Page 23 of Daddy's Little Chaos Gremlin

“I don’t wanna get lost,” Zephyr said, pressing right against Daddy’s side and clinging there, so I did the same on his other side.

“That would be scary,” I remarked, almost stuffing my thumb in my mouth for a bit of comfort. Instead, I remembered the necklace Daddy had given me. It was made of silicone and looked like a lollypop, so I could suck it when we were out in public without drawing people’s attention.

The last time that happened I’d wrinkled my nose, pulled my thumb out of my mouth, and told them all to mind their own damned business. I’d gotten an extra chore for cursing, just a little one, wiping the counters after supper, but Daddy had been proud of the way I’d stood up for myself.

“They’ve got tons of games,” I told him. “And we get to win prizes, too.”

That held his attention while Daddy walked us there, the wind blowing in off the water keeping the day from being too warm. I hoped they still had snuggly hoodies in the sweatshop. I really, really wanted to help Zephyr pick one. As small as he was, he’d be cold when we traveled this winter, and we always traveled to the mountains, where Daddy had a cabin with a stone fireplace and sleds to play on.

I always went for the games with the tickets, like skee-ball, where I could throw the balls and listen to them clack and rattle into their holes. Balls went in, tickets went out, and there was always a reward for trying.

Zephyr played a few games of skee-ball with me and Daddy before turning away to study the claw machine with colorful octopus stuffies inside of it. A moment later he was back at Daddy’s side, peering up at him with hopeful eyes and a puppy dog expression. He’d soon learn that Daddy always came prepared. Moments later Zephyr returned to the claw machine and those octopus with a pocketful of tokens, while I went back to playing skee-ball until there was a pile of tickets beside my foot.

“I’m out of tokens, Daddy, but look what I got,” I said as I held them up.

“Good job,” Daddy replied, sliding an arm around me and turning so we could get Zephyr and turn in the tickets.

What I saw made me drop my tickets as I reached for my phone to snap off a couple photos of him with the tip of his tongue poking out of his mouth, a purple octopus clutched between the tines of the claw as he guided it to the drop slot. It was only after it had plunked safely into the slot that I realized it wasn’t the only stuffy he’d pulled out of the machine. Two others sat on the ledge of the machine beside his hand. One orange and one teal. I made sure to get a picture of his face when he stood with the purple one in his hands, clutching it to his chest.

“This one is mine,” he declared, before pointing to the other two. “And those are for you…and…and Daddy.”

Daddy’s arm tightened around me, and when I glanced up I saw the huge grin on his face right before he swept Zephyr into the hug.

“Now that is as wonderful a gift as my new octopus friend, who will have a place of honor on my desk,” Daddy declared before pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

I got one, too, then we picked my tickets up and took them to the prize counter, where I turned them in for buttons this time. I had enough that we each got to pick one. Daddy put his on his jacket. It had a dagger in the center and red letters readingTry Me, standing out against the black leather he wore. He helped Zephyr and I attach ours to the mini backpacks he’d gotten for us to carry. We’d found them in a little shop not far from the pier. The north pier. I kept forgetting that there was more than one.

I’d chosen a blue backpack with Stitch’s face on it, and Zephyr had chosen a plush purple monster with a creepy grin and scowling red eyes that terrified me a little. His button saidShine So Bright You Burn Their Eyes!And it was perfect for him.It was had a night sky for a background with rainbow-colored stars shimmering around sparkly words.

Mine simply saidCreate.But it was perfect, because that was all I ever wanted to do. Even here in this amazing place, with all the rides we still hadn’t gone on yet, my mind was alive with ideas I itched to get down on paper.

On our first trip here, I’d snuck away from the hotel and tried to go exploring without Daddy, but I hadn’t found anything fun until a group going to Blackpool Tower invited me to come along to see them dance. Before I’d run into them at the bus stop, I’d just been asking directions from the people I met. The problem was that I’d been asking for the pier but not being specific. Sosome folks had been sending me north while others had been sending me south, and all I’d done was weave back and forth several blocks from the water, and find my way to an industrial park and a Starbucks that wouldn’t take currency.

It had started drizzling, too, but not long after I’d gotten on the bus with them, and listened to them tell me about the dance competition they were involved in, the rain stopped, and the sun came back out. I’d spent hours sketching in the tower while I’d watched them dance, and more time drawing beside the ocean, until Daddy had blown up my phone with texts after he’d gotten back to the room and discovered me missing.

Texting backI’m not missing, I’m right here, and sending it along with a picture of the view I’d had of the ocean hadn’t been the best idea. I’d gotten my bottom paddled after Daddy had come down to the waterfront to escort me back to our room.

Ohh, the waterfront, we’d have to take Zephyr for a walk along the sand and some ice cream before we went back to the hotel. Tomorrow we were going exploring so I could take pictures, and I didn’t know if we’d make it back this way before we headed home.

But first, Valhalla and the carousel, we couldn’t forget that, or the free fall. Daddy had stopped looking pale, I was sure he could handle that one, as long as we made it the last one before we left the park.

I pointed the way as Zephyr chattered to his octopus, promising to keep a tight hold on him and keep him dry no matter what else we rode on. So not just a muse then, my kitten was creative, too. He could explore any medium he wanted once we got him home. Daddy and I hadn’t talked about it yet, but I didn’t want to go back to the apartment. I wanted to go home to my playroom andstudio, and I wanted Daddy to know that, before we got back on that plane.

If he said we were going back to that tiny place where we couldn’t even laugh without getting in trouble, I was just gonna have to be naughty again and remind how him how much trouble I could be. I know I promised to be good, and it didn’t feel good eventhinkingabout being a brat again so soon. My bottom gave a little twinge as I straddled a bright, silver horse, a reminder of the handprint-shaped welts I’d gotten a glimpse of when I’d stepped out of my shower.

There would be more of them if I acted up again, lots more and maybe even a stripe or two from Daddy’s belt, but it would be worth it to get back home where I could start working and playing with my baby brother.

Please just say yes,Daddy,I thought as my butt bounced on the seat and I winced at the ache that spread across it. While I might be willing to cause a bit of chaos to get what I wanted, I wasn’t looking forward to the consequences.

12

ZEPHYR

“Beach! Beach, beach, beach!!!”

I took off running the moment Daddy and Tristan let go of my hands. My feet sank in and the sand squished between my toes, but that just meant digging them in harder as I raced through the surf. Laughing, I launched into a series of backflips, flicking sand on my face each time my hands touched down.

Daddy had gotten us swim trunks at Paradise Beach, right before we’d gone on all the water rides. Now I understood why he hadn’t made us change back after we’d gotten drenched. I waded into the water, leaping and splashing it everywhere, losing track of how much time passed before Tristan joined me. I bet he was taking pictures. Having the freedom to be myself and enjoy something without feeling embarrassed about my enthusiasm was life altering. After so many years of being considered a pest, and so many others caught up in the whirlwind of life on the road, it felt downright amazing to kick my heels over my head and walk along the sand on my hands as the water lapped at them.

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