Claire found Jill's sleeping bag empty and the watering can taken from the pile of tools. Off to work already? Claire put on orange overalls and shoes before heading to the field.
Outside, she spotted Jill carefully watering the plants as she walked by them, still in the braid she came home in. Claire jogged closer and waited until Jill finished watering the plants before speaking. "Hey Jill. How long have you been up?"
"About half an hour, I think. I watered the turnips and, uh..." She gestured to the other patch of tilled land.
"Oh right, we never told you. Jack bought strawberry seeds while you were with Lumina."
"Well, I watered those too." Jill walked towards the small pond and emptied the watering can out before walking towards the house, Claire following behind her.
Inside the house, Claire noted Jack was still asleep.
"Hey, Claire, can I head over to Lumina's?" Jill asked.
"Sure, but let's wake up Jack first."
Jill kneeled beside Jack and shook his shoulder. "Jack. Wake up, Jack!" She stood up again and shrugged.
Claire took the watering can from Jill. "You need to be more drastic than that." In one felled swoop, she dumped the last bit of water onto Jack's face.
"What are you doing?!" He coughed and sputtered, wiping his face with his sleeve.
"You didn't want us to leave you behind again." Claire put the watering can away.
"And you couldn't find a drier way of waking me?"
"I tried to shake you." Jill added. "You're a really deep sleeper, you know."
Jack sat up and placed his cap on his head. "Well, I'm awake now." He stood and stretched. "So, do you want to? 'Cause I think there's a mine in the east side of the valley."
"That's fine with me." Claire glanced towards Jill. "But, Jill's headed to Lumina's, so it'll just be the two of us."
Jack grabbed something from his box. "Great, let's get going."
Outside, Jack whistled sharply. "Why did you do that?" Claire asked.
Suddenly, Greg barked and leapt on Claire's chest, knocking her down. "Ugh, do you train you dog to do this?"
Jack picked up Greg off her chest. "Of course not. He just mistook you for me." He fed Greg and put him down. "It doesn't matter, let's go."
Jill split from the group when they entered town and jogged to west while Jack and Claire continued east, across the bridge, and past Vesta's Farm. Turning north at a sign, the pair walked past a large field with lots of weeds growing. The path ended at a tent.
Claire checked the tent. "It's zipped up. I don't think anyone is in here." She turned back to Jack, who was staring farther to her left.
"I found the mine." He jogged towards what he was looking at, a cave set in the side of the valley. Claire jogged after him.
Entering the mine, the pair blinked to re-adjust their eyes. There was a woman with dark-blond hair and glasses, and a black-haired man with glasses already inside, digging up the ground.
"Hello." Claire called, causing the man to glance toward her.
"Hey, nice to meet you." He gestured towards the woman. "This is Flora, and I'm Carter."
"I'm Claire, and this is my brother Jack." She looked around the interior of the cave. "So this is the mine."
"It's an archeological dig, actually." Carter corrected.
Jack stepped in. "So, can we help with the dig?"
"Yes, of course. Extra hands are always nice." Carter thought for a moment before adding, "The problem is, you'll need to bring your own hoe."
"Great, we have one at home. I can go and get it in 20 minutes." Jack ran out of the mine.
Claire sat against the wall and watched Carter and Flora carefully dig. As Flora approached her, she asked, "How long have you worked here?"
She glanced towards her. "Five or six years."
"Oh. So, what are you digging for?"
"Carter believes his ancestors were buried here."
The only noise that punctured the silence for the next few minutes were Flora and Carter's hoes as they dug. In the silence, Claire heard someone's footsteps outside the mine.
"I'm... I'm back." Jack gasped for air and leaned against the handle of the hoe.
Claire hopped up and joined his side. "Did you run the entire way?" He nodded quickly. "That wasn't necessary, Jack." She took the hoe from him. "Here, I'll dig first while you catch your breath."
She dragged the hoe through the ground for several passes. On the forth pass, Claire noticed a spot of light-blue peeking from the ground. Plucking it, she found a light-blue bracelet. "Hey, Carter."
"Yes, Claire?"
"Can we keep what we find?"
"That depends on what you found." Carter dropped his hoe and checked the bracelet. "It's plastic. You can keep it."
By the end of the day, Jack and Clare had found 13G, a pink necklace, a pair of earrings and even a small brooch although Carter took it due to it having "Historical Significance". The pair walked home, Claire wearing the blue bracelet and everything else in Jack's rucksack. Entering the house, Jill slid off the bed, holding a book and a pencil.
"Guess what I did?"
Claire put the question on hold for a moment. "I thought you were going to be home later."
She scratched the back of her neck. "I didn't want Jack to worry again." Her eyes lit up again, "So, did you guess?"
Jack thought for a moment. "Does it have to do with the book?"
"Yep." She pushed the book into his hands. "I calculated our expenses and profits!"
"I think you made a mistake." Claire pointed at the bottom of the page. "We didn't earn that many G's today."
"Oh that. I sold about half the wood and stone. Mayor Thomas is going to pick up tomorrow." Jill glanced at Claire's bracelet. "So, what did you two do today? Did you find something?"
Jack emptied his rucksack. "Quite a bit. I think I'll go back again tomorrow."
Claire yawned. "Well, we should sleep then. Good night."
"Good night."
