The Run

Chapter 1

I am awoken early as ever by my enthralled brothers and sisters. Sean, Finn, Kieran, Maeve, and the littlest little squirt Fiona pull of my covers and drag me out of the bed. This, on literally any other day of the year, would have me ranting and raving but they know today I am too excited to do that.
We walk silently in a straight line, as we've been taught, and take our respective seats at the kitchen table. Our parents are waiting for us and they announce that this year's order will be youngest to oldest. That's how it usually goes.
In front of each of us is a basket with a cloth draped over it. I can feel my heart pounding. I'm usually last and it builds so much suspense.
"Fiona, lift your curtain." My parents say in perfect unison, as they've practiced.
Everyone is silent. The sun in rising and glaring in through the window as fiona receives her gift. She slowly reaches her left hand out over the basket, then pops up from her seat and yanks the cloth off and tosses it to the floor. She screams in delight and pulls out a beautiful girl-doll. It has two cloth dresses, one pink and the other, purple. It also has long blonde horse hair coming out of its head. Fiona gives Mom and Dad a big hug as we always do as we get our gifts.
"Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!" They know they got her the right thing.
Next is Finn, and when my parents tell him to lift the curtain, he doesn't hesitate. His toy car is out in a split second. It has a beautiful wooden body painted blue and red. He gives them hugs.
Then Kieran gets a soccer ball. He rejoices and jumps for joy because he has been playing with the other boys every day after school but he's never had a ball of his own. It is made of stylish black and white hexagons.
Sean gets a hi-tech device that looks like it must've cost a fortune, at least eleven kappaz. He calls it a calculator. Apparently it can do math problems really quickly.
Maeve is so happy to see she got a make up kit. It has lipstick and a bunch of other useless beauty items. She has been asking for this for years to look pretty in front of the boys but Mom and Dad were totally against it. I guess they've changed their minds.
The suspense has got me so worked up I think my head is going to pop off if I wait two more minutes. Fiona hugs her doll, Finn, his car, Kieran, the ball, Sean, the calculator thing, and Maeve, her new Make up.
"Connor, lift your curtain." My heart is pounding and pounding and when I gently lift the curtain I think at first that there is nothing inside my basket but when I sit up and look down in it I see something small and shiny, about the size of my palm.
I lift it up to show the rest of my family, a gold, shiny, twenty Kappaz coin. All of my brothers and sisters either gasp loudly or just let their jaws drop. They've never seen this much money in their lives, and neither have I.
But this is more than just generous Hustlerenia money. This is a chance.
A chance to be in The Run.