Finally, the chapter you've all been waiting for.

*fingers-crossed I won't disappoint*

Sifting Through Cinder: Part Seven

Artemisia, Luna

Cinder lost Wolf and Cress in the showing. They got swallowed in the usual Artemisia crowd, being tossed around by people who probably don't notice them. She'll find them eventually. Cinder makes sure to keep her ground as she looks for the man of the hour. He couldn't be that hard to find since this was his night. Surely, everyone wanted to talk to him, herself included. As Cinder walks around, excusing herself from people and servers, she feels like she's walking in circles. Everyone looks the same with the fake smiles and obnoxious laughs as they pull out their chequebooks. Are they donating or purchasing a car? Investing in stocks? Cinder'll never know.

Compared to Commonwealth, Artemisia seemed like a commercial. Commonwealth was so simple, so mundane. She loved it. Come to think of it, Cinder isn't sure how she lived in Artemisia, especially in the upper class, without becoming one of them. She didn't see herself as materialistic because she isn't. Maybe she'll spend the rest of her life in Commonwealth… Whatever. She doesn't have to think about her future right now because she's putting together a piece from her past.

Cinder continues walking through the room, getting a good look at every face she passes, making sure she hasn't missed him on accident. How is this hard? This is his night and she knows who she's looking for. For a moment, she thought that she would stand out more given whom she resembles so well but, then again, nobody really paid attention. Maybe that's how she's adapted to Artemisia and actually missed her father after a few laps through this room.

Either way, Cinder's glad she's wearing her sneakers.

She takes a break off to the side, leaning against the wall. Maybe she should just bail. Maybe this was all a sign from the stars that she shouldn't have come here and that her father should just remain a mystery. The only reason she had to come was to finally open up emotionally about her mother and give Levana a break from seeing her face every time her death anniversary comes around.

Cinder looks up when she sees something distract her from her thoughts. She sees four small children running around the open space, next to one of the model cars. She thought that she, Wolf, and Cress were the youngest people in the room but she's now mistaken. Who brings their kids to this? They can't be that far apart in age and look alike enough to be siblings, maybe a set of them are twins. Cinder keeps her eye on them, watching them jump around and dive under the model car, ignoring the people around them. A smile forms on her face as she watches the people gasp, catching their glasses to make sure their drinks don't spill. Nobody complains and Cinder wonders why. She watches as a woman, whom she assumes to be the mother since she's apologizing to everyone while reassembling her kids without batting a lash. A common Artemisia woman.

But that's when Cinder sees him in a sharp suit and bright smile. He looks like every photo she's seen but with greying hair and lines on his face. She watches him walk over to the mother and holds his arms out to take the child currently in her arms. The father. When she catches a glimpse at all the faces, she can see the overt difference between the husband and his wife, only to notice the perfect mix in each child's face. Each little face had a different percentage of each parent. One looked more like the mom, another like dad, and then there were the perfect mixtures. At the end of the day, you could tell those kids belonged to those set of people.

Her father. Her half-siblings.

Cinder can't believe it. She's going to be sick.

He's a happily married man with four small children.

It's remarkable. It's beautiful. It's strange.

"Are you lost?"

Cinder's breath is almost taken away at the sight of her father standing right in front of her. When did he get here? Last she saw, he wasn't that far but preoccupied with his wife and kids. She must've been so distracted that she didn't notice this handsome stranger walking up to her. He probably saw a lost child but not his lost child. As if he was supposed to know that but still. Cinder knows it's human decency to check up on someone who looks like they're not okay, but it's too real that he's doing it like a father to his daughter.

Cinder finds it uncomfortable to be standing this close to a stranger who's the reason she's alive. The funnier part is that he doesn't know. She wants to laugh but that's not only inappropriate because she still can't breathe. No, man who's her father, she's not okay. She is lost. This moment is overwhelming because it's a lot to take in. It's surreal. The way people talk about fathers could almost make her happy not to have one … and by people, she means Scarlet.

"Are you lost?" He repeats.

Cinder finally returns to the moment and shakes her head, clearing her throat. "Uh, nope. Not at all."

"If you say so."

Cinder smiles nervously before nodding. "But thank you." She takes a breath and slides her hands into her back pocket. They feel clammy. "I love your cars."

One of his brows raise. "Really? You have a thing for cars?"

Cinder nods. "I'm a mechanic back home."

"Wow, that's remarkable for someone so young. Where is home?"

"Originally here but I moved to Commonwealth last year."

"Then I guess you're not lost at all. You know where you're going."

Cinder smiles and a small laugh escapes. "I guess I do."

Her father gives her a reassuring smile before turning over when someone calls him. He looks back at her for a second, almost as if he recognizes her. She looks like his former boss whom he got to know a little too well and is probably in his nightmares. Cinder can't help but think that there was a point during her mother's pregnancy where he definitely wondered if he was the father. He is! Cinder gives him a quick wave before turning on her heels and speed-walking away before he could find her.

Again, thank the stars for her sneakers. If she wore heels, she would've ditched them and just sprinted barefoot.

She ducks under arms that hoist drinks and serving trays, looking around frantically for her friends. Cinder turns around frantically. She should've said yes to being lost. It shouldn't be hard to find Wolf and Cress. They weren't dressed fancy.

Cinder sighs relieved when she finally sees them. She walks over to the orange display car where Cress and Wolf are sitting inside, playing with the controls as their photos are being taken on Cress's phone by a server. After Cinder jumped in a few of them, she gets Cress's phone back before getting in the backseat. Once she closes the door, Cress and Wolf turn around to face Cinder.

"So, we saw everything," Cress says. "Well, most of it. We wanted to eavesdrop but didn't want to ruin the moment. How did it go? What did you talk about?"

Cinder shrugs. " … nothing. He asked me if I was lost but I wasn't."

Cress says nothing, looking unamused by that non-climatic explanation. The whole buildup from coming here to a ticket-only event in nice clothes and to get a nothing. Cinder can't blame her for that reaction but that's what happened.

" … we came across the ocean for that?" Wolf asks.

"Shut your spades," Cinder responds. "It was awkward. What was I really supposed to say to him?"

"Nice car?" Cress suggests. "He does make nice cars."

"This is a sweet ride," Wolf adds.

"I did tell him that." Cinder looks around the interior, feeling the carpeting and the leather seats. It is a sweet ride. "I want to tinker around this car."

"Would it be bad to tell your dad that his unknown creation needs fixing?"

Cress laughs and Cinder looks up from her exploring. She looks offended for a second but joins in the laughter.

"Let's get out of here," Cinder says.

On instinct, Cress almost starts the car but stops when she remembers they're in a model car in the middle of a ballroom. Cress clears her throat before stepping out of the car, hoping Wolf and Cinder missed that but they didn't.

I might get some crap for this but let me explain. The books never confirmed who Cinder's father is because that wasn't important. I didn't want to give too many details on her father's description because I wanted to keep the mystery on who he really is. Cinder says that her biological father never played a major role in her life and, despite reading his file and seeing him in person, she still doesn't know who he is. Besides, Cinder says she keeps her Selene secret because she likes the enigma and I like it too.

And who knows, maybe I'll do something more with it or write a chapter in the spin-off.

Upon proofreading this chapter, I realized that tomorrow is Father's Day. The fact that this chapter is coming out at the same time is a pure and beautiful coincidence.