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If there was one thing the Storyteller Kelsey craved more then anything, it was having a genuine companion. Somebody who kept their promises showed her sincere respect and made her feel valued. She'd been scorned, manipulated, ridiculed, and ostracized. Her family and peers treated her incredibly poorly in the real world and online. It was partly why her birthday did matter to her.
She desperately desired one day when someone honestly SHOWED they were happy she'd been born. Of course, the only ones she regarded that had ever shown her unconditional love where her grandparents, who had since passed. Also, Kelsey despised sharing her birthday with her unpleasant and thoughtless sister. That was putting it politely.
Who in their right mind thinks giving people stones, shoelaces, and hotel soap is a thoughtful 'gift'? From her POV, she felt it only indicated how little her twin sister truthfully cared if she considered items from a junk drawer to be regarded as gifts. It wasn't even about money, but it continuously felt like she was an afterthought. She was not even worthy of a proper gift, which only boiled her blood more, given she'd gone out of her way to give her sister thoughtful gifts.
However, every gift she'd given her twin sister had been met with insults and utterly ungrateful. Her sister constantly belittled her gifts and yelled why would she give her these things? She gave her a cat bed because she had a cat. She'd given her books, figurines, and paintings. All of this had been met with scorn and abuse. So no, she didn't care to share her birthday at all.
The rest of her dysfunctional family was just as awful as her twin regarding her birthday. Her father didn't send her a birthday card even! Neither did her older brother or younger sister. It hurt that her family didn't show her the love she desperately desired! They didn't even show that they cared she had even been born! She had always felt the least loved and like a failure and disappointment her whole life.
Again, was it asking too much for a friend? To be treated with kindness and respect? To be shown some love and compassion? Evidently, it was as if she had never received those particular gifts any day of the year. It was why she was so astonished when she woke up at 5:00 a.m. on October 14th and found an extraordinary gathering of individuals in her tiny apartment! Everyone present was from the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender!
But they all dressed nicely and seemed quite delighted to see her! She wondered how they again got through the portal without waking her up. Still, she was delighted to see her favorite couple, Zuko and Akiko. She likewise noticed Kimana, Calypso, and Ilah. Plus, Alanna and Zephyr. Heck, even Kyoshi, Rangi, and Obsidiana! She was flabbergasted they all fit in her one-bedroom apartment. Still looking out at the black skies, she knew they knew what she wanted.
So silent as mice, they made their way to the empty lobby of the building. They turned on the lights, and for the next two and half hours before anyone else came downstairs, they had a small but awesome party for the thirty-six-year-old birthday. They even gave her gifts they knew she liked. Sketchbooks, colored pencils, new pens. Plus, journals, earrings, and a new bed set. For once in her life, Kelsey ultimately felt loved and that even if these people came from another world, they had come to her world to make her feel valued and deserving of being alive. That she would eternally be thankful for.