As soon as the stranger hit the ground, Jade yelped uncharacteristically. He went down hard, and all Jade could do was watch.

She lowers her frying pan slowly, cautiously, just in case he was faking. She prods his back with it. She swallows and skirts around to his face. She turns the frying pan around so that she's holding the pan side, and uses the handle to tilt his head and inspect his teeth. His sunglasses press against his face, askew.

Jade frowns. "Aren't men suppose to have pointy teeth?" she asks Bec.

Bec just shrugs.

"What do we do with him?" She notices a brown leather bag around his shoulder. She carefully removes it and puts it aside. Now to figure out what to do with a person.

Her room? Too obvious.

Mother's room? Even worse!

Under the stairs? Too dirty.

She eyes her wardrobe, comparing sizes. "Wardrobe it is."

While bending over to pick him up, she nearly slips on her own hair. Wow, he's really heavy! She actually has to put down her frying pan. Bec helps by lifting the edge of his vest off the floor.

She hoists him up, pulling his arm over her shoulder. He's a whole lot less heavy this way. She sneaks a glance at his face. It's then when she notices his deep breathing on her bare skin where her neck meets her shoulder. It's like he's sleeping. She blushes at the sensation continues her quest.

The first thing Jade does is try to open both doors with one hand. When she does that, she tries to sit him down in it. His legs don't quite fit, so she stands him up. Unfortunately, gravity is working today, and he falls before she can shut even one door, sending him crashing down on top of her and making her squeal again. She shoves him off and glares at the closet. She scratches her head because there aren't really many things in there, just three dresses and some unmatched shoes.

Maybe she should show mother. Something tells Jade that her mother wouldn't take kindly to strangers, but if Jade tells the whole story, maybe her mother would realize that she's ready and let her go! A smile spreads across Jade's face, suddenly getting excited at the thought. She takes the unconscious man's hand and shakes it.

"Thank you, sir," she says quietly. She lets go and his arm falls limply to the cobblestone floor. Suddenly, his eyes flutter open, and in a panic, she knocks him out again. Oops.

Staring at the wardrobe again, she wracks her brain for ideas. The doors have handles, so if he falls out, she could just shove a chair under them. She has a chair that might be high enough in her room, so she races up the stairs and grabs it. The end part of her hair has not moved an inch.

Once again, she picks him up and haphazardly shoves him into the closet, closes the doors, and sticks the back of the chair under the door handles. Proud of her work, she nods and picks up her pan again.

She takes a deep breath. "Okay, I've got a man in my wardrobe," she mutters. She smirks to herself and starts swinging her pan between her fingers. "Not bad, eh, Bec?" As soon as she said that, she dropped the pan and it hit the ground with a gross clang. She dives for it and holds her breath, listening for groans from the wardrobe. She lets out a sigh of relief when silence follows. Bec just shakes his head and Jade huffs at him.

When Jade stands to dust herself off, she sees out of the corner of her eye that the bag had opened and something shiny was sticking out. She cocks her head and picks it out. The fragile-looking silver circle is really pretty. The three larger gems in the middle are the same color as her eyes. The rest of them are clearer than the stream that flows just outside her tower. It's definitely jewelry of some sort.

She gingerly puts it on her wrist and shows Bec. He shakes his head.

Around her neck? She shows Bec again, but he sticks out his tongue in disgust.

She tries the top of her head. She turns to Bec and shrugs. He crawls up onto the mirror. She looks at herself. In the past, she has snuck into her mother's jewelry box and tried them on, but nothing like this.

"Jaaaade! Let down ya haaaaiiir!" Her mother's voice startles her out of her spacing out.

She quickly stashes the jewelry and bag into a nearby pot. Bec hops in, too.

"I have a surprise for ya!"

"Coming!" she shouts. Then she mumbles, "Me, too..." She loops her hair over its usual hook and starts pulling when she feels a tug. When her mother is safely through the window, she says, "I have something to tell you."

"If it's about the clouds again, you'd betta getcha head out of them." She heads over to their stovetop and starts unpacking her basket. "I got your favorite for your pre-birthday dinner. I'm frying you some squid, how does that sound?" She sounds so happy. Jade doesn't want to potentially ruin it. She takes a deep breath.

"I want to tell you something! I think I can-"

"Seriously, though."

"But I-" She edges her way to the wardrobe.

"Enough."

"Please listen!"

Mother slams her hands down on the metal stove. "We are not discussin' this!" She whips around, making Jade jump. "You're not going to see the clouds, and you're not leaving this tower! Ever!"

Jade clenches her jaw and looks down and her toes. She grips her elbow and hunches her shoulders.

"Oh, great. I'm the villain. I'm sorry, Jade." Jade looks up to see her mother's face in her hand.

"I..." Jade stammers. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to push it so far. The human being in the wardrobe might just send her mother over the edge. "Paint."

"What?"

"I want that paint you brought. From the conch shells?"

Her mother lifts her head up and meets Jade's eyes. "Conch paint? It take three days just to get there. Are ya shore?" Her face is full of concern.

"Mm-hm. I like the whites and pales the best." Jade tries to give a reassuring smile.

"Alright." She stands up, her fuschia dress swaying with her, somewhat satisfied. She lights the stove and fills a pan with oil. She turns towards the staircase. "I'll go pack my things." As she passes by, she caresses Jade's cheek with two fingers. "I'll finish makin' your dinner before I go."

Jade sighs and nearly sits on the chair used to keep the person in the closet from falling out.

Their dinner is quiet. Jade can feel the guilt pressing down as they both clear their plates. The squid is delicious. She tries hard not to keep looking at the wardrobe.

When they finish, it's nearly three.

Jade hands her mother the packed basket. "Have a good trip," she says. "Be safe!"

"I'll see you in a week, darling." She gently kisses Jade's forehead. "I love you."

"I love you more," Jade answers.

"I love you most." Another stroke to the top of Jade's head and then she slips down to the ground below via hair travel.

Jade waits until her mother is out of sight before she rushes back to the closet, grabs her frying pan, and lets Bec perch on her shoulder. She removes the chair slowly, knowing that he could come tumbling down at any second. When he does, he lands on his face again, and Jade cringes.

She needs a plan. Tie him up. With what? Her hair? Not a bad idea. She sets him up in the chair and sets his arms on the armrests. His head falls forward, chin to chest. She decides to go for the arms first, securing them tightly. Then the legs, then his middle. She had to turn her gaze for that part. Now he's completely incapacitated.

Now what?

She pokes him, but he doesn't wake up. She thinks about using her frying pan again, but isn't sure if that would cause brain damage or not.

Bec taps her neck. She lets him off and he crawls to the man's shoulder, facing his head. His eyes dart over the human and he sticks out his tongue as a warning shot. Jade takes the opportunity to hide behind one of the thick wooden beams holding the place up. Bec flicks his tongue into the human's ear and he awakes instantly with a yelp and a jerk of his head, sending Bec seeking refuge on the back of the chair.

Moment of truth, Jade! she thinks to herself. She lets out her breath and summons her big girl voice while the human person mumbles to himself.