Preparing for the show

As Lia trudged up the stairs to the second floor, she thought out loud, "I hope Dad cares to invite a few kids of my age this time. Most of the time that he conducts gatherings, his business partners and other such people come to plead for collaborations, and any time they bring their sons or daughters, they end up arranging their marriage to strengthen their alliances. Even though it will be my birthday, the majority of the people will be middle-aged businessmen." Lia disliked such hypocrisy in the society.

She had reached her stylist's room. Lia knocked on the door three times and then opened it. Rosa was sitting on her revolving chair, with a fashion magazine open on her lap. Seeing the visitor, she smiled and stood up.

Lia approached her and said, "Hi Rosa! Dad said he is hosting a party tomorrow, so he sent me to see what preparations you have made for my outfit."

"Oh, yes... I was thinking of something, a bit modest, but styled in East-Asian design. Kind of like a 'hanfu'. I have arranged for two colours, one magenta and one light purple. There was one for royal green, but I decided to save it for your 15th birthday. You will look too mature to others if you wear that tomorrow." Rosa said, showing her the designs from her notebook.

"I'll take the light purple, I like it's cut."

Rosa smiled and said eagerly, "Excellent choice! I am sure it will look fabulous on you."

Lia nodded, and started to look at the hairstyle which had been arranged. After 10 minutes, Lia went back to her room to attend her online Spanish class. She noticed, as she shut her laptop 2 hours later, that the rain had stopped and that the sun had began to set. She quickly went up to the rooftop balcony to witness it.

That night, Lia faced trouble sleeping. It was not because of her excitement for tomorrow, but the fact that she kept feeling that something was calling out to her, again. These signals had become more frequent over time. However, that night, she felt frustrated, because every time she sat up and tried to voluntarily listen for it, she couldn't hear anything. "Why is this happening?" she asked herself, distressed. It was like a phantom, disappearing just when she became alert, confusing her.

After a sleepless night, she woke up to a grand breakfast laid out just beside the bed, and her father sitting on the foot of the bed.

"Happy birthday princess! Congratulations!", he said with a big smile. "We made you a special breakfast for you, your favorite pancakes and raspberry and cream. Finish it quickly, and then I will drive you to Megapark for as many joyrides as you want!"

"Thank you so much Dad", Lia said rubbing her eyes. "The food looks so good!"

"Darling...", Mr. Cliff said, concern slowly spreading on his face. "Didn't you get any sleep last night? You look a bit tired..."

Lia gave a small smile, "It's nothing much, probably because I haven't washed my face yet, I'll go freshen up and meet you downstairs for breakfast, okay?"

"Alright... take your time... I'll be downstairs.", saying this, he stood up and gave Lia a hug, and then left her room.

Lia had a lot of fun that day. She was taken to Megapark, which was one of the best amusement parks in that area and rode 4 exciting joyrides before returning home, where she enjoyed a hearty lunch along with ice-cream.

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