For the next few weeks, we started to build a small reputation with the townsfolk. We, sure enough, we're able to upgrade to a bigger wagon and another mower along with a weedier to match. With our payment of bartering, we were able to get paint, chairs, a table, vases, garden tools, and many small things I never considered that would add value to the cabin. For example, I have started to teach Aditi how to read a week ago, and with the help of a battery-powered lamp earned for an elderly woman, she can study at night as well.

Aditi makes a good student. One of the first things I taught her was how to write her name. "Alright, so how much of the alphabet do you remember?''

I started writing the letter on the chalkboard. "Not much the only letter that looks familiar is that last one, it's what the word zebra starts with." I rubbed my eyes "okay we have a lot to learn." However, she surprised me because on that day alone she was able to write all twenty-six of them and she learned all the vowel sounds. By the end of the week, she was able to write small words such as cat and red. Her reading has gone up to a second-grade level we often read together in the local library and she has taken a liking to it as well.

Ever since I have gotten out here I have been experiencing so much joy and adventure and even though the cabin also has that to offer it feels slightly different. Here it feels strangely familiar like this is where I was supposed to be all along. I am not known as a rich girl who is lonely all the time. Here I am actually giving back to the community helping them bring back life to their landscaping and they help me do the same with the cabin. If we keep this up we will be done in no time.

"Ora all we really need is to get some more furniture and we will be one." Aditi and I have spent all of today adding a light polish to all of the existing furniture in the cabin. We also painted the kitchen and cleaned out the garden that took up the majority of our time. The garden was huge it had many types of fruit trees that I reconsider due to L.A drilled them into my head. They were in an orchard setting format and whoever planted them took great care in its design.

We split up the garden into two parts and began to de-weed the place. After we completed this task the whole property began to look a lot better. That night we discuss our next plan of action. "After tomorrow we should have enough furniture to really spruce up the place." "Then we should really focus on finding L.A It has been 2 months now since we last saw her."

"Ora, it's been two months since we last saw anyone we know. What if our tents are already robbed!"

"Alright how about this, you get the last bit of furniture we need and I will go and get L.A and move our stuff over here."

"Alright, let's do it."

We woke up early that morning and went our separate ways both of us taking a wagon with us. I made my way past the road, and river, and up the hill. I kept on walking as the ground was slowly starting to reveal the other track beneath me.

"I'm close."

Going under familiar bushes and posing the trapping spot I found the familiar red tent. Not much has changed at the sight, the fireplace was still there, and so was my bike and the water jugs. Putting the wagon next to my bike I unzipped the tent, there were clothes all on the floor, and not all of them were female attrite. I watched my step and reached for my bag, it had my clothes in it still along with my mattche. My gym bag still had all of my shoes and my hat. I did a double-check of everything to make sure and of course, something was missing.

"Where is my bag of money!" I checked the floor of the tent, L.A's bag, and even my bag three more times. Still no money. "I know this can't be happening! Why just take my bag of money, why not just take it all?" The bushes around the tent started to rustle and shake.

The robber might be back, I took out my manchette and heled it out, ready to protect all that was left of our old lives. The zipper of the tent slowly started to move, I did not move, they can not take anything more I won't allow them. A brown hand entered through the hole and I made my attack.

"Ahhhh!" I jumped through the hole and tipped the tent over. Pinning the intruder on their back they started to try to break free "Hey! get off me! "they squirmed under my weight as they were trying not to puncture the material of the tent.

"L.A! Help! Some weirdo is the tent!"

They know L.A! I flipped the tent over one more time and existed the entrance. On the ground the I came up to feet.

"Ora?"

I turned to see L.A or I think that's her. She had the same body structure just a little bit more muscular. However, her face had a black dot underneath her eyes and she has cut her hair and shaved the sides catching it up into a biker bun. She had on all black and a leather jacket that had the letters 'BL" on it. "L.A! You look so different!" I ran over to give her a hug but, she did not open her arms. "Where the hell have you and Aditi been!" she yelled crossing her arms. "

Where have you been one day I woke up and poof you were gone!" "And now that I have finally come back after getting lost in a thunderstorm, getting a cut on my stomach, and sleeping on what used to be old rooting stairs this is all you have to say!" My blood was boiling "and who are they!" I pointed at the person still stuck in the tent trying to untangle themselves.

"That's my boyfriend!" I stared at the headlights of the eyes. "Since when what happened to relationships being not necessary out here!" "Oh please Ora, you have no right to be upset, especially when we all know how you act around Aditi." She rolled her eyes at me "come on Jackie grab our stuff we are leaving!" Why was she acting like this? Was she not even excited to see me.

"L.A! please don't go come with me. Aditi and I found a cabin and we fixed it up and it has a garden- you'll love it! Just please don't go I have not seen you in two MONTHS, we have not seen you in two months. Come on remember the good times, like the time we caught that deer, or how I helped you improve the new traps."

She walked up closer into my face "then why did you leave here by myself you guys never even tried to go and find me!" she shouted at my face, my ears ringing from the constant pressure. "We didn't know where you went! You never told us anything how where were we supposed to start!." tears started to roll down my face. L.A's chest puffed up and down and mine did the same.

"I'm moving on Ora, I joined a biker gang and we are moving up to West Virginia. In all honesty, it was the best decision of my life. I am not coming with you Ora, I am sorry." The tears on my face started to trail down my face even faster, L.A was the first person in a while who made me feel like a like person. I guess nothing lasts forever.

"What happened to my money?" I corked out of my throat.

"We took it, need to fund the trip somehow, no hard feelings you were not the only one we stole from."

I gripped my fists trying hard not to hurt her. "F-fine can I at least ask one last thing from you."

She tapped her boots impotently "I am waiting."

"Can you at least show me to where Aditi's place is where I am taking our stuff to the cabin we aren't staying here either."

"Fine, think out it as my last gift to you."

She walked over to Jackie who was putting away the last of the tent in a small compartment in a stand from scoter. "I will be back." she kissed him on the cheek and came over to me "Let's go," she commanded. Getting my bike and attaching it to the wagon I pedaled after her.

For a while, it seemed like we were going on the same path to the railroad until we took a sudden left. This left us staring down at a hill, where at the bottom was a small grey tent. "There it is." she looked over at me. "This is as far as I am going." she started to walk away to go back to Jackie. "L.A!" I shouted at her she looked over at me. "Take care." I waved goodbye at her and she kept walking away. I got off my bike and made my way down the hill.

Inside the tent, there was a cooler filled with weapons and there was her fishing gear as well. "Surprised L.A didn't steal anything in here." I muttered packing Aditi's things into the wagon and making the way back home. By the time I got there, Aditi was already waiting for me. She had a banner saying 'Welcome Home!" with an extra L in welcome.

"Where, is L.A! I got this banner made and everything!" Her eyes were glimmering with hope and excitement. "You know at first I was not too sure about living here but with all of us together I know it's going to work out fine." How was I supposed to break the news to her?

"Ora is you, okay your eyes are all watery."

" She didn't want to come," I mumbled.

y eyes felt dry as the autumn wind blew against them, some of my tears made their escape. Aditi made her way down the steps and put her arm around mine. "It's okay" she rubbed her hand in my back in circles, "this is the path that she choose, you just have to be happy for her." I held her tighter in my arms " Aditi, you don't understand she became so mean! I barely even recognized her and she has a boyfriend now and even more she joined a GANG. It's all my fault we should have looked for her sooner, we left her there for two months!" I wiped my tears.

"Well I don't know about her joining a gang but you have to understand you can't force anyone to do something they don't want to do, especially this." she caught her breath "but hey, at least I am here.". We stood on the outside of the porch for a while she held my hand as the tears shed down my eyes. The same burning pain when Arya rejected me radiated through my body. "Come on let's go inside and eat."

The next day there was not too much to do. With autumn coming in stronger than ever the grass has started to slow down in its growth and leaf racking is not as popular as a service. "I think we better call it a day O." Aditi began putting away the supplies in the wagon "not really much to do out here." "Well not in terms of work. However" I smirked in her direction "there is a place that I want to take you to its really going to help with her future studies."

We walked through town passing the post office and the local school "I have never been this far before. "Aditi said as she started into the schoolyard. It was fenced around it and was two stories tall with the flag pole in the middle of the field. You can a rusted swing set in the back and some corners of the basketball court. "Does your school look like this?"

I laughed "No way! My school was privately funded we had wat better playground than this but physically this school is bigger. " "Come on this isn't what I came here for?" I took her around the bend and we walked up for another mile. The building in question had a concrete foundation and had a brick wall. "L I B A R A Y"

"Library" I read it to her." This place has books of all kinds from fictional to non-fictional, and on all different types of topics as well." " Oh in India I had something similar to this, my favorite types of books were the animal books."

"Oh, trust me there are a lot of animal books in here." I opened the door for her. The AC breeze hit us hard "wow it's colder in here than it is outside." The front desk was small and a similar old lady was working the station. "Oh you girls cut my lawn it's such a pleasure seeing you again." she pinched our cheeks. "How can I help you girls today?''

"We were wondering if you have any books on animals in a fourth-grade level?''

"Fourth grade? Now surely you girls are much older than that! Is this for a school project?"

"Um- yes yes it is and it is very important we find a book in the fourth-grade level." I insisted.

"Very well follow me."

She lifted the hitched door and came from behind the desk. Her feet wobbled as she speed through rows and columns of books. For someone her age she sure did walk fast. She stopped at this small bookshelf separate from the others. "This is all we have, still can't believe that school has you, girls, reading on a fourth-grade reading level, they should be ashamed, good thing I did not send my boys to there, oh heavens no," she muttered to herself till she was out of our hearing range. "What types of animals do you like?'' I asked Aditi as I sorted through the books on the shelf. "Hmm I like dogs, oh lions are pretty cool as well. But in all honesty, I like animals as a whole."

I found a couple of books on dog training and zoo animals but I also picked up some books on forest animals as well. Just for future reference of course. "Looks like this should be everything." We returned back at the check out desk "Do you girls have a library card?'"

"No, we do not."

The woman began to rub her eyes and took a deep breath " Of course, why do I even ask no one in this town has a library card. Why would you two be any different?" She scanned the barcode of all our books "Okay you have three weeks with all these books and if you do not return them you will have to pay."

"When are three weeks from now?" Aditi asked, "I for one never really know what day of the week it is." The woman stared at us with a blank expression " your generation is dommed" she went under her table "here take one of these we still have some leftover from our library event that no one came to." It was a puppy theme calendar "Aww it's so cute" Aditi began to flip through the pages. "Alright so today is November twenty-seven and that means three weeks from now will be December eighteen. She circled the date on the calendar for us. We said our goodbyes and began to make the journey back home.

"Wow, my birthday is getting closer and closer! I will be able to know which day it is on!" Aditi continued flipping through into the next year on the calendar as well "When is your birthday Ora?"

"July twenty-first."

"Oh, your birthday is on... a Thursday!"

"You are way too excited for this. What do you want for your birthday anyway?''

"Surprise me!" she winked at me, my face becoming flushed.

When we got toward the woods coming up to the cabin we heard some soft yelping in the woods. The cries echoed through the empty forest and we were approaching it. Aditi crawled under the bushes for a better look. "Ora! It's a puppy! Oh, it's so cute, quick send me the knife real quick its stuck under a branch."

I slide the knife under the bushes for her "does it have a collar or anything?''

"It has a note, but the words look funny on the page."

She came out carrying a small dog that had fluffy brown fur. It had a black nose and its ears were thin and see-through. I looked over the note.

"Just a bad batch from the litter don't bother."

"So they left him out here to die! What type of crazy person would do such a thing!" She held the dog closer to her chest and it quivered in her arms. "Let's get in!" we rushed into the cabin and quickly got the fireplace started.

Aditi tried placing it down on the floor he refused to leave her arms. "Poor thing." sat in front of the fireplace together. " Can I hold it?" I asked. She slowly passed it over to me. The dog's fur was matted and wet and I could easily feel its bones through its stomach. " I never seen this type of breed before?" I rubbed my hands through its fur. "Can we keep him?" Aditi whined. " You think I'm going to send him back in the cold!" I yelled in protest.

" But this means we have to find new supplies. And work is getting harder to find."

"Hmm it's going to start snowing soon, maybe snow plowing will be popular?"

" It's worth a shot, this little guy deserves a chance." We looked down at him sleeping in peace.

"We all do."