The Four Brothers ~ Completed

Capítulo Dezoito: O Fim

Zion slid me a much larger present, wrapped in paper covered in chemical equations. I looked over a couple of the equations, pleased to find they were correct. I tore open the paper, grinning excitedly when I realized he'd gifted me a computer.

"Made it myself. It's more secure than any government out there and has all four of our cards information programmed so you don't have to ask if you want anything now." He explained with a smug smile.

I knew his gift had a deeper meaning. He was giving me freedom without expectations. He was telling me I was free to do as I wished with my brother's full support from now on and I teared up at the thought.

Sinclair tapped my shoulder, causing me to turn to him before I could thank either brother. He shoved a box under my nose and I took it with gentle fingers. Something in my gut told me this was a fragile gift that I needed to be careful with. It wasn't wrapped, just shoved in a random cardboard box. I opened the flaps and gasped so hard my throat burned.

The Codex Leicester by Leonardo da Vinci!

Holy mother of everything sweet and spicy.

I could feel myself going into shock as I cuddled the book close to my chest. I was never letting this go. Ever. Like, never. Oh my God. I wasn't moving because if I moved, there was a possibility of damaging it and I would never do that and oh my God-

Sinclair taking the box from me broke me from my thoughts. I almost hissed at him, only letting it go so I didn't damage it.

"I'll give it back, sweetheart, but you need to open Tobias's present." He jerked his chin towards Tobias who looked put out that I'd forgotten about his gift.

He handed me an envelope. The shock was wearing off and my curiosity hit me like a train. I carefully opened the envelope and slid out a couple of pieces of printer paper. On them were names of schools, from Harvard to Oxford to Tsinghua University in Beijing and more. I looked at my eldest brother, hoping for clarification.

"Those are all of the best colleges in the world. Whenever you want to go, you just hand me the card and then pack a bag." He said, nodding to the papers in my hand. It felt like my heart dropped into my stomach when I looked down at the M.I.T card.

All of a sudden, this gift was far more precious, far more expensive, far more thoughtful than it'd been a couple of minutes ago.

I think I squeaked.

"And my lame gift gets to go last," Juno shot my brother's an impressive side-eye look. "Here you go, babes." She handed me a gift bag stuffed with tissue paper. I tore the paper from the bag, completely content with just that part, but frowned when all I pulled out was a blue and grey collar.

I jumped in my seat as the realization hit me. I whipped my head up so fast to look at Juno that my neck popped.

"Are you serious?" I whispered. I could hear Zion muttering curses under his breath but I paid him absolutely no attention as Juno nodded.

"My cousin runs a non-killing shelter for protection dogs, the breeds that no one wants because they're too big or too scary looking. He also offers protection training courses. I figured me and you could go one day and pick someone out." She said with a half smile.

And to think, all I got for my birthday was a death threat and a beating.

I jumped excitedly in my seat, tears welling up in my eyes as I hugged the collar to my chest. I was more than excited to get a fuzzy friend, someone I could cuddle who would also protect me. My brother's always pushed me off and complained when I cuddled them.

"Thank you so much! All of you." I sobbed, rubbing at my eyes with the ends of my sweatshirt.

Everyone started to coo at me, telling me that it was less than I deserved and that they were happy to do something so meaningful for me. That only made me cry harder.

For the first birthday I ever celebrated, it blew all of my expectations out of the water. That night, once we got home, just before I drifted off to sleep, I thanked whatever God was out there that I was able to live this life. While the beginning was horrific, filled with pain and terror and loss, the middle of my story, the part where I was brought into a family that loved me more than life itself, made it okay.

But just as like other story, the time to end this story has come.

I suppose it's a little sad to think about the ending. But, as we all know, stories are never really over. They live forever in our hearts and our minds, breathing joy and sadness into our lives just like good friends. I guess some people are wondering what the point of this story was. I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm not sure, but it's my story. My story with my four brothers. And, boy, has it been a crazy one. But, in the end, it's all been worth it.

GEMMA'S BIRTHDAY PRESENTS:
The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond: $57.5 million

The Codex Leicester by Leonardo da Vinci: $54.4 million

Fully Trained Protection Dog: $35,000