Four years earlier

Today I am 14. 

Today I am 14. 

Today I am 14. 

Today I am 14. 

Today I am 14.

4 more years till I can leave this place. 

"Happy birthday Anna." Jameson slings an arm around my shoulder making me jump. He looks happy today. 

"Please don't make it anything," I beg. It would only be a good birthday if she was here.  Suppose we got to run around our room singing stupid songs and cartwheeling into furniture. 

He smiled—a real true smile. "I didn't do anything big. I did get you a gift." He isn't lying but Hawthorne's never do anything halfway so I wasn't expecting him to follow any of my wishes. "Follow me."

Jameson guides me through the Hawthorne house passing many rooms till we reach one.  

The door is a deep brown colour with engravings of swirls in each of the corners. The handle of the door is bright gold and it has one key slot. Right in front of the door, there is a brown cardboard box. Jameson bends down to pick it up. 

His eyebrows are quirked up and he has this slight small smile on his face. He is excited and waiting for something to happen. The box has something to do with a puzzle and it seems that he has created it all in this room. My gift is a birthday puzzle. I think it might be the best I have ever gotten. 

"Jameson, what is in the box?"

His smile becomes even wider so proud of his mystery, "Open it." He hands me the box.

In it is a set of keys. All of them look identical. The only difference is a number on each one. 

I stare at the door for a second before reaching for key number 12. There are 12 engraved swirls on the door. 

I slide the key into the lock and open the door. 

The room is small with one large desk in the middle and bookshelves all around.  On the desk, there is another box. This time to open it you need a 5-digit code. 

"What do I have to do this time Jameson?" I ask Turing around to see his mysterious grin. 

"You will find the code around the room and your gift is in the box." 

His face said it all. 

The bookshelves. 

Every book on the shelves was an all-time favourite of mine. One that I rambled on about for days because I loved all the characters so much.  I looked around the shelf until I found something odd. There were two additions to the hunger games, on at the start of the shelf and on at the end. I reach for the one at the end flipping through the pages. A paper slides out. 

went

I walked back to the first copy and pulled it out until a similar paper was found in the middle of the book. 

Bee

Bee went

Beewent

Between

There was a book right in the middle of the row. 

Little women

I flip through the book. There are many random highlighted words every few pages. 

Find, Paper, The, Blue, desk, under. 

"Jameson pen." He threw one right into my hand and I began to write the words on my palm. 

Find the blue paper under the desk. 

I immediately dashed over to the desk moving the chair out of the way before sliding under it. I looked around seeing if there was anything. 

In the corner was a little black ribbon. I pulled on it. 

hsup  Fin

Push Final

Following instruction I push upward under the desk till the piece of wood slides away. Under it was a decoder and another note. 

Spots

A stupid nickname Xander came up with for me since I have freckles all over my face. I stood up and placed the decoder and the not on the desk. In the corner of the room, Jameson stood looking bored. 

"You are taking longer than I expected." He scoffed. 

"Well, I am almost done." I reply, "Final clue." 

"Okay, then spots." I rolled my eyes. I hate that nickname.

I looked at the decoder. The number that correlated to the letters was 15294. There was no way that was the code to the box it was too easy. I needed a clue to tell me what the code would be. There wasn't any. 

"Is the clue in the words?" 

He smiled, "Possibly."

I picked up the pen again. there was a part on the side that was bumpy. something was engraved on the pen. I looked closer. It was the number 4. 

I spun the decoder wheel for times. The letters landed on the numbers 3 0 9 0 2.

The 30th of September 2002. The day I was born. 

I reach for the box in the middle of the desk and put in the digits. It clicks and pops open. Inside lays a folded-up note.

Dear Annabelle,

The gift that Jameson got you was a knife with many secret compartments. He was very excited to give it to you, so excited that he forgot that he was the only person who knew it was your birthday today. I wanted to join in on your birthday mystery, so I decided to give you my gift in the box.

The gift Jameson got you is placed outside your room.

Happy 14th birthday, Annabelle.

Love, 

Grayson. 

Underneath the note was a silver necklace. Hanging on the chain was a diamond crescent moon and star. Behind the moon, there was an engravement. 

A galaxy in her eyes a universe in her mind. 

Grayson Hawthorne got me this?

He cared enough to get me something so special. 

"So How's your gift." Jameson was closer now, "I picked it out myself."

"Your brother hacked your game." I scoffed holding up the necklace. It was the prettiest thing I have ever seen. 

Jameson looked confused, "What do you mean?" 

"Grayson put his gift in here for me," I explain. 

"He did what?" Jameson looked furious. The two of them always had a rivalry. They were the closest in age and complete opposites. They were also insanely jealous of each other. 

I put my necklace down and hugged him. "Thank you so much." I whispered into his ear, "Best birthday I have ever had." He softened and I felt his rage die down a bit. 

"I still want to end him." He sighed. 

I pulled back from the hug, "Who said I was against that?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

An hour later me and Jameson were at the entrance to the blackwood in a tree. I was hanging upside-down debating life and he was plotting all of the ways he could get back at his brother. Most of them involved cutting off all his hair in some way. 

Then I saw him. In the distance walking towards the tree we were at. His face was like a map of perfection with hidden emotions. Grayson liked to be perfect. He thought he had to be perfect. 

I hear Jameson groan from beside me as he walks up right in front of the branch that we are on.

"You are here because?" Jameson says while jumping down from the branch to stand in front of him. 

"I wanted to say Happy birthday to Anna," Jameson rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't have found out if you hadn't of told me little brother."

Jameson's face shifts to a confused look and he opens his mouth to argue but I cut him off. 

"Wait a second," I flip down to stand beside both of them too, "Your lying."

Grayson looks completely baffled by the fact that I just called him out. 

"How did you really find out it was my birthday?"

He pauses for a second, "Why do you not want people to know about your birthday?" 

I shrug, "I don't care. Birthdays are just clock to remind everyone of their impending doom."

They both stare at me.

"You know you're only 14 right?" Jameson points out. 

"Who knows maybe I have already lived more than half my life." 

I am lying. I can't celebrate my birthday and Rosie can celebrate hers. She saved up all the money she had ever found to buy me a cupcake on my 8th birthday. It was chocolate. I hate chocolate now.

"That's a depressing way to think," Grayson states. He's deflecting the question I want him to answer. 

"So blondie, how did you find out my birthday?"

He eyed me, "I am not responding to that."

"Too bad blondie."

"Two weeks ago I heard you on the phone to your brother telling him you didn't want anything for your birthday. I just assumed you didn't want to be a bother so I decided to get you something myself."

I think my heart just melted. 

"I loved it, Grayson." I gave him a small smile, "Thank you."

"You deserve it."

I felt like I was going to break into a million little pieces. 

Jameson rolled his eyes again and looked even more annoyed, "You ruined my gift."

I couldn't think about Jameson right now. Or anything really. 

All I could think about is how Grayson Hawthorne was going to ruin me. 

A/n

They are all so cute. 

Hope you liked it.