Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,42

murmured. “You look much better now that you’re off that train.” She appeared a couple of years older than me, but her green eyes sparkled with youth and promise. She had long, blonde, hair and curves that put me to shame. Now that I could adequately assess her, I noticed that she was beautiful.

She eagerly guided me over to Kemp’s office and chatted on about her new life here in the Dormas province. “The dorms here are so nice, and the food is much better than anything I had in the Walker Zones,” she gushed. “Have you already been assigned a residence? Master Kemper told us that, eventually, we all would own our cabin. Isn’t that amazing?” She sighed.

“I’m living in the Black home,” I answered truthfully. “I was hired to make their meals and clean for them, but I’m also working at the bakery.”

The blonde’s eyes widened at me. “You’re in the Black Household. Oh, what an honor!!!” Her loud voice rang throughout the hall, causing me to flinch. “What I wouldn’t give to live under the same roof as Cyler.” She started fanning herself. “That man is a work of art. I have to stop myself from staring when he visits the Dormitories.”

I grinned in agreement; he was very nice to look at. I might be forcing myself to feel sisterly towards them, but that didn’t mean I was blind to their attractiveness.

“Almost every woman here has pursued him.” She giggled.

That statement caused an uncomfortable sensation to drop in the pit of my stomach. I knew that being jealous was unreasonable, but it still made me angry.

We knocked on the door, and Kemp’s light voice welcomed us inside. “Oh! Thank you, Becca, for bringing Ashleigh to me.” I looked over, and she beamed with appreciation at his kind compliment.

“You are most welcome. Enjoy your lunch,” she cooed while practically drooling over Kemp’s desk. I fought a scowl that wanted to take up residence on my face permanently.

“Well . . .” I said while she closed the door. “This is amazing, Kemp. Did you design the dorms? Everyone seems so happy here.”

He blushed at my compliment then stood up. “Would you like a quick tour? I can show you around, then we can have our picnic in the apple orchards.”

I nodded my head yes, and we made our way around the building. Each room was carefully crafted to be comfortable and versatile. Walkers openly gawked at Kemp as we walked along, explaining the purpose of the different areas to me.

“Eventually we plan to make this our schoolhouse, once populations increase, of course,” he said with pride.

“That's amazing.” I looked around and appreciated all the work that went into it.

“Did you design the building?” I asked, realizing he’d never answered when I had asked before.

“Yep. Designed and helped build. It took all of us to get it done before the rainy season.”

We made our way outside, and the smell of apples filled my nose. It was sweet and fresh. I wanted to bottle it up and walk around with it forever. I pulled a blanket out of my basket and laid it down on the dirt. We both sat down, and I pulled out the various food items I made for us. Fruit, meats, and cheese covered every square inch of the blanket. For a moment, I wondered if I went overboard, but seeing Kemp’s appreciative gaze made my effort worth it.

We ate and maintained a pleasant conversation. Kemp continued to tell me about his next building project, and then he surprised me by asking if I was interested in having a home to myself.

“Oh. Uh, sure! I’ll be grateful for whatever I am given.” I tried not to let disappointment overcome me, but I couldn’t help but feel unwanted.

“Okay! Well, when we get back to the office, you can look at the different plans and decide on a layout you’d like. The cabins we designate for everyone aren’t anything overly fancy. But, it’s a space for you.”

“That's . . .that’s very, uh, nice of you.” Truthfully, it was nice. Most walkers couldn’t even dream of being given a permanent, sturdy, home. But still, in my short time here, I had grown accustomed to living at the Black residence. I enjoyed it. I remembered Becca’s revelation about the Walker women pursuing them, and it then made sense why they would want me out of the way. Soon, they all would have their wives to care for them.

“Where are you building