Note: Okay, okay, I know that I'm terrible. I said a chapter would be coming soon.. But well.. I went to Florida to three weeks to visit a family member and I was super busy. So, I hope ya'll will forgive me :)

Place To Believe Chapter 3 - An Unfinished Step

"Well it's time to move it," Melody said with a smile.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lillith smiled, though she still felt a small part of her that didn't want to.

"What is wrong with me? the girl wondered absently as she and Melody piled into the carriage. Lillith ran her fingers through little Ruthie's golden curls, and felt slightly better. Melody tickled the baby under chubby chin, and the child squealed in delight.

"Will you miss him?" Melody asked, her eyes seeming to search Lillith's heart.

"Well, of course I'll miss him. He is one of my dearest and best friends."

Melody gave a slight nod, and then sat as if thinking for a moment. "He promised to write," she said at last. Jack had been driving the carriage without a word, but suddenly he glanced back, a troublemaker smile decorating his face.

"I don't like that look.." Lillith commented softly.

"Is my little cousin in love?" Jack asked in an attempted dreamy voice, batting his eyelashes.

"Uh.. don't be silly.." Lillith said, "And please stop batting your eyelashes, it just looks wrong."

"Unmanly," commented Racetrack Higgins, who had silently drawn up alongside the carriage.

"Well then," Jack huffed, slapping the reins.

The horse and buggy had been two of Lillith's earliest investments for the home. If she was needed in a hurry, the carriage could go much faster then a person walking. Race frowned as the carriage sped past him.

X-X-X

When everyone arrived back at the lodging house, Lillith immediately traveled next door. As she stepped onto the wooden floorboards, gleaming a rich honey color, the sound echoed all about the large room. This was the area where a large desk would sit. Here, the girls would assemble each morning for devotions. Here, couches and comfortable chairs would be arranged for when the girls would talk, and tell stories.

Lillith closed her eyes and she could almost hear voices. Voices yelling with excitement, little girls laughing joyfully, pretty young voices singing. She could hear the noise of little feet tramping through the halls. Lillith smiled, opening her eyes.

Just then, she heard a resounding "Oof," and looked over where a staircase ascended upward. She saw a boy sprawled upon the floor at the bottom of the stairs, his face down, and arms and legs spread out like a spider. A messenger cap lay on the floor where it had fallen from his tousled brown hair.

"Oh dear!" Lillith cried, hurrying to the child's side. "Are you alright?"

Two mischievous blue eyes gleamed up at her.

"Jumper," she said worriedly, "What happened?"

"I fell down the stairs again."

Lillith struggled to hold in a laugh, and keep a serious face. "How many times have I told you to be careful on those steps?" she said in a slightly reprimanding tone. "Don't you know that they aren't quite finished?"

He nodded solemnly as she began to brush off his dirty clothes. The second to the top step on the staircase had a board that was loose, and had a history of jutting out a bit too far as it had yet to be nailed in properly. It was this step that Jumper had caught his boot upon countless times, causing him to wind up on the floor constantly.

Lillith finished brushing off his clothes, and swatted him playfully. The nine year old laughed, and scrambled away, escaping out the door. Lillith shook her head, smiling, then frowned at the staircase.

"I really ought to get Jack to fix that," she said to herself.

"Lillith." The girl turned at the sound of her name to see Megan standing in the doorway.

"Meg," Lillith said, greeting her friend with another smile. "Where have you been all day?"

A troubled look crossed the other girl's face, and she dropped to the floor, her skirt spreading out beneath her. She certainly had no worries about that sort of thing- sitting on the floor. Megan placed her hand on her chin as if thinking, and stared at one of the wooden floorboards.

"Well, you know where I was. Witnessing," she said simply. She then looked up. "I'm real sorry about missing Crutchy leave and all that. This girl has just been on my heart lately. Besides, I'm sure Crutchy wasn't interested in me anyway," and here she gave Lillith a quite strange look that the latter decided to ignore.

"It's okay. I'm sure Crutch understands. And I'm so glad of your witnessing efforts. You should try to get the other girls involved."

"Well, where do you think they've been all day?" Megan asked, her blue eyes sparkling. Lillith's mouth dropped open unintentionally.

"I haven't seen anyone but Melody today," she said in realization.

Megan tapped her nose, winking. "They've gone out to tell girls about the home," she explained. "They took Blink and David with them. When did you say the home was going to open?"

"The beginning of next week," Lillith said, a bemused expression on her face. "Monday."

"Sounds great! Hey, you know the little ones were clambering for a story from you," Megan said. "You should go," she encouraged.

"Well.." Lillith hesitated, "There's so much to do.." Megan gave her a skeptical look. "The furniture doesn't arrive until tomorrow."

Lillith laughed. "Okay, you got me. Let's go." On their way out, they met Jack Kelly coming in, whistling a merry tune.

As Lillith passed, she called over her shoulder, "You need to nail that step in!"

In answer, he lifted a hammer. "On my way!" The girl knew that her cousin was going to do any odd jobs that had not been completed, and her heart swelled with thanks.

"Come on," Megan urged, grabbing Lillith's hand. "They're waiting!" The two girls crossed the lot until they arrived on the lodging house property. Megan pushed the door open, and a crowd of excited children greeted them.

"Told ya," Megan said with some satisfaction.

"Okay, okay," Lillith laughed, walking through the mob to reach her bedroom. "Come in here kids, and I'll tell you a story."

The children were quick to respond, all finding places on the floor, some jumbled up together in groups. Even little Ruthie snuggled up next to Lillith, waiting for the story. There were a few other little girls as well as boys. These were the little ones collected from the streets, who had no one else to take care of them. Kloppman had been coerced into sleeping with the boys so that all the extra girls could have a place to sleep until the move in.

"Alright, which story do you want to here?" Lillith asked, feeling happy doing something she loved.

"David and Goliath!" called out Pansy, a little girl with fiery red pigtails who loved the story of the giant and the boy.
"We always hear that one!" Jumper complained. "How about you tell us about Isaiah, the boy king."

"That would be Josiah, Isaiah was a prophet. But I'll tell you what, how about I tell you another story."

"Which one?" Les asked.

"Hmm, how about the three Hebrew children?"

"Yeah!" several of the children cried. This story was a favorite, but hadn't been told for a while.

"Alright, alright. A long, long time ago, many of the people of Judah were carried away to Babylon.."

Note: I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter.