Chapter 1

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        Let Me Go

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1

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Casterline Akahoshi paced hurriedly around her bedroom packing essentials, picking up toys, and dodging plastic pop-gun pellets being fired by her hyperactive little girl all at once. "Pow-pow! Now you're hurt and can't go to the air fort! Gotta stay with me, Mommy!" Caste hated when Harumi used puppy eyed persuasion, it was her greatest weakness. She grabbed her heart and slid down the wall in the most dramatic way, "Ugh! Ya got me, kid!" She slumped over a bit, anticipating the sound of worried little feet jumping off the bed and running to make sure she hadn't really hit her mark. Just as Harumi was within arms reach, Caste grabbed her up and hugged her tight. "I love you sooo much, but Mama still has to go to the airport and bring Grandma Katlyn home from the hospital." Harumi turned around to face her mother, this time with large tears welling up in her big, bright red eyes. She was a perfect mix of Caste and her husband Haru. Long dark brown hair pulled half-down half-up and topped off with a small red bow in the back, pouty lips and eyes like her father's, and a cheery magnetic personality that could melt the iciest of hearts. "But I'll miss you lots..." Harumi said through tears. "I miss Grandma, my mommy, the same way you'll miss me. And it'll only be for two weeks, sweetheart. You'll have Daddy and all your stuffed toys to keep you company while I'm overseas. And I promise to be back before your first day of--" "Don't say it! I'm a fairy princess and fairy princesses don't need school!" Harumi wriggled and writhed until she was out of Casterline's arms and darting through the apartment. Caste leaned her head back against the wall and sighed. Explaining hospitalization, healthcare, travelling visas and mandatory schooling to an innocent fairy princess wasn't something she could bring herself to do. And so she went back to packing, knowing full well her husband was getting an earful about how unjust she was for not taking Harumi with her to the States. The truth was, Casterline had left her mother's home on bad terms when Katlyn Queensguard had scorned the pregnancy and denounced their marriage back when Haru and Caste were still University students. Caste had been studying abroad through a ridiculously expensive exchange program when she fell for Haru. The couple managed to scrape by together after Kat decided to cut Caste off completely. On account of Kat's blatant disapproval, it was needless to say they'd barely spoken since. She'd only ever seen photos of her grandbaby through email and had only ever heard her voice over the phone. She was too stubborn, too set in her ways to use real-time messengers and the like. But that never bothered Harumi, which was a great relief to both parents. Kat never let on that she was going to use this unfortunate event to make amends and ask forgiveness during their last phone conversation. But that's exactly what she intended to do.