Nine - Madison

Nova held my hand as we followed Eric down the forest path the next day, the sun cutting through the treetops and casting skinny beams across the ground. It was a clear day, but the temperature was cool enough that we each wore jackets.

"Tell me, Nova," Eric said as we walked. "What is the most important thing in the world?"

"Love," Nova said almost automatically.

"Wrong."

"What?"

"That wasn't an opinion question," he said. "If I had wanted to know what the most important thing in the world was in your opinion, I would have asked what you think the most important thing in the world is. But I asked you for a fact, not an opinion." He half smiled.

Nova looked at Eric with a look of confusion, curiosity and a touch of awe. "What is t