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Daisy awoke to the subtle chill of a spring morning. The dull, gray light glowed softly through the curtains. The rain alone couldn't match the disastrous result of her previous birthday, but still, she worried. A 10th birthday was a true milestone in anyone's life. It didn't have to be perfect, but it had to not be a tragedy. She headed downstairs.
Preparations for the party had been well underway for days. Cerulean Gym was locally known for their lavish undersea-themed parties. Daisy's mother had a certain whimsical flair that matched her free spirit. It was evident that she used every excuse she could to justify a mature gathering, including a child's birthday party. Lately the parties had become more frequent. It was almost as though she'd lost herself in them a bit. Daisy thought, maybe this was a normal response to her father's disappearance. It was hard to say what went through the minds of grown-ups, but maybe after today, she'd begin to better understand these things. Maybe even she was finally responsible enough to attend her own party.
Later that day, Daisy, Violet and Lily piled into the back seat of the car. Misty seemed unable to decide whose lap to sit on. She thrashed energetically, occasionally whipping one of them with her current favorite toy, a stuffed Ponyta, not much smaller than herself.
"Ugh! Make her stop!", Lily groaned. "Misty, stop.". Misty was unaffected by her mother's passive request and continued to fling the horse by its red tail.
"We don't have a lot of time, so can we all please be good today?", "Yeah, Mom..", only Daisy replied. It was exciting to finally be trusted to pick out her own outfit. It didn't even have to be nautical-themed this time.
"Let's get through the evening.", their mom continued. "Yeah.", Barked Violet, "I'll try not to totally ruin your time by like, cutting my foot off.".
Actually, it was their mother's fantastic stories that had led Violet toward the ocean. Last year, they celebrated at the beach. What Violet thought she saw in the foamy shallows was a beautiful Primarina. As she chased after it, a shattered blue-green bottle caught her heel.
Was it bad that Daisy was mad about it? A little, she thought.
Misty let out a shriek. It had been several minutes since anyone was bludgeoned by polyester fury, and the car window lie gaping. Her Ponyta was discovered caked in mud after a three hour search.
Daisy certainly stood out amongst the sailor-collared bunch, but should have predicted that her first task as a mature adult was babysitting the guests' children in her room.
To make matters worse, she'd just realized part of her skirt had torn when she'd snatched it away from Misty's tiny-but-firm grip earlier. "Mom is going to kill me.", "Maybe we can fix it.", assured Violet. The two became thoroughly distracted.
"You both are wrong about the kid's room.." Lily snickered. "What are you going to make them do for you this time," sighed Violet, "Shine your plastic jewelry?". "Actually..", one of the children unexpectedly interjected, "We were talking, and we think you're kinda mean.", "Umm.. you're at my house.", "We don't want to be here.. Actually, most birthday parties have.. Uh.. You know.. Cake.. And maybe a bounce castle.". "You don't have soda pops or shave ice or anything.", another added. "Um, but I'm clearly the cutest.", "Misty is the cutest.", several of them chimed in in unison. True. Misty had curled up to share some warmth with Seel, still gripping to her doll. It would take someone completely dead inside to believe she wasn't adorable.
"I think-", the smallest boy shouted, "I think Misty should tell us what to do.", "I agree." The oldest girl said, deviously. Surely Lily would be furious.
The children gathered around Misty and awaited her command. "What do you want to do, Misty?", "Come on!", "Come on!". She stared up at them for a time, excited for the sudden attention, but oblivious, otherwise. "Tuptate.", she finally squealed. No one could possibly argue with that. They huddled together, excluding Lily. "There's a whole table of snacks downstairs.". The eldest opened the door for Misty to leave, but picked her up and carried her out when she didn't immediately make a break for it. The other children followed. "Wh.. wait!!", Lily stamped her foot, "Where are you going?!". To avoid making her pursuit obvious, she followed quietly a bit later.
Downstairs, the spread was abundant and hardly touched; turquoise cupcakes with tiny marzipan Staryu and Starmie, donuts iced like life preservers, cookies shaped like Squirtle. In the middle of the table sat a giant layered cake that resembled a lighthouse. It was plenty to distract the kids, as they stealthily grabbed what they could carry. Lily watched quietly from around the corner.
In the excitement, no one noticed Misty crawling toward the gym's pool. She gave her Ponyta a forceful toss into its depths before making her way back to the table.
The shriek of a woman caused trays of goodies to hit the ground. The adults gathered around the edge of the pool. They gazed in horror at the tiny, flesh-colored figure lying motionless beneath- only its bright red hair floating softly.
Back in Daisy's room, the two of them put the hopeless final touches on the wardrobe malfunction. They hoped the mismatched thread and blatant seam would go unnoticed. Suddenly Lily burst into the room with terror in her eyes. "Daisy!! It's Misty!! She- she- she..". A chocolate-covered Misty burped loudly, from her mountain of cupcake wrappers. "Oh no!!", Daisy picked her up, "Maybe mom won't notice..". Lily fell to her knees, still trembling.
The four awoke to the party's aftermath, though it seemed as though it had been hastily cleaned. Leftovers had been placed in the refrigerator, floors had been only partially swept. Most unusually, their mother was nowhere to be seen. There was still no sign of her well into the evening. After reheating the food from the party, they discovered a banner folded in the trash; "Bon Voyage".
Violet and Lily could scarcely look at their baby sister. Daisy, too felt a certain bitterness, but deep down, knew it was irrational. It was only a matter of time before their mother's departure. She'd gradually drifted further and further from them and the gym's responsibilities left behind by their father.
Misty had finally settled down after a restless day. Daisy felt defeated, but sat still and tried her best not to further upset her. The same sparkling blue-green that had ruined her previous birthday gazed up at her.
The edges of the broken bottle would be tamed by the unforgiving harshness of the ocean.