House of Memories
Felix woke up in his bed, still thinking about last night, and saw that time was 7 AM, and decided to take the day off work and just relax. He was wearing his ant pattern pajamas, when he saw his roommate, Halbert, a chubby, blue-eyed man, who was still in his green PJs, getting some leftover apple pie.
"Oh, morning, friend," he said with a German accent. "I thought you go to work at 7 as always."
"Morning, Halbert." Felix turned to face him. "Normally I do, but I'm just gonna take it easy today. I can't stop thinking about last night."
"Really?" Halbert asked. "What happened last night? Wasn't about the town again?"
"Didn't you hear? A huge sinkhole appeared just outside town." Felix explained. "Hilary and I got stuck down there, and then Jack saved us."
"Oh, right." He saw a piece of metal in Felix's pajama shirt pocket as he got himself some milk. "Did you find this robot from the hole?"
Felix looked confused for a moment, but then glanced at his pocket. "Oh, that's just a piece of metal I found. I didn't see any robot."
"Right," Halbert said as he took a bite of his pie. "I had this dream where I was a fat caterpillar, What did you dream about last night?"
Felix looked at him like he wasn't surprised. "I had one where I was an ant, and then there was a swarm of grasshoppers."
---------
Ivanna was in her shop, making the clothes when she saw one of her employees, Rose, a skinny woman with long slicked-back hair, and sapphire eyes enter. "Morning, Ms. Nagasaki."
"Ah, good morning, Rose." She greeted her with a smile. "How are you doing today?"
"Felt a bit tired, but well rested," Rosie said leaning on the counter. "I just had this weird dream last night of me as a spider, and being attacked by some grasshoppers, and in a circus. What happened in your dream last night?"
Ivanna looked surprised. "Sounds like quite a strange dream. Mine was about a bunch of superheroes."
Rose looked at her curiously. "Was Clark among them?"
"Actually, yes. He was there." Ivanna felt as if she had read her mind. "He asked me to patch his suit."
"Morning, Ivanna," Nadia said walking in the shop. "Hey, Rose, my bestie!"
"Hey, Nadia!" Rose greeted her, excitedly. "How are you?"
"We were just talking about our dreams." Rose explained. "I had a dream when I was a spider, and Ivanna was a superhero designer. What did you dream last night?" She asked.
"Wow. Those sound interesting." She looked amazed. "I had one where I was in some girl's mind and she had to eat broccoli. "
"Oh really?" Rose said. "Was that girl your young niece Riley?"
Nadia thought for a moment. "Actually, the dad in the dream did call her 'Riley'."
"And what did this man look like?" Ivanna asked.
"Well, he had dark brown hair, light skin, a mustache, and brown eyes." Nadia described.
"Well, who were the others in the mind?" Rose questioned, "Let me guess, your sister-in-law, Audrey, you're big brother, Frederick, that depressing college student, Mindy, and principal Lewis from the elementary school?"
Nadia was about to answer, but then stopped. "Actually, yes. You must be psychic."
"Guess I am," Rose said. "So we better get to work on the dresses for the customers."
"That's right, girls." Ivanna clapped her hands. "Time to get to work and open the shop."
-------
At the Pixfare hockey rink, the owners, Luke, a slender, fair-skinned man with dark brown hair and mustache, and brown eyes, and Jenny, a slender, fair-skinned woman with a long ponytailed brown hair, brown eyes, and red-framed glasses, were eating breakfast when Luke read the newspaper saying "Jack Becomes New Town Deputy" on the cover.
"Looks like this man got the job with the mayor's wife, huh, sweetie?"
"Yeah, I guess so." She noticed the paper's headline. "Although I'm not sure that Derek will be happy about this."
"What happened in your dream last night, honey?" Luke asked Jenny.
"It was about us moving to a new house with our daughter." She replied.
"You mean Audrey and Freddy's child, Riley?" He asked.
"Now that you mention it. She did look a lot like Riley."
"I know you wanted a child in all the years we've been married," Luke said sadly. "But we have to accept our job. After all, we see Riley in our rink some days and talk to her a lot, as if she's our own."
"Yeah, I have." She also looked a little sad, and then nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm glad that we get to see her a lot. Sometimes I even imagine that she's our child."
-------
Felix put on his blue polo shirt, black jeans, green loafers, and his glasses on. Halbert was in his yellow and green shirt, red pants, and some German shoes, and sat on the couch drinking green tea, and watching there old childhood movie "Robots" on the DVD player.
"Man, Rodney had his plan all figured out." Felix said as he sipped some tea. "I know." Halbert agreed. "That little bot of his was working perfectly."
"This movie was my inspirational becoming a psychologist." Felix recalled his memory when they were children "That Fender guy reminds me of when we used to prank on the old ladies lawn"
"Oh really? I didn't know that. Yeah, he is pretty funny. It's hard to imagine you as a prankster."
"Too bad. Like Rodney, I was already focused on my studies" Felix said. "Those pranks were funny when we were 5."
"I remember you always were a good student. Yeah, they were. Then we had to grow up."
"I have to admit," Felix said happily. "Hilary did say that our memories are 'cursed memories', but she's like Cappy, who was always a great skilled woman."
"I agree." Halbert nodded. "She's pretty brave and smart for a girl her age. What do you mean 'cursed memories'?"
"Well, she said that we're under a curse, and her father replaced our 'original memories' with fake ones." Felix explained.
"You believe that?" Halbert chuckled. "Sometimes kids have the wildest imaginations."
-------
At Ivana's Fashion Boutique, Natalie came in. "Buenos Dias, Señorita Nagasaki. Hola, Nadia, and hey Rose. I'm here!" Natalie sometimes snuck out to her favorite boutique shop to try on some dresses and any new clothing she could find and buy.
"Hi, Natalie!" Rose and Nadia both greeted her, excitedly.
"How are you doing today?" Ivanna asked.
"I'm just wondering if you can measure my size, and make the perfect outfit for me," Natalie said excitedly "Because I'm going to Michael's performance of the play Carmen!"
"Oh, I would love to!" Ivanna gave a wide smile. "That sounds like fun. Carmen's one of my favorites."
"We'll all go to the dressing room and get started," Nadia said as she helped Natalie to the dressing room along with Rose. "You get the measuring tape, Ms. Nagasaki," Rose said as she followed the two girls to the room.
Ivanna grabbed the measuring tape from her office and entered the dressing room. "Now just hold still." She instructed Natalie as she began to measure her and wrote down each size. Nadia got two pieces of silk. "So... which color you want to pick? Green or Red?"
Natalie looked at the two pieces, thinking. "Hmm, I like this red one."
"Sure thing, " Naida said. " Which shade of red you want? Indian Red or Crimson Red?"
This one was a tougher decision. "Let's see. I pick... the crimson."
"So what did you dream about last night?" Rose asked Natalie as she measured her legs.
"I was at this party where I was playing the violin, and Michael was singing and playing guitar," Natalie explained. "Our family was there too."
"Was your older brother, Albert, there too? What did he play?" Nadia questioned as she found the part for the tips.
"And what ghost did you see?" Rose asked as she measures Natalie's arms.
"Yes. He was playing the accordion. How did you know that?" Natalie looked at her confused. "Ghosts? I didn't see any ghosts." "I'm just guessing." Rose said. "I'm just joking."
"Well, in that case," Nadia said as she found three strings. "Which tip will you like your dress to be? Gold, Silver, or Bronze?"
"Oh." This one was an even tougher choice. They each looked pretty against the red. "Let's do silver."
"Great choice." Nadia said. "Now for the sleeves." said Rose as she picks the right color and shade of fabric. "Pagoda sleeve, Bracelet sleeve, or cap sleeve?"
"Hmm. I like the cap sleeves. That pagoda one looks too hot."
"Cap it is." Nadia said as she got to cloth. "Do you want the Pink or the Purple?"
"I want pink. It's one of my favorite colors." Natalie pointed to her color choice.
"Good." Naida said. "Which shade of pink would you like? Ruby Pink, Hot Pink, Rose Pink, or Magenta Pink?"
"Wow, so many choices. Um... I pick the rose pink."
"Great choice." Naida said happily as she got the clothes ready. "Alright gals, let's get started!" She announced.
"Finally." Natalie sighed, glad that she was done having to make hard choices.
1 hour later, the girls were adding the finishing touches on the dress.
"And add on tons of sparkly diamonds all over." Nadia announced as Rose added the tips on the sleeves and dress.
"Oh, no, that's ok. I don't need any diamonds." Natalie politely refused. "I don't want to distract anyone from the performance."
"We understand." Ivanna said finishing the V shape on the back of the dress with the silver tips. "We're almost done."
"Thanks for doing this, guys." Natalie smiled. "I sure hope my family will like it."
"Ok, it's done" Rose announced. "You can open your eyes in front of our big mirror now."
Natalie opened her eyes and gasped at seeing the dress. "Wow! It's beautiful! I love it!" "You can turn around to see the rest of the dress, Niña," Ivanna said as she put away her supplies and sewing machine.
Natalie turned around and did a little twirl. "You guys did a great job. It's perfect."
"Now, that'll be 32 American dollars or in Mexican 45 pesos," Nadia said as she reached out her hand.
"It's ok. My parents taught me about American money." Natalie reached into her purse and gave Ivanna the right amount of dollars.
"Gracias, Mija," Ivanna said as she put the dress in the big paper-thin green bag with the shop's logo on it "Have a nice day!"
"Thanks. You guys, too!" Natalie took the bag and left the shop.
After that, Evelyn arrived. "Hey gals. Just taking the day off work to check if the dress I requested was done already."
"Hi, Evelyn." Nadia and Rose both greeted.
"Ah, yes, Evelyn. I just finished your dress last week," added Ivanna.
"I'll find it," Nadia said she looked for the dress. "So what did you dream about last night, gal?" She questioned.
"I dreamt that I was a robot on a spaceship, with a bunch of other robots," Evelyn explained. "I don't know where that came from."
"And what happened in that dream?" Rose questioned.
"They were chasing me all over the ship. And I had this little plant in a shoe."
"And was Walter with you?" Rose said. Luckily it's a small town, so everyone knew each other.
"No, I don't think so. But there was this other robot with me. It had goggle eyes and a cube-shaped body." "Well, here's your dress," Nadia announced, holding Evelyn's requested dress. A medium-length sheath white dress, with light blue tips, and a black layer on the bottom. "The dress of your dreams."
Evelyn's face lit up and she smiled at seeing the dress. "Oh my goodness! It's beautiful! It turned out better than I thought it would."
"You're welcome." Nadia said "It'll be $12.99 please," she said as she reached her hand for the money.
Evelyn reached into her purse, pulled out her wallet, and handed Nadia the money.
"Thank you," Nadia said as she gave her the same bag with the dress. "Have a good day."
"You too. Bye." Evelyn took the bag and left the store.
-------
At Pixfare University, Mindy was reading 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part: 1' when she saw her roommate, Sam, a skinny, light brown-haired, dark-eyed men, coming in.
"Hey, roommate!"
"Hey." She greeted him, glancing up from her book.
"Just wanted to check you, plus our classes just closed and canceled due to an outrage today," Sam said as he sat on this bed. "It was also lucky because I had this weird dream of me as some stick insect in a circus!" He cheerfully said as he got his iPhone "What did you dream last night?"
"Really? What was the outrage about?" She wondered, putting her book down. "Wow. In mine, it was me and Audrey in a maze with some pink elephant creature."
"My gosh," he said. "What happened in your dream? What does that maze look like?" "We were trying to get to someplace called Headquarters." She explained. "It had shelves full of colored orbs."
"Jeez," Sam said. "Maybe a Twilight movie might get your mind off of that dream," he said as he had the Twilight: Eclipse DVD in his hands
"Well, that's why I'm reading this. But thanks anyway."
-----
Meanwhile, Felix and Halbert saw the clock read 11 AM and got some chicken subs for lunch when Patty and Danielle came to visit. "Hey, Felix!" Danielle waved her tiny hand.
"Hey, Dani!" Felix waved back. "Hi, Patty."
"We're just here for a visit," Patty said as she sat on the couch. "Your house looks wonderful."
"Thanks. You guys want to have lunch with us?" Felix offered.
"Sure thing," Patty said cheerfully.
"Yay, chicken sandwiches!" Danielle said, even at five years old, she had a love for anything that automatically became her favorite.
Felix went into the kitchen and cut his sandwich into thirds, giving a piece to both girls.
"So girls," Halbert said as he took a bite of his sub. "I had this dream where I was a fat caterpillar. What did you girls dream about last night?"
"Cool," Danielle replied. "I had a dream that I was an ant and these grasshoppers tried to catch me. It was scary."
"So what was in your dream, Patty?" Felix asked as he sipped his water.
"I was an ant, too. But I was part of what looked like a circus trick for an audience of grasshoppers."
"Interesting," Felix said as he ate the last of the sandwich. "Just a couple of weeks ago, Audrey had that same problem, but she was tiny and in someone's mind. I secretly think about Hilary's book and about us as characters from her book."
"Really?" Patty looked intrigued. "Seems like a lot of us are having strange dreams lately." "We never had dreams like these before Jack came to our town," Halbert said, eating his final half of the sandwich. "It's only been 3 weeks since then."
"Not only that," added Felix. "But also the clock tower started moving again the day after he decided to stay here."
"And people started aging too." Danielle chimed in. "Glad that clock is moving because I'm so excited for Hilary and Jack." She had an obsession with Hilary's story.
"Yeah, it's good that they like spending time together." Felix nodded, smiling. "Hilary does seem happier with him around."
------
Natalie saw her clock read 2 PM, and her calendar showing it was Wednesday, September 6th, and Michael's performance was on Friday the 8th at 5:30 PM. She was checking her list on her perfect outfit for his performance then heard a knock from her door then she quickly hid the list under the bed. "Come in."
Michael opened the door, holding his guitar in his other hand. "Hey, Natalie. Wanna play some music with me?"
"Sure thing," Natalie said she grabbed her violin, happily. "We'll ask Tia Angela, my brothers Albert, Jimmy, and Juan to play with us."
"Cool!" Michael smiled, excited. "It's even more fun when we all play together."
Albert, an overweight black-haired, brown-eyed man, was finishing his homework, and his father Diego, an obese brown-haired, brown-eyed man was reading the newspaper in the dining room, when Michael and Natalie came in.
"Hey, Albert, do you wanna play music with us?" Michael asked. "Sure thing, guys," Albert said, getting his accordion.
"I'll ask your Tío Henry and Tío Joaquin too join you with their trumpets."
"That'd be great, Papa." Natalie smiled. "Thanks."
-------
When Rose got home, it was only 2:14 PM. She changed out of her work uniform which was a red Polo shirt with a name tag and brown khaki pants. She was gonna get her phone when she saw a page sitting on her bed and decided to take a look. She picked up the page, which showed a picture of a group of bugs. Rose wondered where the page could've come from.
Rose then saw her spider like-self in her vanity mirror and then walked back to the walls.
"That was weird." She thought to herself. "How could a spider have gotten in here?"
----
Nadia put on her green T-Shirt and purple sports shorts when she stood in front of her mirror and saw her greenish self from her dreams.
She gasped in shock and backed away from the mirror. "Wow. Those dreams must be messing with my head."
-----
Michael, Natalie, and the rest of the family finished their 5-minute music performance.
"Bravo!" Edward said, clapping.
"That's amazing!" Lucy said happily.
Diego clapped in cheerfulness and did a grito.
"Love it!" Gabriella cheered and clapped with a cheerful smile. "What a great performance!" Angela, Henry, Joaquin, and the kids took a bow as their audience applauded.
"Well, you can put your instruments away." Maria said from the kitchen, cooking. "The lemon and Tajin Carne Asada lunch is almost done!" She announced. "Bring the drinks and napkins."
"Sounds great, Abuela." Natalie put away her violin.
"Yeah, I'm getting hungry." Added Michael.
------
Ivanna went home to check her identity identification before coming in. "Name?" A female computer said.
"Ivanna de Lafayette Nagasaki" she replied.
"Identification verified." The computer responded.
The door opened to reveal her beautiful indoor mansion, then when to the surveillance room.
"Check on Susan and Barry," she said.
Two of the screens showed images of both of the kids in their rooms. Susan was doing her homework on the Nazi era in Germany, and Barry was at his desk doing his homework on the muscle body from PE.
She pressed the button. "Ask the kids for some snacks" she requested.
"Barry, Susan, would you kids like some snacks? " the computer voice asked in both rooms.
"I'll have some cheese and crackers and some water" Susan said
"I'll have some red apple slices, baby carrots, and some milk" Barry
"Requests acknowledged." The computer responded and brought their orders to Ivanna.
Ivanna then put the request to the kitchen. The snacks were then prepared and sent up to the respective rooms.
"Thanks," both Susan and Barry said.
"You're welcome," Lucas replied and then headed back down to the kitchen.
------
Nadia was having some leftover chicken pizza for lunch when she saw a page sitting on her table. She picked it up and looked at it, curiously. There was a picture that showed the same characters she saw in her dream. Naida couldn't keep that dream of her tiny self out of her head. It was crazy to think that maybe in another life she was someone's emotion.
-------
The Hernandezes were having a great lunch and talking about their dreams. "...and this skinny skeleton man was with me at some concert with some other skeletons." Michael described. "Anyone else?" He asked as he ate a bite of the chicken.
"I dreamt I was a skeleton," Angela spoke up. "You, Henry, and Joaquin were there, too. We were in some kind of office and saw Ms. Cordwain beating up a computer."
"Awesome!" Michael said, drinking some water. "Natalie, what did you dream last night?" He asked.
"I had one where you, Albert and I were playing together with the whole family." She answered.
"Alright." Michael agreed. "Abuela?"
"I dreamt that you and I were at this large ofrenda," Maria explained. "and I was explaining the importance of family and putting up the photos."
"Well, it's about our ethnicity," Natalie said, drinking some coke. "I mean we don't have a large ofrenda."
"Papa?" Michael asked his father. "What happened in your dream?"
"Well, mine was more like a nightmare," Edward replied. "You ran away and we searched everywhere, but couldn't find you."
"That's horrible!" Angela said in shock.
"What happened in your dream, Mama?" Michael asked.
"The same thing happened in mine." Lucy started getting emotional. "I've never been so scared."
"Cálmese, Lucy, Cálmese." Edward tried to comfort his wife.
"Tío Henry, Tío Joaquin, did you have any dreams?" Natalie asked.
"Yes. We actually had the same dream--" Henry started.
"That we snuck into some big show," Joaquin continued. "with a bunch of Frida Kahlo look-alikes."
"My gosh!" Michael said shocked. "Albert? What was in your dream?"
"I was polishing shoes, and one of them got stuck in the ceiling." He explained. "Then it fell and hit me on the head."
"Ok," Michael said, taking the last bite of his lunch. "Tío Diego? What dream did you have?"
"I was in a plaza with Mama and Natalie. Then we found you with mariachi, and Mama got mad and him."
"I don't remember seeing any mariachi," Michael said, suspicious, putting away his plate. "It seems that everybody has had these strange dreams since Jack came to town."
"You know what, you're right." Angela thought about it. "There have been a few changes since he got here."
Natalie decided to go to Ms. Cordwain to try some shoes. "Bye guys." she trying to make up a lie and an excuse to get out of there. "Just going for a walk."
"Don't stay out too late, Mija." Diego warned her. "And be careful crossing the streets."
"I will, Papa" Natalie then left the house.
----
Ms. Cordwain was making some boots when she saw Natalie coming into the shop.
"Buenas Tardes, Señora Cordwain."
The older woman looked at her visitor in surprise. 'Rosa, Mija!' She wanted to say, but didn't. "Buenas Tardes, Natalie. How can I help you?" "I just wanted you to help me measure and design the shoes for Michael's performance of Carmen at school this Friday." Natalie said.
"Why, I'd be happy to. Come, have a seat." Ms. Cordwain gestured to the stool and then grabbed her measuring tape.
"I had this weird dream last night about me, Michael, and my brother, Albert playing with our family," Natalie said. "What happened in your dream last night?" she questioned.
"That sounds nice." Ms. Cordwain began to measure the girl's foot. "I dreamt that I was flying through a city on a colorful jaguar." She explained, keeping her cover.
"Oh, so cool," Natalie said. "You were a skeleton in a purple dress and black high heel boots," she said.
"Actually, yes." She looked at her, surprised. "How did you know that?"
"Just guessing," Natalie said.
Ms. Cordwain was finding the right type of shoes to design "Which shoes do you want? Flats, Sandals, Wedges, Mules, or Court shoes?"
"I think I'll go with flats. They're more comfortable." Natalie chose.
"Great choice." Ms. Cordwain said as she was finding some construction paper and fabric for the shoes. "Which type of flats do you like? Ballet flats, Moccasins, work flats, or nude flats?"
"Hmm," Natalie tried to decide. "I pick the ballet flats."
"Good idea." Ms. Cordwain said. "Do you want with ankle straps or no straps?"
"Let's go without the straps." "Alright then," Ms. Cordwain said as she was finding some texture. "Do you want the texture to be Leather, Cotton, Rubber, or Foam?"
"I think leather would be best."
"Sure thing," Cordwain said happily as she was finding leather "Which one? Patent leather, Shell cordovan, Calfskin, or Kangaroo leather?"
"Wow, so many choices." Natalie didn't really know much about the type of leather. "Uh, I'm not sure. Whichever material is the best one."
"Patent Leather it is," Cordwain said. "What color would you like? Black, pink, purple, or brown?"
"I choose the pink." Natalie decided. "That'll go with my red dress."
"Sure thing," Cordwain said happily. "Where did you get that red dress? And do you want a bow on your shoes or not?"
"Oh, I got it from Ivana's Fashion Boutique," Natalie replied. "Nah, I think they're fine without bows."
"Alright. Let's get started."
"Awesome!" Natalie smiled. "I know my family's gonna love my new shoes."
6 minutes later, Ms. Cordwain was making the finishing touches on the shoes when Michael came in.
"So this is where you snuck out to?" He said.
Both women turned and gasped at seeing the boy.
"Michael! How did you find me?" Natalie asked. "I just came here for my shoes," Michael explained. "But then I followed my Xolo dog, Manolo." Beside him was a Xolo dog with his red collar and leash.
'Of course, that dog is here too.' Ms. Cordwain thought to herself. "What kind of shoes would you like, Michael?" "Um...my shoes?" Natalie said pointing to the half-finished shoes.
"I can sit here and wait," Michael said as he sat on the stool next to Natalie and Manolo sat on the floor.
"Yes, of course. I'm sorry." Ms. Cordwain went back to working on Natalie's shoes.
-1 Minute Later-
"...and Ta-Da!" Ms. Cordwain announced. "Take a look, Rosa- I mean Natalie," she said trying to cover up.
"Wow!" Natalie stood up in amazement. "They look so cool. Gracias."
"De nada." Ms. Cordwain excitedly said "Your turn, Michael, and Natalie That'll be $52."
Natalie reached into her purse and gave her the money.
Ms. Cordwain took the money then put the shoes in a brown shoebox with the shop's logo on the top. "Here your shoes, Mjia. Now go sit down while you wait for your Primo." she said. "Michael, your turn."
Natalie did as she was told and sat by Manolo. There was something about the woman that reminded Natalie of her Abuela, but she didn't know what.
Michael sat on the stool. "So which kinds of shoes do you like?" Ms. Cordwain questioned. "Loafers, Boots, Oxford shoes, Blüchers, or Brogue shoes?"
Michael thought for a moment and then decided. "I'd like a pair of boots."
"Great choice." Ms. Cordwain said. "Do you want foam, Kangaroo skin, brown, or black leather?"
"I like brown leather." Michael chose.
"Alright then. Let's get started on your shoes." Ms. Cordwain said, getting the supplies.
"Yay!" Michael cried, excitedly.
It had been 8 minutes, and Ms. Cordwain was putting the finishing touches on Michael's shoes.
Natalie looked at her thinking that she knew her from before, and noticed she called her 'Rosa'. 'Where have I heard that name before?'
"...and done!" Ms. Cordwain announced. "Look at the shoes, Miguel - I mean Michael!" She said.
"Wow, those look amazing!" Michael smiled, but then looked at her confused. "Did you just call me 'Miguel'?"
"Sorry, Chico." Ms. Cordwain apologized. 'Oops, gotta keep a low profile, or Derek would find out.' she thought. "I'll get the shoes ready to go! It'll be $93 por favor."
"It's ok." Michael let it go and took out his wallet. 'Probably just a mistake. It happens.' He thought.
Then the shoes were packed and ready to go. "Here you go. Have a nice afternoon, Niños."
Michael paid for the shoes and then took the box. "Gracias. You too." He took Manolo by the leash and left the store with Natalie.
-------
Audrey was looking at the family album when Riley came in. "Hey, Mom. Just wondering if you know how's everything." Riley said.
"Oh, hi honey." Audrey turned to face her. "Everything's fine. Just looking at some old pictures."
"Well, awesome." Riley joined her mother at the table. "Oh, I remember this one, what a crazy time." She pointed at the picture of to 6-year-old girls a bit dirty on the 1st day of school. One was blonde with pigtails, and wearing pink overalls, and the other girl was brown-haired with a Ponytail, and a purple dress. "That's when Hilary and I met."
-Flashback: September 12th, 2013-
The van pulled out of the driveway. "Alright, Riley." 21-year-old Audrey announced to six-year-old Riley as they arrived at the elementary school. "Your first day of 1st grade."
Riley looked out the window, nervous. "Do I have to, Mommy? I won't know anybody there."
"Aww don't worry, Honey," Audrey said getting out of the car along with 21-year-old Freddy "You're gonna make some new friends," she said.
"You want us to walk you to Ms. Richards' class?" Freddy asked.
Riley nodded, not wanting to get lost in such a big place.
Finally, they reached Ms. Richards' class and saw her. "Welcome, Riley. I'm Ms. Richards, I'm gonna be your teacher." She bent down to Riley's eye level. "Say hi, honey." Audrey nudged Riley, who tried to hide behind her leg. "Hi." Riley shyly greeted her teacher. "Well, you can sit next to Hilary." Ms. Richards said bringing the girl to her desk next so six-year-old Hilary. "I'll make sure to make you feel welcome, even for an autistic person" she then had a welcoming smile. "Thanks." Riley smiled and sat at the desk. Ms. Richards patted her back and headed back to her own desk. Riley's parents and the teacher were discussing the rules, restrictions, their understandings of Riley and the class for 2 minutes, then they were ready to leave
"Bye, Honey, see you after school, we might go to Ellen's for dinner to celebrate," Audrey said happily
"Yay! Bye Mommy, bye, Daddy." Riley waved to them.
Riley then turned to the brown-haired, brown-eyed girl reading 'Cinderella'. "Hey, Cinderella is one of my favorites too!" She pointed at the book.
Hilary looked up at the blonde girl beside her. "Really? It's a great story, isn't it?"
"Umm... Thanks" the brown-haired girl said, "I'm Hilary." She said shyly taking out her right hand
"I'm Riley." She shook the other girl's hand.
"Alright, class," Ms. Richards addressed the kids. "Welcome to 1st grade, Let us introduce ourselves. I'm Ms. Laura Reed Richards"
"Hi, Ms. Richards." The class said all together.
"Now, students," Ms. Richards smiled. "Let's introduce ourselves."
Hilary spoke up and everyone turned to face her. "My name's Hilary." "Ah... the Mayor's kid." Ms. Richards said.
"I'm Riley Sanders Madison," Riley said "I've had autism since I was 2 years old. I'm somewhere in the middle."
"Thank you for sharing that with us, Riley." Ms. Richards slightly nodded with a smile.
"Now class, for our first day of school" Laura Reed said happily while writing on the whiteboard. "We can do a worksheet about ourselves. I'll get the copies from the office." She began to head for the door. "I'll be right back, so I want everyone to behave." She opened the door and went out into the hall.
"So Hilary, what's your favorite food? Mine is pizza." Riley questioned looking at her own Beauty and the Beast book
"I like pizza too." Hilary glanced at Riley's book.
Riley was about to ask another question when someone threw a piece of clay at her hair.
"Hahaha, autistic kid!" the bully said.
"Hey, leave Riley alone!" Hilary said angrily and she threw a piece of clay at the bully.
"CLAY FIGHT!!" The kids said.
"Oh, my gosh!" Ms. Richards entered the classroom with the papers, shocked to see the kids throwing clay at each other. "Everybody, stop!!"
"Well, that bully threw a piece of clay to Riley, and called her autistic kid," Hilary explained. "He made her sad."
"Is that so?" Laura Reed turned to face the bully, arms crossed. "That was not very nice. I told you to behave."
"I'm sorry." the bully said sadly. "I'm in trouble, am I? That means the principal's office?"
"I'm afraid so." Laura Reed nodded and spoke in a firm voice. "We do not start fights, throw things, or call each other names."
"Ok, kids" Laura Reed sighed softly before turning to the bully. "You get clean up, while I take Lola to the principal's office."
"Yes, Ms. Richards." The kids agreed and then began to clean up the classroom.
"And as for you, Lola" Laura Reed looked at Lola angrily. "We're going to Principal Lewis's office."
As they left, the class was just about finished cleaning the room.
"Hilary, thanks for sticking up for me." Riley slightly smiled.
"You're welcome, Riley" they both laughed.
-End of Flashback-
Riley glanced back to the photo. "I'm glad Hilary helped and stood up for me," she told her mom.
"See, your dad and I knew that you would make a friend." Audrey smiled and touched Riley's shoulder.
"Come on, Mom" Riley laughed. "You met her after school ended when I asked her for a playdate."
"Oh, yeah, that's right. Silly me." Audrey giggled. "I remember how excited you were."
----
Felix was fixing dinner when he saw a page of some ants he had seen in his dream.