The Girl With No Last Name (The Girl #1)

Set,

Chapter 5:
Set,

After breakfast, I sprint upstairs and spirit quick clothing. I wear a cute little brown velvet skirt that reaches my knees and a cream-colored short-sleeved shirt with the words 'dreams come true' on the front. Well, I certainly am a dream come true which was why I liked the shirt in the first place. Hey, I like expressing myself, even if no one will understand. I smile at the thought as I rake a brush through my hair and dash back down. While I had dressed quickly, dad was still sitting on the breakfast table with his infamous newspaper covering his face.
"Dad!" I whine. He lowers his newspaper a little, enough for me to see his face.
"Why haven't you dressed up yet?" I pout like the baby I am.
"You do realize that you were up there for no more than three minutes, right? I am not superman like some people," he chuckles at his own joke, and I couldn't help but laugh too. Not at his joke, – no, that was lame – but at the hysteria that erupted from his mouth.
"Okay, could you please go and dress up? I can't stand sitting still!"
"What does that even mean?" He chuckles at my convoluted sentence.
"You know what I mean," I purse my lips tightly to keep from laughing myself.
I play with a strand of my hair, twisting and twirling it as I wait for Ahmed to come back down. I stare at the living room, studying its details. We have a fair house. The sitting area consists of a comfy brown couch, an LCD screen mounted on the wall opposing it, a small wooden coffee table in between with a vase on top, and a stand-up lamp in the corner. It is quite simple really. The walls are a decent creamy shade with contrasting black floorboards. There are two lamps secured to the wall behind the couch which, if turned on, give off a faint radiant yellow glow.

The kitchen sits opposite to the sitting area. It's a modern one, complete with an eating island and all. We've never had any visitors in here since I came to live. I wonder what it would feel like to have it occupied with two or maybe three besties. To have it filled with our laughter and raucous joking and playing. The thoughts leave me spiraling in a whirlpool of happy, jocund, and a bit wistful peace and plaster a smile on my face.

"What are you staring at with that goofy smile of yours?" Ahmed pulls me out of my happy place. But when I remember, it is actually to go to another happy place. Target.
"You ready?"
"Yup." He pops the p. He's wearing a sky blue and black pinstriped shirt with a pair of jean shorts that reach 2 cm below his knee.
"Then let's go!" I jump in excitement. I absolutely adore shopping.
"You got the list?" Ahmed had printed my supplies list so we could actually cross stuff off.
"Yeah. Come on," we both get into his Elantra, me in the passenger's seat and him in the driver's. When we reach the store, I undo my seatbelt and jump up after him. It is a sunny day with quite a few clouds and a mild temperature. Good. We enter the mall after getting checked at the security checkpoint and head for the back-to-school department. The list is as follows:
1 backpack or book bag
1 package of 4 pencils
1 package of blue and black pens
2 red pens
3 highlighters
1 glue stick
1 ruler
1 rectangular eraser
1 sharpener
1 spiral notebook
1 ring binder
2 plastic files
3 plastic transparent book wrappers
2 boxes of Kleenex
1 bottle of hand sanitizer
1 package of colored pencils
1 package of oil pastel

1 fx-991ES Casio Calculator

1 pocket dictionary (Oxford or Merriam-Webster)

6 100-paper notebooks.

1 geometric set

We go around picking stuff up. It's too crowded here so when we reach our one to last supply, we part ways. I am to go get the book wrappers and dad would go stand in the never-ending queue so as to save us a place. Walking away, I spot the transparent wrappers and march towards them. I have to keep my eyes fixed on them because if I so much as glance anywhere else, I am sure I wouldn't find them in the crowds. It was too stuffed, and the constant buzz of the crowd with the suffocating body heat are particularly disconcerting. At long last, after a lot of weaving through crowds and vomit inducing stench I might add, I reach the wretched rack which holds the wrappers. I get what I want and turn back. I make my way to the cashiers at the back of the shop. When I reach them, I am shocked to see the queue stretches till the stationary aisles. All around the cashiers were bystanders standing still, who knows why. But then again, while on my short – but stinky –journey to the book wrappers, I didn't notice the advantage I had with my petite figure. Back to the matter at hand, I freeze.

Dad is nowhere to be seen.

Okay. Don't panic yet. It's crowded. He's probably right in front of me and I just can't see him. The issue was he isn't a very tall man. And I'm a young girl who can't see above people's backs.

I walk around to the cashier's other side, all the time looking right and left, hoping to spot him somewhere. I could feel my heart hammering in my chest as it never did before. I'm gonna find him. I will find him.

I keep searching left and right. I walk every aisle this place has, searching for him frantically. Sweat covers me from head to toe. My muscles clench with tension and a knot forms in the pit of my stomach. My heart thuds erratically. If I don't find him soon, what do I do? I go and stand beside the entrance door. Maybe if he doesn't find me, he'll come look for me here. Tears sting my eyes. I am in full panic mode now. I clench my teeth to keep the tears from spilling. I am considering all options now. I could go ask a random guy in the place to lend me his phone so I can dial my dad. But it was too noisy here for him to hear his phone. I could also go home, and try to contact him somehow. If only I could summon that lion, why didn't it show up anyway, isn't it supposed to save my butt? Hey, you there? My supposed perpetual savior? Nothing. But I am not in danger now am I?

Wait. I mentally smack my forehead. That's it. I need to contact him. I can talk to him telepathically. How could I be so stupid? So much for super IQ, I think bitterly.

Dad, where are you? I know you can't reply back. I'm lost. Waiting at the entrance door. I'll come to the cashier now. Raise your hand or make any sort of commotion. I'm there now.

And I am. I search left and right, scour every face I could see, when I hear a voice that right now teleports me right into heaven, figuratively speaking of course. The amount of relief that washes over me was unequivocally huge. I felt like I was standing in front of a fire after freezing in snow.
"Charlie?" He had shouted. All it takes is just hearing his voice for me to estimate how strong our bond, our friendship, our love, has grown. I truly recognize how much dad means to me. How I wouldn't bear it if he were to die or if anything were to happen to him. I run into his arms as soon as my fall on him. The tears that had spilled over unnoticed contort into all out sobs. I am sobbing uncontrollably, possibly ruining his shirt with salt water. But at that moment, I couldn't care less; for I am home and I don't plan to leave anytime soon.

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A/N
Okay, this chapter is dedicated to for her great support and because she is the first non-relative nor friend to tell me that my story was great. Thank you Beth!