Don't Forget...

Chapter 2

My walk home was surprisingly peaceful, despite the occasional humming of a passing engine. I made it through quite quick, getting lost in my thoughts. I wonder what's going on for my birthday? I thought. Our birthday's had always been a big deal with my dad and his wife. Shaun and I had gotten everything we'd wanted, but things had changed in the last few years. I'd gotten a birthday party and a few things, but not from my parents anymore. Shaun had been the one to buy me these things and he'd been the one to keep me company.

Although they'd been able please me for the past eight years, I now questioned if they could give me a new identity. I was sick of being Danielle Adams,  the curly-haired punching bag. Girls would always beat me up, boys paid me no attention and when they did, it was never the good kind, my step-mother only tolerated me and now my dad was drifting. My birthday was the only day I had, and it seemed as if no one wanted to share it with me except for Shaun.

~Flashback~

"No, I love you more!" My step-mom, Eve, adored my father.

"No... i love you  more," He replied.

I sat in my pajamas on the couch as I waited patiently for them to stop loving eachother. My father, Wyatt, had adopted me when I was only four years old and loved me with everything he had. But, lately, my attention was given to his new wife and her son, Shaun. Shaun wasn't really a problem, i liked him as my brother, but my new mom was an attention-hog! So, until some one decided to wish me a happy birthday, I'd just sit down and watch "PINGU", a cartoon about a British penguin that my biological mother had recorded. I'd actually grown to love this crazy little character!

"Hey, Dani!" Shaun plopped down on the couch next to me. "Happy Birthday!"

It was only about 7:00am, it was quite early for him to be up. Actually, for any eleven year old boy to be up! His arms slung lazily around me, gray eyes bright as he placed a light kiss upon my cheek.

"Thank you..." I trailed off.

"What's wrong?" He asked, putting his hair into the proper places. His tan skin was in perfect contrast with his dark brown hair. 

"I just thought you guys forgot," I admitted. "Well, they forgot."

"You mean to tell me that you've been watching PINGU for over wo hours and no one has wished you a happy birthday?" Shaun marked the timer on the cassette player.

I nodded, almost put to shame by his tone.

"Okay.. I know just how to get you some attention," He winked.

Before I knew it, he was gone. All I saw was the last of his pant leg going through the kitchen door. He was running full speed, making his way around the house singing Happy Birthday! I knew Shaun well enough to know what he was doing, making his mother feel bad was a specialty of his. It was always fun to watch, but always had a moral behind it.

"Shaun!" My dad hollered. "Simon Deshaun Quinn!"

"Shaun, stop!" Eve chased him around.

Despite their desperate pleas, he just kept on running. I got up from my spot on the couch and peeked around the door frame to the kitchen. 

"What are you doing?" I yelled at him.

"I told you already!" He said as he climbed onto the island. My dad gripped his ankle and pulled him onto his shoulders. There was a brief silence and then Shaun started to sing. "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you..."

"Why are you singing The Birthday Song?" Eve picked me up and placed me on her hip. I wanted to bite her ear off!

"Eve, it's..." I tried to explain.