Sapphire saw Tommy coming across the grass with a box in his hands, and her first thought was about the puppies. If Sparkles and Roxy had their babies, Tommy would be fourth on the list — maybe. He needed to prove he could remember things first. He got closer and opened the box, and the smell hit her nose like something mean. The treats inside were brown and weird-looking, not shiny like the ones Daddy bought. Sparkles trotted over, her tail wagging, but Sapphire stepped between them. Her hand went up the way Daddy did when cars needed to stop. Tommy's face was so proud, his smile big and waiting. Sapphire touched the friendship bracelet on her wrist — the one with all the colors twisted together like a rainbow that someone had braided. She pulled it off quick. "These treats smell too old for dogs," she said, keeping her voice careful and soft. "But maybe we can trade? You keep the box, I give you this bracelet, and then we go get good treats from inside my house." Tommy looked at the bracelet, then at the box, then he started laughing — his big HAAAA laugh that made his whole body shake. He took the bracelet and closed the box of bad treats. Sapphire led him and both dogs toward the back door, past the old sycamore tree where Sparkles always sniffed for magic. The puppies would still come someday, and Tommy had just moved up her list a little bit.