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[color=bc8dbf]"Hey! Hey Dad!"[/color] Dakota sat perched on the edge of her father's bed, poking him repeatedly in the side. Although she was well into her teenage years, the  young girl looked as though she could have been a six-year-old on Christmas morning. She shook and bounced as she waited impatiently for him to stir from slumber. Meanwhile, he was trying in vain to grasp what tiny vestiges of sleep remained in his mind. He groaned, turning over to protect his side from the incessant storm of pokes. But his efforts, as always, would prove to be no match for Dakota's persistence. [color=bc8dbf]"C'mon Dad! I know you're awake."[/color] She grabbed onto his shoulder, shaking him rather violently. [color=bc8dbf]"Get up!"[/color] His eyes fluttered open as she turned his body to face her. There above him was a pale but familiar face. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, though it was difficult to tell since they were half-covered by messy, purple hair. Her father couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her. Dakota was... a bit of a train wreck at the moment. The extra-large t-shirt she slept in was covered in holes and food stains (courtesy of its previous owner, her brother Josh), her hair stuck out in every possible direction, and from the red imprints on her face it was clear she had fallen asleep on her control pad again. But there she was, grinning from ear to ear without a care in the world. She laughed along with him, though she didn't really understand the reason behind it. But Dakota had always found laughter to be contagious, and it seemed she was particularly susceptible. [color=bc8dbf]"Finally!"[/color] She giggled again as her father struggled to his feet.

[color=39b54a]"So today's the day, huh? Always thought I'd be the first one out of this house."[/color] Josh appeared in the doorway. He leaned against the frame and flashed a cocky smile. [color=39b54a]"Guess all that noise you make was good for something."[/color] Dakota turned toward her brother and stuck out her tongue. [i]He probably thinks he's cool,[/i] she thought with a smile. He'd been acting like this for quite some time now, which she found absolutely hilarious. Maybe it worked with his college buddies, but Dakota had grown up with the guy. Once you've seen somebody running around the house in their underwear pretending to be a superhero, any chance of them being seen as "cool" tends to fly out the window. Still, she was going to miss him. Dad too... Josh was right about one thing- both of them had always assumed that she would stay at home at least through high school, and be the last one out of the house. That is, until they received the letter from Casper. For a moment she spaced out, trying to imagine what life would be like away from her family. But her brother's voice brought her back to reality.[color=39b54a] "I get to keep all your games, right?"[/color]

[color=a187be]"[i]Only[/i] if they won't let me have them in my dorm. I'm gonna ask when I get there, and then Dad's gonna send them to me. Right, Dad?"[/color]

Her father was still standing there, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.[color=fff79a] "Huh... oh yeah. Sure thing, honey."[/color] He glanced over toward his alarm clock, and his eyes suddenly flew wide open. [color=fff79a]"It's ten already!?!"[/color] Suddenly he seemed fully awake, moving frantically around the room as he searched for various articles of clothing. [color=fff79a]"We're gonna be late!"[/color] Dakota cocked her head to the side, looking at him with confusion. Had he forgotten what time the train left? The only time she'd seen him in such a panic was when he was late getting her to her first day pf middle school, and he was afraid her teachers would punish her for it. But at least that time, they had actually been running late. The train station was only five minutes from her house, and they still had several hours before they would need to worry. Still, she couldn't help but grin at her Dad's disheveled appearance as he rummaged desperately through his sock drawer.

[color=bc8dbf]"You know the train won't get here until four, right?"[/color] She chuckled. [color=bc8dbf]"Phoenix is one of the last stops before Casper, since we're on the west coast. You've got nothing to worry about!"[/color]

[color=fff79a]"No, no, not that."[/color] He muttered. A few moments of confused silence later, he emerged triumphantly with a matching pair of socks. Seeing Dakota's troubled expression, he explained. [color=fff79a]"We have to go somewhere else first. It's a surprise." [/color]As if that explained anything. She glanced over at Josh, but he seemed just as dumbfounded as she was. The second he saw her looking in his direction though, his expression changed to one of pure apathy. He shrugged and turned the corner, obviously trying to come off like he might know, but didn't care what his father was going on about. Unfortunately for him, this attempt was also foiled. [color=fff79a]"Joshua Middleton, get your ass back here. Don't think for a minute we're not taking you with us!"[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]"Language, Dad!"[/color] Dakota grinned, throwing out a comment that he had so often used on her and the boys when they were younger.

He smiled back at her, reaching down and messing up her hair even further.[color=fff79a] "When you've changed somebody's diapers and given them food and shelter for twenty years, you're allowed to call them an ass."
[/color]

At this she burst into laughter again. That seemed to be a rather common occurrence this morning. For one thing, the way he had phrased that sentence made it sound like Josh was still in diapers after twenty years- a thought that nearly sent her into hysterics. She was even too busy laughing to point out that while her father had used the word "ass", he hadn't actually called his son that. Usually she was quick to point out when things her father said did not make sense, simply because it made him flustered. And unless it was during a serious conversation, they generally were all able to find amusement in it. In fact, even now they were both still giggling. Josh had turned bright red, defensive as he was these days- but Dakota and her father hoped to tease it out of him eventually.

[color=fff79a]"Now go get yourself cleaned up,"[/color] her father spoke after calming down a bit. [color=fff79a]"I'm not taking you anywhere looking like that."
[/color]

A few moments (and a failed wrestling match with her hair) later, Dakota found herself riding shotgun in her father's car. Neither she nor Josh had any idea where they were going yet. Dakota thought for a moment about prying further. Her dad was almost as bad a liar as she was, and the worst secret-keeper she'd ever met. A few guesses and he would certainly break down and tell her. [i]Not today.[/i] Curious as she was, he had obviously been planning some sort of surprise for her. And this was the last day she would see him for quite a long time. [i]Might as well let him have this one.[/i]

Unfortunately, Josh seemed to feel no such obligation. [color=39b54a]"Where are we going?"
[/color]

[color=fff79a]"This way."[/color]

[i]Nice one, Dad.[/i] Dakota rolled her eyes, but still couldn't help but smile. This was about all the deflection her father was going to be able to handle. She turned up the music, cutting off Josh's interrogation, and began to sing along. Soon she was joined by her dad, whose singing voice was... comical at best. Wherever Dakota had gotten her musical talent from, it certainly wasn't anywhere in his genes. Not that she cared. Even if the man could never carry a tune, she still loved singing with him. Her mind flooded with memories of her family singing and playing together- back before Josh thought he was too cool for it and Hayden... well, it was best not to think about that now. She fell silent and her eyes widened as they pulled into a parking lot.

[color=bc8dbf]"No way!"[/color] she gasped, clutching her dad's arm. [color=bc8dbf]"No freaking way!"[/color] Even Josh was visibly envious. In front of them was a large, dome-topped building with a bright red sign reading "AR LIFE." She had been here a couple of times before to look at games, but had never been able to afford anything. The last time had been roughly five years before though, so the newer technologies had been a lot more expensive. Still, if he was going to buy her a game, he would have just bought it beforehand and given it to her at home. There was only one reason he would bring her to the store with him...

[color=bc8dbf]"I love you, Dad!"[/color]

The entire way back, she couldn't stop blinking and twitching, watching the internet pass before her eyes. The area where they'd put the implant still stung slightly, but she was far too excited to notice. After thanking her father about a million more times, she'd gone straight to exploring all of the new features. While the concept of Micro AR was not new to her, she had never experienced it herself. It was fairly common among students her age, and not nearly as expensive as one would expect it to be, but her father had always been under the firm belief that the smartphones they had would be good enough for any practical use. Until now, apparently.

[color=39b54a]"You don't have to blink to make it work, you know,"[/color] Josh commented, obviously jealous. [color=39b54a]"You look ridiculous."
[/color]

She did know this of course, at the moment it was simply involuntary. She wasn't used to seeing the internet projected in front of her. Thankfully, her father stepped to her defense. [color=fff79a]"Josh, when you get into a gifted school, you can have one too. As for you Dakota, you'd better not play games on that thing during class. I payed to get it put in, and I can pay to have it removed."[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]"No promises!"[/color] She giggled, flashing her father a look to show that she was not serious, and would of course do her best to be responsible with her new gift.

After a brief stop by the house to pick up her luggage, and several long moments spent staring at her empty room, Dakota and her family arrived at the train station. She hugged her dad first, thanking him once more for the Micro AR, and for raising her and being such an amazing person. In fact, she continued to ramble on until it looked as though he were about to cry. Then she turned to Josh, determined to hug him whether he liked it or not. But to her surprise, it was he who lunged forward to embrace her. Then her father stepped toward them, wrapping his arms around both of his children. Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and Dakota found herself wishing she didn't have to go. But the last call over the loudspeaker broke the enchantment.

The young girl waved frantically back at her family as she boarded the train. Smiling out at Josh and her father, she thought for just a second what it would be like to see Hayden standing there as well. Her face twitched once more, not from the Micro AR this time, but from the involuntary pain that struck whenever she thought of her fallen sibling. She missed him. In fact, as the train began to pull away from the station, she found herself missing all of them- her Dad, her brothers, her friends from middle school... Still, it lasted only momentarily. The same bright, cheerful smile returned to her face as quickly as it had gone. Today was her first day away from home. And if she had anything to say about it, it was going to be a happy one.