CHAPTER FIVE

“Really he likes this thing,” the mean girl said as Angela’s face turned from blushing to anger.

“Can someone please tell me who this…” Angela would have said some vulgar words but she decided against it. Her parents taught her to always be nice to people even though the people were not nice to her. She didn’t think it would be that hard but it needed a lot of self-control to be nice to the evil girl. “…girl is?”

“You better shut your trap!”

“Hey Kale be nice,” Miles warned her angrily as she scoffed.

She walked closer to Angela, eyeing her from head to toe. She was short—probably nine—and for her to be close to Angela and eye her from head to toe. It would take a lot of head straining. 

“So this is the girl you like?”

“Shut up! Okay everyone shut up!” Miles screamed, giving Angela a quick smile. 

“Why did you people take my pancakes?”

Justin was about to open his mouth to say something but Miles slapped his mouth shut. 

“I am Miles,” he said gesturing his hand for a shake.

Angela licked her lips thinking of what to do. She was confused. Should she accept it or slap it away from her?

Angela looked over to his hand and slapped it away from her sight. Miles stood there confused as Justin chuckled and Kale laughed. 

“You steal my pancakes and want to be my friend?” Angela said angrily with her hands folded above her chest. 

Miles' smug smile turned to a smirk. The smirk was not evil or uncertain. It was satisfying and surrendering. Justin walked over to him and whispered something in his ear. Mile’s smirk turned to a frown. He turned over to Justin and slapped him. 

“Why would you do that Miles, do you not know I am older than you?!”

“You deserve it. How dare you say such a thing?” Miles said turning his face from Justin’s to Angela.

In his life, he had never seen such a beautiful creature. Her skin looked like well-polished ceramic. Her platinum blonde hair was long and pretty. 

Her light blue eyes were beautiful and enchanting. Her lips were naturally red and were perfect for her. Miles used to have a lifetime crush on Caroline; the most beautiful girl in their village but Caroline was no match to Angela. 

He was determined to get her, know her better. He began to wonder why she was hidden to the rest of the world, hidden in this forest that no one except hunters came to. 

He blessed the day ‘cause it was the day he met a sweet angel, no beauty he had seen could match hers. 

Her voice was too sweet to be human. He would have mistaken her for a princess if not for the horrible rags she was wearing. 

They so much covered her excellent beauty. There was some dirt at the edge of her cheek, and her gown was stained with pink, white, and brown. 

Even with all her imperfections, she was only one thing…perfect.

“Are we taking the pancakes or not?” Kale said rolling her eyes and eyeing Angela again. 

Miles walked closer to Angela as her breath hitched and became thinner. Why was he coming closer to her, what did he want? 

What should she do, step away, push him back, or just watch? This was some real pressure for her. She didn’t know how to act because she barely talked to someone other than her parents and the chickens. 

He placed his hand on her cheek. As he placed his hand on her cheek she gulped. He kept it there for a few seconds before he wiped some dirt off her face, looking into her eyes. 

Her heart started beating faster and energy pumped through her body. She couldn’t handle all the emotions she was feeling inside. She felt like butterflies were fluttering in her stomach and she didn’t like it. 

She stepped back as he blinked coming back to life. Angela shut her eyes trying to remember herself again. For a moment there she had forgotten who she was and was thinking all about was Miles. 

Angela brought out her rusted watch and hissed in anger on seeing the time. 

“What is wrong?” Miles asked worriedly as Kale rested her back on the tree, taking a sigh.

“I am late. I need to go home right now,” Angela squealed with her eyes on her watch.

“Why, cause mother is going to spank you?” Justin said laughing as Miles gave him a hard blow on his shoulder. 

“I need to go right now…”

“What about the pancakes?” Miles said as Angela took to her heels, running away from their direction to the direction of her little hut. 

Miles couldn’t let the angel run away like that. He had much he wanted to tell her. He wanted to know her, talk to her, understand her but she was gone. There was no way he was going to allow her to disappear like thin air. 

This was not going to end up like a Cinderella story for him. 

He tried to run in her direction but Justin held his hand, shaking his head at him. 

“What do you think you are doing?” Justin spat at him. 

Kale walked over to the bag of pancakes and opened it. She took a piece of pancake, munching it. An immense smile formed on her face as she took a bite. She ended up sitting on the floor eating the pancakes bite by bite. 

Bit by bit, she had never tasted something so amazing. She had been eating grass and spoilt bread for way too long. The pancakes tasted like nothing she ever had. 

She couldn’t stop herself from eating and eating. Nothing could beat the taste of the soft and chewy pancakes she had in her hands, nothing, completely nothing.  

She looked over to the arguing boys and carried the bag of pancakes. She ran away with the bag of pancakes firmly kept in her hand. 

“I need to know who she is,” Miles said irritated by the way Justin was stopping him from getting to know his dream girl. 

“So you like her?” Justin asked scoffing.

Miles turned over to him with his eyes kept on Justin’s.

“I think…” Miles said hiding not a single bit of emotion. “Did you see her, she is very beautiful.”

Justin adjusted himself on his stand looking to Miles’ feet.

“Yes she was…very pretty,” Justin said biting his lower lip as Miles’ eyes widened.

“Do you like her?” Miles was beginning to get more irritated at Justin’s character.

He always knew he was a selfish bag of rotten fish—sometimes—but he didn’t think it was possible for him to like someone other than himself and his sister. 

“I…do not…look stop talking.” Miles opened his mouth to say something. “Do not even think of bringing a word from that mouth.” Justin folded his hands using his feet to tap the ground angrily.

“Okay,” Miles said looking at the direction the mystery girl ran to. He didn’t get to know her name and that was what was paining him the most. He would find her. He already knew the direction of her house, North East. He would go after her…alone without the Inks, if possible. He darted his head towards where the bag of pancakes was meant to be but they were gone. He looked around for Kale but she was also gone. That could only mean one thing. “Justin, where is Kale and the pancakes?”

Justin raised a brow at him as he started to look for his sister. 

“That little brat took the pancakes. Let us go find her before she eats them all up!” Justin said running into the forest with Miles at his back. 

Back in Angela’s home, her parents were pacing around the living room with their minds only on one thing. Angela. Where was she they thought, she should have been back hours ago. 

It was unlike her to be like this. She was always punctual in everything she did but not seeing her now was a thorn on their part. Did she run away, was she kidnapped, did she lose her way, did a wild animal kill her? These were the kind of questions that were running through their mind. 

Did she hide somewhere because she was angry they forgot her birthday but they didn’t? They wanted to surprise her with a big surprise quince-era birthday party? 

Everyone was here. The guests were waiting anxiously, decorations were made, and food was ready. Cakes, biscuits…everything she loved were around. There were twenty fresh new-made strawberry pancakes all piled up on each other. 

Everyone’s eyes were on the pancakes. They knew how much she loved them. This time caramel was poured all over the cake making it more tantalizing. 

They had been hiding for a long time but got tired when she didn’t show up. They later got worried when she was over late. They were waiting for her to show up. It was eating them inside that they couldn’t find their lovely daughter and friend. 

There were two soft knocks on the door and heavy breathing. Everybody’s eyes turned to the door, is she around? Her mother looked through the door hole with high hopes of seeing Angela. 

And it was her, a messed up, tired and sweaty Angela at the door. Isabella turned to signal them to go to their hiding positions which they did gladly. 

Angela knocked over and over waiting for them to open the door. What was taking them so long? Were they asleep? It was only early evening. They couldn’t have been asleep that fast. 

If anything, they should be pacing around the living room waiting for a soft little knock. The door opened to reveal nothing but darkness. She was confused. Had ghosts taken over her house? 

She fell to the floor in shock when everyone jumped out screaming surprise at her face. They switched the lights on revealing a beautiful pink decorated house. 

Ribbons were dangling from each side of the house. There were other decorations she didn’t recognize but they all looked beautiful and pink. How so much she loved pink?

There was a large banner placed over their large sofa in the middle of the living room. The banner clearly said, Happy Birthday Angela. The banner was homemade and pink glitter was poured on it, making it shimmer and shine. 

On the table in front of her snacks like; biscuits, buns, apple juices, a bowl filled with caramel, caramel chews, honey muffins, apple tarts, pumpkin pies, onion bagels, meringue, caramel muffins, potato wedges, chocolate, brownies and to crown it all, strawberry pancakes were piled up waiting for her.  

She couldn’t control the joy that filled her on seeing everything. Tears formed in her eyes. Tears of immense joy she couldn’t control.

The few friends she had were present, all giving her warm smiles. To talk about presents, there were a lot of them on their large dining table. They were beautiful and marvelous; to think her parents had forgotten her birthday. 

They were doing all this for her. She knew they couldn’t forget, they just couldn’t. They loved her too much to. It was all a plan to get her out of the house and she loved them for it. 

Angela ran to hug her two lovely parents with tears pouring out of her eyes. She didn’t think the day could get any better. 

“I love you,” were the words that escaped from her mouth. 

Miles, why was she thinking about him? Anytime she saw him she had this crazy feeling in her stomach that she hadn’t felt before. It was exotic and she didn’t like it but when Miles touched her face, her heart stopped beating and her head span in circles.