Lucy was walking intently toward her favorite brunch spot in Vancouver, The Twisted Fork. It was always packed, and because today was Saturday it'd be even worse but there was pretty much nothing better than birthday brunch. She opened the door and inhaled deeply, absorbing the scent of French toast and Croque Monsieurs with a smile on her face.

"Lucy!" Kel called, waving towards a crowded table with at least a dozen of her friends, "Over here!" she walked toward the table while a chorus of Happy Birthday nearly made her go deaf. She sat at the head of the table and a cheap plastic crown was placed on top of her head. It felt a little strange to enjoy her birthday this much, after all she'd had 356 of them, but her friends thought she was merely seventeen and she was surrounded by the people she loved getting ready to eat delicious food.

"Hey you guys! Thanks so much for coming, I was worried I'd have to fight the crowd and eat brunch by myself" she grinned again.

"Oh come on, these guys wouldn't pass up breakfast food for anything, let alone a measly crowd." Shanna joked at her, "not to mention you could convince anyone to jump off the edge of the earth if you wanted."

Lucy's grin got wider "Oh Shanna, green isn't your color. Besides you love me and you know it."

"I do," she quickly replied and kissed Lucy on the cheek.

As Lucy sat back in her chair the waitress, Jen, came towards her with a hot mug of coffee and a huge plate of crepes on her tray. "Happy Birthday Lucy!" she said, setting down the plate. "Specially-made Nutella and strawberry crepes with a hazelnut latte, just what you like" she winked.

"I have no idea how you remembered it was my birthday, but thank you!" Lucy stood to give Jen a hug.

"Well you're here at least once a week and you always tip well. You're easily everyone's favorite customer, it would be difficult for us to forget your birthday."

"I'm glad I was able to buy your love then"

"Don't you know it!" Jen laughed, "Just call me over if you want anything else, alright?"

Lucy saluted Jen as she walked to another table and turned back towards her other friends. Everyone was talking and laughing and having a great time and Lucy couldn't imagine a better start to her birthday.

After wolfing down four crepes and finishing her latte, Lucy was getting ready to pay the bill and head out when Taryn stood up. "I have an announcement!" she proclaimed, and though it was loud, the restaurant was so busy that only those at the table paid her any mind. "So tonight we will truly, properly celebrate. Lucy, if it's alright with you, we will all meet at your apartment. Kendall and I will provide the drinks and everyone else" she looked around the table sternly "will spoil the crap out of her, y'all hear me?" They all laughed and jokingly said 'yes ma'am' to placate her.

"In the meantime," Rory stood up now, "Shanna, Taryn, Kendall, and I are going to take you out and we're all going to be pampered. Massages, mani-pedis, shopping, the works"

Lucy held back happy tears and thanked them. The check came and when she tried to slip her card in the book was yanked out of her hands and Mimi placed her own card in.

Jen came back around to say goodbye with a few of the other waiters that knew her and they headed out together, still laughing and joking.

The rest of the day was spent in a similar state of joy. Rory, Shanna, Taryn, and Kendall really did pamper her before their group split up so Taryn and Kendall could go pick up booze. By the time the remaining three got back to the apartment they were severely weighed down with shopping bags yet still immensely relaxed from their hot stone massages. They changed and fixed up their makeup and soon enough Taryn and Kendall were walking through the door, the five reunited again. "We will manage to make a good dark and stormy tonight" she laughed while placing the bags from the LCBO and the market on the kitchen counter. They continued talking and cracking jokes while more and more people trickled in. Soon enough there were nearly thirty people in Lucy's one-bedroom apartment with music playing just a tad too loud, but her neighbors didn't seem to mind {they adored her too.} True to her word, Taryn made a wonderful dark and stormy. Eventually the party quieted down and the remaining nine or ten guests sat in front of Lucy's TV, eating poutine and drinking pretentious beer while watching old movies.

Most everyone had crashed by three or four in the morning, but Lucy was still up and still unbelievably happy. She untangled herself from the mass of arms and legs on top and around her, made sure everyone had pillows and blankets, and crept into her bedroom. She opened the drawer to her nightstand and pulled out a pen and her diary, a beautiful leather bound book covered in painted pink cherry blossoms. She pulled the comforter off her bed and went out onto her balcony, taking in the amazing view she had of the city. It was still pretty cold outside {after all it was the beginning of March} but with her fluffy down duvet and fuzzy socks she was warm enough.

March 2, 2016

Dear Reader,

I am so unbelievably happy right now. I feel like even though I still haven't found my father, this is where I'm supposed to be. I just wish there was a way I could know how to break the spell. I have eight more years before I basically reset, and while it seems like plenty of time, I know it's going to fly by so quickly. I have so many friends here, and I've figured out ways to be independent while technically a teenager. I have an apartment I love thanks to the deal I made with the landlord and I'm allowed to work more than I'm technically allowed thanks to child labor laws, but it's working out well for me. People used to say I could make anyone do what I wanted if they just looked into my eyes. I don't see how that could be true, but I do seem to be pretty persuasive I guess.

Anyways, I know my mom made the choices she did because she loves me Reader, but sometimes I really wish she would've just left well enough alone. Or that I would have. I know I talk about this every year, and I know if you ever do read these journals you're going to come up with one of a few possible conclusions. One, I am a completely crazy person who needs to be locked up. Two, YOU are a crazy person for thinking any of this is possible. Or three, the world is a much bigger, stranger place than you previously thought it could be. I really hope you come to conclusion three. I promise it's the right one. But back to my yearly conversation with you: I know that when I was thirteen I started pushing my mother for information about my father. I just had these crazy dreams about him and so few memories, I NEEDED to know more. But I guess I pushed too hard because then a few years later she made that deal with the witch {or the devil's sluts as my grandfather so lovingly called them} and now things are crazy and I am not a normal human. I feel like it's my own fault, reader. I pushed her for information. I made my bed and now I don't want to lay in it but {to be fair} I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS POSSIBLE.

It's been so many years, I'm losing hope I will ever find my father and so I made the decision to just be content with each new life I live and that has made my life so much better. I have friends and a home and I'm still SO UNBELIEVABLY HAPPY. I just feel like it's time for the cycle to end. It's time for me to age and become a normal human.

I'm rambling now. I know I am, but the sun is rising over the city and my thoughts are a jumble. Maybe all the rum isn't out of my system yet. Either way, Reader, thanks for staying with me all this time.

Yay for another year of this weird life.

Love Always,

Lucy

Lucy shut her diary and closed her eyes, allowing the sun to warm her face just a little bit in the still-frigid air. Tears sprang into her eyes once again, though they were a mix of sad and joyful. She loved this city and her friends and all she was blessed with, but this cyclical life was exhausting and she was ready to give up. While Lucy's definition of family was a lot looser than most people's and she had one now, she longed for the days when her mother was there for her and wanted to know what it felt like to receive a father's love.

She heard the door sliding open behind her and her eyes popped open, not expecting anyone to be awake yet.

"Jesus it's cold out here!" Taryn exclaimed while walking over to the outdoor couch with two cups of coffee in her hands. "Share your warmth with me s'il vous plait!"

Lucy opened up the comforter and the two snuggled in together, keeping their hands warm with the steaming cups, watching the sun glittering off the buildings surrounding them.

"Have you gone to sleep yet?" she asked.

"Nope."

"You're going to sleep like the dead tonight."

"Yup."

"Hey," Taryn made Lucy look at her, "what's up? Are you okay?"

Lucy sighed "Yeah, I'm wonderful. I've just been thinking a lot."

Taryn nodded her head and turned back towards the sun rise. "Yeah, me too actually."

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours" Lucy joked.

"Well, Paul and I broke up. I was waiting for it to happen honestly, but it's still not fun." Lucy opened her mouth to say the usual 'I'm sorry, what can I do' but Taryn continued before she had the chance, "Anyways, I was thinking, I have so much extra room in my apartment now, and it's weird that a seventeen year old girl lives alone anyways, so you should just move in with me."

Lucy lit up like a Christmas tree. "Well, I'll have to think about it," she started seriously, "I don't think two people who shed so much hair should live together" she finished, and they both laughed.

Everyone woke up gradually after that and soon they were headed out for brunch once again, but this time to recover instead of celebrate.

A/N: Hey everyone, I don't think I mentioned this last time but since these are just to relax and have fun, I'm not going to be doing any editing {I might do a quick read through but that's pretty much it.} I know that means these aren't going to be the most grammatically correct or anything but I hope you enjoy it either way. Please R&R!