A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,54

finding himself in what had to be the kitchen. He saw pot and pans, knives and cooking instruments stacked neatly along the far wall. There was a wooden island in the middle of the room, with a couple of wooden bowls on the top. Norlan passed by Jake and walked to island.

"Madalin! Cherise!" He called out, motioning Jake to join him. "Come meet our guest."

As Jake joined Norlan, he could see that beyond a dining table, the kitchen opened up into a living room. The room was lit with candles and decorated with some colorful banners and a couple of paintings. Next to a curtained window, a large brick fireplace took up one corner of the living room. There were a couple of high back chairs facing the fireplace, a small fire burning. At Norlan's voice, Jake saw a figure rise from each chair. One was a woman, the other a girl about twelve or thirteen.

As they approached, the woman gave Jake a welcoming smile. Jake thought she was attractive for an older woman, around five foot six, with wavy dark hair and light brown eyes. When she smiled, her face had a kind look that reminded Jake of his mother.

The girl had the same dark hair and brown eyes as the older woman, though she was a little taller. She was at that awkward stage in development, no longer a girl and not yet a woman. She was skinny, with long arms and legs, blushing and smiling shyly when she saw Jake looking at her.

"This is Jake, the young man Brother Jonas spoke of. He will be staying with us for a while." Norlan said, in way of introduction. He gestured towards the woman. "Jake, this is my wife, Madalin." He nodded at the girl. "This is our daughter, Cherise."

Madalin came up to Jake, reached up to touch his face and said. "Welcome, Jake. We are honored to have you as a guest."

"Thank you for your hospitality." Jake replied, remembering his manners, a little embarrassed at the attention.

"Hello, Jake!" Cherise said happily, her voice still a little high pitched.

"Jake, are you hungry?" Madalin asked. "I can fix you something, if you like."

"No, thank you, I had some stew at the Temple."

"If you change your mind, please let me know. Why don't we show you your room? You must be tired from all your travels." Madalin said, patting Jake on the arm.

She headed towards an opening on the opposite wall from the living room. There was a small hallway with an opening on each wall, both covered in a heavy red curtain, and a wooden door at the end.

"This is Norlan's and my room." She said, indicating the opening on the left. She gestured at the opening on the right. "This one is Cherise's." She continued to the end of the hall, opened the door and stepped out.

They exited out onto a paved patio area, covered with a roof. There were the two small buildings that Jake noticed when he arrived. The one on the left was smaller, only about eight by eight feet. It had a wooden door in the middle of the wall facing the patio. Norlan pointed to it and said. "That is for storage."

The one on the right was longer, maybe twelve feet long with a heavy blue curtain hanging inside the doorway. There was a small window set off the right of the doorway, curtains pulled back. Madalin walked over to the doorway and pulled the door curtain back, gesturing Jake inside.

When he stepped through, he saw that there was a single bed set up, running parallel with the back wall. A small dresser was next to the bed, pushed up against the wall, a pitcher, large bowl and cup sitting on top. Above it was a circle of highly polished metal, acting as a mirror. There was a small fireplace in the far corner, wood stacked neatly next to it. A stool sat in the other corner, a bundle of clothes sitting on top. The room was lit by several candles.

"This will be your room while you are here, Jake." Norlan said. He went over and patted the clothes. "I brought you these; I hope that they fit. You will need to wear the sandals or your own shoes until we can get you to the cobbler."

"Thank you. I'm sure they will be fine." Jake replied.

"Here, let me take your dirty clothes. I will make sure they are cleaned and repaired." Madalin said, holding