Rule One - Eleanor
Celebrate when you can.
"Happy birthday, Eleanor," I said with a bright smile, straightening my posture as I looked at myself in the mirror. "Why, thank you, Milton. I'm glad you came to my party. Is that a present you have there?" I pinched my cheeks to give them some color and glanced down at the counter, picking up the lipstick I had saved from my last exploration above. Should I wear it to my party?
Yes.
I was officially a Young Lady, according to the rules here below. That was my title now that I was an adult. While there were still many things I wasn’t allowed to do, I was given permission to wear makeup now. I applied the bright red shade to my lips and grinned. Milton was going to just die when he saw me. I hurried to put on my dress and get going. Glancing at the clock on my bedside table, I realized that the party would start soon, which meant I could make a perfect entrance. I hoped Milton would be waiting for me there with all of our friends.
My heart raced as if I'd just seen a creepie all the way from the Young Ladies' floor to the recreation floor, four storiesdown. I rode the elevator in silence, even though I wasn't alone. I was never alone.
"Happy birthday, Eleanor."
I looked up at my protector, my guard, my D.A.D.D.Y.
"Thank you, Daddy," I said softly and looked back down at the floor. Daddy was strict and hadn't been enthused when I told him my friends were throwing me a party to celebrate my eighteenth birthday. This was a huge thing for us. I was an adult, but he didn't agree. To him, it was just another day.
"I have a gift for you."
"You do?" I blinked in surprise. My Daddy had only once given me a gift, and it certainly wasn't for a birthday.
"Do you remember when I was assigned to you, ten years ago today, Eleanor?" I nodded, and he continued, "Well, I wanted to celebrate that. It's been a very interesting ten years, wouldn't you say?" He chuckled. Daddy often joked that I had turned his hair gray from the stress of taking me to the world above so often. I was one of the best at finding things, which meant I got to go frequently. But it came at a cost. I had much less free time than my friends.
"Interesting is one word to describe it. Though it hasn't been fun." I pouted as we left the elevator and started down the cold, metal hallway toward the recreation hall.
"Did you expect things to be fun? We have a responsibility to mankind. We don't have time for fun," Daddy recited the speech he'd given me many times over, and I waved his words away.
"Not today, Daddy. Please, just let me have this one night. Let that be your present to me. One night without you watching over me."
His expression darkened. His forehead creased and his eyes turned serious. "That's my job."
"I know but take a day off. It'sjust a party. Go wherever all the other Daddies in your group go and let me have this one night."
"This is a boy-girl party, isn't it?"
I blushed furiously. "Daddy!"
"You know that Daddies-in-training aren't allowed to date the Young Ladies."
I rolled my eyes. Yes, everyone knew we were untouchable, even to DIT’s. I was reminded almost daily of the oath we all took so long ago. We reached the doors to the hall, where I could hear music, chatter, and laughter from the other side. I pushed him away gently, and he stepped back.
"Please, Daddy. One night. I just want to dance and eat cake and have punch with my friends. Tomorrow morning, I'll be ready to focus on saving mankind." I saluted him.
He rolled his gray eyes and finally relented.
"Fine. As there are no doubt Daddies-In-Training in there," he nodded to the door. "I know they'll keep you safe, even if you aren't assigned to them. Go, have fun, and I'll see you in the morning, bright and early."
I threw my arms around him. "Oh, thank you, Daddy!" I kissed his cheek and hurried inside, completely forgetting my troubles as my heart soared with joy.
"Happy birthday!" The entire room stopped and turned to me, shouting excitedly. I beamed and hurried over to my best friends, who waved wildly.
"This is amazing!" I gushed, taking in the decor. Pink and gold balloons hung from the ceiling like raindrops of different sizes. Streamers lined the tables and walls, and Franki Valli played from the radio. "I love this song!"
"I know," Pearl said, grinning. "We've had it on loop since the party started so you could enter to it."
"Oh!" I hugged my beautiful friend with hair the color of the dried grass in the above world — so yellow and bright.
"Your dress is gorgeous. Where did you get that color?"Olive, our palest friend, tugged on my white skirt. She wore a soft blue dress that matched her blue eyes.
