Natti Lancaster's Arc

Chapter 2 of 5

Natti needed money before anything else could happen. She sat at the kitchen table with a notebook and pencil, writing down every expense she could think of. Building materials for the school would cost the most. Then came tools, seeds, and soil for the greenhouse. Her pencil moved faster as the list grew longer. Insurance, permits, furniture for classrooms—it all added up to more than she'd ever seen in her life. She chewed the eraser and stared at the numbers. The dream was still real, but now she understood the gap between wanting something and making it happen. Tomorrow she'd visit the bank in Fort Orynth to ask about loans. Tonight, she'd figure out exactly what to say. The bank manager looked over her papers for a long time. Natti's tail flicked nervously as she waited in the stiff chair. Finally, he nodded and slid a folder across his desk. The loan was approved, but smaller than she'd hoped for. She'd have to build in stages instead of all at once. Walking back to the farm, she made a new plan. First things first—students needed a place to learn and access to good information. Everything else could wait. She started with the library and classroom building. The green brick and tan wood structure went up over six weeks. Natti worked alongside the builders, learning how walls were framed and roofs were sealed. Gold letters spelling out "Green Brick Agricultural Trade School and Library" were installed above the front door. Inside, she set up shelves for farming books and research guides. Students would study here before heading outside. Next came the bright green and yellow storage shed behind the main building. She organized rakes, hoes, and teaching supplies inside, labeling each section carefully. Instructors could grab what they needed for outdoor demonstrations without wasting time searching. The final piece was the water system. Natti watched workers install the steel tank, painted gun metal grey and light brown with red "Ivanpath" letters on the side. The filtration system would collect rainwater for student training activities. She tested the valve and watched clean water flow into a bucket. It worked. Three buildings stood on Lancaster Farm now, and her savings account was nearly empty. But when she looked at the library's front door and the organized shed and the full water tank, something tight in her chest loosened. The education center wasn't finished, but it had started. She'd learned to build, to budget, and to begin. That was enough for today.