Well, this is my first FanFiction so I can't guarantee it will be really good or anything but please take the time to read and review and I will be very happy :) Enjoy!

Chapter One

I was climbing the last of the four flights of stairs up to the apartment my dad and I shared. It was the last day of school before the summer and of course it had to be on the day that I also had dance class so I couldn't enjoy it right away. And it figures that it all falls on my thirteenth birthday. My dad was probably still at work and my mom wouldn't be here because, well, my mom walked out on us when I was two. Every single one of my birthdays reminds me of the now eleven that she's missed. I was very young when she left but I've never forgotten that day:

I was sitting on my play mat in the living room playing with blocks and the like when I heard my parents arguing in the other room. They had shut the door so I wouldn't hear but I could anyway. My dad was begging about something and my mom was telling him she was sorry but it could never happen. I was young but I was smart enough to understand that there was something wrong. Mom came out with tears in her eyes. She picked me up and held me close. "I so sorry, Ariadne," she whispered in my ear, "Mommy has to go away for a while. But I promise you, I will come back to visit. I promise."

I didn't cry; Dad always said I was a tough little girl. But when Mom handed me off to my father, I looked back at her and uttered one small, quiet word: "Mommy?" She let out one last sob before walking out the door, leaving it open. I squirmed in my dad's arms, my way of saying "let me down", and toddled to the doorway. I looked left, then right, searching for some sign of my mom, but she was already long gone.

I stopped at the top of the stairs. Remembering still choked me up. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and walked a few more doors down to my apartment. Just before opening the door I wiped the tear that managed to escape. Maybe someone actually bothered to show up.

I unlocked the door with my key and stepped inside. Instead of a dull silence though, the word that I never thought I'd hear on my birthday greeted me in a cheerful flourish.

"SURPRISE!"

The scene I saw before me brought even more tears to my eyes. My dad, my Aunt Lissy, my three-year-old cousin Maddison, and my two best friends in the world, Matt and Becky were standing under a banner that said "Happy Birthday, Ary" and proudly showing off the saddest looking cake in birthday history sporting the same words. It was more than I ever could have asked for.

"You guys —" I dropped my bag by the door and walked towards the group, "Thank you. Thank you so much," I said as I hugged first Becky, then Matt, Little Maddi, Aunt Lissy, and finally, my dad.

"Thank you so much," I said again into his shoulder.

"You are very welcome, Ariadne." He whispered back.

There were various "happy birthdays" from everyone being thrown around faster than I could say thank you. And for the first time in eleven years I felt loved by more than only my dad.

My friends came over to me with a small box wrapped in a pink ribbon. "This is from both of us." Becky said as Matt handed me the box. I opened it up and inside was a silver necklace with my name on it and a crescent moon next to the first "A".

"It's beautiful." I hugged them both, "Thank you."

"Here," Matt said. "I help you put it on." I handed him the chain, turned around and pulled my hair out of the way. "There," he said, "perfect."

I turned and gave him a smile. "Thanks."

"Alright, who wants cake?" Dad's voice sounded above all the excitement. As he was getting out the plates though, a strange looked played across his face. As if he heard something but wasn't sure if it was real or just in his head. He handed the cake knife to my aunt and said "Melissa, cut the cake for me, will you?" and hurried into the third bedroom that he used as his study. I stared in that direction for a second. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was sensing something too. Dad came back a few minutes later looking flustered.

"Ariadne," he said softly, "There's someone who wants to talk to you."

Unless they were here before I arrived, no one could have gotten in there without anyone seeing them. I walked down the hallway to the study and eased open the door. The mystery visitor turned around to face me and my heart skipped a beat. The woman who stood before me looked exactly the same as she did eleven years ago.

"Mom."

Thanks for taking the time to read my story. Don't forget to let me know how you liked it! Hope you enjoyed it. I will post the next chapter after I get at least one review. Because if I don't get any reviews I will assume that nobody read it so I won't bother to post more. Thanks again :)

~glamgirl16