EMARA

We make it to the front of the entrance, and I take Bear's leash, tying him to a post. It is much too crowded for him and the leash is long enough to let him walk around a little instead while we did our trading. After finishing, I walk toward the cluster of booths. The chatter of all the people laughing and bartering around the stalls is loud but also soothing. It helps remind me that even though times were crazy, we can still all come together as a community and help each other out and that I am not as alone as I feel.

Jace squeezes my neck a little tighter as he looks around, taking in all the people bustling around from stall to stall. He had woken up just as we were coming up to the town square. I rub his back to try to calm him down. He is a little anxious but also very curious, and his curiosity seems to be winning.

The stall we have to meet first comes into view. A smile lights up my face as the woman behind the table looks up from whatever she is working on.

"Jamie!" Evey giggles, running to the table.

Jamie gives her a big hug, and she turns her head in my direction. Her auburn hair is tied back in a bun, and her light brown eyes turn up with a smile when she sees me. "Emara," she nods. "How are ya?" Her mouth forms the shape of an O as she sees Jace in my arms. "Who is this guy? Last I saw, you didn't have another little one..."

"This is Jace," I smile.

"Mmm, cutie. Where did he come from, though?" she asks, her eyes flitting from Jace to me.

"Emara found him in the woods a few days ago!" Evey cuts in.

Jamie frowns at the mention of Jace being found alone and glances at me with a question.

I nod in confirmation. "Have you heard of anyone looking for a child? I was gonna see if I could find his parents."

"Oh, honey, no. I'll let you know if I hear anything. It's a good thing you found him." Jamie reaches out and gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

I nod my head solemnly. "Well, on a lighter note, I have something exciting for you."

"Oh?" she raises an eyebrow, and an amused look flits across her face, the moment of sadness passing. She sits back down in her seat.

"Oh, indeed," I tease. I take a few steps backward and set Jace down, pulling the cart with the mountain lion closer.

A gasp escapes Jamie's lips as she stands up from her seat once again. "A mountain lion?!" Jamie's eyes widen in shock. "Oh my gosh, Mara, are you ok? Did something happen?" she rushes around the table and grabs my shoulders, looking me over for injuries.

"Jamie! I'm fine." I push at her arms. "I didn't even get a scratch. I had some help from- someone," I say, deciding not to mention Taeric. It didn't seem like a good idea.

She notices my hesitancy but ignores it, instead giving me a tight hug. "Well, whoever this nameless help is, thank God for them."

Evey opens her mouth as if she wants to say who, but Lilly shoots her a glance that makes her clamp it shut.

My heart beats against my rib cage. I didn't exactly know what would happen, but I don't think broadcasting to the whole town that a giant alien man dropped out of the sky is a good idea. "I know..." I say, hoping she didn't notice as I try to move the conversation along. "Well, I have my usual, too," I tell her as I pick up one of the rabbits.

She chuckles, sliding back into her chair, not prying any farther. "Well, I can give you a pretty penny for this. How much were you thinking?"

She didn't mean literal money, of course. We used coupons instead, and they could be used for trading at the other stalls but would be worthless anywhere else. Depending on how much you brought in, you could set up your own stall or walk around and sell it to another booth instead. If you didn't bring anything in, you couldn't trade. It was as simple as that.

"Hmm," I hum in thought. "Well, I need to get quite a few things today. I would say these pelts are in really good condition."

Jamie nods in agreement. "How about 100?" she proposes.

My eyes shine with excitement. "That is a lot higher than I thought, Jamie!"

"Well, this is a pretty big animal, and I won't underpay you. Don't go arguing with me now. I'll just figure out a way to get you the money if you don't take it from me." She holds up her hands as if she won't hear my protests. "My reputation as a trader is at stake," she announces with her head in the air, as if that were the only reason.

I laugh at her antics. "Deal," I agreed, knowing how stubborn Jamie could be. There was no arguing with her.

Jamie pulls out a box and begins to sort through it. I don't miss the smirk she was trying to hide. She wipes it off her face before looking at me and holding out the coupons.

"Thank you, Jamie." I looked into her eyes. "Seriously."

She waves her hand through the air like I am being silly. "Business is business, girly," she tells me with a wink.

"Mhmm." I agree, my heart warmed by her kindness.

"Good luck with everything else you have to do!" She waves, grabbing the rabbits and hanging them next to the others in her stall.

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We had made it around to most of the stalls that we needed to hit today, and the number of coupons I got selling the mountain lion was definitely helping. I was able to get some more soap, and some preserved food. I was even able to splurge a little and get some more spices. We were also able to get clothing for everyone. It was harder to find clothes I thought would fit Taeric, but I was able to find a few, and Lilly and Evey helped. I was still being careful with the coupons, though. I didn't need to overspend, and extra cards for next time would be even better. I may even be able to finally get some animals of my own, like I have wanted to do for a while now.

I have been asking all the stall runners if they have seen Jace or if they knew of anyone looking for a child. They all said no. I was beginning to lose hope. It was only confirming my theory that he was abandoned. I can feel eyes on me as I walk. I turn my head, already knowing who it is. Morrigan stands by one of the stalls, clearly watching me. He rubs the pad of his thumb over his jaw, and I shiver at the look on his face. There was something very dark about him. I start pulling to cart a little faster, trying to make it to the next stall as quickly as possible so I can get out of here.

"Emara!" I hear a voice call out excitedly from around the side of a booth.

"Lucy! How are you?" I ask in equal excitement. Lucy is a sweet older lady who seems to be somewhere around her late 50′s, but her enthusiasm and energy make her seem much younger.

"I am doing great, sweetie. How are you, girlies?" She smiles at Lilly and Evey before her eyes widen when they land on Jace. She runs over and crouches down to his level, cooing at him and tickling his tummy. He giggles and grabs at her hands in an attempt to calm down and stop the tickling. "Aww, Emara, who is this?" she asks.

"This is Jace. Found him in the woods a little while ago, and he has been staying with me." I tell her, repeating the same story that I have told at every stall. They all had a similarly shocked reaction to the little boy, and all fawned over how adorable he was, too. "Have you heard of anyone looking for a little boy?"

She shakes her head, and her fading red hair falls around her face. "I'll let you know. Oh! Speaking of the woods. Did you see that asteroid fall a few days ago?" she asks in a sudden change of topic.

My breath stills. She couldn't mean-

"Looks like it landed by that old lake. Sure was shocked to see an asteroid. Remember from a while back? We practically had a whole shower!" She adjusts the hat on her head, tucking some of her graying hair behind her ear.

I did remember because it had been pretty exciting for this little town. I hadn't seen it fall myself, but the news of it lasted a while. This time it wasn't an asteroid, though. It was a spaceship. Lucy didn't seem too curious about it, and I prayed to God it would stay that way.

Bethany, the woman a stall over, pulls the sheet that separates their stalls away and chimes in, "No, no! That was years ago! Though they sure are pretty, I hope they are miles away." Her short brown hair bounces as she shakes her head back and forth. "I wouldn't want one landing on my house!" She rubs her swelling belly anxiously.

"Years ago? That can't be right." Lucy taps her chin in thought and then shrugs, "Well, this old brain's sense of time has been messed up since the wars, so who knows," she says, brushing it off with a laugh. "This one looked miles away, though. Besides, I hear that the asteroids burn up and turn to ash by the time they hit the earth. So, you wouldn't have to worry about it taking out your house," Lucy told us reassuringly. "Anyways, here for your usual?"

I grin widely, glad that the subject was being brushed away. "Yep!" I pause, thinking of Jace and the giant alien man I now had to feed. "Actually, could I get double this time?"

As Lucy grabs the milk and eggs, I almost facepalm. I had forgotten to put the shirt and note by the shed for Taeric! Hopefully, he was okay. I couldn't imagine anything would happen to that giant of a man, though, and we would be done at the stalls soon.

Lucy places double the amount of milk and eggs on the counter. Lilly picks them up to place them in the cart. The eggs lasted 2 weeks on the counter, and the milk was sealed so it lasted a few days. Lucy lived fairly close, and when she was out in the forest, she would bring over some milk, so it was pretty fresh, but we couldn't have milk every day. I thank Lucy and hand over the coupons before making my way over to the stall beside it.

"Bethany?" I call, grabbing the attention of the pregnant woman from earlier.

She peeks around the edge of the fabric on her stall again.

"Have time for a few hair cuts?" I ask.

She beams and pulls the flap open, waving me in. I grab Jace's hand and walk into Bethany's stall. The smell of witch hazel and other pleasant and zesty scents wafts up to my nose.

"Either one of you girls want a haircut too?" I ask, glancing over my shoulder.

Lilly shakes her head. "No, I am good."

"Me too, all good!" Evey says. "Can we go to Lucy's stall with the animals, though?"

"As long as it is okay with Lucy, then it is fine with me."

"YES!" Evey cheers, running out of the stall. Lilly follows her.

Bethany chuckles and pats the chair in front of her. I set Jace down on it and sit beside him. He holds my hand tightly, looking from me to Bethany.

"So, you want a trim on the little one?" she guesses.

I nod my head. "Yeah! And if you could, maybe a nice cut for me too? The long hair is getting to be a bit of a hassle."

Bethany nods in agreement. She comes around with a comb and scissors in her hand. "Jace, right? Such a cute name." She places a hand on her stomach maternally and smiles sweetly. "What's it like? I'm sort of curious to know what it will be like once my kiddo is born."

"I honestly have no idea. He seems to be about two, so I could sort of explain what having a toddler is like. Although, I haven't had him for very long. I also know very little about his life before I found him," I admit. "But so far, things have been great. This kid is adorable, and I am so glad I found him. He is curious about everything." I smile.

We talk about the little things that have happened over the past couple of days. Well, everything except the alien man. She cut Jace's hair and then moved on to mine. Jace played with a comb, playing with the teeth so it would make a plucking noise, thoroughly distracting him.

When she was done, I ran my fingers through the end of my hair. Bethany cut off quite a bit, but I loved it. It was now at my shoulder blade. That fresh haircut feeling was unparalleled. I grabbed Jace off the chair. His little haircut was so cute! It used to be down to his shoulders, but now his soft blond hair curled around his forehead and ears.

Making my way back to the animal stall, I found Evey and Lilly beside one of the cows. The little girls were lying beside it.

Evey rubs her face on its soft cowhide before looking up at me. "Mara, you're done!"

Lilly gazes up and spotted Jace. "Awww, he looks so cute!"

"Like a little baby doll!" Evey agrees. "Oh! Mara, can we get this cow? It is so cute. I just wanna cuddle it all the time."

I laugh. "Maybe next time. I don't have enough this time, but I am getting close. We have to go home now, though. So say goodbye."

Evey makes a pouting face but stands up after placing a kiss on the cow's snout. Lilly pats its back and follows Evey out of the stall. We walk back to the front of the cluster of stalls, and I untie Bear. Then we were on our way back home.