Crimson Dyed

Alexis' 18th Birthday

I bolt up with a start, sun shining in my bright blue eyes. I grin. I'm officially an adult today! I race to my closet and grab a black tank top, blue jeans, and a red jacket. I quickly change my clothes and race downstairs to see my parents waiting for me.

"Happy Birthday, Alexis!!" They cry out. I smile and hug both of them.

"Thanks guys", I grin at them before looking at the time. It was only 9 in the morning. I smile as I watch out the window for Optimus and Bumblebee to arrive. After an hour, no one had arrived. I decided to try and call Optimus but to no avail. I then tried Bumblebee's as well. When I received no answer then, I frowned. I could tears coming up but I waited by the window for yet another hour before attempting to call again. Still no response.

By now, it was almost noon. My parents came and coaxed me out of my spot by the window and celebrated my birthday with me. Or at least tried to. I kept glancing at the door hoping there would be a knock and my father and brother would be standing there. But they made no appearance. I opened my presents and was happy to find a new camera in it, as well as some drawing pencils. I smiled softly before putting them in my room.

I go back to the window and watch for them. It was almost 3 at this point and I was losing faith. My parents tried to get me away from the window but I refused. Eventually, they just left me be.

By now, it was 4. I had lost all hope that they would come. I go outside and sit underneath the dying tree in our front yard. 'Maybe he didn't miss me all these years. What if... what if there is a different reason for him sending me away...? What if... what if he never... loved me?'

At that thought, I could no longer hold my tears in and I started crying. My parents tried to come and comfort me but to no avail. I pushed them away. 'He said he would be here...? So why isn't he here...?'

Soon, my tears stopped, and I just stared numbly at the ground. I don't know how long I sat there but when I finally checked the time, it was about 9:30 p.m. I had only checked when I heard an engine rumbling up the street. Or rather, two engines. I looked up and I saw two familiar vehicles pulling up to the edge of the road by my house.

I looked down and waited for them to come up to me. I heard footsteps stop next to me and felt someone crouch down next to me.

"Crimson?" It was Optimus. I felt tears filling my eyes again.

"You didn't come", I whisper. Optimus froze before sighing.

"I am sorry. There was a mission that we all had to be a part of", Optimus says.

I stood up angrily. "And you didn't think to tell me about it. I would have understood if you had given me some warning beforehand. But no, I waited for 12 and a half hours for you to come by. 12 and half hours!!!" By now, I was practically yelling, tears streaming down my face. "I searched for you for 17 years and I finally find you a few days before my 18th birthday. Yesterday, I told you who I was. You promised you would show for 18th birthday because you had missed all my other ones. The day I become a legal adult and my own father can't even be there because he has to go on some stupid mission? Thanks a lot. Guess I really am just a worthless scrapheap of a daughter!"

I would have kept ranting if Optimus hadn't stopped me. "I was protecting you by going on this mission. If I had not been there, if we had not been there, this entire planet would be under Decepticon rule. Megatron would still be alive. I-"

I cut him off. "Megatron is dead?"

"Indeed", Optimus says.

I mumble to myself before making a decision. "Alright. Fine. I'll give you this one. Doesn't mean I'm happy though. I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

I don't even give them a chance to respond before I walk inside. I look at my parents who were confiding with one another but had stopped when I came in.

"Orion and Brandon are out there if you want to talk to them", I mutter before going up to my room. I open the window slightly so I can hear what they said.

"So you want to explain why you guys weren't here today?" my dad asks. Optimus sighs.

"I'm part a militaristic force. I had a mission I was called in to do today and I couldn't leave until now. I'm terribly sorry to have missed such an important day for her..."

"She waited by that window for hours before coming out here and waiting for several more hours. We couldn't pull her away to do anything. She wanted to see you guys. And you broke her heart. I can tell she loves you dearly already, both of you. But you hurt her", my mom says.

"I understand. I never meant to hurt her. Primus, I sent her away to protect her from Megatron and yet... I hurt her", Optimus sighs before turning to leave.

I felt tears trickling down my face again.

"Primus? Megatron?" My eyes widen. Optimus, you just made a huge mistake, and you better hope you can cover it up, or else you will have more humans that you'll need to watch out for.

"Primus is just a military slang that we use. We use it quite a bit, so if you here us say that a lot, that's why", Bumblebee steps in. I sigh in relief. He seems to have this covered.

"And Megatron?"

"A code name for my worst enemy", Optimus says softly.

My parents glanced at each other. I sigh before going back downstairs and outside. "It's alright guys. Let's just... forget this ever happened, okay? I'll see you tomorrow, Orion, Brandon."

I tug my parents back inside before going back up to my room to see Bumblebee had left, but Optimus had waited. What surprised me, however, was when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out, and looked at it. It was a text... from Optimus. I looked at it and it said: _May I call you to explain what happened in the mission today that made it so I wasn't able to make it to your creation day?_

I sigh before calling him. As I wait for him to pick up, I flop back on my bed. He picks up on the first ring.

"Explain", I say quietly. As he explains what happened, my eyes grew wider and wider. "You were in outer space? That's so cool!"

I was okay with him missing my birthday for this. This was way more important.

"Hey, Optimus...? Sorry for snapping at you earlier..."

"It is fine. I understood. This was a big day for you and I was not there to help you celebrate it", Optimus says.

"Yeah, well, you better be there when I graduate from high school. That's when I'll be able to move on with my life, get out into the real world. That's the most important thing for me. I want you to be there when I graduate", I say with a small smile.

"And when do you graduate?"

I checked the calendar and almost shrieked with shock. "I graduate in two weeks", I mumble... "Two weeks til I'm free from this torture they call school..."

Optimus chuckles. "With all hope, I should be there."

"Good. Hey, I better get to bed now, I have school in the morning and I really don't want to wake up late. I'll talk to you later."

"Goodnight, Crimson."

"Goodnight, Sire. I love you."

"I love you too, my little Starflare."

"I'm not little anymore..."

"You are to me."

"Shut up."

Optimus chuckles before ending the call. I place my phone on my bedside table and plug it in. In a few minutes I was out like a light.