My name is Eleven. It’s not a nickname—it’s what my parents wrote on my birth certificate when they ran out of interest. Born on November 11th, thirteen months after my “perfect” sister Raven, I was treated like an afterthought from the start. For my first ten years, I lived with my grandmother Martha, not my parents. They said it was practical. I learned later it was convenient. Grandma was my world. She taught me warmth, courage, and something my parents never gave me: belief.
When Grandma died suddenly, she left me one last gift—a secret. Hidden beneath her bed was a trust worth ten million dollars, locked until my eighteenth birthday. “They will try to break you,” she warned. “Don’t let them.” Back in my parents’ house, I became invisible. I slept in the attic, cooked, cleaned, and watched Raven receive everything. I counted the days until I could leave.
Fate didn’t wait. A fire broke out in the attic weeks before my birthday. Trapped, I screamed for help. I heard my parents shout, “Get Raven out!” They never came back for me. I jumped. Darkness followed. In the hospital, I lay unconscious as doctors told my parents insurance would only save one child. They chose Raven. They signed the papers to let me die.
Then the doors burst open. Arthur Sterling, my grandmother’s lawyer, stopped everything. He held medical power of attorney and a blank check. I was moved to private care and saved. When I woke, I learned the truth—and later, my parents came begging for access to “my” money. I refused. The trust barred them completely.
Karma was quiet but thorough. Their finances collapsed. Yet I paid Raven’s medical bills anonymously. I wouldn’t become them. A year later, I stood strong, free, and alive. They tried to unplug my life to save money. Now, I owned the power—and I chose to keep the lights on for myself.