Secrets | TMR | One

0:6

"Right" Alby starts, throwing his pencil down on the floor and throwing himself backwards until his shoulder blades collide with the wooden wall, "I think we did it."

Nick sits with his knees bent, his ankles crossed with his feet resting under his thighs. His shoulders are hunched over, his elbows rest on the sides of his thighs while he nibbles on his thumb nail. "Should we go over it again?" he asks.

"Absolutely not" Alby exclaims, "we've gone over it five times already!"

The two leaders had taken Adelines comments about work into account. Deciding that things would, in fact, run smoother if everybody had their own job.

That is why they find themselves sitting on the wooden floor in the front room of the Homestead, with pieces of paper strewn on the ground all around them. The pair are utterly exhausted after re-reading and restructuring their plans over and over again.

Neither of them can be bothered to continue, and choose at that point that there is no way to make it any better.

Just as they are about to pack everything up, a small knock on the door causes both boys to glance up, but they do not get a chance to stand up and answer before it gradually swings open.

A small face pops through the gap, surrounded by a large mound of thick auburn curly hair, similar to that of a birds nest.

"Hey, quine" Alby greets with a welcoming smile.

"Hiya, loon" she replies back, returning his smile with a bright one of her own. "Can I come in?"

Alby glances to Nick, who says nothing. Instead, he merely waves his hand back and forth as he motions for her to enter.

Adeline wraps her right hand around the corner of the door, using it to push it open, then spinning around and gently closing it behind her. "What are you guys doing?" she questions, turning her body back to face the boys. She takes a few short steps towards them before crossing her ankles and lowering herself onto the floor next to Alby.

"Jobs" Alby responds, not looking up to her as he does so, "thought we'd take your advice."

"Mind if I have a look?"

"Yea" Nick agrees, nodding his head as he uses his fingers to rub the bridge of his nose.

Adeline picks up the various sheets of paper that are laid out across the floor, looking over every sheet individually. "Is this all you have?"

Alby pushes himself away from the wall, his shoulders hunching slightly as he clasps his hands together. "What do you mean?"

"Well," the girl starts, not tearing her eyes away from the pages as she picks them apart, "for starters, all you have are cooks, builders and gardeners."

"Right?" Nick questions from his side of the room.

"Right" Adeline repeats, glancing up to him, "and who's going to kill the animals for food?"

"The cooks?" Alby says, although it comes out as more of a question than a statement.

Adeline takes a sheet of paper, twisting it around and using her fingers to point to one of the names on the list. "You have George as a cook" she states, "George is the youngest one here... you think he'll want to kill animals? No." Shaking her head and drawing the page back, she continues, "you'll have to have that as a separate job."

Furrowing her brows, Adeline proceeds with scanning each sheet of paper until she finds another fault. "What if someone gets hurt? Who's going to look after them?" she questions, looking back up to the two boys, "you don't have a job for that. You're also going to need-"