The Biscuit Kacheek didn't mean to stand there staring. It was rude to stare at other people's things, her mother always told her. But Angela couldn't help it. The toy shop was just so dazzling this time of year.

The door opened suddenly, breaking Angela's reverie. A Pink Kacheek came out with an Elderlygirl Kacheek, holding a present and smiling. Angela quickly stepped into a shadow as the two strangers passed by. Thankfully, they didn't notice her.

Angela let out a sigh. The initial feeling of relief gave way to a kind of emptiness. Mechanically, she walked away from the toy shop and towards the General Store. Her mother had given her only enough Neopoints to buy groceries for the family. But she really ought to be grateful. Her mother was still working hard, in the holiday season, to make sure she and her brothers ate well. There were many Neopets out there less fortunate than they, her mother always said.

As she approached the General Store, Angela felt in her pockets for the grocery money. Her hand brushed up against fabric. That was strange... she'd put her wallet there just this morning. She felt all around her pocket, patted it, turned it inside out. Surely, the money had to be there?...

Trying to take deep breaths, Angela started walking back the way she came. Her eyes scanned the ground, hoping to see the brown wallet just lying on the sidewalk somewhere. She bumped into a few people on the street, who made some irritating comments, but she tried to pay them no mind.

By the time she got all the way back to the Toy Store, her hope had been drained. No sign of the wallet. She was beginning to feel sick to her stomach. She knew that her mother wouldn't shout or be mad at her for losing the money, but instead, the look on her face would be one of heartbreak. Angela was already starting to feel crushed on her behalf.

After a moment of standing outside the store and feeling sorry for herself, Angela had one more thought: the alleyway right next to the Toy Store. That was where she had stepped when the Kacheeks passed by, maybe it had fallen out of her pocket somehow in her haste! A little bit of hope returned to her as she peered into the alleyway, hoping that her wallet would be there.

When she saw the wallet on the ground, it was like a beam of sun hit her. All was not lost! But at the same time, she noticed a Darigan Bruce reaching out to grab the wallet. "Hey! What are you doing? That's mine!" Angela called out, startling the Bruce.

When he looked up at her, a chill went down her spine. And when he spoke, it got even worse...

Angela froze. "H-how do you know m-my name?"

"Angela," the Bruce said again, taking a tentative step towards her. "Don't you recognize me, Angie?"

She backed away from the strange Bruce, back into the busy street, all thoughts of her missing wallet gone from her mind. She could hear him following her as she slipped through the crowd, croaking apologies as he pushed pets out of his way. She ducked and wove between pets and petpets, first at a brisk walk, and then a jog, and finally a full sprint as the outline of her family's small-but-cosy house came into view. If she could just reach it--if she could get to her mother--her mother would fix all of this.

She was gasping for breath by the time she barrelled into the door, startling her mother who was working at the kitchen table.

"Angie?" her mother said, frowning. "What's wrong? Where are the groceries?"

Angie. That strange Bruce had called her that, too. Only her mother had ever...

A knock at the door stopped her from answering. Her mother's frown deepened. "Who could that be?" Ignoring Angela's protests, her mother pushed past her and opened the door.

And froze. "Daniel?"

Daniel. Dad.

“What are you doing here?”

Angela could hear that familiar scorn now, the bite in her mother’s voice enough to make her flinch.

“Mira… Hear me out.”

Angela wasn’t used to hearing her mother’s first name, and the way the Bruce said it—in his grating, rasping voice—sent chills down her spine.

“It’s been seven years, Daniel.” The Cloud Kacheek stood her ground, blocking the doorframe with her body; Angela could just barely make out the top of Daniel’s tufted head. “The time for talking has long passed.”

“Mira, please… I didn’t leave you by choice! Please, at least hear what I have to say!”

Angela scrunched herself into a tight ball in the corner of the kitchen. This was crazy. It was surreal. Daniel, her father, was here at their home, seven years after he had disappeared one snowy night. Angela barely remembered it, barely remembered him—she had only been five years old at the time. All she had known was that one day, Daddy was here, and the next, it was as if she’d never even had a father at all. Her mother didn’t talk about him, not to Angela or to her siblings. And gradually, like a dream you forget once you wake, he had faded from their memories entirely.

But now, here he was, standing on their threshold with her little brown wallet clutched in his hand.

From this angle, Angela couldn’t see her mother’s face, but the cold tension in her voice was clear when she said, “You went out to buy Day of Giving gifts and never came back. What else was I supposed to believe but that you had abandoned us?”

“Mira.” Daniel was pleading now, desperation in his voice. “I won’t ask you to forgive me or even to believe me. But at least let me warn you.”

“Warn me?” Angela could detect the first notes of unease in her mother’s voice, and she curled herself tighter into her ball.

“Yes,” Daniel said. “It was a miracle I was able to find you tonight of all nights. They are coming. But they won’t be satisfied with just me. This time, they’re coming for Angie.”

"You promised me you had cut ties with them when she was born," her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Who?" Angela asked as her eyes darted back and forth between her parents.

Daniel sighed in defeat. His voice was almost inaudible when he replied, "I thought I did everything right. I was assured all was well. I was fooled. I was wrong."

Angela was still in shock from seeing her father for the first time in years, so the only feeling that was engulfing her was a burning curiosity.

"What are you guys talking about?" she demanded.

Mira looked at Angela with a desperate expression, then back at Daniel who kept his eyes fixed on the floor the entire time.

"Let's discuss this over dinner," she sighed and turned to the kitchen. "Daniel, please freshen up. Angela, will you please help your brothers set the table?"

Daniel looked up in disbelief and glanced at Angela who was also left in a state of confusion. He awkwardly shuffled over to his daughter, and held out his arms as an invitation for a hug.

With many emotions hitting her at once, Angela let out a croaky "dad!" and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. Daniel cried silently into her hair.

"I've missed you all so much. You, the boys, mom," he whispered. "Oh no, the boys won't even know who I am. They were just babies..."

"I love you Dad," was all Angela could say as her heart burst with immeasurable joy from being able to hug her father again. He smelled of foreign lands and mystery, she deeply inhaled.

"Angela?" her mother called from the kitchen over the clatter of the dishes being placed on the table.

Angela and Daniel separated to fulfill Mira's requests. Just in time, as the boys were beginning to ask questions.

"Why are we laying down an extra bowl and cup?" "Who's visiting?" "Why do we have to eat leftovers?"

Angela looked at her young siblings inquiring faces and proceeded with caution.

"Dad is here, you may not remember him. He's going to have dinner with us tonight."

"Huh?" "Who?" "Where is he?" "So why do we have to eat leftovers?"

The boys continued to speak over each other, filling the kitchen with loud noise. Nobody noticed Daniel standing in the doorway until he cleared his throat.

"Perfect," Mira said. "Everyone have a seat, dinner is ready." She brought a pot of yesterday's stew that she had reheated to the table and started ladling small portions into the bowls.

Still, he managed to find time to eat some stew - delicious, even though it was yesterday's stew, as expected from Mira. Then, after glancing at the windows and the door of the house, he took a deep breath and looked straight at Angela.

"On the day I was buying gifts, the Thieves' Guild found me."

"The Thieves' Guild?" one of the little Bruces repeated incredulously. "Dad, you were a thief?"

"But Mom always says stealing is bad!" the other Bruce said.

"Shhh." Mira put a finger on her lips, but gave Daniel a knowing, severe look.

"I had already left the Thieves' Guild at the time, but apparently, one does not simply quit the Guild," said Daniel, sighing softly. "Anyway, they found me, and told me that if I didn't come with them, they would find Angie instead. They know about her gift."

"G-Gift?" Angela repeated, her spoon halfway to her mouth.

Duncan, one of the Bruce twins, asked, "Like a Day of Giving Gift?"

"I want one too, Dad!"

"Duncan, Melvin, be quiet. Let your dad finish his story," said Mira.

Angela turned to Mira. "Mom, did you know about this?"

"Yes. I just...I was planning to tell you about it, when it awakened. You have the Eyes of Treasure, Angela."

The Darigan Bruce gestured with his spoon. "The Eyes of Treasure draw you to the valuable and priceless. You were able to find your wallet because of your gift."

"'Find'?" the cloud Kacheek repeated.

"Never mind that," said Daniel, waving a hand dismissively. "Angie, your gift has awakened, and already it has helped you find your wallet. Soon, it will help you find much, much more...and that is what the Thieves' Guild wants. For years I led them on a fake heist meant to keep them away from you and the rest of our family - "

His voice trailed off when he was interrupted by a loud knock on their door...

Daniel pushed back his chair, standing alert and ready.

“Mira,” he said, in a hushed but urgent voice. “Are you expecting someone?”

The Cloud Kacheek shook her head firmly. “No, no one...” her voice trailed off as the person knocked again, insistent.

“Hellooooo? Mira? Are you in?” Came a familiar female voice. It took a moment to place it, Mira’s expression melted from worry into relief.

“It’s just Judy,” she said, releasing the breath she’d been holding involuntarily and rising quickly from the table.

Judy, an Elderly Girl Ixi, was their well-meaning albeit nosy neighbour. She sometimes watched the kids when Mira was working. Angela had never liked her much, actually. She found the older Ixi off-putting, her questions probing. There was always something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She asked a lot of questions. Perhaps she seemed too...interested in Angela.

As the Kacheek was lost in her thoughts, two things happened at the exact same moment. Her mother opened the door for Judy while her father cried out, “Don’t, Mira!”

"Leave us alone!" Daniel demanded.

"What will you do now?" the taller Mynci sneered. "It looks to me that you have no choice but to hand her over." A shiver of fear went down Angela's spine when the moonlight glistened off of a sword at the Mynci's side.

"I will never hand my daughter over to a Guild of Thieves," Daniel replied. "You will have to go through me first!"

"Gladly," the Myncis said in unison. Each slowly moved a paw to the hilt of their weapon and readied themselves for an attack. Daniel armed himself with the only things within reach, a soup spoon and a ladle.

Angela huddled with her brothers in the farthest corner. The events unfolding before her moved in slow motion. The taller Mynci came at her father from the left, while the other came from the right. The Kacheek knew what the outcome of this encounter would be. She boldly stood up to her tallest height and shouted, "STOP IT!"

How will this story end?

“Angela, stay out of this!” Daniel begged, raising his ladle threateningly at the nearest Mynci.

“No. No treasure is worth my family getting hurt.” Angela said. She squared her shoulders and looked the taller Mynci dead in the eye, hoping her face didn’t betray how afraid she felt.

“I will use my gift for you, right here, right now. I will tell you where the nearest treasure is.”

The tall Mynci looked at Angela appraisingly, then walked over until he was looming right over the young Biscuit Kacheek. Angela saw the other Mynci forcibly hold her dad back as he tried to come to her side. She had never tried to use her gift before, and the doubt she felt about being able to execute her promise was reflected in her father’s anxious face. Still, she met the Mynci’s gaze without flinching.

“Go on, then,” the bandit sneered. “Do it. Now!”

Suppressing a shudder at the Mynci’s yell, Angela took a deep breath. She gave a reassuring nod to her mother who was still frozen by the door, too afraid to make a move for fear of antagonizing the intruders. She tried to put her mother’s worried face out of her mind as she closed her eyes and focussed on activating her apparently dormant magical powers. She also tried not to think about how silly that sounded.

What had her father said? Her gift would draw her to the valuable and priceless. But how? Magic? What did she know about magic? Not much, beyond what she’s learned through reading bedtime fairy tales to her brothers.

Angela cleared her throat nervously. “Okay… erm… Eyes of Treasure, I beseech- er, no, how about... I call upon you… activate! Um… guide me! Lead me to the valuable and priceless!”

She felt her cheeks burn as she finished her improvised incantation. Panic rose slowly within her as seconds passed; nothing had happened. Dismayed, she opened her eyes and looked toward her father apologetically.

“Angie!” her dad exclaimed. “Your eyes! They’re… golden!”

Before Angela could react, the taller Mynci grabbed her to look into her face. “Lies!” he yelled. “They’re still brown!”

Angela tore her eyes away from the Mynci and glanced in confusion at her mother, who gasped and said, “No, he’s right! My goodness… gold! Unbelievable!”

The Mynci by Daniel spoke up. “I saw it too, when she looked over here.”

As Angela’s eyes landed on the latest speaker, they were once again their usual shade of deep brown.

“What the… I could’ve sworn…” the Mynci muttered, letting go of Angela’s dad and stomping over to the bewildered Biscuit Kacheek. “Brown,” he confirmed.

“I-I’m sorry.” Angela said hopelessly. “I’ll try again, I’ll-”

“You’re wasting our time!” the taller Mynci yelled, grabbing her roughly by the shoulders. The other Mynci raised his sword. Angela’s panicked eyes swept over her father, her mother, her brothers. If these were her last moments, she wanted her family to be the last thing she saw.

“Wait!” Duncan suddenly cried out. “They’re gold!” Melvin affirmed excitedly.

The thief holding Angela suddenly let go, looking shocked. “They are. No- were,” he corrected as she looked at him. “This doesn’t make any sense. Where is the treasure?!”

“Wait a minute… This makes perfect sense!” Mira interjected animatedly. “Her eyes are gold when she looks at us, her family!”

Angela goggled at her mother, uncomprehending.

“Maybe we had it all wrong!” the Cloud Kacheek continued. Angela stared in disbelief as her mother started laughing. “What if the Eyes of Treasure locates what is most valuable to the owner. For Angie, that’s us! We’re the treasure!”

Angela glanced at her father. Could it be? The Darigan Bruce was smiling wide and shaking his head. “Of course… it wasn’t the wallet her gift subconsciously led her to, but to me! Oh, Angie!”

Completely disregarding the dumbfounded Myncis, Angela’s parents ran towards her and enveloped her in a big hug. Her twin brothers were abuzz with questions, seemingly having forgotten about the danger they were in mere moments ago. “So you ARE magic?” “Wow, how much money are we worth?” “Wait, this makes hide-and-seek totally unfair!”

Angela laughed, all stress melting away as she looked upon her ecstatic family members, golden eyes twinkling with joy.

“Looks like you have no business here,” she said confidently to the two displeased thieves.

“Forget it. Let’s go,” the shorter Mynci grumbled, heading for the exit.

“Not so fast,” came a commanding voice from the doorway. A Skeith and an Eyrie wearing police uniforms entered the room, led by Judy. Angela realized that she must have slipped out during her demonstration and alerted the authorities. She felt a quick pang of guilt for doubting the elderly Ixi. Then again, suddenly learning that a guild of thieves was after you for your surprise magical powers would make anyone overly suspicious. She grinned sheepishly at Judy as the latter explained the situation.

“That’s them, officers. They strong-armed me into helping them get inside,” the Ixi explained, gesturing at the two Myncis who were nervously and unsuccessfully trying to hide their weapons.

Angela watched happily as the two criminals were handcuffed and led out of the house, and smiled at the thought that the gift that had initially cost her her father would now guarantee that she would never lose him again.

The End,