17 Years of Empty Draws: The Neglected Triplet Never Forgives Chapter 01

17 Years of Empty Draws: The Neglected Triplet Never Forgives Chapter 01

My family has one rule: everything for us triplets is decided by drawing lots.

Only two birthday spots each year. Draw a blank slip, and you get nothing.

For seventeen years straight, I drew seventeen blanks.

I blamed my terrible luck—until the night before our 18th birthday.

Getting a glass of water, I saw a message pop up on the family computer:

[Same as usual: a double-layer strawberry cake.]

[Inscription: Happy 18th Birthday to our beloved daughters, Maren and Aurelia!]

[Deliver to Crown & Pine tomorrow at 7 PM.]

My veins ran cold. The drawing wasn’t until tomorrow.

Numbly retreating to my cramped storage room, the brutal truth finally hit me:

It was never bad luck. The draw was rigged from day one.

I pulled out my phone and opened a hidden email—my acceptance letter to Royal Evergreen Academy.

I tapped Confirm.

If everything in this house is decided by drawing lots…

This time, I draw my departure.

…

The next morning, my parents arranged for the three of us to draw lots again.

As expected, I got another blank slip.

That night, my parents took Maren and Aurelia out for their birthday celebration.

I sat on the hard, lumpy old wooden bed, gnawing at a piece of bread.

As soon as I unlocked my phone, Aurelia’s social media post popped up.

Inside the private room at Crown & Pine sat a huge double-layer cake.

The frosting said:

[Happy 18th birthday to my darling daughters Maren and Aurelia!]

Maren and Aurelia wore custom gowns, leaning against my parents.

Gemstone bracelets glinted on their wrists.

At dinner when we were twelve, my parents had said: “When you turn 18, each of you will get a bracelet to keep you happy and protected.”

But I knew that didn’t include me.

The clock on the wall ticked past one in the morning when noises came from outside the door.

Voices echoed again in the quiet living room.

Maren knocked on my door. “Celestine, this is a gift for you.”

She handed me a plastic wristband.

The price tag was still attached.

2.99 bucks.

I let out a cold laugh and set it down on the uneven table made of scrap planks.

Every birthday before this, after my parents finished celebrating with the other two, they’d grab a random “birthday gift” for me on the side of the road.

When I was eight, it was a plastic hair clip priced at one buck.

When I was twelve, it was a stuffed toy priced at ten bucks.

When I was sixteen, it was a notebook priced at twelve bucks.

This time was no different.

The laughter and chatter outside the door slowly died down.

I stared at the graying ceiling and stayed awake all night.

A few days later, Maren and Aurelia received their college acceptance letters one after another.

One got into Northvale Community College, and the other barely made it into an art institute.

At noon, the dinner table held BBQ ribs that Maren loved, garlic butter shrimp for Aurelia, and roast pork that my childhood friend Soren liked.

The beef stew I loved never appeared on this table.

Father picked up a rib and placed it on Maren’s plate.

“Maren, I made these just for you. Eat more, you’ve lost weight lately.”

He then turned to look at me.

“Celestine, you should learn something so you can support yourself later.”

Soren chimed in too. “Yeah, Celestine. You’re not like Aurelia and Maren. Your grades won’t get you into any good college. You’d better plan ahead.”

My grades?

It had been a month since scores came out, yet not one of them had asked.

I lifted my eyes to argue. “I never said I did badly. In fact…”

Laughter from the four of them interrupted me.

“Come on,” Maren said scornfully. “Going to a place like West Ridge High School, what decent college could you possibly get into?”

My fingers slowly tightened.

Three years ago, during the high school placement lottery, Maren and I had drawn spots for Denver Preparatory Academy.

Only Aurelia was assigned to West Ridge.

West Ridge was far from Northvale. There were plenty of rogues hanging around the area, and its teaching resources were nowhere near as good as Denver Prep.

My parents tearfully said Aurelia had poor health and couldn’t handle boarding school. They begged me to give up my spot.

In the end, Aurelia got into Denver Prep smoothly. I dragged my suitcase and headed to West Ridge alone.

I could only come home once a semester.

Thinking about it, I suddenly found it ridiculous.

I had drawn good lots before. I was just never allowed to keep them.

Back then, every time I pulled a blank slip on my birthday, Soren would secretly buy cupcakes and celebrate with me alone.

When I was upset about missing out on Denver, he handed me a delicate star charm.

“It doesn’t matter where you are. Celestine, you can still shine.”

I kept that charm for years.

But somewhere along the way, the warmth in his eyes no longer belonged to me.

A wave of hurt welled up in my throat. I numbly picked at the salad on my plate, I didn’t want to speak.

They talked excitedly about how big their college send-off party would be.

I couldn’t get a word in.

The phone on the table vibrated once.

I picked it up and saw it was a message from Mrs. Bellamy.

Mrs. Bellamy: [Celestine, the full scholarship from Royal Evergreen Academy has been deposited into your bank fund. Please check it!]

Mrs. Bellamy: [Take a break. We leave for Seattle in seven days.]

Celestine: [ Alright, thank you, Mrs. Bellamy.]

I quietly locked my phone screen and tucked this secret away in my pocket.