Tiff glanced over at the Autherine girl, who was scowling as she gestured to her in-crowd, waving her hands wildly, looking very upset. “That girl doesn’t look very happy to be here,” she observed.

Lemu looked at Autherine, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Maybe she needs a friend.”

“She already has five,” Tiff pointed out.

But Lemu shook his head. “A real friend,” he said. “Not a collectible.”

Tiff thought that a very odd word to use, collectible. “What do you mean?”

“A collectible is one who merely acts like a ‘friend’ but doesn’t possess the true characteristics of one,” he said. “She needs someone who will stay beside her. Who will comfort without question. Who will give without thinking about their own needs. Who will have empathy even if they don’t fully comprehend the situation.”

Tiff noticed for the first time that he was staring at her as he spoke those words. “Why are you looking at me?”

“Because you’re one of the friends who completes the definition I just spoke,” he said.

Tiff read his mind. “Are you referring to. . .him?”

Lemu nodded.

“Well, hello,” Autherine said coolly, breezing over to the boyfriend and girlfriend. “What do we have here? A pair of lame lovers, I see.” She wrinkled her nose at Tiff’s plain green-and-pink zigzag outfit. “You know, Mr. Whatever-Your-Name-Is, you could have found a girlfriend who was real taste in style.”

“I love her for her selfless character,” Lemu said coldly. “Not for her appearance.”

Autherine was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered her poise. “And you are?” she asked Tiff.

“Tiffany,” she said softly, “but my friends call me Tiff.”

“Tiff?” Autherine snorted. “What a stupid name. My grandmother is named Tiffany, and I hate her beyond measure. Such a Jesus freak. No, sir! Not for me.”

“Explain,” Lemu requested.

Autherine smirked. “I’m an atheist.”

Tiff blinked.

“You’re a what now?” Lemu asked, looking surprised.

“An atheist,” repeated Autherine. “I don’t believe God is real.”

“Then where did this universe come from?” Lemu challenged.

Autherine turned a wary eye on him. “That’s still unknown to us.”

“Why are you here?” Lemu went deeper.

“We are here by natural processes,” Autherine said smugly. “But some of us are mistakes.”

“Like who?” Tuff chimed, overhearing the conversation.

Autherine glared at him, a peeved look on her face, but she continued, “The elderly and unborn are, of course.”

“What?!” Tuff exclaimed. “Girl, that’s crazy talk! Who says unborn and elderly are useless?!”

“We atheists believe such things,” Autherine said. “An unborn ‘baby’ isn’t really a baby; it’s a mass of tissue. And elderly are too much of a burden, so we have to dump them off our backs. It’s the circle of life, you know. Survival of the fittest.”

“Girl, a baby inside the womb is no different from one outside the womb,” Tuff objected. “Everyone is made in God’s image–even the elderly and unborn. Your parents are jacking you up. You need some serious mental help.”

“Tuff, shh!” Bella whispered, approaching her friend. “Be kind to her!”

“I can’t help it,” Tuff returned. “She’s such an idiot!”

“Is there a problem?” Meta Knight asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the group.

Autherine scowled at him. “And who are you, you freaky, nightmarish-looking fruit?”

The knight didn’t react. He had learned long ago that reacting badly to insults and bad situations got him into more trouble than he cared to mention. “Meta Knight.”

“Meta Knight?” she repeated. “What a ridiculous name.” She snorted and turned her back on him, stalking away. But then she turned back, pointing a finger at them all. “You Bible-believing freaks will never change me!” she shouted. “No one can tell me what to do with my life!”

The children stood dumbfounded as she left, amazed at what they had just witnessed.

To be continued. . .