When Evelyn returned back home, her phone still rang. There was no point in lying and saying her phone had died when Camilo had already told her father that she was at their house. So she answered and placed it on speaker. "Hey dad. I was just over at Amelia's real quick!" Evelyn chirped, innocence in her tone. "You scared me, Princess!" The man's voice ended in a gasp. "You can go over there all you want, but please remember to bring your phone with you. I don't want anything happening to my little angel." His voice echoed with concern. Evelyn nodded, though he couldn't tell. "Sorry dad, won't happen again. Love you." She spoke decisively. A little annoyed and a little guilty, Evelyn hung up.

She grabbed a mini cinnamon roll, and made her way to her room. The party was all she anticipated. It was going to be a momentous occasion. She laid on her bed, and licked the icing off her fingers. She felt something in her pocket, and reached down for it. Evelyn was surprised when she found it was the flashlight-knife Viktor had given her. Her eyes fluttered faintly, and she stared at it. What a rinky-dink gift. The handle was the same blue as the box had been, but shinier. "Well. Sweet effort, I guess." Evelyn muttered, and sat up. It was time to make party plans.

Her father came home much later than expected. He showered before ever going to see Evelyn. "Knock knock." The man poked his head into his daughter's room, and smiled faintly at her. Evelyn was hunched over her desk, and she lifted her head to the vanity mirror. In the reflection, her eyes met those of her father. She smiled. "Hey dad. Did you get streamers? I'm thinking we should twist a few of them together and make some sort of swirly design over the doorways." Evelyn stood with her sketches in hand.

Cody patiently smiled, and reviewed them. "Really good idea, Princess. But," He kissed her forehead. But she knew that look, knew that haphazard tone. Her eyes narrowed faintly. "Sorry, but I have to get to work. I got called in for an emergency surgery." The man flashed her an apologetic smile. He patted her head, and Evelyn pouted. "Dad, I thought we could have some time together and plan tonight."

"Sorry kiddo," The man stepped back into the hall. Evelyn crossed her arms, and sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Duty calls." She muttered, and closed the bedroom door. It was unfair to have her only parent always be on-call. But that was the life of an anesthesiologist. Sometimes he had to leave at three in the morning on a Sunday, but did that stop him? No.

Evelyn was really proud of her father, yes, but also disheartened every time he had to leave and just blew it off as something he had to do. He had another job, too. Especially now that Evelyn's mother wasn't around. Taking care of her. Being a good dad. Evelyn always considered him to be a great father, but she still wished he were around more often than he was. Oh well... sometimes she had to let bygones be bygones. He wouldn't be in the field of medicine for his entire life, probably.

That night, Evelyn lay on her back in bed. Amelia was probably already asleep, so there wasn't much point in texting her to avoid the loneliness that darkness made. Evelyn's eyes were just a bit droopy. She clicked her flashlight on, and off, hoping the repetitive sound would cause her to fall asleep. Something felt off tonight, though. Different. The light was so peaceful on and off. She had this strange urge to call Amelia anyway, just to ask how things were. Her fingers got in the way of the light every once in a while when it was flicked on, and she could see the blood coursing through the skin. Her eyes closed, and the light went off for the final time.

But not only for the flashlight. Someone nearby had released his last breath in a cry of terror, and would never awaken. Waking up the next morning would be a blessing that Evelyn had always taken for granted. Because somebody else never would.

(This is the end of Chapter 1!! This isn't one of my best stories. I really have better ones in the making, but this is perfect for Quotev if not the bookstore. So I'm excited to share it with you all! I hope you enjoy the mental gymnastics, and have a blessed day!)