Dad says, his voice wavering. No anger. Just relief. Wait... That can''t be right, can it? He nods and puts the bag down. Should he go over there...? Too late. His feet have already started moving towards him. Now they''re here again. All the empty promises, all the apologies that never meant anything. Like a known secret: This place will never be ¡°good¡±. It never has been, so why should everything work out now of all days in the world? "Hijo..." Dad whispers before wrapping his arms around him. Like all times, his grip is weak. His legs are wobbly. But the breath is fresh. His hair is washed. He is burdened with grief, but the twinkle in his eye is there. The gleam that was there before everything went to hell. This... Might be the start of something new? Prologue "Dad?" Seth looked up at him, with the same storybook in his hand as last month. Now he would sit on his father''s lap while Peter Pan went on new adventures, and then be carried to his bed. But this time it wasn''t to be. "If you wait in your room, I''ll be right back," his father said in a low voice. "Well, we''re always here, aren''t we?" Seth said before his dad picked him up. But unlike all the other times he''s been carried, his steps were wobbly, his grip weak, and the look on his dad''s face was just...empty. Finally, he was in bed, waiting for Dad to come. But the hours passed... Each minute passed slower than the last, but still it was a quarter to twelve before he gave up. This is too childish, isn''t it? When you''re (almost) 8, you''re a big boy, you shouldn''t cry! Nevertheless, he did it. Why not? After all, it was the night when everything went wrong. 10 years later he is sitting here. In the middle of nowhere. He looks wearily at his guitar case. If it wasn''t for the flickering lights, he would probably be playing it right now. He takes out his phone. 00.35. "You''re joking, right?" he thinks and sighs. Nobody else is here. No one to talk to. Everyone else is asleep, in fact it''s a miracle the driver hasn''t fallen asleep yet. He knew a long time ago that the compartment would be empty until the other person arrived. But now? It just feels wrong. He sighs before throwing his mobile phone on the carpet. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Uppsala C" Have they been traveling for an hour already? The door opens slowly before a few golden blonde hairs stick out of the small gap. Slowly but surely the door slides to reveal a tall silhouette. Dressed as if it were summer, and his hair as if he had just woken up. "Um... Hello? I''m not disturbing you, am I?" he almost whispers. "Nah, not really," he sighs. The guy quickly slips in and sits on the other seat. "So, where are you going?" Seth groans internally. ¡°It¡¯s one am, why is this guy trying to talk to me? Shouldn¡¯t he just prepare his bunk and sleep? What am I supposed to say anyway?¡± He thinks for a second before replying: "Oh- I''m just meeting some mates, what about you?" "Nice! Um, I''m just going home so... Yeah... Hehe...OH, are you guys like a band?" He looks at the guitar case before shaking his head. "Sorry, I didn''t mean to say that out loud." Seth can¡¯t help but grin. "Oh, it''s fine. Yeah we are, but we¡¯re not going on a tour or anything." he replies and picks up the guitar. "Do you want to try it?" "Hm... I''ve barely touched one since like... middle school?" He chuckles and twirls the end of his braid. "Trust me, even then I sucked." "Oh, that''s okay, I can teach you! If you want, that is" Seth takes a sip of the monster can and watches the guy next to him light up. "Really?!" He nods. "Sure. I have nothing else to do anyway." New mission: Teach Rapunzel how to play the simplest chord there is.