Two weeks later…
Living off of the only money they could, the children were actually happy with each other. Crops were beginning to grow in the back from the freshly plowed and weeded fields, and in several of the empty barrels were different fruits and food.
Flaky was outside, playing with her teddy bear and smiling greatly. The little red haired girl could not remember being so happy before, nor could she remember the last time she cried in fear. She felt care for the three boys; the one handed strong boy, the adventurous quick boy, and the smart and agile tough boy.
She hugged her teddy bear tightly, letting the affection she had in her tiny heart for all three of the boys fill the stuffed toy.
Meanwhile, inside of the barn, Cuddle Bunny and Handy were sitting lazily on the floor of the barn. Flippy was upstairs, using a newly bought bottle of hair dye and a little bit of their drinking water to dye his hair a different color.
Cuddle Bunny broke the silence.
"Say, Jack…"
Handy looked over.
"What?"
They heard Flakys humming outside.
"I've been thinking lately… You notice Flaky's been acting kinda weird lately?"
Handy raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"Well… She's been kinda acting like she likes one of us… I mean…"
He made air quotes.
"'Like' like us…"
Handy looked around and thought a minute.
"Heh… Good thing she thinks the same as me."
He smiled and stood up.
"I knew ever since I fixed her bear that she liked me."
Noah arched his brows.
"I wouldn't waste your breath. I like her too. And she likes me. She told me herself."
Noah thought about a little moment he had with the little redhaired girl. It was on a weekend day, when the other two boys were busy.
Flippy was using a newly bought watering can to water the sprouting crops. Handy was using a new hammer to pound down on nails in the floorboards. And Cuddle Bunny and Flaky were at a nearby lake that was too dirty to drink and too gross to bathe in. She watched him tie a long piece of twine on one end of a long stick, and on the other end of the line was a new fish hook.
Noah dug through the wet mud around the water, while Flaky watched him while hugging her teddy bear.
"What Cuddle Bunny doing?"
Noah finally pulled up his dirty fingers, and she saw he was holding a wriggling worm.
"Found one!"
Her face drooped as she hugged her bear close.
"A-a-a wiggly!"
He brought it over to the line and looked at her.
"Don't worry. It's going in there."
She watched as he carefully wrapped the worm around the hook, then he quickly brought his pole back behind him, the forcefully threw the line into the lake, with the hook going under the surface. He smiled as he carefully sat down as he held the stick and waited.
Flaky sat down next to him.
"Where the fishys?"
He looked at her.
"Gotta wait for them to nab the worm."
They both watched the lake, waiting for the unlucky fish to give them their dinner. They saw birds flying above their heads, and they heard the sounds of nature knock against their ears. Flaky popped her thumb into her mouth as she stared at the lake.
She was beginning to grow fond of the blonde haired boy. To her, he was like a brother to her; he always played with her, kept her happy and showed her how to do many things, like digging for treasure and now fishing.
But there was something she wanted to know about the boy.
She took her thumb out of her mouth and spoke to the boy.
"Noah?"
He looked over and smiled.
"Yeah?"
She tilted her head.
"Why does Jack call you Cuddle Bunny? Flaky don't think Jack likes bunnies like Noah said."
He dropped his smile as he tightened his grip on his pole.
"He didn't come up with the name… My sister did."
Her eyes perked up.
"You have a sissy?"
His memories began to cloud his mind. He barely remembered his parents, wherever they were, but he definitely remembered his little sister, the best woman in the world to him. She was born two years before he was, and he loved playing with her and being next to her.
"I… Had a sissy."
She scooched closer to him.
"Had?"
He bowed his head.
"She… She drowned in a pool a few years ago…"
She gasped a bit, then arched her brows into a sad look.
"R-R-Really?"
He nodded.
"Yeah… She couldn't swim and… Well…"
She felt so sorry for the boy.
"Flaky don't like hearing about siblies dying… It makes her feel bad that she don't have any…"
He looked at her a bit confused.
"Siblies?"
She nodded.
"Bubbies and sissies… Flaky want a sissy…"
And he watched as she gave a small smile and he gently placed her arm on his shoulder, and pulled his side to herself. He looked around strangely as she hugged him, and he saw that she looked rather happy.
"But Flaky happy that she has friends… Noah is Flaky's friend… Flaky like you, Cuddle Bunny…"
And he felt warm and happy around the adorable little girl. He saw his dear little sister in her face, and he heard her voice in the redheads. He wanted to make sure he had the chance to be a good friend to Flaky, like he tried with his sister.
And that was why he liked Flaky.
His memory faded as he was back in the barn, looking at the one handed little orange haired boy.
"I… I like her… And she likes me too…"
Handy stomped his foot.
"Well, I like her too. And she hugged me. She ever hug you?"
Noah nodded.
"Yeah. And I liked it."
Jack grunted.
"I bet she liked hugging me better. Besides, I'm more of a man than you…"
He smiled.
"Cuddle Bunny…"
Noah made an angry face.
"Quit calling me that!"
Handy chuckled a bit and repeated his words over and over again.
"Cuddle Bunny, Cuddle Bunny, Cuddle Bunny!"
Noah hated to be called that name by a boy, as it did make him out to be kind of soft. It was not a good attribute for a little boy. His face was beginning to turn red from anger, but he had no intention to act on it;violence would only lead to more violence, and he could scare Flaky.
To change the subject, he called up to the other boy who had yet to be seen.
"COME ON, FLIPPY! COME DOWN FROM THERE!"
Handy shook his head and called up as well.
"Yeah. Come on. I'm sure the dye's about dry now."
Hearing their call, almost right on cue when he was about to come down anyway, Flippy came slowly down the ladder. The shadows of the upstairs blocked the new color of his hair, so the two boys could not make out what it was. Cuddle Bunny chose the color, the only bottle that was left on the shelf at the store.
But when he reached the floor, the boys both gave a confused look. Flippy now sported dark green locks on his head, replacing the shine of his brown hair he arrived in. He looked a bit different now.
Handy spoke first.
"Uhh… You're hair's green now, man…"
Flippy shrugged.
"Cuddle Bunny chose this color. I don't care, really."
Handy nudged Noah with his nub of a left hand.
"Did you have to pick green, Cuddle Bunny? Really?"
Noah finally snapped and head his head.
"Will you guys stop calling me Cuddle Bunny?! Seriously!"
Flippy spoke.
"You never said why you have that name anyway. It important or something?"
He held his hands in shyness.
"Yeah… But I don't want you guys calling me it anymore… Please?"
Handy crossed his arms.
"Whatever…"
Flippy sat down on a pile of hay.
"Well… Maybe a different way of saying it? How about we call you… Cuddles?"
Noah thought a minute. It sounded a bit better than Cuddle Bunny, and it still kind of kept the same feeling as the old name. He thought that his sister would still like his new name.
He nodded.
"Sure…"
Flippy nodded as well.
"Good. Fine."
Handy spoke.
"Still gonna call you Cuddle Bunny…"
Cuddles looked at the boy.
"Shut up…"
He held his head a bit more, still thinking about the little girl outside.
"Boys… We got a bit of a problem…"
Handy spoke.
"It ain't a problem. She likes me best."
Cuddles drooped his eyebrows.
"Maybe she likes me best."
Flippy spoke out as he dug into a tiny little chest and brought out a bottle of water, marked with an uppercase FI to symbolize that it was his out of the four bottles. They made sure every time they went shopping to get a water jugs, which Noah mostly carried. And Flippy was in charge of refilling them every night.
He poured the clear water over his lips and drank the water swiftly.
"What are you guys talking about?"
They both looked at him, and Handy spoke out.
"We're wondering who Flaky likes. You and her have been here a few weeks, and she's been acting like she likes one of us more than the other. And we're just wondering who."
Flippy shrugged as he screwed the cap of his bottle back on and put it on the ground.
"Just ask her yourself."
Noah nodded.
"Yeah. We gotta know."
He called outside.
"Hey Flaky! Can you come in here?"
The happy little red haired girl heard her friend, and she happily stood up and skipped into the barn, holding the arm of her teddy bear. She stopped and jumped up, then dropped her smile at the sight of Flippys new hair.
"Flippy's hair green… Why Cuddle Bunny pick that color?"
Flippy spoke.
"It's fine, Flaky. And he told us he wants to be ca-"
He spoke out.
"She can call me Cuddle Bunny if she wants to. That make you happy Flaky?"
She nodded and smiled.
"Flaky likes Cuddle Bunny. It a cute name. What you want?"
Cuddles stepped forward and gave a friendly smile. All three of the boys were looking at her a bit strangely, unlike any way she has seen a boy look at her. She did kind of feel a bit uncomfortable.
Handy spoke.
"Flaky… Do you like us?"
She nodded.
"Flaky like you all. You're all Flaky's new best friends."
Cuddles spoke.
"Well… Be honest. You've been acting like you like one of us more than the others. Do you want a boyfriend, Flaky?"
She dropped her jaw.
"A… Boyfriend?"
Handy spoke.
"Come on. Wouldn't it be fun to have a boyfriend? I'd be happy to call you my girlfriend."
Cuddles waved.
"I'd be happier!"
Flaky spoke out.
"Well… Ok… But… What do boyfriends do?"
Handy knelt down to her, so she was a bit taller than him.
"They make you happy. They keep you safe, and warm when you're cold. And I can do all that, you know? Don't you think, since I fixed your teddy bear, that I should… Be your boyfriend?"
Cuddles spoke out.
"You ripped the bear in the first place!"
Handy looked at him and shushed him.
"Shut it!"
Cuddles got in front of him.
"Well, I'd never do that. I'd never make you cry. See… You're kind of special to me, Flakes. I want to be a good boyfriend, because you're a lot like my sister. And besides… I can be you're Cuddle Bunny if you want…"
She smiled.
"Really? Flaky love cuddling! Cuddle Bunny does like warm and snugily."
Handy used his arm to push Cuddles aside.
"I can be warm and snugily too!"
Cuddles spoke out.
"You made her cry!"
Handy yelled.
"I'll never do it again!"
They were in each others faces, bumping their bellies and shouting at each other. Flaky was shaking a little bit in fear at the two angry boys.
"SHE LIKES ME BEST!" "NO, SHE LIKES ME BEST!" "ME!" "NO ME!" "ME!" "ME!"
Finally, Flaky yelled out, with a few tears building up in her green eyes.
"Stop it! Flaky scared!"
They both stood still as she spoke.
"Flaky… Do want a boyfriend… She thinks she'll be happy with a boyfriend…"
Handy waved his hand.
"I'll be your boyfriend! I love you!"
Cuddles waved as well.
"I love you more! I do! Really!"
But through all of this commotion, they all noticed that one of the boys had not spoken. They all looked at the green haired boy, who was simply sitting on the hay and watching the event take place.
He shrugged.
"Ain't my choice…"
Cuddles looked at Flaky.
"Well… It's your choice, Flaky. Who do you want to be your boyfriend?"
Handy nodded.
"Who makes you happy? Which one of us do you love?"
Flaky took a good look at the boys in front of her. Her feelings felt the same for the both of them; somehow, or someway, each of them have made her happy, and at one time have made her either scared or sad as well.
She remembered how Handy ripped her bear, but also how he fixed it to make her feel better. She remembered how Cuddles has always played with her, but made her sad when she heard about his sister. And she remembered how Flippy made her afraid of his evil side.
But she also remembered what all Flippy has done for her. She looked at her teddy bear, and remembered that it once belonged to him when he was younger. She remembered that he made her feel better when she was afraid, that he kept her warm when she was cold. She remembered the moment he gave her the nickname she was still so proud of.
But above all, she remembered the moment she watched him save her from her father.
She began to blush as she had finally decided on who she wants to be her boyfriend.
"Flaky knows who she loves now."
Cuddles pointed at himself with his thumb.
"I knew you'd pick me, Flaky!"
Handy looked at him and pushed him a bit with his hand.
"She didn't say you. Besides, I love her more."
And suddenly, the two once again began to shout at each other, saying they both love her more. They were practically at each others throats over this girl, as they both had the exact same feelings for her. She had to choose one of them, and whoever she chose would love to rub it in the others face.
They both looked forward, and they saw that she was gone. She had ignored the two and walked past them. They both turned around and saw her standing in front of Flippy, with a big smile on her face and a bright red line across her cheeks.
Flippy spoke to her.
"What is it, Flaky?"
And in that moment, as she stared at him so carefully, she thought of just how to speak. She placed her bear on the floor, and held her hands in shyness. She stared at the floor for a quick second while shifting her foot.
And she slowly brought her head up, and spoke straight from her tiny heart.
"Flaky... Love... Flippy."
They dropped their jaws, as the little redhead smiled more, with a fluttering heart fueling her words.
"Will… Flippy be Flaky's boyfriend? Pretty please?"
Flippy blinked a few times as she continued to smile.
"Me? But… Why?"
She picked up her teddy bear and continued to talk.
"Flippy saved Flaky. Flippy makes Flaky happy. Flippy gave Flaky her teddy bear, and she loves it. Flaky used to be sad all the time, but now she not sad anymore. She has… Flippy…"
She carefully placed her hand on his cheek, making him blush along with her.
"Flippy saved Flaky from her mean daddy. He hit me, and drank from his little glass bottle a whole lot."
And for the first time, she revealed a dark secret.
"He… Sometimes… Touched my giney… I hated when he touched my giney..."
Cuddles nudged Handy while listening to the little girl.
"What's a giney?"
Handy shrugged his shoulders as Flaky continued.
"When Flippy got rid of Flaky's daddy, she knew he was a hero… Flippy is Flaky's hero…"
She leaned in, so close that their noses were nearly touching.
"But… How does Flippy feel about Flaky?"
Flippy looked at the little girl, and the sight of her shining green eyes made him understand that she really did care about him. Perhaps she really did love him. After all, she just told him something so secret that no child would tell another in confidence.
He spoke as she let go of his face.
"Nobody has been with me for as long as you have, ever since my family died. You're… The best friend I've ever had…"
And for the first time in a very long while, Flippy smiled at the little girl, shocking her as well as the boys. Flaky was so happy to finally see him smile.
"Flaky… You saved me… "
He bowed his head in shyness, then brought it back up as Flaky backed away.
"I'd… Love to be your boyfriend…"
She smiled as well.
"Really?"
He nodded.
"Sure…"
She jumped up and down in excitement as Flippy stood up slowly, and for the first time since he met her, he hugged her. She smiled as she returned the hug, and Noah and Jack watched as they looked so happy to be together, but they were both a bit sad that she did not feel the same for them.
Handy actually was mad.
"Dang! Look at them. They look happy… Aw, crap! Now we're all alone now."
Cuddles looked at him.
"There there. I'm sure there are girls out there for us."
Flippy and Flaky broke from their hug as they both looked at the two boys.
"So… When are we gonna get some beds?"
Handy spoke.
"When we get some money."
Flaky spoke as she quickly clasped Flippys hand.
"Flaky don't need a bed anyway. She's got her new boyfriend to sleep on."
Cuddles spoke, with his head bowed and his hands in a guilty position.
"We… Got money… Look in the big hay pile, on the bottom…"
Flaky dropped her teddy.
"Flaky will!"
She quickly dove into the hay, and they heard rustling as the pile of straw was moving back and forth from the little girls antics. Suddenly, her head popped out of the top, and she pulled out a small black box with two latches on the front.
"Flaky found treasure!"
Cuddles nodded.
"Yeah… My safe box…"
She handed the box to Flippy, and he undid the latches and opened the lid. And all of them except for Cuddles were in shock to see that it was full of money, mostly small bills.
"Money… A whole bunch of money…"
Handy used his right hand to latch onto Cuddles' shirt.
"HEY! You've been holding out on us?!"
Cuddle tried to calm him.
"I'm sorry! I've been saving it for a long time! I've been trying to save up to find a way back home, but I don't think I'll ever get to go back home, 'cause… I don't know where home is…"
Handy pulled the blonde boy closer.
"Where'd you get the money, huh?!"
Cuddles was sweating beads.
"I find them all over the city! On the streets, in the garbage, everywhere! I gather them up and bring them here to put in there. But now I want you guys to have it. I'm sure we got enough money for some beds now! We might even have enough to buy some new clothes to wear at night."
He looked at the tallest boy, who was holding the little red haired girls hand and carefully picking pieces of straw out of her hair. Flaky was sucking her thumb as well.
"Come on, Flippy! Back me up here!"
Flippy looked at the money.
"It probably wasn't right to hide the money from us, but at least you didn't try to spend it on junk. Now we can buy more things. Come on, Handy. Lay off."
Handy let go of Cuddles and looked down.
"Well… Fine. Whatever. You're just lucky we need stuff, Cuddle Bunny, or I'd kick your butt. Let's go shopping."
Flippy stayed behind as Cuddles, Flaky and Handy went into the city with their money supply. The three children went to the clothes store, so they could pick out some nightwear.
Onlookers wondered if they were alone, or where their parents were. They picked up a green shirt and brown shorts for Flippy, a black t-shirt with flames on the front and a pair of blue lounge pants for Cuddles, and a black t-shirt with a silver star on the front and a pair of yellow shorts for Handy.
Finally, the boys were embarrassingly looking at the girls nightwear, while Flaky looked at them all with wide eyes.
Cuddles spoke.
"How about that one?"
He pointed at a pink dress. She shook her head.
"Nah…"
Handy pointed at a set of footie pajamas.
"Those?"
She shook her head once again.
"Nope…
Cuddles leaned over to the other boy.
"Man, who'd thunk we'd be pickin' out girls clothes tonight?"
"Shut up…"
Finally, out of options, Flaky settled on a small white nightgown from the selection and the trio walked to the counter. They had more than enough money for the clothes, and they both decided that they were going to the bed store tomorrow, since they were all a bit tired from the work they did that day.
They paid for the clothes, and they all walked back to the barn as the sun was finally gone and the big white moon began to rise.