Chapter One

"Mama!" A squeaky voice yipped from outside the metal home. Miraculously, the stone and metal used for building in the city was nonflammable, perfect to combat the ridiculous temperatures of the looming volcano. Ruzik rushed out of the hut, holding a hunk of rock salt, "Darling! You were supposed to leave for the Northern Mines by now." The green child stared blankly at her mother, standing straight as a pin. Ruzik sighed, "Up the hill, there's a path that leads directly to it." The toddler nodded, turning around. She hesitated, spinning back and running to hug Ruzik. "Oh, Hibiscus. Be safe out there, my love!" Hibiscus giggled into the rocky stomach of her mother, waving as she skipped off towards the mines. Ruzik watched her daughter, an unusual sight. Hibiscus was dressed in a light green strapless dress, made with her own hands. The sleeves ended at the elbows, turning into a lighter green and dangling off the forearm in a sense. The lower half of the dress had tiny orange petals starting to bloom, the petals of a hibiscus flower.

Hibiscus made her way up to the top of the small mountain, glancing around and noticing the rest of the group not far ahead. She tripped towards them, brushing off the fresh ash from the lava down below. The others did not look like her. They were all short and stout, building up their tough exterior. A clique of girls rolled up to Hibiscus, snickering. "What's the matter? Didn't get a group?" Hibiscus looked around, only now realizing that the other children were separated into three sections, with herself in the dead center. The chaperones were too busy discussing the plan for the day to realize the lost child.

Everyone was staring, especially the girls from before. They turned to Hibiscus again, "Why don't you just go home." They sneered, giggling and walking to their group. Hibiscus nodded, spinning on her toe and heading back down the path.

Rizuk was still outside, now holding some herbs and a snail. Hibiscus snuck up behind her, poking her mother in the back. Rizuk jumped, whizzing around with a bewildered expression. "Oh my- You scared me! Wait," She glanced towards the Northern Mines, then at Hibiscus, "Why are you back here, did you forget something?" Hibiscus shook her head and waltzed inside the home.

Bambagos noticed Hibiscus from his seat on the floor. He was sewing a piece of leather together with something, squinting his eyes as his daughter plopped across from him. He turned to his wife, who was close behind. Ruzik shrugged, kneading her hands. Bambagos raised his brows, returning back to his work.

"How was the first day of training?" Bambagos asked, his eyes glued to the leather.

"I met some new friends." Hibiscus beamed.

"Oh? Were they nice?"

"They told me to go home, so I did."

Bambagos stopped his hands, pausing and processing the information. Ruzik dropped her jaw, placing her hand on Hibiscus' back. "Honey…" She looked at her husband for help. Bambagos slid to the other side of the child, patting her shoulder. "Why don't we start making dinner, we can make it a family bonding moment." He gathered some ingredients off the table and started a fire under the cooking pot in the center of the room.

This idea turned out to be a great one, serving as Hibiscus' first cooking lesson ever. She even learned how much love she had for cooking and creating with her hands. The class from earlier worked at the Northern Mines, still missing a student.