It was on a beautiful night, cradled by the stars and a full moon, that a family celebrated a joyous event. A pretty cake sat on a table, lit by candles casting a warm yellow light.

"Happy birthday, Logan!" said a woman with beautiful brown hair as the young boy blew out the candles.

"Thank you, mom, dad, and you, big sister!" the young boy joyfully thanked.

This boy had lovely caramel skin and beautiful, silky black hair with a very distinctive trait. His eyes bore a color no one else had, making him a unique child with magnificent red irises. As he savored the cake made by his mother, crumbs stuck to his cheeks. But this sweet family moment was not over yet, as a young girl with beautiful, long black hair brought over a mysterious box.

"We have a nice little gift for you." she said, placing the box on the table and gently wiping the cake crumbs from his face.

Before him now was a pretty box with a ribbon and little holes. Impatient and curious, he opened the box. What he found inside made him smile with happiness, as inside was a lovely little creature sleeping. It was a tiny cat with snow-white fur, its eyes closed, sleeping peacefully.

"I bought it for you, with help from mom and dad." the young woman tenderly declared.

"You're the best, thank you!" he said, hugging them tightly.

Then he gently took the cat out of the box and lifted it into the air. At that moment, the cat gently opened its eyes, Logan's happy face reflected in its own.

"I'll call you Shiro, because you have a pretty white coat."

Thus ended that beautiful birthday evening for the young child, filled with love and happiness and a new family member.

Shiro and the boy then began spending all their time together as if they were brothers. They played together, slept together, ate together; these two were inseparable. When Logan did his homework and wasn't playing with him, Shiro would rub against him or jump on the table to lie down without disturbing him. He always paused to tenderly pet him. His sister would occasionally check if he needed help, but it was always unnecessary, as Logan had no difficulties. He was a true little genius, skilled in all subjects, especially in math and sports, so much so that his sister Saori would even sigh, wishing she could help him a little.

"It's really vexing, you know, you never need help. How am I supposed to play my role as a big sister?" she sighed.

"You're already doing wonderfully, big sister. Don't be so vexed, and it lets me show off to mom and dad." he laughed, teasing her.

"You little smart aleck." she declared, ruffling his hair.

And they would often bicker, laugh, and talk for hours about everything and nothing, and each of these moments was a true blessing. After all, it hadn't always been this way.

POV Logan

Every moment spent with my family was pure happiness, as things hadn't always been this way. The truth is that my mother, father, and big sister are not my blood relatives; I've been an orphan since birth. I was abandoned on the platform of a station before being taken in by a pastor, the only thing left with me being a sheet with my name on it. So, I spent my life in an orphanage, and it wasn't always easy. I was born with a very rare physical peculiarity: red eyes. Apparently, this was due to a genetic modification, and I never understood why it deterred people from adopting me. I constantly asked myself the same question:

"Are red eyes really that ugly?"

My eyes later earned me a nickname among the other orphans: the demon. Everyone knows children can be very mean, and of course, this never ceased to hurt me.

"I don't want to play with you; your eyes scare me."

"Go play elsewhere, demon."

"I'm sure you'll grow horns and a tail."

Such words made me start to hate my unique eyes; I wished I could tear them out to stop enduring what the other children put me through. But it wasn't just them; it was also the parents who came to adopt a child. They always gave me looks mixed with several emotions: surprise, interest, fear, disgust, and many others.

"Oh, I would never adopt that child; his eyes are disgusting."

"He scares me; let's choose one with normal eyes."

"He looks like a little devil."

Adults too behaved like children, never considering that their words could hurt me. I often stopped eating and sleeping and cried in every corner of the orphanage where no one would see me. But the pastor who took me in always found me and lifted my spirits. He often repeated this phrase:

"You know, Logan, the Lord doesn't give us trials we can't bear. Otherwise, how would He be a benevolent father? Believe me, one day, you will find a family and accept yourself." He said, stroking my head.

And his comforting and hopeful words turned out to be true when I turned eight.

"Oh, mom, look at him; he's so beautiful." said a young girl cheerfully.

"What's your name?"

"Lo...Logan." I replied, a bit surprised.

And it was normal, as no parent had ever addressed me in such a jovial and kind manner.

"Oh, he's shy too." added a man, smiling.

"So?" the enthusiastic girl asked, looking at her mother.

"He's a handsome little boy; we'll adopt him." she replied, looking at me.

"Very well, come this way to sign the papers." the pastor agreed, giving me a smile.

They quickly signed the papers, and then it was already time to leave, everything having been resolved too fast. It all seemed too sudden and unreal, after all, who would want to adopt a demon like me with such abhorrent eyes? I think I had been so hurt by all those words, sharp as daggers, that I ended up believing them and demeaning myself. A question then nagged at me so much that it burned my lips:

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"Does it not bother or disgust you, my red eyes?"

When I finally asked the question, I was hanging on their lips, my heart beating, waiting for their answer, and finally, they smiled at me.

"Why would it bother us? You are a very handsome boy, and you're going to be part of our family now." the mother declared softly.

Then Saori, who would become my big sister, came close to me, got down to my level, and said:

"I think your eyes are beautiful."

My heart clenched, it clenched so hard it hurt, but strangely, this pain was also pleasant. Tears flowed on their own, and I felt a gentle warmth caress my cheek as Saori tenderly touched my face. Until then, I had only received mockery, disgust, and silly nicknames. Even if it might seem childish, it always hurt me, but that day, I had finally found a family.

"Thank you!" I said, my eyes moist.

I then wiped away my tears, said goodbye to the sisters and the pastor, took Saori's hand, and joined my new family.

_____

I gradually adapted to my new family, and like any normal child, it was time for me to go to school. I was apprehensive about being around classmates, again because of my eyes. My sister Saori dropped me off at the gate and noticed my evident stress.

"What are you afraid of, little brother?"

"My eyes."

"I've already told you, they're beautiful." Saori said.

"Yes, but not everyone thinks that way; some people are mean and like to hurt others."

Saori seemed surprised by my comment but quickly responded with a smile.

"Little brother, it's true that not everyone is kind in this world. You'll probably face more mockery or strange looks. But the most important thing is that you accept yourself and your differences." she said, smiling.

"And if I can't?"

"Can you be strong for me then?"

"Yes."

"Go on then." she gently pushed me toward the entrance.

Once inside, I walked through the school corridors before reaching the classroom where the teacher was apparently waiting for me.

"Logan, right? All your classmates are inside. Go in and introduce yourself."

"Yes, sir."

The teacher opened the door to the classroom, which fell silent as everyone stopped talking.

"Today, you have a new classmate, so be nice to him." the teacher announced.

With a knot in my stomach, I timidly entered and introduced myself in front of all the students, my heart beating faster than usual.

"My name is Logan, I'm 8 years old, thank you for having me."

There were whispers around the room before the teacher pointed out my seat:

"Go sit next to Ambre." he said, cutting off the conversations.

I headed to my seat with my head down, sat down, and immediately heard a voice:

"Hey, do you want to eat with me at recess?" said a young girl sitting to my right.

I looked up, and our eyes met a beautiful girl with a surprised expression.

"You... You have red eyes..."

I instinctively turned away.

"You know, I think that's cool."

Surprised, I looked up again, my face turning noticeably red.

"Tha... Thank you."

"I'm Maïli." she said, smiling.

"Open page 1 of your textbook." the teacher instructed as we continued talking.

"You didn’t answer me." Maïli said.

"Yes, I'd like to eat with you at recess." I replied happily.

Thus, a new life began for me, and the years started to fly by. I was far from imagining what awaited me.

6 years later.

I had made a small circle of friends in primary and middle school, including my best friend Maïli, a cheerful and friendly girl. My mother and father traveled a lot for business, as they owned a pharmaceutical company, and we lacked nothing. They were currently in America and had been away for 5 days; they should return tomorrow night, they said. In the meantime, Saori was taking care of me, taking days off work as usual.

Saori had moved out a few years ago to become independent; she was now 26. Our parents were successful entrepreneurs with a company worth millions, but Saori wasn't interested in the business; she wanted to earn and build her life without anyone's help. However, we remained close, and she often visited, warmly greeted by Shiro.

She was working in personal care, supervising the elderly and sick. True to her nature, Saori was a caring person who had always taken care of me and was now caring for others, feeling fulfilled. My parents were proud of her, regardless of the path she chose.

While we were playing on our console, the house phone rang. Saori stood up to answer it while I tried to cheat to beat her at the game. A piercing scream alerted me, and I saw Saori collapse to the floor in tears. I rushed to her.

"Big sister, are you okay?"

She looked into my eyes, and I could tell it was serious.

"Listen, Mom and Dad had an accident... They're dead..."

It took a few seconds for me to understand before I broke down in tears and collapsed too. Saori and I held each other tightly, crying to try and alleviate the pain.

Their plane had crashed due to an engine problem, and their bodies were recovered by rescue teams.

After the funeral, filled with tears and grief, we thought the worst was over. But it was just the beginning. The company our parents built was taken over by the board of directors, who argued that Saori hadn't contributed to the business as she pursued her own life. All their accounts were frozen without valid reason. Saori sued, but despite everything being in our favor, we lost the case.

As a result, we were evicted from our luxury home, and I had to move into Saori's small apartment. At first, everything was fine, but I was about to enter a prestigious high school, and the cost was high. Saori insisted I continue, so she took multiple jobs, damaging her health. She became overworked and even...

One day, I came home early from school and saw several shoes at the door. Hearing strange noises, I headed to Saori's room, horrified. I found her lying on the bed, used by men, including a former school friend. Enraged, I yelled at them to leave.

"Come on, Logan, join in; she's not your real sister anyway." laughed my classmate Shawn.

I punched him, making him fall, but the men then pushed and beat me. Saori intervened, pleading for them to stop as I was being assaulted.

After they left, I looked at Saori with disgust and left her there, covering herself with a sheet. Turning away from her that day was one of my biggest mistakes.

The next day, I found Saori's body hanging from the ceiling.

"Saori... No... What have I done..."

After a while, I took down her lifeless body and held her, crying as the sun illuminated her now pale face. Her warmth, which had comforted me so many times, was gone. That day, I learned that the worst can always get worse.

At her grave, I vowed to become better and help those in need, promising never to look away again.

"I promise, big sister!"

4 years later.

The years passed, and I managed on my own during my high school years. Saori had saved money for my university and paid for my entire last year of high school. I became more isolated, focusing on my studies and working part-time to pay the rent. Maïli offered to let me live with her and her parents, but I didn't want to impose. Returning home one day, I found an eviction notice for three months of unpaid rent. I fed Shiro the last of the fresh milk and a half-empty can of sardines.

"It's good, right, Shiro?" I said, petting him as he drank his milk.

After showering and a quick snack, I left for work.

"Logan, go set up your register; you're a bit late," my boss said.

"Sorry."

"It's fine, just hurry up." She replied kindly.

I worked the night shift until midnight, then came home to study math and work on theses to earn money. Another sleepless night passed.

After showering and having breakfast, I left for school, Shiro rubbing against me as usual.

"See you tonight, buddy."

At school, Maïli waited for me in the back of the classroom.

"I can tell you had another sleepless night." she scolded.

"It's nothing, don't worry."

"Stop, you're ruining your health. Come live with me!" she insisted.

"No, but thank you." I replied.

"You're so stubborn. When you're out on the street, you'll have no choice but to accept." she said half-jokingly.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." I said, smiling.

As we talked, the class became noisy, but then a violent wind shattered the windows, causing panic among the students.

A bright white orb appeared in the center of the class, growing rapidly and engulfing several students whose screams vanished. The orb soon covered the entire room, and Maïli and I held hands, bracing ourselves. We were eventually consumed by the unknown light, holding hands.