Sky's eyes widened at the sight in front of her. From the left end to the right end, she found absolutely no flaws. Her agape mouth occasionally let out sighs in amazement.
"Mama, are we still on earth?" she asked without looking away.Alice smiled amused at her. "Yes, Honey. Why ask that?""It's very, very beautiful, Mama. Look at the color of the water! Why is it so blue? And those mountains." Sky pointed at the mountains that lined around the lake."They are so majestic! The snow up there looks like super sweet sugar sprinkles." Sky cupped her cheeks, closed her eyes for a moment while tilting her head."And look at how the sky reflected on the surface of the lake! It's like a super wide mirror. I feel like I can walk on it. Oh, Mama? Is that a cloud?"Sky widened her eyes, noticing the white shadows on the left side near the reflection of the mountain. A second later, she looked up. Seeing a thin, slow-movinAs Alice turned still, Sky started to explain. "Papa Ed mentioned it too. If I'm a boy, my name is Ocean. If I'm a girl, my name is Sky. Where did you and Papa get the idea to choose those two names? I think at that time, you two were in a place that unites sky and water. A place as beautiful and vast as this lake." Seeing her mother frozen, Sky turned her body to face her. "Is that the reason you took me here, Mama? Because this is where you and Papa decided on the best names for me? Sky and Ocean." Alice's lips trembled without a word. Who would have thought that a girl as small as Sky could solve difficult puzzles without clues so quickly? "Mama? Is that the answer?" Sky gave a small jump. Her chest started to feel tingly. "Come on, Mama. Don't make my heart sweat." Alice sighed in disbelief. "How ... how could you guess that?" "So my guess was correct?" Sky's eyes flashed with hope. A second later, she cheer
"Where is your father? Is he around here?" Sky shook her head. "He's probably in the office, very far from here." The boy snapped his fingers. "No wonder you can't contact him. He must be out of range of your Rocky Talkie signal." Sky peeked out of the corner of her eye. "I know that, but I miss him. I want to call him right away." "Then just call. Don't you have a phone with you?" Sky shook her head. "I don't have a phone. Mama has one, but it can't be used. Mama said there's no signal here." The beautiful girl's mouth rounded. "Oh, you were with your mother. We thought you were lost. Where is she?" Sky looked back. Alice was approaching visitors who had just arrived. "She is looking for a phone to borrow." "Hey, you can borrow our father's phone. Emily, doesn't Daddy always carry his satellite phone?" "Yes, but I doubt he brought it here. He probably left it in t
"Thanks," Sky said wearily. She managed to control her own feeling. It made Louis fiery again. "By the way, where do you live? Are you a resident around here or from another country? We're from L City." Unfortunately, his enthusiasm wasn't contagious. Sky remained reluctant to curl up her lips. "I live in Flagstaff." "Where is it?" Emily whispered. "I think it's Arizona. Sky, we live in neighboring states. We can be friends if you don't mind. We can arrange a meeting if you visit L City, and vice versa." Instead of replying, Sky looked up at Alice. She doubted she could return to their house. As long as Alice hadn't made up with Edmund, she felt uneasy. Alice understanding the meaning of that sad look. Not wanting to worsen the mood, she faked a laugh. "Yes, of course you can arrange it. When you visit Flagstaff, contact HealingHills travel services. That's Sky's father's business." Louis
"Mama, can I borrow Louis' father's satellite phone? I promise I'll take good care of it. It won't be damaged when we return it." Alice's eyes trembled at Sky's despair. Not having the heart to let her suffer any longer, she finally lowered her ego. "Okay, you can borrow it." A second later, Alice stood facing Mr. and Mrs. Harper. She felt embarrassed. The two strangers seemed more concerned about Sky than their ego. "Thank you for your help, Sir, Ma'am." "It's not a big problem. Children Sky's age are more prone to missing their father. The twins were like that too. By staying away from Frank for a bit, their spirits immediately dimmed." "Yes, Emily even fell ill when she missed Daddy too much. She had a fever at that time. Don't let that happen to Sky," Louis nodded firmly. Emily glanced cynically at him. She objected to the memory being brought up again. She didn't like being seen as weak. However, realizing
A bad feeling hit Alice's heart. She quickly pulled Sky from the bench, circling it slightly so that there was a barrier between them and the strangers. "Mama, who are they?" Sky whispered as she put the satellite phone in her bag. "I don't know, Honey," Alice whispered. She glanced around. There was no one else around them. Her brain immediately sent a danger signal. "Honey, you've seen the view from here, right? How about we go down now? We can come back here next time." Sky nodded slowly. She could feel the same fear as her mother. "Yes, Mama." She hurriedly put her backpack on the shoulders. Unfortunately, when they were about to take a step, the strangers blocked their way. "Why the rush? We've just arrived, Sweetie. How about we chat for a while? It must be fun with the beautiful scenery." The burly man fiddled with his eyebrows. "Yeah, we haven't even known each other yet. Fate has brought us
Laughter echoed again. "We are realistic people, Kid. We don't like to assume. Where is your father anyway? Could he get here in an instant? I believe he can't." "Besides," the other continued, "what could he do? He's alone, while we're two. He won't win. So, just give up. That's the best way for you." Realizing that the two men were slowly approaching, Alice swallowed hard. Her eyes glanced around, hoping for other visitors. Unfortunately, no one was passing by. Sniffing Alice's thicker fear, the two men smiled slyly. They could not wait to catch her. However, just as they were about to act, a laser beam hit the eyes of one of the men. Spontaneously, he blocked it with his hand. “What is that?” He squinted at the light. Seeing his friend's response, the other man stared in the same direction. "What is it?" "I don't know. It was like there was a laser shooting into my eyes." "Laser?" He squinted. Unexpectedly, the
"Papa, shoot again! Give them a lesson!" Sky exclaimed. The two men ran faster and faster. Alice could only shake her head watching that. "Honey, are you okay?" she asked after Sky stopped laughing. "Yes, Mama. I actually feel sorry for them. You saw how they ran? They must have been very scared. Oh, where is Grassy? Poor him. If he had a heart, it would have fallen out when he was hanging outside the fence." Sky spun around looking for her stuffed animal. When she found Grassy lying on the ground, she rushed to pick it up. "Grassy!" She hugged the bear tightly. After giving him a kiss, she spoke to Rocky Talkie. "Papa, thank you for saving us. Grassy is very happy. Me too! I've missed you since yesterday. Where are you now, Papa?" Sky turned to face the trees. "I can't wait to hug you again." Several seconds passed, no answer was heard. Edmund wasn't visible either. "Papa? Do you hear me
"Alice," Edmund moved closer to his wife. He stopped at a distance that felt right—neither too close, nor too far to convey a whisper. "Can we talk now?" Alice took a deep breath. Her head nodded faintly. "Yes." "How are you? That guy didn't hurt you, right?" Alice glanced thinly. She didn't expect that Edmund could still make small talk. "Fine. They didn't touch me. Sky protected me well." Edmund nodded. A faint sigh escaped his mouth. "Thank God. Then, how do you feel? Any better?" Alice froze. Her heart was turbulent, awakening feelings that she didn't understand. "You still mad at me?" Edmund asked carefully. Alice shook her head slightly. "I don't know. I also don't understand what I'm feeling right now. But I don't think it's anger." "Are you disappointed?" Alice closed her eyes for a moment. In the darkness and silence, she tried to find the answer. "I