Chapter 42

Bianca

Day 41 of First Landing

Population of Thornhill - 53

Our progress on the stone hostel was coming along nicely.

Over the past few weeks, Bruce, our mason, along with Marek and his crew, have laid the foundation and walls. Slate had finished firing all the bricks a few days ago and was now helping to lay the planks on the second-floor frames, which would serve as the ceiling for the first-floor rooms.

There were four-room honeycombs, divided by long corridors, giving the layout a feel of a dormitory… or, if you were looking at it more pessimistically, a prison. Our mortar supply had run low because we exhausted our stock of seashells to produce lime.

Fortunately, this shortage wouldn’t last long. Anika and I had been prospecting the nearby hills for limestone and found a suitable deposit. To our luck, we discovered a chalk cave.

Each room in the hostel was big enough for one bed, one desk, and maybe one yard of free space. We used a lottery system for the rooms and moved the first 12 people in. The citizens of Thornhill reached into a clay pot for polished go stones that Cass and others had worked on in their spare time. If they drew a white stone, they got a room; if they drew black, they'd have to try again later when more rooms were completed. Eventually, the hostel would expand to fit up to 24 people, or 36 if we added a third floor.

It had been a day since the Kronfeldt expedition left, and my nerves were on edge with worry.

Did I make the right decision to send them? No, I can’t doubt myself. It was the right thing. We needed more stuff. We needed information.

As I moved into my new room at the hostel, I could hear the workers finishing the ceiling nearby. And no, I didn’t just take the room—I won it fair in the lottery.

Even though I controlled the money and the building, I used the same copper coins as everyone else, earned by making pots and tools. It felt strange to hand out my checks, and I was even stingier with paying myself.

Prices had been rising, though. Sophie had warned inflation would come. We gave everyone five coppers a week, but selling services and products to the 'government' adds more coins into circulation.

At least essentials like food and medicine were price-controlled. Fish stayed cheap, and Anika didn’t raise her prices, even with high demand for her elixirs. Firecracker berry tea, which should’ve been more expensive, was either given freely or sold cheap, and the farmers were grafting more bushes to prepare for future trade and our village’s needs.

After finishing my initial check on Slate and my room, I moved to the next task on my list: checking in on Cass.

Cass, who had grown noticeably taller in the past forty days, was now rummaging through a steaming pile of clams in Orion's cast-iron Dutch oven. Orion had opted for the lighter copper wok, leaving the heavy pot behind.

I noticed two small wild boars were being skinned by Gladys, who had swapped her old flight attendant uniform for a leather smock over a flax tunic. Her short brown hair, once neatly tied in a bun, now hung loosely over her shoulder, though her calm, patient demeanor—honed from years of managing passengers—remained unchanged.

On the table in front of Cass, I saw two copper coins resting on the plank mess table beside his meal.

“Wow, Cass, did you hunt those boars by yourself?” I asked, walking over to inspect them. One of the boars looked like it had been shot in the head with a bullet.

“Someone has to put food on the table,” Cass said, imitating Orion’s dark voice, which made me laugh.

“You’ve gotten pretty good with that sling, huh?” I teased, messing up his long flaxen hair, which he quickly straightened with a look of annoyance. “I don’t think Orion would be thrilled with you hunting boar, though. They can be dangerous.”

I’m really going to have to cut his hair, too.

“He said it was okay,” Cass replied, casually picking another piece of clam meat with a bone skewer.

I didn’t want to pry too much. I knew Cass had gone into the dungeon, and it was odd that Orion would allow that unless Cass had a class. Both of them were keeping it a secret for some reason.

“Do you miss your brother?” I asked. Cass snorted like I’d said something funny.

“He’s only been gone for a day,” Cass said, wiping his mouth with his forearm before sipping some water.

“Aren’t you worried about him?” I wondered, sitting down beside Cass and grabbing one of his clams. He shot me another annoyed look before I grinned. “Sorry, Mayor Tax.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“I’m more worried for the people they’ll run into,” Cass said, pushing the Dutch oven towards me, signaling he was done.

I sighed and sucked out some clam juice from the shell before discarding it. “You’re lucky you have your older brother here. I wish mine were here too. At least for a little bit…”

“You’re the youngest?” Cass asked, and I realized we had that in common.

“Yeah,” I sighed. Thinking about my family always brought on a wave of sadness. I had to shake it off or I wouldn’t be able to focus for the rest of the day. “My brother would probably get along with Orion. They’re both super intense. Gareth’s a lawyer.”

I tried to remember my family’s faces, but they were fading. Don’t forget their faces, Bianca.

I didn’t have a single picture of them. Just one picture... I could deal with being alone… sometimes… but forgetting their faces? That I couldn’t handle.

Cass, ignoring the dark cloud over me, beamed. “You can join our family. We’ll adopt you. Orion and I always wanted a little sister.”

“Younger?” I laughed.

“I was here first. Orion spawned second, and you’re third. You’re the youngest of the Sterling siblings, and I’m the oldest,” Cass said, proudly thumbing his chest.

He has a point, in a way. I just laughed, which annoyed him. Before I could say more, he scampered off, his sling already in hand.

I finished the last of the clams, savoring the broth. It was nice eating something other than fish for once. My afternoon was all set—I planned to make myself a pillow. A small luxury, but one I'd been missing. The idea of it made me feel a little lighter.

But just as I was lost in thought, thinking about how to make my room more like my own, Sasha, Cade, and Alex approached with an air of urgency. They slid onto the stools at my picnic table, each one wearing a serious look.

“Bianca, we’ve got a situation,” Cade said, out of breath.

My mind jumped to the worst-case scenario: something in the dungeon? More raiders? A wandering monster?

“We have a thief,” Sasha growled through gritted teeth.

“Whoa, calm down. What's going on?” I asked.

“Somebody stole Sasha’s coppers,” Alex said, and it was the angriest I’d ever seen him.

“Her coins? Are you sure?” Disbelief colored my voice. I couldn't believe anyone here would steal—everyone seemed so trustworthy.

“Yeah, I’m sure. My coin pouch is empty. I saved up eleven coppers. All that’s left are the ones you gave me yesterday for the dungeon run,” Sasha explained. She looked like she’d had a rough night—her black hair was frizzier than usual, and her copper-toned skin glistened with sweat as if she’d just finished running laps around the village.

“I don’t know…” I shook my head, struggling to accept it. The whole situation made me uncomfortable. “Why would anyone steal from someone else? I know how much money I distribute. Sophie and James could easily audit to check how much everyone has earned. It just doesn’t add up.”

“Are you calling me a liar, Bianca?” Sasha snapped, her fists clenching like she was ready to throw punches. “My momma didn’t raise no liar! Someone took my money!”

"Okay, okay, I believe you," I said, cutting in before things escalated. "I just… It doesn’t make sense…"

“I asked around, and Herman and Vesper are missing coins, too,” Cade added.

“What? Oh no…” I rubbed my temples, feeling the onset of a headache. Why would anyone do this? “I can reimburse you guys. I have some coins stashed away.”

“I don’t want your charity. I want my money back, and I want to find whoever did this and beat the living crap out of them!” Sasha demanded.

“Do you guys have any idea who it could be?” I asked again, trying to make sense of the situation. “I just can’t picture anyone here doing it.”

Alex suddenly perked up, smashing his fist into his palm. “I know. A thief did it!”

Cade and Sasha facepalmed in unison, but I was willing to hear Alex out. “Wait, what do you mean, Alex?”

“A person with a Thief class. They’re probably trying to level up by stealing stuff.” Alex said confidently.

“Hmm… If it’s a Thief class, it’s got to be someone without a class yet,” I pondered.

“I think it’s obvious who it is,” Cade said. “It’s Super Nine.”

Super Nine—Felix, as was his real name—was one of the later arrivals to our village. I recall feeling a bit uneasy when he seemed overly familiar during the introductory tour. Despite my reservations, I assigned him to assist Herman after we lost Clark. His striking appearance, with vibrant tattoos and blue and green dreads, was difficult to ignore. The 9mm inked down his arms stood out against his fair skin, among a bevy of other bright tattoos. Still, I didn’t want to think he was a thief just because he looked a little... colorful.

“I don’t want to jump to conclusions. Aren’t we kind of judging a book by its cover?” I asked, hesitating.

“It’s him,” Cade insisted. “Herman and Vesper both work with him and they had their coins jacked, and I saw him hitting on Sasha recently. Trust me, Bianca. I know these guys. It’s him.”

“We can’t act without proof. What do you suggest?” I asked.

“Let me check his possessions. I’ll trail him and keep an eye out,” Cade offered.

Ugh… This was how it started. I didn’t want to turn this place into a police state, but I couldn’t ignore Cade’s background as a police cadet and his class as a Guard probably gave him some insight, right? I sighed. If Super had nothing to hide, it shouldn’t be a big deal, but, God, what kind of reason was that for violating someone’s rights? I closed my eyes for a moment, then nodded approval for Cade to begin his investigation.

Just as we were about to wrap up the conversation, Anika rushed over, holding up an empty coin pouch. “Someone stole my coins.”

I filled her in on the details, and soon after, I found myself in a familiar spot on the high cliffs overlooking the village. More buildings were popping up, and I spotted Marek’s house between the farms and Shelter 3. Slate was busy laying planks to finish another room in the hostel.

We don’t have any formal laws yet because I hadn’t thought we needed them. Most things were just common sense. But theft? Theft would have to be dealt with. A thief was hiding somewhere out there, and soon I’ll have to deliver judgment.