Daisy's POV
My eyes shot open, and a smile spread across my lips as I stared up at the ceiling. Today was my day. I took a deep breath and bounced out of bed, my feet sliding into my bunny slippers. I was about to head for the door when I remembered—Moonie was still behind me. How could I leave him?
I turned, and there he was, lying right where I left him.
I scooped him up and grinned. "Guess what today is, Moonie," I said. He stared back at me with his button eyes, and I nodded.
"Yep, you got it right. Today I'm turning eight years old. I'm a big girl now. Can you believe it?"
Still holding Moonie like he was the world's fluffiest little prince, I made my way to the bathroom.
"You know what that means, Moonie?" I asked, meeting our reflection in the mirror. "It means no one can tell me to go to bed early. I'm practically a grown-up now. I could even…" I gasped dramatically, "…stay up past nine."
Moonie just stared.
"Don't look at me like that," I warned him. "I'm serious. Eight-year-olds are allowed to make important life decisions. Like… what to have for breakfast." I set him down on the sink counter and leaned in close. "I'm thinking pancakes. With sprinkles. And whipped cream. And maybe a little chocolate drizzle if I feel like it. Which I do."
I grabbed my pink toothbrush and squeezed way too much toothpaste onto it—because it was my birthday and nobody was going to tell me how much toothpaste to use.
"You know, Moonie," I said with my mouth full of foam, "when you turn eight, you have to be more mature. Like… you can't just throw tantrums for no reason. You have to have good reasons." I spit into the sink and rinsed. "But don't worry—I'll still throw them for ice cream."
He didn't argue. Smart bear.
I hopped into the shower, humming a song I made up on the spot. "It's my birthday, da-da-da-da, everybody loves me…" I even did a little twirl under the warm water—don't tell anyone, I almost slipped.
By the time I got out, my hair was wrapped in my unicorn towel, and Moonie was tucked under my arm again. Back in my room, I slipped into the birthday dress Nana bought me—pink with tiny white polka dots—and pulled on my glitter socks.
"Alright, Moonie," I said, striking a pose in the mirror. "We are ready to face our kingdom."
I opened my door.
And froze.
My mouth dropped open.
The whole hallway was lined with streamers and balloons, like a rainbow had exploded inside the house. I stepped forward slowly, my eyes darting everywhere. There were more maids than I'd ever seen before, all bustling around—carrying trays, fluffing decorations, tying ribbons.
Something was odd, though. The maids had all suddenly left a few days before Uncle Kier and Lily went away. When I asked Nana why, she just said they'd be back—never explaining why they'd left in the first place. See, that's one of the reasons I'm so happy I'm getting older. Now when I ask questions, people will have to tell me the full reason. Because I'm mature.
I smiled to myself.
One of the maids passed by and smiled at me. I didn't recognize her—maybe Uncle Kier had hired new workers just for me. Hehe.
"Good morning, Miss Daisy. Happy birthday."
I just stared, eyes huge. "Thank you," I managed, though inside I was thinking: Ohhh, this is gonna be good.
But then my excitement wobbled. My eyes kept flicking around, looking for Lily—only to remember she hadn't come back with Uncle Kier. And he still refused to say why.
"The birthday girl is out!"
A voice called from behind me, and I turned to see Cady and Mia standing a few feet away, smiling.
I rushed toward them. "Cady! Mia!" I wrapped my arms around them, and they hugged me back.
"When did you get here?" I asked once I pulled away.
"We came back yesterday," Mia said, twirling a strand of my hair around her finger.
I pouted, folding my arms. "I thought you weren't going to come back."
"Pfft," Cady scoffed. "Like we'd ever miss your birthday. Not for the world."
I grinned, my pout disappearing like magic. "Good. Because if you had missed it, Moonie and I were going to send you a very strongly worded letter. With glitter. And you know glitter never goes away."
Mia laughed, shaking her head, while Cady smirked like she'd expected nothing less.
Before I could start interrogating them about where they'd been, more voices floated down the hallway.
"Make way, make way for the birthday queen!" Katherine announced, striding toward me while holding the edge of her skirt like she was wearing a giant ball gown. Melody and Joy trailed behind her—Melody humming softly, Joy practically skipping.
"Happy birthday, Miss Daisy!" they all sang out at once.
I clutched Moonie to my chest dramatically. "I accept your greetings, loyal subjects."
Katherine gasped and dropped into a deep bow right in the middle of the hall. "Your Majesty, your humble servant has returned from a dangerous mission to fetch… the most perfect imaginary crown in all the land." She mimed placing it on my head.
Joy snorted so loudly she nearly dropped the basket she was holding, and Melody shook her head with a smile.
"Alright, enough theatrics," Cady cut in, stepping forward with her hands on her hips. "Come on, birthday girl. We've got a surprise for you in the living room."
"A surprise?" I tilted my head, narrowing my eyes. "Is it food? Because if it's not food, we might need to renegotiate."
"You'll see," Cady said with a wink.
The five of them fell into a little parade around me as we headed down the hallway. My eyes kept darting to the decorations—pink, gold, and white everywhere, with fresh flowers on every table. The smell of vanilla drifted from the kitchen, and my stomach gave an excited little growl.
Still… my brain kept noticing who wasn't here. No Lily. No Uncle Kier.
I hugged Moonie a little tighter and shook the thought away. This was my day.
When we reached the top of the grand staircase, I gasped so loudly Joy almost dropped the basket again.