Chapter 15

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"Yes, hello." I said looking at them with a small smile.

Why is it that only people that I know are showing up?

I took a deep breath and sat down next to Marcus.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked as I looked at them with a mocking expression.

"Hmm, Oh, yes we were just here to inform you of our proposition of merging." Max stated sliding a document toward me.

"But you probably don't want anything to do with us since-" Veronica spoke but stopped dead in her tracks when I took out the agreement, which was similar to the one Henry and Cassandra had brought yesterday, and signed it.

"So, is that it?" I asked as I handed the closed file back to Veronica.

"Uhh, I guess?" Max mumbled and I stood up to leave.

"It was nice seeing you, and I hope we can cooperate to bring a better tomorrow. If you'll excuse me I have to go take care of something." I said and walked out.

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"Uhmm, are we sure that was Avery?" Max asked looking over at Veronica as Avery walked out of the meeting room.

"Yes, why? Is there something wrong with that?" Marcus asked sending a piercing glare their way.

"N-no, no, nothing. Just that she isn't acting like how she usually acts around us." Veronica said pinching Max's arm.

"Y-yeah." he nodded rubbing the part of his arm that Veronica had pinched.

"Hmm." Marcus hummed and stood up.

He walked out and Max and Veronica walked out behind him.

There was a loud wail from across the hall a moment later. Marcus rushed toward the nursery and Max and Veronica followed behind him.

"Shhh... What's wrong? You must be getting tired, Hm?" Avery's sweet voice could be heard from inside as the wailing lessened. "There. Isn't that better?"

"How do you do that?" Melanie asked with a small frown on her lips.

"Don't know... How can you not take care of a few measly children in my absence? I don't even have a younger sibling, so how am I better at this than you?" Avery answered raising a brow at her.

"Few?! There's thirty-six of them!" Melanie said as she threw her hands up.

"And?" Avery questioned with a glare.

"F-forget it..." Melanie mumbled with a shiver and turned back to the babies to avoid Avery's gaze.

This whole conversation was observed from the side by the three who hurriedly ran off when Avery looked over at the doorway.

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"This is so boring!" Aliana yelled as she sat down on the grass in Melanie's backyard.

I just sighed and continued reading my book. Aliana looked over at me a moment later, frustration and boredom written all over her face.

"Oh, what do you want?!" I asked as I looked up at her and closed the book shut.

"Is there anything interesting that we can do?" she asked with a pout.

"We can read." I said and showed her the book I had.

"And if I'm not in the mood for reading, then?" she asked, closing and opening her eyes cutely.

"Then you can... Huh. Aliana, please go get me my notepad from upstairs." I said and opened up my book again as she rushed off.

What could we do in this boring world at this point?

Before there was nothing to do but settle into the arrangements. Now what? I thought setting down would take us about a week but it took less than three days to get everything.

Even the council was complaining a little that there was nothing to do.

I took my notepad from Aliana as she came back and sat down next to me. I gave her the book I was reading and told her to read for a while as I thought.

I was writing in my notepad for about fifteen minutes when Melanie walked out with a few glasses of juice.

Here's what I had come up with till now.

1. Get school back into our systems.

2. Bring in some physical games and such.

3. Start going to parks and such.

First off, I hate school myself, but it is good for us in many ways. Secondly, I hate exercise as much as the next person, but without it, we're just sad couch potatoes like Aliana here. And thirdly, who doesn't like a nice walk in the park? It can be entertaining as well.

"Hey, Mel?" I called her as I set down my empty glass in the tray.

"What?" she responded.

"When's the next council meeting?" I asked as I looked at her relaxed figure.

"Tomorrow morning, why?" she said looking at me curiously.

"Oh, it's nothing." I said and turned the page of my notepad.

I took a peek at Aliana who was reading quietly while sitting under one of the trees planted in the yard.

I turned the page back and wrote down another two things.

4. Library.

5. Plants.

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I was sitting on my bed in my room, scribbling away on my notepad, when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." I said and set down my notepad.

Marcus walked in and set a small basket down on the bed.

"What's this?" I asked and opened up the basket. There was a bottle of water and a plate of cookies inside.

"Melanie sent them. She said she was too tired to come visit tonight." Marcus said and went to stand next to the doorway.

"Ah, I see. Thanks." I said and looked over at him with a smile. I could see that he was looking towards the notepad sitting on my bed next to me.

"What're you writing?" he asked leaning into the doorframe.

"Well, you all had been complaining about how there was nothing to do, so I was trying to solve that problem." I answered.

"Ah, that's good then." he said his tone sounding pretty excited. "Anyways, I'll get going now." he said and walked out, closing the door behind him with a soft thud.

I drank some water and propped a cookie in my mouth and continued with writing in my notepad.

*sigh*