[Melisil]

For most of the day Alora and her family had been traveling somewhat wearily in the rain. Her parents both seemed tired, and weren't smiling. Crispin wasn't smiling for that matter either, but having him beside her made her feel safer in the rain anyways. Personally, Alora acually loved the rain. The only part about it she didn't like was the cold it brought. She sat in a corner of her family's uncovered cart, blankets piled on top of her for the whole trip. She just laughed at the tickling feeling the rain played on her face.

By the time they arrived at what she was told was going to be their camp for the night it was still raining. Alora couldn't tell you that though as she had fallen asleep only a half hour earlier, and as she was peacefull there on the cart, no one woke her.

Alora dreamed peacefully of playing in a stream that was by a new house, Alora had guessed it was where they were going. She awoke to find both her parents, and the Chubb grownups yelling at each other something horrid. The yelling scared Alora. It scared her in a way she hardly knew before. She jumped quickly out of the wagon and over to Crispin. She grabbed her big brothers arm. "Why are they fighting Crispin?" she asked in almost a shriek (because of fear).

"They're fighting over grownup stuff Alora, you wouldn't understand." came Crispin's reply.

Alora couldn't tell what tone Crispin had used at her, and this only added to her fear. She watched as their parents fury grew. "Make it stop Crispin, please!"

Crispin looked down at his sister, "Don't worry Alora, it'll be ok. I'm here, and mum and dad won't be fighting for long." Crispin's words comforted Alora greatly. She held tight to her brothers arm, still unsure what to do, but calmer none the less.

Although she hadn't noticed it at first, being distracted by her parents arguments, Henry and May Chubb were sitting down on on log next to them. Although slightly startled by this, Alora supposed they were doing the thing called babysitting her father had talked to her about. She was still rather confused by what the term babysitting meant, though she supposed it meant they would be sitting on babys.

Temporarily distracted from her parents arguments, Alora made her way over to May. "Um, May." she started shyly, "pardon, but where are all the babys your supposed to be sitting on?"

May Chubb looked at her confused for a moment, before responding with a laugh, "Babysitting means that we're watching you and your brother, Alora." Alora was taken aback by this response, so instead of trying to work it out, she sat down on the log next to the two Chubbs, and waited for Crispin to sit aswell.

After a minute of sitting silently, puzzling over the term 'babysitting', Henry Chubb stood up, and asked Crispin if he would like to go exploring, at which, Crispin responded with a yes. Alora, not wanting to be left out of the fun, jumped up aswell and cried out, "I want to go too!"

Henry smiled at this, but May told him that, for some reason which had to do with Alora's daddy, they shouldn't go. "Why can't we go?" Alora asked, totally lost as to why they couldn't explore, "We're allowed to go 'sploring at home."