𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤

𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕟𝕖

"Hurry up, Dakota!"

"I'm coming!"

She gripped the strap of her bag tightly, feeling the weight of her laptop, the slight bulge of her favorite book, the cool surface of her charger, and the crinkle of the snacks she had packed. On the other hand, she cradled the traveling cage of her beloved cat, Star, who peered out curiously with bright, attentive eyes.

With a sense of urgency, she hurried out of her room, feeling the cool floor beneath her foot as she slipped into her shoes, and made her way purposefully to the car, the faint jingle of Star's collar accompanying her every step.

She casually tossed her bag in the backseat of the car, making sure it was secure. She then proceeded to carefully fasten the cage to the seat before gracefully taking her place in the front seat. Feeling the blistering heat of Mexico, she reached over and switched on the air conditioning to escape the oppressive temperatures outside.

Her father discarded his cigarette, stepping on it as he walked to the car. He took a seat in the driver's seat and noticed the air conditioner. "After living here your whole life, you still haven't gotten used to the weather, eh, hija?"

"Don't blame me; maybe it'd be colder in..." Still not sure where they were going, she gave Diego the go-ahead to continue. "Nice try, but what's life without surprises?" her dad laughed. "Better," Dakota huffed.

Her father grinned while he turned on the ignition. "Besides, it's only a 29-hour drive."

"29 hours?!" Dakota exclaimed.

                                                                    --------------------------------

They had about 20 minutes left before arriving at their new home. But Dakota complained about not having caffeine in her system for more than 5 hours, which is 'unacceptable', so her father stopped at a gas station to buy her a Red Bull.

In the meantime, she let Star out of the car to get some fresh air and relieve her bladder. She was leaning on the car. Looking around, she spotted a strangely blue Jeep at a red light. Just a few seconds later, a navy blue car next to them ran a red light. "I would do the same if a car was parked next to that thing," she whispered to herself.

Dakota's thoughts were interrupted when a deer crashed into the windshield of the navy blue car, causing her to panic and flee. "Star!" she yelled, chasing after her cat, who was running towards the deer."Star, wait!" she called out to her cat, who was standing between two male legs before being picked up.

Dakota swiftly removed the star from the boy's grasp. "I am sorry, she just freaked out and fled. really, I'm so sorry." The boy was perplexed as to what she was talking about, given that there was a deer in the windshield."No, no, it is fine." Dakota nodded and directed her gaze to the two girls being consoled by another boy. "It looks so scared," said a tall, dark-haired girl. "No, terrified." The boy next to her spoke while touching the deer's head. Dakota was too shocked to consider how he would know, and he was too preoccupied with looking at the deer.

                                                                 ---------------------------------

They finally arrived at the new house, which she inspected, noting two garages, warm lighting, and a beautiful linen design; the roof was darker but still linen, and every corner of the house was decorated with white pillars. In her eyes, this was the ideal home.

They entered the garage, which was jam-packed with boxes and suitcases. Her dad turned off the ignition and turned his gaze toward his daughter. "Are you sure you're okay? with the whole deer thing happening?" "Yhea, just a little shocked, yknow?" Dakota spoke, looking around. "Okay, choose a room and start unpacking; I'll make some tea or something." Dakota nodded, exiting the car and grabbing as many boxes and bags as she could with her name on them, leaving the garage with her cat in tow.