Mikah

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

As everyone walked around me carrying the cake, they also chanted the words that imbedded inside my brain.

"Happy birthday to you," Everyone sang, "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dearest Angus, and many more birthday's to you!"

It hit me all like trauma, like I had experienced this before but in a different place that didn't seem too clear where, but a long time ago.

A familiar face with the same buzzcut as I do now suddenly appeared in the faces of the rest of the young lads and lassies, as well as another face that was a young girl with short hair that was the same color of mine.

I was bewildered, and I didn't know what to do. A part of me wanted to scream for everyone to stop singing, but I decided that would've seemed a little crazy to do. They might even think I'm going mad if I did such a thing like so.

Looking at the people in front of me, I began to feel annoyed, and the more and more I felt annoyed, the more I felt ready to scream at the top of my lungs for everyone to just stop doing what they were doing.

They huddled closer, chanting the classic birthday song as bells began to ring in my ears.

Sean held Phoebe close, making me want to hurl, but all I could do was beam at everyone around me, trying not to do anything mad that would make anyone freaked out.

He looked at me, smiling a smile with his gapped two teeth poking out, and as I began to want to spit all over his face.

"Well, who would like the first piece? Oh wait, that would be Angus... Angus Monaghan!" Olsen cheered.

Everyone else cheered as well, in union with him.

They finally stopped singing, which made my uneasy self calm down quite a bit.

Olsen handed the first piece to me, and as soon as the cake met my eyes, I licked my lips in excitement.

It had been a while since I had cake, possibly since my eighth birthday, ten years ago from today.

I don't know how I remember that day, but it comes back to me very clearly as if it were just yesterday.

I was the young lad in my reflection, the silly boy who didn't respect Olsen as much as he should have and the boy who never wanted to share his ever-so wonderful birthday presents with the other children.

I was a hogger, I can tell you that. That year, when I turned eight, I was given an 1000 piece puzzle and didn't even think of sharing with everyone else until Olsen mentioned to me how that would be courteous to do so.

He even mentioned me leaving the puzzle out in the living room so anyone could use it, and all I can remember is thinking how outrageous that was.

I thought he went mad, that it was only my birthday and no one else's. It truly didn't seem fair to me that I had to share, even though now it all makes sense to me.

This year, I would put the dozens of books that Phoebe gave me into a tiny little section of the mini little library. It didn't matter who, but everyone could read the books. Even Phoebe could, if she really wanted to.

But the box... I could never give that up. It seemed as though it was meant for me and only me, and I had absolutely no clue why it felt that way. It just did.

Unless people wanted to help me with the mystery's that the box withheld, there would be no other excuse for anyone but me to possess it as my own.

I picked up a piece of cake and placed it in my mouth, and my entire body shivered as I did so. The cake felt so familiar, so warm, and yet so nostalgic that it made me reminisce most everything from my rather embarrassing childhood.