Alorah Reagen

"Dad? Are you in there?" I called out on the other side of the door. My feet unconsciously tapped on the wooden floor as I waited for his response. My nails scratch against my skin as I hear voices from downstairs. While up here...it's quiet.

Having my classmates over feels so nerve-wracking; I wonder how Dad will react. I mean, from our group chats itself...I don't think it's going to end well.

"Alorah? Come in!" Dad's voice broke my trail of thoughts, and I instinctively opened the door and closed it behind me.

Dad has his head down as he's working on a couple of documents with an intent look. I didn't know what to do, so I stood there, waiting for him to finish.

What's Dad working on? Should I tell him I brought guests over and then leave his study immediately?  I don't want to disturb him if he's working. If I say something, then he might get surprised and accidentally make a mark on the paper.

I tap my finger on my thigh while waiting for him to finish. My eyes roamed around his study, taking in the familiar sight. I got to say; Dad has a great sense of taste. The place feels cozy and formal at the same time.

"Sorry about that, sweetheart. I couldn't take my eyes away from the document for a second since I was almost done with it," I turned to face Dad, who placed his reading glasses down and slightly swiveled his chair to the side, facing me. I walked toward him and smiled.

"It's alright. I didn't want to say anything since I might scare you suddenly," I said before adding, "Oh, right! My classmates are downstairs with Mom right now."

He tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow at me, staring at me for a couple of seconds before opening his mouth and saying, "I heard noises coming from downstairs a while ago. Now, how many boys are in that group of yours?"

"Dad," I groaned. This was not the time to show your protective side.

"What? I am just a typical father who is worried but, at the same time, curious about his daughter's classmates," he shrugged before standing up. I took a few steps backward to give enough space between us and shook my head at him.

"You don't have anything to worry about. They are good people," I smiled. It's true. They are good, fun, and kind people. It felt like I was in a safe space whenever I was around them, just like Amelia and Layla were my havens.

"Well, I will trust you on that, but I'll make that judgment once I see them myself," Dad said, heading to the door. I let out a sigh, trailing behind him.

As we walked down the staircase, I was puzzled by how quiet the house was. The only sounds that can be heard are our footsteps.

I wonder what's going on in the dining room?

I waited for Dad to enter the room before trailing behind him. My ears perked up at the clicking sounds echoing in the room. My eyes landed on the four sitting on the ground with cushions under them.

They were so focused on their laptop that they didn't notice my dad's or my presence. I secretly glanced at Dad to see him heading to the kitchen, where Mom was.

I guess I'll go in the other direction. I thought to myself before taking a couple of steps toward them. Cameron glanced up from his laptop and noticed my presence.

"Hey! There you are. We were wondering if you went to- OMG. H-hi, Uncle Reagen," Cameron stuttered as he faced Dad. This caught the rest of the group's attention, as their heads immediately whipped up, and they began greeting my dad.

Dad didn't say anything and only took in their presence. As he stared at them, quietly analyzing them, I noticed they were starting to feel uncomfortable since it was a different greeting from Mom.

"Dad," I said, staring at him.

"Honey," Mom joined in. Dad shifted his attention to the both of us before returning to my classmates. A smile formed on his face before he let out a laugh.

"I'm just teasing you guys. I heard that you guys came to help my daughter with the packing. That's very kind of you, fellas," he said, pouring a glass of milk.

"We're glad to help your daughter, Uncle Reagen. Alorah is lovely, and we're lucky to have met her," Cynthia commented. I turned to face her and mouthed the word "thank you," and she smiled back.

"That's kind of you to say. I'm glad my daughter has such great classmates," I said as I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I glanced up to see that it was Dad, who was smiling brightly. "Alright. I won't bother you, kids, anymore. Go ahead and do your homework. You can let us or Alorah know."

With that, Dad left the room with his cup of milk while Mom was shuffling in the kitchen, possibly preparing for tonight's dinner. I sat in a space beside Emma, who was staring intently at her screen. I secretly peeked at it to find her working on a new design for our bazaar.

"Emma, the design looks amazing! What is it for?" I asked. Her body flinched, and she immediately turned to face me, eyes so wide that they might have reached the ceiling.

"Oh, hahaha. It's nothing. I was just...bored and wanted to experiment with the logo a little," she said shyly. I glanced at the screen again and noticed the arrow slowly inching to the x button that would close the app.

"Don't!" I yelled unconsciously, my right hand shooting forward to stop Emma's hand on the mouse, "You don't have to close it down. It looks amazing! And you know what? We can print these out and place them on every package. Luckily, we haven't shipped out today's orders yet."

Both Emma and I were having a staring contest. One had eyes pleading with me to let the topic go and quiet down before the others would be curious about what was happening, while the other encouraged her to show it to our classmates. Letting her know that she can place this artistic creation of hers on the table and she will be showered with compliments.

I didn't want her to hide her talent because I wanted her to be proud of herself.

"Hmm... Alorah's right. This design is perfect on our packaging," Our eyes widened, and we whipped our heads to the side to see Julian, his fingers touching his chin as he hunched forward to get a better look at the graphic.

"You scared us!" Emma exclaimed, scooting forward to distance herself from him.

Julian lowered himself until he was sitting on the ground in an Indian position, his arms crossing over his chest as he stared at Emma's work. The rest of the members followed as they got up from their seats to peek at the design.

"I love it. We could buy those kinds of paper similar to stickers and print them out," Cynthia suggested, making a smile form on my face.

"We already have that. I can get a few in my dad's study room," I responded excitedly.

While discussing the logo, I saw Emma smiling sweetly as she glanced at us. The sight made me feel warm and happy, knowing she was happy.