Seven year old Juleka was sitting alone in the sandbox at the playground. She loved the playground. However, she was not good at connecting with other kids. She was painfully shy and doesn't know how to speak up. Other kids thought she was weird.

"You have a name?" a random kid asked. She nodded. "Are ou going to tell me?" She opened her mouth but closed it again and after a moment shook her head as she tried to pull her hair over her face to hide her blushing face. The kid started to look annoyed. "You're weird." The kid then left he sandbox and Juleka behind.

Juleka sighed as the other kid vanished into the distance. She looked at the half-finished sand castle she had made in the sandbox. She poked lazily at the unfinished castle and wondered what even the point was.

Another kid came by and inevitably what happened earlier would repeat. Juleka sighed. 'Let's get it over with' she thought to herself as she looked at the kid. It was a girl her age, a bit shorter in size. She was wearing…pink, lots of pink. Her hair was blonde and messy and had bright baby blue eyes. She had a pink pig plushie with her. "Hello, I'm Rose!" she greeted kindly. She looked at the little sandcastle. "Did you make this?"

Juleka nodded. Rose blinked. "It doesn't look finished. Can I help?" she asked. Juleka blinked for a bit and shrugged. "Great. I love sandcastles. Because they are little castles and castles what princesses live in. I love playing princess." she said as she plopped down in the sand beside Juleka and put her pig plushie down. "This is Dizzy, my pig buddy. And since we are working on a castle together, we are buddies too!"

Juleka's eyes widened, a bit baffled. She wanted to speak up but it was not her shyness this time. She was honestly a bit confused. "Oh, I know we just met but mommy says strangers can be people we just didn't have chance to be friends with. Unless they are enemies, but that's no fun. I don't want enemies, because you'd hate each other and I don't want hate, that makes me feel sad. I'd rather have lots of friends so everyone is happy. Everyone is happier with friends."

This girl just had literally popped in her life out of nowhere and decided to be friends without saying a word. Juleka didn't expect that since no one ever suggested wanting to be friends with her. Because she couldn't talk to them. But this girl didn't seem to be bothered by her silence. "So, how do you want the castle to be?" Rose asked with a smile and anticipation in her eyes.

Juleka wanted to speak but didn't know how to explain herself. She just pointed at one tower structure she made, then pointed it at the other side of the unfinished sandcastle, and then made a motion to show a big of height. "Oh, you want another tower, but a bit taller. We can do that." Rose said as she started to mess with the sand. "If it will be the highest tower, then that's where the princess sleeps. And waits for her prince. Say do you think…"

The little girl kept talking and talking. But Juleka didn't mind. It meant Rose was comfortable with her. She didn't mind being around shy and silent her. So Juleka thought that in return she could put up with the lots of talking. Any other person talking a lot would make her uncomfortable, but this girl…she didn't. There was something bright about her. Like the sun or something. Juleka liked the moon more but Rose was like a good sun on a good day. Bright and warm but not burning hot.

"…but she said to me 'you talk too much, talk is cheap!' Ok, I talk a lot…I don't bother you, do I?" Rose continued. Juleka shook her head. "Ok, that's good. But I don't know what she meant with 'talk is cheap', because you don't buy words. You can buy books and some of them are cheap but you don't talk books, you read books. So either 'read is cheap' or do people pay to get talked to?" This girl looked at the sandcastle they were working on. "It misses something. Oh, I know!" she said as she got up and moved to the grass.

She picked a few flowers and ran back to the sandbox. She put a few flowers on the castle. "Now it is a castle of the flower princess…oh wait, I forgot to ask if you wanted that. Is this ok?" Juleka smiled softly and nodded. "Oh, you smiled…I haven't seen you do that yet. You're pretty when you smile." Juleka blushed slightly. Rose just put more flowers on the castle. "I have a few left. Oh, I know!" she put a few of the purple flowers in Juleka's hair, and a few pink ones in her own. "Now we are both pretty flower princesses. We both worked on it so we both should be pretty princesses of this kingdom."

Juleka prodded the flowers in her hair a bit. A princess? Not her thing. But the flowers were her color. She smiled back a bit. "That was fun. But…what do we do now? We already made a castle."

"Rose! Time to go!" a woman whom had to be her mother called Rose.

"Ok, Mom. I'll say bye to my new friend." Rose said back, which her mother approved of. "It's a shame I have to go. But I had fun, did you have fun?" she asked. Juleka nodded happily. "It was great. I helped make a castle and I made a friend. It was good…oh, silly me, I never got your name."

Juleka realized she indeed hasn't spoken a word. She didn't need to because the girl just knew what to say and feel. But it's a bit stupid she hadn't given her name. But she always was barely able to talk to others. "Juleka." She muttered softly. Wait, did she just do that? She wasn't afraid…she was not afraid of this girl, she felt comfortable talking, saying her name to Rose. "Name…Juleka." Or at least it was a work in process.

"That's a pretty name. I haven't heard that name before. It must be a special name, so you are special. Of course, you are my friend so of course you are special." Rose said excitedly. "Oh, I'm going to the new school Francois Dupont soon, are you going to that school too?" Juleka nodded. "That's great! So we will see each other again. When school starts, I'll look for you okay?" She then got up, and planted a little friendly peck on Juleka's cheek.

Juleka felt herself growing red as a tomato. Rose spat on the ground. "Bleh. We're covered in sand. Sand is yucky." She wiped her tongue of to get the sand out. She picked up her plushie. "See you soon, Juleka!" she said as she ran towards her mother. She couldn't understand it, but Juleka was sure (or maybe hopeful) that she was talking her mother's ears of about a new friend she made.

Juleka kept staring in the distance a bit, where Rose and her mother had walked towards. Out of view. "Hey Jules!" the voice of her brother Luka sounded. "The mad cop is finally done with Mom, we can go home." Luka said. Juleka got up and took her brother's hand. "Oh, your heart is singing. Are you happy?" he asked.

Juleka paused a bit. "Made a friend…" she softly muttered.

"That's great, I knew you could do it. I knew there would be someone whom would see how special you are. Does the friend have a name?" Luka asked.

Juleka was silent for a few seconds. "Rose…"

"That sounds nice. When you see Rose next time say she is always welcome with us. Hope she doesn't mind boats." Luka said as they walked towards their mom to rejoin her.

Juleka could honestly say…It was a great day today. For once she looked forward to school. If only she could hope to see Rose again. And she saw Rose again…every day of her life afterwards. But what happened during those days, those are different stories. Most of them happy.

NOTES

Updates are not regular, just posting whenever I have a short and sweet idea. Much like Adrigaminette chronicles, only less cracky. Hope you at least enjoy this first bit.