When Good Things End - A Novel Series

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"I wasn't expecting a whole crowd of people," I hissed at Alice as I ducked back into the hallway. She pulled her arm around mine and tugged.

"It's only a few people," she grunted.

"There's more than ten people I don't know! Why are they even here? I don't know what they want from me."

She rolled her eyes. "You said you wanted to go over a plan; they want to know what that means for themselves. Now let's go." She yanked me from the hall and pulled me with her into the dining area.

I scurried over to the table Ronin and Laurent were at, sitting between them. I noticed how the other people were moving closer and gathering around me. I was hoping the others would be in their rooms since it's evening already.

"Why are there so many people here?" I asked Rifftan quietly as I tried to cover my face.

"My men aren't deaf. They heard you wanting to make a solid plan for the next step and wanted to help. You're these people's lord now; stop hiding," Rifftan said, pinching me.

"I don't have a plan."

"That's why you asked us to come. To contribute to making one, we're all here to help" Laurent said.

I bit my lip as I took the cup of hot water Donna handed me. I guess there was no tea but I still appreciated the gesture. He's right. I didn't say I had a plan, I said I was hoping we could all make one.

"When we find land I'm hoping we can stay on board. It would be safer while we explore the land," I stated.

"And it would be better for the kids to stay on board while we set up camp too," Hanna said as she gave out snacks.

"If we are going to build our own homes we need to be next to a wooded area," Rifftan said.

"What if there's abandoned houses like we saw earlier?" A man asked.

"Then we rebuild them, or use the materials to build new ones." I nibbled on a cookie. Everyone nodded in agreement as the candles lighting up the room swayed with warm hues as the boat rocked.

"What about other buildings? Are we going to have a barn?"

"We need a farm area fenced away from wildlife."

"I don't think our houses would be big enough to fit all of us when having a meeting. Why not build one large home for gatherings?" someone asked.

"Like weddings," Dowin said, glancing at Donna.

"Oh that would be wonderful!" Donna exclaimed, not realizing it was pointedly made. I smiled, feeling a bit better.

For an hour we just talked about ideas before actually putting things down on paper.

We mapped out roads and paths between houses. Agreeing that the first thing we should work on making was the town hall and barn as a temporary shelter. The rest would be built in due time.

"To new beginnings!" A man cheered as he lifted his beer.

"To new beginnings!" All of us cheered and bumped glasses in salute. The maps and papers were put away, replaced with evening booze and laughter as everyone enjoyed the evening.

"I'm happy things went so smoothly!" I said, practically having to shout over the joyful chatter at Laurent. I bumped shoulders with him to see if he heard me.

"I'm proud of you." He leaned down and whispered in my ear. He smiled down at me as another round of bright and loud toasts were made.

I poured myself another cup of tea. Even if I'm in a partying mood, I don't want to get drunk. I never felt so much more like I'm part of the group. I feel proud of myself too.