Arthur and Ashley were both stunned—how did Nina know those flowers were considered rare outside of Heaven Island? But before either of them could say more, Nina’s expression changed drastically. Her face twisted with fear as she backed away, shaking her head over and over. "No! I’ve never left Heaven Island! I’ve never been off the island! Heaven Island is my home—I haven’t been anywhere else!" The sudden panic in her voice left them both shocked. A simple question had completely set her off. They exchanged a glance, confused and concerned. Ashley quickly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the frightened girl. "Nina, calm down—it’s okay. Just breathe, okay?" Feeling Ashley’s warmth, Nina gradually began to settle down. It took a while, but eventually, the tension drained from her body. Her face was streaked with tears."I’m sorry, Ashley," she choked out. "I didn’t mean to scare you. I just—" But she couldn’t finish her sentence. The words got stuck in her throat. Ashley gently rubbed her back in comfort. "It’s okay. If you don’t want to talk about it, we won’t. We don’t have to bring it up again, all right?" Her voice was soft and soothing, as if she were afraid a louder word might shatter the fragile girl in her arms. Ashley’s reassurance worked. Nina nodded repeatedly and firmly. "Okay. Okay." After taking time to calm her down, Arthur asked gently, "Where do you live, Nina? We’ll walk you home." Nina nodded and pointed off toward a part of the island they hadn’t visited yet. "Over there." They followed her gaze. Sure enough, it was somewhere unfamiliar. "Let’s go, then. We’ll take you home," Arthur said. Before they started walking, Ashley turned to Nina with a warm smile and carefully took the flower crown from her hands. "I really like this. It’s beautiful."Then, she placed it gently on her head. Ashley was already strikingly beautiful, but with the delicate crown of flowers resting atop her hair, Arthur could barely look away. In that moment, she looked like a fairy who had wandered into the mortal world—graceful, ethereal. Nina’s face finally lit up with a wide smile. Ashley pulled out a tissue and dabbed away the girl’s tears. "Nina, don’t cry so easily. A girl’s tears are like gold—you shouldn’t waste them." She teased gently, "And if you cry too much, your face will get puffy, and then you won’t be as pretty." Alarmed, Nina started wiping her face in a panic. "I don’t want to be ugly!" Ashley chuckled to herself. Girls really were all the same when it came to beauty. She remembered that when her sister used to cry as a child, their mother would say the same thing—and it always worked.But Nina’s next words hit Ashley straight in the heart. Once her tears were gone, Nina looked at her seriously. "Ashley is so pretty. I want to be pretty too. That way, Ashley will like me... and want to be my friend." Ashley froze in place. She gently asked, "Nina, don’t you have other friends?" They’d only known each other for less than a day. Before that, surely Nina had a life of her own. But Nina’s eyes dimmed. She shook her head. "I don’t have any friends. Before, it was just Grandpa and me. He left about half a month ago, and since then... there’s been no one to play with me." Arthur had just finished locking up the house and overheard the conversation. "Aren’t you in school?" he asked, surprised. "Shouldn’t you have classmates your age?" Nina looked at him and answered honestly, "I have a teacher at home. I don’t need to go outside for school."Then she tilted her head curiously. "What about you two? Do you have teachers at home too? Why don’t you go to school?" Arthur and Ashley glanced at each other and shook their heads. "We do go to school," Ashley explained. "We just came to Heaven Island for a while because of some family matters. We’ll have to go back soon." The moment Nina heard that, she panicked again. "You’re leaving Heaven Island?" Ashley nodded. "Our home isn’t here. Our family lives on the mainland. We’ll have to leave eventually." Then she asked gently, "What about your parents, Nina?" At the mention of the word parents, Nina visibly flinched. Ashley caught the change right away and realized Nina might’ve grown up in a troubled home. She didn’t press. "Okay, we won’t talk about that. Let’s just walk you home, all right?" Their friendship was still new, and Nina clearly wasn’t in the right frame of mind. But she hadn’t resisted the offer to take her home, which was a relief. Ashley had grown fond of Nina—this bright, innocent little girl—and she was curious to see where, and how, Nina lived.