The Locked Book

Surprise? Ha!

--- Delilah's POV ---

I groaned as someone shook my shoulder, and burrowed myself down under Brook, using him as a space heater/blanket. Someone grabbed my scruff, and I smiled tiredly, waking up slowly. Only Max does that. I yawned. "Hey max." I smiled, and he chuckled.

"Hey, birthday girl." He whispered.

I smiled again, more of a grin. "What we gonna do today?" I asked him.

He smiled. "Anything you want until 10:00, okay? After that, we have dinner plans at an annoying fancy place that mama likes, so we gotta make the best of what we got, okay?" He said, scrunching up his nose.

I smiled. "Okay... Let's go to the park!"

"Which one, doll? Brooklyn, Trafalgar, Chelsea, Battersea..." He shrugged.

"The one down the street, silly!" I giggled.

He smiled. "Okay. What do you want for breakfast? I'll even let you have coffee." He whispered like he was plotting murder, and I giggled.

"Coffee and beignets from New Orleans!" I cheered. He'd gotten me 'authentic' chocolate beignets last month, and I was hooked.

He grinned. "Alright. It's about 19:00 there. We should be able to buy some, so get dressed, baby girl. Chop chop!"

I pouted. "Help me?"

He sighed. "Fine, but only cause it's your birthday, okay?"

I nodded and rubbed my eyes. He grabbed my hands gently. "Don't rub your eyes, little one. Arms up?" I lifted my arms, and he slipped his XXL 'Linkin Park: Hybrid Theory' concert shirt off me. I wore it as a dress, and he sighed. "I don't know how you get my shirts, but it's actually really cute, that's all that's saving you." He whispered.

Then he slipped a pair of clean undies on me, as I hugged his neck, and then a clean shirt and gave me a choice between a pair of pants and a skirt. I scrunched up my nose. "Ew. Burn that skirt." I said, and he laughed and actually obliged for once, setting it on fire, and helping me into the pants.

I smiled, and he said "I told you, whatever you want." He shrugged. He put out the fire, and then checked each of my four puppies for problems, as usual. He let them sleep, and picked me up. We rode the elevator into the basement, and then walked passed the guards on the portal gate. He stood at attention, and saluted me, grinning. It was an old joke, over the past three months.

We walked into the New Orleans portal, and he set me on his shoulders, and we went out of the alley onto Bourbon St. We stopped at a cart selling the hot&sweet pastry we were after, and Max bought a lot of them, at my insistence that everyone at home should have some.

We went back into the portal Station, and I dragged max into the bookstore, for coffee. I saw an empty counter, and went looking for Sarah. I giggled when I saw Sarah in the back room kissing the short guard. She jumped, and I laughed. "Hullo Sarah!" I said, and she blushed, mumbling a hello. "Can I have a coffee? Max said it was okay today 'cause it's my birthday!" I grinned.

She sighed. "May you? Yes you may, and 'cause' isn't a word. Use Because." She said, leaving the man in the back room and started making coffee for me and Max. The man scratched his neck, seemingly confused as to where to go. Max grinned and sat down with him, and leaned close. I read his mind to hear what was said, because they were whispering.

'Hurt my aunt, and there won't be a body left for the authorities to find. I'll have fed you, bit by bit, to a hoard of hungry alligators, in the Everglades.' He spoke softly, but in a terrifying tone, and the man's face paled several notches. Then he grinned. 'Now, have a beignet, and smile. You look like a ghost.'