After school, they went to a local department store to buy items that Skye needed. They did not have everything, so she sent her driver to pick up the rest. They wanted to go home and lived close, so they walked instead of waiting.

Hope, Skye, and he strolled down their street toward his house. It was one of the first days of fall. There were no clouds, and a fresh breeze blew through the trees. They passed their neighbors' houses and the aroma of baked apples and cinnamon emanated from the Reynold's residence.

"Melanie's dad must be baking apple pies," Hope announced to Skye. "He's a world-renowned chef."

Cole strolled behind them, crunching dried leaves under his shoes. He reminisced about his first day back. He met the Trillionaire Princess and in 213 days, they would leave for Mars. This was the perfect day. He chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Hope asked.

"We're finally going to Mars."

"213 days. Yay!" Hope exclaimed and gave him a high-five. Then she held his hand while they walked.

Cole said, "I am going to miss our hill."

"What hill?" Skye asked.
He nodded toward the massive mound behind their houses. A layer of emerald grass covered it. A green oak tree that had splotches of yellow and red leaves stood at the top.

"We spent every day of our childhood playing on that hill and dreaming about going to Mars. Well, usually Hope studied under the tree while I played."

"I'm pretty sure we'll find one there. If we don't, I'll build one for you." He flexed his bicep on his free hand.

His mom waited for them on their front porch. She waved, wearing dusty blue jean overalls and a white short-sleeve shirt underneath. When they were in front of his house, she shouted, "Hey kids, I hope you had a good first day."

"Name Jinx!"

He was not paying attention at all.

Hope reached over and painfully pinched under his arm. "Holy crap, that hurt!" He let go of Hope and rubbed the skin on his arm. He quickened his pace to his mom and said, "You did that on purpose."

"I would never do anything to hurt my little baby." His mom hugged him, then she grabbed his cheeks and squeezed. She did not do it hard enough to hurt, just enough to make him uncomfortable in front of Skye.

"Stop, Mom," he declared with aggravation.

She released him and motioned toward Skye. "Excuse me, we made it clear that the only pretty girl Cole could have in the house was Hope."

"We need to study. Mom, this is Skye."

"Yes. You do. Top three, we believe in you."

He nodded, moved around her, and headed inside.

"I apologize for my son's lack of manners. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Julie."

Skye put her hand out.

"We hug around here," she said, embracing Skye. "So, why are you here?"

"My dad wants me to shadow Hope before we go to Mars."

"Well, he picked the best person." She motioned toward their kitchen. "Come on in and make yourself at home."

Skye headed inside.

Hope was next in line.

"Here is the birthday girl." She hugged Hope and asked, "How was your first day back?"

"Easy. No tests, yet."

"I spoke to your mom, and they're running late. So, we'll celebrate here later. That will make it easier for everyone."

"Celebrate that I was born. Not sure why? I had nothing to do with it."

Both withdrew inside, and Julie closed the door. "We're celebrating that you are alive and important to us."

They sat down at an oak table with matching stools in the middle of the kitchen. Hope sat between them.

"Hold on," his mom said. "I need an extra plate for Skye." She grabbed one from the cabinet above her and a few seconds later, she carried three plates of food over and set a plate in front of each of them. The worn stoneware plates were warm and filled with mashed potatoes, corn, and grilled chicken strips covered in steaming gravy. The scent reminded him of the many delicious dinners they had eaten at this table. He was salivating.

"That smells great." Skye breathed in the aroma. "I'm famished."

"Dig in guys. You need energy to keep studying."

She came back with three glasses of water.

Cole stuck his fork in the potatoes and took a bite. The starch texture dissolved in his mouth with a tasty salt and butter combination. "These are amazing." He continued eating.

Skye tapped Hope on her shoulder and asked, "What did you mean when you said Cole was smarter?"

"Since we were in pre-school, we took many IQ tests. Cole always scored higher than me. He can do mathematical calculations, instantly," Hope snapped her fingers, "problems that I need to write out longhand. He's so smart he doesn't have to try, so he never learned a solid work ethic. Your father has very high expectations for him, though. "

Cole guffawed with his mouth full and pointed at Skye. He swallowed. "When I first started, your dad had super-high expectations for me and even though I am always in second or third place. He regularly tells me he's disappointed and still waiting for me to reach my full potential."

"Join the club," Skye said. "That's a lot of pressure to put on a bunch of kids."

"This is what we signed up for," his mom interjected.

"Being the best is way too much pressure," Cole said. "Hope's better suited for being a leader, anyway. Plus, we only need to be third, so why should I waste all of my time studying?"

"What do you mean, waste your time?" Hope said, grinning. "You spend every second with me."

"You would know with your detailed time budgeting. There are two things not on your schedule: resting and having fun. I miss Summer Hope."

Hope groaned with frustration and smacked her forehead. "It's only been one day."

The front door clicked, and the handle turned. His dad pushed it open and entered. He was a skinny man of average height with He had short dark hair and green eyes, wore a sky-blue dress shirt and khaki pants. He took off his shoes by the entrance, then made his way to Cole and hugged him. Then, he turned to the rest and said, "Hey guys. How was your first day?"

He gawked at them and paused.

"Wow. You're Skye Bettencourt. I'm sorry. I'm surprised you're here. I mean, I read you were going to one of the school's, but I didn't expect to see you in our house."

"I'm Dr. Donaldson and I've worked with your father since before you were born." He shook her hand. Then he sat down at the table across from them. Julie placed a plate in front of him and he stuck a fork in the chicken.

"This is excellent. Thanks, babe."

He pointed at Cole. "You guys are the lucky ones because we flipped a coin to see which one of us would stay at home when you were born. You would not want to taste my cooking."

"We know, dad. You tell us every day."

His dad's viewer vibrated and chimed. It was on the table next to his drinking glass. He pressed Ignore. He continued eating. Then, it vibrated again and announced, "You have an incoming call from..." he read the name and pressed Audio Call with haste. He placed the viewer to his ear and said, "Hello? Can you hold for a second?" He held up his index finger and said, "I'm sorry. I need to take this."

Then he left out the front door and closed it behind him.

"That was strange," Hope said.

"Very," his mom said.

They continued eating in silence. His mom tiptoed to the window, but his dad returned before she could spy on him.

"Is everything OK?" his mom asked.

"Yes. It is. They wanted me to go back to work, but I told them it was Hope's birthday. Anyway, Cole and Hope, how... sorry Cole, Hope, and Skye, how was your first day back?"

"Excellent," Hope said.

"Met Skye Bettencourt." he pointed at Skye.

"Stressful and cold," Skye said. She swiveled in her chair until she faced Cole, "and stop calling me Skye Bettencourt. Skye is fine."

"No problem."

Cole spun his chair until he faced Hope and beamed, "I'm on a first name basis with Skye Bettencourt, I mean only Skye." He raised his fists above his head.

"Yes. I saw," Hope said.

"What does betrothed mean?"

Cole gave Skye a quizzical look.

"You two have matching bracelets."

He forgot about them.

"We're betrothed and Mars or Bust." He flipped the bracelet over and showed the other side.

"Oh, cool."

Julie stated, "I'm best friends with Hope's mom and we decided that to save us from dealing with in-laws we don't like, so we picked them to marry each other."

"... and I got the bracelets for his twelfth birthday present." She grabbed his hand again and grinned at him.

Skye finished her food. "That was amazing. Thank you, Mrs.... Dr.? Donaldson?" She stared at his mom quizzically and shrugged her shoulders.
"You're welcome and you can call me Julie." His mom cleared her plate and placed her hand on Skye's shoulder. "I'm glad you are out of your house and moving around. Losing someone is tough and you never get over it. You only get used to it. So, going to school and meeting new people is a good first step. What did you used to do before, for fun?"

Skye smirked. "We used to go to all ages clubs and dancing. My brother was older, and he brought me to his friends' parties too. Lots of dancing and," she froze and restarted, "more dancing. Are there any clubs around here?"

She received four blank stares.

"You asked the wrong crowd," Cole's dad said, and picked up his plate. He placed it in the sink, then pointed at him and his wife. "We're too old and these two only go to the library, school, or the hill."

"Plus," Cole waved his forefinger in the air, "fun is not allowed until we win our seats to Mars."

"There will be plenty of time to celebrate after," Hope said, arguing. She still held his hand and pulled him closer to her.

"Wow. That's quite a sacrifice for kids. That sounds so dull."

Hope's viewer chimed.

"Speak of the devil." Cole beamed.

Hope chuckled and released his hand. "OK guys. It's time to study. Grab your stuff and come with me." She motioned them to follow. She walked out the back patio sliding screen door.

Cole walked to the door, waited, and smiled. "After you." He gestured for Skye to go first.

Skye smiled back, stepped over the ridge, went outside, and said, "Thanks."

"Where did that come from?" his dad asked.

"It's been years since he's been nice," his mom said.

He ignored them, closed the screen, and left with Skye.

Hope ran up the hill ahead of them.

They strolled shoulder to shoulder together behind Hope.

"You're very polite."

"Thanks."

"and cute."

"Thanks again." He smirked.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Fifteen."

"I'm sixteen going on seventeen."

Cole said, "I can't believe I'm here talking to Skye Bett... sorry, only Skye."

"You'll get past that soon, 'cause we're gonna be spending a lot of time together." She winked at him.

They crested the hill, and he sat next to Hope under the tree. Did Skye just flirt with him? She would be the first. He did not have his viewer. Skye mystified him.

"Wait. I need to get something."

He spun around and ran down their hill, cruising into his house. When he returned, he heard his parents arguing, which was a rare occurrence.

He moved gingerly toward the screen door and hesitated. He was skilled at moving quietly and sneaking around the house, so they did not discover him.

His dad shouted, "I'm not the same person anymore. I no longer think leaving is the best option."

"You better figure out your problems soon because everything we've done has been leading to this moment. And we're leaving with or without you."

"You can't."

He had heard enough and did not like to see them argue. Cole opened the screen and entered.

They quit fighting. His dad put on a fake smile. His face was flushed. "Oh, hey Cole. Are you all right?"

"Yes. I forgot my viewer." Cole grabbed it from the kitchen table and marched back outside.