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Brenny meets Fei!

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=24108943

Brenny goes to splash in the puddles, only to find them frozen!

How long ago had this camping trip been decided? It could have very well only been earlier that same week, but with the amount that Connie had had to deal with at work, the energy needed for both home and on the job, it made it difficult to differentiate the amount of time. Maybe if he had written it down on a calendar... but it would have been meaningless to do so, really. Considering the trip was scheduled for the start of the weekend, the tauros-teen had plenty of energy to spare for the remainder of the trip. Resituating the gear on his back, he turned to survey the area before his eyes landed back to Brenny, "You think this is a good place to set up camp, or should we look for somewhere better?" It was a smallish clearing, but then again, Brenny knew this place best. Perhaps he had somewhere else in mind?

"This is good," Brenny said with a bright smile. "Daddy, this is close to where you found me!" The celebi set his backpack down. "Do you want help, Daddy?" He asked. He knew Connie had to be exhausted. He'd seen him come home each day, looking more tired than the last. He hoped this trip would give Connie the rest he deserved! "I'll help set up the tent," he decided. "Then we can have s'mores!"

Upon closer inspection, Connie realized that it was actually pretty near the trail that was taken when the two of them had first met, making the unprecedented stop with the delivery truck. It seemed like so long ago, Connie hadn't even noticed the similarity. Or maybe that was just because all he saw were a bunch of trees... it wasn't often the teen found himself in the forest, after all! Regardless, he decided to roll with it, "Oh, you're right! Well then this is perfect." Blinking once he was asked if he needed help, he thought a moment, then shook his head, "You know, I was thinking... did you really want to set up a tent? I mean, it's supposed to be a really nice night. Would you rather just set up the sleeping bags under the stars instead?"

Brenny thought a moment, before flashing the tauros teen a bright smile. "Oooh," he said, "And we can tell stories under the stars! But not scary stories. How many stars do you think are in the sky, Daddy? I think there's a millionbillionzillion!" He paused, looking up at the sky. "I don't think we'll ever count them all," he said. "But we can see if there's a shooting star and make a wish!"

"That sounds like a fun night to me!" Connie responded happily. With a snicker, he admitted, "And it's a good thing you like that idea because I, ah... sort of forgot to pack the tent." Bah, who packed a tent on a camping trip anyway? It was unintentional... whoops. Setting his pack down, he took a moment to glance skyward, despite the fact that it wasn't dark out yet, "I'm not sure... I like your guess, though! Especially considering I can't think of a number higher." A bit difficult to count higher than an imaginary number, that was for certain. Pulling out his rolled up sleeping bag, he moved closer to Brenny to help unroll the celebi's before tackling his own, "Do you have a wish you'd want to make on a shooting star, Brenny?"

Connie had forgotten the tent? Brenny found this fact amusing. "Don't worry, Daddy! Its going to be nice out. No storms!" The celebi boy had carefully watched the weather report to make sure. Thunder storms frightened him. "I do, Daddy! If I tell it to you, will it still come true? Do you have a wish? Maybe they'll both come true!"

Connie nodded his head; at least he had also remembered to check the weather report before leaving on the trip! "It's been pretty nice out for a while, so I'm glad we could get out here before it changed. It shouldn't even be too hot out during the days, so the nights should be pleasant, temperature-wise," he explained, though he had a feeling Brenny probably already knew all this. The celebi enjoyed his television, after all! Thinking about making a wish on a star, his expression turned into a frown in concentration, "I don't think it matters if you tell someone... I think that was just holding your breath in a tunnel... but I'm not a hundred percent certain of that. To be on the safe side, you probably shouldn't tell me, then." He nodded, as if agreeing with the statement before unwrapping the bindings on Brenny's sleeping bag and letting it roll out, "I'm perfectly happy with where I am in life. I suppose I could wish for something like... keeping things this good, everyone staying healthy, something like that."

Brenny wasn't sure Connie was being entirely truthful. They lived in a small apartment that was quickly becoming crowded. And Connie always worked so hard, without complaining. "My wish is for you to always be happy, Daddy," he said. Weeks before, his wish would have been for his sister to come live with him; but by this time, the celebi boy felt he had something much more important to wish for. He wanted to ensure his Daddy was happy.

Connie turned to Brenny, a bit taken aback by his wish. The expression didn't last long, however, and he turned more matter-of-fact on the conversation instead, "Well that'd be easy to do. All you have to do is make sure you stay happy. Happiness can be contagious, you know." Truth be told, this more simplistic life suited him just fine. He honestly wasn't happy unless he thought he was making a difference somehow, even if that was merely by working -- someone would surely get some benefit out of it! It was better now, however, since he could identify those he was affecting, and he felt everyone that was staying in their cramped apartment deserved such happiness. "So maybe I should wish the same, that everyone can be happy, huh?" he retorted with a smirk, flattening out Brenny's sleeping bag, "There we go. Did we pack the flint in your stuff, or was it in mine? Might want to get prepared for the campfire before we actually need it."

That's all he had to do? Be happy? Brenny seem ed doubtful for a long moment, then wrapped his arms around Connie. "I'm always happy when I'm with you,, daddy!" He said, beaming. Maybe they didn't need shooting stars to grant wishes! If he always seemed happy, then Connie would be happy. "Sometimes I wish that," he said, "but some people are happier being unhappy. They like it." He couldn't imagine that. He'd had his share of unhappy times, and he certainly couldn't see dwelling on it. "Its in your stuff, Daddy." Brenny seemed to lose some of his enthusiasm at the mention of a campfire. He tightened his hold, just slightly, on Connie.

"Well then this camping trip is sure to go well, wouldn't you say?" Connie snickered at Brenny, noting that that would mean that they would both be able to stay happy the entire time if they stuck together. Quite literally, it seemed, as the celebi latched onto the tauros. Nodding at Brenny's remark, he sighed, "That's true, there are some people like that. They all have different reasons for thinking the way they do. The question is whether it truly makes them happy like that, or if they're just afraid to let go of what they've always known. Sometimes it can be a bit of both." He hadn't experienced preference to misery himself, but in the city, it seemed to be all around. Feeling Brenny's nervousness, Connie carefully grabbed a hold of the child and hoisted him up to carry as he made his way over to his gear, rustling around for the flint. He had an idea as to what was going on, but wasn't entirely sure... "You having fun so far?" Maybe he could jostle the uneasiness out, and fix it before it got any worse.

"You won't let the fire spread and burn my forest, will you?" Brenny asked, studying the tauros with a small frown. That wasn't his only worry. He was a plant type! What if the fire got too close? "But fires aren't always bad," he said, as if to reassure himself. "They're nice and warm and s'mores!" He was sure, then, that Connie was responsible enough to make fires listen to him. "I'm happy we came, Daddy. We're having fun!"

Hmm, was that was Brenny was afraid of? Silently he wondered what Brenny's past exposure to fire had been, or if it had been just something he witnessed on the television, but that was beside the point. "Of course, nothing bad will happen to the forest. If you know what you're doing and keep an eye on the fire, it won't get out of control. That's also what the campfires are for; if you set it up right, it can be really hard to burn anything but the fire pit! We're going to build it right!" Connie stated firmly, fishing the flint from a side pocket of the large backpack and handing it to Brenny to hold, "That's right, can't make s'mores without a proper fire, though I'm sure we won't need the warmth this time. Ready to gather some firewood with me?"

Brenny was reassured by Connie's words. Nothing bad would happen! Not with his Daddy around! "Good. Daddy knows what he's doing!" He took the flint and studied it. "And we like s'mores!" Well, he had never had one--but he was sure he would. "Ready!"

Well he sure hoped he knew what he was doing... but then, Connie made sure to learn about the things that he figured were important for camping. He was stubborn enough, he could make things work out! "That's right!" he reassured, carrying Brenny further into the woods to look for firewood despite... not really knowing where a good place to look for the pieces would be. He was sure Brenny wouldn't really approve of breaking small branches off, and there was something about getting the pieces dry. "We'll have as many s'mores as you want, I think we brought plenty of material!" the teen noted, pausing a moment, "Know where we could head off to for good firewood?" Okay, he may have been stubborn but he wasn't above admitting that he didn't know where to go.

"I know where lots of firewood is!" Was Brenny's immediate response. He beamed and pointed forward. "There's a clearing there, where the trees are older and drop a lot of their branches. He rubbed his head at the memory: he'd been the target of one of those branches. "See! Oak trees."

Connie immediately headed in the indicated direction, intent on entering the directed clearing before he got distracted by anything else. "That sounds like just what we need. Going to help me gather as many branches as you can carry?" he asked, setting the fae-child down once they reached the outskirts of the area. There definitely were a lot of branches that littered the ground! "How many you think you can carry?" he pried, as though tempting to make it a competition.

"Yup! I'm gonna help!" Brenny was pleased to find he had remembered where the old oak trees were. He beamed at Connie. "Daddy, we should come more often. I can show you lots in the forest! I can teach you!" He paused, and then grinned up at his father. "More than you!" He declared, before taking off and collecting an armful of wood.

Connie smiled at the offered educational lessons to the workings of the forest, glad that Brenny was already so happy, even though the trip had barely begun. Truthfully, the teen had been worried it might bring up memories the child may have wanted to keep buried, but that didn't seem to be the case -- he was at home here! "Sure, Brenny, we can visit more often! I'd like to know more about the forest; I haven't taken more than a couple of trips through them, and I don't think I've ever been able to stop and appreciate them. Well, exxcept for the day I ran into you," he snickered, for that wasn't his choice but it worked for the better in the end! Watching the celebi flitter off to gather more branches than Connie, the tauros took the opportunity to do the same in light-hearted competition, "Oh I'd like to see you try!"

Brenny was thrilled that Connie wanted to learn more about the forest. He could teach his Daddy about what berries were safe to eat and which tree had bark to cure headaches. He could show him how to find his way through the forest without getting lost. He could show him his favorite places and spots to play! "Don't get lost, Daddy," he called to Connie. "It gets dark faster in the deepest parts of the woods." And earlier. He scooped up several branches, beaming. He didn't expect to win, really. Daddy was much stronger than he was. "I got five!" He announced. His arms were beginning to feel heavy.

Connie peered around the area to make doubly-sure where the boundaries lie once Brenny directed for him not to get lost. "I'll stay in the clearing, don't worry," he responded, picking up another handful of twigs to be used for firewood, "Don't you go exploring on your own, either!" It was more of a playful jab than anything. Meeting back up with Brenny after gathering the branches, he looked down into his own armful... and then decided to forgo the counting. "Eh, close enough. Let's just call it a tie," he shrugged with a smile, "Ready to head back?"

Brenny beamed as Connie met up with him. He stooped down to gather a few more branches. "Do you think we have enough?" He asked. "We can make our fire and it'll listen to you, right, Daddy? You know what you're doing?" He paused, and studying Connie's armful, he knew his father had won the contest. He beamed. "A tie?" He echoed, "Yay! We tied!"

Carefully looking over the handfuls of firewood the two of them had managed to gather, Connie gave a slow nod, "I think it should be enough, yes. If it's not, we can get more later; I brought a flashlight, so we won't get lost if we stick together, should we need to do that." He readjusted his handhold on the stack, ears flicking to Brenny's questions, "I think it should. If it doesn't, then we'll need to discipline it, won't we? But it shouldn't hurt anything, so don't worry about that." He knew... enough of what he was doing, enough not to make a total mess of the trip. With a sharp nod, he confirmed, "Yep, a tie! We both got as much firewood as we could carry, and so we should set up the fire and get all warm. You wanted to toast marshmallows, didn't you?" He grinned, turning back towards their campsite, "Off we go!"

"Yay, a flash light! So it won't be all dark and scary!" Brenny knew that he would probably move his sleeping bag closer to Connie's by the end of the night. He didn't like the dark, nor the sensation of being alone. "No getting lost, Daddy. If you get lost, I'll cry." And if he cried, everyone would know it. The celebi boy was just as good at sharing misery as he was joy. "You don't discipline," he mused. "I know! I'll discipline it and you convince it to listen! That will work, huh Daddy?" He beamed at Connie's reasoning about the contest and followed him closely. "Yay marshmallows!"

Brenny's exuberance was somewhat of a flashlight on its own, it seemed, considering how bright and cheerful the celebi was! "I promise I won't get lost. It's kind of hard to get lost when you're right with someone who knows the forest like the back of their hand, though!" he chuckled, "So I just won't leave your side. Deal?" He certainly didn't want to see him sad! With the way Brenny directed Connie what to do at times, it wasn't difficult to imagine the celebi disciplining the fire in the same manner, but the image in the teen's head was an amusing one! "I think that's a good plan. Tag team effort!" he cheered, "There shouldn't be any problems with us both on the case!" As they reached the campsite, Connie was quick to set his load down into a pile near the site it was to be burned. "How long until you think it will get dark?" he asked; he wasn't entirely sure just how quickly it turned dark out here!

Brenny beamed. "Its grown a little since I lived here," he mused. He had been, after all, only a few months old when Connie had found him. "But what if I get lost?" He wondered aloud, wrinkling his nose at the thought. "Then we would both be lost! But at least, I would be with you, and you'd be with me. So we'll be happy, even if we do get lost!" He set his branches down on top of Connie's. "Yeah! We'll work together to make the fire listen!" He paused and looked up at the sky. "An hour, maybe less."

"It's nice to see it getting bigger and stronger with time, isn't it?" Connie grinned, patting one of the nearest trees' trunk thoughtfully. Many of the trees seemed to stretch on forever upward, but it shed new light to note that Brenny could see the difference, even in a few months' time away from the confines of the trees. "If you get lost, I'll come searching for you. And then we'll make it a game of finding the campsite again!" he stated with a smile, tossing a twig up and catching it, "You know the surrounding area for right here, so once we hit some familiarity, we can get back. We'd be just fine, and you're right, it would still be fun!" Daunting, yes, but fun in the adventurous sense! Grabbing a lighter from his bag, Connie grabbed a handful of branches and set them in the fire pit, "You ready to give it a good lecture if the fire wants to misbehave?" His smile lent itself to the fact that there wouldn't be anything to worry about with the both of them keeping an eye on it as it got going.

"Celebi only live in florishing forests, but it grows fine without me," Brenny mused, blinking up at the trees. "Do you think they grow only when I'm visiting?" He asked. Maybe they liked showing their new growth off to the guardian of the forest, he wasn't sure. "You'll come find me? Good! I'm glad. But we can have lots more fun by not getting lost, Daddy! Are you going to tell stories? I'll tell you a story. He paused, mentally preparing himself for a good long lecture if needed. "Yup! Ready!"

"Only? Don't some celebi also live in the city?" Connie teased before actually responding to the proposed question, "I'm not sure. It's possible! Maybe you can find a way to ask them sometime, or do a little spy work on them and try to find out when they're not looking!" Not that trees really... LOOKED anywhere, but that was beside the point. "Of course I'll come find you; I'm not leaving the forest without you, silly!" he assured, "I can try telling a story... we'll see. First things first." Kneeling down, closer to the unceremoniously tossed branches, Connie flicked the lighter near the center, attempting an angle that wouldn't end up burning himself in the process. He probably should have practiced that first... but being careful about it seemed to pay off as the flame jumped over to the branch the teen was trying to ignite.

"Well, no... only those lucky enough to find great daddies like me!" Brenny declared. "Not all of them are so lucky. I think I'm the only one. I got the best daddy in all the world! You're my favorite part of the city, Daddy." The city was so lively and had so many people to meet! The celebi boy loved it. "Oooh! I know! I'll hide in my sleeping bag! They won't be able to see me! You can tell me if they do anything exciting, okay Daddy?" He paused, studying Connie for a long moment. "Are you happy being my daddy, Daddy?" He asked, when Connie was busy attempting to light the fire. "Really happy?"

Connie was amused at that statement, to say the least -- amused and flattered! "But Brenny, there are so few celebis out there, just the single 'you' make up a large percentage of that population!" the tauros pointed out, "But you're right, that does also mean that you're lucky for being the one it happened to." Hey, he could play around with modesty, too! Chuckling as he watched Brenny dive for his sleeping bag, he tilted his head to face the boy, "Hey, you're suppose to help me with the campfire first! Then you can test out that theory!" Blowing lightly on the flame to help it grow, he turned back to Brenny once again when he was asked, confusion plainly evident, "What makes you ask that?" Connie didn't think he really did anything that would make Brenny feel like he wasn't happy...

"That means you're lucky too, Daddy. There are a lot of tauros out there, I could have met any one of them! But you're special." Not only because Connie had been the one he had met. He was sure Connie had been special before he had met him. Brenny sat up in his sleeping bag, gazing at the fire. "You better listen to Daddy," he told it, "he might get stern at you if you don't." Not that he had ever seen Connie stern. He had never heard his father raise his voice, even! "Well. Sometimes I make Mei and Eliot sad. And Mei got mad at me. I wanna make sure I always make you happy, though!"

Of course, Connie opted to stick with confirming that he was the lucky one to be 'stuck' with Brenny because of who the celebi was, as an individual, "You're right, I'm very lucky as well! Maybe the jirachi's stars are also good at giving luck..." It was just a random thought, but he thought it might be an interesting view on the matter. He watched the fire a bit longer as it grew in size, then tapered off to maintain its height, "Hmm, I think it decided it would rather listen to you than get scolded. Good job!" Moving to put the lighter away, Connie sighed at Brenny's explanation as to why he thought to ask if the teen was happy. "I suppose it's always inevitable something like that would happen. Sometimes, just being around someone for long periods of time can make them show more of their anger or sadness, but that only means that they are comfortable showing that side to you. But no, Brenny, you never make me sad. I'm having a lot of fun, so there's no room for anything else but happiness! What about you?" he returned the query as he pulled the marshmallows out of the bag.

"Maybe they are!" Brenny agreed. "Because I was lucky to find you, and you were lucky to find me! And we've been lucky ever since, Daddy. We have Mei, and Eliot and Muffin. And we have each other!" The celebi boy beamed at the fire. It had obeyed after all! "Good," he said. "I'm good at being bossy, I can boss the fire and it will listen!" Brenny paused at Connie's question, and for a moment, was silent in thought. Then he flashed a bright smile at him. "I'm always happy when I'm with you, Daddy. You fill up my whole heart, so when you're around nothing makes me sad! I think, Daddy, if I really did come from the future, I was meant to find you and make you happy."

Connie nodded in agreement with Brenny's sentiment, "It does seem that the stars have continued on their 'lucky spree' in that way, doesn't it? Maybe you're right! Though it's also possible that we've just managed to create our own happiness. Wouldn't it be nice if it was our own fault we were happy?" There was a light laugh at that, but it was true: hard work had a way of paying off in similar respect, at least in the long run, even if it meant having to be bossy every once in a while to get it to work! "That was a really sweet thing to say, Brenny. I think that would be incredible if it were true as well," he snickered, giving the celebi a hug before holding up the marshmallow bag, "Now then, you ready to try to make some s'mores?" He'd never actually done it before, but it seemed relatively simple enough.

Brenny hesitated at Connie's suggestion. "Hm... I suppose. I made my happiness by finding you and climbing into your truck!" He beamed. "And you made your happiness by deciding to bring me to your home!" The celebi boy paused, frowning slightly up at his father. He wrapped his arms around him. "It must be true, Daddy!" He insisted. "Everything that happened to me before ensured I would meet you!" He beamed. "So we could both be happy!" His grip on Connie tightened. "Yeah, s'mores!"

Connie gave a stern nod in agreement at that, "I think you're right. The star didn't make you do that, though it was there to help, in a way. Bringing you home was a collective decision, and I think it worked out for the best, don't you?" The teen poked the celebi-boy in the ribs by way of tickle, thinking the conversation had gotten a little too serious -- they were having fun, and they would continue to have fun! He tousled the child's grassy curls at the returned hug and assurance of a fated meeting, "It's very possible that's what happened! And if that's the case, I'd say it worked." With a snicker, he attempted to urge Brenny out from his hiding place and closer to the fire, goading with the bag of marshmallows he had in hand, "I think we can use some of the twigs we gathered for firewood to cook the marshmallows on. And don't worry, the fire looks like it wants to play nice, so it shouldn't do anything unexpected. Even if it does, I'm here, so it's okay!" The celebi's aversion to fire was obvious, but that didn't mean it had to keep them from enjoying the evening.

"It did! Because I have you!" Brenny beamed. The star had certainly been on his side, when he found it. He giggled at the poke in the ribs. He pulled off the sleeping bag and scooted closer to Connie. He studied the fire carefully. He wasn't sure he trusted it. He had seen fire jump before: but that had been a much larger fire. "I'll pick out the sticks!" He announced, moving to fetch two long sticks. "See, we put marshmallows on these!"

"Not only that, but now I've got you," Connie retorted with a snicker, releasing hold of his pestering of the child. The teen was certainly happy to note the upbeat tempo of Brenny's current disposition, a perceived change from the one he was using moments before. All he had to do now was make sure the campfire stayed under strict supervision, so Brenny didn't have any sort of relapse of whatever had scared him about it before. It was a fear that came from experience, it seemed... but there was no reason to have to relive that sort of trauma, as long as the tauros stayed on his toes. Taking one of the offered twigs, Connie swung it lightly, "Good choice, I think these should work perfectly! Now I think we should try starting with just one marshmallow each. I'm not sure if cooking two at a time would work all that well yet..." He set the bag next to and slightly behind himself, patting the ground immediately to his right from where he was seated, "If you sit here, I don't think the fire would be able to get anywhere near you, even if it did act up."

Brenny took the indicated spot, watching the fire warily. "Daddy, after marshmallows will you tell me a story?" He asked, taking the bag and opening it. He stuck one onto the end of his stick, and one into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, giggling. "Let's save some for Muffin when we get home," he said. He had recently found that their pet fluff would do just about anything to get a marshmallow. Even dance! He held out a marshmallow to Connie, scooting closer to his father as he watched the fire. "I don't think it'll get us here either," he decided at last, smiling. "We're safe!"

Connie was never one to be very good at storytelling, this much was obvious even to him. However, despite that fact, he was never above giving something another try in the hopes he would improve over time, and this instance was no different. "I can give it a shot. What sort of story were you wanting to hear?" he responded, snatching the offered marshmallow up and wedging it onto the stick, fairly certain it wouldn't be a scary story being requested. Which was good, he was probably even worse at that sort of story anyway! Smiling at the boy who seemed to be having more fun now, he shrugged in reply to the suggestion of saving some marshmallows, "Well, we can do that, but if we end up eating them all... how about we pick some more up at the store before we get back home?" Luckily, marshmallows weren't the most expensive of food items out there. "If it tries any funny business, we'll just have to teach it what good manners are all about," Connie agreed, keeping an eye on the bouncing of the flames as he hovered the skewered marshmallow over the pit.

Brenny found scary stories to be scary, and was sure any of the ones Connie came up with would be great! But too scary for him. "A true story!" He decided. "About you and me. I'll tell you a story about us too! They're the best stories because we're the most exciting characters!" He beamed, leaning his head against Connie as he hovered his marshmallow over the fire. "Look Daddy, its listening to you! It must be a polite fire!"

The simplicity of the requested story caught Connie momentarily off-guard. He usually didn't associate storytelling with telling someone something that happened less than a year ago... to the very same person that was there! "You're so silly," he snickered, but nodded nonetheless, "All right, I can do that. How many marshmallows do you think you'll be able to eat before then, huh?" He peered into the bag, but couldn't guess the current count -- there would likely be no way the two of them could finish off the bag and still feel all right afterwards. Turning attention back to the fire pit, he was happy to note that the marshmallow had not caught on fire while he was distracted, "Well good! Don't hover it close enough to catch the twig on fire. I don't actually know... if... Are marshmallows flammable?" He gave a quizzical look, then dunked the end into the fire to see if it would catch. "Woah!" he exclaimed, pulling it closer to himself so he could blow the fire from the top of the marshmallow. Connie laughed, "It's completely burned on one side! ...Hey Brenny, dare me to eat this?"

Brenny beamed. In his opinion, his meeting Connie was the best story of all. It was so special to him, that memory. He had finally found a place he belonged with a person who loved him! "Hm. Not too many!" He decided, studying the marshmallow on his makeshift poker. They had sugar in them, he was sure of it. And too much sugar would keep him up late! "Four?" He guessed. His eyes widened when he spotted Connie's marshmallow on fire. "They are!" He announced. "Oooh. I bet its all gooey inside! Yeah! Eat it!"

Even though a rather narrow selection of stories had been verified, Connie was still having a bit of difficulty in deciding what story he should decide on. In the short time together, they had already been through an awful lot! But then... Brenny's favorite had been when they had first met, wasn't it? The strangest part about it was that it felt like it hadn't been more than a few months since then, but he found it difficult to locate a positive memory before then that had been half as exciting. "Probably for the best. Don't want to be getting sick, eating so much sugar!" he agreed, poking at the half-burned marshmallow on the end of his stick, making sure it wouldn't scald his fingers. It seemed it had burned so quickly that it wasn't actually too exceedingly hot on the outside! Taking Brenny up on his dare, he offered a big grin, "Alright, well we'll see how it is!" Popping it in his mouth, he cringed slightly, but didn't speak until he had swallowed it, "Yeugh, it tasted burnt on the outside, too! But you're right, it was pretty gooey on the inside, and that part was good! How's yours coming along?"

Brenny studied Connie's expression before giggling. "The burnt part didn't taste good?" He asked, teasing. He glanced at his own marshmallow. It was a dark brown on one side, but no where near the black Connie's had been! "I'll try it," he said, plucking the marshmallow off the stick with his hand. This seemed to be a mistake: the marshmallow was so well done that it squished in his hand. "Ew, sticky," he complained, with a giggle. He started to lick at the marshmallow. He beamed. "This one is better than yours, Daddy. But I don't think we're very good at cooking them."

Connie coughed briefly, covering his mouth with a forearm and shaking his head in response. If there was one flavor Connie hated more than anything, it was the taste of charcoal... but at least the flavor didn't overpower the entire marshmallow! He was able to get his bearings before Brenny had finished poking at the marshmallow that didn't seem to want to let the celebi go. The teen moved around to see the marshmallow from other angles before he voiced his observations, "Definitely better done than mine was, that's for sure." He snickered at the child's reaction to the stickiness, "They're supposed to do that when they heat up! Kind of like glue... Luckily, it doesn't taste like glue! But don't worry. With a little practice, I'm sure one of these marshmallows will turn out perfect! Go ahead and eat that one, and we'll give it another shot." His instruction came as he reached into the plastic bag, retrieving another pair. He tossed one to Brenny to catch, if nothing else than in his lap, and tried to wedge the other onto the end of his own branch.

Brenny continued attacking the marshmallow attached to his hand with vigor, until the majority of it had been eaten. He beamed, mouth covered in sticky white goodness. "It really is like glue!" He agreed, showing his father his hand. "I can't get all of it off!" But that was alright! He could use this for a story about Edward Stickyhands! At least, thats what the celebi had thought the show was about, until Eliot had turned it off! "Oooh. Yeah! You can try again!" He beamed. He was sure Connie would do better this time! He caught the marshmallow in his lap, carefully sticking it onto the end of his branch. "This fire isn't scary at all!"

Watching Brenny play with his food, a thought occurred to him, "You know... I probably should have brought something to wash our hands with." He blinked, then cringed slightly, "Any idea if there's a river or something nearby, so that we might be able to get this marshmallow glue off, by any chance?" The stickiness of the marshmallow before it was making it more difficult to skewer the second marshmallow, but it only took a little more effort. "We'll both try again, and we'll both get better at making these things tasty!" he assured as he finished fastening the treat to the end of the stick, carefully hovering it over the fire once more, "And this time, I'll actually pay attention..." Watching marshmallows slowly cook wasn't the most exciting of things, but the time taken was still enjoyed, "You just need to know how to speak its language, the fire. I guess it responds to its environment the most, and sometimes it just gets too excited and grabby." He nudged one of the stones that lined the pit, "Fire doesn't burn stone, so these keep it in place, as long as it doesn't flare. The wind isn't blowing, though, so I think it should keep behaving until it dies out on us."

"There's a stream nearby," Brenny assured Connie with a smile. "I'll show you where after we're done!" If he didn't fall asleep first. The fire was having a surprising affect on Brenny. It was warm and cozy! And it made him feel that way inside too, despite the stickiness that was undoubtedly in his belly. He leaned against Connie as he watched his marshmallow and let his branch droop. "You speak its language, Daddy," he observed. "Good job! Now you know three languages! Pokemon, english and fire!" He positioned himself so he was more comfortably against Connie and yawned, moving his branch so he could safely pluck the marshmallow and pop it into his mouth.

Once he was told that there was water nearby to wash the marshmallow remnants off with, Connie lowered his hand, no longer concerned about getting anything else on it. After all, if anything else stuck, he'd just be able to wash that off at the same time! His attention turned back to the boy once Brenny's weight was felt against Connie's side. Ohh, he thought he recognized that reaction... Sitting cross-legged, he attempted to help keep Brenny's skewer aloft by propping it with a knee as the child leaned over groggily. He grinned at Brenny's language observation, "I suppose you're right! Never thought I could say that I was tri-lingual..." With a snicker, he followed the celebi's example and tested out the temperature on his own marshmallow. As he tasted it, he made a thoughtful face before swallowing, "Well it was perfect on one side... the other could have used a little longer, though. How was yours?" Spotting the yawn, he considered aloud, "One more before we go wash up?"

Brenny nodded, yawning again. "One more," he agreed. He rubbed a fist against his right eye, and then his left. He took his marshmallow and popped it into his mouth. "Daddy, I think that's my last one," he admitted. The warmth was nice and cozy! He wasn't sure how long he could stay up. Hopefully he could still stay up long enough to hear Connie's story! He wrapped his free arm around his father and snuggled him. "I like being here with you Daddy."

The speed at which Brenny had finished his last marshmallow for the evening merely pointed further to the boy's sleepiness, even before he had confirmed it. Connie hadn't even finished placing his third on the end of the branch before Brenny had finished, so the tauros merely popped it, uncooked, into his mouth. "Alright, then we should wash up. We don't want to leave the marshmallow goo on!" he stated with a nod, nudging the celebi playfully in a partial attempt to keep him awake a little longer, "I like it here, too. It's fun when you've got friends to spend the time with, isn't it?" He flashed a grin before standing, careful not to knock the sleepy child over, "Okay, where's the stream? We'll make it a fast trip."

Brenny stood, taking Connie's least sticky hand and smiled up at him. "Let's go wash off," he agreed. The movement seemed to help him wake up. Maybe sitting in front of the fire had been the cause of his sleepiness. Maybe he would be able to stay up to count all the stars after all! "I'm glad, Daddy," he said, "its much prettier this time of year than it was when you found me. Everything's bright and green and beautiful. I think the trees are happy we're visiting!" He led Connie towards the stream. He bent and tested it with a finger before quickly standing. "Its cold!"

If it wasn't for the fact that both of their hands were not in the cleanest of shape, Connie may have hesitated on grabbing hold of Brenny's outstretched hand. He was quick on the uptake, though, and happy to note that it was not too far of a detour to the stream at all -- he could find this pretty easily from the campsite, if he needed! "So close, and I didn't even hear it!" he marveled, attributing the lack of observation to the soft sound it made and the denseness of the trees in the surrounding area. Following the boy's lead, Connie neared the water and sat himself down on his knees, "You're right, it's a much better time of the year than when we first met. It's still the warmer part of the year, so neither one of us are freezing!" Not the best part of the memory, not by a long shot, but it was still an important tidbit. He flinched once he stuck his hands in, offering the water the slightest of scrutinizing looks, "Though the water would like to say otherwise, wouldn't it? Good thing there's a fire back at camp!" The teen made quick work of scrubbing, so as not to keep his hands in such a cold environment longer than they needed to be, and rubbed them together to generate friction-induced warmth, "So, you ready to head back?"

Brenny scrubbed at his hands, pulling a face at the chill the water caused. "It must still be cold from all the ice from last year. It melts and goes into the stream and lake so they get really cold." He paused and stuck his tongue out at Connie, flicking a bit of water at him playfully. "You didn't hear it because you didn't know it was here," he teased. "The trees are trying to make things quiet for us so we can sleep, I think. It wants to hear your story too, maybe! Maybe it knows its the best story ever. It has a really happy--Daddy, our story hasn't ended yet! Is it a happy middle, then?" He wiped his hands on his shirt to dry them off and took Connie's hand. "Let's go! You can tell me the story when we get there!"

Connie nodded at the explanation, unsure as to why it was that the water was like that... just that water in the wild always seemed to be on the cold side. There was a moment where he was trying to think of any other alternatives, so the splash of water was met with surprise -- surprise of which quickly got him laughing, even when trying to futilely defend himself against it with arms that were raised a little too late. "Ack! Cold, cold!" he laughed, poking at Brenny's ribs in retaliation once the water assault had subsided. "That could be it, but it's so quiet out here that I thought I might still be able to hear it. Maybe the fire talks too loudly," he suggested offhandedly. Shaking his hands free of most of the moisture, he thought about how to answer the posed question as he took hold of Brenny's hand and headed back to camp, "Well, I don't know... What do you think? Are you happy?" He was just teasing though, and his grin conveyed that notion, "I don't even think it's a middle yet, but so far, I don't think there's really any bad parts at all in our story!"

"Maybe that's it," Brenny agreed with a giggle. "The stream talks quietly, and the fire likes you to hear it! It goes poppopcrackle! Streams are quieter. Maybe it wanted to surprise you." He paused at Connie's question, seeming to take it seriously. His grip on the teenager's hand tightened. "I'm always happy with you Daddy," he said, hesitating. "You won't leave me here, will you?" Maybe it was the dark, maybe it was the fact that the celebi boy was half asleep, but he was reminded of the night he had been unable to find Cecily. It had been much colder. And Brenny knew--he was more attached to the teenager he had declared his father than to anyone else. "That would be a bad plot twist."

"Pretty big opposition. It makes sense, though; in nature, fire and water aren't the best of friends!" Connie noted with a nod after a bit of thought, thinking it would be amusing if the water really had wanted to play a joke on them by hiding! He gave Brenny a quizzical look, "Hmm, are you sure you don't speak fire? I think that was a pretty good impression!" He took a glance around briefly at the celebi-boy's question, "Why would I leave you here? It's going to be getting cold again! Besides, we both need to take that unfinished bag of marshmallows back home so Muffin can eat them, right?" He figured, if nothing else, justification in such a manner would help make it clear that it would be impossible to leave the child on his own out here, considering he didn't seem to believe that Connie was truly happy while he was around. Then again, with how sleepy the kid appeared, it could have easily been due to such rooted fears coming closer to the surface. "It would be a horrible plot twist," Connie agreed, "I don't see that happening in the future. However, since I'm only half the writer to this story, I'm going to have to confer with the other writer about it." He tugged on Brenny's hand then, kneeling down and looking him square in the eye, trying to look very serious, "I got word that some of the readers don't want Brenny to be abandoned in the forest, and I kind of agree with them. What do you think, co-writer?" He couldn't help the bright grin after that -- it was difficult to stay serious when Brenny looked so gloomy; he should be smiling, too!

Brenny blinked. He supposed he was needed, to take marshmallows home for Muffin. Still, his grip on Connie tightened. "She left me here," he muttered, "And it was cold. When I saw her again, she didn't know who I was. I don't want you to leave, and have you forget me too!" He couldn't imagine it. It was too horrible. He couldn't picture meeting Connie on the beach, and having the teenager frightened of him. He wrapped his arms around Connie's neck when the teen knelt and nodded. "I think the readers would like if we always stayed together!" He decreed. "Then our book will sell millions of copies. Its the best story ever, Daddy."

Ahh, so that was it. Connie supposed it was about this time of year that Brenny had initially been separated from his sister. "She probably didn't know that this sort of thing could happen to pokémon when she saw you. I know, when I was still fully pokémon, I didn't know it could happen. I'd never heard of such a thing!" he attempted, though he was sure the explanation would only manage to fall short. Brenny didn't want his sister to see him as anything less than her brother, and the reaction had been hard on him. Words would only go so far. "I couldn't forget you, silly. I probably wouldn't forget you, even if I forgot everything else. Besides, if I did, you'd help me remember, wouldn't you?" he stated, offering a cheerful smile. The teen was quick on the uptake, returning the hug, "I don't have anywhere else to go, either, so we're in this together. I think you and everyone else would agree that that would be the best for the story." With a snicker, he picked the child up and, letting him hold on with that hug, carried them the rest of the way back to the campsite, where the warmth of the fire would cut through the chill of the river water.

"But you said I'm still a Pokemon. Just different looking. And I told her. I told her! And I said she could live with us! But she didn't answer, Daddy. She didn't. I wanted her to. I looked for her, and looked and looked. And she didn't." Brenny wasn't sure how to express the hurt that had caused him. Was it selfish, to want his family with him? He wondered. But was she his family? She had been at one point, but he couldn't decide if she was now. "Really?" He asked, smiling. That meant a lot to him, the knowledge that he couldn't be forgotten. "I couldn't ever forget you either, Daddy! You're my most important memory!" He paused, nodding rapidly. "Of course I would! I won't let you forget me for long! I'll tell you how much I love you and you'll remember!" He nestled his head against Connie's shoulder. "I'm glad you won't leave me, Daddy."

"You are still a pokémon," he confirmed, "But people have been used to us looking more like we did before we found the stars that it's difficult to accept it like nothing's wrong. Pokémon didn't use to change the way we did, that's only something that started happening more recently. That's why some humans and some pokémon don't think we're actually pokémon. They think we look more human than pokémon now, but you and I know better, don't we?" Connie could tell the distraught lens Brenny was looking through would likely only let him hear part of that, but it was likely Brenny's sister fell into the category of not recognizing him, at least right away. "And some pokémon really don't like living with a bunch of humans, they'd prefer to be on their own. Humans can be intimidating to a lot of those that have lived out in the wild their whole life. Hmm... maybe you should talk to some of them, sometime, and get their view on the matter, hn? I bet they could enlighten you a lot better than I could, since I've been with humans my whole life," the tauros suggested with a mild laugh. He gave Brenny a pat on the back, careful of the transparent wings, "I'm sure that would jog anyone's memory of you! Haha, I'd feel so stupid about forgetting you after that, I'm sure! I don't think things would ever come to that, though. You don't have to worry about me ever leaving you. You'll never be alone, not so long as I can help it."

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=24122791

Brenny babysits Teddy!

Kyllian nuzzled his head underneath a large pile of leaves, and lifted them into the air with a little kick flip. He enjoyed Autumn so much! It was his favorite time of year because it wasn’t too cold, but it was cool enough that all of the bug Poke’mon tended to go away. He was really starting to dislike the little butt string ones, like Chloe, but that was okay. He wouldn’t be seeing her for a while, anyway.

With a wide grin the little dino tromped around the patch, biting and snapping at any leaf that fell his way.

Brennen didn't like Autumn. He loved the colors, he didn't like the cool winds that came with them. He liked the pumpkins and apples, but not the ghost stories. Everything seemed to be falling into a slumber that wouldn't end until Spring. He'd miss the green leaves and soft grass. He kicked up a pile of leaves playfully, and in doing so, spotted Kyllian. "Hi!"

Kyllian paused, his mouth opened wide, showing rows upon rows of jagged fangs before slowly closing it, looking quizzically worried. The boy was human, but not? He didn’t smell right, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to catch him. He hunched down, curling his lip back with a growl, stepping back in the woods a bit.

Brenny stiffened. He had never been frightened of another Pokemon before--but this one had lots of teeth. Like a monster! He gave a tiny shiver. "Er. Its okay. I'm nice," he tried. "I'm Brenny. ...please don't bite me."

“I’m not gonna bit’cha, if’n you don’t try ta catch me.” Kyllian held his little arms out in a ninja like stance, spreading his legs apart as he did so. He wasn’t a fighting type, but boy oh boy, would he give it a go! Come get some, green kid! “You’re a weird little human, anyway. You almost look like a Poke’mon.”

"Why would I try to catch you?" Brenny asked, blinking. "I haven't got any pokeballs. I left my bouncy one at Uncle Grayson's but that one can't catch anyone." He smiled slightly. "Oh, I see. You think I'm human! I'm a Pokemon too! Like you! See? I have wings."

“Oh, well, okay then.” Kyllian relaxed a bit, but still looked him over good, making sure to walk around the child. Satisfied Brenny was telling the truth, he nodded and came around to face him. “But you’re not like me, you’re all…people-y.” Something was nagging at him, and when it hit him he almost smacked himself. Or rather, he would have, if his arms were longer. “The names Kyllian, by the way. No nicknames-“ he pointed a claw at Brenny “-I don’t do nicknames.”

"I'm like a human, huh?" Brenny mused, grinning as he looked down at himself. "But I'm not. Its because I found this star, and it changed me. I'm a celebi! See? But I don't know what you are." He hesitated. He could see a lot of potential for nicknames in the pokemon's name, but if he didn't like them, Brenny wouldn't offer them. "Nice name!"

“Stars are ‘posed to be in the sky, so you shouldn’a touched it, and you’d be…a celebi, thing, still.” Oh yes, Kyllian was quite the scholar. It was as black and white to him as noodles and dirt. One was good, the other bad, and being odd was odd. Wait…what? Now he’d confused himself.

“Celebi, huh? Well-“ standing tall and proud, Kyllian stuck out his chest “-I am a Tyrunt!”

"I didn't know it was a star," Brenny protested. "It was in my blanket and I was going to warm up but I found it." And really, he was glad he had. He had made so many friends since then. That star had to have been good luck. "You're like the sharp teeth in my movie!" Brenny exclaimed. "But you won't bite me so you must be a nice one!"

“Don’t’cha know to check before you sleep? Sheez, kid, come on!” Kyllian raised his head to the sky in an exasperated sigh. “Anyway, it’s over, you’re weird lookin’ but alive, so that’s good.” He jumped back, nervous now because of Brenny’s exclamation, holding his claws out in an odd stance. “What’s a movie?”

"Well, now I do. I didn't then. I had only just hatched a little before that!" Brenny defended himself. "Anyway I don't think I'm too weird. There's lots of pokepeople like me! My daddy and my sister and my brother too! Maybe one day you'll find a star." He hesitated at the unexpected question. "Well. Its moving pictures! I'll show you! Wanna come to my house?"

Kyllian felt like he was going to be sick. “A star? Yeah, right! Not if I’m gonna look like you!...The human part, that is.” Did it still sound too mean? Nah, of course not, he fixed it, didn’t he? “So long as I get’ta come back here at the end, sure.” He was still edgy around people, Poke’mon or not! The doctor had made sure of that when he’d brought him out of his fossil. “Ya got food, right?”

"You might! There's a Pokemon called Jirachi and it makes the stars! They fall and we find them. Lots of Pokemon have. Almost every single one I've met! My pet grew into my sister and then I caught a magikarp by giving him a cookie and he grew, so he's my brother. And my friend Jacen, he changed too!" The celebi boy paused, blinking. "Of course you do. This is your home! You're just coming for a visit! Come on! I've never had a tyrunt over for lunch. Wait until Daddy sees! Oh, lots! Popcorn is good for movies. I'll make some!"

He’d rather turn into a Bug type than meet this Jirachi fellow. Kyllian liked life just the way it was, thank you very much! It was simple and good and he didn’t have to wear pants. Where was the harm in keeping it that way?

“Right, right, lead the way, then! Let’s go see your dad and eat “popcorn”. “ He had no idea if Brenny’s dad would be a Poke’mon, or another Poke’person, or what the heck popcorn was, but it sounded interesting. He seemed friendly enough, and he sure was curious about what a movie was!

Brenny beamed, leading the way to his apartment. "Daddy, you home? I brought a friend!" He called as he unlocked the front door. There was no response. The celebi boy frowned. "Oh. That's right, today is a work day. But he might be home Saturday for you to meet! You can come in! Daddy won't mind if I have a guest. I'll make popcorn and then we can watch my dinosaur movie!"

Kyllian couldn’t stop turning his head this way and that, ever more aware that he was in human territory. This was far as he’d come into their areas since leaving “home”, and now… well, now he poked around the apartment, looking at the various bits of furniture like a human might glass statues in a store. Oddly mesmerizing, but too afraid to touch.

“Make lots!” He followed Brenny, swinging his tail behind him. “Lots and lots of popcorn.”

"Okay I'll make lots!" Brenny agreed, moving to the kitchen. He opened the cupboard and took out a large bowl, and then a box of popcorn. He took out two bags and, removing the plastic wrapper from one, placed it in the microwave. He set the timer and beamed. "Now we just wait," he said. "It'll go ding! Then I can put in the next bag and make more! Yay!"

Kyllian tilted his head to the side, giving Brenny a look that said he wasn't quite sure what was going on, but it was weird. Weird even for the weird kid. He shrugged and let it go. If the box made him food, then he'd head it and not ask too many questions!

Brenny listened for the beep and carefully, so not to get burnt, removed the bag from the microwave. He poured it into the bowl. He carried it out to the living room, beaming. "Try it!" He invited. "I'll make the second bag if you like it!"

Kyllian trotted out behind Brenny, keen on the sweet smell of the popcorn and when the bowl was offered he didn't wait to be told a second time. He stuck his head close to it, gobbled a mouthful and chewed. "Mrrphfrop!" Kyllian paused, and swallowed. "It's good! Real good."

Brenny watched the tyrunt eat with interest, which quickly became amusement. He ate just like the celebi imagined a pet would! "You really like it?" He asked. "I'll go make more! Then we can watch the movie!"

"Yeah, yeah, make some more!" Kyllian nodded his head, dipping it back down again to get another biteful. Wasn't this like what humans had? Servants or something? It was nice, since he didn't have to find food himself. This Brenny kid was alright in his book.

Brenny quickly went back into the kitchen to start another bag of popcorn. He wondered if this was like what it would have been like to have a dinosaur for a pet. A talking dinosaur that liked popcorn! The concept amused him, but he was sure Connie wouldn't like finding a real live sharp tooth in their apartment! When the microwave beeped, indicating that the popcorn was finished, he went into the livingroom. "Hey Kyllian, what else do you like?" He asked. "We can play after the movie!"

Kyllian kept a rhythm of munching and breathing. Occasionally one would get paused for the other when a piece of the fluffy stuff when down his throat, but it was okay, since it was so good! "Ya mean food or stuff?" He licked his lips and situated himself on the floor before giving a little sheepish frown. "Uh, well, bout that. I can't stay long, so after this movie I should probably be getting back...but we can do it another time, if ya want."

"Both! What's your favorite thing to do?" The celebi seemed disheartened when Kyllian explained that he would have to go after the movie, but brightened almost immediately after. "Oooh, I'd like that! Maybe next time you come, you can meet Daddy! And I can show you my hot wheels! I don't have a race track, but I bet we could make one if we work together!"

"I like squirrel, and play fighting." Maybe one day he could convince Kole to take a tumble with him, but not Chloe. She'd sooner cry on him, but this kid...maybe he could talk him into it, one day! "That sounds cool! I've got some stuff back in my den I can bring. S'not as cool as movies and popcorn, but they're pretty nice."

Brenny's eyes bulged slightly at the mention of squirrel, but he decided it was probably better not to ask. Not everyone could live off of plants like he did, after all! "Oooh, you'd like my sister then! She's a fighting type. I bet if you ask her, she'll play with you!" Brenny himself was a bit wary of fighting. He had had trouble using moves against a teacher in a lesson, even. "I bet you have pretty cool stuff," he said. "Maybe I'll bring you a present if I ever visit!"

Dear Journal,

Twelve days till Christmas! Did you know traditionally the twelve days of Christmas actually start on Christmas? So it ends on January sixth! Wow, eleven more days to celebrate! But today is Friday the thirteenth, which is a day for bad luck. Instead of bad luck, I'm going to list all my good luck. Everything I'm grateful for this year will be in this entry!

The first thing I'm grateful for and most grateful for is Daddy! He takes care of me and loves me. Even though we have a small place to live and not very much money, we have everything we really need. We have each other! I'm grateful that he's taught me to appreciate what I have and how to make friends. And even how to share. I don't think I was very good at that before I met him. I only knew to think for myself, or I'd starve. Or freeze. Now that I know better, I can help others and give them something to be thankful for too!

I'm thankful for my sister, Mei. We don't always get along, but most of the time we do. She taught me hat its like to really love someone outside me and Daddy. I had friends before I met her, but she's more than a friend! She's my sister.

Eliot, too! Not only was that day special because I got to spend all day with Dadfy, but when we walked home we had a new friend. Sometimes we argue, but I'm starting to think that's just what siblings do. He's going to teach me to play bsseball in the Spring!

I'm going to have trouble with this one, journal. I'm grateful for all of my friends. And I have a lot of them. Let's see. I'll try. I'm thankful for Mitsuru. I only met her once, and that was before I met Daddy. She promised to help me find Cecily, and helped keep me warm. It made me realize people really were nice, like I had always thought! I don't know if I would have frozen without her or not, but I'll never forget her kindness. I'm thankful for Pyry, and Jacen, and Niall and Aoife--hey, they're all ice Pokemon! I helped Jacen find food last year, and now he has a family. I'm really glad he's happy! That makes me happy, too.

Let's see. I'm thankful for Zevian for helping me count my money from my lemonade stand, and then giving me a whole twenty so I could buy Daddy his camera. That meant more to me than his coming and watching Beauty and the Beast with me, even. When I first met him, I thought he was mean. But he just pretends to be mean, I think! I'm thankful that I was able to see past his mask and see the real him. And Cupcake! He watched Land Before Time with me and made the scary parts seem less scary. I know I shouldn't have invited a stranger inside now, but back then I didn't. I guess I'm really thankful that he wasn't a bad guy and actually very nice.

I'm thankful for Nyx! She brought chocolates and cards when I had my lemonade stand, and even though I haven't seen her since, I want to meet up with her and thank her properly. She gave me more money than I had ever seen before, to help me get Daddy his camera. And Timmy too! I'm thankful to him that he let me help him take care of Krissy when Cam was working in his class. I really enjoyed spending that time with Krissy. I think it helped me realize my dream! I want to be an art teacher. For little kids. I love the time I spend with them. Even though Timmy thanked me repeatedly and paid me a twenty, I'm really grateful to him for letting me.


I'm thankful for Jayme, Callie, and Carwyn. And Tristan, Tania, Teddy--look all T's! And Fei. And Fluff, Lucy, and Eilam! That spells elf backwards! I'm thankful for Uncle Grayson and Karma. And Dea, Draven, Kyllian, Truffles... I'm thankful to everyone I've ever met! They've all helped me in their own ways. Be it helping me look for my sister, or just helping me grow as a person, they're all important to me.

But you know what, journal? If I hadn't lost my sister, if I hadn't been alone and hungry and scared those months, I wouldn't have met any of the people I'm most grateful for. I wouldn't know what it's like to have friends. Or what it's like to write in a journal. Or any of the things I know now. I've learned all of these things this year, and met all of these wonderful people. Is it strange to feel grateful for something months ago you'd wished had never happened? If it hadn't, I wouldn't have searched for Cecily. And if I hadn't searched for Cecily, I wouldn't have met any of my friends. I wouldn't know that people care enough for others that they'd stop what they were doing to help look. Or help make signs. How can the worst thing that's ever happened to me also be the best thing that's ever happened to me?

Everything that happened led me to doing everything I did. And I'm glad it did!

Love,

Brenny