Someone knocked on Anneliese's door early in the morning. She didn't answer, so they knocked again. "Anneliese? Are you awake?" they asked. She rolled onto her side with her back facing the door. "Anneliese?" They knocked again.

"Who is it?" she asked sleepily.

"It's your father," they answered.

Her eyes popped wide open, and she got up quick as lightning. 'Father?! What's he doing here? Mother let him in?!' she thought. She combed through her hair with her fingers and said, "Come in!" Her stepfather entered with a smile on his face. Her mood dropped when she saw who it was. 'Father as in stepfather, not biological father, Anneliese. You idiot!' she thought and rubbed her face. "Father, you're back from your trip!" she said, faking enthusiasm. She was good at faking emotions, so he would never know that she was faking it.

"Good morning, Anneliese. Did I wake you up?" he asked.

"No! Not at all. I was already awake a few minutes before you came in," she lied and scratched her head.

"I brought something back from my trip to London for you." He revealed a neatly wrapped box with a ribbon on it that was as big as his hand.

"Really? You didn't have to, father." Her brows knitted together as she looked at him.

"You won't accept it?" he asked with a frown on his face.

She shook her head. "No, I'll accept it since it's from you, father." This made him smile, and he put it into her hands. He watched as she held it. "Oh, do you want me to open it now?" she asked, wondering why he was still in her room.

"Yes, open it. I don't know if it's to your liking now that you've gotten older," he answered. She untied the ribbon and took off the cover to reveal a silver necklace that portrayed London.

(Anneliese's Necklace)

She gasped a little and covered her mouth as she took it out slowly. "It's beautiful, father!" She hugged him, and he smiled at her reaction.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"Do I like it?! I love it!" she answered. "Help me put it on?" He nodded and put it on her. She went and stood in front of her mirror. She touched the necklace gently with a smile on her face.

"Your mother helped me pick it out for you," he added in.

"Really?" She turned around. "Thank you, father. Please tell mother I said thank you too!" Anneliese finally took in her surroundings and realized she wasn't even home. "Wait! Father, how did you get into my apartment?"

"Your mother told me the password to your lock," he answered nonchalantly.

"Father! You can't just barge into my apartment early in the morning just to give me a necklace. You should've told me beforehand so that I could've gone to your house instead."

"Why? You don't want me in your apartment?"

"That's not it, but I haven't even gotten ready this morning. I don't look presentable."

"Oh, Anneliese. It doesn't matter. I've watched you since you were a little girl. I know how messy you are," he remarked, and she gasped, which made him laugh. "I won't bother you anymore. I'm going home to see your mother. Remember to get to school on time." He got up and left her apartment.

'Should I text Archer? Is he awake this early? What can be my excuse for texting him because I have nothing to report to him,' thought Anneliese. She decided to text him even though she had nothing important to say.

Anne: Hey! Are you awake?

He responded almost immediately.

Arch: Good morning. I just woke up.

Anne: Oh, me too!

Arch: Did you find something?

Anne: Ah...no.

Arch: Okay. Did you need something?

Anne: No...

Arch: So you just decided to text me???

Anne: Um...yes...

He read the message but didn't reply, making her feel hurt. She turned off her phone and went to freshen up then ate breakfast. She went downstairs to the cluster mailbox to check if she got any mail. To her surprise, her father finally sent her a letter back. She quickly returned to her apartment room.

(Anneliese's Apartment Room)

She sat down on the couch, ripped it open, and took out the letter. She was very excited and curious as to what her father had written. 'Did he write an explanation of his disappearance?' thought Anneliese. She had her eyes closed as she unfolded the paper. She inhaled then exhaled and opened her eyes to read it.

Dear Anneliese,

          It's so good to hear about what's going on in your life, and I can't believe I missed that stage of your life. I guess it's partly my fault since I left. I want to make it up to you by becoming a family with you again; however, I don't know if it's possible. Would you want to leave your mother and stepfather to live with me and my family? Would your mother allow it? She doesn't know about you writing to me, right? Also, from your nonchalant letter that I received recently, I'm guessing you didn't receive my previous letter. I sent it to your old address, your mother's house. You said you had a new address, so I sent this letter to the one you gave me. I hope this one gets to you without trouble. Write back to me if you did.

Your father,
Nathaniel

P. S. Is it necessary for me to put my name? It feels awkward since this is to my daughter.

She read the postscript and chuckled. 'He hasn't changed,' she thought. Then she remembered him saying he sent a letter to her mother's house. She checked yesterday, but she didn't find it. "Did it somehow get lost?" she asked aloud. "Could mother have gotten it?!" She panicked. "But if she did, she would've talked to me about it unless she thought father wrote to me first, and she doesn't want me to see it, which would make me emotional and other stuff if I did. I might have to check again later." She took out a paper and started writing another letter.

Dear father,

        I went to my mother's house yesterday to check if you sent any mail to me, and I didn't find any from you. Maybe it got lost in other mail? I'll check again later. Please don't send any to the old address; use this current one. Also, no, you don't have to put your name. Now that you point it out, it does sound weird. You're still the same father I know with your weird personality. Write me back soon.

Your daughter,
Anneliese

She folded the letter and sealed it. She quickly dressed in an oversized, white, wool sweater and black, leather tights paired with black, heeled boots. Her hair was let down and accessorized by a white and black, polka dot, top knot headband, and her lips sported a cherry red tint. She carried the letter in her usual tote bag and dropped it off when she passed by his apartment complex.

When she arrived at her college, she met Archer under the tree with Clarissa. They were smiling, and she frowned. 'What are they talking about?' she asked herself. Clarissa noticed her and waved her over with a big smile on her face. She smiled back and walked over to them. "Hey, what's up?"

"We were just talking about you!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, really? Why?" Anneliese asked, confused.

"Archer said you texted him this morning out of nowhere, and he didn't know what to do!" Clarissa laughed, and he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry I didn't reply to your message. I had to answer a call then do some work," he said.

"Oh, it's fine." She gave a lopsided smile, and he smiled back. His icy, blue eyes seemed to sparkle.

Clarissa looked between the two and smiled widely. "Shall we go to class then?" she asked abruptly, and they snapped out of their gaze.

"Um, yes," Anneliese answered and linked her arm with her, leaving Archer behind to follow them.

'She gets more interesting each day,' he thought with a smile on his face.