Convergence - The Last Science #2.2 - Heroes and Villains

B2: Chapter 23 - Like Father, Like Daughter - III

  The smell of bacon wafted through the room. Natalie's eyes snapped open. Bacon. I like bacon. But why is there bacon today?

  Oh. Right.

  She got up and pulled on some socks, sliding across the wood floor to the door and pulling it open in one easy motion. She still had some momentum, and plowed right into the man on the other side, who had just been about to open it.

  "...Breakfast is ready," he announced, as Natalie bounced off and nearly fell over.

  "Pancakes?" she asked excitedly.

  "Yes."

  Natalie skipped right past her father and down the hall, where a plate and syrup were waiting. The pancake even had a little smiley face drawn in it from the batter, just like she always loved, and the bacon was just the right balance of crispy and soft.

  "Thank you," she said through a mouthful as he sat down next to her at their little table. It was barely big enough for just the two of them, but she didn't mind.

  "Anytime," he said, reaching up to dab off a bit of syrup with a napkin. Natalie took it out of his hand and did it herself, rolling her eyes.

  "Did my new book come yet?" she asked, remembering to clear her mouth this time.

  "It should be here by now. I'll stop by the post office after breakfast, okay?"

  "Okay."

  "What book did you get this time?"

  Natalie shook her head. "It's a secret."

  He laughed. "What's on the agenda for today, turtle? Heading out to Castle Hendricks?"

  She rolled her eyes. "Stop calling me that."

  "Not in a million years."

  "Can I call you giraffe?"

  "I wish I was that tall." He leaned over and ruffled her hair. Sometimes that annoyed her, but right now she didn't mind. "I made you a lunch. It's on the counter in your bag."

  "Peanut butter and jelly?"

  "I think you'll be surprised." He smiled cryptically. "Finish your pancakes."

  As soon as her dad left for the day, Natalie grabbed the lunchbox off the counter. She wasn't about to head out to her fort without knowing what was inside. Sure enough, there was a peanut butter and jelly, as she'd expected, but underneath in the little pocket were a few packed up chocolates, along with a note.

  The Birthday Fairy is coming. Leave her a wish and she'll make sure it gets to you. But don't wait too long!

  Natalie rolled her eyes again, but she smiled anyway. Her dad hadn't forgotten her eleventh birthday. He never did, even when she really hated him. She gathered up her jacket and her best shoes and set off for the day, through the backyard and onto the little path that lead into the forest.

  She knew there was no such thing as a birthday fairy. Her dad was just being silly. But still, he'd always gotten her exactly what she wanted for her birthday. One year it was a bike and lessons on riding it, another was a particular book she'd been wanting to read for years (she really wasted her wish that year...). The best, of course, was the fort she'd wished for on her tenth birthday. Her dad always came through.

  The fort came into view—a sort of half-treehouse, half lean-to built into a massive old oak that had tumbled over long ago. The lumberjacks had rejected it for one reason or another, so it had been left to settle into the ground, where it continued to grow in a strange sideways pattern. The main arch formed the second floor of her fort, while the entrance and the first floor filled the space underneath. Her dad spent a whole week designing it with her, and another week building it. Natalie even got to help, learning all about hammering in nails, staining and finishing wood, tools, what designs would work and what wouldn't.