As I Grow

Chapter 17: Everyone's Nightmare

I woke up the next morning to my siblings jumping on me. The twins were almost three now, and they were a real handful. "Pan! Pan! Panny! Wake up!" the twins yelled in unison at me.

"I am up," I mumbled into my pillow.

"Today is Trunks' birthday, Panny!" they yelled.

"And?" I asked, turning to face them.

"Bulma's throwing him a party! We need to make you pretty!" Jayden said, hugging me. Hayden nodded in agreement and then came for a hug.

"What time is this party?" I asked them, getting out of bed and stretching.

"It's at eight tonight," they said.

"Then I have time to relax. I don't have to get ready for another 13 hours!" I yelled, looking down at them.

"We know that silly," Hayden said. Jayden nodded in agreement.

"Well, let's worry about breakfast first," I said, picking them up.

"Hungry!" they yelled. We went downstairs into the kitchen with Mama and Papa. Breakfast was ready when we came in, so I put the twins in their chairs and sat down in mine.

"Pan? We are going shopping later," Mama said, giving me a plate of food.

"Do we have to?" I asked while stuffing my face full of food.

"Yes. I need a dress, and so do you," she said with a serious glare.

"Okay, okay," I said, looking away from her.

"Oh, and Gohan, you are going to watch Hayden," Mama said, turning to Papa.

"What about Jayden?" he asked.

"She's going with Pan and me," Mama said, smiling to Jayden. We finished breakfast in silence. No one was brave enough to talk back to Mama. She was strong and scary.

"Is it okay if I take Trunks out tonight after the party?" I asked my parents.

"As long as you're careful," Mama said.

"No." Papa's voice was stern, and it echoed through the kitchen. I looked at Papa, who was looking at me with anger in his eyes.

"Papa?" I asked, scared. I didn't like seeing Papa like this. The last time I saw this was when Papa fought with General Rildo.

"I forbid you to see Trunks until I see him first," Papa said, taking a sip of coffee.

"Okay, Papa," I said, getting up and walking out of the kitchen. I couldn't stand to see my father with rage in his eyes and talking about what I knew was going to end badly. I walked up to my room, and I laid down with my face in my pillow. I didn't want to deal with this. I was going to see Trunks later but that was all. I couldn't even celebrate his birthday with him.

"Panny?" Mama asked from the other side of my closed door.

"What?" I asked through my pillow.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"I guess," I told her. She came in and shut the door quietly behind her. I heard as her footsteps came to the bed and stopped. The bed shifted under her as she sat down next to me.

"You know your father is just making sure you stay safe and well taken care of," Mama said, rubbing my back.

"I know, but it's Trunks' birthday. I wanted to take him out to celebrate," I said, sitting up.

"I know. How about you get up and shower and get dressed, then we can go shopping? I'll even get you ice cream," Mama said, smiling and hugging me.

"Okay." She left my room, and I got up and grabbed some clean clothes. I headed for my bathroom, and I shut the door behind me. I took my pajamas off and started running the water for my shower. When it was at the perfect temperature, I slipped into it.

Half an hour later, I made my way back downstairs, dressed and ready to go. Mama grabbed the keys and Jayden. We all hugged and kissed Papa and Hayden goodbye. We loaded the car, and we started the three-hour drive for West City.

We made it to the store and made our way inside. We got Jayden's dress right away, and then we went to find something in the maternity stuff for Mama. We found her a blue dress that matched her eyes, and she decided to go with it. We made our way to find me a dress next.

We were looking around, and I found a few dresses I liked. Mama said I should go with a black one, so we looked at a lot of them. I wasn't fond of any of them. We checked the last rack of black. I personally think black isn't good on me, because of my eyes and hair. I liked color. We looked, and then I saw it. The perfect dress.

It was sleeveless and came about mid-thigh. I liked it. It was white, and it had roses around the bottom of it. I pointed it out, and Mama said she liked it too. We decided to go with this one, and I smiled all the way home. We arrived home around suppertime, and Mama made us something small, since there was going to be food at Trunks' party.

It was six when we all decided to get ready. Mama took Jayden and me in my room so we could change. Mama helped me curl my hair, which I cut to just past my shoulders. I helped Jayden into her red sun dress, and then we both helped Mama. When we finished, we went downstairs to meet up with Papa and Hayden.