Chapter 353 Abandoned

Ariel froze for a second like she could not believe it. She blinked at the Strawberry Bear, then at me, and finally asked, "For... for me?" I nodded, encouraging her to take it. She was on the shy side, so even though this was our second meeting, she was still pretty quiet. Clutching the Strawberry Bear, she managed a quiet, "Thank you." Then something seemed to click, and she looked up at me with a curious twinkle. "How did you know today's my birthday?" I just smiled. "The director told me." She nodded, a little overwhelmed, and went quiet. I knew she was not much for talking, so I grabbed a stool and sat down next to her. I glanced over at Charlie, who was still standing, and said, "Why don't you take a seat too?" He gave the wobbly stool a wary glance and, with a slight frown, said, "No thanks, I'll just take a look around." I nodded in response and turned back to my conversation with Ariel. I had already been here yesterday, and there was not really any reason to come bac