Luck Exchangers, Michelle Ruiz [books to read for 12 year olds .txt] 📗

All that obnoxious behavior got him shot. You'll get shot too. If you're unfortunate, you could even be shot by your father..."  

"I'm not like your father...I'm like Holley Duncan. I'm very tough and I won't die...and for your information, I'm waaaay stronger than my old man."

"Promise? Promise me you won't be reckless again."  

  "I Promise." The girl started to give her a stern look. 

   "What?"

"It's not enough." 

   "Huh?"

"You have to pinky swear. Don't get yourself killed. Is it hard for a pinky swear?"   

"N-no! It's very easy!" Holley quickly wrapped her pinky around the girl's. The girl then got up from her seat, smiled, and walked away. Holley was bewildered to see that she had made a promise. What did I just do? I can't keep promises! But it's a pinky swear, so I actually have to try!! 

"Wait! What's your name? " 

The girl stopped and replied, "Bunni, but you can call me B, if you want." before walking away. Bunni...It suits her...She's so quiet. Holley was walking to her apartment and thought of the promise all night. Why can't I stop thinking about it? She's a stranger to me after all... Later on, she was starting to get lucky. People from all over the fighting region came and challenged her. But she defeated them all...barely. The last man she fought had something to say to her.

"Listen... There's this one place meant to be torn down soon. There's a rumor that a strange group lives there and is undefeated. Be careful if you plan on going....They also may have some dirty tricks up their sleeves."

She gave thanks and left. I wonder if she's still around? "B! Hey B!"   

"Oh, hello again Holley Duncan. Still alive I see." She noticed some blood on her arm.

"Holley Duncan! You are hurt!"

"Oh, this? This is nothing.Just a sign of toughness."

    "You promised me you wouldn't be reckless!!"

Oh crap, I forgot...   

"You forgot about it didn't you?"

"N-n-n-no way! I'm still alive, aren't I? I can't change the way I am...If I fight, there's no chance of me running away."

    "...Fine...just promise me you won't die." She pulled out her pinky.

"I won't forget my promise this time." Holley wrapped her pinky around Bunni's. "I'm heading over tothe abandoned gym, okay? Before Bunni had a chance to say anything, she was already on her way there. Dammit Holley! What did I say about not dying!? She looked at the building.  This place must be it! I just know it!

"Hello? Anyone here? Are you guys scared that I might kick your asses? "

She then heard a noise coming from the other side of the wall. Then it became a loud roar. Surprise attack huh? Heh, how creative...this must be the group I was warned about...

She ducked and punched the flying man. Others started to come and attack. Now, it's an ambush? Can't they do anything more fun these days? She dodged their every move and pummeled them, leaving them with bruises and black eyes. In around ten minutes, gurneys were all over the place taking them away for treatment.

"Now you know...nobody ever messes with me, Holley B. Duncan!"   

"You still haven't faced me yet!" Holley looked and saw her father beginning his stance."Wha? You're one of those weirdos?"   

"They're weak, it was meant to be... and I'll beat your ass!"

"You're making a big mistake. Prepare to dig your own grave Old man!" They brawled and seemed equally matched, but he had something that she wasn't planning on.

BANG!

A GUN? You GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!    "Hehehehehe. not so tough now are you?"

VERY BAD PARENTING, I'D SAY!!!

"HOLLEY!!!!! DUCK NOW!!!!"

Where'd THAT voice come from?? Better listen.

BANG! The gun shot fired and Holley ducked...but unfortuately, It hit Bunni standing at the entrance.

"B!!!" She ran to her aid. She saw the wound on her chest. Holley was horrified that she was the one that told her to duck. "Bunni!! Wake up! Please! I...I don't want to fight anymore! Not if it'll end up this way! I'll change my ways! Please, just don't die on me!!" Soon, Holley and Bunni glowed and arrived in a forest."Where are we?" Holley looked around and saw Bunni sit up. "B! Are you okay?'   

"Hm? Oh, just a minor flesh wound."

"You were shot in the chest! No one can survive that!"   

"If I was an ordinary person, I could die..."

"Eh?"    "You'd said you wouldn't fight anymore right? Because of my wound...did you really mean that?"

"Yes I did! I wouldn't fight anymore if anyone I cared died for me!"   

"I see...I guess I can tell you. I am a Luck Exchanger."

"Luck Exchanger?" Never heard of it." 

   "A luck exchanger is a spirit that takes away all your bad luck. But in order to do that, they have to temporarily obtain most of their client's bad luck. When I said You'll get shot by your father, I applied that terrible luck upon myself. I give my clients pinky swears so that the good luck will apply to them."   

"I see...That random promise..."

"Yes...that random promise..."

The forest started to fade,and so did Bunni. "...And you kept it Holley.You didn't die like you promised."    "But...what will happen now?"

"Whatever you want to happen." Stay grateful, otherwise your luck will falter if you choose to disregard my warning."   

"I prom-" Bunni sent out her pinky. Holley smiled at her and grabbed it. She had made another pinky swear. The police came in and took her father in the cruiser. Holley couldn't have felt more safer. Hmm...I wonder what I can do with this old place... What used to be an abandoned building is now a center where troubled kids can learn to behave themselves.

Story 7: Rika * Zen

Zen really liked his place in the world, he just didn't know how to show it. And because of that, he became a real klutz. Even though he tries hard not to, wrong words just come out of his mouth. He even hurts other people without even knowing himself, so be became a very rude person. People understood that and tried to get help for him, but since the rudeness was so unbearable the therapists quit, every single one of them.

There seemed no hopeful way out, so he became cold. Cold as ice. He thought that it felt good to stay away so other people wouldn't get hurt, but later on when he started to realize it wasn't his place. It was too late.Everyone started to hate him. He became enemy number 1. Whenever crime started, he happens to be there at the wrong time. He's been to jail for a certain amount of time and his luck got even worse.

After he was released from prison once again, he saw a teenage girl looking at the jail entrance. It looked like she was waiting for someone. He thought it was unusual, so he went and spoke to her.

"Hey, whatcha doing there?"  

  "Looking for him."

"Who are you looking for, exactly?"   

"Zen Teugasa"

"That would be me. What do you want?"  

  "I need to tell you something in secret."

"What is it?" Zen bent down and the girl went closer to his ear. After she got close enough, she shouted from the top of her lungs, "IN A WEEK FROM NOW AT 5 PM, YOU WILL GET HIT BY THE TRAIN ON THE DIRT ROAD!!! "His ears rung from the shouting. "Okay...Was that even NECESSARY?!"

"Yes." The girl quickly ran off. "Wait!" What the hell was that all about?

After his release, His landlord evicted him from his home for too much jail time. He  looked for an apartment to stay in. He found a sign that says 'ROOM FOR RENT'. Zen knocked and that girl from earlier answered the door.

Oh, hell no! Anyone but her!! he thought.   

"Zen Teugasa. This is the only room available. I suggest you come here. You're lucky to find a room in your state, 'Enemy number 1.' I wonder if I help out, I'd be considered 'enemy number 2...'   

"I am so out of here."

"Oh, no you don't!" The girl dragged him in the house and locked the door.   

"Hey, you stupid girl! Let me go! I'd rather be dead than over here!" "Seriously, you'd get shot down down when going out there.

Really?! She's not listening to a word I'm saying!!

Besides, wouldn't you rather be sleeping here in a warm bed than the cold streets?"   

"I'll take that chance"

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier, but I have a mental disability to shout in people's ears instead of whispering. I didn't mean to get you angry. Can you please stay?"

Zen thought about it thoroughly and finally asked himself, What left do I got to lose? He went inside and flatly sat on the couch."For starters, who are you?"  

  "Rika. My name is Rika."

"So...uh, Rika, how long have you been living here?"   

"For about five years...It's been getting lonesome around here."

"Five years? But I was pretty sure it's been empty for that long..." hm, I think there's something I wanted to ask her..."Hey, when you shouted in my ear, What did you mean when I was gonna get hit by some train?"  

  "I mean what I said, You'll get hit by a train next week. You can say I'm some sort of Oracle."

"Okay, now you're high. And trust me, I've heard people say stupid things." 

   "You may think I'm high now, but you'll thank me eventually."

"Whatever." Zen lied himself down on the sofa and thought of the situation.  Man, First I get chased down, I get arrested, got this girl on crack to make me half deaf, lost my home, now I'm living with that same girl who's high like hell. I really don't think luck will ever be on my side...   

"Don't worry Zen Teugasa, luck will be in your favor, just have a little faith, alright?" The next day, Zen was on his way to a bar he would usually hang out. Instead of getting a cold stare, he got a warm welcome.  Huh, that's weird. He sat on the stool. His leg started to cramp so he stuck his leg out. He accidentally tripped a man walking by. He was about to apologize, but the man apologized first. "Sorry man, had a little too much to drink. He went and spoke to people, and surprisingly, they were talking to him. Okay now I KNOW something is wrong here.

As he was in thought, Rika came by and everyone gave her the cold stare. The man who was having a good happy hour saw her and started to throw a fit. The bartender called the police to inform them on "Enemy number One." Zen came back to reality and saw The man insulting her and fighting her, but she was quick. Okay, now I'm confused, this kind of stuff would be happening to me right about now and in about two minutes and the cops come in to drag me away, even though I didn't start anything. And as he predicted, the cops came. "Okay officers take me away."

But the cops didn't listen and took Rika away. "What?! She didn't even start anything. So why...?" He later went to the visitor's room and spoke to Rika."Okay, what the hell happened back there?!"  

  "You should be waiting out at the front entrance, then we can talk. I'm being released soon, due to a trial error."

"Okay. But you better tell me what's going on!"  

  "Don't