The Ugly Duckling

Chapter Four: The Encounter

After walking for some time, he comes across a nearby park. Since it is the middle of a weekday, the park is completely empty. Felix chooses to sit down on a bench underneath a large oak tree. He pulls out his sketch book and starts drawing. Drawing is one of the few things that Felix enjoys. Whenever he finds himself in need of an escape, he pulls out his sketchbook and gets lost in his own little world. He mindlessly draws for a few hours before he realizes that he keeps drawing pictures of the same thing or, more like, the same person. Chase Fortescue's devilish smile grins back at him. A pair of mysterious eyes feel like they are peering into the depths of Felix's soul. The likeness is so good that Felix can't help but blush at the sight of his own drawing. Suddenly, he hears a voice behind him. He nearly jumps out of his seat. Standing behind him is none other than the subject of the picture he was so intently staring at. Felix quickly hides his sketchbook behind his back, but it seems that it's too late. Rather than showing disgust, Chase asks to see his drawings. Felix shyly nods and hands his sketchbook over. After flipping through his sketchbook, a number of times, Chase compliments Felix's drawings. He asks him if he has ever submitted his artwork in a contest. Felix rapidly shakes his head. There's no way that his artwork is good enough to win a contest. Chase frowns at this notion and hands the sketchbook back to Felix. Felix suddenly remembers the time in the locker room and thanks Chase for intervening. Chase waves his hand with a "don't mention it" and turns to leave. Not wanting to let this opportunity slip by, Felix musters up the courage to ask Chase if he wants to hang out sometime. To his surprise, Chase nonchalantly agrees.

After the encounter, Felix heads home in a slightly better mood. Unfortunately, his happiness is short-lived when he walks through the front door only to discover that they have visitors. Sitting on the leather sofa in the living room, with the rest of his family, are Greta and William Faulkner. However, they are better known to Felix and his siblings as grandma and grandpa. When thinking of one's grandparents, most people would think warm thoughts. This is not the case for Felix. Everyone looks like they are having a joyful time until he walks through the door and the room fills with an ominous silence. Felix watches his grandparents turn their heads towards him, there once smiling faces quickly settling into frowns. He can feel their scrutinizing gaze as he walks in. Felix's grandfather is the first one to break the silence. As he takes in a breath and opens his mouth, Felix knows that whatever he's going to say will not be pleasant. A few moments later, he is proven right when his grandfather bombards him with questions. How can someone like him come home after skipping school? How could he be so ungrateful after his parents were kind enough to take him under their wing? Why couldn't he be more like his siblings? How could he let his parents waste so much money on such a stupid surgery? This one strikes a chord with Felix. He knows that the surgery wasn't cheap. In fact, he still can't believe that his parents were willing to spend the money for him to transition. Even though he is adopted, Felix's parents always treat him like their birth son. Even now, that is something that Felix struggles to understand. To have his grandfather bring this up, makes him feel even more worthless than he already does. His parents give him so much, but he has yet to return the favor. There is only so much that Felix takes before he ends up storming off to his room.

There he lays on the bed and can't help but compare himself to his siblings. His oldest brother, Peter, is already in college. Like his sister, Alice, Peter is exceptionally bright. He is currently attending law school at Harvard with a full ride. Not only is he smart, but he is also very handsome. Peter takes after Felix's father with the same color auburn hair and bright, blue eyes. He catches the eyes of many girls, but he has yet to enter a relationship because he just wants to focus on his studies. It isn't just Peter that's good looking. Felix's entire family is a gene pool of good looks. His other brother, Evan, is also very handsome. He also possesses a head of auburn hair, but he has his mother's emerald green eyes. Being captain of the basketball team only increases his popularity with the entire student body. Then there is his oldest sister, Sophie. She is a senior this year. She has her mother's strawberry-blonde hair and her father's bright blue eyes. As the oldest, she is very confident and serves as the field commander for Bay High School's marching band. In addition, she is always stealing the spotlight with her lead-roles in the school musicals and plays. Isabelle is the second oldest and probably the most beautiful of the three sisters. Her hair is always in perfect curls and she has the most striking green eyes. As captain of the cheerleading squad, there are very few people at school who don't know who she is. Finally, while his younger sister, Alice, may be kind of nerdy, her looks are still on par with the rest of the family. Thinking about all his siblings' accomplishments, Felix feels even more useless. Not only is he not good at any of those things, but he looks nothing like the rest of his family. Since he is adopted, he did not inherit his parents' good looks. Instead of shiny blonde or auburn hair, Felix's unruly hair is an inky black. His eyes do not fair any better, with a muddy brown coloring to them. Moreover, unlike the healthy glow that the rest of his family possesses, Felix's skin looks pale and sickly. Looking at all their differences, Felix suddenly feels left out. Not wanting to think on it any longer, Felix turns in for the night.