In front of a blue lake surrounded by mountains, Summer stretched her arms and took a deep breath. Her eyes were closed, her smile so bright. She loved to enjoy the fresh morning air. When her eyelids were lifted again, she turned to face the man beside her."How is it, Uncle Louis? Isn't it very refreshing?"Louis opened his eyes. He turned around. Summer was waiting for his answer with a radiant face."Yes, my lungs feel clean now. Thank you for bringing me here, Summer. Now I know that the beauty of this place has not changed."Summer giggled proudly. "You're welcome, Uncle. Now ...."The toddler pulled Louis' hand, "Show me where you were when you first saw Mommy. She said, you were playing with Aunt Emily and Uncle Russell at that time."Louis happily held her tiny hand. Together, they walked along the edge of the lake."The lake water was very cold at that time. My siblings and I splashed water on each other, here."Louis stopped walking. Summer's eyes rounded, seeing his last st
"Gosh, Freddy. I never thought we'd meet again. How are you?" Sky asked in a cheerful voice.After patting Sky's back twice, the man replied, "Fine. How are you?"Sky took the distance while nodding, "Fine.""Are you sure? Even though my job is just adventuring, I still have time to observe the media."Sky slowly lost her smile. "I've caused quite a stir, apparently. Even the guy who only stares at nature knows. You don't have to worry, Fred. I'm fine. That problem has been resolved. By the way, why are you here?""Believe it or not, I came to see you."Sky narrowed her eyes. "See me? Do I owe you anything?" she whispered softly.Freddy chuckled. "No. It's just that, ever since I saw you on the news, my heart has been restless. I wanted to see you in person, to make sure you're okay."Freddy's eyes were full of warmth
Sky frowned. She didn't agree with what her father said. So did Alice. She realized Louis' face had turned sour.However, before they could say anything, Summer shook her head firmly. "No, Grandpa. I have Uncle Louis now. We have agreed to treat each other as father and daughter. After he marries Mommy, I will call him Daddy."Edmund froze, but Freddy was still trying to keep a smile. "Uncle Louis?" he whispered, sounding surprised."Yeah, you should meet him, Uncle Fred." Summer patted Freddy's shoulder, then extended her hand to Louis.Seeing her gesture, Louis approached them. "Hi, I'm Louis." He was reluctant to say he was pleased to meet Freddy.The man carrying Summer raised the corners of his lips. "Finally, I get to meet the famous Louis Harper. Hi, I'm Freddy. Just call me Fred." He shook Louis' hand while carrying Summer with one arm.Louis shook hi
"Summer," Freddy called loudly.The toddler, who was already a little ahead, turned around. "What's wrong, Uncle Fred?""Didn't you say you wanted to listen to the story of my adventure? How about I tell you about it now?"Summer glanced at Louis. Hesitation dimmed the light in her eyes. "Uncle Louis, do you mind?"Louis shook his head slightly. "Just do what you like, Summer.""Okay. Let's talk again later. Okay, Uncle?"Louis nodded. After that, he switched positions with Freddy. The path was narrow. There was no way he could force himself to walk side by side with Summer and the adventurer."Hey, what were you guys talking about?" Louis whispered when Sky arrived at his side.Sky took a deep breath, "He said he was jealous of you. He doesn't like seeing you close to Summer and me."Louis snorte
Louis spontaneously laughed. He was amused to see how expressive his daughter was. However, realizing Edmund's cynical glance, he closed his mouth again and listened."After many efforts, Mommy decided to use a rope. I was in charge of holding it from above while Mommy tied the other end to the baby elephant's body. It was an important task because the rope must not fall. If it got wet, it would become slippery. It would be difficult for Mommy and I to pull it.""Your mom wasn't strong enough to push the baby elephant out of the hole. Wouldn't it be harder if you guys pulled it from above?" Freddy's voice suddenly caught all their attention. It was Louis' turn to have a sour expression."We weren't strong enough at first. I had used all my strength, though. The veins in my hands were sticking out."The toddler looked down, pointing to where the veins she meant. After a brief silence, she raised her h
"In two months, it will be autumn here. The air is too cold for Summer and Sky to wear beautiful dresses. They'll freeze. Besides, they prefer to be warm," Freddy stated.Louis' face turned stiff. "Do you think I will let them get cold? I can build a building with glass walls and a roof with a heating system. They can still dance in cool clothes while watching the aurora with me."Hearing the argument, Summer frowned. "I don't think you need to do that, Uncle Louis. That building must be very expensive. You'd be better off saving the money for something more useful. Besides ...."Summer moved to Sky's lap. "Mommy and I don't mind dancing outside. We can wear coats over our pretty dresses. We'll stay warm and still look stunning. Isn't that right, Mommy?"Sky smiled a little. She was proud of her daughter. "That's right, Honey. You're beautiful no matter what you wear.""Mommy too
Edmund's face turned sullen again. He wondered why his granddaughter had fallen for Louis so easily. In fact, he thought Freddy was more charming.As a result, he didn't talk much for the rest of the night. Even when they returned to the camping area, he just took Alice into the tent. He was disappointed because, up until that moment, Freddy still hadn't managed to attract Summer's attention."What else should I do? How can I make Sky and Summer like Freddy more?" he thought as he stretched out his sleeping bag.While Edmund was seriously contemplating, suddenly, Summer's scream was heard. As fast as lightning, he and Alice crawled out.Sky immediately let go of the chair she was setting up. She ran to Summer's tent too, followed by Louis and Freddy."Honey, what's wrong?" Sky asked spontaneously from the tent door.It turned out that Summer had been standing
Omega came out of his tent. "There's nothing here.""What about the stuff?" Louis inquired with a serious expression."It's safe. I didn't bring any important stuff here. It's all in the car."Alice, who had just finished checking her tent, reported the same thing. "I don't think it was a robbery. Nothing was missing."Edmund's brows were furrowed even more. "Then what was he after? Did he leave any clues?" He entered the tent, checking among Summer's belongings.From the tent door, Louis' eyes fell on a small piece of paper that had been crumpled into a ball. He picked it up. Turned out, it was an ATM receipt for a withdrawal balance. The final amount was quite large."It seems like someone got paid for this task," he concluded with a serious expression.Alice gasped and covered her mouth. "You mean someone wants to hurt Summer? For what
The teachers in the room exchanged glances. Even the principal held back his emotions behind his stiff smile."My apologies, Mrs. Brown. We don't know the details of this matter yet. Wouldn't it be better if we—""Isn't it all clear?" Gloria interrupted in her arrogant tone. She pointed her finger at Summer. "This little girl is the one causing trouble. She spoiled my daughter's favorite dress with her food."The principal opened his mouth, about to explain. However, Gloria raised her finger, stopping him from speaking."Wait a minute," Gloria turned to face her daughter. "Gigi, is this the new kid in your class? The one you said caused problems in learning?"Summer frowned. "What problem? I didn't cause any problems.""Shut up!" Gloria snapped, making everyone startle. "I'm not talking to you."Meanwhile, Gigi nodded. "Yes, Mommy. She's the little kid I told you about."Gloria sighed in disbelief. "I knew it. This kid is troublesome."After taking a quick breath, she held her head. H
Seeing Summer grab the spoon and ignore her, Gigi's annoyance flared up again."If you don't want me to bother you, listen to what I said. Don't come to this school again tomorrow. Understand?"Summer didn't answer. She kept enjoying her delicious yogurt until, suddenly, her spoon flew. Seeing her yogurt scattered on the table, her eyes widened."Gigi, why did you hit my hand? Did you see the consequences? My yogurt spilled!" Summer scolded angrily.Instead of feeling guilty, Gigi burst out laughing. "Do you still want to claim that you're rich? You're poor, Summer. Your yogurt spilled just one spoonful, but you're already angry. If you're rich, just buy your own yogurt. You have enough money, right?""I'm angry because my yogurt was wasted. We shouldn't waste food, Gigi. There are many starving people out there. One spoonful of yogurt is very valuable for them!" Summer scolded w
"You shouldn't think that way, Gigi. Summer is not your enemy or rival. She is a friend," River said seriously."If she were a friend, she wouldn't make people ignore me, including you," Gigi said curtly."I'm sorry if you feel like I'm ignoring you. But right now, Summer needs me more. This is her first time going to school, and she's still young. As older kids, it's only natural for us to help," River nodded firmly. He hoped Gigi understood what he meant.Unfortunately, Gigi's expressions only became even more sour. "She doesn't need help, River. We're the ones who need help. If she stayed in class, our learning activities could be messed up. Our school's reputation could fall!""Why do you think that?""Because she's not on the same level as us. My mother said so. Summer doesn't come from a classy family. The school should be ashamed to accept her," Gigi said loudly.Hearing that, River's eyebrows arched to their maximum. His mouth opened wide."Gigi, that's not a nice thing to say
Smiling in relief, Sky stroked Summer's hair. "That's so cool, Honey.""No wonder you're so happy," Louis continued, kissing his daughter's chubby cheek.Summer chuckled. "Yes! Then, we studied math. We talked about numbers. Everyone was surprised that I knew how to write a billion. River was surprised too!"Seeing Summer's finger pointed at him, River quickly nodded. "Yes, Uncle Louis. Summer is very smart. In fact, we only learned to recognize digits up to hundreds, but she's already reached one billion!""Wow, your hard work paid off, Honey," Louis praised warmly."Yes, and it's thanks to Mommy. She taught me diligently. Then, after the lunch break, we studied geography. I was praised again because I memorized many places!"Seeing the sparkle in Summer's eyes, Sky bit her lip. Her heart was filled with emotion. "So, do you like going to school, Honey?"
Hearing that explanation, Summer fell into deep thoughts. She remembered Grace. Gigi's attitude reminded her of that ex-enemy of hers."I'm sorry if I upset you, Gigi. But I didn't mean to steal anyone from you. I came here just to study. I want to know what school is like. If I like it, I'll continue to be here. If not, I'll study independently at home.""Then, just study by yourself. Don't come here again. I don't like you here, and you don't fit into our class either."Summer bit her lip. She stopped eating."I'm sorry, Gigi. I can't fulfill your request. This is my life. Only I have the right to control it. Even if you don't like it, I will still come here. Because it's already part of my plan for the next few days," she said firmly.Gigi flinched. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "You dare to fight me?"Unexpectedly, Summer let out a tired sigh. "Gigi, I came here to find friends, not enemies. Therefore, please don't pick a fight with me. That's not a good thing to do
While the kids from the next table went back to their seats, River whispered, "Summer, did you learn that from your bank account?""Yes!" Summer exclaimed with wide eyes. "I saw how my savings in the bank book changed. I asked Mommy to explain it."River sighed in amazement. "Wow, I guess you're right. Learning doesn't have to be at school, but can be anywhere. The proof is you can learn a lot of things from one bank book."Summer giggled. She liked being praised, and she was happy that her knowledge was useful in helping her friends.Meanwhile, Gigi lowered her head. She started to squeeze her own fingers. Her annoyance could no longer be controlled."Summer is so mean. She has stolen my teachers and friends. Because of her, everyone ignored me today. She needs to be warned," she said to herself.Therefore, when it was time to break, she followed Summer and
Summer blinked. Her lips were folded into her mouth.Seeing that, Gigi felt satisfied. She was increasingly convinced that Summer didn't understand what they had been discussing."Mrs. Ross, Summer seems too young to be in this class. If she stays with us, it's a shame for her. She'll definitely be left behind," Gigi said with a pitiful face.Mrs. Ross sighed. She remembered, when she received the news about Summer, she had hesitated to accept her. Only after Louis explained about Summer's abilities did her worries subside. But now, that feeling rose again and weighed on her shoulders."Everyone, let's help Summer understand the lesson," Mrs. Ross said while grabbing three number magnets. She arranged them on a special board into the number 123. Before she could ask, Summer raised her hand."Excuse me, Mrs. Ross. May I explain that number?"The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to try?" she asked with a smile. After all, she couldn't show any hesitation.Summer nodded. Her fi
"Because this is a surprise for you!" River answered with a meaningful smile.Summer's head was tilted to the left. "Surprise?"River handed a book to her. Seeing the front cover, Summer gasped."This is my book! Why did the teacher ask the students to bring it today?" she whispered with round eyes.Her voice was as thin as the wind. It tickled River's ears. The boy chuckled again."I heard from Uncle Brandon, the teachers were impressed with your abilities. It happened when your father assured them that you could keep up with the students in this class. Because of that, the teachers decided to discuss your book. They want the other kids to be inspired by your enthusiasm and achievements.""Wow," Summer sighed in amazement. "I didn't know Daddy did that. He made me sound cool.""You're cool, Summer. Now stop chatting. We'll get told off.
"Who are you, Little Kid? Why are you here with River? Don't you realize that this is not your place? You should come to kindergarten!" she asked sharply.Instead of being afraid, Summer smiled. She held out her hand, saying friendly, "Hello, Gigi. I'm Summer, a temporary student in this class. Nice to meet you."Gigi was reluctant to shake Summer's hand. Luckily, before Summer knew that, two teachers came."Good morning, Everyone."All the kids stared wide-eyed, turning towards the door."Good morning, Mrs. Ross and Miss Jasmine," the students greeted them. Even Summer joined in the greeting, though her voice was a bit late.Then, while the other kids returned to their seats, Gigi grabbed River's hand. "River, let's sit down. I've already picked a spot next to you."River blinked innocently. "Thank you, Gigi. But I still have to take care of Summer. Just go to your seat first."After letting go of Gigi, River grabbed the smaller girl's hand. "Come on, Summer. I've saved a spot for yo