Most people have told me my entire life that I am a lucky star. Since I was born, no one in the world that has met me has never said that they had not been lucky when they met me. Never!
So I guess I really am super lucky!
But the only person who has not been affected by luck is me. For some reason everyone who has met me has said some pretty amazing things.
"I won the lottery with the numbers you told me!"
"I found a hundred bill on the street when I greeted you!"
"I just got accepted at the university with 0.00001% acceptance rate with the letter you touched!"
"I'm getting married to Raelor Swift!"
The bright smiles and massive gratitude everyone showed me made me feel very happy. Even my parents bathed at the praises directed at them for giving birth to such a lucky item.
Word spread around as fast as streaming waters and pretty soon, everyone in our neighborhood knew of my incredible lucky star ability. They had come to nickname me The Little Clover. In front of the little house that my parents and I lived, a huge line of people I have never met before in my life would already be lined up to meet me. Foreigners, priests, and even celebrities would try to contact my parents to reserve my time. It came to the point my parents began starting a business with me as the main attraction— The Fortune-Giving Sessions began.
All this before I could even walk on my own two feet.
By age 4, I had become a celebrity. And of course, with all the money acquired by my fortune giving ability, my parents could live life as high and slow as they could. And I got to receive whatever toys I wanted. All was the picture perfect life anyone could dream of.
Supportive, happy and loving parents. An adorable, doe eyed son whose blue eyes glimmered with all the stars in the sky. And an endless income. It was perfect.
That was until I suddenly fell ill during one of the Fortune-Giving Sessions.
"Oh, Divine Fortune Bringer! It is so nice to finally meet you," A man, hair graying and build slim as a twig, came in the room dressed formally as if he were meeting a CEO of some high company, and greeted me as if I were someone in the same position as a Bishop. All of it felt natural to me.
"Other than the fee, I brought you gifts and toys for you and your family. But I'm sure someone like you wouldn't need such childish things." The sketchy man, money eyed man, said. Said to a child.
I huffed, "Nuh-uh! Elijah will keep all the toys! Uncle what child won't want toys? Tell me!"
That shut up the man and an awkward laugh escaped his lips.
"Forgive this ignorant uncle, Fortune Bringer. This man has no kids of himself. I was ignorant," He scratched the back of his head. Not wanting to upset the child in front of him, he lowered his head in apology.
"Alright, I get it. Let's get this sessions started and over with already—!" As I raised my hands, pain swelled in my chest and I felt something warm trickle down my nose.
The uncle in front of me froze as he saw my face and he paled instantly.
"...Fortune Bringer?"
And in that moment, my vision disappeared and I felt the cold floor with my body.
That day, my life suddenly turned upside down.
The hospital room felt cold despite the heating and warm blanket tucked around my small body. The only sound I could hear were of the cars outside my window and beeping noise from the monitor.
I was all alone in that cold room.
Despite all the tests that followed and all check ups and monitoring, the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me and all the tests came back negative. Still, with the nutrients I received and the constant care, they couldn't figure out why my body had suddenly become so frail.
Eventually, all the medical bills had slowly ate away at all the money my parents had accumulated from the Fortune-Giving Sessions and things took a difficult turn.
With what money we had left, my father took a handful of it and ran away. He left only enough for my mother and I to get through the month. My mother could no longer support me medically.
With no choice, I had to be discharged and stay at home, unable to even step foot outside. Not that I could. An action as simple as standing made my body ache.
With just the two of us now, my mother had to go back to her office work to make ends meet. Because of that, I found myself alone at home more than usual.
It felt incredibly lonely.
I turned to the whale plush on my bed, it's beady eyes and black stringed smile looked nothing short of judgement compared to the cute face I once thought of before.
"What are you looking at?" I glared at it.
"I'm looking at a lonely loser of course!" A tiny voice spoke from the whale plush. It's stringed smile now filled with mockery. "You must feel so lonely, loser."
He taunted at me. Anger boiled and it flushed my cheeks.
"What do you know about me, huh!?" I gritted my teeth and collided my fist with it's stupid face. The whale laughed.
"You can't hurt me, stupid! I'm made of cotton!"
"Ah! So what!? You won't be so brave once I throw you in the washing machine!" I threatened the whale plush, harshly squeezing it between my palms.
"Oh that fun little swirly machine? Go ahead."
It dared me. Seeing as how none of my words mattered to this whale, I huffed out my frustration and laid back down on my bed.
"You're mean. I did nothing but take care of you!"
"Yeah but you're just using me, aren't you? So you can be happy. Then you'll get new toys again and you'll forget about me. Dems da rules."
Forget about you? How awfully sad to hear that.
I wouldn't ever forget my first toy ever. That overwhelming wave of sadness made me feel guilt. Was that what Whale Whalice had been thinking all this time?
"I'm sorry. I won't ever abandon you, ever! I promise." The hands that crushed his face smoothed over the lines and crinkles I created with my fingers. Soon, the smile that had looked like it was filled with mockery turned back to one filled with happiness.
"But you know, someone else might abandon you," Whalice remarked. Someone might abandon me? Well, my father had already abandoned me and my mother, so there isn't anyone else who can do that.
Those words Whalice had said to me never bothered me, how could they? They're just mindless words from a whale!
"Elijah, from today onwards you'll be living with you sister." My mother suddenly declared one day.
Huh?
Hold on a second. My hands clutched on to the whale plush I carried around the house. Suddenly, a heavy tension weighed in my chest as Whalice words rang back in my ears.
How come she was abandoning me? Everything was fine up until now. It's not like we were in debt or anything. But my mother sighed out heavily and I knew her decision had been made.
"It seems like the gods were punishing us for abusing your gift. I can't keep you beside me any longer knowing what kind of divine retribution you carry. I can't risk another setback with you here with me," Her words shattered me and every view I ever had of this family. I ran to her side in tears, hands clutching to the hems of her pants.
"No mom! Don't leave me, I don't want to go away!" I sobbed. Cheeks flushed and hot with tears, I knew I'd risk a horrible fever crying this way but still, the tears continued to flow as my mother picked me up in her arms, wiping away my tears.
"It would be best if you lived with you sister," She repeated. "If you live here with me, daddy will never come back. Do you not want daddy to come back?"
That question made me pause for a moment. Of course I wanted him to come back! I nodded, unable to form words in my state.
"Then go live with your sister. And mommy will be with daddy,"
"Then you'll both come back for me, right?"
She never did answer me then. She merely smiled, her warm hand ruffle my hair.
"Mom, What's my sister like?" I finally asked once I settled down with Whale Whalice sitting on my lap on the living room floor. Once I had stopped crying, mom quickly packed my bags and told me to get ready for my sister to come pick me up.
It was quick and sudden, as if she had prepared this for a while already. By the time lunch time came, two suitcases and a bag had been placed on the doorway. My backpack on me were filled with all the other toys I cherished most.
"Your sister?" My mom pondered for a moment as she prepped lunch. "Your sister is someone very opposite of you, but she is smart and wealthy."
Opposite of me? "What do you mean?"
"You know how Elijah is kind and very considerate?" My mom asked. Hearing her say those words about me made me happy.
"Ha ha, yeah?"
"Unlike you, your sister abandoned us once she became rich. Never be like your sister, alright?" Her words suddenly felt cold as ice but she smiled anyways, as if those were words normal to say to a child. I could only nod, oblivious to the tension behind what she said.
"Once I grow up, I'll be rich! And then we can be together again like before." It was a stupid promise made by a child. A mere fantasy. But my mom smiled and that was all that mattered to me.
By the time we had finished eating lunch together, the door suddenly rang. Behind, an elder lady stood at the door, she looked classy. Like one of those expensive headmaids you see on television dramas. I couldn't help but stare in awe. Even her gray hair looked more silver than gray.
"I am an expensive headmaid you often see on television dramas," She introduced herself, dark eyes meeting mine. That was how she introduces herself?
After she exchanged conversations with my mom it became clear that was her own attempt at making jokes to ease my obvious nerves.
"So what? She's suddenly too high and mighty to even come see her own mother? She's too good to come pick up her little brother herself?" I heard my mom mutter in spite.
"The miss is simply too busy, please don't take it personal. However she did tell me to bring a gift," The elder maid handed over a huge yellow paper bag, its logo etched on the surface with gold. It radiated such a blinding glow that made it impossible for mom to decline as she readily snatched the paperbag.
"Does she think she can get away with anything by buying people off?!"
Mom, you're saying that while you're clutching the bag with that greedy smile!?
I worriedly took a glance at the elder lady for her reaction just to see her stone cold face.
The two adults with me didn't make sense. One was being obnoxious and the other reacted to nothing at all.
Will I seriously be fine?
"Well then, shall we get going? The young lady said she'll meet you back in your new home." Without even waiting for my approval, the elder lady began to take my bags that stood by the doorway, and only then did it dawn on me how real this situation had finally become. My hands clutched around Whalice.
"No!" I pulled back the luggage the Elder lady dragged with what little strength I had with one hand.
I'm not ready to go yet!
"Mommy, I don't want to leave!" Please, don't let me go with her!
Hot tears spilled from my eyes. I don't want this at all. I just want to go back to the way it was before. With mom and dad, and not some sister I never even met!
But mom was adamant. Her eyes turned stern as she sighed heavily. As if this was just another unreasonable tantrum.
"Elijah, don't be selfish. This is for the sake of both of us,"
Despite the tears spilling from my eyes, my mom harshly began to scold me with that look on her face that I've only seen once before in my entire life.
"Honestly, none of this would be happening if you were just a normal kid."
A normal kid? Then was I not normal? Her words left me in shock, and before I knew it I was already in the car ride.