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May was a beautiful month. It was given a beautiful name, a beautiful season, and beautiful siblings named March and April. All three of these gorgeously named months appeared exclusively in springtime, where the rain was plentiful and the flowers were at their best, well flourished and teeming with an abundance of vibrant colors. Gardens blossomed with brilliant pigment and permeated the air with its' delightfully sweet aroma, expunging any negativity an individual may have should they come across these fascinating plants.
Unfortunately, there was nothing these charming blossoms could do to lighten up the mood of one certain boy who vehemently despised the day he was currently awake in. He gave a depressing reputation for the little yellow flowers that swarmed gardens, flower shops and forests, his golden form devoid of the joy and light it once held, now replaced by an empty, miserable shell that only existed to loathe this specific day.
May 22nd. The day that was apparently his birthday.
Pacster was supposed to turn ten today, something his Aunt Spheria was immensely happy for. Contrary to his aunt's happiness and pride in him for aging and maturing well, he couldn't even find the strength to smile.
It was so alien to see him so dispirited. Just yesterday Spheria found him observing the flourishing florae and eating anything that was available to him with the biggest grin on his face.
Now, here he was, sitting on a chair at the kitchen table with the most depressing frown on his lovable, youthful face. Spheria hated seeing him like this. She would do anything to dry his tears and put that same contagious smile back on his countenance.
The smile that shone brighter than the sun itself. The smile that made anyone else smile when they're in his presence. The smile that shone with optimism and enthusiasm.
Now that she thought about it, every time his birthday came up on the calendar, he would always wear a frown, and whenever she asked what was wrong, it was always the same response: "I just wanna see my parents. At least a glimpse of them. Or at least make some friends...that'd be nice too..."
And every time Spheria would make a promise to find his parents and bring them back to him.
And what did she do then? Break the promise.
Then she broke it again.
Then again.
And then again.
And the list goes on. It was impossible to fulfill his wish, but despite that, she trekked onward.
But today was different. Pac sitting at the same kitchen table on the same kitchen chair with the same depressed expression wasn't so different. However, the reason why he was so saddened was dramatically different than the last times.
"Hey, sugar cube." Spheria greeted warmly with a soft smile, a modest present clasped firmly in her hands as she strode to the rounded table.
Pac slowly looked up at his aunt, then at the present. Sorrowful eyes widened slightly in interest.
"I got you something I think you'll like. I know it's not much, but..." She placed the present in front of the melancholic boy, drying his tears with her thumb and giving him a subtle smooch on the cheek. "...at least it's the thought that matters, right?"
Pac stared at his present, then grabbed it and began untying the ribbon and tearing open the flashy paper, revealing a small brown box.
Spheria's smile grew wider. "Don't worry. I didn't put any bombs in there." She jested.
That was when she heard him giggle. It was subtle, but he still giggled.
Opening the brown box, he revealed a charming little golden bell with a small red ribbon attached to it. He pulled it out and shook it gently, causing it to make a quiet jingling sound.
"You like it?" Spheria asked, watching as a smile absentmindedly grew on Pac's face.
"Like it?" Pac said in a jokingly incredulous voice. "I love it! It makes me feel...content."
"I heard that bell's supposed to put anyone in a good mood." Spheria smiled. "I also heard it's supposed to bring good luck to anyone who holds it. Sounds like a myth if you ask me."
Pac is a superstitious individual, she knew that. That was why she got him that bell when she saw the label describe it as the 'Good Luck Bell.'
"Can I ask you something?" Pac inquired, a curious glimmer in his eyes.
"Sure, hon. You can ask me anything." Spheria rubbed her nephew's back, a warm smile on her face.
"Why haven't you found my parents yet?"
She felt her blood run cold at the epiphany.
"You promised me you'd find them, like, a hundred times now."
Spheria mentally cursed herself for breaking that promise several times. It was just something she couldn't do, but still tried for the sake of her nephew's happiness. She couldn't dodge the question now. She couldn't lie to him. But at the same time, she had to, mostly to protect his innocence.
"Well Pac...you see..." Spheria tried to choose her words carefully, trying to figure out how to put this subtly. "Your parents, well...they're just very difficult to find. That's all."
"Why couldn't you just call them or ask some people who knew about them their location? That might make the search easier."
Having autism, it was expected for Pac to ask many questions, even questions that most children around his age wouldn't ask.
Spheria winced, faltering slightly. "W-well, you see, your parents don't have their phones on them right now, a-and the people that know about them are pretty far away-"
"So just call them and ask them their location."
"I-I can't, they also don't have their phones." That was just a plain lie. "Besides, they're pretty busy nowadays, so they probably wouldn't answer my calls anyway." That wasn't so much of a lie.
"Why can't you just try calling one of them and see if they answer or not-"
"Oh hey, would you look at the time!" Spheria pointed to the clock in the living room. "It's time for your birthday cake! I got an extra big cake for you this time!"
Curiosity had turned into rejection in just the blink of an eye. "No, I think I'm alright. I just need some sleep."
"Oh?" Spheria looked at her nephew in worry. Normally he'd accept a slice of his birthday cake, eat it, thank her for the presents and the cake, then go back to his room to play or sleep.
This time, he was completely declining the cake, only desiring to go to bed and sleep for the rest of the day.
"Are you sure, hon?"
"Yeah...I just need to sleep this off." He practically hopped off his chair and went to give his aunt a hug before turning to go to his bedroom. "Thanks for the present, Aunt S."
Was it just her, or did the golden bell in his hand glow significantly brighter?
She didn't have time to take a proper look at it before Pac walked to his bedroom, the bell in his hand jingling harmoniously.
She shoved the thought aside. Her eyes were getting old and weary enough to the point of minor hallucinations, anyway.
It was May 23rd, and he was smiling again as if someone had flipped a switch. It was Monday, the first and most tiresome school day and yet he was smiling brighter than any of his classmates. And today, he and his classmates were getting a new student and, as usual if an interesting subject ever came up, everybody began whispering heatedly amongst themselves, some already starting rumors about the new student.
"Everybody please give a warm welcome to Spiralton, our newest student at Pacopolis Middle School!"
And then a tall boy with carmine red skin and swirly blue hair sauntered into the classroom with a proud grin on his face, placing his backpack on his designated shelf and then walking aimlessly, most likely trying to find his designated seat.
"You will be sitting next to Pac over there." The teacher informed, pointing her finger at the seat right next to the yellow boy.
And Spiral did just as he was told; sit next to Pac.
The tension between them lingered for a few seconds, until Spiral broke it with a comment that threw Pac completely off guard.
"Dude, I totally dig that color."
Pac didn't know whether to feel complimented or insulted. It was the strangest comment he'd ever gotten in his entire life.
"What do you mean?"
"Your skin color. I thought the Yellow Ones were supposed to be extinct by now." Spiral's emerald eyes widened in fascination. "I never thought I'd actually come across one...that's so cool. You're so cool."
Now he knew he should take that as a compliment. It was rare he ever got one from his classmates since he was usually bullied for being the last of his kind. But Spiral's wholehearted compliment was something he could easily get behind.
"Wow, thanks!" A large grin encompassed his visage, sapphire eyes shimmering with happiness. Perhaps Spiral would want to be friends with him.
"You know, I used to have friends that looked pretty rad." Spiral admitted casually, leaning back in his seat and stretching. "I played basketball with them once. They turned out to be real jerks when they intentionally threw the basketball at someone's face. So I ditched them."
Unbeknownst to Spiral, Pac was just about to get on a similar topic. "Well...now that you mention it, do you wanna-"
"Say, you wanna have lunch together? We can talk and hang out more by then, and maybe you can tell me all about your special powers! I hear your kind have loads of rad superpowers!"
Pac laughed a little at Spiral's enthusiasm. This was sure to be a fun day now that he has this laid-back jock to talk to.
And possibly make friends with.
He looked at his backpack, where the golden bell shone in the sunlight that filtered through the classroom windows. Perhaps the bell does grant good luck after all.