Seek and Hide Title: Seek and Hide Rating: FRC Characters: Relena, Dorothy Time: AC 187
Seek and Hide by Arabian Princess
Another boring trip, thought Relena. She liked coming on trips with her father because they were usually the only time she got with him. When he was at home, he was busy with work, so when she could go with him, she—was that girl? Relena rarely saw other children on these trips. The fact that this girl looked close to her age excited Relena. She bounded over to the girl. "HI!" The girl, who had very white blonde hair, looked startled. "Hi...." "I'm Relena Darlian! I'm seven! Who are you?" The new girl looked like she had just squished a beetle between her toes. "My mother told me not to talk to strangers." She turned her back to Relena, but Relena was too excited to notice the rudeness. She simply moved to face the other girl again. "But I'm a kid!" she protested. "You're still a stranger." "Tell me your name? Please?" The girl thought for a moment, but she finally told her: "Nob'dy." "Nob'dy?" Relena frowned, thinking about it. "You have a weird name Nob'dy." The other girl shrugged. "Is your father here, too? Mine is." "Yes. My mother came, too. This is my first time here. Usually they leave me home." "My father lets me come with him on trips sometimes. My mother doesn't like it. This is my first time here, too. I've never met another kid on Father's trips, though." Nob'dy seemed a little interested in this. "What do you do then?" "I go for rides." "Where do you go?" "I just look at places." She was too young to do much without her father and with just the driver. Nob'dy lost her curiosity—"You're boring"—and walked away. "Nob'dy! Nob'dy! Wait up!" Relena followed after the girl. Nob'dy stopped and looked back. "Yes?" "Will you play with me?" Relena rarely played with other kids (she was described as shy), but she liked this girl. "Play what?" "I don't know...hide and seek?" "Sure! You count to a hundred, and I'll hide!" "A hundred?" she whined. A hundred was so big! That would take forever. "Fine. Count to ten, ten times." That was more like it. "Okay!" She committed to counting, and she heard Nob'dy's footsteps getting farther away. It took longer than she had thought, but she eventually finished counting, and Relena went in search of Nob'dy. "Are you here, Nob'dy? No. Nob'dy! Nob'dy?" A man working for her father came up to her. "What are you doing?" She was supposed to be very respectful of the Romefeller palace. "I'm playing with my new friend, Nob'dy. We're playing hide and seek." "Nob'dy? Come on, Relena. You can play with your imaginary friends later. Your father wants to see you." "But!" "No buts. Come along." "She's real!" "Yes, I'm sure she is." He escorted her out of the hall and toward her father. Relena swept the hall with her eyes one more time, looking for her friend. I wish I could play with her again.