They had taken a slow walk down an almost invisible path. The winding trail started near the mansion's large kitchen back doors and led them to a small cottage nestled in a nearby thicket. The front was overgrown with weeds. Creepers had conquered the walls and the windows were stained with moss and algae. It sat in the shadow of several large trees.
The five minute walk had taken them a good twenty minutes. It was slow going. Jace hobbled along gamely but his bruised legs still felt the pain of twisted muscles. The sun was too bright; it hurt his eyes. Ash had to support Jace most of the way. He refused to let anyone else touch him. Small animals scuttled away as they neared the shed. He stopped in relief when they finally reached their destination and climbed the short steps onto the small porch.
Jace sat on the cold wooden bench on the porch outside the little shed feeling a little disgruntled. They had literally ganged-up against him. Lady Jayne and Nikki had recruited Ash into their scheme. Together the trio had plotted and badgered him, steamrolled any objections he might have had even before he could open his mouth to protest. He eyed each of them in turn glaring from one face to another. They were looking very pleased with themselves. Smug, he thought. Nikki giggled at his odd expression.
"Stop laughing at me."
"I'm sorry," she tried to sound contrite, "but you look so funny." She dissolved into giggles again.
"Yeah, he does doesn't he?" Ash grinned.
Even the Lady was smiling impishly at him. Jace shook his head ruefully, outnumbered. He knew when he was beaten.
"There now, it's not so bad. Emily has cleaned up the place for you." Lady Jayne nodded at the maid. "There is food in the kitchen. Ash has brought down all your things. You can call us or yell if you need us. The main kitchen is really quite near. There is always somebody there."
"Any chance you're on my side?" Jace asked hopefully glancing at the maid.
Emily blushed prettily at the handsome youth. "No, Sir. I'm on their side."
Everyone laughed. Jace raised his hands in defeat and grinned at her. Might as well relent in good grace, he really did not have a choice at the moment. He understood they had only good intentions but the blatant charity rankled at him. He did not want to be indebted to anyone. Hmmm, he will have to think of a way to repay them.
"No need to call me Sir ... it's Jace. And thanks for tidying up the place, Emily."
He smiled at her. Her blush deepened.
"Now, now, don't fall for his charms," Ash teased the maid. He turned to Jace. "She is smart, she knows who is on the winning side."
"Let's go have a look inside, shall we?"
They took a tour of the cottage. It was a one bedroom, one bathroom affair with a cosy living space. There was also a sturdy worktable which ran the length of one wall. On it was various tools and drawing materials. Lady Jayne trailed her hand on the surface. A small functional kitchen took up the back. Next to the kitchen was a door which led into a glass room.
"My green house, well, what is left of it anyway," she said.
"Very nice. Thank you, ma'am," Jace held her gaze. "I really appreciate you letting me stay here for a while."
"You are very welcome."
Good boy she thought. He was accepting the situation gracefully. Hopefully, he would make the most of it.
As they talked, Lady Jayne noticed Jace becoming quiet, encouraging Ash to reply for him. His best friend knew him well and could easily answer most questions thrown at him. Only an occasional nod or shake of his head was needed to guide the blond youth. They seem to be of like mind.
"Come on now. Time to go, all of you. He needs to rest."
Lady Jayne ushered them all outside. Before leaving, Ash had a quick whispered exchange with Jace. Then he waved good-bye. Soon they had all trooped back to the house.
Finally Jace was alone. Peace at last. He waited for a while enjoying the quiet, then sighed in resignation when his thoughts invariably turned dark. He was exhausted, tired in mind, body and soul. The short walk and excitement had taken its toll.
Getting up he went slowly into the house closing the door behind him. He sat down on the couch and put his head into his hands, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. He sat there holding his head for a long, long time.
-----
Over the next few days, Jace recovered rapidly. He was determined to get better.
"I am not going be a burden to anyone. I have to earn my keep."
He started exercising to regain his strength. Lightly at first, just walking and lifting light weights to work his muscles. Then he took long walks around the property, taking his time, pausing frequently when his recovering body needed to rest. There was a lot of ground to cover but his favourite was the woods just behind the shed. It was left mostly alone. The groundkeepers had their hands full with the beautiful crystal clear lake and numerous flower and herb gardens. Exploring the woods, hiking over low ridges, climbing over fallen branches could work up quite a sweat. Soon, he was almost his old self.
Dr.Grant came to check up on them several times. He still had a ways to go but overall, the good doctor was pleased with his recovery. The only thorn in his side was a formal check-up. Nikki had done it. She had gone to the doctor's private clinic for a full check-up and scan. The scan showed she was okay physically on the inside as well as the outside. So, she was given a clean bill of health.
He was still not in the clear with the good doctor.
Jace poked his head into the kitchen door. "Hey Taylor," he greeted the head cook.
"Hey yourself lad, what do you have there?" the big man nodded his head.
"Oh, something for the Lady of the house," Jace grinned boyishly in delight. "I found a patch of wild strawberries in the woods so I picked some for her." He showed Taylor his prize.
"Oh ho! She loves em fresh but there is more than enough for a special desert tonight!" He rubbed his hands in anticipation. He loved his job. "Miss Nikki is crazy about strawberries too, I think it runs in the family."
Cook's wife walked in then and spied the bounty. She ushered him in, setting the fruit on the table. "Thank you dear." She pressed a freshly baked cookie into his hand.
He winked at Taylor. "I feel like a small kid coming in for a treat." Cook laughed.
"It's a new recipe. Be a good lad. Taste and tell me if it is good enough for the table. Be honest now. I need an unbiased opinion," she looked meaningfully at her husband. "He is prejudiced. He says everything I whip up is tasty."
Jace took a bite. "Mmmmm, delicious! What is in it?" he asked munching the snack.
Her eyes twinkled, pleased. "Oh ... cinnamon, with a bit of this and a bit of that," she said vaguely.
He eyed her mischievously. "Okay, trade secret, I get it."
She smiled "I'll make you a deal. Tell me where the patch of strawberry is and I will give you another one." She waved a cookie enticingly at him.
"No way! That's a secret. I need those secret berries to get other stuff. Who knows, you might bake a cake tomorrow," he laughed mischievously.
"Away with you then, you impertinent boy!" she pretended to scold him as she threw another cookie at him. He caught it deftly chuckling at her as he went off with his prize.
-----
Nikki walked purposefully to the Shed. She wondered how Jace was. It and been several days since she last saw him. She had been busy planning the upcoming fundraiser and charities her grandmother was hosting over the next few months. The Lady too had been busy overseeing her numerous interests and protecting her various investments. She had to admit she couldn't wait to see him. Her pace quickened.
Reaching the end of the path, she stopped. Wow! The place looked so different, she thought. The weeds and brush had been cleared. The overgrown foliage which had surrounded the shed had been trimmed back. Now there was a respectable clearing around the place. Windows clean, porch swept. Nice! The door was ajar. She went in.
"Jace? Hello?"
She called out. The shed had acquired a comfortable lived-in feel to it, becoming a real home. The place was clean and tidy. She saw his belongings neatly arranged in one corner but he was not there. She went back out.
Spying Thomas, one of the junior gardeners, she made her way towards him. He was pulling creepers from the side wall. Her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her. Thomas was shirtless and sweating profusely. His muscles bulged as he fought the stubborn vines.
"Hi." She cleared her throat. "Have you seen Jace?"
"Miss Nikki," Thomas the gardener returned her greeting wiping sweat from his forehead. "He is behind with Matt." He indicated the back of the shed.
"Okay, thanks." Nikki took one last look before proceeding to the back. She could hear grunts and someone yelling instructions. She smiled recognizing Jace's voice.
"Hang on. It's gone all around. Give me a sec."
That's odd. His voice came from somewhere above.
"Okay, anytime you're ready."
"Got it! Okay Matt, get it!" Grunts, then more yelling and a loud slithering sound ending with loud thud.
"Whoa! Watch it. It's coming down."
"Whooohoooo, yeah!"
"All clear!"
The ground behind the shed was littered with long green and brown vines. Lines of creepers were everywhere. Matt who had started coiling the latest batch turned to Nikki as she approached.
"Morning Miss Nikki."
Another sweaty shirtless man, she smiled inwardly. This was becoming a great day.
"Good morning Matt. Working overtime? I believe it is your off day, isn't it? And Thomas' too."
"Sure is Miss but Jace asked us to help him. He wanted to clear up the jungle around the place."
Matt's hands continued working, coiling the long green and brown strands as he talked.
"It's a surprise for the Lady when she visits next."
She looked inquiringly at him not believing a word.
"Hahaha okay you got me. He promised us each a Battleship if we help him today," he grinned.
"A Battleship, each?"
"Yeah, the other day I was on my to the South gardens, trimming day and I heard him. I recognized the Battleship theme straight off. Jace was playing on his phone out front on the porch and we got to talking. He needed help here, just too much for a one man job since he wanted to do it fast. He can't do it alone you know. So he offered to trade us his ships if we helped him." His eyes gleamed.
"Oh my god! He was actually in a Hive! Can you believe it?" Matt continued enthusiastically.
"Oh, I see. It's a game."
"It's not just a Game Miss. It's the current game. And he has promised me his level 57 ship." He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Thomas will get the lesser one, only level 33. He will have to build up before seeing any real action. But "I'll be able to blast those aliens right out of space. Even get a crack at the Mothership."
She chuckled. "I'm sure you will. Where is he?"
He looked up. "Hey Jace, Miss Nikki wants to talk to you."
Her gaze followed his directions and she let out a small scream. Jace was on the roof! He moved closer to the edge before looking down. He waved at her.
"Hey there," he yelled.
"Don't you 'Hey there me.' What are you doing up there? Get off the roof this instant!" she ordered.
What was Jace doing up there she thought. It was dangerous. He could fall or slip.
"Okay. Give me a sec."
He disappeared from sight. She went around and saw the youth climbing down a ladder which was propped to the side. He jumped down the last 3-4 rungs landing on the ground in a half crouch.
As he straightened up, the young woman hit him on his bare shoulder.
"Oww!" he yelled in surprise, "What was that for?"
Jace was shirtless too. His lean muscled upper body was stained with green sap and dirt. He ran a dirty hand through his sweaty dark hair to get it out of his eyes.
"Serves you right. You shouldn't be climbing up so high. It's dangerous!" she scolded him.
Matt grinned. "Someone's in trouble," he said in a singsong voice. She glared at him. The young gardener turned away still smiling broadly.
"Awww, c'mon. I'm much better. This place needed some serious cleaning and heavy duty maintenance." Jace indicated the green wreckage around them. "Besides, I wanted to surprise the Lady. Clean up the place a bit for her, you know."
"You didn't have to do that, Jace." She softened. "You just recovered."
"It's the least I can do. I can't pay her for these generous lodgings." He looked away embarrassed at his lack of funds.
"She is not looking for payment. You know that."
"I know. It's just ..." Jace looked at a distance, "Anyways, it's all I can do for now. Besides I need the exercise, I can't just sit around and do nothing all day. I'd go crazy."
He was rubbing his healing arm again unconsciously.
"Stop scratching," she scolded him.
He dropped his hand obediently.
"Barter trade, payment with other goods or services in lieu of money," Nikki mused aloud.
He gave a slight awkward nod, confirming her train of thought.
"It would never have crossed my mind to do that. How quaint." Suddenly she hit him again. "You are a rascal, bribing poor Matt and Thomas on their off day."
"Hey! Stop hitting me." He grinned. "They are getting my battleships," he laughed impishly. Thomas came round the corner to get the cutter.
"Level 36, I levelled her up for you Tom," he called out to Thomas. Thomas let out a whoop.
"And you are okay with that? Giving away your hard earned ships like that. Matt said it takes time and is difficult to build up."
"Nah. It's okay. You just got to know the tricks to build up quickly. Besides, I've got other ships ..." he raised his voice slightly "with special gear."
He heard a cough from Matt.
"Maybe we could renegotiate?" Matt asked hopefully "I'll help you with those branches too if you want." Jace winked at her.
"What were you saying about special gears? Those ice blasters are awesome." He came over to them losing all pretense of work.
"Come over for tea tomorrow, grandmother wants to catch up," she finished up quickly. "Now, I'll leave you to your negotiations."
He gave her a thumbs-up as she went back to the front. She chuckled as she heard Jace's voice.
"I didn't say they were ice blasters ..."