Nim looked over the vast island. Her legs were laced with gear and she took her machete out of her waist pocket.
"What are you going to do with that, Nim?" Paul asked rather fearfully. Nim turned her sight from the island to Paul.
"What, still scared of me pulling tricks on you?" Nim asked a matter of factly. Paul stood his ground and continued looking at the sight before them; giving no precise answer. Nim laughed and gave the island one last look before cutting a rope that went down to a home of various insects.
"Hey!" Paul shouted. "That was our only way to the rarest of the rare insects!" Nim slyly placed her machete back in its pocket.
"We don't need to interrupt them. No one does. Besides, there were no mealworms." She stated and continued to head home. Paul made soft whimpering sounds before accepting facts and followed Nim.
"You know I hate insects as much as the next city guy, but I have lived here long enough to get used them. And what do you do when I am starting to get comfortable? You go ahead and-" He stopped and looked around to find that no one was listening to him.
"That girl. She'll understand me when Jack tells her the news." He said to nobody in particular and continued on.
"Selkie, go and see if Paul got lost on his way home." Nim said to her pet seal as she put her bag on the table, along with her gear. Selkie nodded and hurried outside.
"Nim." Jack said unexpectedly which made Nim flinch in surprise.
"Jack, you gave me a scare." She breathed and started to unpack her things. "You really need to buy me a new supply belt. The one I have is getting way too tight."
Jack looked as if he had something important to tell his daughter; hands were on his hips and his face was painted with worry.
"Um, Nim.."
"I won't go out again to find your mealworms if you don't get me a new belt." She told him and chuckled, still unpacking.
"Nim. Actually, you won't have to do tasks like that anymore." He said softly. She looked toward him with furrowed brows, a sign of confusion.
"You.." He began. "will be going to the city for proper schooling." Nim froze in place, analyzing her fathers words. It took a while to configure things and she finally spoke.
"No way." She said. Her father didn't know what her reaction was. Nim didn't know either. Maybe it was because she couldn't believe it and thought Jack was playing a joke, or maybe it was because she was excited in a way that was related to seeing Edmund. It could also be because she gave her answer straightforwardly. All the while, she was staring blankly with her eye size doubled.
"Nim?" Jack spoke. He waved his hand in front of her to get her senses back. She came back to earth and started to stutter.
"Th-This is a joke, right?" She asked, sending mixed signals to her father because of the gleam of hope in her eyes that wished he wasn't kidding.
"It's the truth, Nim." He explained.
"No way." She said once again and stood up. Her hands were in her hair as she was contemplating things. Jack watched as his daughter took in all the facts. She started to smile from the thought of Edmund. Then she frowned from the thought of leaving her island. Her face switched back and forth until she couldn't take it and she collapsed on the couch.
"It's the truth, huh?" She asked as she lay on the couch in an odd position. Jack nodded slowly and her breathe hitched. Nim started to hiccup and then ran to her room, brushing by Jacks shoulder. When she was in her room, she quickly sat in front of her laptop. She always dreamed of the day of meeting Edmund again. But if she had to fully leave her island to do so, she didn't know if she could handle it.
She stayed sitting by her laptop, the only source she has to connect with Edmund. And so she took her laptop to her bed. Nim went under the covers with her computer and went to sleeping holding it.