The right way to come back down
When Daphne woke up this morning and found out about the changes to the island, she wondered if it was somehow in league with the Kennishes. She'd only been joking when she'd mentioned Kathryn hiring a Ferris Wheel for her birthday party to Emmett, the day that she'd arrived here, and yet here one was, just in time for the actual date of her birthday. She'd considered herself to be sixteen for a few months now, since she'd arrived here two days before her birthday, but it didn't seem right to let the actual date pass without even a thought. Clearly the island agreed.
She'd already been out to investigate some of the rides and booths, and had even indulged in a chocolate-dipped banana and a lemonade from the food booths. It was kind of weird to have it all automated, with no one manning any of the booths, but it seemed to be okay, and plenty of people had already been taking advantage of the exciting attractions by the time she'd gotten out to explore.
But now she was back in the compound, having some real food: a salad and some mango fried rice, and a cup of tea. She took a sep and leaned forward to set the teacup on the nearby table, when she noticed a package that had definitely not been there before. It was a present, wrapped in white paper with large, bright circles on it and a big blue bow, and the envelope tucked beneath the bow had her name in familiar handwriting.
She looked up and around the room, head whipping around frantically and heart pounding. Emmett? Was Emmett here? She didn't see him among the people currently using the rec room, but her heart refused to move out of her throat as she finished setting the teacup down and pulled the box into her lap.
The card was opened with only slightly shaking hands, and it took her a moment to read it, because she kept looking up, eyes darting around the room in the hope of seeing Emmett smiling at her from somewhere, watching as she opened her present. The front was pretty generic, 'Happy Birthday!' written in colorful, festive lettering and sparkly stars on a pink background. Inside Emmett had written 'As the great Charles Dane would say..."You will Deafinitely Be Afraid." Love Emmett'. Daphne stared at the words, looking like she might both laugh and cry at the same time. She carefully set the card aside and lifted the lid to find what she'd expected: A t-shirt, poster and DVD of Deafenstein. The laughter won out at that, though it was soft, restrained. Oh, Emmett. I miss you so much. She was smiling as she carefully unfolded the poster, having to set aside the box and stand up to take it all in, it was huge. And signed by Charles Dane himself, how had Emmett managed that? She wished he was here to ask. She wished he was here in general. The people on the island were all pretty nice to her, but she felt incomplete without her best friend. Even more than her mother, she missed Emmett. Through everything, he'd always been there for her, and she felt his absence suddenly like a ragged hole in her heart.
[Set to early afternoon. Not a bad time to meet her, old friends and new can find out about the cheesiness of Deafenstein from the birthday girl!]
She'd already been out to investigate some of the rides and booths, and had even indulged in a chocolate-dipped banana and a lemonade from the food booths. It was kind of weird to have it all automated, with no one manning any of the booths, but it seemed to be okay, and plenty of people had already been taking advantage of the exciting attractions by the time she'd gotten out to explore.
But now she was back in the compound, having some real food: a salad and some mango fried rice, and a cup of tea. She took a sep and leaned forward to set the teacup on the nearby table, when she noticed a package that had definitely not been there before. It was a present, wrapped in white paper with large, bright circles on it and a big blue bow, and the envelope tucked beneath the bow had her name in familiar handwriting.
She looked up and around the room, head whipping around frantically and heart pounding. Emmett? Was Emmett here? She didn't see him among the people currently using the rec room, but her heart refused to move out of her throat as she finished setting the teacup down and pulled the box into her lap.
The card was opened with only slightly shaking hands, and it took her a moment to read it, because she kept looking up, eyes darting around the room in the hope of seeing Emmett smiling at her from somewhere, watching as she opened her present. The front was pretty generic, 'Happy Birthday!' written in colorful, festive lettering and sparkly stars on a pink background. Inside Emmett had written 'As the great Charles Dane would say..."You will Deafinitely Be Afraid." Love Emmett'. Daphne stared at the words, looking like she might both laugh and cry at the same time. She carefully set the card aside and lifted the lid to find what she'd expected: A t-shirt, poster and DVD of Deafenstein. The laughter won out at that, though it was soft, restrained. Oh, Emmett. I miss you so much. She was smiling as she carefully unfolded the poster, having to set aside the box and stand up to take it all in, it was huge. And signed by Charles Dane himself, how had Emmett managed that? She wished he was here to ask. She wished he was here in general. The people on the island were all pretty nice to her, but she felt incomplete without her best friend. Even more than her mother, she missed Emmett. Through everything, he'd always been there for her, and she felt his absence suddenly like a ragged hole in her heart.
[Set to early afternoon. Not a bad time to meet her, old friends and new can find out about the cheesiness of Deafenstein from the birthday girl!]