Getting rid of dead weight

“Tomorrow?” Tom asks. “Hang on, me me check my pockets… Nope, no doctors in there.”

“Tom!” Jane says sharply. “I’m not fucking around. I need a real doctor. If I can’t go pick one up tomorrow, then I need to borrow one of yours.”

“What happened?” Tom asks.

“It’s a long story, but it ended with my twelve year old nephew stabbing Robert multiple times in the back with a razor knife.” Jane says, voice flat and emotionless.

“Shit.” Tom says. After a moment’s pause, he asks. “How bad is it?”

“Roger and Taylor helped Samira get the wounds sewed up, and they weren’t deep.” Jane says. “But he’s going to need antibiotics, and I want a real doctor to make sure it heals up properly.”

“I’ll ask someone to bring Dr. Cook over in the morning.” Tom says.

“He doesn’t drive?” Jane asks.

“He gave it up a few years ago...” Tom admits.

“Because he’s nearly ninety.” Jane completes his thought. “Look, I appreciate the offer, but I want to make sure the doctor can actually see the wounds. What about the woman at the camp? Can I borrow her for a few hours?”

“She’s got her hands full up there.” Tom says. “I haven’t forgotten about our conversation the other day, but no hospitals are letting go of their staff, and that means our options are people who weren’t employed. Take out all of the green, white, and yellow cards, all the men, and then the women over forty…”

“I know, slim pickings.” Jane says. “But someone is available, right?”

“The best option I’ve found so far are two international students who graduated in December, and didn’t have the sense to leave the country after the election.” Tom says. “I’ve been waiting to be sure they aren’t going to be returned to their home countries, though.”

“Where are they from?” Jane asks.

“One is from India, and the other is from South Africa.” Tom says.

“Sending back every Indian citizen would be an undertaking.” Jane says. “I doubt they will do that.”

“Probably not.” Tom admits. “Unless they threaten to go to war over it.”

“Letting that many people go would set a bad precedent for the Administration.” Jane muses. “And South Africa really doesn’t have any leverage at all, so the other girl is probably stuck too.”

“Probably.” Tom says. “If you want to go pick them up, you can. I need one of them to help Dr. Cook in town, and the other to help out in the camp, though. One of them can be your property, but you need to understand that she’ll have responsibilities outside of your home.”

“I can deal with that.” Jane says. “Where are they?”

“They got detained at the airport in DC.” Tom says. “Their embassy managed to get their auction delayed, but they are scheduled for next week, so if you want them, you should probably go ASAP.”

“Email me the info.” Jane says. “I’ll leave in the morning.”

Jane looks up as she hangs up the phone, finding Amber and Samira looking at her with interest.

“It appears I’m spending tomorrow driving again.” Jane says.

“Where to this time?” Samira asks.

“DC.” Jane says. “I’m picking up recent med school graduates. I guess that means they are technically doctors?”

“Yes.” Samira says. “Once you graduate, you are a doctor, even if you haven’t done your residency. I’m guessing they haven’t done that yet?”

“It didn’t sound like it.” Jane says. “Tom says he wants them to assist the current doctors at the camp and town, I’m guessing with the plan of these girls replacing them eventually.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Amber asks. “Maybe you could go rest, since you have another long day of driving ahead of you?”

“I wish.” Jane says. “We still need to unpack, I need to figure out what to do with Lindsey, and I need to make sure Jenna is out the door within a few hours. And I need to figure out who is coming with me tomorrow.”

“How many girls are you picking up?” Samira asks.

“Two.” Jane says.

“Why not just take the car tomorrow, then?” Samira suggests. “That will give us more time to get the van and moving van unloaded. Worst case, maybe we can ask the contractor to have a few of his guys help get things up the stairs tomorrow. You can still take one or two of us with you.”

“Just one.” Jane says, thinking about it. “I wouldn’t want to crowd three people in the backseat during a long drive… It could work, though. I would need you girls to arrange to return the moving van tomorrow though, once it’s empty.”

“I’ll make sure it gets done, Mistress.” Amber promises.

“I should go see if Reyna is willing to come.” Jane says. “I’d feel better with her along, just in case.”

“Mistress, what do you plan to do about Lindsey?” Amber asks.

“What would you like me to do?” Jane asks, intentionally meeting her gaze.

“Mistress… this girl is sorry.” Amber says, blinking and looking down.

“No, finish the thought.” Jane says. “You have a legitimate grievance with her. I want to know what you really want to happen.”

Amber’s gaze slowly comes up again, meeting Jane’s. “Mistress, I want her gone. I don’t want her around my daughter.”

“Done.” Jane says.

Amber looks at her in surprise, and Jane continues. “Actions have consequences. Lindsey was fine when we left her alone, but starting with the trip to her grandmother’s house, she showed clearly that she didn’t care about any of us. Combine that with the attitude when it became apparent that she would actually have to teach children soon, and this final incident… There is no way she can remain in this house. The only question is where to send her.”

“Mistress, have you considered allowing her to be trained?” Abda says, stepping in from the hallway.

“I haven’t.” Jane says, surprised at her entrance. “And given Amber’s feelings towards her, I don’t think we are in a position to do that.”

“May I speak with her?” Abda asks. “If she is willing, I could beg my Master to allow me to train her.”

“Do you really want to?” Jane asks. “She’s a pain in the ass.”

“This is not an issue of want, Mistress. I’ve spoken with a few of your girls about her.” Abda says. “She must change if she is to survive. I may be able to help her see that.”

“You can try.” Jane says. “I want to check on Robert, and let Reyna know about tomorrow, and then we can go up.”

Jane stands, groaning as she stretches her back, before striding down the hall towards Robert’s office. Opening the door slightly, she peeks inside. Robert is snoring on the couch, Isabel curled up against his side, watching cartoons on his laptop. Closing the door again, she turns to Amber behind her.

“Robert fell asleep. I want to let him rest. Can you get Isabel quietly, and let her watch the cartoons somewhere else?” Jane asks.

“Yes, Mistress.” Amber says, opening the door, and slipping it shut behind her as she goes inside.

Jane turns to the entryway a few feet behind her, popping her head out to see girls still working on unloading. “Alexia.” Jane says, waving her over.

When Alexia approaches, Jane says. “Robert is passed out in his office. Can you ask the girls to try to keep it down so he can rest?”

“Yes, Mistress.” Alexia says, turning to go tell the other girls.

“Oh, and Alexia.” Jane says, before explaining about the trip tomorrow. “So if you can ask Reyna if she’s willing to do another long drive with me, I’d appreciate it.”

“I’ll let her know.” Alexia says. “So, we don’t have to have this empty tonight?”

“Get as much done as you can.” Jane says. “I think we technically have to have it back by tomorrow around noon.”

“Understood, Mistress.” Alexia says.

*****

“Finally!” Lindsey says when her door opens. “This is inhumane. I need to pee!”

“She has a bucket.” Abda says to Jane, nodding towards the corner.

“I’m not using that.” Lindsey says.

“The bathroom is three doors down.” Jane says. “Feel free to hobble down to it.”

When Lindsey emerges a few minutes later, she doesn’t look any happier.

“That bathroom is awful.” She says. “I can’t wait for these things to get updated.”

“No, you can’t.” Jane says. “Literally. Your time with us is at an end.”

“It was a misunderstanding.” Lindsey says, far too casually. “ I had things under control before Amber barged in and caused that mess.”

“You disobeyed us and invited a child who wasn’t supposed to be part of the class into the classroom, where he pulled a knife and threatened the only child who was your responsibility.” Jane says. “And then you did… nothing, apparently.”

“I was talking him down.” Lindsey says, stifling a yawn. “There was no need to attack him like Amber did.”

“Shut up!” Jane yells, taking half a step forward. “Seriously, just shut the fuck up! I’m so tired of your mouthiness. You are no longer welcome in this house.”

Lindsey shrinks in the face of Jane’s anger.

“Mistress, May I?” Abda asks.

Jane nods, taking a few steps back, fists still balled tightly.

“I don’t think we were properly introduced earlier.” Abda says. “I am Mistress Abda. I run Master Roger’s household.”

“I know.” Lindsey says, color and attitude quickly returning.

“I’ve asked Mistress Jane to allow me to make you an offer.” Abda says. “A way out of the auction. Your attitude and behavior must change if you are going to survive. I can help you with that, if you would like me to ask my Master to allow you to join our home for training.”

“Training?” Lindsey says, and then her face gets deeply red. “I’m not letting you brainwash me like the rest of you freaks!”

Abda’s expression doesn’t change as she steps back a pace, and turns towards Jane. “There is only so much any of us can help those who do not want help.” She says. “This one is not ready.”

“Back in the room.” Jane says. “I’ll take you with me in the morning, and drop you off at an auction house.”

“I’m not going to an auction.” Lindsey says, face suddenly so smug that Jane finds it hard to stop herself from smacking her.

“What exactly does that mean?” Jane asks. “You just turned down your only other option.”

“You’ll see.” Lindsey says, eyes not leaving Jane’s.

Closing and locking the door again, Jane turns to Abda. “I need to find out what the fuck she is talking about.”

Double timing it to the stairs, Jane waves at every girl within view. “Everyone over here, please.”

When most of the girls have assembled, Jane wastes no time asking her question. “Does anyone here know what Lindsey is up to? She has some sort of plan, and if any of you know what it is, you need to tell me right now. No one is going to get in trouble if you know something and speak up, but if you do know something, and don’t speak up now, I’ll have you out cutting your own switches for at least a week.”

Mei’s hand goes up immediately. “Go ahead, Mei.”

“What is a switch, and why would we cut one?” Mei asks.

Jane sighs. “I forget how young some of you are. A switch is a small tree branch. Misbehaving children used to be sent out to cut one when they misbehaved, and then their parents would tan their hides with it. Now, do you know anything?”

“No, Mistress.” Mei says.

“She and Jenna have been hanging out at night since we got back from the trip.” Samira says. When Jane stares at her, she continues. “I heard them one night when I went to get a few things from the kitchen for Jia.”

“Do you know what they were talking about?” Jane asks.

“I didn’t walk down and listen at the door or anything.” Samira says with a shrug. “But if Lindsey has a plan, Jenna is probably involved.”

“Probably.” Jane says. “If she is counting on Jenna to be her lifeline, then I’ve overestimated Lindsey. If none of you know anything else, then get back to unloading.”

*****

“Isabel?” Amber whispers, trying her best not to wake up Robert.

Isabel looks up from the laptop, noticing Amber for the first time. Before she can speak, Amber holds a finger up to her lips. “Can you pause that?” She asks softly. When Isabel has, she continues. “Let’s go watch the cartoons in our room, and let Robert rest.”

Isabel nods, keeping a tight grip on the laptop as she slides off the couch. Amber opens the door, letting Isabel step out, before closing it behind her.

When they’ve made it halfway up the stairs, Isabel stops. “Are you ok?” Amber asks, stopping and turning towards her.

“Is Robert my first dad?” Isabel asks.

Amber freezes for a moment, before sputtering. “First dad?”

“I know you are my tummy mommy.” Isabel says. “I’m not stupid.”

Amber just stares at her, jaw slack. After a moment, she says. “Can we talk in our room?”

Isabel nods, continuing up the stairs.

When they reach their room, Amber shuts the door behind them, before sitting on the bottom bunk. Patting the bed next to her, she waits until Isabel climbs up next to her. Looking at her closely, she stares for a few moments before beginning. “How long have you known?” She finally asks.

“Your friend said I looked like you when you picked me up.” Isabel says, trembling slightly. “And we liked the same ice cream. And people kept looking at me, and then at you.”

“I’m sorry.” Amber says, a tear going down her face. “I didn’t know how to tell you. I thought… I didn’t mean to keep it a secret. You are my daughter, and I’m so glad I found you again.”

Isabel reaches over, squeezing Amber’s hand. “I’m glad, too. I didn’t like that camp.”

“I’m sorry.” Amber says again, squeezing her hand back.

“It’s ok.” Isabel says. After a moment, she asks. “Robert isn’t my first dad, is he?”

“No, he isn’t.” Amber says softly. “I wish he was.”

“Who is my first dad?” Isabel asks.

“His name is Luis...” Amber says.

*****

Stepping out of the bedroom about an hour later, Amber makes a quick stop at the bathroom to wash her face, before making her way downstairs.

“Is Isabel situated?” Jane asks when she sees Amber make it downstairs.

“Yes, Mistress.” Amber says, trying to keep the emotion from her voice.

“Are you ok?” Jane steps closer, before asking the question quietly.

Amber nods. “Isabel and I had a talk. She knows who I am now.”

Jane reaches for her, pulling her tightly into an embrace. “Did she take it ok?”

“She already knew.” Amber says, half laughing, half sobbing. “She’s known basically the whole time.”

“Kids are more observant than most people realize.” Jane says. “At least, some of them are. And you have a very smart kid.”

“I do.” Amber says, standing up a bit straighter. “I do.”

“Supposedly Jenna has someone coming to pick her up soon.” Jane says. “When they arrive, I want you and Isabel to stay upstairs, along with Lucia and Jia. If there is a scene, I want all of you far away from it.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Amber says. “Thank you.”

Jane smiles. “I have to take care of our girls. Speaking of which, the girls are converting the spare classroom into a temporary master bedroom, until the master suite is ready. We can move a desk to the library, and have Isabel do her schooling in there for now. Or if she prefers, we can clear out one of the bedrooms.”

“We will make do, Mistress.” Amber says. “Are you going to be buying a new teacher?”

“Not right now.” Jane says. “We’ll get the home school paperwork filed, and let the girls take turns teaching things that they know well. We’ve got at least a few girls who have completed degrees, and a few that were still in school. I’m hoping someone will step up and be our teacher full time; If not, I can try to find a new one.”

“Careful with that!” Jane calls, moving to the door to help Alexia who is nearly losing her grip on a piece of furniture. Once it is on the ground, she looks back at Amber. “We’ll talk more about it later. For now, I’m putting you in charge of it. Talk to the other girls tonight or tomorrow, and come up with a plan for who wants to teach what.”

*****

A short time later, a jeep, top down, music blaring, pulls up behind the moving van.

“Yo, is Jenna here?” A blonde man with ridiculous long hair asks.

“Megan, go get Mistress Jane.” Alexia says, before approaching the man. “Our Mistress will be out in a moment to speak with you.”

When Jane arrives, she takes in the hair, and the jeep, and begins cackling. “Oh, this is amazing.” She says, before descending the stairs to the driveway.

“Turn off the music!” Jane yells as she approaches the jeep, music still blasting.

Once it is turned down to a more reasonable level, Jane asks. “Keith?”

“Yeah.” Keith answers, eyeing her up. “You aren’t Jenna.”

“I’m her sister, Jane.” Jane says. “We met a few times when you two dated back in high school.”

“Oh.” Keith says. “I totally don’t remember that.”

Jane shrugs, before saying. “You sure you want her? We have a strict no returns policy here.”

Keith shrugs back.

“I’ll go get her.” Jane says, waving a few of the girls over.

Walking back towards the house, she says. “Reyna, Megan, you are with me. The rest of you, just keep out of the way for now. Lucia, Jia, you two are to stay upstairs with Amber and Isabel.”

When Jane reaches Jenna’s door, flanked by Reyna and Megan, she knocks, before starting to undo the lock. “Jenna, your chariot awaits!” She says loudly. “Your knight with shining hair and a terrible taste in music is out there too.”

When the door opens, Jane finds Jenna waiting, holding her bags. “Good!” Jenna says. “I can’t wait to be out of this nasty house. And away from these nasty girls. Speaking of which…” Jenna reaches into her pocket, pulling out her green card. “I’m claiming Lindsey!”

Jane stares at her for a moment, before cackling maniacally. When she has to stop to catch her breath, she looks at Jenna’s now angry face. “You really don’t understand how those work. Women can’t own girls. If and when you actually marry a green card man, he can use your claim. But even then, he couldn’t claim Lindsey. Green cards can only claim girls that aren’t owned by anyone else.”

Jenna’s face darkens, and Jane decides to stop the eruption that is about to disrupt her house. “If you and Riker are out of my house within the next two minutes, I’ll gift her to you. Well, to Keith, because, again, you can’t actually own any girls.”

“If women can’t own girls, then you can’t gift her to me, now can you!?!” Jenna says angrily.

“I’ve got Robert’s proxy for literally everything.” Jane says, unable to keep a tiny smile from her face. “So, actually, I can gift her. You’ve got about one hundred seconds left.”

“Let’s go, Riker.” Jenna says, before storming past Jane and the girls.

“Bring Lindsey downstairs.” Jane tells Megan and Reyna. “Make sure she has her things.”

Arriving at the front door, Jane sees Jenna climbing into the jeep, while Keith loads her bag into the back.

“Well?” Jenna yells when she notices Jane at the front door.

“She’ll be out in a minute.” Jane says.

A few moments later, Lindsey arrives, a single bag in hand.

“Told you I wasn’t going to an auction.” She sneers, before pushing past her, and down the stairs.

“After a few weeks with Jenna, you’ll wish you were at the auction.” Jane says, following her down the stairs. Going around to the driver’s side of the jeep, she continues. “We need to transfer her ownership. Do you have the BAA app on your phone?”

“App?” Keith asks.

“Go to the app store, and download the app.” Jane instructs him. “Then sign in.”

After a few minutes of fumbling, Keith manages to get signed into the app, and Jane takes both phones, setting up the transfer.

“Use your fingerprint or pin code to accept.” Jane explains.

When Keith has, Jane gets a message saying the transfer is complete, and checking the roster of girls on her app, she confirms that Lindsey is no longer present.

“Excellent.” Jane says with a grin. “Now, don’t forget about Lindsey’s grandma. Lindsey can give you directions, but she’s only a mile or two down the road. Her room is paid up for another ten days or so. You’ll need to have some other plan for her by that point.”

“Grandma?” Keith asks, looking over at Jenna. She shrugs, and looks back at Lindsey.

“Well, enjoy your lives together.” Jane says, walking back towards the front door. “Alexia, please make sure the gate gets closed again after they pull out. We don’t need any more guests today.”

After a minute or so of everyone in the jeep arguing, the jeep peels out on its way off the property.

“Well done, Mistress.” Alexia says when she comes inside. “They are going to be arguing the whole way home.”

“Probably a lot longer than that.” Jane laughs. “It’s not our problem anymore, thankfully. I just sent a message to the care home to let them know about Lindsey’s new ownership, and that we aren’t responsible for the payment past this month. This really couldn’t have worked out better for us. If I had to drop Lindsey off at the auction, we would have ended up paying for her grandmother indefinitely.”

“What if Keith doesn’t pay?” Alexia asks.

“I don’t think they legally can just turn her out at her age.” Jane says. “Chances are that Keith and Jenna will make Lindsey find a solution. Either way, it’s one less bill we are paying, which makes my job of figuring out our finances that much easier.”

*****

When dinner is over, and Roger has left with his girls, Jane pulls her girls into the library.

“Ok, ladies.” Jane says. “As you all know, Lindsey is no longer with us, and we’ve been blessed by the absence of our two other unwanted guests as well. I wanted to give you all the opportunity to speak up if you feel like you are struggling to fit in, or are otherwise unhappy here. I do not want another Lindsey situation.”

Jane scans the faces of the assembled women, before speaking again. “I’m glad none of you feel that way. If you start to, please come talk to me. Some of you know that Reyna and I will be gone tomorrow. We should be bringing back a doctor who will be joining the house. I want to come back home tomorrow night to glowing reports about how well everyone got along. Robert needs rest and peace after the incident today, and all of the stress of the past several weeks. If you do have problems, save it until I get back. Alexia is in charge while I am gone. Are there any questions about that?”

After a few more moments of silence, Jane continues. “Onto the next topic. With no teacher, we are going to have to improvise. Amber is going to be drafting some of you to help out with various subjects that you are good at. I know teaching isn’t for everyone, but I’m asking that each of you gives it your best effort. I’m hoping one or more of you will step up, and we will not have to locate another teacher.”

“Now, onto job assignments.” Jane says. “With Lindsey’s departure and Jia’s arrival, we find ourselves with unequal numbers. The initial assignments made sense for the old house, but they don’t really in this one. I’m open to suggestions here about how we break you all out.”

“It makes sense to keep Mei with me.” Lucia says.

“I agree.” Jane says. “And unless anyone thinks otherwise, Valentina can stay with Alexia.”

“That makes sense.” Alexia says.

“I think I’d like to break it down by role.” Jane says. “Lucia takes the kitchen and clinic, which means Mei, Samira, and the new doctor. Alexia will take anything involving the household upkeep. That means Valentina, but after that, the lines become a bit muddled.”

“What would my role be, Mistress?” Amber asks.

“I’d like you to take anyone who produces an income for the house.” Jane says. “So Taylor and Layne, obviously. Both of you are bringing in income that we desperately need, and your focus needs to be on continuing that. Amber, I’d like you to work with them to help them get the resources that they need, whether that’s a ride for Taylor, leather for Layne, or an extra pair of hands for either of them. The question is where to put Emily, Megan, Reyna, and Jia.”

“Mistress.” Alexia says. “Perhaps Reyna should be promoted, and Jia put under her.”

“We only have thirteen girls.” Jane says. “If we end up with more, I’ll definitely consider it, but I don’t think we are there yet.”

“Is there a plan to add more girls?” Lucia asks, a bit jealously.

“I don’t plan to rock the boat right now.” Jane says. “But when we start having kids running around, we may need a few more pairs of hands to help with the housework.”

“Mistress, what I do isn’t so much focused on making money, it’s more about growing food for the household.” Emily says. “I should probably go under Mistress Alexia.”

“I think for now I’m going to put you and Megan under Amber.” Jane says, after thinking about it for a moment. “Reyna and Jia will be under Alexia. Their primary role is household security. Production stays together under Amber.”

Megan raises her hand, and when Jane calls upon her, she asks. “What am I producing, Mistress?”

“You and Amber can work out the details of that.” Jane says. “I’d like you to focus on animals that can make us money, which probably means something we can raise for food. Cattle, maybe pigs or chickens? Obviously we need to make sure we are properly set up for the animals before we make any purchases. Amber, you’ll need to have a team meeting to go over land usage, and I’d like you to include Reyna in that as well. I’ve got a printed copy of the plot map you can use, if that helps.”

“Why do we need to grow food in the first place?” Taylor asks. “I know the grocery store in town isn’t great, but farming is a lot of work. I think between my income, Robert’s, and Layne’s, we should be ok to just buy what we need.”

“Lucia, Amber, did you notice any shortages when you were on your trip?” Jane asks.

“The shelves were a bit bare in the grocery store out in California.” Lucia admits. “We were only in there to grab a few things, so I didn’t look closely, though.”

“I’m anticipating shortages.” Jane says. “Lots of them. And with those will come an increase in prices. Half of the workers in the country just got pulled off their jobs. Agriculture might be closer to ninety percent. Over time, some of those workers will end up back at their jobs as job leases get worked out, but that is going to leave a gap. Transit is going to be a problem too. America uses trucks nearly exclusively for transport of goods inside of the country. I don’t foresee any red cards being allowed to drive trucks cross country. Eventually enough replacement drivers will probably get trained up, or we will see sanity and start properly utilizing the rail system, but again, there will be a gap. A gap here, a gap there, and suddenly those shortages and high prices are problems for years. And stores don’t like to lower prices, so after a few years, they may just choose to keep them high. Speaking of which… Layne, I’d like you to give Amber access to your website. We need to raise your prices by around fifty percent.”

Layne jolts back to reality as Megan squeezes her leg gently, and looks up. “Yes, Ma’am.” She says after Megan whispers something to her.

“And if there is equipment that will help you produce your products more quickly, let Amber know.” Jane says while she has her attention. “Collars won’t be in as high demand as this forever, and I’d like to cash in while we can. By the way, did Robert order more leather for you?”

Layne just shrugs.

“I can check with him tomorrow, Mistress.” Amber says.

“Good.” Jane says. “Just as a reminder, the work crews will be back tomorrow. Please stay out of their way. They should be working on the master suite and the second floor bedrooms, as well as a few things in the basement. Anything else we need to discuss? I’d like to go get cleaned up, and enjoy a long night in my bed.”

“Mistress, are we going back to the schedule now that the bed is here?” Mei asks eagerly.

“Yes, but not tonight.” Jane says. “Maybe tomorrow, or the next day. I will let you know. Lucia, you can have the room Robert and I were using. And before anyone complains, she’s pregnant. If anyone needs a private bathroom, it’s the pregnant lady. Lucia, Alexia, Amber, it’s your meeting.”

When Jane is out of the room, the three lead girls huddle up. Lucia says. “I don’t really have anything. Mei and Samira were already with me.”

“I should probably do that meeting Jane mentioned.” Amber says.

“Give me two minutes with my girls, and then I can give you Reyna.” Alexia says.

Pulling her girls to the side, Alexia says. “Valentina knows what I expect. For you two, I may need some help with cleaning, laundry, etc…, when you have spare time. Do either of you have anything you want to discuss?”

“I’d like to go over our weapons.” Jia says. “And walk the perimeter tomorrow. Do we have a firing range yet?”

“We only started moving in a few days before you arrived.” Reyna says. “So no firing range. I’ll bring it up when we look at the map with Amber. And I’ll have to ask Master Robert about the guns.”

“I’d like to be part of that meeting.” Jia says. “We need to make sure our range doesn’t interfere with anything else, and we have a good backstop. Building one from scratch would be a lot of work.”

“That’s fine.” Alexia says. “Anything else?”

“That’s all for now.” Jia says. “I would like to speak to Robert tomorrow about building an armory. If real shortages happen, a farming community like this could be a target. We need to be able to defend ourselves.”

“I’ll bring it up tomorrow, if he is feeling up to it.” Alexia says. “If not, you can make your case to Jane the next day.”

Jia nods, and Alexia releases them, following Lucia and her girls out of the room.

“Hang on a minute.” Amber says. “I need to get that map Jane mentioned.”