She sighed. “It’s possible that neither bucket will be the best, but it’s the only thing I can think of and I have to try.”

  “I thought you said you had two bags of potting soil,” Jaden frowned.

  “I do. And I plan on using one of those bags for starting seeds. This way, I know that we will get a good start on at least some of our garden. These two buckets will be experiments that we might end up losing. But we will have notes to follow next year. If we don’t get lucky this year, maybe by next year we’ll figure it out.”

  She stared at the bucket before turning her eyes to Jaden. “There are so many things I don’t know what we will do without,” she said sadly.

  “Like what?”

  “Well, toilet paper for one. That Jeff Jensen from FEMA keeps telling us that they are working on getting everything up and running, but there is no way that all the factories will be shipping out products for a long time. It could take years. And we can’t just run to the store and pick up things we used to.

  “We are almost out of toilet paper. Jean has promised to teach us to make our own flour. She’s also showing us how to use honey instead of sugar. I wish I had more food storage containers. Without plastic wrap, I can’t just throw a piece of plastic wrap over something and stick it in the fridge. I wish I had a real fridge instead of that tiny thing.”

  She drew in her breath. “Here I sound like I’m whining. I am a little. But I’m so scared that we just don’t have the knowledge and the tools to get us through until things start running again.”

  Jaden shook her head. “I heard that people in the olden times used magazines and catalogs for toilet paper,” she offered.

  Allison nodded sadly. “Yes, but those magazines and catalogs were cheap thin paper. Our modern catalogs and paper are thick and filled with all sorts of dyes. Jean says she will show us other things we can use. But I don’t want to use them. I want toilet paper. Real toilet paper.” Her voice trailed off. A tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it with her dirty hand causing a streak across her face.

  Then she giggled. “I’m a sad sort today, aren’t I? Let’s get these buckets mixed.”

  She handed Jaden a white bucket. “Will you put three scoops of dirt in here and then add three scoops of compost. Then use that 1X4 to stir it all around. After it’s stirred, I want you to add one scoop of each and stir it again. We want to get it mixed up really good.”

  She moved a blue bucket in front of her. “I’ll be mixing the three to one mix.”

  They worked without talking for several minutes. Jaden tipped her bucket toward Allison. “Is this good enough?”

  Allison reached in and grabbed a handful of dirt. She squeezed it. When she opened her hand, the dirt fell apart and spread out on her palm.

  “It looks pretty good,” she said. “Give it a couple more minutes and then we’ll leave it set. I’ll come back every day and give them all a good stir. By the weekend, we should be able to try planting some seeds.”

  Before they stepped out of the greenhouse, Jaden turned to Allison.

  “What did people use in the olden times when they didn’t have magazines or catalogs?” she asked.

  “Corn cobs.”

  Jaden shuddered.

  That night, laying in bed, she swore she would invent a replacement for toilet paper before they ran out.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “What are you doing?” Erin whispered. She crouched behind Jaden in the stable.

  Jaden leaned against the stable wall next to the door leading to the bunkhouse. She turned and put her finger to her lips. Pointing to the arena, she followed Erin away from the door.

  When they were far enough away that there was no risk of being heard, Jaden whispered. “That FEMA guy is here again. They always send us away when he comes. I want to know what he’s saying.”

  “What was he saying?”

  “He says that Princeton is going to get power back soon and that they are going to be selling gas and food soon, but it’ll be rationed.”

  “Why?”

  Jaden shrugged. “Probably because there isn’t enough to go around.”

  She moved back toward the door. “Come on, but be quiet.”

  The girls stood at the door listening to Jensen from FEMA discussing events.

  “… gangs kidnapping whole families.”

  “…protect our communities.”

  “… more security.”

  Jaden leaned closer to the door when she heard Will Mead start speaking. He said, “Our community and communities like ours are what’s left of civilization. When we have roving bands of bad guys trying to take what we have and turn us in to slaves, we need to fight back. We owe it to ourselves and to our children. A peaceful world is our right and it is up to us to fight for it.”

  Erin placed her hand on Jaden’s back. Jaden was leaning so far that the act caused her to stumble forward. She ended up standing in the open doorway looking at the adults who turned to stare at her.

  Thinking fast, she called out, “I’m sorry. We thought you guys were done. We’ll just go back to the arena.”

  “Close the door, please.” Will seemed to look right through her. She was sure that he knew she’d been standing there.

  Missy and Sissy waited in the arena.

  “What were you guys doing?” Missy asked.

  “Listening to the meeting.”

  “What were they talking about?”

  “Nothing good,” Jaden said.

  “I wish I hadn’t listened,” Erin replied.

  Sissy picked up the frisbee and tossed it across the arena. “So, what were they talking about?”

  Jaden sighed. “Security.”

  “And gangs attacking and kidnapping.” Erin shivered. “Scary things.”

  “I’m not afraid of anything real,” Sissy announced.

  Jaden’s brows furrowed. “What did you just say?”

  “I said I’m not afraid of anything real.”

  “What are you afraid of?”

  “Dragons.”

  Erin snorted. “Well, we don’t have to worry about them!”

  “I guess we don’t have to worry about spiders either,” Missy grinned. “Like that one crawling up your leg.”

  Sissy leapt from the chair with a screech. She swatted her leg, sending the spider flying. “I’m not scared,” she squealed. “I just hate them. I hate them.” She bounced up and down looking around.

  “Eww! I just want to move back home. I hate it here.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Will and Riley left on a mission that no one would talk about. They returned the next day, but Riley had been shot and everyone was upset.

  The man from FEMA showed up with a big announcement the day that Will and Riley returned from their mission. The adults left the meeting anxious. They seemed happy, but scared. They were free to move back to town.

  The propane truck pulled into the driveway and Jaden stood with the whole group watching both propane tanks being filled.

  “Can we take real baths now instead of showers?” Erin asked Allison.

  Allison smiled. “I think we can squeeze in a bath every now and then.”

  “I think Jaden should get the first one, then I want the second.”

  Allison’s forehead wrinkled and she smiled. The complete turnaround in Erin’s personality was amazing. From a sullen, antagonistic girl to a considerate teen made Allison’s heart swell.

  Jaden quietly watched the group talk about moving back to Princeton. Was she the only one who felt that the solar flare had made her life better?

  She turned and entered the empty bunkhouse. Making her way up the stairs and to her room at the far end of the mezzanine, she entered without her Luci light and lay on her bed.

  This is where her father found her three hours later.

  “Hey, baby,” he said. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be excited to know that we could move back to town.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Why not?”

  Jaden felt a tear run down her face. “I miss our house in town but I love living here.”

  “I know. I feel the same way. Did you know that Allison has offered to sell anyone who wants to stay a piece of land to build a house?”

  “No. I didn’t know that. But even if she did, we can’t afford to buy land and build a house. And, I doubt anyone would be able to buy our house in town.”

  He sat next to her on the bed and put his arm around her. “Let’s not worry about this stuff right now. If it is meant to happen, it will happen. Let’s just enjoy the life we have today and try to find a way to make everything happen that we want to happen. Okay? Can you do that?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. I’ll talk with Allison some more and see what we can work out. Just don’t worry too much.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Jaden had finished chopping onions for the morning’s omelets when Allison stepped in from the stable. She made her way to Jaden. Tilting her head, she asked, “How are you doing, Jaden? You look a little sad today.”

  “I’m okay.”

  Allison slid into the chair next to Jaden. She placed her elbows on the table and settled her chin into her fists. “You have heard about Princeton getting power back, right?”

  Jaden felt the tears wet her cheeks. Her head lowered. “I heard,” she whispered.

  “Are you excited?”

  “Not really. I really missed not having electricity in the beginning and didn’t like so many people around, but I’m just not sure that I want to go back to living there.”

  “Is there a reason?” Allison dropped her arm and rubbed Jaden’s back.

  Jaden took a deep breath before letting it all out in a huge puff.

  “On the day of the solar flare I was in the principal’s office. They sent me there because they thought I was having problems missing my mom.”

  She looked up at Allison. “I did miss my mom. But I was dealing with it. I was okay. Sometimes it hurt so bad I cried, but never at school. But they watched everything I did and everything I said. They expected me to be depressed. It was hard not to be depressed when everyone around you thinks you should be.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think I’m explaining this right.”

  “I understand, sweetie. Just keep going.”

  Jaden clasped her hands together and twisted her fingers. “After the solar flare, when we moved out here, I was so busy every day. I still missed my mom, but I was too busy to spend time thinking about how life would be if she hadn’t died. I still like to think about her, but now, instead of wondering how she would help me, I wonder if she can see what I’m doing and if she is smiling at me. Just that thought makes me smile.”

  She lowered her eyes again. “I really don’t think that I’m explaining this right.” The sound of Mary breaking eggs for breakfast caused Jaden to glance toward the counter where Mary stood.

  “Dad told me that some people are going to buy land and build houses here. I wish we could afford to do that but we don’t have any money. Living here has made me happier than I’ve been in a long time. But we have to move back to our own house and I’m going to miss you so much.” Her voice trailed off. “I need to help Mary with breakfast.”

  Allison sat with her mouth open. Her eyebrows were furrowed.

  “Jaden,” she said. “Let’s talk after breakfast, okay?”

  “Okay,” Jaden closed her fingers over the bowl of chopped onions. Lifting it off the table she carried them to Mary.

  ***

  Allison carried two steaming mugs of tea to the table Jaden had just cleaned. The kitchen was quiet. Several adults had taken the children out to the garden area to start preparing the beds for planting.

  Jaden picked up the jar of honey and used the dipper to drizzle the sweetness into her tea. Her heart seemed to settle in the bottom of her stomach as she raised her head to meet Allison’s eyes.

  “I’m glad the world is coming back together, but I’m really sad that I will be moving back to Princeton. I loved living here. I think…” The rest of the words stuck in her throat. She shook her head and looked back down at the table.

  Allison reached across the table and took Jaden’s hands. “Look at me,” she ordered.

  Jaden raised her eyes. She chewed her bottom lip.

  Allison pointed to the mug of tea in front of Jaden. “Drink your tea.”

  Jaden picked up the mug and sipped. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about.” Allison smiled. “You are the best thing to have come out of the end of the world. I can’t imagine my life without you. You have been such a willing student and I’ve gotten used to leaning on you to get things done. Things I wouldn’t trust to most adults. I need you here, Jaden. I hope you want to stay.”

  “I do want to stay, but we can’t afford it. We don’t have money to buy land and build a house. We’d have to sell our house in town and nobody is going to buy it very soon.”

  “Honey,” Allison said taking a sip of her tea before setting the mug on the table. “I’ve already talked to your father. He’d like to stay as long as you want to.”

  “Really?” Jaden’s voice rose with the question. She felt a shiver run up her spine. “How? We can’t pay you.”

  “Don’t you worry about payment. There is so much work to do around here. Your dad is one of the best carpenters in the county and you are becoming an herbalist that I can depend on. We can work out a bartering system that will help everyone.”

  Jaden felt her heart beat harder. She could hear every little noise around them.

  “I would help you more if we could stay,” she squeaked.

  “I need you to stay here and help, Jaden.” Allison picked up her tea and grinned. “You make the best tea blends I’ve ever tasted.”

  Allison leaned toward Jaden. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” she asked, brushing the hair from Jaden’s face. “Why are you crying?”

  Jaden smiled through her tears. “I’m just so happy. Thank you for everything.”

  Allison wrapped her arm around Jaden’s shoulder. “Thank you, my little herbalist.”

  *****

  Thank you for reading Jaden’s story. This book was written with the intention that it can be read by adults and children. … For a peek at the other books in this series, turn the page.

  Book One - Allison's Secret

  Looking for a strong woman to take on the Apocalypse?

  Allison has a secret. Like any farm wife, she is prepared for bad storms, bad times, and bad luck. But, even her husband is unaware that she is more prepared than the average farm wife.

  (But don't ever call Allison a prepper!)

  Riley and Will are motorcycle buddies on a mission to rescue Riley's nephew who's been kidnapped by his father.

  When a solar flare throws them all together, there's going to be problems.

  Allison's Secret offers a different approach to the post apocalyptic fiction genre. Follow a woman who has a will to survive as she works to build a community that offers hope for a new future.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F5X822N

  ---------------------------------------

  Book Two - The Accord

  Be careful who you bring in to your home. Not everyone is who you think they are.

  After a solar flare takes down a large section of the American power grid, Allison opens her doors to friends and neighbors in order to build a sustainable community. But, not everyone who claims to be her friend is one.

  Looking for a strong woman to take on the Apocalypse? Give Allison a try.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H2P1537

  -----------------------------------

  Book Three - A New Dawn

  Looking for a strong woman to take on the Apocalypse?

  They survived the solar flare. They survived without power. They survived bandits. But can they survive a dictator who is determined to become the king of their state?

  Allison and her community have worked together to build a life after the flare. Can a ruthless man and the inmates he freed from the local prison take away everything they worked for?

  A New Dawn is Book 3 in the Allison Series.

  -------------------------------------

  Coming Fall 2019

  Rebuilding - Follow the story as the group works together to rebuild.