Angel pressed her palms against the worn wooden desk and studied the empty room. Dust motes drifted through the afternoon light. She wanted to build something here in Fenif—a childcare academy families would trust across the entire region. The walls needed paint. The floors needed work. But she could see it: children laughing, parents smiling, a place that mattered. She pulled out her notebook and wrote down the first three things she needed to do. The old country schoolhouse had caught her eye three weeks ago. Its wooden frame sagged in places, and the porch steps creaked under her weight. But the bones were good. The hand-crafted beams still held strong. She walked to the window and traced her finger along the glass. Outside, the empty yard stretched wide enough for swings and a garden. This place could work. She flipped to a new page in her notebook and wrote a name at the top—the name her academy would carry. Angel circled it twice, then grabbed her coat. Tomorrow she would start making calls. She locked the door behind her and walked toward the town square. The afternoon air felt cool against her face. Near the fountain, she spotted a terracotta horse statue with a bench beside it. Parents sat there watching their children play. This was where she needed to be—where families gathered. Angel sat down and smoothed her blazer. A mother pushed a stroller past, and Angel smiled. She would start conversations here, learn what parents wanted, what they worried about. She opened her notebook and began writing questions. The next morning, Angel stood in the schoolhouse yard with a carpenter. She pointed to the empty space near the back fence. Children needed somewhere to climb and imagine and build strength. The carpenter nodded and showed her sketches of a wooden playground shaped like a pirate ship. Bold colors, rope ladders, a wheel at the helm. Angel could picture kids running across the deck, calling out to each other, learning through play. She shook his hand and signed the contract. Her academy was taking shape, one piece at a time.