//------------------------------//
// Surprise! 
// Story: Little Stars 
// by Holy 
//------------------------------//

    It's a nice, lazy Sunday afternoon. You roll over in bed to look at your clock, showing a few minutes after nine. You raise your arms over your head for a long, drawn-out stretch before you yank the sheets back over yourself for a moment, contemplating sleeping in like you haven't done since college, but today isn't a day to waste away like that. Today is Adagio's thirteenth birthday.

You reluctantly pull the covers off of your body and get dressed. Knowing Adagio, she's probably already up by now, so a surprise for her first thing in the morning is probably off the table, but you imagine a late surprise is better than none at all. You pull the big stack of giftwrapped books out of your closet, momentarily wishing Adagio would pick a more girly--and lighter--hobby like makeup or trashy teenage movies. 

You pull the books up to your chest, careful not to let them slide apart and rip the paper or tumble out of your hands completely. You make your way over to her bedroom door and nudge your way in, surprised the light is actually still off. 

"Adagio? Wake up, honey. It's your--" you start softly, but quickly realize Adagio isn't even in bed. You raise an eyebrow and the scrambled sheets laying on the floor.

Before you can investigate any further, an ear-piercing scream emenates through the entire house, making you tense up and drop the package of books in your hands all over the floor. You turn around to the bathroom where the scream came from, your heart already pounding at the thought that one of your girls might be in danger.

You run up to the bathroom door and try the knob, but it's locked. You can hear soft panting and a panicked stream of 'oh my god' coming from inside the bathroom. Aria steps out of her room, wide-eyed and frightened, followed quickly by Sonata who's gripping her blanket tightly with the same shocked expression on her face. 

"D-dad?" Aria asks, but you're too preoccupied to focus on her.

"Adagio, are you alright?" you say through the door. The only answer you get is a little panicked whine from the other side, making your heart beat even harder at the what might be happening to her on the other side. "Adagio!" you yell, making your other two girls wince. Sonata runs up to Aria and hugs her tightly, her little face already tearing up at the situation.

"Adagio, are you alright? Let me in!" you say agian over Sonata's whines. 

You take a step back, deciding her privacy isn't quite as important as whatever impending emergency might be on the otherside. You ram your shoulder into the bathroom door and break it open, sending wood splinters across the tiles. 

Aria lets out a yelp at the sudden violence and holds her sister tightly as you stumble into the room. Your eyes dart around the bathroom until you find Adagio standing in front of the sink where she's looking down at her bloody hands. You look her over expecting a gash or something, but instead just find a dark red spot painting her pajama pants.

You let out a massive sigh of relief at the sight. "Oh, thank god," you let out. That doesn't do much to quell Adagio's panic, though. Tears are streaming down her panicked face as she turns to you, still looking down at her bloody hands.

"D-dad?" she says like it might be the last time she ever sees you.

You shake your head, realizing you're probably going to have to buy a new door over nothing. You want to hug her and tell her it'll be alright, but you'd rather not get blood all over your clothes. "Honey, you're alright. Just calm down."

You hear another ear-piercing scream come from the doorway you just smashed into. Sonata screamed even louder than Adagio did at the sight of her. She turns away and clings to Aria like her life depends on it. Aria looks between you and Adagio's hands with a growing panic on her face. "Is she going to die? Adagio are you going to die?" she asks, her voice cracking like she's about to start crying.

"I-I don't know!" Adagio says, looking down at her hands. She lets out another frightened whine and looks up to you for guidance. 

"She's not going to die," you say to Aria, then turn back to Adagio. "You're not going to die honey."

"B-but--"

You put your hand on her shoulder and guide her back towards the sink. "Wash your hands for me, sweetie, it's going to be alright, okay?"

You turn the water on for her and Adagio puts her shaky hands under the faucet just as you asked. She doesn't really look like she's calmed down any and her face definitely looks like she thinks these might be her last moments on earth. Her hands are shaking wildly under the running water and her face is as white as a sheet. You doubt Sonata's crying is helping her any either. 

Sonata tears herself away from Aria and runs up behind Adagio to hug her. "Please don't die, Dagi! I love you too much! Please don't let her die, Daddy!" 

You open your mouth to say something, but Aria barges in on the hug as well. You blink a few times once you see her actually crying as well. "I'm sorry for everything, Dagi," Aria lets out, her voice shaky as she hugs Adagio tightly around Sonata. "I take everything back. Every time we fought, every time I called you a mean name, every time I spit on your toothbrush after you were mean to me..."

"Huh?" Adagio says, a little less freaked out.

"I'm so sorry! Please don't die! I love you too!" Aria says, trailing off into a sob.

"Girls. Adagio isn't going to die. This is completely normal for a girl her age."

They don't seem to be listening much to you, so you just let them cry it out for a while and keep repeating that this isn't a death sentence for their sister. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of trying to reason with the unreasonable, all three of their cries die down and they unlatch from each other. 

"You promise she's going to be okay?" Sonata asks you, looking out from the sandwhich she's trapped between.

"For the last time, honey, yes. Adagio is going to be fine."

"Are you sure?!" Aria says frantically. 

You resist the urge to laugh at her. At least deep down she really does care about her sister. "Yes, Aria. Now, go back to your rooms. I need to talk to Adagio alone for a little bit."

Sonata runs up and gives Adagio one last hug and Aria looks over at her sister tentatively, but decides to abstain for now. Both of the girls reluctantly walk out of the bathroom, looking at Adagio like it might be the last time they ever see her again.

Once they're gone, you turn towards Adagio to say something, but feel like something is off. You turn around to see two pairs of eyes peeking around the door frame. "Girls. I said rooms. I need to talk to Adagio alone." With that they scurry off, finally letting you and Adagio talk about her new teenager problems. You would shut the door to make sure, but there isn't much left of that part of the door.

Adagio is still looking down at the blood running off of her hands, surely traumatized at the sight. She's also shifting her weight uncomfortably, no doubt a side effect caused by her new situation. You open your mouth to start giving her the whole puberty talk, but you have no idea where to start. Sunset would have been so much better with this kind of thing...

"Just stay right there, honey. I'll be right back."

"D-dad, where are you going?" she asks, her voice still shaky. She definitely didn't sound like she wanted to be left alone, but all you really knew what to do now was try and help her clean it up.

"I'm going to get some things to help you, honey. Don't worry. Just make sure your hands are clean, okay?"

Adagio gives you a timid 'okay' in return. You walk into her room and grab a random pair of underwear and pants out of her closet for her, then into your own bathroom to grab a box of very old pads for her. You aren't entirely sure if there's an expiration date or something for them, but it was better than nothing for her.

Once you walk back into the bathroom, Adagio has a really uneasy expression on her face, no doubt from the growing red stain on her pajamas. 

"All better?" you ask her. 

"N-no... It isn't stopping and my stomach really hurts. I... I think I might need to go to the hospital, Dad," she says, looking up to you with desperate eyes. How has this never even come up to her before?

"No, honey. You don't have to go to the hospital, alright? This is just something that's going to happen every month from now on. Now--"

"Every month?!" Adagio almost yells, making you wince. "Why is this happening to me? What's wrong with me? Am I sick with something?" she says quickly.

You kneel down beside her to look into her eyes with an assuring expression as possible. She's starting to pant again as the worry builds up inside her. "No, calm down, Adagio. You're fine. I'll explain everything later, okay? Just take a shower and change clothes, then put this on for me," you say, handing Adagio the box of pads.

"W-what's this?" she says, her eyes shifting down to the box in her hands.

"They're going to keep all that blood off of your clothes."

"Are they... diapers?" she says, her uneasy expression returning. You can tell that's the last thing she wants her sisters knowing about her.

"They aren't diapers, honey. They're just to help girls out with this sort of thing."

"But what if Aria..." she starts.

"Aria is going to have to use them someday too."

Adagio looks back up to you, her expression turning towards dread again. "I'm not going to get her sick too am I?"

You take a deep breath. How do these talks normally go? You can get pregnant now, so you bleed out of your privates every month? What would Sunset tell her?

"Don't worry about it, honey. I'll explain everything later. Just get cleaned up and put one of those on and we'll take care of it," you say, employing your usual tactic of avoiding the issue and putting it on your future self. Adagio gives you a timid nod and heads over to the shower, so you leave her to it, pulling the door into a closed enough position.

You let out a massive sigh. This is not something you wanted to deal with today and you can't imagine how Adagio is feeling about it. What a birthday present from Mother Nature. Hopefully you can make it up for her a little bit. 

You walk back into her room and pick up the stack of books that bursted out of the wrapping paper and try to stack them neatly on her desk. You look over all of the titles again: weird teenage romance novels, a couple of introductory books to various niche subjects you'd expect to see on a college student's desk, and a bunch of other novels and nonfiction titles you had no idea how to categorize. You flip open one of the romance novels and skim through it while you hear the shower running. Might as well see what she's reading at least.

Once you hear the shower turn off, you wait a few moments and give the broken door a few knocks.

"Are you dressed, sweetie?"

You hear a weak 'yeah' through the broken frame. Once you walk in, you see Adagio holding her stomach, still looking just as uncomfortable as before. "How are you doing, honey?"

"My stomach really hurts, Dad, and this thing feels really weird," she says, her expression turning sour.

You imagine the usual massage you gave your wife for that wasn't really appropriate, so you grab a bottle of advil from behind the mirror and give her one. She doesn't look any better after taking it, but she's probably still a bit traumatized after all that. "Come here, honey. Let's get you something to eat," you say, picking her up like she was six again. She happily falls limp against you as you carry her downstairs.

Once you set her in a stool, you get to making her something that'll go down easy instead of the birthday breakfast you had planned. "Did you still want to go see a movie and go to that restaurant you like, or would you rather stay home today after... all that?"

"I still want to go!" she blurted out quickly, like she almost lost the opportunity of a lifetime. "I can deal with it, I promise."

"If you say so, honey. Just don't push yourself if you really need to come back home, alright?"

"Okay..." she says, going back to looking down at her hands and fidgeting in her seat, no doubt still hurting from the cramps. They had to have been keeping her up last night too, if the dark circles under her eyes are any indication.

You slide Adagio her plate and set two more. As soon as you walk around the corner to walk upstairs, you see Aria and Sonata standing there, peeking curiously through the railing at Adagio.

You let out a little chuckle. Who knew Aria could look so worried. "Do you want some breakfast, girls?" They both give you a timid nod and walk downstairs, not taking their eyes off of Adagio.

They both climb up onto the stools beside Adagio as you slide their plates towards them. It looks like their sister is a lot more interesting though.

"Are you going to live, Dagi?" Sonata asks.

"Um... yeah?" Adagio says, not sounding entirely sure herself.

"Are you sure? That was a lot of blood. Did Dad give you stitches?" Aria asks, looking down at Adagio's hands.

"I don't think that--"

"Daddy isn't a doctor. She needs to go to the hospital," Sonata interjects.

You let out another long sigh. Why did they all have to be girls? "For the last time, girls, Adagio is going to be fine. She is just going through something completely normal for a girl her age."

"What is it, Daddy? Are thirteen year olds supposed to bleed on their birthday?" Sonata asks.

Aria's eyes go wide with the realization. "Wait, does that mean I'm going to die on my thirteenth birthday too? Are we sick with something. Dad, what if--"

"Aria!" you say, cutting her out of the beginning of her frenzy. "You're not sick, and you're not dying. How do you even... actually, nevermind. I promise you, it's completely fine. Don't worry about it. I'll explain it all to you later, okay?"

"A-alright," Aria says, shifting her uneasy gaze down to her food.

"What about me? Is it just me and Dagi that are sick? Do we die when we're thirteen or is it just when we catch it. Does this mean me and Dagi are going to die together? What if..." Sonata asks without a hint of dread in her voice. She really just sounded more curious than anything. 

You pinch the bridge of your nose at you youngest daughter's line of questions. "Oh my god..."

For the first time this morning a smile actually crosses Adagio's face, accompanied by a little giggle. If only it wasn't at your own frustration.

Another distressed hugging session and a long-winded attempt to explain that a menstrual cycle is normal without ever actually explaining it, you manage to calm the girls down and arrange a babysitter for Aria and Sonata. 

Once you get Adagio alone, you ask her what again what she wants to do today. The first stop on her list is some animated movie she'd been wanting to see for a while, that she also specifically requested she see with you and only you for some reason. It was her birthday after all, and after the morning she went through you couldn't really tell her no.

Adagio seems happy enough as you put your seatbelt on and get ready to leave. Just as soon as you pull out of the driveway though, Adagio curls up in her seat, an uncomfortable expression crossing her face yet again. 

"Are you feeling any better?" you ask her.

"No," she replies, pulling her knees up to her chest. "My stomach still hurts and I feel like crying. Were you just lying to Aria and Sonata? Do we actually need to go to the hospital?"

"No, Adagio, I wasn't lying. I promise, you're fine." You take a deep breath. No time like the present. "Do you know what a menstrual cycle is, sweetie?"

"No..."

"Uh, do you know what a uterus is?"

"I don't think so. It's something only girls have, right?"

"Yeah," you rub the back of your neck awkwardly. "So now that you're a little older, your body is going to start changing a little. Right now you're having your period, so your uterus is shedding its lining since you didn't have any fertilized eggs." 

"...what?" she asks, as if you just told her the inner complexities of a rocket engine.

"Okay, so now that you're older, you can get pregnant now, and every month you don't, this is going to happen."

"What!?" Adagio almost shouts "Pregnant!? But I'm not even in high school yet! I can't raise any kids right now. I'm only thirteen! Dad, what if I--"

"Adagio," you say, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She barely hangs out with her sister's friends. You have a hard time believing that's something she seriously has to worry about at her age. "You're not going to... wait. Do you know what it takes to get pregnant."

"Y-you have to have sex with a boy, right?"

That sent a jolt through your system. You definitely never told her about that, though at her age you really should have already. You clear your throat and try to calm yourself. "Uh, how did you know that?"

"In one of the books I was reading, that's how it happened..."

There goes surprised jolt number two. You really should have been a little more attentive to your daughter's literature choices. Also how did she know all of that but nothing about her period? "Are you doing something to be worried about being pregnant?"

Adagio awkwardly fidgets in her seat, her hands playing with each other as her blushing face looks down towards the floor. "Well... no... but in all the books I've read it just sort of happens and you never know if you're gonna fall in love with someone and then have se--"

"Okay, that's enough. I don't think you have to worry about that kind of thing, Adagio. I mean, do you ever actually hang out with any of the boys from your class?"

"No..." Adagio says, a dark blush still forming on her face.

"Then you shouldn't have anything to worry about. If you do, uh... get to that point, come and talk with me about it first, okay?"

"Okay..." she says, still looking at everything in the car but you. "What about the... period? Is it going to stop?"

"Yes, sweetie. It'll stop in a couple of days and you'll be back to normal again. You just have to wear those things I gave you so you don't make a mess."

"No, I mean. Do I stop having them when I get older?"

"Uh... you'll stop having them in about forty years."

Adagio slides down in her seat and lets out a pained whine.

You lean over and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and give her a gentle smile. "It'll get easier to deal with, honey. And I'm always here if you need anything.

She lets out a sigh then looks at you, a thankful smile crossing her face. "Thanks, Dad."

Once you get to the movies Adagio seems to calm down a little bit. Every now and then she'll let out a tiny whimper and hold her stomach. Once you sit down with her, she's quick to lift the armrest up and snuggle up next to you, bringing her knees up to her chest and practically disappearing under your arm and into her hoodie like a turtle going into its shell. 

You can feel how tense her body is up next to you, no doubt from the pain of the cramps. You hold her close to you and kiss her on top of the head. Such a sweet girl didn't deserve such an awful birthday present. Thankfully, once the movie starts the pain relievers kick in and she relaxes up against you, the whimpers slowly disappearing as the two of you enjoy the movie together.

Once that's over, you're happy to see that the pained expression she wore for most of the morning is gone by the time you walk out of the theater, replaced by a happy little smile as you get into the car and head off to the restuarant she wanted to go to. Since it's a little bit before lunch it isn't too crowded.

The restaraunt is one of those fancy french places that charges way too much for way too little food, but not nearly fancy enough to bother with reservations. You're not entirely sure how Adagio heard of this place, but if she wants it, you could humor her for today at least. Once you get your food, she curls up in her seat yet again, bringing her knees up to her chest as she lets the smile slip off of her face.

"Adagio, are you alright? Is your stomach hurting again?" 

She lets out a little sigh. "No," she says as she pokes at her food. "I just... could we do this more often? Without Aria and Sonata?"

You raise your eyebrow at the question. "Do you not like spending time with them?"

"It's not that. I love both of them, but I just... I just want..." she says, focusing down on her food. "Oh, I don't know."

"You don't have to feel bad about anything. What's the matter?"

Adagio pulls her hand back from her food and rests her chin on her knees. "It's just... ever since Mom died, you don't really spend time with us seperately anymore. I know you're busy and all, but I just want to feel like... I don't know, feel like you care."

"Adagio, sweetie. You know you mean the world to me."

Adagio finally looks up to you with a that little smile again. "I know, Dad. I still just want to do stuff like that, like we used to."

You give her a smile back. "We can do that, honey. I'll find some time for you. I promise."

Adagio goes back to her food and you start thinking about why she might feel that way. It doesn't take you long until you realize what else your daughter needs, and why she is out here eating with you and not out having a party with her friends. "Adagio, have you made any new friends at school yet?"

Her smile quickly turns into a tiny frown at the question. "No."

"Why not?"

"I told you, Dad. All the other girls want to talk about boys, or drama, or makeup, or other dumb stuff. There's no one that I can really talk to. And some of them make fun of me..."

"Well have you tried? I'm sure if you search around you can find a girl that likes the same kind of things that you do."

Adagio lets out a little, frustrated huff and looks away from you. "Didn't we go through this last year, too?"

"We might have. Look, honey, I know most of the other girls aren't what you're looking for, but I promise you there's someone out there that you'll want to spend time with, and who will want to spend time with you too," you say with as caring of a tone as you can put on. You don't want to be harsh about her not having friends, especially when other kids are already doing that. It certainly isn't healthy for a girl her age to be completely alone though. If she doesn't start now high school could be a nightmare for her.

"I don't know, Dad. I have Aria and Sonata... and you. I don't need that many friends."

You sigh as you look her over. Anyone would be incredibly lucky to spend time with her, she just needed to put herself out there more. "Please, honey. You need to at least try, okay? I can't be there for you at school and I don't want you to be all alone there. Promise me you'll at least try to talk to some of the girls for me? Or the boys if you find one that you get along with."

A blush forms on Adagio's face at that. "But what if we... then we..."

"Like I said, come talk to me, but I don't think you have to worry about it, okay?"

"A-alright."

Once you finish your food and pay for the bill, you instinctively pull out your keys to leave, but Adagio jerks at the sight, holding her hand out to stop you. 

"Wait, we don't have to go back home now, do we?"

"No, I guess we don't. What else did you want to do today?"

Adagio looks off to the sidewalk outside the restaurant. "Do you think we could walk through the park or something?"

"Yeah, we could do that if you wanted." Those words quickly put a smile back on her face.

"Good," she says as the two of you get up. She wraps her hand around a couple of your fingers as you walk out, making sure she was close to you, like you did when she was six and you were crossing the street. "I don't want this day to end yet."