"I believe it.” Charlie wiped his brow and then pointed at Sunny. "He can basically look at any material we have thrown in a pile and make a perfect sturdy structure fully capable of whatever you need at this point. He's the one who lined up all the stuff for us here, and had it all laid out before I could even start to think about where to start."
"We're lucky to have them," Jack said as he looked off to the other kids all playing in the dirt of the field.
"I never said we weren’t.” Charlie gave him a look from the side of his eyes, but understood why Jack was defensive. "Harrison's older than them, but still young.” He made sure Jack was looking at him when he finished. "You're never going to hear me say we aren't lucky to have these kids.”
Jack gave him a nod, and Charlie slapped him on the shoulder as he walked off to see what the kids were up to. Susie and Tim were still digging with their trowels, though not getting very far, but it kept them busy. Sunny was giggling as Susie accidentally tossed some dirt onto Tim's shoes, which quickly turned into a dirt fight.
"Alright, alright. How's it coming over here?" Jack asked as they brushed off dirt from their worn, mismatched, and ill fitting clothes.
"Great!" Timmy said, sneakily kicking a bit of dirt off his shoe at Susie. Sunny tried to stifle his laugh by covering his mouth, but it still spurted out from behind his fingers. Susie giggled and reached over and wiped her dirty hands on his arm sleeves. "Hey!" Timmy shouted. She dropped the trowel and took off running. Both little boys took off right after her, all laughing happily.
"Sunny!" A deep voice from the other end of the field shouted behind Jack.
He turned around to see Sunny's dad hand the shovel over to the next digger on shift, and start for his son with a look of concern. As the man went to pass Jack, he reached out and patted his back,
"It's ok, Mr. Tarkani. They did their part, and there's nothing else for them to do at the moment."
"Oh, alright.” He looked off at them running around by the apple trees. "I just, um-" He looked around nervously. “I don’t want him to get in anyones way." His gaze fell to the workers who were sitting with their backs against the completed wall, taking a deserved break. One of those men was Joe, who was giving an unreadable look back and forth from Sunny to his father. Mr. Tarkani’s accent tended to become more prevalent the more uncomfortable he became.
Jack followed the man’s eye-line. “Don’t you worry about that, Sir. They won’t.” He made sure Mr. Tarkani saw the look on his face before he set off back to the underconstruction chicken coop.
Just then the side door banged open and Anna and Zain, Sunny’s big brother, came out helping Ryan push a filled cart. Jack jogged over and grabbed it from the front, yanking it over the grass towards the coop. He looked at Ryan who was beaming, and he couldn’t help but smile back at him.
Once they got to the coop Jack turned to him. “So, I see you found something for the chicks coop then, huh?”
He shook his head up and down with joy and opened up the farming book to the same page he had shown to Charlie. His little finger eagerly tapped next to the label that said Nesting Box. Jack looked over at the wooden thing sitting on the cart, then went and lifted it off to set on the ground. It seemed Ryan had found a little shelving unit from a classroom; probably more like a little cubby unit for the younger kids to put their things in during class. It was made up of six large square compartments.
Jack looked back at the diagram in the book. “Well, Ryan, I don’t think we could’ve even made something more perfect for the chickens. Great find!” He tussled the boys hair, and he continued to beam.
“Mr. Reed, there’s more in there too. In the Gen. Ed. room if we get more chickens,” Anna informed him.
“That’s great.” He took Ryan into his side and gave him a hug.
Charlie walked over when he saw them. “Shit.” He cringed at himself for swearing in front of the kids. “Sorry. I mean, wow, Ry! If this isn’t perfect, I don’t know what is.” He crouched down in front of him. “And do you know what the best part is?” The little boy shook his head back and forth with an expression of complete intrigue. “I don’t have to do a damn thing to it! It’s all ready to go!” He lifted it up and brought it over to the coop, sliding it through the open space they would soon make a doorway out of, and shoved it right up against one side where it fit perfectly.
Jack chuckled and put his hand up for Ryan to slap. “Great work, buddy. You can play with your friends if you’d like.”
Ryan looked over to the rest of the kids who were now sitting under the apple tree and breaking up sticks. He gave Jack another grin and took off towards them, the book tucked under his arm.
Jack turned back to the older kids. “Thanks for helping him out.”
“It was no problem,” Anna said.
“Anna saw him struggling, dragging it through the hall while we were working on the garden in the courtyard. The cart was already sitting there,” Zain said modestly, looking between Anna and Jack, but mostly Anna.
Jack was about to thank her again when he noticed her look right past him and start waving.
"Mac! Hey, Mac," she said, waving over towards her as she approached the wall to check out the work. She turned at the sound of her name and gave her a little grin and a wave. Zain looked at Anna surprised. "What?" she said nonchalantly. "I helped her out the other day." She gave a little shrug of her shoulders and started walking over to where Mac was. When she got there, she watched as Mac touched their make-shift plaster now set between the bricks.
"It's holding up pretty well, huh?" Anna said as she looked up and down at the rebuilt portion of wall.
"So far, so good," Mac said, studying the wall.
Jack had followed them over with Zain and was checking it out. "I think my favorite part is that patch of green right over there," he said, pointing to a spot that had a large mix of the neon green sand in it.
Anna laughed. "I told her she could just mix the colors together and make a brown."
"Well, I let the boys get creative with it," she said, giving a nod over to the guys that were still sipping some water from lunch, now done with their jobs.
"How's it curing?" Charlie asked as he walked up behind them.
"It seems like it's doing the trick. We'll have to wait for some rain fall to really see how it holds up," Mac answered.
"Well for now, it will definitely do the job," Charlie turned around and looked out over all the other work they had done. The coop was nearing completion with the door they took from the house as a roof and the folding table as a window. The half of the field they had finished looked great. "It looks like we'll be all done here by tomorrow. Then get planting I guess. A lot further ahead of the game than I thought." He seemed very pleased with himself, until Mac spoke up.
"Yeah. I've been meaning to mention a few more things I think would benefit you guys. For safety and emergencies."
He looked at her skeptically. The pride of accomplishment wiped from his face. "Oh, yeah? And what would these things be?"
"For starters, more protection for your blind spots." He furrowed his brow, a little in offense, but mainly in confusion, unsure of what she was referring to with the term ‘blindspots.’ She continued, "The whole back wall here doesn't have any eyes on it. The guards are pretty much useful only if someone comes knocking on your front door. The sides are in view but still pretty open to entry, but the back…" She faded off as she scanned the length of it, "it's like a welcome sign."
Charlie stood up straight and stiff. He didn't like the sound of that at all. The brick wall was basically the main thing that made the people of the block feel safe. Now it seemed like they were sitting ducks stuck inside it.
She saw the look on his face and decided to change her tone a bit. "Can I make some suggestions?"
He crossed his arms in front of him, posturing a bit at her request, even though he knew she was going to tell him regardless. He gave her a hard drop of his chin and waved her on
with one hand, still leaving his arms crossed as he listened intently.
"You need much more defense here. I don't even want to know how long that wall has been down before it was just repaired. You've been lucky no one has been casing this place. You have two boxes of plaster left. You should mix it up, smash any glass you can find or spare, and stick it all up on the top of the back wall. It's an easy and effective deterrent." She didn't wait for him to respond to her suggestion, though he was beginning to see what she meant about just simply relying on a brick wall. "Secondly," she went on, "the wall may be eight feet high, but really, that's nothing. A friggin’ ladder can solve that problem or a tall guy with a good vertical and some upper body strength. All this behind you here.” She waved her hand at the woods in front of them, "Is not only cover, but ready-to-serve climbing or battering ram material. I recommend you find a way to trim back as much of this brush and forest as you can, however you can, as quietly as you can. Which brings me to the next preparations. You guys need back up. Tons of plan B's. You don't have any water tanks or barrels. Not even to catch rain water to water the gardens and crops with, let alone emergency water. What would you do if your solar panels went down? It's warming up now, but what if it was winter? I know you guys conserve your energy sources here, but I also know you heat the bedrooms in winter. What happens if your heat stops working? Do the little ones even have anything like winter coats? I saw Magda has a fireplace in her office. Does it work?"
Charlie swallowed hard at being put on the spot. They had been too comfortable to even consider all of the things she just mentioned. He gave a quick glance to Jack, who shrugged, unsure of the fireplace. "I think so. I'm not positive."
"It does. You guys should probably give it a cleaning before trying it though. And I suggest all of the brush and trees you remove from the back be stocked as fire wood. Besides food, warmth and water are your biggest priorities here. I feel pretty confident in your shelter part, but you guys need to run through a few game plans if you're ever attacked-"
"Attacked?" he interrupted, completely taken off guard by the notion and looked at her in disbelief.
"You have what people want. And some of the people who want it aren't exactly going to ask. You know that. Isn’t that why you have the guards at the gate?"
His shoulders drooped as the realization dawned on him. He had met some of the people who were out there at the storage unit. It seemed now he just realized there was probably more of that kind than there was of Mac's kind. He gave her a nod of agreement, but set his eyes down to the ground.
"The last, you already know," she said a bit more solemnly. "You need to get your food stores up."
Jack started to gather the two teenagers away to help on something else when some shouts came from the front of the building. Everyone in the side yard looked to the gate, but didn’t seem too concerned. They just stared… almost in awe. Mac started towards the front as soon as she heard the shouts. Charlie was soon after her. Jack with him as he told the older kids to get the young ones and head inside. Then they heard it: a horse’s neigh. The people from the Ranch were already here.
As they rounded the corner, Mac was almost to the three horses standing patiently with their riders on top. The tan beauty, a white one with dark spots, and huge black one in the lead told Mac who had come before she had even been close enough to make them out.
Rae was the first down off Thor and she met Evie for a hug. “Two times in one week. I might start to get sick of you,” she joked as she pulled out of the hug.
Wyatt was next coming up to her and giving her a slap on the shoulder. “I understand the over a month hiatus from us now!” He gave a soft whistle as he looked up at the Block.
Jack raised his eyebrow at the thought that Wyatt was impressed with their place, knowing where they came from. Nico slid off of Brutus with grace and ease, a dance the two knew well, and headed over to Evie. Behind her, a crowd was forming as everyone who was working in the yard made their way over timidly. Nico took his hat off and held it at his chest as he gave everyone a courteous nod before speaking with Evie. But she started first.
“Two days, huh?” she gave him a raised eyebrow and a bit of a scolding look.
“Shit. We would’ve been here yesterday if Toni didn’t convince him to rest and prep better.” Wyatt slapped him on the back, and Nico looked off to the side a bit in a mix of annoyance and embarrassment. He was about to say something when the main front entrance of the Block opened up, and Magda came walking out with Cara and Chris.
Wyatt jogged up to Cara, picked her up and spun her around. “Long time no see, Annie Oakley,” he said setting her back down.
Cara chuckled at him and shook her head, giving Rae and Nico a wave, then pointing at his horse. “I see you back there, Tank. Don’t think I’m getting on you again anytime soon.” Almost on cue the animal gave a grunt that seemed like he was talking right back at her, and Wyatt let out a roaring laugh.
Nico gave him a silent reprimand with his expression, then headed to Magda. “Mrs. Malone,” he said politely, bowing his head a bit with the greeting. “I’m Nico Bianchi. We’ve come at the request of Evie, and with the consent of my mother to give you guys a hand, and talk of a possible-“ he gave a quick moment’s thought, “mutual relationship, if you’re willing, and able.” The kindness and manners made it very clear that the statement was not meant to be intimidating, just honest.
“Of course,” she responded, reaching out her hand for a shake. “But please call me Magda.”
“Ms. Magda, I’m Wyatt, and this is my wife, Rae.” He shot his hand into hers as soon as Nico’s left it, and she gave a bit of a chuckle.
Rae followed more patiently to shake her hand. “Hi, Magda. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Well, same here.” She looked beyond them at the horses with a look of wonder. “Is there anything we can do for you or your horses?”
“Some water would be nice. For us and the horses,” Nico said politely.
“Of course. It would probably be best if you took the horses around the back. I think we have a bucket we can fill up for them if that’s alright.”
“That’d be great, Ma’am. Wyatt could you tend to them and then get started?” Nico shifted the weight of his worn canvas pack on his back.
At the sight of the movement Magda noticed each of their bulky packs on their backs. “Please, come in, and have a drink. Are you hungry?” she asked the trio.
“We brought lunch, Ma’am.” He gave Evie a quick look. She had told them that though they had food, they would need every last bit to make it through to next spring. Of course they packed for themselves, but he twisted it to sting less. “We weren’t really sure when we would be getting here, being it’s our first time out and all.”
Suddenly a little chorus of gasps broke the awkward politeness. Everyone turned to see four little heads peaking around the corner of the block, all wide eyed at the horses. Ryan came out first seemingly mesmerized by them and started in on a direct course. The rest followed. Jack took him by the hand as he was about to pass him and walked with him to the group from the Ranch. Before Jack could say anything, Rae kneeled down and started to talk to him.
“You must be Ryan. I've heard so much about you,” she smiled at him. “I’m Rae.” She stuck out her hand and he shook it. “I heard you know a thing or two about animals. Have you ever ridden a horse?”
He shook his head back and forth feverishly and shot Jack an elated grin.
“Would you like to?” She gave a look to Jack who nodded permission. “I’m going to need some help too, watering them, and finding a nice spot to settle them in. Could you all help me with that?” she looked around his little body at the rest of the kids behind him, all still looking at the horses. They screeched out yes-es immediately. “Well, alright then! Looks like we have a bunch of ranch hands here, thank goodness!” She led them over with the help of Jack and Mrs. Tate who had rushed out the front door when she saw the kids out f
ront. Rae gave Evie a wink before she turned back around and off to the horses.
Charlie came forward and stood a bit behind Magda.
“Well, hey there, Chuck.” Wyatt said with a shit eating grin and a raise of his eyebrows. They shook hands roughly. “Lookin’ much better.” He waved a few fingers at his own nose while he looked at the fading purple of Charlie’s.
“Wyatt,” he said, not being able to hold back the tiny smirk that crept into a corner of his mouth. He then extended his hand over to Nico who shook it too. "We really appreciate you coming out here and giving us a hand."
"Not a problem!" Wyatt said before Nico could respond. "So is this going to be the field we talked about?" He started over towards it. Charlie started after him and motioned for Ted to join him.
"Well," Magda said, turning to Cara. "Could you please make sure they get a glass of water at least?” She motioned to Rae and Wyatt, then turned back to Nico. "Shall we?" She started in towards the front door.
Evie waved for Nico to go first and follow Magda, and she followed him. When she went to close the front door behind her, she looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of the rest of the group left outside. They were all wondering which way to go and which new guest they’d watch first. Though a couple took a few hesitant steps to go back inside, they stopped when they realized following Magda in was not one of their choices. With the click of the door, the beginning of their first ever summit had begun.
“Mr., um,”Magda blanked.
“Bianchi, but please, just call me Nico,” he said politely.
“Forgive me.” She put up her hand and smiled. “Nico. But let’s get right to it. Would you like the tour first or shall we simply cut to the chase? Get it out of the way?”
Nico smiled back. “Well, since given the choice, ma’am, I would like to get it out of the way.”
She turned towards the steps and waved for him to follow her up. Once she turned her back he took a long hard look up at the inside of the Block’s main staircase and entry hall. As he started up the steps, he peeked over the railing at the courtyard. He looked back at Evie following him and gave her a wide eyed expression with a raise of his brows. She gave him a small smile back and shooed him forward again with a nod of her head. When they reached Magda’s office, Evie saw him notice the principal sign outside the door. Evie started to close it and wait outside until they were done, but before she shut it all the way, Magda stuck her head out.
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