Usually my siser finds me within minutes. It’s downright unfair how well she knows the nooks and crannies of this house. This time however, i was gonna win our game. Because i had help. Rose, one of the many frequent visitors to our house. Not only did she point me towards this spot, she also gave me a good luck charm to beat my sister. “Come out, come out wherever you are.” Her voice sounded from the Foyer. It was distant so it was probably from down the stairs.

“You know you can’t hide from me Alex.” This time she sounded a bit closer to the library, but still from out in the foyer, so she probably went up the stairs.

I started sweating abit. Everything but left. If she goes anywhere but left, i might beat my record of hiding from her. That would be the most awesome birthday present.

“Are you in.... here?” Her voice was muffled. She went into one of the other rooms. We weren’t allowed in the study, so she probably went right, into the ballroom. I snickered just a tiny bit to myself. I was gonna beat the 34 minutes and 7 seconds from last time. I turned the good luck charm over in my hand. A round stone with a white horse engraved into it.

Best

Charm

Ever.

“Alexander Kurio Araphel.” i Jerked and banged my head against the bookshelf. My sister was staring right at me from behind the books.

“Urghhh, i nearly beat the old time” I let my head thump down on the shelf beneath me, just a tad too hard, as my forehead started hurting,

“Yeah but you’re gonna have to do even better if you wanna beat me.” My sister said beaming at me.

“help me get out of here, i dont wanna knock all the books down.” I pleaded at her. Normally she’d definitely let me do it all by my self, but she’s been super nice all day so i figured it was worth trying.

“Of course i’ll help. There’s nothing better than helping my little brother escape the problems he has gotten himself into.” Her mouth ran up in the classical Araphel smile. Just a bit too high for anyones comfort. The smile that she only ever gave me when she was being extra mean to me. With dark hair worn straight to just past her shoulders, a complexion fair enough, that you’d be hard pressed to find any single fault, and of course, the nearly shining ice blue eyes, that run in the family. Not a single person would ever call my sister anything but the prettiest thing.

“Oh whoops, it would appear that i have come down with a sudden case of the cant help syndrome. I would so much love to help you. But you gotta take care of that yourself.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

I Sighed loudly and puhed out a few books to try and mow my way through. It did not go well. All the books ended up falling out of the shelf, and i with them.

“You better put those back fast and come downstairs, the birthday guests are here.”

For the third time in what felt like forever but was probably only 5 seconds i sighed loudly.

“Why do we have to have them all over? I only know like 7 of them, and of those 7 only 3 are actually my age. Why do i have to celebrate my birthday with all these business partners of our parents?”

She kneeled down and helped me straighten out my suit.

“Because one day you’re going to work with all those same partners, and as we’re the leaders of our community, everyone wants to make certain you hit the ground running.” She smiled. Not the unnatural Araphel smile. But a proper sisterly love smile.

“fine” i said underneath my breath.

I got the stair ladder. No way i was big enough to anywhere near the middle shelf. I was kinda tall for a 13 year old. But the shelfs in our house were just tremendous. Even the mirror besides the shelf was taller than any man. Except maybe for like a giant. 2.20 meters. Who’d ever need that tall a mirror.

“I’ll see you downstairs as soon as you are finished.”

I mumbled the really clever response of not if i see you first, under my breath.

I spent my time on the gruelling task. The books were so heavy. Not a single book with an actual titel on the back, or under 500 pages for that matter, and more than one was written on some material other than paper. In summation my arms were super tired when i was about to return the last book to its spot.

BWOOM

I fell. My hands shot out. Wailing at first. One hand managed to grab the ladder. A faint rattle emanated as i hit the ladder. A sharp unbearable pain in my ribs and arms.

And Suddenly a dunk followed by a lound crack. I started crying and got down from the ladder. My mother rushed into the room. While my sister could pass for the prettiest doll of a model, my mother was like the older, more wrinkled and completly authoritarian version of her. When my mother said something, everyone listened. When my mother frowned people ran away. And when my mother wore the Araphel smile, im pretty sure she could get the bad guys from any movie to surrender immediatly instead of trying to face whatever she had planned.

“Oh my dear Alexander are you okay. What happened.”

“The Thunder boomed and i fell and the book fell and now my arm hurts and the glass broke and i think my arm broke and you’re mad at me cuz of the mirror.” I pushed out in a torrent of words, tears and whimpers.

“stop, Alexander stop. Your arm isn’t broken. You’re fine. Nothing happened. It was just a mirror. It’s okay. Stop crying just for a second, and look at me.” She said with the soothing and loving tone of a mother.

“Now see here Alexander. I have held your arm ever since i got here. And you haven’t pulled away. It doesnt really hurt that much does it?”

I looked at my arm, and she was right. It only ached abit.

“Now lets go downstairs and we’ll have the maid fix this mess in the meantime.” I nodded slowly.

“And have her close all the windows. I swear the weather forecasts said there would be clear skies the entire week.” I heard my mom mumble to herself.

She took my hand and we started to walk downstairs.

I looked towards the mirror i broke, and noticed that the book laid there open.

A beautiful painting of a bird across both pages. That bird was in my head right up until i got downstairs and i heard about 40 saying in perfect unison.

“Greetings to the Lord Regent and to the Araphel Heir”.