A/N: You will notice many coincidences causing this condition!

Triskaidekaphobia: The Hirteen Files

Chapter 1: Discovery Diagnosis

Meet Tracy T. Hirteen. He has problems with numbers. Except he’s not learning disabled. Actually, he is everything but learning disabled. He has a large family, which continues to grow in big leaps, throughout his journey. Something had been haunting him for many years, and for many years, only a few people knew. He kept his secret very close-knit for a long time.

It all started on February 13, 1995 at 1:13 P.M. after 13 hours and 13 minutes of labor. He was the first child for Jewish Providence, Rhode Island natives Chrysanthemum and Christopherus Hirteen, an OB/GYN and a dentist, respectively. The couple had been married 13 months when Tracy was born, and were not sure if they conceived Tracy purposely or not. After Tracy finished crying, he opened his tiny eyes, he looked around, able to recognize who his parents, grandparents, 7 aunts and 6 uncles, and 13 cousins were. However, his family traumatized him. Later, another nurse came in the delivery room with his soon-to-be birth certificate. After his parents signed it, he said something that shocked everyone in the room:

“Mama Chrys…an…the…mum! Dada Chris…toph…er…us! Googoo gaga!” Little Tracy says very audibly.

“Oh my goodness! Honey, did you hear that?”

“Yes I did, Mama Chrysanthemum! I think we have a genius for a son!”

“That’s why we brought in the Duke AD! Your son has won a brand new DUKE SCHOLARSHIP! In this scholarship, your son is guaranteed placement in all honors and AP classes and because every person in the eastern U.S. knows that Pre-K and Kindergarten is a bunch of bull crap for a genius, he is now able to skip those years and start first grade two years earlier! Now… smile for the camera!” Dr. Schutenbaum, who delivered Tracy, explains, with the Duke AD’s help.

When they got home the next day, the Hirteens discovered that the community rabbi died. The replacement search delayed Tracy’s bris (or Jewish circumcision at 8 day old, just to let you know) by 5 days.

No, they did not judge this book by its cover. Tracy truly is a genius. Being less than an hour old and already able to read was one thing, but knowing which relative is which, that sealed the deal. His parents found that he was speaking all the time with advanced vocabulary. Chrys and Chris realized that they would be losing their baby two years earlier, as Tracy would graduate high school at age sixteen. He was so special you would think he was royalty, because wherever he went, he would be pampered. It also was obvious that he would get the celebrity treatment, as the paparazzi followed the Hirteens constantly. Before Tracy even entered school, the whole family became irritated by this.

That was until 2nd grade, when a blue-eyed, blonde female genius entered moved into his neighborhood, but never identified by name. In 4th grade, there was not a paparazzo in sight for the Hirteens. In addition, the district board announced that math would be the most taught subject that year. The harder the math became, the more they eliminated the easy math. During each class, Tracy would get the hardest problems, even though it was an honors class, especially in multiplication. One day, only weeks into the school year, his teacher, Mr. Ryan Boald, asked the class to copy down a problem and answer it.

“Alright class, I want you to copy down this multiplication problem and answer it. The problem extends the multiplication tables one full row and one full column: 13X13. Tracy, why don’t you answer it for us?”

“Alright I wi…” Tracy says but he starts getting a headache and uncontrollably sweating.

“Are you hearing me Tracy? What does 13X13 equal? You can do it, I know you can!”

“Tracy, you and I both know how easy this question is, just answer it! You can do it!” His best friend Cindy says, in support.

“Uh, uh, I know this one, uh, 26?” He answers with perspiring panic.

“I am sorry, extremely disappointed actually, but that’s incorrect!”

The number 13 has permanently scarred Tracy for life. After hearing he answered incorrectly, he fell unconscious and into a coma that turned out to be 13 hours long. Tracy only had one real friend besides Cindy, Ferris Wheeler, before the incident and a few in-school friends, Dominic Eanint and Brett Ufrishare, and realized his looming ostracism. The students called the incident a “spazzy seizure”. It was seizure like condition, but it was “spazzy” that was Tracy’s problem. He knew would never have the chance to make another friend, because the students constantly made fun of him, even before he awoke. So he thought…