"Mom?" Tegwen asked quietly as she opened the door to the Dodgers family estate. No one was within eyeshot of the door. Perfect! Then there would be no questions about her new shoes. Certainly they would wonder why she walked home in sandals as opposed to nice, comfortable and excessively expensive sneakers.

She kicked off her sandals just inside the doorway and bumped the door shut with her tail.

"Mom!" Tegwen called in a sing-song voice, running a hand through her long, wavy hair. "MOM!"

"In here!" A pleasant voice echoed from the kitchen.

The blonde-haired duck bounded into the kitchen, blowing by an expansive library and living room. She slowed down as she entered the living room, being careful not to break anything as she wandered through their elaborately decorated dining room.

"Mom!" Tegwen cried happily, greeting her mother with a small peck on the cheek. Tegwen was always happy to get home before dinner, and that day was no exception.

Beitiris Dodgers offered her daughter a warm smile in return. "My, my . . . Someone's in a good mood today!"

Tegwen grinned, eager to start helping her mother with the daily chore of washing the dishes before dinner. "Magica gave me something today!" She announced.

Beitiris glanced at Tegwen, pulling the last piece of good china from the soapy water in the sink. "Oh? I thought you were at school today!"

"Oh, I was!" Tegwen was fast to reply. "She visited me at lunch. Found me right away on campus. It's like she knew just where I was!." She presented her small wrist to her mother. "Isn't this just the best?"

Beitiris gasped as she inspected the silver bracelet. A small, square stone seemed to glow red as it was bathed from sunlight streaming in through the kitchen window. "It's gorgeous!" She slid the bracelet around Tegwen's wrist a few times, looking it over some more. "What was this for?"

Tegwen shrugged, withdrawing her wrist from her mother's grasp slowly. "Magica just felt like being generous, I guess. She said I was ready to have it now."