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As the adults gathered around the birthday cake, Eske noticed his daughter scanning the room for her mother. She had been eagerly waiting for this day, but now that it had arrived, she couldn't help but feel anxious without her mother by her side. Eske pulled her closer to him: 'It's all right. We can sing again when she comes back.' He was trying hard not to show how much he was worried.

Just as the adults were about to start singing, a loud and unexpected interruption cut through the room. 'Robert!'; a woman's voice called out, causing everyone to turn and look. Eske furrowed his brows as he recognized Penny approaching them. Bright red hair, piercing vivid eyes, and clothes covered in blood.

As the woman drew closer, the silence in the room became even more palpable. Ava's heart raced, and she hid behind her father's leg like a frightened child. The woman looked taken aback for a moment but quickly composed herself. 'I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I need to speak with my husband, Robert.'; she said, her eyes flickering over to Ava and the birthday party. 'I..., I..., can explain. I just need to speak to Robert.'; she added.

Ava clung to Eske's leg, trembling with fear. She didn't understand what was happening but could sense the danger in the air. The other adults at the party were frozen, unsure how to react. Eske felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the silent tension between Robert and the woman escalate. He had never seen Robert act this way before. Robert was the calmest and pacified person he had ever met. He tried to distract Ava by pointing out the colourful balloons and decorations around them. However, she could still sense the danger in the air.

'Penny?'; Eske asked cautiously, wondering if he should invite her closer to him.

Robert stepped forward. The gun held firmly in his hand: 'Step back, buddy, I handle this.'; he said, his voice low and menacing. 'When are you from?'

The woman's expression hardened as she glared at Robert. ‘Don't play dumb with me, Robert. You know exactly who I am,’; she spat.

'Who?'; Robert responded with a dry chuckle, feigning ignorance. His tone sounded calm and collected on the surface, but his eyes betrayed deeper anger. A vein bulged slightly in one temple as he spoke.

Ava tugged on Eske’s pants leg, her voice shaking: 'Daddy, I'm scared.'; she whispered. Eske scooped her up into his arms, holding her tightly as he watched the tense standoff between Robert and the woman.

'Put down the gun, Robert!'; Penny said firmly. 'Let's talk this out.'

But Robert only shook his head, his eyes flickering with anger: 'She's not who she says she is!'

As the standoff continued, Ava clung to him tightly, her tears soaking into his shirt. He whispered soothing words into her ear, trying to calm her down as he waited for a resolution to the dangerous situation unfolding before them

'What do you mean? Who isn't who they say they are?'; Penny stared straight ahead, looking very tired. 'Robert, baby, come on, stop with the joke. The kids are getting scared.'; she pleaded.

But Robert remained unmoved: 'No.'; he replied angrily.

Suddenly, there was a loud screeching sound followed by a bang with the smell of burned gunpowder, and the woman lay down on the ground with a clean shoot between her eyes. Ava screamed, and Eske held her tighter, shielding her from the chaos around them. The other adults at the party were equally stunned, looking around in confusion.

Robert lowered his gun, his eyes darting around the corpse, still warm. 'Penny never calls me Robert. Even if she is mad, she calls me Bobby.' he muttered to himself. As he stood over the body, his face contorted with rage, his eyes flashing with hatred. Suddenly, he turned towards Eske: 'Where the fuck is my wife, Schrodinger?!'

Eske sat on the edge of Ava's bed, watching her sleep peacefully for a moment before sighing heavily. He knew he couldn't keep the truth from her forever. He would have to tell her what had happened and explain why her mother had not attended her birthday party.

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He stroked her hair gently, hoping she wouldn't wake up and ask him questions he didn't know how to answer. But as he stood up to leave the room, she stirred, her eyes fluttering open.

'Daddy, where's mommy?'; she asked, her voice trembling. Eske knelt down beside her again so quickly it was almost involuntary. His heart sank when he saw the fear on his daughter's face, which seemed to be mixed with some kind of deep suspicion.

Eske took a deep breath, steeling himself for the conversation he knew he had to have. 'Mommy couldn't make it to the party, sweetheart.'; he said softly.

The girl frowned at this evasive reply but did not say anything else. She just stared off into space in silence until she asked: 'Why not?'; her brow furrowed in confusion.

Eske sighed deeply and tried another tack. It wasn't easy because he could feel tears welling up within him and threatening to overflow like waterfalls whenever he looked upon those beautiful dark eyes of hers, eyes that were now filled with such sorrowful bewilderment. Eske hesitated, unsure of how much to tell her. He didn't want to scare her or burden her with adult problems. But he knew that she deserved the truth. 'Something unexpected came up, honey. Mommy is taking care of it. Soon, Daddy will pick her up, and she'll come here and give you a big night kiss.'; he added hastily.

Ava's eyes widened in alarm: 'Is she okay?'; she asked, her voice rising.

Eske nodded reassuringly. 'Yes, she will be okay. She is doing Vortex Space-Time thingies. Daddy explained to you how it works, Mummy's head sometimes is on the wrong timeline, and she forgets her way home. And Daddy looks up in all the time maps until he finds Mommy, brings her safe and sound back home. Right?'

Ava nodded silently, still frowning slightly: 'Are you going to shoot Mommy if she comes late?'; she inquired calmly, though there was a note of nervousness beneath her words.

This time Eske laughed bitterly: 'No, Ava, never.'

'But why did aunt Penny come to the party and yell at you and uncle Bobby?'; Ava asked, her voice still shaking.

Eske took a deep breath, knowing that this was part of the story that would be most confusing for Ava: 'That lady was not your aunt, sweetheart.'; he said gently: 'She was someone who looked like aunt Penny, but she was not really her. She was a copy from another timeline.'; He paused for a moment, wondering whether he should add more details about alternate timelines but decided against it. For one thing, he thought, it might confuse her even further.

Ava's eyes widened in horror: 'What do you mean?'; she asked, fear creeping into her voice.

Eske took her hand and squeezed it gently: 'Sometimes, there are people who look like us but are not really us. They are like doppelgangers.'

Ava's face crumpled in confusion: 'But why would she come to my birthday party?'; she asked.

Eske shook his head: 'I don't know, honey. I think she was looking for someone else. She got her memories mixed up with our real Penny.'

Ava's eyes filled with tears again. 'I don't understand.': she said, her voice choked with emotion.'Do I have another Ava?'

'No, my love, you were born in this timeline. It is impossible for you to have a... a copy.'; Eske replied.

For a long minute, Ava sobbed quietly while Eske held her close. Then suddenly, she stopped crying and lifted her tear-stained face to stare directly into Eske's eyes. 'I don't understand.'

Eske pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly. 'I know, sweetheart. It's okay not to understand everything right now. But I promise you that I will always be here for you, no matter what. And I will always keep you safe.'

Ava sniffled, clinging to him tightly.

Eske stayed with her until she fell asleep, hoping that he had done enough to reassure her and ease her fears. As he closed Ava's bedroom, he took his phone: 'Vhiann, tell me you have something.'

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