Chasing the Colemans (ON HOLD)

Chapter 1

Kara's POV:

"Brooklyn Atlas Coleman! What did I tell you about drawing on the wall?" I shook my head, giving my daughter an unimpressed look with my hands on my hips.

Despite being only three years old, my daughter recognised my angry tone and froze. Being the sweet little troublemaker she was, she turned around with the saddest pout in the world.

"Me sorry mummy." She twiddled her thumbs and looked down, playing the innocent look to a tea. To top off the act, she ran and hugged my legs as a single tear ran down her face.

How could I be mad at her adorable little face?

"I know you are little one," I leant down, cradling her into my chest, "you know mummy doesn't like you doing that right?"

She nodded against my shoulder. "So you won't do it again?"

"Yes mummy."

"Okay then little one, how about you, me and Aunt Hannah make some cookies tonight?" A smile instantly graced her face as she bounced up and down in my arms.

"After you put away your toys of course," I added as I placed her back down on her feet.

She groaned as she trudged her way to her room.

That's my little girl alright. Such character, such grace.

So much has changed in the past 3 years. Before, I was a Masters student in University and had just begun the first stage of my invention, a bionic arm 2.0 which led me to complete my internship at St John's Hospital. Hannah and I were roommates at that time, barely in our apartment, with little or no food in the fridge, relying solely on 2-minute noodles of course.

However, now, with all the scholarships that I've gotten, I was able to get a house in a good neighbourhood. No more 2-minute noodle meals in this household, with Brooke in the house, Hannah and I decided to eat healthier which meant that the fridge was always stocked with delicious organic whole foods.

Brooke had definitely left her mark in every part of this house. From the baby proofed furniture, to the artworks pasted on the wall, the dried food stains on the couch - covered by pillows of course and her toys, strewn across the living room. Not only has our living arrangements changed but I am finally in my last year of university, getting my PhD with a million dollar prototype now completed and ready to be used in the public.

Brooke has turned our lives upside down but in the best way possible. I couldn't ask for anything more. She's such a bubbly little ball of light who can't even hurt a fly but she's a troublemaker alright. She definitely knows how to push my buttons but I mean who can resist her puppy dog face?

Speaking of the devil, Brooke skips into the room with her pig tails swishing from side to side, landing on the couch right next to me.

"Aunt Hannah is coming home late so how about we go to the shops to get the ingredients," I suggested as I fixed the bows in her hair. After putting on our shoes and coats, we were out of the house.

We walked hand in hand as Brooke rambled on about the cookies, chocolate chips and ice cream.

"Mummy, why are there people sleeping on the ground?" She asked innocently, gesturing at a homeless man resting on a sheet of cardboard.

"Don't they have mummies and daddies to take care of them like you do for me?"

I was stunned, not because of her question but of the fact that she mention a father figure. I didn't even know if she knew what a father figure was. I quickly recovered from my shock and replied, "Little one, they aren't as lucky as us to live in a house or have food or clothes. That just means we have to be gracious and always be willing to lend a helping hand to those most in need."