The Spirit Guardians Book 1: Enlightened

Chapter 24

A knock at the door startled Cassie awake in the morning. She sat upright in bed, exhausted from the night before. Elijah had cried two hours straight, most likely desiring his parents, who still had not returned. She rubbed her eyes, listening to the infant rustle in the crib.

"Who is it?" she murmured, desperately wanted to fall back asleep.

The door swung open. "Happy birthday!" came three shouts in unison.

Cassie paused for a moment, realizing it was August seventeenth. She was seventeen today! She glanced forward, finding Marc, Lillian, and Conny in the doorway with a plate of food.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was speechless. She'd been too busy to even remember her own birthday.

"You didn't have to do anything," Cassie admitted as they entered.

Lillian grinned and handed a large white plate to Cassie. "You deserve some breakfast in bed."

Cassie looked down, nearly drooling. The plate was stacked high with blueberry pancakes drizzled in syrup. A light mist of steam was rising off of them. Lillian set down a glass of orange juice beside her.

"Thank you!" Cassie exclaimed.

"I made them especially for you. Go ahead and eat up. I'll take Elijah from you and give him breakfast," Lillian told her.

"After breakfast, get showered and ready for the day. There's presents waiting outside," Marc added.

"You guys didn't have to—" But they all grinned and left her room, leaving Cassie to enjoy breakfast. She was blown away, and a bit giddy too. It felt nice to still have a birthday celebration in her new home.

Cassie's heart ached as she thought of her family. They would have done the same for her. Did they even know it was Cassie's birthday today? She suspected not.

Cassie sighed and took a bite of pancakes. She hummed in delight as the warm, sweet substance filled her mouth. She hungrily cut into the stack, taking a sip of juice.

The plate was soon a gooey mess as she finished, and her cup of juice lay drained on her nightstand. Patting her stomach in pleasure, Cassie stood up, choosing an outfit for the day. She decided on a blue sundress dotted with yellow flowers. It had been one of the new outfits she'd bought, though she never wore it, usually resorting to her shorts and t-shirts for summer outfits.

Cassie hopped into the shower next, surprised to find the water a little warmer than usual. Though maybe her mind was playing tricks on her and it was as cold as it normally was.

Afterwards, she dried her hair and put her outfit on for the day, the dress fitting perfectly. Cassie got a good look at herself in the mirror. She'd changed these past few months. Her hair was longer, her body was a little leaner, but overall, she looked older. She felt she had matured.

Cassie stepped outside, finding the others waiting for her in the kitchen.

"How was breakfast?" Lillian asked.

"Really good! Thank you again. I really wasn't expecting anything," Cassie admitted.

"Gifts are here," Conny explained, pointing to four wrapped gifts on the kitchen table.

"Four?" Cassie wondered.

"Cherie dropped off a gift last night," Lillian explained. "She's coming over this evening for your party."

"Party?"

"Life here isn't that dull," Marc teased.

Cassie nodded and glanced at her presents. The others were encouraging her to go on and open them up. She grabbed the first gift from Conny. It was a perfect square, coated with green and white wrapping paper and completed with a red bow. She dug her nails into the paper, tearing it apart.