Hi, my name is Eli (E- LIE), strange name I know right? I know what you're thinking; your thinking what kind of name is that for a girl? Well you see my parents had wanted a boy when my mother was pregnant. In fact they never got an ultrasound, my father just kept saying that all the first born children from the Angel side of the family were always boys. My mother just smiled and let him do as he pleased. From what I can understand it had been the same on her side of the family as well. In fact it had been like that for the last 16 generations of both families. Even the extended family believed that I would be a boy, no doubts, no questions asked. In fact they were so convinced that when it came time for the family to hold a baby shower no one even bothered to ask everyone just brought boy cloths and toys. My mother and my father even painted my room in the theme of footballs and basketballs. They had a complete name picked out and everything.

Well when the day my mother was due to have me (July 7th) came, like every other couple they went to the hospital. They were assigned a dingy room that was small and cramped. My mother was not happy about this at all. According to my father she threw a fuss and nearly had the nurse sedate her. But in the end they had no choice the hospital was full and that was the only sterile birthing room available. In fact if you ask her today the only thing she seems to really remember about my birth was the small room that she hated so much. And if you bring me up while she is complaining about it she will pause and have a surprised look on her face like she forgot that I was even born that day. She will then go and say of course she was happy to give birth to her first child, and then she will move the conversation back to that dingy little room that she had to wait in. It would seem that is how minuscule my birth was. But anyway back to the story! My mother went into labor my father was excited as this was to be his first born a son! But when I came out something was wrong, I wasn't breathing the nurse rushed me off to the ICU before my father or my mother even got a glimpse of me. It turned out that my heart was not beating when I was born. In fact the doctors had pronounced me dead to the point they were going to put me in a body bag, but out of know where I began to cry and scream. I was dubbed the miracle child all though out the hospital for duration of my stay.

For a week the doctors would let no one near me, not even my parents. They weren't sure why I was not breathing when I was born but after some tests it was discovered that I had a hole in my heart. A huge hole at that! It was directly in the middle and was about half the size of my fist. And considering that your heart is supposed to be the size of your fist, well they were baffled. I really shouldn't have been alive, in fact according to my father the doctors only gave me two weeks to live. However they were thank goodness wrong, I am 17 now and the hole is still there. I should in all reality be dead and not breathing, but by some miracle I am quite alive. However this didn't mean that it had no effect on me. I do indeed have an extremely week heart, I can't do sports and I can't even take long walks without stopping to lean against a tree after 6 minutes. If I over exert myself I begin to spit up globs of thick murky blood. I am not frail mind you; I can fall, scrape a knee, cut myself with a knife, scream laugh, and even get excited and be perfectly fine. The only thing is the fact that I have to track myself, and make sure that I don't over exert myself or take any direct hits to the chest. But besides that I am a hundred percent ok and able to do anything I please.

Finally after a week of being poked and prodded and studied the doctors allowed my parents to hold me for the first time. When my father found out that I was a girl well he was to put it lightly horrified. There hadn't been a first born girl in 16 generations and now here I come along and break the family line. My mother shared similar feelings with him, and when the nurse asked what my name was both of them just gave her a blank look. My mother deciding that since the name they had picked out was already on my crib and engraved into several of my things at home there would be not need to change it. My father still in shock put up no argument. So that is how I ended up with the name Elijah Gabriel Angel.

I was a quiet child with raven hair, red lips, pail skin, and big brown eyes. I looked nothing like my mother or father who both had pail brown hair, green eyes, and tan skin. However after some family photo searching it was found that I looked like a mix between my Fathers great, great, great, great, great grandmother and my mother's equally as great aunt on her mother's side. We were a happy family I was always with them smiling and laughing. We have quite a few pictures up in one of the corners of the attic with all three of us smiling and holding each other. However a year later my mother announced that she was pregnant again. My father and I were ecstatic I would finally get a playmate! As it turns out the second child of the Angel family is always a girl, my mother and father however did get an ultrasound this time around just to be safe. We have the pictures hanging framed in the living room to this day…. Well it turned out that family tradition stuck this time, my mother would be giving birth to a baby girl. The months passed quickly to me, my mother would always hum and hold her stomach with a huge smile on her face when she walked around the house. It soon came time where mommy ran out of room on her lap and my father was too busy to play with me because he was taken care of mommy. But I didn't mind after all I was getting a new baby sister! Well the baby was born on July 7th just like me, and she was a very cute little thing. I got no presents that year but hey I wasn't complaining, my present was a baby sister! There were no complications and my mother had a huge room that she got all to herself during the birth. That picture is also hanging in the living room along with the ultrasound. When I asked if they had any pictures of me after my birth my father looking uncomfortable said that he took a video but it had gotten missed placed. I quickly changed the subject sparing my father the embarrassment. After all it was an accident right?

Well my sister was named, Belle Ceri Berache Angel. The reason why she had two middle names is because my parent couldn't fit all they wanted to say about her into only two names. Her name translated is Beautiful Loved Blessing. My parents were so happy to have her that when my grandmother came over to see the new baby my mother told her that she had always wanted a girl to call her own. This confused me; after all I was only one at the time. But I still remember that comment to this day. All I could remember doing was asking myself, wasn't I a girl as well? And didn't mommy call me her baby?

Well as the years went on my sister grew she was beautiful with strawberry blond hair, big blue eyes, naturally tan skin, and rosy cheeks. She was my father's princess and my mother's pride. She was outgoing and loud. When Belle wanted something everyone knew it and my parents were all too happy to give it to her. As the years went on I began to fade into the background. Our house went from pictures of all four of us to only my parents and Belle. When dinner was ready my mother would only ever call Belle and when I would come down she would give me a surprised look as if I didn't live there and quickly set a plate out for me. It just seemed to get even worse over time. After a while they seemed to forget that they even had two daughters. My father's boss came over for dinner one night and when he saw me he quickly turned to my father and said that he didn't know my father had another child. Apparently my father only had pictures of my mother and Belle in his wallet.

The worst came when they forgot my birthday. My sister and I shared a birthday and it never really bothered me. In fact I used to think it was cool, after all it seemed that only twins ever had the same birthdays! But one day I woke up to my parents bustling around the house. There were streamers, candles, and a big banner over the doorway that read HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLE! My mother seeing me, quickly handed me some streamers and told me to hurry and hang them since it was my sisters birthday and she and my father wanted her day to be truly special. I was in shock, they had forgotten…. They had forgotten that it was my birthday too. I believe that it was my 10th birthday when this happened. I tried to open my mouth to remind my mother. But she beat me to it "Eli don't you dare complain this is your sisters special day! I don't want to hear one thing out of you, you hear me!?" I gulped and nodded looking at the floor my vision blurred and I began to take small raspy gasps.

"Oh don't start Eli! We don't have time for this your sister will soon be awake! Why can't you just help like a good child!?" My mother rolled her eyes at me and began to get angry with my held back tears.

"Honey is everything all right?" My father walked into the room holding a 5 layer cake that read "To The Best Daughter In the World Belle" It was so big and heavy that he couldn't even see where he was going. Seeing the cake just made my eyes burn hotter.

"Eli is refusing to help out with Belle's birthday! I'm up to my arms in decorations and invitations as it is, a disobedient child is the last thing I need right now!" My mother was angrily looking at my father and gesturing to me. "Don't make me spank you Eli!"

"Eli why won't you help with the decorations?" My father looked at me with a look of disappointment. "It's your sister's big day she will be turning 9 today! Don't you want to be a part of that?" I whispered something and my father leaned forward. "What was that Eli?" I whispered it again and this time my father heard it. He turned pail and quickly looked at my mother. "Why of course we remembered Eli! We were just playing a prank is all!" He tried to cover up the fear in his eyes by using a sugary sweet voice. "Why don't you go back upstairs so that your mother and I can finish?"

I quickly ran back up the stairs the tears still falling. "They didn't forget, they would never forget, yah sure sometimes my dad forgets to get me a present after a long trip and remembers Belle, but a birthday is different. I'm 10 today…. They would never forget right?" I kept mumbling to myself the whole way to my room. I met my sister who was at the top of the stairs watching the whole thing. She gave me a smile that could melt the sun. "Hey sis I heard everything, sorry about the fact that mommy and daddy forgot."

"T-t-they didn't f-forget…." I stuttered out but my sisters smile seemed to grow wider. I forgot to mention that I do have a stuttering problem, its cause I'm so shy and never really talk to anyone. I just never really developed the correct speech skills.

"Yes, they did." My sisters voice came out in a tinkling laugh. "If they didn't why did mother ask me about the colors and decorations but not you?"

"W-well they c-c-could have wanted it t-to be a s-s-surprise for m-me." I could tell that I was fighting a losing battle.

"Sis we know that is not true, after all if it was then why is my name only on the cake?" The smile never leaving her face as she glanced down the stairs from where she was sitting on the top steps. You could see the table where my father had placed her cake. The words "To The Best Daughter In The World Belle" stuck out as if in neon paint. "Sis we both know that all the decorations and even the cake are all for me. There is not one single thing down there that has your name on it. Mom and dad didn't even bother to get you a present."

I was about to open my mouth when my mother and father called my name. "S-See, they c-care! They are c-c-calling me right n-now!" I looked at my sister, who's smile and face seemed to only become more smug. I quickly ran down the steps with a huge smile on my face trying to brush off what my sister had said.

"Eli, come here." My mother had a nervous smile on her face.

"Y-yes mommy?" I walked over my eyes sparkling with hope.

She bend down to my eye level, however she wouldn't look me in the face. "You see, well…. Daddy and I only had enough money for one birthday this year and well we thought that since you're such a great and wonderful big sister, that you would naturally want your little sister to have it." Mom still wouldn't meet my eyes and dad wouldn't look down from the streamers he was hanging over the front door.

I felt my heart break a little when they said this. A part of me wanted to believe them. I really had hoped that they were telling the truth and that daddy and mommy really were tight on money and could only afford one birthday. But there was another part of me that knew that they were lying, and that part of me was making it hard for me to just except there answer. But all I did was smile and stay calm. I looked at the ground and then looked up my face a look of understanding.

"O-of course mommy, I u-understand. After a-all if there is only money enough for one birthday than that's o-ok with m-me! Belle s-should get it after a-all she's y-younger." I felt another piece of my heart break as those words passed my lips.

My mother's face seemed to relax right before my eyes her nervousness gone. "What a great big sister you are! You make your father and I proud! And don't worry next year we will do something special for you we promise!"

My father's face was also relaxed now, a big smile now taking it over. "That's my girl! Such a big compassionate heart!"

I had to admit that I was loving the attention. After all what 10 year old doesn't love being fawned over by their parents? However my sister's voice broke through the chatter of my parents. "Mommy, Daddy, what's going on down here?"

My mother quickly stood and looked at my sister with a huge smile. "Well baby were just setting up for your Birthday!"

My father went over to her and swooped her up into his arms. "That's right my little princess is turning 9 today! We wanted to make sure that we were able to have everything perfect for you!"

"For me?" Belle used her sweet voice. It was like a mix between wind chimes and molasses. She only ever used it on my parents when she knew that she was getting something she wanted. My parents never noticed though, and loved when she used that voice. I think it may have something to do with the fact that all I ever do is stutter. My voice will never be as smooth or as nice as my sisters. I can never get the words out right.

"Yes of course baby, we wouldn't dream of doing anything else than for you!" My mother said she was now facing my father who was holding my sister. They were the picture of a perfect family. Everything that I was not, and yet everything that I could ever want. I watched my father kiss my mother and then my little sister. I wanted a kiss too….. But I was way too shy to say anything.

I went up to my room after seeing that my parents were done talking to me. I sat on my bed and looked out the window into the woods behind the house. It was all trees they were dark and bare despite it being the summer. It seemed to me that they never bloomed or grew leaves. But I didn't mind, there long dark branches reaching for the sky reminded me of myself reaching for my parents love. It was calming to me to just watch as the wind slowly swayed the branches. My sisters room overlooked a small lake where flower bushes grew and baby ducks came each summer. We had moved into this house around 2 years ago. When we were choosing our rooms my sister took one look out the window and told my parents that she wanted the other room. She said that the room was to small and boring for her. It was true in a way, my sisters room was at least three times as big as mine, and my parents four times as big. I had the smallest room in the house. We had another bedroom that was twice the size of the one I was currently in, but my parents told me that they needed the extra space for a workout room. Something about the smallest bedroom being too cramped or something. I really didn't mind to much, after all it was important that my family stay happy. Right?

I was broken out of my thoughts by laughter down stairs. It seemed that the guests had arrived. I must have zoned out so much that I hadn't heard them walk through the door. I quickly got up off my bed and went down stairs. There was a huge amount of people down stairs. Belle had all 26 of her friend over and mother and father had some of their own friends over as well. I had no friends truth be told, being as quiet as I was. I just could never seem to reach out to others and bond. But anyway, when I got down stairs I was nearly trampled by a stampede of running kids. My mother had said that it was time for presents and cake so everyone was clamoring around to get a piece of cake and a good spot to sit and watch my sister open her presents. I walked over and sat next to my father on his right.

"Daddy! Eli is in my seat!" Belle was standing and glaring at me. I was confused since there was an equal amount of room on my father's left side and even next to my mother who was sitting only around 2 feet from my father. Belle began to make a scene repeating over and over that I had stolen her seat and that it was her special day not mine. All the kids and the grownups turned to me and began to whisper.

My mother came over and pulled me up by my arm. "Eli don't make Belle upset! It's her special day!" She then pushed me into the crowd of people standing and sitting around my sister. I was shoved and elbowed and pushed further and further from my family until I found myself standing outside of the circle. With tall grownups blocking my path I couldn't see a thing. I looked around and couldn't find an opening. Finally after an idea I climbed up the stairs and stat down. I could sit and look thorough the banister at my family while my sister opened presents. I watched as she opened present after present smiling and thanking everyone. Finally it came time for my parents presents, they handed her five present each one bigger than the last. Belle opened the first one and inside was an iPod touch. Everyone smiled and said what a nice gift it was. But my sister simply set it aside and looked at my parents expectantly. My parents then gave her the next gift, it was a Samsung tablet. This time my sister gave a small smile when all the other kids looked at her with envy. The next gift my parents gave her had air holes in it, when she opened it out came a small white puppy. All the children began to point and say how lucky she was, my sister simply smiled and clenched the puppy close to her petting it. She laughed at the kids who asked to pet the puppy and simply shook her head and held the animal tighter. The fourth gift my parents gave her was a laptop. At this point even some of the parents were starting to look with envy at her. My sister simply shrugged and placed the pet back into the box and placed the laptop next to it. Then the final gift was given, it was the biggest of them all and my sister was looking at it as if it were her last meal on earth. She ripped open the wrapper to find a 60 inch flat screen TV that my parents got her for her room. This made her happy and she walked up to my parents and gave them both big hugs and kisses. The circle then dispersed and my father went to stand next to the punch bowl which conveniently was placed right under the side of the stairs. I watched as his boss walked up to him.

"I see that raise I gave you last week truly paid off." My father's boss said with a huge smile.

"Yes thank you it truly helped out with my daughter's birthday!" My father looked at him with a huge smile.

"Ah, yes but don't you think that some of those gifts were a little to expensive to buy for such a young girl?" asked as he watched my little sister begin to play with her new laptop.

"Nothing is ever to much for my little princess. Though I do have to admit to you that those gifts did indeed take a chunk out of that raise you gave me. But I'll just wait till next week when I get my pay check. Then everything will be back to normal." My father said not worried at all.

"Well with the money you spent on those gifts you could have bought your daughter a whole second birthday!" laughed.

I was confused, what did mean daddy got a raise? Mommy and daddy told me that money was tight and that they couldn't afford another birthday. Also what was with all of those gifts? Mommy and daddy said that they only had enough money for one person. So how on earth had they bought all of those gifts if they could only afford one birthday party…. My vision began to blur when I heard my mother announce for everyone to begin to sing happy birthday. My sister sat in the front of her cake the center of attention everyone singing to her in loud happy voices.

A tear fell down my cheek, "It's m-my birthday t-too….." I whispered, but no one heard me. My sister then looked at me sitting on the stairs and gave one of her radiant smiles and blew out the candles.

I ran out of the house in a fit of tears. Everyone was to absorbed in my sister to see me leave. I ran into the woods, I had never been in there before but I didn't care. I ran deep into the woods and slumped down against a tree and began to let out raspy long sobs. I don't know how long I sat there it could have been hours or minuets I really dint care at this point. All I knew was that I was sad and hurting. All of a sudden I was broken out of my sobs by a kind voice.

"Hello there are you alright?" The voice was male that much I could tell. But I didn't remove my head from my arms so I couldn't see what he looked like. I simply shook my head; I was still gasping for breath and didn't think I could talk. "Are you hurt?" The voice was concerned now, and maybe a bit frightened. I shook my head again still not looking up. "Well then won't you please tell me why you're out here?"

I cringed and shook my head no again. I heard a sigh and felt someone sit next to me. "Well then I guess I will just wait until you are ready to. After all I can't leave such a pretty girl out here all by herself defenseless. That got me to pause and look up slowly at the person sitting next to me.

"Ah, there is that pretty face that I was talking about." His voice was now cheerful and upbeat.

"Ah…" Was all I managed to get out. His appearance threw me off. He was wearing a white mask that had a huge simile face on it and two very big black eyes but no nose. He also had on a suit that had a whole bunch of different colored polka dots on it. His hands were covered by black gloves and on his head he had a large top hat that was also decorated by a large amount of brightly colored spots.

"Hmmm… What's wrong, cat got your tongue?" The strange man just seemed to somehow make the mask smile even bigger. Then out of know where the mask blinked!

"How did you do that?" Eli finally seemed to somehow find her voice.

"How did I do what?" The man's voice became confused and his mask once again moved to show his emotions.

"That!" Eli said pointing to the man's eye that was now half closed.

"I'm sorry dear but I'm not really sure If I understand what you are talking about." The man's voice seemed to become even more confused.

"Right there you did it again! How do you make your mask move along with your face!?" Eli said this time pointing out right at the man, and raising her voice. Now normally Eli is quiet and shy but she was so shocked that she just seemed to be blurting out her thoughts with no holding back.

The man seemed to freeze for a moment and his face seemed to become sad. "This is not a mask…."

Eli froze, she couldn't seem to move. Finally she managed to stutter out. "W-w-what do you mean n-not a m-mask?"

"This is my real face." The man's mask seemed to grow even sadder.

Eli didn't know what to do or say. How could that be his real face! It was not even humanly possible! He had no nose, no eye balls, and well…. She didn't really know about the mouth but all she saw was black inside of his smile. Eli looked over to him and saw that he really did look sad. Her heart seemed to break a little at the sight of his face showing such a depressing emotion. After all its not like he could help how he looked. It wasn't his fault that he was different! If she were to judge him for his looks then she would be no better than those kids and grownups from her sister's birthday party. Thinking about the party made Eli wince a little be she shook it off. This wasn't the time to think about that!

"Go ahead run away. Like everyone else I've tried to talk to, escape while you can. Run, scream, yell, faint, but please don't defecate or urinate on yourself! I can't stand when you humans do that!" The man seemed to slump into himself his face becoming more shadowed and his smile becoming a frown. Eli couldn't help but think that it looked wrong, it looked like his face should always be smiling. A frown just didn't belong there….

"Ummm… C-can I t-touch it?" Eli looked at the man her eyes filled with slight fear.

The man's eyes or holes in his face, whatever you want to call them! Seemed to grow twice in size. "Y-you want to what!?"

"I-I mean if i-its two much t-trouble then y-you don't have t-to….." Eli began to shrink back into herself, she seemed to physically grow smaller.

"Umm…. No its not any trouble it's just that you're the very first person to never run away from me no less ask to touch my face…"The strange man's voice seemed to become lost, as his words became fainter.

"S-so can I-I?" Eli looked up at the tall man with hopeful eyes.

"Uhhh…. *Cough-Cough* Yah sure, you can touch I guess…." The man seemed to stiffen as he said this.

Eli reached her hand out and began to slowly inch closer to the strange man's face. She hesitated when her hand was only a hair away from him. "A-are you s-sure that your o-ok with th-this?" Eli wanted to make sure that the man was completely comfortable, after all she was the one imposing, asking to touch his face and everything. The man simply nodded at her watching her closely. She gently placed her hand on his cheek. The first thought that crossed Eli's mind was warm. His skin was extremely warm it kind of reminded her of a nice fire after sledding for a long time. It was comforting, but his skin was also hard almost like it was made from some sort of fine marble. It felt like if she banged a rock against it, the rock wouldn't even leave a scratch. Not that she would ever do that! It was simply a small thought that seemed to pass though her head. Then the last think that she realized was that the surface of his skin was as smooth as marble. Not a blemish to be seen! If not for the fact that it was warm and that it could move. She would have never believed that this could be anything but a mask.

"So did that answer your question? The man asked his arms moving to shift into a more comfortable position.

"I-It feels n-nice…." Eli quickly removed her hand blushing.

"You surprise me, most people run away screaming. Yet you have yet to even attempt to get up." The strange man looked at Eli with a curious glance.

"W-well I always be-believe that y-you shouldn't j-judge a book b-by its c-cover." Eli blushed harder, darn her stuttering! Why couldn't she ever get the words she wanted to say out correctly!?

"Why do you stutter?" The man's voice held no animosity only curiosity. But Eli was too absorbed in her own imperfection to notice. Instead all she heard was the question and not the tone that it was asked in.

"W-well….." Eli wouldn't look up from the ground. Everyone always made fun of her stutter even her own family had mentioned it once or twice in a negative manner.

"I don't find it bad or anything, in fact I find it quite adoring." The man placed his hand gently on Eli's head.

Eli's head quickly shot up her eyes opened wide and her mouth formed a perfect O shape.

"No, really I think that it is rather cute. Where I came from people are mostly silent, and when I came here all people did was talk their heads off. You are sort of in the middle. I find it rather comforting for some reason." The strange man's smile seemed to grow and take over his face.

"M-most people d-don't l-like my s-stuttering. "Eli managed to get out before her whole face turned red and her voice failed her completely.

"Oh? Well their loss then. I know that if I was ever lucky enough to have a cute girl like you come over to talk to me. I would stop everything just to hear your voice." The man's voice was sincere. But at this point Eli couldn't even speak she was blushing so hard.

"W-whats y-your n-name?" Eli barely managed to get that out of her mouth once her blush had faded a bit.

"Oh, me?" The man looked super surprised. "No one has ever asked me that before, but then again no one has ever bothered to hold a conversation with me before." The man seemed to mumble the last part to himself. "My name is splendor man."