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Chapter 3 – A Father's Wish

Serena chuckled as she made her way from the train to the bus. She had her uncle's address written down, and she checked it for the eighth time. Here she was, making her way to her favorite uncle and excited for the first time in months. Once she graduated high school, she knew she needed to get away a bit and get a job. That decision was made for her about a week after the breakup when Darien showed up at the Arcade with a pretty woman about his age smiling and laughing on his arm. She never even made it into the Arcade that day. She decided she would much rather study at the park.

There hadn't been a youma attack in a month, and Serena was increasingly convinced by Raye that she was lazy, always late, and useless. So, one day, she went to her father and told him her idea. She would get out of the city, stay with her Uncle and get a job there. She would get to be more independent with the safety net of family. He was thrilled that she had a plan and jumped on the idea, helping her make it happen.

So here she was, standing outside her uncle's door and knocking. The welcome she received from him was everything she could hope it would be, and she was whisked into the house. Before she knew it, he was showing her the room that would be hers. She adored it and went about putting her things away.

He left her to settle in. She put her clothes in the drawer and in the closet. She tucked the picture of her and Darien under the socks in her sock drawer. She placed her memory box of the things they did together in the closet tucked back behind her shoes. She then pulled out the four stones and placed them on her dresser. No one knew what they meant here, so she didn't worry about laying them out. She then put her toiletries and makeup in the bathroom and finally tucked her luggage under her large bed. She smiled when she was finished, pleased with how efficient she was.

Making her way downstairs, she smelled dinner and rushed down the final steps into the dining room. There, her uncle was just setting dinner on the table.

"Perfect timing, dear niece."

"This smells delicious! You didn't have to go to all this trouble for me! Although, I won't say no to eating it all."

"It's no trouble to welcome you to my home. Especially my favorite niece."

"I'm your only niece."

"See? You're my favorite and technically my least favorite." He chuckled.

"I will just stick with being your favorite." She laughed and hugged him.

They ate, chatted about her trip there, her plans and how high school had gone. She asked about his work, and he gave her vague answers. To her, it seemed to be the answer of a man who didn't want her to realize he had a boring job. So, the topic moved on. After their meal, they had a fabulous dessert, and then they cleaned up together.

As they put the last dish away, he announced, "I have found a job for you if you want it. You can start as soon as you would like."

"My father will be thrilled to hear that!"