Angela was outraged. "What's up with John? This is Nina's first birthday in the North Yard. How could he just leave like that?"

"Maybe it was an emergency. Maybe he didn't have a choice." Daniel patted his wife on the shoulder.

Nina was disappointed.

But she was grateful that so many people came to her birthday party. She raised her head and smiled. "It doesn't matter. Let's cut the cake."

Nina's favorite thing was to cut the cake and then distribute the pieces to all of her guests.

She thought that sharing would make her happy.

"You're right. I've been looking forward to this. It looks delicious." Michelle was quite vocal about food.

Emma stopped her and said, "We can't cut it now, Mimi. We have to light candles for Nina to make a wish on."

"Emma's right. I'll get the candles." James tried to be helpful.

Emma felt anxious when she heard James say her name.

She stole a glance at him, then quickly looked away.

"Um...where are they?" James looked around but couldn't find the candles.

Just then, a person dressed in an elk costume came over, carrying candles. A

o see it through."

John nodded. "You're right."

He thought that Nina would be touched if she knew that he had hidden himself in the elk costume for a while.

Thinking about this, he didn't mind being hot.

Nina thought she saw something. She paused at one particular tree and knocked on the trunk twice. She heard an echo. She balled her fist and drove it through the tree trunk, making a hole.

The sound of the impact startled the others.

They all looked at the small iron hammer nearby. She was supposed to use that.

They were shocked to see her break the artificial tree with her bare hands.

Nina reached into the tree trunk and took out a square box. When she was about to untie the bow and open the box, she found the bow was fake.

There was a password lock.

"Who knows the password?" Nina held up the box and the others shook their heads.

"Find Uncle John. He'll give you the password," James prompted.

Nina paused for a moment and said, "Then I won't unwrap the gift."

Everyone gasped in shock.

John didn't know what to say.

'What a bad idea!' he thought.