Treasure in a person, there's a price on their heart.

A week to meet.

The next day came and Bad was awoken by the sun peeking through the crack in the open barn doors. He quickly sat up from the wall, excited for the day ahead.

"Get up. Ye know the mans comin' today. Ye need to get ready 'fore then." Margret said.

"Yes ma'am!" Bad said as he stood up, the hay falling off him and into a mess on the floor.

"An' wash herself. Don't want 'em heavin' up thems breakfast." Margret said. She closed the door again before Bad could reply. Bad combed his hair and ended up with another strand of hay in his hand. He walked out of the barn and to the house.

He wasn't allowed there often, but his mother would bare to see him once a week to shower for guests. Otherwise, he would have to use a hose to shower with. He liked the privilege of being able to shower in his mother's house, at least he would come out with fluffy hair. And it smelled nice, since he would be using an actual shampoo and not one for horses.

That shampoo only worked for Jessica, because he was not a horse. He liked to think about how he would look like as a horse, probably the same as Jennifer, but he would have red hooves. Oh, and he would have green eyes, instead of Jennifer's black ones. He arrived at the house now, and went through the back door where the bathroom was closest to. His mother wouldn't let him enter the other way anyways.

When he got out of the shower he did his routine of combing through his hair for half an hour before the supply people came. He sat down on the dirt path for the tractor of supplies to come through.

Then came the sounds of the wheels rolling on the dirt and the engine pushing the vehicle. Bad stood up from the path just as the truck stopped in front of him.

A man came out of the front seat and Mega jumped out of the passenger's seat and walked to the back of the tractor to open the tailgate. Then he grabbed on to the top of one of the sides and jumped onto the back. Him and his dad and Bad all took turns carrying varying size bags and boxes until the tractor was empty.

Then Mega's dad went up to Margret to discuss pay and Bad went to "talk" to Mega.

Mega started the conversation pointing the fingers of both of his bent hands, backs pressed together, downwards. Then he flipped them to face both of the palms upwards.

How.

He made his right hand's fingers into the 'r' shape and pushed them forward from the mouth.

Are.

Then he pointed at Bad.

You.

"I've been doing really well! I actually had someone visit me yesterday!" Bad replied.

Mega took his right index finger and made a counterclockwise circle around his lips.

Who.

Then he traced a question mark in the air with his index again.

"He said that his name was Skeppy. He was wearing like a cardboard box over his head and he was covered in clothing like me. He was really nice." Bad said. Mega nodded his head in understanding.

"Oh and he is mute too! But I don't think he knows sign language." Mega just raised his eyebrows, not really knowing what to say about it.

His dad came back and wrapped an arm around Mega to grab the shoulder opposite facing him. "We must be goin' now. C'mon Mega." Mega's dad turned him around before he could sign a proper goodbye.

"Bye Mega! See you next week!" Mega just helplessly looked back and gave him a smile under his mask. Bad stayed waving a farewell as the truck sped off until it was out of sight. Then Margret came stomping towards him and grabbed Bad by the ear, dragging him down to her height.

"Ye talked ta that Skeppy kid?" She asked.

Bad winced in the pain in his ear, "yes I did. Was I not supposed to?" Margret started to drag him by his ear, he knew he had messed up.

"Ye know betta than ta be talkin' ta e'ry kid that come along this trail." Margret replied.

"I'm sorry, he was just laying in the cattle field and I had to get him up!" Bad defended. She let go of his ear when she arrived at the doors of the barn.

"Ye is suppos' ta tell me 'fore ye talk ta kids. He starts workin' 'ere next week. Betta not've scared 'im off." Margret warned.

"I didn't I swear! We had a great time and I even showed him around the place!" Bad said. Margret sighed.

"All right. I'mma choose ta believe ya fer now. But if he evah comes cryin' ta Jane, yer gin be in more than a heap of trouble." Bad eagerly nodded his head.

"Yes, I understand!" Bad said.

"Good, now I'll take care of tha chores today. Ye get inside an think 'bouts what ye did." Margret said. Bad nodded again and opened the door to the barn, stepping in before Margret slammed the door behind him.

Bad walked back to his corner and spun around happily. Skeppy was going to start working with him in a week! He just had to wait. He marked another tally under Sunday. He just had six more days to go from here.

He walked over to the corner along the same wall as the resting corner. There he sat and started working. He wasn't too good at drawing, only practice being tracing faces in the dirt. But he believed that he was pretty okay at it.

He started with the cardboard box, making sure to make it proportionate to Skeppy's actual head. He used different parts of his nail to put more depth where it was needed, or to make the silk that was placed over Skeppy's eye holes.

Then he started on the clothes that Skeppy wore, the box covering most of his skin, but Bad put a line where the box and shirt separated to show a bit of his skin. He scratched in lines to make the shadows of the clothing and he carved in where the stitching could be clearly seen. Then he finished by drawing the silly face that was sloppily drawn on as a face.

When he was done, he admired his work. It again, wasn't much, but it was Skeppy. Bad laid next to the carving and sighed. He would have a friend next week. Someone who he could talk to every day. Well, that he could sort of communicate with.

Well, it was someone who would be by his side every day, and that was all that he needed. Just to have another human being by his side, if he could call the two of them human beings. Next week. Next week. Bad just had to wait until next week. Next week his life was going to be changed, for the better for once. He just hoped that he didn't mess it up like he had done countless times before.