Kate Rosewood's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

The morning after they signed the lease, Kate stood in the empty house and stared at the sagging floor. A board groaned under her boot. The walls had cracks wide enough to slide a hand through. She had a building and no coin to fix it. Guests would laugh at a place like this. "We could sell my earrings," Veronica said. She unhooked one gold drop and weighed it in her palm. "It won't fix the floors. But it's something." Kate shook her head. "You already gave everything. I won't take that too." She pushed open the back door for air and stepped into the tangled yard. Then she stopped. A tree stood against the fence. Its branches sagged, but not with fruit. Coins hung from every twig. Silver and gold caught the sun and shone. Kate blinked twice, sure her tired eyes lied. She reached up and plucked a gold coin. It was real. Heavy. Cold in her hand. "Veronica," she called. Her voice cracked. "Come see this." Veronica came, stopped, and dropped her earring in the dirt. "That's—that's a whole fortune growing on a stick." She grabbed a branch and shook. Coins rained down and rang against the stones. They laughed and scooped them into Veronica's empty pouch until it bulged. "We can fix the floors," Kate said. "The walls. Beds. Curtains. Everything." She spun once, dizzy with it. Her broken house suddenly had a future. A small sound stopped her. By the fence, half hidden, a girl watched them. She was thin, barefoot, and wore scraps of clothing too small for her. Dirt streaked her arms. She was young, too young to be alone, and beautiful under the grime. She stared at the coins with hungry eyes, ready to run. "Wait," Kate said softly. She crouched. "You hungry?" The girl nodded. "I saw the tree three days ago," she whispered. "I was too scared to touch it. I thought someone would catch me." "Nobody's going to catch you." Kate held out a coin. The girl didn't take it. She looked at Kate's face instead, like she wanted something worth more than gold. "Do you need work?" the girl asked. "I'll do anything. I don't have anywhere." Kate looked at Veronica. Veronica shrugged and smiled. "We do have a big empty house to fill." "What's your name?" Kate asked. "Stacy. Stacy Winters." Kate stood and brushed off her dress. "Stacy, you'll eat tonight. And you'll have a roof." She pressed the coin into the girl's hand and folded her fingers over it. By dusk the pouch was full and the plan was clear. Kate had coin now, enough to raise the house from a wreck to a wonder. She had Veronica beside her and a new girl under her roof. The floors would hold. The walls would rise. But a house full of people meant new mouths, new needs, and new eyes watching where such easy gold came from.