The Lost Girl (Complete)

Chapter Three - The First Link

Wishing that it wasn't school holidays, Celestia trudged depressingly into Bob's Diner, her mind a cyclone of disappointment.

It had been nearly two weeks since the discovery of the journal and she still wasn't any closer to discovering where Mr Lee lived. She had checked the internet to see if there was an address listed under his name in the Charleston area but so far, nothing.

She was almost ready to give up and wait for the next school year to start, something that might prove difficult since more pressing problems had arisen since the death of her mother.

Pushing open the door, her heart lifting at the tinkle of the bell, she glanced around the area and smiled as she spotted the only man who had ever been a constant in her life.

Uncle, as he preferred to be called, had been around long before she had, playing the jolly diner owner although he was essentially retired. She still remembered the day four years ago – it was her fourteenth birthday and instead of celebrating like any normal teenager, she had arrived home from school to discover her mother amidst a pile of naked male limbs on the living room floor. Celestia had been horrified, shocked and heartbroken that there wasn't going to be the promised night of movies and birthday cake as her mother had mentioned only the night before.

Used to wandering the streets alone, she slammed the front door and ran towards a place that she had never before dared to tread.

Apparently an old church, the diner had always seemed warm and bustling but Celestia's need to avoid people who might ask questions and her general lack of money had meant that wandering in might cause suspicion.

But, that night, she hadn't cared. She just wanted to see a smiling face. Maybe spend a little time watching normal families.

She had wedged herself into a corner booth with the bottle of water she'd still had left from school, trying to not wince under all of the scrutiny.

"Well, hello there," A purposely gentle male voice had piped up from next to the table causing tears to well in her eyes. She was going to be kicked out.

Her hair had fallen forward to cover her face but as she realised that the person wasn't going away, she had sucked in a breath and peered upward to take in the bald head and greying goatee.

"I'm sorry," She had whispered, preparing to grab her school bag. Surely she could make the climb up to her bedroom window – she couldn't face another one of her mother's horrors.

"No need to be sorry," He soothed, his eyes soft. "Just wondered if you were wanting to order something and if your parents were joining you?"

Her lip quivering, she shook her head, "No, there's noone coming and I don't have any money. I didn't mean to cause trouble. I just wanted to sit for a little while."

Some kind of knowledge flashed in his eyes, "What's your name?"

Fingers trembling, she sat up straighter, "Celestia, sir."

"No 'sir's' around here," His head tilted, "Your last name?"

Celestia sighed, another thing that made her weird. "I don't have one. Apparently my mother didn't want me to share her own and I don't know my father."

He was nice enough not to let pity fill his expression, "Nothing wrong with that. Cher is a favourite of mine," He winked.

A smile threatened, "I should be going."

"It's starting to rain," He pointed out, waving at the window as her body jerked.

Just great! She hadn't thought she would need an umbrella and if she got soaked, her mother wouldn't let her use the dryer even though she would probably need to put the same slacks on the next day for school.