6
The children circled me, wide–eyed, a chorus of questions: “Can he transform?” “Does he have a laser sword?” “Can he beat up cockroaches?”
I was still trying to figure out what to say when the classroom door suddenly opened. Behind Alex, five assistants pushed trolleys, each piled with plush rabbits taller
than me.
“One for everyone,” he said succinctly.
What followed resembled a zombie apocalypse. Two dozen children shrieked, charging towards the pile of rabbits. I stood at the center of the storm, suddenly lifted
high. Alex held me on his shoulder with one arm.
“And a circus,” he whispered in my ear, then raised his voice, “performing at 2 PM on the playground.”
In that moment, I saw blatant envy in every child’s eyes. Timmy even got so excited he fell on his bottom, his rabbit flying from his hands. During naptime, my little bed was surrounded by new friends offering snacks as tribute; during arts and crafts, my deskmate proactively helped me glue my crooked sunflower; even going to the restroom, kids fought to press the flush button for me. So, this is what having friends felt like. Like carrying a pocketful of sunshine, warmth spreading wherever
you went
At dismissal, I practically flew into Alex’s arms. “Big Brother! Big Brother! Anna gave me gummy bears! Timmy let me touch his Ultraman! The teacher even braided my hair!” He caught me with one hand, taking the small backpack the teacher handed him with the other, his eyes curving slightly., “Like your new teacher?”
“Super~ like!” I turned to show him the pigtails on my head, adorned with sparkling ribbons. “Don’t they look nice?” Alex’s finger gently touched my hair, then he sud- denly pulled something from his pocket. It was a little mermaid hair clip, its scales glittering brilliantly in the sunset.
“Wow!” ; reached out, then suddenly remembered something. “But… Teacher Emily used to say, pretty children will turn bad…” She would rip the clips from my hair, saying I wasn’t allowed to use my brother’s money! Alex’s hand froze. The next second, he pulled me into a hug. “Listen. Even if you wear a rainbow, you’re still a
good kid.”
Those words were like a key, clicking open a locked box inside my heart. I hugged his neck tightly, burying my face in his shoulder. That way, he wouldn’t see me
crying.
When my brother lost his sixth project, he finally ended his business trip and came back. By then, I had become the undisputed queen of Starshine Kindergarten. All
the kids called me “Queen Lily.”
James, Alex’s assistant, asked if Alex wanted to tell Daniel my address. He scoffed indifferently. “If he cares, he’ll find out.”
My brother truly seemed desperate. He found me after only a day of searching. The kindergarten entrance was pure chaos. “Sir, please step back!” Mrs. Clark, my teacher, stood like a protective hen, her arms spread, shielding me. Her other hand was already pressing the call button on her phone. “Security will be here any min- ute” My brother’s suit was wrinkled, and he had two dark circles under his eyes, looking like a panda struck by lightning. He pointed at his nose, incredulous. T’m her biological brother Daniel! We both have the last name Vancel”
“Nanny’s guardian on the enrollment form isn’t you!” Mrs Clark stood her ground. “If you don’t leave, I’m really calling the police! I peeked from behind her skirt wat- ching my brother’s face as if he’d swallowed a hedgehog After a month apart, he seemed to have lost weight. His chin stubble wasn’t even shaved. “Nanny!” he rais ed his voice ‘I was only on a business trip for a while, I wasn’t dead! How can you disown me?!”
“You’ve grown up! Not only did you fire the nanny, you learned to run away from home!”
You’re scaring the child” Mrs Clark sharply interrupted. I cooperatively shrank my neck, though inside I felt nothing Compared to Teacher Emily’s caterpillars, my
brother’s yelling was nothing
Chapter 2
00:32
“Nanny’s guardian on the enrollment form isn’t you!” Mrs. Clark stood her ground. “If you don’t leave, I’m really calling the police!” I peeked from behind her skirt, wat- ching my brother’s face as if he’d swallowed a hedgehog. After a month apart, he seemed to have lost weight. His chin stubble wasn’t even shaved. “Nanny!” he rais- ed his voice. “I was only on a business trip for a while, I wasn’t dead! How can you disown me?!”
“You’ve grown up! Not only did you fire the nanny, you learned to run away from home!”
