I didn’t sleep in, I had a habit of sleeping light, aing up as soon as possible so I could get shit done, but today I stayed in bed a little bit lohan usual. It felt good to y in the dark, ed up in my sheets without having to worry about anything.

  Unfortunately, since I was so used to being busy at all times, it was only a matter of time until I felt restless. When I did finally roll out of bed, I took my sheets with me, bundled up in whatever I could carry, and dragged the rest. The entire family , sitting around the table when I came in. They stopped eating and turo look at me when I walked in.

  “Evelyn… is that you?” Jane asked, with one eyebrow raised.

  “Yes,” I answered. Although it came out more like ‘yeth’ through all the yers of bs.

  “Taking this time off seriously, aren’t you?” An asked, with a smirk.

  “Yes,” I answered agaiared at me for a moment, probably expeg more of a eback or something, and when I didn’t give one he just scoffed a back to his cereal.

  “Are you really going to spend the day with us today?” Jennifer asked. Issi’s head snapped up as soon as she heard, a mouth half full of toast, cheeks covered in crumbs, she stared at me wide-eyed waiting for my reply.

  “That was the pn,” I said, stig my head slightly out of my fuzzy fortress. As soon as I did I felt the cold air hit me in the face, I resisted retreating back, as much as I wao. “Did you guys have any pns for today, or just more lessons?”

  “More lessons!” Issi decred. I leaned over and ed the crumbs off her mouth, making her giggle.

  “And what are you learning today?”

  “Bot-to-nay,” the little girl replied, proudly. I just stared at her for a moment, fused, until Jennifer crified.

  “She means Botany, it’s the study of pnts.”

  I gnced over at Issi, who had a huge smile on her face. “Why?”

  Her face sched up for a moment while she was thinking, “They’re pretty?” she answered with a smile.

  “Fair enough. What about the rest of you?”

  “It's a practical day,” Eddie replied, “So I’ll be w on my ating practice, and Jeni will be building an engine. You probably want to hang out with the girls, you never really had a brain for numbers.”

  “You just don’t want ao hear your poetry,” Jeni shot back, with a smirk. Eddie’s ears turned a little red, and he averted his eyes in embarrassment, but he didn’t deny the accusation.

  “If you don’t wao visit you, I won’t. You recite your poetry to everyone when you’re ready… or show off your ating skills?” I paused, that souerrible, but it was too te now. “Whatever you want to do.”

  The boy nodded, slinking further into his seat. Seeing how unfortable he was, I refocused on the girls.

  “So, which of you should I e and see…”

  “Me me me!” Issi nearly toppled out of her chair. It was only prevented by a bined a of An grabbing the back of her shirt, and me grabbing her arm.

  “Alright, fine. Calm down, and finish your breakfast first. I still o go bad ge, and there’s plenty of time in the day.” The little girl nodded, before once again sitting down and taking a monstrous bite of toast, but the smile never left her face.

  After I finished my breakfast, in which I decided to have cereal instead of the regur nutri-slop, I got dressed and headed over to Issi’s room. As soon as I khe door was yanked open, and the little six year old hauled me inside. Her eic attitude more than made up for the ck of strength.

  Her robotic teacher was standing at the other end of the room, o the dresser, pg down a row of small pots. “Miss Evelyn, are you participating in today’s lesson?”

  “Apparently,” I replied. “Although I’m not quite sure what the lesson is, only that it deals with pnts.”

  “Indeed,” the small automated frog hen removed his tophat and rolled up his sleeves, before pulling out a small package. As soon as Issi saw it, she squealed, then collected herself a little and came to stao her teacher.

  “What’s that?” I asked as I crossed the room and sat on the bed.

  “Seeds! For my project,” Isabelle replied, taking the bag gently.

  “Miss Isabelle has been assigo pnt a sele of vegetables and flowers, then make sure their basieeds are provided for until they’re fully grown.”

  I stared at the little colle of pots, and my eyes narrowed. “Where did all this stuff e from? Fresh dirt isly easy to e by down here.”

  The dirt and pots were procured by using some of the spa the Css I Matter Refiguration mae, and the seeds cost a single point, which came out of the food budget.

  “Out of the food budget? Why?”

  Teically these are all edible pnts, and they only cost a single point, so I didn’t see the o run it past you.

  “It’s fine,” I said with a sigh, “I really should have set up a limited budget for Jane and An to buy items for the family. Iure, allow them to request minor items, up to five points per item, and a hundred points total per month. If they need something bigger, or more points, you run it by me.”

  I arrahat.

  “Thanks,” I replied. In the few seds that I’d been distracted, Issi had already started pnting. The little girl pushed her pointer finger into each pot, then popped a seed into each hole before c them up, and adding a little bit of water.

  Wheuro me her hands, and somehow face, were covered in dirt. “I’m going to grow the prettiest pnts. This one is yours,” she said, pointing at the one on the end.

  “Isn’t the point that you’re supposed to grow them?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “I am, but when they’re all big I’m going to give them to you all as presents,” she replied, befrabbing me in a tiny hug.

  “Well… that’s very nice of you. Just make sure you take good care of them.”

  The little girl nodded, and I let her cuddle for a minute more, before I lifted her off my p. “I’m very proud of you for doing something responsible, but make sure you up once you’re done,” I said, showihe side of my hoodie, which had a tiny handprint imprinted on it. The girl giggled, then he little imp mao hug me o time before she actually went to her hands.

  When I walked into Jeni’s room a couple of hours ter, I found a simir setup, but very different situation. On top of the dresser was a ton of small parts, and a moderately-sized toolbox.

  Jeni was standing over it, reading a thin book. She was so focused, she didn’t even notice me ing in. “Do you really have enough space to work on that?” I asked.

  She gasped, and turowards me, nearly dropping her book, before she realized who it was that entered her room. “Fuck! Teddy, you nearly gave me a heart attack.” She dropped the book onto her bed before turning towards me, arms crossed. “To answer your question, no. There isn’t enough space, but I’m just happy to have a little privacy.” The girl picked up a small wrench, and started slowly assembling the… whatever she was w on. She had a surprising amount of focus.

  “Well, ohe expansion is done, I’ll arrange for some space for you to do your projects. Proper spaot just the top of your dresser.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Jeni said, not b to look up from her project.

  “Maybe… but I want to. I don’t think I should be the only ohat should be from being a Samurai. Let’s face it, most people don’t have much to look forward to around here. I hope by improving the lives of kids like yourself, even a little, things will get better.”

  Jeni paused, “It might not, you know. It might only make them a target for the gangs, or other less fortunates.”

  “If that happens I’ll try and protect them, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll try something else. It would be wrong if I was the only one who beed from being a Samurai. I grew up here, and I really want to see if I make it better.”

  “You’re really weird sometimes, you know that?” Jeni said with a small smirk. “Anyone else would have taken the ce to run away, live a life topside.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not just anyone,” I replied, walking over to her dresser. “Now how about you expin what you’re w on. It looks like something I would have taken apart with a pry bar a couple weeks ago.”

  Jeni ughed, “I holy wouldn’t be surprised. It’s not that plicated, but I’ll use small words, I wouldn’t want to fuse you.”

  I ignored her cocky smirk, mostly because she robably right.