<div class="floatright">(http://i2.listal.com/image/4998501/936full-amelia-calley.jpg)<br/><div align="center"><sup>Allison Hope Partridge</sup></div></div>The front door of the massive home swung closed behind her as Allison hurried inside. The rain had started, just a light sprinkling for now, but the news had promised far worse to come. Allison loved the rain... just not in her favorite pumps. Salvatore Ferragamo was a rare treat, even for her, and she came from a wealthy family. At $600 a pair, the shoes made her the envy of most of the girls in her grade, but that was something she surprisingly never seemed to let go to her head. Even with the heels, the only child of the seemingly perfect Partridges was dainty, standing at a mere 5'4" with the shoes on, she was just shy of 5'0" without them, but made up for her lack of height with an outgoing personality and sweet smile.<br/><br/>She was only one day away from her sweet sixteen, and though she'd not seen any hints of such, Allison secretly hoped her parents were going to make her big gift for the day a new car. She honestly didn't much care what kind it was, so long as it was small, good on gas, and made her friends positively green with envy. The fact that she still only had her learners permit was neither here nor there. Small white earbuds perched in dainty seashell ears, the wide-eyed youngster sang along with her iPod as Passenger's "Let Her Go" floated through her head. "Well you only need the light when it's burning low..." she sang along quietly with the song as she hauled in arm fulls of shopping bags.<br/><br/>Despite how it looked, Allison was far from a "serial shopper", which was probably the only reason her parents were fine with her occasional splurge shopping trips like this one. A small squeak of half-panic left her and her grey eyes went wide as she struggled with the weight of the bags, her shoes on the high dollar wood flooring throughout the foyer, her ipod held precariously in the fold of her thumb and palm, and the fact that the front door had swung too far open and out of her reach, meaning it was no longer there to steady her and she was suddenly left balancing precariously as her burdensome bags threatened to pull her first one way and then the other.<br/><br/>Regardless of the designer names on the bags she carried, Allison was dressed in modest (though high quality) clothing for her day at the mall, which her mother had made a point of saying she should go out and enjoy. "Go be a teenager. Go to a movie. Shop with your friends. Have fun," the woman had insisted. Though she'd been suspicious the older woman was up to something (hopefully something to do with the big party they were planning for her birthday), she'd taken her advice and gone out with a couple of the girls from school, pulling money from the separate bank account her father had set up just for her allowance and spending money. He could still see everything she did with her money, of course, but Allison had made sure not to be too irresponsible with it, making sure to keep a minimum amount in the account and not go on any big trips without permission.<br/><br/>The white dress she wore came to just above her knees at the shortest place, but the jagged cut brought some lengths of it to dance low around her calves. It flowed around her as she walked, giving glimpses of young, firm legs while a slender brown belt cinched it tight around her tiny waist. The bodice of the dress was as loose and flowing as the skirt, and the neckline draped around her, hanging just low enough to allow a teasing glimpse of perky cleavage but not so much as to be scandalous. Over it she wore a long blue cardigan, worn open and the sleeves pushed up to her elbows casually. One of her favorite necklaces hung around her neck, the long thin gold chain holding a small crystal bottle decorated with ornate gold working and filled with some kind of sparkly gold stuff inside. She could probably open it and find out what it was, but suspected it might be much less appealing to wear if it lost its mystery.<br/><br/>Another, chunkier gold necklace draped around her neck, laying against the delicate line of her collar bone. Red hair worn loose and wavy, it bounced around her as she precariously made her way inside the large house, again letting out a squeak of panic as she nearly toppled over, the weight of her bags threatening to pull her too far to the right. Forcing herself upright again, she tried to gather herself in to a more steady gait as she wandered deeper in to the house. The lack of activity around her said her parents were probably out of the house. She just hopped her father wasn't still at work... it was late and he worried her when he stayed out too much.<br/><br/>Without spotting him, she walked through the kitchen to the nearby breakfast nook, grunting as she tried to heft the bags up on to its surface. It would take a brief moment of struggling with the burden before she managed it and let out a sigh of relief, turning with the intention of making herself a smoothie when her father's tall, statuesque figure caught her eye. A squeal of surprise left her. "Daddy!" It was only by the grace of some unknown force that was looking out for her that she didn't drop her iPod in her shock. Despite this unknown force's power to keep her from dropping the electronic, however, she still ripped the buds from her ears quickly and hurried across the kitchen, heels clicking rapidly before she threw herself in to his arms, tugging him down to press a kiss to his cheek. Before he could speak, she pulled back and playfully swatted at his chest. "You startled me!"<br/><br/>A sweet smile had settled itself on her soft features as she looked up at the older man, large hazel eyes dancing happily. Unlike most teenagers, Allison was almost always genuinely happy to see her parents. They weren't too strict, but weren't so loose with their rules that she ever felt neglected, either. They'd found the happy medium between responsibility and freedom with their daughter, and she had the personality type that she always strove to please them. It worked out well, making their family seem a little too perfect.<br/><br/>"Mommy said I should go out and find something to wear to my party," she explained, thinking he was likely curious about her absence. Glancing over her shoulder, she eyed the pile of bags sitting there before returning her eyes to him and giving him a sheepish smile. "I couldn't make up my mind."