Meet The Family

I was getting better, pulling myself out of the abyss of guilt to taste the sweetness of life once again. Here was my chance at a new life, one where I could earn my place and prove myself. I was determined that nothing would be handed to me, that I would feed, clothe, and house myself. I would also protect this town and its people with my life. They were my family now, and I wanted to earn their respect.

Karen and I became like sisters, and I discovered that part of the reason she took pity on me was because of her mom. She had to watch as her mother faded away, staring off into space in some delusional dream. When she saw that I was slipping away, it twisted her heart. She wanted to prevent anyone else from her mother's fate. Karen liked taking care of others, and she was good at it. The 5 of us, from the old town, agreed that woman should take a more prominent role in the community. Karen would be our healer. Jennifer wanted to take care of the animals. I was still trying to figure out what my skills really were, but in the meantime, Karen declared us sisters. Jennifer was a littler cooler towards me, but she was mostly cool towards everyone and everything except animals. 

That was how I knew Jennifer thought of me as family. She had befriended some of the wild dogs. They loved her immediately, and I had never seen Jennifer more happy. Her dogs had a litter of pups, and she gave me Shadow,  my very first pet. I loved Shadow from the moment I held him in my arms, and he was my constant companion. Somehow, Jennifer knew that Shadow would help me heal faster than anything else. My pup was fiercely protective of me, just as protective as I was of him. 

The town thrived as more travelers came and decided to stay. They were polite, mostly, if a little uptight. They were welcome distractions from our grief. Soon, our little town was being built and plots of land marked out for future development.

Steven became our farmer. He was good at it, and hope for a future here grew in all of us. Steven was happy in his role, and he finally caught Karen's attention. Karen's betrothed had stayed behind, so she was free of the burden of an arranged marriage. Steven had always admired her. He reminded Karen of her father in the best of ways, and she realized that happiness could be found in love.

Christopher became our builder. He loved working with his hands. He was happy to plan and build the town hall, the houses and the businesses. He was quiet and strong, and it was no surprise that Jennifer, loner that she was, fell for him. I was happy that love had sprung up again. 

I was still learning the newcomers names at this point, but I was beginning to feel like we could all be happy again. My heart lifted, but I kept it under tight control. There were still many dangers that could threaten our growing family. I was determined to make sure that our hope and happiness were not in vain. I would fight for this new life. I would fight and win.

~Fiona