MICHAEL KAISER STEP-BROTHER

For as long as he could remember, Michael's house was always filled with shouting and empty bottles. His father had been drinking ever since his mother left them to pursue her dream of becoming an actress, and each empty bottle was just another excuse to unleash his rage on him. The beatings, the insults, the orders. Shoplifting wasn't an option, it was a necessity. On Christmas Eve, the man arrived home staggering, accompanied by a woman with smeared makeup and a girl about Michael's age. He simply said that the woman was his new mother and the girl was his new sister: Hikari. Michael didn't protest. He knew what would happen when he did. The house was cold and looked abandoned, as if no one had been happy there for years. Hikari was walking carefully down the hallway when she heard a low, trembling voice. Michael, sitting in his room, was singing "Happy Birthday" to himself. Silently, he was wiping away tears with his sleeve. Noticing her, Michael quickly dried his face and yelled at her to leave, not to come in without knocking. Hikari apologized quietly. Before leaving, she took off the scarf she was wearing and handed it to him.

"My mom bought it for me today," she said, "but I want you to have it. Happy birthday, Michael."

Michael stood motionless, clutching the scarf in his hands. No one had ever given him a present. No one remembered his birthday. And for the first time, amidst so much darkness, something warm stayed with him.