hadn't had a normal first day of school in years.

Last year, when she had first started middle school, her and Calypso had been living with the Walters. Naturally, that was a nightmare.

The year before that had been Mrs. Price. Mrs. Price was an elderly woman that had fostered Daisy and Calypso for a few months. She was super sweet, but the girls got to be too much for her. They were way too rowdy, and she couldn't really keep up.

The year before that, when Daisy was starting fourth grade, they hadn't had a placement at all. They were in a holding facility, waiting for their new foster assignment. The only person they really kept in contact with was Octavia. Calypso had only been three, so Daisy really was on her own during those times.

And then the year before that was with Dad, of course. But even that year was bizarre. Mom had been gone for eight months, and they were still majorly struggling to get through life without her. Daisy remembered that entire ride, how her and her father drove in a depressing silence to her first day of third grade while a baby Calypso napped in her car seat.

Daisy so desperately wished she could go back to the old days. Mom making pancakes while Dad brewed the coffee in the kitchen, all while Daisy begged to try some of the caffeinated beverage that her parents claimed was only for adults.

Mom and Dad used to laugh together in the kitchen too, joking about things Daisy didn't really understand. Dad used to spin Mom, like they were ballroom dancing or something, and Mom would smile so widely her dimples poked out.

The thought of her parents dancing in the kitchen made Daisy all warm inside. She could hear her mom's laugh, she could picture her dad's grin. That grin had always been his signature. But he stopped using it after Mom had died.

Daisy hated that her father had died, but it almost comforted her in the aspect that he got to be with Mom again. Truthfully, Dad didn't die when the truck hit him. He died as he sat in one of those uncomfortable wooden chairs, holding Mom's hand as the heart monitor freaked out and her face got paler and paler. For his last eleven months after that, he had only been a physical body walking around, nothing else. He was dead inside.

Daisy shivered at her old memories flooding in, wrapping her arms around herself.

"...You okay?" Mark asked as he instinctively reached over to turn the car's heat on, thinking the girl was shivering because of temperature.

Daisy only nodded, keeping her eyes fixated out the window as she watched the passing scenery.

They were in the car, riding to their doom. Daisy's nerves for her first day were through the roof; she was beyond anxious.

Calypso was as excited as ever though, humming a song softly as a set grin was on her face. There wasn't anything particularly interesting about Seattle, but she still drank it all in. The people, the cars, the buildings. It was all so fascinating to her six-year-old eyes.

The car eventually rolled to a stop outside of a big brick building covered in wide glass panes. The steel roof reflected the rare Seattle sunshine, and the shrill shrieks of children yelling in the courtyard made Daisy wince.

Daisy turned back in her seat to face an eager-looking Calypso, whose wide eyes were set on the courtyard of kids.

"If something happens, tell me...okay? And...and be careful. Only use safety scissors. Don't run during recess. Make sure your shoes are always tied. Be careful not to-"

Mark listened as Daisy listed rules on and on, and he was seriously convinced that if given the opportunity, Daisy would send her little sister out into the world fully clothed in bubble-wrap.

"Okay?" Daisy asked her little sister, whose attention was anywhere but on Daisy. Still, Calypso nodded nonetheless, her eyes still wandering. "I love you. Make sure-"

"Ava!" Calypso gasped happily as she spotted her best friend in the courtyard, immediately throwing the car door open and slinging her small book bag on her shoulder. She didn't even turn back to say goodbye, or to tell Daisy she loved her, and Daisy would be lying if she said that didn't slightly sting.

Daisy let out a quiet sigh as she watched the six-year-old join all her friends in the courtyard, Mark continuing the drive.

Honestly, Daisy wasn't sure if she had ever been alone with Mark in the month that she'd lived with the man. Her little sister had always been right there glued to her side, always there to chat away.

Without Calypso, the car ride was tense. Daisy felt...uncomfortable. But not in a bad way, just more so in an...awkward way. The car was filled with an awkward silence.

But awkward silence was the least of Daisy's concerns at the moment. Her brain wandered back to the bigger problem at hand: school.

Middle school, at that. Daisy hadn't liked sixth grade at all, and she couldn't imagine that seventh grade was any better. Another year of eating alone in the cafeteria, another year of being that one person in class that no one wanted to partner with for projects.

Luckily though, it wouldn't be another year of going home to screaming and hitting fits. That's all the Walters did. Hit and scream. Daisy figured your home life must be pretty bad if you call going to school an escape.

She looked over at Mark timidly, the man looking slightly frustrated with Seattle traffic. Living with Mark was going great for the moment being. Daisy wondered how long it would take before he started with the screaming and hitting fits too.

The Walters hadn't been long at all, they started after two weeks. It had been a month already that Mark had gone hitting-free...but would it start up? And...and what would Daisy even do when it started up again?

Daisy cringed at the thoughts. She would be helpless, as usual. She would take the bruises for Calypso, as usual. It would last for months and months until someone reported the abuse and Octavia would come swoop them up like she was some superhero, as usual.

Anxious would be an understatement. Daisy hated her brain. She hated her tendency to freak herself out before she was about to do something. Here she was on her way to her first day of school, and she was psyching herself out, thinking about the pathetic cycle of endless physical abuse that she can't seem to get out of.

Daisy's eyes wandered as she scrambled to find something to ease her mind. She spotted a blue Toyota zipping across the street beside her, and she figured she would just do what she did best; she would count to calm herself.

Things were going great for a bit. Daisy's counting prevented her from thinking anymore unnerving thoughts, and it prevented her from becoming any more aware of the unbearable silence in the car.

Counting blue Toyota cars was weirdly therapeutic. Daisy liked it.

The car had stopped though, and Daisy hadn't even realized that they were parked in front of her school. Mark looked at her expectantly as he waited for her to exit his vehicle.

"Have a good day." Mark said shortly, waiting patiently for the child to leave.

Daisy only stared at him, and it kind of freaked him out.

"Daisy?"

"Seven." Daisy mumbled, confusing Mark even more as she continued to stare.

"What?"

Mark focused on the girl more, soon realizing she wasn't staring at him but rather the space beside him. Out his window, to be more

exact. She was watching each car pass with intense concentration.

Mark moved his head to the side a bit so that Daisy was forced to focus her eyes on him, a small frown forming on her face. "It's time for school."

Daisy hesitated as she looked up at the intimidating school building that seemed to loom over her. She turned her attention back over to Mark, shaking her head. "I can't yet."

Not even a moment after Daisy finished speaking, the school bell could be heard chiming as the middle schoolers in the courtyard filtered into the building.

"Uh..." Mark's eyes flicked between the students filtering into the building and a hesitant Daisy. "I mean...I think you're gonna have to."

A slight wave of panic crossed Daisy's face as she shook her head. "I can't, I...I'm not done counting yet."

"Counting what?"

Daisy didn't answer, but rather let her eyes wander off again, focusing on the main road beyond the school parking lot.

"Daisy." Mark tried to grab the girl's attention. "What are you counting?"

"Cars." Daisy answered as if it were the most normal everyday thing to be doing. Daisy's gaze hardened as a bright blue Toyota sped past. "Eight."

Mark's eyes shifted back to the building. All the students were nearly inside already, and Daisy hadn't even unbuckled. She was going to be late.

"Come on, get out of the car. You have to go."

Daisy said nothing, a warning bell ringing in the background.

"Daisy." Mark spoke a little urgently. She was going to be late for school, and he was going to be late for work. He'd been late thrice already, and it was only the first week of the month. He didn't need anymore trouble with Chief Hunt. "Go to school."

Daisy shook her head, still keeping her eyes peeled for lucky Toyota #9. "I'm counting."

"Daisy-"

"I'm counting." Daisy snapped. Part of her wanted to immediately recoil and curl up into a ball. Her tone was harsh, and had she spoke to Mr. Walter in such a way, she was fairly certain she'd be sporting a new bruise of the most beautiful purple hue.

"Sorry, I...I'm sorry." Daisy scrambled to apologize, her thoughts running rampant again. "But if I don't count...it's gonna mess me up. My whole day is gonna be bad, something bad's gonna happen, and...I don't know. I don't know why."

Mark knew why, though. Or at least he thought he did. But he wasn't sure if right know was the time for that conversation. Hey, Daisy! How would you like to go see a psychologist? I think you might be mentally ill!

She probably wouldn't take well to that speech.

Mark sighed, looking over at the school building. The bell had already rung and the students had disappeared. She was already going to be late, she might as well be fashionably late. Mark would just bake Owen a batch of cookies or something as an apology for yet another lateness.

Mark sighed, switching the gear shift from park to drive. "What number do you need to count to?"

Daisy couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that Mark was gonna let her finish counting her Toyotas. It made her happy.

She didn't dwell on the feeling too long though because her counting was still incomplete, and as long as her counting remained incomplete, her mind was as cloudy as ever.

"Fifteen."

Fifteen. Mark probably should've figured that much.

Fifteen cars would be easy to count. Mark figured the task wouldn't take longer than thirty seconds.

"They have to be blue Toyotas, though." Daisy specified as Mark pulled out of the school parking lot.

Mark looked at her sideways. "What? Why?"

Daisy only shrugged. "That's what my brain wants today."

Mark's brain wanted to show up to work on time, Mark's brain also wanted Daisy to show up for her first day of school on time.

Mark's brain wanted his own private yacht in the Caribbean. Sometimes you can't always give your brain what it wants, but Mark figured Daisy wouldn't appreciate that comment.

They cruised along the main street, Mark looking intently for cars that Daisy could count.

"Nine." Daisy's eyes were focused on a blue Toyota parked at the deli up ahead.

"Ten." Mark counted as a white Toyota pulled up beside them on the road. Mark had to admit he had his doubts, but counting Toyota cars wasn't taking as much time as he thought it would.

"No." Daisy frowned. "Nine."

"That's a Toyota."

"That's a white Toyota." Daisy pointed out.

"Come on, it's the same thing. Just count it."

"Nine." Daisy repeated herself, and Mark groaned. Maybe this would take a bit longer, considering Daisy was cherry-picking.

There were so many common colors Daisy could have chosen. She seriously couldn't have decided to count black cars, or white cars? Even silver? There were tons of those cars all over Seattle. Electric blue was a little harder to find.

Ten minutes of riding around and they had only spotted two more blue Toyotas. They were up to eleven, and Mark was a tiny bit annoyed.

Daisy, on the other hand, seemed as relaxed as ever as she kept her eyes on the streets. She wasn't even tapping, which Mark figured was a good thing.

They were cruising along past the park, both eyes peeled for any Toyota cars in the parking lot.

"Twelve, thirteen." Daisy counted two blue Toyotas that were parked right next to each other, another one parked a few spaces away. "Fourteen."

Mark felt like he had just woken up on Christmas morning. He was happy that they had found so many, and he couldn't wait to just get to work already. They only had one left.

But today apparently wasn't his day, because no matter where they drove, they couldn't spot one more blue Toyota.

Ten minutes had passed, then fifteen. Twenty. Mark was seriously frustrated.

"Fifteen." Mark sighed out in relief as a blue Toyota stopped at the red light ahead of them.

Daisy squinted, focusing on the car. "That's not blue enough."

It was a bit lighter than the cars they had been counting so far. Periwinkle, maybe. It could've passed as light silver, the color was so faint. But Mark was ready to be done.

"It'll work." Mark mumbled, turning as he started to drive in the direction of Daisy's school.

Daisy began to slightly panic, shaking her head. "It's not blue enough, we...we need to find another."

But Mark wasn't really hearing it. They had counted to fifteen. Daisy was already over thirty minutes late for school, they didn't have time to count any more cars.

While Mark sped down streets, Daisy's brain went into a panic. She needed to count one more car. It was like her brain was openly taunting her. Like someone was dangling a carrot in front of her face.

She was almost there, but not quite. She needed that last car to make her brain feel complete, to make herself feel complete. Without it, she was like a puzzle missing a piece. She was incomplete, her thoughts scattered.

Daisy began her anxious tapping against her leg, tapping rapidly in groups of fifteen.

Mark hardly even noticed. He was just focused on getting to the school.

As opposed to the parking lot that had been full of cars thirty minutes ago when parents had been dropping off their kids, the parking lot was now relatively empty.

Mark pulled up right in front of the school, putting the car in park and ready to try for round two. "Have a good day."

Daisy wasn't even on the hunt for cars anymore. She was panicked, her eyes shut as she counted her taps of fifteen.

"Daisy?"

The girl was unresponsive, her counting nothing more than indistinguishable mumbles.

Mark was failing to wrap his brain around what was happening though. "You counted fifteen cars, what's wrong?"

"I need one more." Daisy's eyes were wild as she opened them, speaking quickly. "The last one didn't count, I...I need to count one more. Something bad's gonna happen. Calypso's gonna...gonna get hurt."

"Calypso's not gonna get hurt-"

"She will." Daisy spoke frantically. Mark knew all about OCD, and he was aware that the girl had fully convinced herself that her little sister would be harmed if she didn't finish counting fifteen blue Toyota cars.

Daisy was seriously freaked out, her brain in knots. She thought of Calypso getting hurt at school, and how it would be all her fault. Counting is an elementary task, and because she couldn't do something as simple as that, her sister would pay the price.

Mark was incredibly hesitant. He didn't want to force her into school when she was obviously very unstable, but he didn't really know what else to do. He had to go to work anyway.

"You'll be okay. I can...I can call Calypso's school and make sure she's okay?" Mark suggested, the only thing he could really think of that might slightly ease the girl.

But that wasn't good enough for Daisy. She knew Calypso wouldn't be okay. Something would happen, something bad. She just wanted to see her, honestly.

Apparently another kid had decided to show up to their first day late, because a car slowed to a stop right behind where Mark was parked, a boy rushing out in a hurry as he ran up to the front of the school. A blue Toyota.

Daisy let out a deep breath as her eyes focused on the vehicle parked behind her, a breath she had been holding in.

"Okay." Daisy spoke quietly, nodding to herself as she built up the courage to go inside now that she knew Calypso would be safe. Her tapping stopped completely as she slung her backpack over her shoulders.

Daisy was slightly embarrassed about the breakdown that had just occurred. She couldn't look at Mark, or even say goodbye for that matter.

She only got out of the car quickly, closing the door behind her as she walked towards the big building. Her impending doom was waiting inside, no doubt.

Daisy was slightly nervous, and she turned back to look at Mark's vehicle.

But Mark was already gone, probably in a race against time to get to the hospital.

But that blue Toyota was still just sitting there, and Daisy had never in her entire life been so thankful for a vehicle.