Tok conked out on me as the last of the gray faded from the sky and for just a moment it seemed to flash with a white light before the whole sky turned the palest of pink. Which is apparently what passes for dawn now.

After the Hazak slowly leaned forward to the point of nearly falling over, I shook her awake and send her off to find her bed for the morning. She sleepily promised that she would "Get someone out to release you."

A good twenty minutes or so later a exhausted looking Indian man in cargo shorts, a loud Hawaiian shirt and sandals came out the front doors, yawning, and carrying a battered old metal colander full of a mix of various fruit.

He blinked at me with a confused look through his round framed glasses. "Am I supposed to be out here?"

I got up and held out my hand. "Yep. I 'm Sean. Sanctuary." He rocked back a little as he got the information from the Rite."

"Ah? Yes, Vish Patel. I'm supposed to be greeting people?"

I nodded at him. "Yes, just hang out with one of the Verco so anyone checking the place out knows all kinds of people, human or otherwise, are welcome. Also we should have a group of children from Brazil coming this way at some point this morning."

Looking around I didn't see any sign of the cloud like being called Petal and decided either it had already left to find them, or needed the rest. "You may see a pinkish red cloud floating around, she's with us. If you see a sea serpent peeking at you from the water, try to get a picture."

With that I made my way upstairs to find my bed still warm from the last person who had been sleeping in it, and a white kitchen trash bag with, "Sean M, Sheets to hit the fan." written on it in black in Chloe's handwriting.

After making the bed, and opening a window for some air, I passed out for a few hours.

Right up until I heard the shouting.

By the clock, I figured I had gotten just over four hours of sleep. As I laid there I could hear that the shouting was more of some kind of argument, rather then people shouting in fear, so screw it. Let the Abb or someone else sort it out, I might only have the bed for another three hours.

Alas it was not to be. Someone always has to talk to the manager. Or the Rector I guess.

I had managed to drift away to a state of drowsy relaxation, still aware of the bed, my sheets, and the pillow. But not awake enough to start thinking about anything. So of course that's when someone started kicking the bed.

"Wake up caretaker. Stop sleeping."

What? No, no thinking about anything. That way lies waking up. Bad, snuggle into cold, wet pillow.

"Don't make me kick you."

Wet? Oh, great. I lying in a pool of drool. At least I know what little extra sleep I had gotten, had been a good, deep, sleep. I glanced at the clock. I had gotten at least a hour or so on top on the four hours I had gotten the first time.

I rolled over to give Rill a sharp look, good enough of one to make her step back out of my reach and bring the edge of her cloak thingy around to conceal what ever she was doing with her other arm.

"Is someone bleeding?"

She tilted her head at me. "Three of mine from the fight, and a injured human. But they have been treated so the bleeding is under control."

Oh. Guess the bus people made it in them. "Glad to hear it. But what I meant was, is someone life in danger that I needed to be urgently woken up? With the point being, anything lest then that wasn't good enough of a reason to wake me up."

She tilted her head to the other side. "I am tired of listening to the human whining and arguing, even if my grandfather loves it. He calls them teaching moments. You are the one entrusted with this place, and human. They must listen to you."

She tossed a package of toaster pastries at me, which I let hit me in the chest and fall down on my sheet while I continued to stare at her with still blurry eyes. "Eat and wash the stink off of you. Then come tell the humans how it will be."

With that she turned and headed down the stairs, pausing just before her head would have sunk down out of sight to glare at me through the open bedroom door until I stood up. Then she looked me up and and down as I stood there in my boxers. Made a disgusted sound, and stomped down the stairs until she was out of sight.

I glanced at the pastries, then stuck them in the back of my underwear drawer. Deciding that with only what we gotten from, or was still in, the dollar store as being the entire supply of sweetened goop filled crust, at least for the foreseeable future, I was going to save them as a treat for latter. Right now I still had some ham lunchmeat, individually wrapped slices of cheese and some pita bread in my mini fridge that was only going to last so long, and might get snagged by somebody else if I didn't get to it first.

I ended up scarfing down two sandwiches before hitting the bathroom. Washing off the funk in water that so hot, I actually had to turn the cold tap on a bit instead of just the hot tap. It felt good. Before I had to go with just the hot tap to get some reasonable warm water from the broiler. "Thanks Tok."

I filched as I heard her voice from outside the shower curtain. "I am glad my work has pleased you Sean."

"Ah Tok, why are you in my bathroom?"

She sounded confused. "It is the only place with a shower, and we have many people. I plan on setting up something else downstairs so everyone does not have to come up here. It would disturb people trying to sleep."

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Which seemed like a good plan, and I told her so. Then I circled around to the standing outside my shower part. "Tok, you are a girl now."

Again, a confused tone. "Yes?"

Right, she seemed to require a degree of bluntness. "So you can't be in the same room as me when I showering or changing cloths, because I a guy, and you aren't anymore."

There was a pause. "Is this a human thing?"

"Yes"

"Then how do you have sex?"

I parsed that one out. "I'm guessing the same way you do, but you kind of have a clear idea it's going to happen, and it's a agreement that two people are going to have naked time together. Same thing when it's medical situation and one person has to get naked to get treated. But two people of opposites gender usually give each other some privacy."

"Oh. Weird. So I should wait in another room, or do I need to head downstairs?"

It's too early for this, or any other conversation. "Just wait outside until I come out, then we can switch rooms. Then I can get dressed and you can take your shower. With the doors shut."

Cohabiting with other species. What fun.

I got out of the shower with a towel on, walked across the main room to the bedroom and along the way got a strange look from Tok as she stared at my chest before she shrugged and headed into the bathroom. Remembering to shut the door behind her.

Not sure what was up with that, it's not like I got a lot of chest hair. Maybe it was the tattoo of a Celtic cross over my heart?

Downstairs I could hear voices carrying on a argument as I slipped through the vestry, which show signs of people having camped out on the floor. Including a lot of book bags. Then I crept up to the door to the nave.

All the Verco, and the Hazak Shom, had gathered up one side of the church, with the Patels, the Brazilian school teacher Sofia on the other side. Along with twenty or so of the last people I had ever wanted to see... teenagers.

I had heard her say children, so I had thought kids, elementary, maybe tweens, but not a whole pack of surly, snotty, teens.

One of them spotted me, nudged one of the older girls who stood up and started yelling at me. "It's about time!"

Some of the other brats turned to me and started to start in, but no. Not happening.

Chloe and the pup had been standing in front of the alter, putting them in between the two groups. I headed that way, ignoring the shouts and demands as I slapped my hand down on the alter. "Status."

Saint Kentigern, all two feet of him, or at least what was passing for him that I had to work with. Appeared floating up in the air high enough to put him at eye level with me.

"Rejoice Rector. You numbers have risen to fifty inhabitants on your holy ground. Which puts you up to halfway to rising the sanctity level to a three. You also now have a heating system for your hot water tank, and a working stove. Truly we are blessed."

I nodded. "That's great Kent. Tok says she's going to work on setting up some more showers downstairs. And it shouldn't be much of a problem to get the furnace working if it starts to get cold at some point. Is that going to be a concern?"

The mock saint nodded. "Most of the worlds people came from had seasonable variations. So the Context, should, have some kind of cold weather at some point. But it should be mild for most of it, with a short very cold period to fit everyone's needs without causing anyone persistent suffering."

I grimaced "So brief suffering is still going to be a thing."

Kent raised his hands helplessly. "Who can say? The Content does do somethings for reasons no one can figure out. Like the songs on the phones."

A hesitant voice finally called out. "What? Who is that?"

I turned to the teenage horde, who only now seemed to transitioning from surprise and confusion to their baseline surliness. "That the interface which provides the lights, power, water and makes the toilets flush. And I'm the guy whose classes make him exist. Which means I'm in charge."

I pointed to their teacher. "And she's in charge of all of you, so if you have anything to say, tell her and she will decided if it's important enough to bring to me."

Some of them started to object. But I quickly moved on before they could speak up. "Kent, any demon activity?"

Their were a few questioning remarks about demons from the brats. "I can only tell you there are no demons trying to cross the edge of the holy ground, and no one under their influence has passed through the border since we last spoke."

I quickly moved on to keep my momentum. "Rill? Any new arrivals?"

She seemed startled to get singled out, but managed to spit out. "No, not this morning. But I was thinking of going scouting, maybe sending out some others in different directions."

I slowly shook my head. "You probably know better then me if that's a good idea, but there's a group of Hazak out there that might be a danger. They're called Remnants and they're covered in hair, and have a deep hatred for anything manmade. Or anyone else made. They burned down..." I looked around. "The new guy's place..." And didn't see him anywhere.

Huh, maybe he left. Hope Tok hid the shotgun somewhere.

"So, like I said. They burned down a cabin that belonged to a human, which means they may go after anything and anyone. They even tried to make him strip off his cloths. I guess to burn them too. And since they aren't demons they can cross into the holy ground."

I had a thought. "Although they might be under the influence of one?"

The teens had become to look worried, with some even clutching at their bookbags. "Right. Next, food. Shom?"

The big Hazak. Well, bigger then the only other one I had met. Jumped a bit. "Yes? Oh food. Between the fruit and hunting the frogs we have enough to keep people's bellies full. But I don't think it would be a very good diet with those alone."

He gestured from down to the kitchen and over at the dollars store. "You had some food from your store house in the kitchen, much of which was new to me, but those are limited supplies."

I nodded in thought. "I got about half a bag of potatoes upstairs we can let sprout, and I think I saw a display of packets of seeds at the store. But those will take time to grow and we would want to save most of it to replant."

This apparently was enough of enough for the junior Karen of the teens. "Yeah! What was that, we tried to go in the store to get something to eat and Cowey." She pointed at Chloe. "Starting yelling at us like it was her store. It's abandoned, we should be able to take anything we want." She turned to look back and forth for support, and many of them stood up to agree with her. "Yeah." "It's not like it belongs to her." "We got money."

I pointed at her. "You don't have the Conch!" and then continued while they were still confused. "We will be rationing the junk food, and doing an inventory for everything else. Right now I'm worried about a bunch of crazy people who look like big foot coming around to burn the place down. Possibly with us in it.'

I stomped over to the leader of, or at least most annoying of, the teens. "So you, four of your friends, Tok, and a few of the Verco since they're armed. Are all going to head over to the store and pick out one piece of junk food and a drink each. Then you are going to go up to the belfry and keep a look out for anyone heading this way. So you can warn the rest of us."

I nodded at her, firmly, as if she already agreed. "Got it."

For a second she looked resentful and like she wanted to argue with me. Then she glanced at the assorted non humans staring at her from across the way. I whispered to her. "This is your chance to be in charge of at least some of the people here. That could put you in room when the decisions are made that effect your life. Take the opportunity while it's still being offered."

She abruptly turned away from me to face some of the teens standing around her. "Andre, Maria, Carlos and Bruna. Come with me. We're got a job, and we're getting paid in advance." She started for the doors. "The store gaurds with me, and who is Tok?

Huh, guess she's a real go getter. And more importantly out of my hair. For now at least.