The assassins in the back of the van watched in wonder as everything passed before them. Luna had found a bag with a few burgers, taking one and handing it to Connor before taking one for herself. Connor, watched Luna unwrap hers before taking a bite, the he unwrapped his, smelling it before taking a small bite.
"What is this?" Luna looked back at him, stifling a giggle as she saw the look on his face.
"It's a hamburger, its beef that has been run through a grinder and then shaped in a patty. It has cheese and grilled onions on it. You don't like it do you? I'm sorry but it looks like that is all they brought us, they had lunch at the pit while we gathered our supplies." He took another bite still not liking it, but he watched as Luna put something on hers.
"What is that your putting on this ham bur-ger?" Luna reached down into the bag where she had pulled out the sandwiches and offered a couple of packets to Connor.
"This is mayonnaise, it's made from eggs and vegetable oil. Some people like this on their burgers, others like ketchup, it's made from tomatoes and sugar. You just tear off the corner of the pack and GENTLY squeeze a little out onto the bite your going to take." He took both packets, tearing off a corner of the mayo packet with his teeth like Luna did. He thought the mayo helped make the burger better, but then tried the same with the ketchup. As he tore open the ketchup some squeezed out on his hand and he licked it, noting it was very sweet. He put a little on his burger, it too making the burger taste better, but what one would he prefer, then Luna helped him out.
"Some people do like both mayo and ketchup on their burgers." He put a bit of both on his next bite, and that was much more to his liking. He finished the burger and Luna handed him a napkin and a bottle of water. He knew what the napkin was for, but why put water in a bottle to sell? Wasn't water free to everyone?
"Do people really pay for water here?" Luna looked at Carlo, who took in a deep breath before speaking.
"Yes, um well, they pay for clean water. Most places waters are contaminated, so it has to be filtered before drinking. That is what people pay for. Now for that bottle of water your drinking, people are paying for convenience." After an hour on the highway, the van took an exit and wove its way deep into the forest. It was dark already and leaves were fallen on the road, making it slippery. Soon they pulled up to a large tree blocking the road and Luna undid her seat belt.
"You won't be able to move that." Luna turned back and looked at Yusif and smiled.
"Want to put a wager on it?" Yusif looked at her innocent smile, but his instincts told him no, Edward however took her up on her offer.
"What are you wagering?" She gave Edward a serious look as she thought a bit.
"If I can't move the tree, you get me as your helper all week to help do you chores. If I can move it though, you are my helper for a week. Deal?" Edward couldn't see how this small woman would be able to move that big tree, so how could he not take the deal. He held out his hand and Luna reached back through the van to shake his hand. Then she climbed out of the front seat and everyone watched as she moved over the tree in the headlights of the van. She had bee gone for a few minutes and now the tree seemed to slide out-of-the-way to the right of the path, revealing Luna standing there waiting on Carlo to pull down the road. Once he had pulled down far enough, the tree slid back behind them, obstructing the path and Luna climbed back in, and smiled at Edward.
"That was a sneaky move, but I'll keep my word. I will just remember to be cautions of your wagers from now on." They were on the dirt path for another hour as they went deeper and deeper into the woods, and now they come across a large clearing where a large log cabin was sitting. Carlo parked the van and everyone started climbing out and unloading the supplies while Carlo, Ezio and Yusif went to start the generator until they could flip on the solar power reserves and grab some firewood. The others listened as Luna told them where to put their supplies and soon the van was unloaded, the solar power turned on and the fireplace was lit.
To Luna and Carlo, the old cabins were primitive, but to the others the seemed nice. The main cabin consisted of a large hall, used for meetings, lessons and dining. There was a small library to their right, a kitchen in the back and a medical room to their left. Upstairs held four bedrooms and two studies. On the main floor, two hallways ran off the main hall in either direction, leading to two smaller adjacent cabins. These were like homes in their selves. The cabin to the left had suffered a fallen tree landing on it so it was no longer sound, and William had a crew block off the hallway part way down to stop animals from getting in years ago. The upstairs bedrooms were large, so they decided to move some things around so that they could all stay in the main building. The two girls shared a room, then each of the guys had their own room, the studies now used as bedrooms. Luna stocked the bathroom, and soon she joined Claudia in the kitchen in putting things away. Connor started fires in the bedrooms, Edward and Yusif stacked wood on the back porch and Ezio and Carlo moved the beds around upstairs. Edward soon came into the kitchen and asked Luna what she needed him to do.
"Well you could help me wipe down the cabinets." Edward stood there in his jeans and tight-fitting black shirt as Luna started to climb onto the counter to reach the top cabinets. He went to hand her a damp rag and when she reached for it she leaned to far, loosing her balance. Edward caught her, holding onto her a little longer than she expected.
"You could let me down now." Her blue eyes sparkled as she winked at Edward. He gently placed her feet on the floor and let his hand linger on her waist for a moment longer. He then took the damp rag and climbed onto the counter himself, wiping down all the upper cabinets as Luna and Claudia did the lower cabinets. Soon Yusif and Connor were in the kitchen with them helping put all the food and cookware away. Luna and Edward washed and dried the dishes, and Claudia put them away. Then Carlo came into the kitchen, looking over everyone working before talking.
"Alright everyone, it's getting late. We can finish getting this place put back together tomorrow morning." Everyone agreed and started heading up to bed. Hugh had made sure that Ruth had gathered plenty of clothes for everyone. As Luna looked through her bag she missed her clothes and her bed, but this was far more important than material things, so she pushed those thoughts from her mind as she headed to the bathroom. Someone was inside, so she waited outside Edward's room and she noticed Connor had not shut his door all the way. She could see him moving around the room in the pale lantern light, shocked at his state of nudity, well nearly. He had a pair of boxers on, but they still left little to the imagination. Luna could feel her skin on fire as she turned and headed back to her room not worried about peeing at the moment. Tonight was going to be a long night, she just hoped she could close her eyes and not see his perfect form, or maybe she did want to see it.