We headed out about an hour later. Once more, Cinder refused to use the elevator, and I didn't question it further. If I had to guess, I would say she's claustrophobic. Another issue to add to the list.

I led her out of the apartment block and into the residents parking lot where my car awaited. I'll admit I rarely used it, given how close to my place of work I lived. But having a vehicle that could take me into the city made it easier when I needed to buy food and the like. It was, in essence, the Remnant equivalent of a smart car. A small, practical vehicle that got me where I needed to go, and back home again.

Unlocking the car, I opened the door and ushered Cinder in. I strapped her in (and added another thing to the list of things to buy, that being a booster seat), and soon, we were away. It wouldn't take all that long to get into the inner city..and the shopping district. The City of Atlas, despite how futuristic it looked (at least to me), has a fairly simple layout. Apartment towers were in one area, private estates in another. Shopping and restaurants were together, and the education system in general had an area all to itself. There was an entertainment area too, that covered everything from sport stadiums to theatres and everything in between. More than once, for example, myself and a few of my coworkers had found ourselves paintballing at some ungodly hour of the morning...whilst more than a little inebriated.

Atlas Academy (Brother's this place could get confusing. Whoever's idea it was to name the academy, city and kingdom the same thing should have been shot. Or fired. One of the two.) was situated on the central hill of the city, looking down upon the entire city.

Cinder was quiet as we travelled, her eyes focused on the city around us. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her hand twitching, as though it was waiting to once more slip into my own. Had I become her 'safety blanket' already?

__________________________________________________________________________

First things first though, breakfast. Although given the time, it was probably close to a late morning coffee break. Of course, there was no way in hell I was going to give a five year old caffeine. Not just because I had a mild caffeine addiction already, but because I'm fairly certain it's unhealthy-slash-unsafe for a young child to drink caffeine.

So it was that we found ourselves in Café Rica. It, like most of the cafés in Atlas, was part of a chain. The smell of freshly ground coffee and warm, baked pastries hung heavy in the air, along with the sounds of the general hubbub of daily life.

Myself and Cinder were currently sitting in a small booth, with the young girl at my side currently enjoying her very first hot chocolate, along with a still warm croissant. I opted, unsurprisingly, for coffee. Given the pleased sounds she was making, Cinder was quite enjoying her first breakfast under my care.

I sipped my drink, and let out a contented sigh. It was doubtless going to be a long day, for the both of us. Given that a little over ten hours ago we were still in the middle of nowhere, and we'd yet to even begin shopping, it was almost a certainty that we'd both be absolutely exhausted by the end of it.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Mister Casper?" Cinder's voice drew me out of my thoughts. I glanced to my side, and was met with her golden eyes.

"Yes, Cinder?" I asked with a smile. "Is something the matter?"

"Is it always this noisy?"

I chuckled, and gently tousled Cinder's hair. "..It can be louder, Cinder."

"Oh."

I smiled as she settled back into a comfortable quiet as she continued to eat. Taking another sip of coffee, I cleared my throat. "Cinder. Do you want to know what we're going to do today?"

The little girl turned to look at me again, and nodded.

"We're going to get you some clothes first." I explained. "Then we'll order some furniture for your room. And on our way home we'll go and buy food."

"...A-And red paint?"

"Ah! Yes, thank you for reminding me." I grin, trying not to chuckle at the pleased expression on Cinder's face. "We'll be getting red paint too."

"Mhm!"

__________________________________________________________________________

Cinder once more held my hand as we both wandered from the café to our next destination. She, whilst not looking at the people, did look around at the different stores that surrounded us. I was happy enough to answer her questions when she asked, although most of what she asked was what each store sold.

The first thing on our list was clothes.

Thankfully, the salesperson was...understanding of my situation. Which is almost somewhat worrying, given my situation could be summed up with the phrase 'random mystery child'. Was that sort of thing more common than I realised?

It was only after that train of thought went through my head that it dawned on me what she actually meant. A shy child with a single..guardian. I could easily see how that could be a common occurrence.

It took time, but eventually we'd picked out a fortnight's worth of clothes. It was inevitable that we'd need more for Cinder had properly settled in, but it was a decent start, and due to my week off, if I decided we needed to go and buy more, it was an easy enough thing to drive into the city to do so (that, and the fact my car is a small one that could only carry so much).

So, holding hands with Cinder with one hand, and carrying our bags with the other, we began to make our way back to the car, only for Cinder to come to a dead stop, and tug on my arm when we were about halfway there.

I stopped, and looked down at her with a questioning smile. She, with obvious hesitation in her eyes, pointed at something in a store window.

It was a teddy bear. Brown in colour, with black button eyes.

...That thing's bigger than she is! I opened my mouth to question if she truly wanted it, but, given the hopeful look in her eyes, I found my protest swiftly dying on my tongue.

"...Would you like that bear, Cinder?"

She nodded.

"...Alright then."