Back at home, Evelyn was greeted by her father. "He accepted the invitation." She explained quietly, and hoisted her bag next to the couch. "Hello to you too, Princess." Cody's nickname for his daughter still sounded as sweet as honey spilling from his lips. "What's the matter?" He asked. He held a mug in hand, and smelled of freshly-ground coffee beans, and cake. "Nothing. You made a cake?" Evelyn asked, hands on waist. The girl ducked her head when she noticed the look her father gave her. "I know you better than that. And no, I bought a cake. Just taste-tested it a few times." Cody leaned on his hind leg. His eyes squinted at his daughter. His friendly, but strong oval face beamed with authority. The kind of authority that only a father can have. He loved his daughter, truly. He wanted to take care of her. No matter what happened from here on out

Again he addressed the teenager. "Tell me what happened. Was it the boy? Or did you and Amelia get into a fight?" The man asked. He had a tone of concern. He didn't want his young daughter to be manipulated by some idiot. He knew how teenage boys thought, as a man. Especially about young girls as beautiful and naïve as his daughter.

Evelyn tried to mix truth and falsehoods. It was the best she could do. The greatest lies were made almost entirely of truth. "Amelia and I got into a little tiff at lunch because she doesn't approve of Trevor. But you'll like him, dad. He's practically known around school for being awesome to parents." She explained with a reticent grin. She held her hands together by her waist. Eyes batting with innocence. Her father sighed quietly. "Alright. I'll believe you," He paused, a brow arched. "And I'll meet this boy of yours at the party." He replied softly, into his drink. The words bounced off the glass walls of his mug, and echoed through Evelyn's ears. Dread was even harder to swallow than embarrassment. She almost choked on the feeling.

It was a great distraction to instead set everything out for the party. The birthday cake was lemon cake, and on top in red and blue lettering, it said 'Happy Birthday Princess! ' with a little crown on the side. It was a lovely picture. The final birthday Evelyn would have before her life broke into shambles, and shredded to dust before her eyes.

Evelyn made her way to the kitchen to finish off the last of the miniature cinnamon rolls. Her father followed in suit. "Hey, Evelyn?" He asked his daughter, and leaned against the wall. The girl stayed facing the counter. Her father never called her by her real name. It was always just, 'Princess'. Ever since her mom died. That was a long time ago. "There's going to be some big changes soon. I want you to know that your father is always going to be here for you. Daddy loves his little girl." He explained quietly. That kind of talk scared Evelyn. She glanced back at him. Chilling spiders crawled down her spine, legs pricking at every nerve.

Her eyes locked onto those of her father. "What do you mean, big changes?" Evelyn asked, hesitant. She wasn't certain if she even wanted an answer. Cody glanced away, not willing to meet her eyes any longer. "I heard that somebody found Camilo. In the hospital." He focused on the girl's gaze again. His own stern look killed the joy that had begun to flourish, if but for a moment. "Before I left work, I heard the news. Patients talk. " He sighed through his nose, eyes transfixed on the ground below. "He was poisoned." The man explained in a mournful tone. "They discovered medullary suppression, collapse of his lungs, and cardiovascular failure." The anesthesiologist lifted his head, and cleared his throat. He knew what that meant. For him, and his daughter alike. His game of cat-and-mouse was coming to a close. The dogs would soon break through the door, and chase the cat up the tree. The one with the pretty jailbars.

Evelyn sighed, and stepped over to her father. Her arms extended in a hug, and she pressed her face against his sternum, where she was safe from the troubles of this world. There was no death, no poison, no pain or fear when Evelyn rested in the arms of her father.

(I shall begin, for a short while, updating every few days instead of every week! Hurray? Yay!! Love you all, have a blessed day, and thank you for your continued support! As a normal human myself, it means the world to me <3 )