Hello readers, thanks for waiting. My apologies for the long wait and long chapter...
_
After breakfast, almost everything broke loose. Many children left behind their plates and ran to the play area; only a few of them had shoes on. Within that same minute, children were playing some bizarre form of the game 'catch'. Oliver was caught a little off-guard by this 'energy' that Mikayla had vaguely described to him. How does she keep track of 30 rascals? He thought, not considering that he was one of them now. He technically had two people he could consider 'friends', but he was in no mood for play. "C'mon! Let's go play catch with the others!" Mai said, tugging on Oliver's arm.
"Not quite yet Mai~" Miss Mikayla put her hands on the top of Mai's and Oliver's heads. "I'm not going to let a certain promise just slip away from me~"
"Oh, right, I promised to help with chores." Oliver said, awkwardly laughing. "Okay then, I'll help!" Mai shot her fist in the air. Ron walked up to them. "I guess I can tag along. More hands equals smaller work load."
"Now that's the spirit! It looks like you're finally acting your age Ron~!" Mikayla cheered. "First part of business: Get the dishes clean!"
"Hey, I think I act like the proper sixteen-year-o-"
"Leave it to us Miss Mikayla!" Mai said, interrupting Ron. Someone must really like Miss Mikayla. Oliver thought while watching Mai rush through the tables, collecting the dishes. "Hey, don't expect me to get all of them!" Mai yelled to get their attention. "Sorry" Oliver and Ron said in unison; they began to pick up dishes.
The three headed towards the kitchen; each one of them placed the dishes in the sink. "How about you and Oliver wash the dishes and I dry them and place them away? I am the tallest after all." Ron spoke.
"Not by much" Oliver stated, causing Mai to laugh. "Hey, at least I don't need to stand on a stool." Ron defended himself. "Uhh…you still have to go on your tip-toes to reach the cabinet." Oliver began washing a plate, using too much soap. "Don't treat our supplies like they're endless Oliver! You have to make that much soap last through at least five dishes, if not more! " Mai rinsed a dish she had just completed, and then handed it over to Ron, who did the task he assigned himself. "Let's get through this quickly! You have to be acquainted with the other kids." Mai started washing dishes faster, causing the two boys to work faster themselves. "I don't have to do all of that in one day. This is thirty kids you're talking about." Oliver said, handing a dish to Ron. "Twenty-eight" Ron corrected. "You're acquainted with us, are you not?"
"I guess, but I don't see why I have to go through meeting twenty-eight kids in one day. I get the feeling I'll have a lot of time, so why not just let things take their natural course?"
"I agree with Oliver. Why not just wait Mai? We have a chore at hand"
"Hmph…" Mai ignored the other two and kept washing dishes.
"How is it going?" Mikayla asked the moment she came into the room. The three faced her with smiles. "We just finished. Is there anything else you want us to do Miss Mikayla?" Mai asked. The woman thought to herself about what they should do next. "Our food inventory is getting short. Are you three willing to do some shopping?"
"Of course!"
"Just a warning, you will be expected to carry a lot."
"Hey, we're strong, plus there's three of us" Ron said. "Okay then, here's the list" Mikayla said as she handed them a slip of paper. "Wait, you're going to need money as well." Mikayla reached into her pocket and pulled out a somewhat large pouch. "Make sure to bring each pound back, besides the ones you spend."
"Of course!" Mai nodded. "Are we allowed to buy any treats?"
"I guess…if you can find something that can be shared, please do. There's not as much money as usual."
"Got it. Okay, let's go!" Mai ran through the door. "I guess you two will have to take the bags" Mikayla giggled, and then pointed over to a pile of large, cloth-like bags. "Oh, you don't have to take them all, just three will do."
"Okay" The two boys replied in unison, grabbed the bags, and started to head out. "Ahem!" Mikayla said, causing the two to halt. "Forgetting something?" She held up the pouch with money. "Oh right…" Ron laughed nervously, and then took the money from Mikayla. "We'll try to be quick" He said right before leaving.
When the two boys finally made it to the front entrance, Mai was waiting for them. "What took you two so long?"
"Well, we did have to carry these bags and the money" Oliver said. "Plus we didn't sprint outside, for we could've broken our necks." Ron added. "Please, those things aren't that much" Mai smirked. "I'll take a bag if you two are gonna complain"
"Why thank you~, that's much appreciated" Oliver laughed. "Anyway, where do we get the food?"
"At the marketplace, where else?" Ron replied with sarcasm. "Ron, you're being rude again!" Mai shouted.
"Sorry. Anyway, let's go." Ron began to lead the way to the market place. The straight path was perfect for running; that is exactly what they did until they reached the market place. It was much smaller and much cleaner than the one the Oliver used to steal from. The clothing that the people wore seemed to be of lower quality though. The marketplace was very lively. People were talking about all sorts of things, especially business. However, there weren't many children around. Not much of an opportunity socializing here thought Oliver. "First thing on the list…" Mai said. "…ten pounds worth of butter"
"Ten pounds?" Oliver said.
"Remember, we have a lot of people at home"
"Okay…Wait how much butter is that?"
"Not that much, but it's not exactly a small amount either, referring to weight." Ron explained. "Butter and most dairy products are sold by that old woman if I remember correctly" They went over to a corner where an elderly woman had just handed over something wrapped to an assumed mother, since she was carrying a baby. Ron made a hand gesture saying he would handle this, so Oliver and Mai just stood there waiting. He came back very quickly, so Mai instantly said the next thing on the list. "Meat: Ham, pork, beef, and turkey. This should add up to five pounds in weight."
"Whoa, and that's only the second thing on the list?" Oliver thought, looking at the long piece of paper, noting the small handwriting. "Don't think like a wuss!" Ron laughed, receiving a death glare from Mai. This time he didn't seem affected by it.
It seemed like a few hours became an eternity as the trio carried the bags back. "Damn the last note of the list" said Ron. "Don't drag the bags back. They might get damaged!" Oliver mocked Miss Mikayla's voice, receiving a kick from Mai. "Don't ever make fun of her; she works too hard for us!"
"Jeez, lighten up Mai!" Oliver said a little startled. He nearly lost balance carrying his bag. "Did you try to keep the bags even in weight?"
"No. I just put stuff in." Ron replied, looking like a hunchback as he carried his bag. "Maybe we should try alternating bags to see if that's any relief?"
"Nice try…" Oliver pulled his bag over his shoulders. "How are you holding Mai?"
"It's all willpower…" She appeared to laugh, but looked ready to cry. "Don't strain yourself! We can take a break if you want" Ron said. Mai didn't even bother saying anything and simply collapsed. "Mai! Are you okay?"
"Just peachy~" The sarcasm spoke more than Mai. "Aw, man! Why didn't we bring a wagon or something?" Oliver complained. "The orphanage doesn't have one. Almost all the money goes towards keeping the building standing." Ron groaned, showing his frustration. "Just like you, most of us just got dropped off here by someone else. The lucky ones get adopted the moment they come here, typically by the one that brought them there in the first place."
"I'd say we're lucky too! We get a roof over our heads, lots of friends, and we learn the basics of education thanks to Miss Mikayla!" Mai said. "We also live off the donations of a bunch of greedy bastards…" Ron muttered to himself, so Mai couldn't hear. Oliver was able to hear though, for he had to be able to hear the slightest of sounds in his past. He contained his laugh, knowing that would cause Mai's suspicion. 'Greedy bastards'…I wonder if Nathaniel is in that category.Oliver did some stretches and cleared his throat. "You about done then?" Ron laughed. "If we don't get back soon, the next meal will be late!"
"Please, I was waiting for you two!" Oliver boasted. "Break-time's over already? Oh well…" Mai lugged up her bag, and then got up to follow the two boys who looked somewhat close to leaving her behind.
The three managed to make it back to the orphanage without showing too many signs of being exhausted. Miss Mikayla was waiting for them in the front. "There you are. I was worried something had happened! What took you so long?!"
"Maybe we shouldn't have had break-time…" Ron said. "I think it was those meat pies that got me distracted…" Oliver added. "Wait…" Ron spoke "We didn't even buy any Oliver!"
"Uh, forget what I said" The blonde let out a smile, trying to hide his awkwardness. "Forget your excuses; the food has to be put in storage. I have to start preparations for lunch and dinner as well." Mikayla clapped a few times as a signal.
"Okay!" Mai shouted, seeming to get a new burst of energy. She rushed inside, heading for the kitchen area. "You two should follow her example…" Mikayla said. Why can't we just drag the bags?Oliver thought for the umpteenth time. Just a little longer…I can just drop the bag right?
Oliver's arms felt a little limp after that errand; he waved them so he could remember they were there. Mai poked Oliver; Ron cleared his throat. "What?" Oliver asked. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to play? The day's not over yet!" Mai gestured outside.
"Oh, right…"
Oliver hesitantly followed Ron and Mai outside to the once empty play area. The moment he had stepped out, Oliver had to dodge a ball that was coming straight for his face. There were children wherever you looked; they laughed continuously. It was like a recording was put on an eternal loop. Ron instantly joined without any question asked; Mai gestured towards Oliver to join as well, right before she started playing herself. Is this 'catch' or 'dodge the ball'? Oliver watched this game, slowly getting excited. Those around Ron's age threw passes that looked like it could decapitate you if you failed to catch it; some of the youngest players, around four or five, threw the ball so weakly that someone would have to pick it up after it was done with its slow rolling.
The perfect opportunity came when the ball was in the range of Oliver's arm. He quickly grabbed the ball and launched it, aiming for Ron's face. The short older teen took this challenge and returned the ball so fast Oliver had to dodge it. Some other kid with brown hair picked up the ball and threw it at Mai, who threw it at another blonde kid Oliver didn't know. Maybe I should start learning their names… Oliver thought. The game must have gone on for a very long time, because he only realized that he was sweating like a dog when Mikayla called for dinner. Of course he was one of the first to run in, followed by many of the younglings. The tables filled up quickly; Oliver volunteered to pass the plates around due to his own impatience. Dinner was mostly taken up by fruits and vegetables; to liven up the meal, meat was on the side. Most of the children seemed to have pork as their choice of meat, but Mai had beef. Does she have something against pigs? Oliver thought as he started cleaning his plate.
Once again, the lack of table manners reoccurred. However, some children seemed to start avoiding the 'mess-making' since Mikayla was supervising this meal. Wait…if this is only dinnertime, what am I supposed to do until supper? Playing is fun and all, and with this many people it's a great experience, but I doubt I have the stamina to deal with it…! This meat tastesamazing!Oliver continued to get lost in the food. He had never had anything cooked this decently, so he wanted to take the time to appreciate each bite…for about a half-second each. Despite his speed, his was only the third person to finish his food. The few older teens that were there besides Ron had beaten him to it. Once everyone finished their food (and their seconds), Mikayla showed them to different rooms. What is this? Oliver thought with a lot of curiosity. There were only two rooms; they were noticeably larger than the rest. Most kids around the ages of ten and up were sent to the room on the right; the rest were sent to the other room. Miss Mikayla entered the room on the left for reasons Oliver did not know.
"What's going on?" Oliver asked Mai, who was not too far in front of him. "School" she replied. "What?" Oliver was not comfortable with the thought of kids younger than him learning about his poor reading ability. He could read some words like 'storage', 'food', 'meat', 'grains', 'fruits', and 'tools'. They were very important words to Oliver. Other than that, he was pretty hopeless when it came to reading.
The 'Schoolroom' meant for those ten and older was larger than most rooms in the building; if not the largest that Oliver had seen. The walls were a pale green and maroon carpets covered most of the wooden floors. Wooden chairs and tables were almost instantly occupied by the self-taught students. On the far right side of the room there were papers and writing utensils, along with a decent amount of art supplies. In the back of the room were large shelves that contained many books of various sizes.
"Here, take one!" Mai handed Oliver two different books: One had a plain cover and the other had numbers. Another sweat drop visibly went down Oliver's face. "For how long do we have to do this?" He asked nervously. "Until break-time, that's about two hours or so." Mai said, causing Oliver to gulp. "O-okay then…" he accepted the book, mentally praying that it would be filled with three-letter words. His prayers weren't answered. Oliver sat next to Mai who was going on with her book, reading page by page. Meanwhile the only things Oliver could understand were the few three-letter words, the number '1' and the word 'I'. 'I'…am screwed.Oliver thought. He was still trying to figure what the word right before '1' was. He summoned his vague memory of the alphabet and went through the letters of that word. C…H-A…P…T…E-R. Gaaah! What does that spell?! Oliver scratched his head, suddenly noticing that James was on top of it. He's been so quiet I forgot he was there… Mai closed her book, and looked at Oliver. "You should read that book. Miss Mikayla does checks on us. At the very least you should get past the first page!"
"I can't even read…!" Oliver wanted to cry out of embarrassment, but he was too manly for that. Instead, he covered his hand with his face. "You could've just told me y'know…" Mai smiled. "I'll get you one that's a little more basic; we can read it together."
"Okay…" Oliver attempted regaining some of his dignity. It was a little difficult for him though. Moments later Mai came back with a book about half as thick as the one she originally gave Oliver. "This should be easy enough…"
"Is it just three-letter words?" Oliver asked, causing Mai to giggle. "No, but I'll help you with the other words!"
"Okay…"
The two hours passed by very quickly, even though it at first appeared to be an eternity. Oliver really enjoyed learning how to read fluently, even though he imagined it to be a chore. Knowing how to talk really helps… Oliver thought. Mai did not go over every little detail on how to read, but rather gave him helpful shortcuts. "Try to follow the sounds of the letters. Some letters make two sounds. Those are 'A', 'E' 'I', 'O', and 'U'. The alternate sounds are 'ah' for 'A', 'eh' for 'E', and 'uh' for 'U'; For the short sounds of 'I' and 'O' think of the words 'it' and 'moss'. By the way, those two words look like this." Mai pointed to the two words so Oliver could recognize and memorize them. In the remaining half-hour, Oliver was able to read half of the book without help. "Good Job!" She game him a thumb up. "Wanna try out that other book I gave you?"
"I guess…wait! How much time do we have?" Oliver asked.
"Not much, but I figured you could get in a couple of pages, no?"
"Fine then…"
"Good~!" Mai picked up the book with a plain white cover and handed it to Oliver for the second time. Oliver quietly read the book to Mai, too embarrassed to speak aloud. He didn't want to mess up in front of the other kids. She instantly corrected him when he pronounced 'chapter' as 'kahapter'. He read very slowly, but managed to make it to the second chapter before Mikayla announced break-time.
Oliver let out a sigh of relief and closed the book without hesitation. Mai laughed at him. "Was that really too much thinking for you?"
"YES!" Oliver said louder than he intended. "I haven't read a book since I was five! And those books were small and read to me!"
"I get it, I get it!" She giggled. "Ka-hapter..."
"Shut up!" Oliver hissed, blushing with even more embarrassment. "Anyway, what do we do during break?"
"Nothing much" Mai shrugged. "Some do doodles on paper, others take a nap, and the over-achievers keep working as if there were no break at all."
"Well I'm certainly not in that category!" Oliver stretched his arms and started to lie on the floor. "Don't tell me you're trying to take a nap! Break-time isn't that long."
Mai crawled over to Oliver and poked him. The boy remained still. "There's no way you're already asleep!" She thought aloud. That was like five seconds at most! Mai looked down at the young child, and gave a soft smile. He looks like a baby when he's sleeping… She took this amount of time to look over Oliver's facial features. He was more on the pale side; the small redness on his face was very noticeable thanks to that. He had a slight smile as he slept, adding to his cherubic appearance. His eyelashes were long for a boy, but some appeared to be plucked out. She then noticed the bandage on Oliver's other eye. Why is that there? Was he injured or is he pretending to be a pirate? Mai's curiosity was getting the best of her. She stared at the bandage, completely forgetting about the rest of his face. Is there a scar under here? The bandages look kind of old…
The girl hesitantly raised her hand, trembling, over Oliver's face. He was still dead asleep, yet she was afraid of him waking up. She knew better, that it was offensive, than to touch the bandage, but she was still only fourteen. Those around that age still can get curious. She started by placing her finger over his forehead. She gently, gradually, and cautiously slid her finger across the bandage. She could not feel a scar. In fact, she barely felt anything besides a flap of skin. Maybe it's because I'm pressing too lightly… She repeated the process once again, slower and with more force, but avoided pressing too hard. It still feels like nothing's there…This time, she focused on the empty area, still trying to avoid putting too much pressure. Little did she know that the owner of the bandage was beginning to twitch. He began to twitch as if he were suffering unbearable pain.
"What are you doing?"
"EH?" Mai jolted back, quickly catching a reddened glare from Oliver. No, there's no way this could have been that same boy with the sleeping baby face a few moments ago. His glare had this type of cruelness and hatred and Mai could never imagine him having. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"But you did!" Oliver said loudly yet hushed, as if he were privately yelling at her. He quickly turned away and stormed out of the room. Despite how angry he appeared to be, he shut the door quietly. That only seemed to be crueler. Mai was left there sitting, feeling awful in so many ways. Why did I have to be such an IDIOT?! She placed her face on her knees and tried to hide most of it with her arms. Mai never liked people seeing her when she was upset, even when it was obvious she was. "Mai? What's the matter?" Ron asked in a hushed volume, like parents would to soothe their child. "Nothing much… " She spoke with a wavering voice. " 'Nothing much' wouldn't make you feel like crying…" Ron patted her head gently; this usually made her spill things out. "I made Ol-hih-ver mad at me…" Mai was still trying to suppress her welling tears, for she found it embarrassing that she could cry so easily. "Why would he be mad at you?"
"I touched his bandage…" Mai shook her head. "That's all?" Ron raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps it was painful, was it a recent injury?"
"It didn't look like it, the bandages look kinda old" Mai sniffed. "But he did react somewhat quickly when he woke up."
"Perhaps there's a slightly more sentimental meaning behind it" Ron thought. "No matter what the situation, getting an injury on the face must be a source of trauma…What made you want to poke it anyway?" Mai began to make a few sobbing noises. "Uhh! Besides that, do you know where he is?"
"He went out the room; I don't know where he is…" Mai sniffed again. "How about I go and get him for you?" Ron offered, smiling and still patting her head. She nodded slightly; Ron got up. I hope Mikayla doesn't give us a lecture over this… He slowly opened the door to go outside, but something was blocking him. He gave another small push; whatever was blocking him was gone. He looked around and closed the door. "Don't tell me I have to act all 'parent' for two people today." Ron looked down at Oliver, who was in a fetal position, leaning against the wall. "C'mon you made Mai pretty sad."
A long silence took place, except for some small hiccup sounds. Ron suddenly realized that Oliver was crying as well. In fact, he appeared to be weeping miserably. 'Calm down will you?' Ron wanted to speak but could not. It was as if his body was only allowed to watch Oliver in his misery. The boy kept muttering things as he cried. What's gotten into him? I don't even know anyone named 'Olivia' here…Perhaps she's someone he knew before he came here. Wait…I didn't even introduce him to Noah yet, so… … I should just get him to talk."H-hey…Oliver" Ron said as if he were scared. "Look at me, what's wrong?" Oliver remained silent. "Can you please just tell me what's wrong?" The only reply that Ron received was soft hiccups. "… Why are you acting like such a SISSY?! I thought you were too manly to shed TEARS! I guess I overestimated you…"
"They're MANLY tears, you jerk!" The blonde finally responded, revealing his face. "Seriously Oliver, couldn't you have responded sooner?" Ron raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you just tried to provoke me didn't you?" Oliver wiped away his tears. "Apparently it worked." Ron smiled then returned to his plain face. "So why did you get mad at Mai?"
"I wasn't mad at Mai…"
"You weren't? Well, whatever you were feeling, you made Mai feel terrible" Ron squatted down so he could be eye-to-eye with Oliver. "I was mad at myself more than anything…" Oliver said quietly. "Mai reminded me of many things that I wanted to forget…"
"Well, I still don't see the reason behind making her cry." Ron said.
"That wasn't my intention. I just didn't want her to see me cry. I am a MAN after all." The blond boy let out a laugh. Ron remained silent, but then let out a small chuckle. "If you're done shedding those 'manly' tears, How about you apologize to Mai?" Ron got up to open the door. "If we don't get back in the room, Mikayla'll be after our butts"
"I guess…"
Around the end of break-time, based on Ron's estimate, the two made their way to Mai. She was calmly reading a book as if nothing had happened. When they got close enough, she raised her head to look at them. "Oh hi!" She started. "Oliver, I'm sorry for touching your bandage, I didn't mean to offend you."
"I'm the one that should be saying sorry. Apparently I made you feel bad too…" Oliver scratched his head. "So…I'm sorry too. Can we just forget about this and move on?"
"Sure! Anyway, the break's over. You can continue reading this!" Mai handed over the plain-cover book that Oliver had been struggling with. "Not thinking…!" Oliver made an exaggerated reaction and pretended to be sick, causing laughter to occur throughout the room and not just between the three of them.
Once the 'school' session was completed, everyone had supper before heading to bed. "In my opinion, this is one of the best parts of the day!" Ron stretched his arms. "I hear ya!" Oliver laughed. "I wish we could've played a little longer though…" Mai said.
"Play in your dreams!" The two boys replied in unison. "I'm tired!" Oliver added. He opened the door to the room that he would now be sharing with Mai and Ron. It looked very cozy, despite being a fairly small room. It was comparable to the size of rooms you see at camps. There were six beds on the left side; only three of them had pillows and sheets, all with a lavender-like color. I guess Miss Mikayla prepared for me then…. On the right side there were three baskets. The first two were empty, but the third appeared to have something in it. Upon further inspection, it was Oliver's clothing that Mikayla had taken when he took a bath. Oh wow… Before he could even touch them, something light was thrown at him. "You better change into your sleep attire."
"Sleep attire?" Oliver asked, holding up the plain light-green gown. "…One-size-fits-all?" He asked.
"It's cheaper and easier that way" Ron said, already on his own mattress. "I see…" Oliver was about to change, but then he remembered a girl was in the room. "What're you waiting for?" Mai asked, tilting her head. She was already in her gown as well. When did they even put those on? "All you have to do is put the gown on first, and then take your other clothes off from under…just keep on your undergarment…" She let out a weak chuckle.
"Right…"Oliver said. As if I even had one to begin with…
Time seemed to pass by slowly; Oliver laid there on his mattress. The moonlight shone just the right amount for comfort; his new roommates slept peacefully beside him. How could one be not able to sleep so comfortably in this situation after sleeping on a hard floor for as long as he could remember? Perhaps it was guilt that his two dear friends would never be able to experience this with him, or that the other one more than likely has it better than him, even more likely to the point where he was just a distant memory? Maybe it was the ticking of the clock that bothered him, for he had never slept with one before; its sound would be bothersome for those with excellent hearing, such as Oliver, would it not? No, it was not because of that. It was because he was too grateful for these moments of peace that remained so consistent, unlike those in his past. He wanted to enjoy this tranquility until the very moment he drifted off into sleep, knowing and hoping that this would be his days from now on.
Meanwhile, during a time the sky was dark grey, Nathaniel, Hannah, and Mikayla all sat at a table together, appearing to discuss something. "You really don't have much information on him do you?" Mikayla looked at all the blanks in the form Nathaniel attempted to fill out. "He isn't my kid; I don't know much about him" He tapped his finger trying to recall if there was anything else he could remember. "Didn't he say something about his birthday being before Christmas?" Nathaniel suddenly recalled. "Yes, but that's still a little vague…" Mikayla bit her lip, thinking. "Perhaps I can just 'make' his birthday the 21st since that is when the money starts coming here."
"Oh right, you people rely on donations, correct?" Hannah asked.
"Not just that, the 'officials' of this place send us a payment twice a year for maintenance" replied Mikayla as she filled in Oliver's new 'birthday'. "Since you brought up donations…" Mikayla said with a grin, causing Nathaniel to laugh. "I'll see what I can give, but not right now." He leaned back into the chair to relax a bit. "I understand…but I must ask you something Nathaniel" Mikayla said, looking directly at the man.
"What is it?"
"What caused you to bring Oliver? For the years that I've known you, this is abnormally benevolent"
"…I guess you're right about that. Perhaps my daughter's return put me in a good mood."
"Oh, do you mean that little girl of yours that went missing for a couple of years? What was her name again?" Mikayla began to put away the papers. "Ainsley, she's now about nine years of age." Nathaniel smiled. "You know, today was the first day in a long time that I managed to spend quality time with my wife and daughter."
"That sounds lovely!" Mikayla said. "Nothing is more joyful than spending time with your loved ones!"
"I agree with you completely." Nathaniel said. "I had completely forgotten how precious those times are. Perhaps that's why my daughter disappeared. I have considered leaving the business to someone else I trust. That way I can spend more time with them."
"The idea sounds nice, but aren't you still young? I figured a few more years would do before retirement." Mikayla asked as she finished with putting away the papers. "I agree with Miss Mikayla. It would be a little too soon, wouldn't it? Are you even sure who that person you trust is?" Hannah entered the discussion, indirectly pleading for him to keep working. "If you're thinking about your pay, Miss Hannah, then don't worry. I had that already planned for all of my workers. I have enough fortune to last for generations."
"That does sound like a good plan Nathaniel! Settling down would make happier days!" Mikayla grinned wider.
"Happier days for my daughter, I'm hoping. Someday, I want her to be as happy as she was back then, or perhaps as happy as I've made Oliver now?"
"Yes, I wish you sincere luck, Lord Harris." Mikayla put her hands together as if she were about to pray.
…
"You're going to need it…" Hannah whispered with the volume of stagnant wind.