Chapter II
Luck

As I walked out of the door with my skateboard, I saw Alex leaning on the stoned railing stairs. "Took you long enough!" he said as he stood upward and approached me. "What were you doing?" I shrugged. "Nothing important," was my answer. Alex nodded his head and headed down the stairs. "Nazareth isn't going to wait any longer," he informed me. "She's already impatient as is."
I followed Alex and got in the car. There, I saw Nazareth, who was sitting in the driver's seat, putting on her make-up. Alex sat across from me and nudged at my arm. "And she talks about us being late for where we need to go," he whispered.

"Don't think I didn't hear that, Alex," Nazareth said as she finished putting lip-gloss on and sort of puckered them together. When finished, she turned around and told Alex what she told me. Only it was verbal. "Listen and listen good," she said, "the only reason why I'm being nice to you, is because our parents promised me a new car. If you or Ven ruin this for me, you guys can forget about your school's skateboarding team, got it?" Alex nodded. "Got it, Maleficent." was all he said.
While Nazareth drove, I watched the town. A lot of people walked around from store to store, house to house, and job to job. There is a track that was built in an oval-like directional way with a squiggly road too. A trolley rides the track, but it always ends at the town square. However, from the stories Alex and I hear, people say that if you fall asleep on the trolley, it takes you to a world you never thought was real. As do the legends of the forest outside of my town imply of a haunted mansion.
Alex and I always race through the forest and stop at the gate of the mansion. Many say that beyond the gate, within the mansion, a little girl is said to be heard crying. The only way you can hear her is if you cross over the gate and walk around the mansion three times. Both Alex and I were curious if the story of the Crying Girl were true. But we never had time to do try this theory out.

As I watched the town, I started playing with my new gift around my neck. Mother had said I was destined for something, but what did she mean by that? My dreams of being a famous skateboarder are in the palm of my hands and soon I'll be recognized by my skill as a talented skateboarder. Little kids will be looking up to me and would probably want to try to be like me as well. Is that what I am destined for? Is this necklace a good luck charm? It has to be, it just has to be.
"What's that?" Alex asked curiously.
I looked at him then my necklace. "It's nothing," I told him. I tried to put it away but Alex leaned in forward and examined it carefully. "Nothing?" he asked. "This is nothing." He tugged at his goggles. "But I make it something. So what's the nothing you're wearing around your neck? I've never seen it before."

"I just got it," I answered. "My mom gave it to me. She said that I was destined for something before letting me go to school."
"Must be a good luck charm," he laughed as he continued to examine it. "It doesn't look like it's from here," he added. "I don't ever recall seeing a necklace like that in stores anywhere around this town, where'd you mom get it from?" I shrugged. "I dunno," was my response. "She never told me. All I know is that my great-grandfather gave it my grandfather and my grandfather gave it to my mother and-"
"Now she's given it to you." Alex cut me off and finished my sentence as he sat back in his seat. "If I had to guess," he began while stretching, "your mother's side of the family had that necklace for the longest which is why it's never been seen or made. I bet someone from hundreds of years ago gave it to your mother's generation and it's been passed down to the one who deserves it the most. And that person was you."

At this, Nazareth laughed. "That's ridiculous," she said. "It's just a stupid necklace worth a fortune. If what you say is true, I should have gotten the necklace. It would look great with my features." Alex laughed. "Yeah right," he said to her. "Maybe your mom didn't give it to you because you didn't deserve it."
"It's a necklace," Nazareth said, turning around. "It's a piece of jewelry that Mother had for over forty years. It's nothing compared to necklaces girls would kill to have."
"Well Ven's not a girl," Alex said. "He's a boy and I must say, that necklace looks handsome on 'im."
"Are you kidding?" Nazareth scoffed "Because he owns a forty-year old necklace, he's special?"

"Didn't say that," Alex smirked. "Ven's already special. He just doesn't know it." I looked at Alex and gave him an innocent punch in the shoulder. "Quit it," I told him "everyone's special in his or her own way." Alex laughed again. "Not like you, Ven." he said. "You're very different from other kids at school, y'know? Yeah, everyone's talented and special in their own ways, but in the end, the talents that are seen...are just the same. But not for you, Ven, not for you."
Alex looked as though he was getting emotional. Yet, he was laughing and joking as if what he said was another joke. I only stared for a brief moment before Alex started screaming. I immediately looked forward and started screaming too. "Nazareth! Car!" I shouted. She turned back around, screamed and forced the wheel to turn left. The car came to a screeching halt.

The other car only honked at us. For a moment, we said nothing.
Then, Alex started laughing. I stared at him as if he were crazy. He pointed to my hand, which was on my chest covering the necklace, and tapped his goggles. "Luck," he laughed out. "Luck was on our side."
I looked at my necklace then at Nazareth sitting at the wheel laughing her head off. "Whoo!" she shouted. "Am I a good driver or what?"
I couldn't believe it. But, I started laughing too. Alex thought it was luck, Nazareth thought it was her driving skills. As for me, I didn't think anything because at the end of it all, no one was hurt.