Rabbit Hole [1] Disappointment

         She sat at a small table and stared out the window as the rain poured down to the earth below. Head cradled in a hand, the other gripped a helmet with a light attached. She wore shorts and a shirt with a vest attached. For perhaps the tenth or so time since she'd sat down a sigh escaped. He's gone again. The girl thought. He promised, though! And another sigh.
         
         "He always lies," she said, and let her head fall to crossed arms on the table before her. "It isn't fair!"
   
         A maid of the household knocked on the door. "I've brought you tea, dear. Cheer up, your father will be back before you know it."

         "He promised!" her thoughts burst from her. "He promised he'd come back and take me with him next time! Then he goes and just—just—he just went without me!"

         "Your father is very busy trying to oversee things so you have a comfortable life, dear. You must understand."

         Her lip jutted out from her face and blue-eyes were welling up once again with tears, but she fought them back. "I understand perfectly," she huffed and stood up, grabbing her helmet she'd let fall to the floor. "He promised—and he broke that promise!" As the tears were starting to break the dam, she ran out of her room and towards the stairs.
         
         "Anastacia!" The maid called after her. "Ana!"

         She flew down the stairs lightning-quick, blond curls bouncing buoyantly around her. Stuffing her helmet on her head, she thrust open the back door after running through the kitchens, the head chef barely having a chance to look up from their mixing machine.

         Outside the downpour surrounded her, but she cared not and pushed onwards towards the forest that enveloped the manor. Ignoring the yells from the maid, and then the chef, coming from behind her she pressed on into the woods. "He lied, he lied, he lied," she chanted, as tears mixed with rain.

         Back at the manor a fretted maid appeared ready to cry herself. "It's a downpour! It's torrents!" she toddled over to a closet, searching for her coat. "She'll catch cold, she'll get lost!" she panicked.

         The chef followed behind her. "She's a stupid girl," he grumbled, reaching for his own jacket.

         "She's hurt," defended the maid. "Master Geoff did promise her—and he did break the promise—she has a right to be upset, Will."

         "And I've a right to be upset that she's making me leave my dumplings to go traipse about in the woods, get soaking wet, and likely catch cold myself—Bridget!"

         "Well," Bridget, despite her worried state, spun and smirked at Will. "At least you'll have a wonderful meal of chicken dumplings for us all when we get back."

         "Were you not listening?" seethed Will as he zipped up his jacket. "They're not done yet. I was just in the middle of—"

         "Yes, fine. Whatever," Bridget sighed. "We've got to go get her before she gets lost!" She then thrust upon Will an umbrella and stomped off to the back door.

         "It's all just an attention thing," Will continued as he followed Bridget out the back door and popped the button on his umbrella, causing it to open above him. "She wants daddy's attention, but can't get it, so she takes it out on us. I should tell her so, you know, I really should. She grumps about nothing being fair, well, this isn't fair to us!"

         Bridget pushed a piece of dark hair from her face and huffed, "Shut up, Will!" as they both fought branches and twigs, their boots getting soaked with mud. "Ana!" she called.

         "Ana!" echoed Will. "Get back here! We know your dad is a prat and should've—Oomph!"

         "Don't call him a prat!" Bridget shrieked. "Not to her!"

         Will shrugged. "The princess is fast, it's likely she can't even hear us."

         "Well, we'd better go faster too!"

         A tremendous sigh overtook Will and he paused a moment as Bridget continued the fight into the forest. "I just want dumplings right now," he muttered, and his brown eyes shifted back towards the manor. Another sigh, and he resigned himself to their current task, slumping along after Bridget and again calling, "Ana!" into the trees.