#because all my other clocks obviously showed the same time and it roughly aligned with daylight saving season

[courfee]

every now and then the clock in my room behaves really fucking weird and shows a different time. It's a purely mechanical analogue clock. One of the old ones that don't set the time automatically. The weird part isn't the wrong time, i could explain that away with a battery reaching the end of its life and the clock just running alower. The weird part is that it is always the wrong time by full hours and then just keeps running normally as if nothing happened.

[that-kids-storybook]

There goes my first ever post! :) Hope you like it!

It was the cold breeze of November the second that made my hair flutter as I rollarskated my way down the fully decorated hallway, my eyes analysing the beautiful golden chairs perfectly aligned together majestically around the large red angelic serving table in the middle that was set up with those admirable empty culinary.

I circled my way round this beautiful aspect and immediately met with the familiar auroma of my favourite cake that was currently being prepared in the kitchen by my mother.

I licked my lips at the remembrance of the little personal fact: after my first birthday, it became a tradition for her to prepare my cake. I chuckled at the thought of her quoting; "Made with love," to my friends.

Speaking of friends, I had made sure to invite everyone I loved, which apparently meant that this was going to be an amazing day filled with laughter and happiness.

"I can't wait!" I exclaimed with my eyes closed and arms sticking out.

"This is going to b-"

My glorious train of thoughts and ranting was rudely disturbed by the solid concrete wall that divided the kitchen from the hall.

The momentum made me stumble backwards, and I crashed into the floor.

Letting out a moan and rubbing my sore temple, I stood up and pounted straight at the wall, glaring at it as if it were an offender who had managed to arrogantly disrespect me, just by existing.

"You'll never change will ya?"

Came an oddly familiar voice, I did not even need to look back as I already knew who it belonged to.

"I'm the 'Birthday Girl', I've an absolute right to act egotistical," I muttered enough for her to hear but not enough for my precious mother to hear either. I was not going to risk my chances of getting lectured. No, not at all.

"Yeah, yeah, understandable, anyway what's up?" Noor casually mimicked taking a seat on one of the golden chairs.

"Hey! Don't you dare sit on my legendary Iron-man chair, you punk!" I bellowed beckoning my best friend to sit on the couch instead.

"Dude, c'mon what made you choose a pathetic Iron-man theme?" She indirectly obliged to move an inch.

"Welp, Tony Stark's death ain't goin' good on me ya know... Poor Mr. Stark," I said mocking her tone.

"Hahaha, so funny,"

"Shut up, sour patch!"

"Why should I? Alpaca,"

"At least alpacas are cute," I acknowledged as-a-matter-of-factly, smirking.

"Mr. Stark I don't feel so good, please I don't wanna g-," She was disrupted by me throwing a cushion directly at her face.

'No one, I mean no one, makes a joke about Peter Parker's despair in this household,' I thought to myself.

"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter?!" I cursed, as a cushion hit me in my perfect tooth.

In no time, we found ourselves having a 'cushion war', as if that was even a thing.

"You won," I cried out in defeat, gesturing for her to give me her hand to stand up.

"C'here," she signed giving me her hand and making me stand on my own two feet.

"Lessgo," I said lazyly putting the rollerskates back on, ironically I wondered when I even took them off.

Slamming myself on the bed, with a slight thud, I sighed deeply. The clock on my bedside table notificed me that it was 4 O'clock which if we put in perspective, clearly meant that the celebration of me inhaling my first atoms of oxygen, would start in roughly an hour.

"You wanna kill some time while we wait for the party to start? I got the new Spider-man movie here!" Noor squeaked, beaming at the movie's compact disk in her right hand. How could I refuse such great things in life? "Yep, let's make this go down!" I sassed taking the disk from her hand and putting it into the drive reader of my laptop.

[Time Skip]

Noor and I were perfectly done with our routine of wasting time, the humongous clock on the ceiling of the hall boomed throughout the house. Indicating the time as 5 o'clock.

'The guests should be arriving by now,' My brain broadcasted to me.

We looked at each other, grins reaching our eyes. Nodding, we took a jog down the entrance gate of the house.

"Now, we wait," I said, proudly puffing my chest high. Noor just giggled at my childish behaviour.

Just as the door bell rang, I enthusiastically swung the door open without even bothering to confirm if it was a phedophile or not. Luckily, it was not.

"Konichiwa," the three of my friends chirped like sparrows. Making Noor and me snicker in the process.

It was just like I imagined a perfect birthday to be. After the arrival of my good friends, gradually as the clock ticked, the hall started to fill with my classmates and relatives. It was strange as well, because I did not remember requesting my mom to invite this much people, but perhaps the phrase; "The more = the better," was quite correct.

"It's 7 o'clock already, Areeba, when're ya goin' to cut the goddamn cake?" Screamed - I do not know - Mishal? Yeah it was her.

Taking Mishal's request as a treat, I proceeded to make my way toward my obviously expected Iron-man cake, which portrayed Tony Stark vibing with his capri-sun. To make it more divine, the candle holder was just above the nano infinity gauntlet, I was about to lit up the candle as Rozhna was informing the guests about the main ceremony taking place.

"Stop!" Shahar's voice echoed through the fusion of chatter, which made me stutter, fortunately, Noor caught me from the back before I could fall face-to-face into the cake. Not to mention but I reluctantly knocked a couple cupcakes in the chaos.

"What?" I whimpered practically shooting daggers at her through my eyeballs. How can someone not expect me to get furious after they make me subconsciously murder two delicious cupcakes?

"Areeba, we gotta talk this through," my dad joined in. The confused look on my face probably took Noor off-guard but I did not care, this was honestly pretty bizzare.

"On everyone's 13th birthday after they blow the candles, one word appears on their skin, depicting their career or purpose in life. We want you to know that after you blow this candle, your purpose, your destiny, will become apparent, it'll be engraved on your body, and you won't be able to get away with it, because that's what your chosen for," mom's little speech was appreciated by the crowd, as they were applauding and cheering, some were even whistling. Which only made me confuser.

"But how come I didn't know about this?" I whispered, hoping for some sort of savior to take my confusion away.

"It's because we're forbidden to let this bit of information wander through the ears of those who're younger than thirteen," Shahar, or in other words, my 'saviour' described causally. I looked through the crowd and realized that there were no children under the 'appropriate' age present. The little bulb inside my head lit up and I started laughing.

"Really? You sure this isn't a prank or somethin'?" I asked eyeing everyone in the room.

"Nope," Noor said softly, showing me her ankle, the word 'doctor,' inscribed there with a golden splint.

"Alright,"

The scene was overwhelming, literally everyone was curiously gathered around the table, pure astonishment in their eyes as I blew the candles. They were applauding which for some odd reason, made me feel sick to my stomach.

Just as the little fire left the candle top, everything went into slow motion, the party poppers that were shooted directly at me became numb, the second hand of the clock that hung high to the ceiling started to move moderately, the screams of joy disappeared, my heart was unusually beating faster, I could feel the aderline pumping through my veins as tears threatened to escape my eyes.

Pride, it was all I could feel.

After about what felt like an eternity, everything came back to as it always was.

Perhaps it was just me who felt that sensation?

"What is it?" A voice quizzed.

"Go to the bathroom and see!" Another voice ordered.

I have no idea what happened after that but when I did come to my senses, I found myself in the bathroom trying to find the word. Or if we put it bluntly, My Destiny.

I looked and looked but could not find it.

A thought made my heart swell.

What if all this was just a prank?

Before I could contemplate any further I started to sob hysterically while sitting crossed leg on the cold bathroom floor.

As my head jerked to the side, a glimpse of something red caught my attention.

I shakily closed my eyes and directed my head towards the back of my left foot.

Deep down, I wanted this 'prank' to not just be a prank. Pulling myself together, I opened my eyelids to find my destiny there, written in a colour as red as blood.

"Assassin,"

"Wow! That was lit!" Jax gasped, as he professionally shot the target in the most vulnerable spot, which instantly resulted in her dying.

"Yeah, mine is sort of the same!" Alexa declared, the smile visible even through the black cloth that she infamously described as her 'mask,'

I chuckled, "this is one of the best memories of my childhood," I mumbled dragging the body of our target toward the dumpster.