All Chapters of Four Tickets and Goodbye: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1 Buying a Lottery Ticket

I won the lottery two weeks before the trip. It was the 19th of July and my 18th birthday. I kept quiet about it to see if this family would count me in on their trip during my last stretch of time with them.They didn't. On the day of my 18th birthday, I made an egg just for myself to celebrate. I'd just peeled it when my mother peeked her head from the kitchen. "Put that down and give it to your sister! She needs her protein before her dance practice!"I looked at the egg in my hand. It was still steaming hot. "There are more in the pot.""And they're scalding! You've peeled that one. Just give it to her!" My mother grabbed the egg.Queenie Wood, my sister, was sitting at the dining table in her pink practice attire. She looked at me and asked, "You don't want it, Nellie?"I smiled. "Nope."She smiled as well. "Thank you, Nellie."My brother, Zachary Wood, came home for lunch. My mother made shrimp, crab, and even sea urchin for him.I was allergic to seafood. When I was eigh

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, cal

Chapter 3 Ignorant Brother

A week before the trip, Aocity University called me to confirm if I would be enrolling. I had just picked up my phone when my mother came in."Nellie's trying out a dress. Help her zip it up."I covered the speaker. "It's a call from the university."She frowned. "Zipping a dress won't take long.""We've confirmed your placement, Ms. Wood. Please be there on time."My mother heard that, and her frown deepened. Once I hung up, she questioned sharply, "You're going to Aocity? That's far.""Yes.""The local college isn't a bad place to enroll. You should stay close to home, especially since you're a girl. You can get a job in the local government. It's stable.""I want to go."She sighed. "You've been opinionated ever since you were a child. Have you ever wondered what would happen to the family if you left?"I looked at her. "What?"She continued matter-of-factly, "Who's going to pick Queenie up from training? Who's going to record Zachary's competitions? Your father and I are

Chapter 4 The News

My father heard the commotion and stomped out. "What's going on here?"Zachary spoke before I could. "All I did was step on her stupid model. It was an accident, but she yelled at me!"My father looked at the broken model and then at me. "What's the big deal? You can just make a new one, Nellie. Zachary's going on the trip tomorrow. Don't sour his mood."I looked at them and felt whatever sadness I had wither away. I was only upset because I actually held out hope for them. Now, they'd snuffed out that sliver of hope.I crouched down and picked up the broken shards of my model. Reparations went on until 3 a.m. The glue stuck to my finger. I damned near tore off a layer of skin in my attempts to get rid of it, but I felt no pain.I tucked the model into the lowest layer of the crate once I was done with the repairs. Then, I tucked the lottery ticket and ID into my bag. Dawn would come soon. I looked at the repaired model, and that was when it hit me.Some cracks would always be th

Chapter 5 Of Course They Come

It wasn't until a while later did I find out my mother called me a dozen times, but the number was no longer in use. My father Googled the address of the reward center in Aocity, while Zachary was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his voice filled with rage."10 million all to herself? Is she insane? What if someone swindles it from her?"My mother acted like something had hit her as her eyes went red. "How could she not tell us?"Queenie was sitting on the bed, holding her shell trinket. A long while later, she asked quietly, "Is she abandoning us?"They canceled their reservations that night, but the room with the sea view wasn't eligible for a full refund, and the surfing classes couldn't be refunded either. My mother went white from that loss.Still, they were feeling even more upset about something else. I had the ticket. I was an adult. I was in Aocity, and they couldn't control me anymore.It was drizzling when I arrived at the reward center. The staff memb

Chapter 6 The Distribution List

Safeguard. That was how I lost all my Christmas money. That was how I lost the prize money from my middle school drawing competition. That was how I lost all the money I made from my part-time job in high school.Safeguard, they said while they spent it all on Zachary and Queenie.I replied coldly, "No."My father frowned. "Don't give me that attitude. I'm your father. I won't hurt you."I asked, "Did it ever cross your mind that I'm also your daughter when you and your family went on that beach trip?"The look on his face shifted. "Your mother was careless. You shouldn't hold a grudge for so long."I laughed. "My birthday's on the 19th of July. Do you remember that/"He froze. Then, I asked, "Do you remember what I'm allergic to?"He tried to respond, but nothing came out.I looked at him calmly. "No, you don't because you don't remember a single thing about me. However, you remember Zachary's practice schedule. You remember Queenie's dance exam dates. You're not senile. Yo

Chapter 7 Retort

His eyes were red in the video, and his voice was raspy. "I have a sister, Nellie Wood. She's 18 and has been unstable lately. She ran somewhere far away, alone and carrying a lot of lottery money. My family and I are worried about her. "If any of you have seen her in Aocity, please, tell us."He looked so genuine in the video, sounded like it too. Soon, the comments were starting to flood with insults hurled at me."She dumped her family after she struck gold?""She didn't even give her parents a cent? They raised her!""10 million in an 18-year-old girl's hand. That's really dangerous."Queenie posted a video as well. She was in a white dress. The same one she'd worn in that planned seaside photoshoot. The edges of her eyes were red."Nellie's probably upset. She's always been a sensitive girl. I'll give her my room as long as she comes home."I didn't respond right away, not until Zachary's video became viral, and someone doxxed my campus. Only then did I post a legal state

Chapter 8 Her New Future

It was September, and the month when university officially began. I didn't stay in any luxurious condominiums. Instead, I moved into Aocity University's dorm. When Tiffany Viridia, my roommate, found out I won the lottery, she stared at me for a while. "So you've got 10 million?"I nodded. "Eight after tax."She fell silent. "So… why the dorm?""It's close to the classrooms."She gave me a thumbs up. "That's really practical of you.""You in a mood to treat us, rich girl?"I paused for a moment before chuckling softly. "Yeah, why the hell not?"A week after term started, the urban development faculty held an exhibition for freshman projects. I handed over the repaired model. The name was still Where I Belong.On the day of the exhibit, Mr. Wilson, one of my teachers, stared at my model for a long while. The judges had no idea I won the lottery. All they saw was the only repaired model that kept the cracks.Mr. Wilson asked, "Why'd you keep this place blank?""Not every plac

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