Skiye throws the toy for Jasper to fetch while we talk. 

"I don't know if this is home, Skiye. I miss my family." I whisper.

"Arian, how old are you?" Skiye asks. 

"Nine."

"You're nine and you're already upset with your family. That's not okay."

"I'm not upset with them," I protest.

"Tell me about your family. How about that?"

"Well, Daddy works in a restaurant and Mommy is a nurse. They aren't home very often. Mommy is never home when we wake up and Daddy makes us breakfast then leaves. Arika and I usually spend most of our time in our tree house that Mommy built with Grandpa when she was little. Um, we have a cat and a dog, but the cat always stays in the closet and the dog never spends time with Arika and me. Uh, what else?"

Peridot comes over to us and paws at Skiye's knee. 

"We should probably take them on a walk," she tells me. "We can talk while we walk them."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*Skiye*~

I look at Arian closely. She's holding Peridot's leash with both of her small hands. She has short, brown hair that goes down to her chin. In the sunlight that leaks through the trees, her hair looks like it's made of copper. Her big, purple eyes are half-hidden by her long bangs that go down to her nose at the longest. She's pretty short, even for her age. 

"Skiye?" She asks, looking up.

"What's up, Arian?"

"This is the way to my old house, but I don't see it."

"It's there, Arian. You just can't see it."

"How?"

I smile at her. "You can come up with that answer yourself."

"How?" She asks again.

"Be creative."

She just looks at the ground. 

"Cheer up, kid! It's not like you'll never see them again." I transfer Lapis's leash to my left hand and pat Arian's back. "Want me to tell you a secret?"

She doesn't reply, but I can see a small grin creeping across her face.

"I don't want to live with Dad in the forest, either."

The little girl looks up at me curiously. "Why don't you leave?"

"I don't want to live with Mom," I mutter. "But that's why I'm glad I met you!"

"Why?"

I look around to make sure no one is listening. "Well, Arian, I've been working up a plan for a while and from the first time I saw you, I knew you would be kind enough to help."

"What's the plan?"

"Well, I want to give the Jewelmon to three people and send them off to this cave where we found the Jewelmon. From that cave is an entrance to a place with tons of Jewelmon. I want you three to train them up, and befriend more Jewelmon. It will be great." I explain. My voice started at a whisper, but it grows louder. Every time I think of the plan, I get excited. "And I'll go with you guys to check your progress and stuff, and then I can finally be free from Dad!"

Arian's eyes grow wide. "Really? And I can be part of that?"

"Of course!" I exclaim. "It'll take a while for my plan to be put into action, but it'll all be worth it, I promise."

"I'll do it!"