TOAST's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Toast pressed the green cap against her chest and read the stitched W for the hundredth time. A stranger sewed that letter on years ago, then walked away before she could ask why. Now she stood outside the mall stage, sure of only one thing. She wanted to know what the W meant. But she couldn't picture the stranger's face, or even the day it happened. Her only clue was a hole where the memory should be. A woman in a red gown swept past, braid swinging, and stopped when she saw the cap. "You've had that thing forever," Kaylee said. She didn't hug Toast. She never did. "Still chasing your little mystery?" Toast held the cap higher. "You knew me back then. Do you remember who gave it to me?" Kaylee crossed her arms. Her name necklace caught the light. "I remember you crying about a lost hat, and I remember who found it for you." She let the pause stretch, enjoying it. "Ask Waffles. He was there. He's always there." Toast's stomach dropped. She hadn't spoken to Waffles in a long time. But if he held the answer, she had no choice. She found him near the exit sign at the far end of the mall, leaning on the tall metal post like he owned it. Dark glasses. Dark blue cap. He didn't turn when she approached. "Waffles." "Took you long enough." He tipped his head back, still not looking. "Heard you were digging up old stuff." "Kaylee said you were there. The day I got this." Toast showed him the W. Her hands shook. "Who gave it to me?" Waffles finally lowered his glasses. His eyes weren't cruel, just tired. "You really don't remember?" "No. That's the whole problem." He pushed off the post and studied her for a long moment. Then he sighed. "It wasn't a stranger, Toast. It was your brother. He stitched that W himself before he left. W for the name he gave you." Waffles tapped the exit sign beside him. "He walked out that door and told me to keep an eye on you till you were ready to ask." Toast couldn't breathe. "I don't have a brother." "You did." Waffles slid his glasses back up. "You made yourself forget. All of it. The hat's the only piece that survived." The mall noise faded. Toast gripped the cap so hard her fingers hurt. The W wasn't a puzzle from a stranger. It was a message from family she had erased. Her search hadn't stalled. It had just cracked open something she buried on purpose. "Where is he now?" she asked. Waffles shrugged. "That's your next question. And you're not going to like the answer."