Chapter 2 Her Plan

When I came back home, my mother was showing Queenie some tips for taking pictures at the beach, while Zachary was on the sofa picking out his surfboards.

He had gained a small following by posting some sports videos on some app, and now he was trying to carve out his persona and get some sports brand sponsorship.

My father said, "Let's go on a summer trip. The kids have had a long year."

My mother nodded with a smile. "Sure. Queenie's always wanted to go to the beach."

Zachary quickly said, "I want to surf."

My father said, "I'll get you the best sessions."

I was on the porch, changing my shoes. No one asked me where I wanted to go, and no one asked if I had a good day.

The winning numbers were revealed that night. I stayed in my room and verified it again and again. I stared at the seven numbers, and they were all the numbers I bought. I'd won first prize, which meant that I'd won 10 million before tax.

My eyes stayed on the screen for 10 minutes.

My mother was outside, calling me, "Come out here and cut up the fruits, Nellie."

I placed the winning ticket inside the acceptance letter envelope of Aocity University. That letter had been here for a week.

My mother glanced at it when she tore the packaging off. She said, "That's far. You'll have to figure out your expenses yourself. We have to support Zachary."

Then, she went and bought a travel photography package for Queenie.

I kept the letter and ticket in the lowest part of my drawer. One pointed to my future, and the other pointed to my exit strategy.

I felt a certain sense of calm taking over my brain, giving me the clarity I so desperately needed. It seemed that I did get a present for my 18th birthday, and it was from God Himself.

My family became excited after they'd decided on all the details of the trip. My mother cooked up three pages of itinerary. The first page was about hotels. The second was about restaurants, and the third was about photoshoot spots.

Every page had a line that read, "Four-person trip."

I asked, "Four-person?"

My mother was holding up a picture of their room for the vacation as she nonchalantly said, "You're going to get ready for your first day on campus anyway."

I looked at her. "I didn't say I wasn't going."

That was when she finally looked up to stare at me, as if she just remembered I was there. "You want to come with us, Nellie?"

Zachary snickered from the couch. "Why bother? She can't even swim. She'll just get in our way."

Queenie was holding her phone as she said quietly, "She can come with us, right?"

My mother patted her head right away. "Don't worry. This is your first seaside photoshoot. I'll make sure that everything will be perfect."

I looked at the itinerary on the coffee table. The hotel room was for four people, and the restaurant reservations were as well. The cabs listed were perfect for four people.

They never planned to include me right from the start. Ever since then, I went on with life as usual during the day. I picked up Queenie from school, grabbed Zachary's deliveries, helped my mother deal with her vacation to-do list, etc.

As night fell, I would lock my door and check the process to cash in. Then, I would look into ways to stay anonymous and protect my privacy after taking my winnings. My little ritual would proceed with me checking how much I could keep after the winnings were taxed.

Finally, I looked up Aocity's rent prices, bank card safety, and laws.

I was 18. I had my ID, and I registered for a card myself. That also meant that I'd paid for the lottery with my money. I would verify it over and over again, not because I lusted for money, but because I knew very well what my family would say if they knew I'd won.

"You're still young. We'll safeguard the money for you."

"Zachary needs the money for his house."

"Queenie's dance classes cost a lot."

"We're a family. You're being petty."

They would split up that lottery using family as an excuse. They would split it between Zachary, Queenie, and themselves. As for me? Well, I could already see the writing on the wall. All they would say was, "You're a girl. You don't need that much money."