his gentle hand rub my back as I cried.
"There, there, Jade." His words were point-blank, but they were perfect. Whether he knew that or not, I'd never know, but I didn't crave the typical, ‘What's wrong? Why are you crying? I'm sure your family loves you,’ speech.
They were dead. It was all because of who I was, and the power bestowed upon me.
No one could confirm that they could see me from where they were. No one could say they were watching me at this very moment or had seen my struggle in the last year.
No one could give me the affirmation that my family could forgive me. Not a single person.
"I wish it had a candle," I whispered, remembering how amazing the candles on my birthday cake looked. "It's not my birthday, though."
"Do you remember when your birthday is?" Alaric asked.
"No..." I trailed off. "It's on my documents, but I...marked it up with a black marker." There was no point in lying.
Seeing my birthday merely reminded me of my existence and that I was too young to do anything.
I erased it from my memories, not wanting to remember the dreadful day.
If I were older and stronger, I could have changed the path I was walking and hurt the people trying to take me for their own benefit.
"Hm. That won't do then."
I looked at Alaric, noticing how he fixed his glasses and looked at me with a soothing smile.
With a snap of his finger, a single stick appeared in the middle of my cake. I stared at it, knowing for sure it wasn't a candle because it was far too thin.
"Today is June first, 2504," he announced.
"June...first." Had I really lost track of the months when living on the streets?
With how cold it was, I’d assumed we were already in fall or even early winter, but our weather was unpredictable due to global warming and magic influencing the seasons.
With his reassuring nod, I watched as he snapped his fingers. The single stick lit up and sparkled brightly like a dandelion on fire. It was stunning, and something I'd never seen before.
He cleared his throat and sang. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Jade. Happy birthday to you." His voice was deep, reminding me of the jazz and blues music the library played during the evenings.
The song was in tune, and the emotion suffusing every word had tears rolling down my flushed cheeks.
His smile widened, and he gently patted my head. "June first is the day I found you. Therefore, we'll make it your birthday to remind you of how strong you were to survive the streets on your own."
I didn't know what to say. No words could describe the multiple waves of emotions within me. The sadness that revealed itself through my tears.
The heartache of missing my family. The sheer happiness at finding one person who didn't want to kill me.
He cared. He actually cared about me.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I whispered, "Thank you...D...Dad."
The word was hard to say, and I waited for the backlash I'd receive for calling him that. But it never came.
He looked overjoyed by the title, and he gave me a light hug. "You're welcome, Jade. Remember, you are now my daughter and will remain in my protection for as long as you want."
Letting me go, he pointed to the cake. "You should eat it before the ice cream melts. They go well together."
I grinned and quickly nodded, picking up my spoon to start, but paused. Glancing at him, I asked, "Would you share with me?"
"You don't want the whole thing?" he inquired as he rose up to stand at his full height. I thought about it for a bit, wondering if my next response was unnatural, but I replied, "Sharing cake with loved ones always makes me feel happier. It also tastes better."
Avoiding his gaze, I took a tiny piece of the cake and a bit of the ice cream, plopping it into my mouth. The combination was heavenly with the perfect balance of chocolate, leaving me no choice but to have another bite.
I noticed the second spoon that dove into the other side of my cake. Looking up, I beamed at the sight of Alaric sitting down in the chair on my right, his spoon taking a bit of the cake and then the chocolate-drizzled vanilla ice cream.
He took it into his mouth and sighed. "You're right," he praised and glanced my way. "Cake is better with