With the girls back in school, her citizenship secured and her school credentials acquired, Ravela’s life became highly streamlined.
She was a bit sore about the fact that she didn’t get a perfect high school diploma. Her grades were mainly in the A category except for the few C’s and B’s where she had learned about this world from scratch, but overall, it was nothing to be ashamed of.
The incident with the game had left a mark on her, and while she tried not to become paranoid she had begun to take precautions. Not being able to carry her big chunks of crystal with her was a given, but since Ravela had learned that there was common jewelry carrying this invaluable resource, she decided that having a small golden necklace in her pocket as an emergency battery may save her life one day. Not that she had recharged yet. She recently noticed that she slept better while not loaded to the gills with energy, and she wished to drag out the peaceful nights for a while longer.
Ravela shook her head. After all, how often could a small town detonate in one year?
She got to meet the owners of the property in Core Valley and learned that due to the passing of the man of the household and the debt he left behind a mother and her teenage son are forced to sell their home.
It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was unavoidable to stave off financial ruin. Ravela offered to buy the entire property, and having done the research beforehand, she offered to pay more than the current land price. What she hadn’t known before were some details that called for separate consideration. For one, the house and barn were distinct points, and the barn came with a value. Certain rights were also tied to the property that shouldn’t be neglected to garner favorable terms.
And thus began almost two months of negotiations. While the widow wished to sell her home, Ravela understood that she was negotiating for her family's future, and would bring into the sale whatever she could to help them recover. Ravela didn’t want to screw her over and move into Core Valley as a scumbag ruining a widow and her teenage son. So she was generous but firm.
Cormella Beck signed the final document on the 27th of December after Ravela agreed that she would give them a hand in moving out. Which consisted of Ravela hiring a truck, a driver, and seven strong willing workers for ten days, and telling them that Mrs. Beck would be in charge. And of course the immediate transfer of the money the day after they changed the title.
They agreed to meet the next day for the official change of the title and she would hand over the money as promised. She also promised to escort her to her bank across the street.
Ravela walked down the path that connected the house to the main road back to Leroy Mulage. The man leaning against the hood of his learner’s car exuded confidence.
“I assume the purchase is finally complete?” He greeted his latest learner back.
Ravela nodded. “Almost, all papers signed, all documents notarized, and all the deeds will finally be in my name tomorrow. Leroy, you’re standing on my very own land.” She spread her arms and turned back to the old farmhouse with a big barn, two adjacent fields, and its very own little forest. She put her hands up thumbs and index fingers forming a frame. “Oh, I can already see me living here.”
“Well, every man should have a place to call home. Be that as it may, we still have that highway ride that needs to be finished.” Leroy said while walking back to the passenger side.
Ravela laughed, weighing the folder with all her documents in her hand, and got back into the driver’s seat. She handed over the folder to Leroy, and for the next two hours was on her best driving behavior.
The property she bought had cost her a lot more than she had anticipated, but it came together with water rights, and the right to manage her forest as she saw fit.
On the downside, the house had no electricity or modern plumbing yet. Some serious renovations had to be made. Ravela shuddered at the current state, but the family that sold the property had been plagued by hard times. Which was exactly why the innovations of modernity had passed this home by.
She followed Leroy’s instruction and pulled into a rest stop by the side of the highway.
“Pull in here, backward parallel parking, please,” She was instructed.
Ravela obliged, signaling as she had been taught, checking her mirrors, and the dead angle before slowly moving the car into the parking spot her instructor had selected. She turned back the wheel, put the car shift into the parking position, and pulled up the handbrake.
Leroy nodded and looked over his shoulder before opening the door and looking down at the curb. “Not bad, not bad. It could still be closer to the curb, but it is within the right range. We might just get you ready before you start in the academy.”
“That would be just perfect.” Ravela grinned from ear to ear.
Things had been going extremely well this last month of the year. Her path had been obstacle free. Soon she would start working on her new home. For some reason, her mind went to the outhouse she had seen behind the house and she nearly gagged at the thought.
She decided she didn’t have to do all the work herself.
“Alright, I believe that concludes the parking. I will go to the restroom, and afterward, we’ll drive back to Gradjia.”
Ravela glanced through the side mirror. A black car with tinted windows drove by slowly. Her eyes narrowed. She had noticed this car a few times before, parked around Gradjia or suspiciously driving the same roads as her to the same stops. The tint of the windows couldn’t hide the facial tattoos of the two occupants from her eyes.
‘I will build a wall around my property. And once I get some free time, I’m gonna come for your little club of sleazeballs, just you wait.’
She wasn’t afraid of them. They were just there to annoy and intimidate her for a while. ‘And if they tried anything they would regret it from their wheelchairs.’
Ravela noted that the annoyance bit seemed to work since she began to itch for a fight. An emotion that had been till now surprisingly absent. She would have to keep herself in check when she started unraveling their organization.
A loud bang rang out, and Ravela twitched in her seat an invisible shield formed around her. The air looks just the tiniest bit distorted. A tiny yellow car that looked rusty and dusty pulled out of a parking spot. Its motor wheezing and rumbling sounded loud and shabby like the car was fighting for its life with every ignition. Like some things inside were moving that shouldn’t. Ravela was shocked at her jumpiness. Maybe the events and the constant shadows left more of a mark than she was willing to admit.
The steering wheel was still attached to its socket, so things weren’t too bad. But if a simple engine backfire could make her jump in her seat and use her powers, she didn’t consider it reasonable.
She turned on the radio trying to relax. The timing was sadly a bit off as the music ended moments after Ravela turned on the radio.
“And now over to Hiro Maho with the news.” The radio host passed on the ball to his co-host.
“Thanks, brother.”
“Today The Tribune reported on a letter recently sent by our president to one very surprised music critic. Not being fond of his daughter's performance raised our president's ire and he saw fit to write a scathing opinion on the critic’s opinion.
Two factories are changing ownership. These plants had been in the same families' hands in the fourth generation, but now they’ve been sold and workers are worried about the change in the executive chair. Many decry the march of conglomerates through the nation. The new management is supposed to arrive at the locations any day now. This might become a sad new year for many of our audience.
There was another midday shootout. This time preceding the hail of bullets a new stage of escalation reached Pliada City when a jeweler got blown up by a package left there by a would-be customer. This would have been terrible enough already, but when the young daughter of the owner noticed the forgotten package and ran after the man. A witness told us of the horrific moment when the girl, only just turned fourteen a month prior, vanished in the explosion right in the front door while calling out to her murderer. Neighbors and family are outraged, and a distraught father is caught in a new round of these mafia wars. The shootout started just after the explosion and came with an additional toll of three bystanders and two responding police officers.
Crime is still rampant in Pliada City, but this newest escalation seems to trouble the police. The mayor had, like always, no comment on the matter.
Some lighter news, over in Africa an artifact of great significance has been stolen under the cover of night. The old coronation throne of Dahomey was robbed. The seemingly impossible heist was discovered in the morning. The police are frantic to find out who would have this massive old stone chair. With a weight of 240kg, it seemed like an impossible feat and rightly left the Royal Museum of his Majesty with egg on its face.
And that concludes the news portion. The weather forecast: Expect heavy snow in the coming days and prepare for the new year. Shops will be closed for five days at the very least and with the weather coming be sure to use these last two days to stock up properly.
With that back to you, Ronny.”
“Thanks, Hiro. This next song was requested by one of our listeners…”
The car door opened, and Leroy got back in. Ravela shut off the radio since Leroy didn’t like it jingling while he taught lessons.
“Goodness, Ramiel. You look tense,” Leroy said returning from his bathroom break. “Are you good to drive?”
Ravela nodded. Relaxing wasn’t easy but she had calmed down a bit after turning on the radio. It wasn’t enough for Leroy not to notice. “Sure, give me a minute. There was an engine that backfired a moment ago. Still a bit tense about loud bangs.”
Leroy nodded. “That is understandable. Many still feel the aftereffects of that day. Can’t say I’ve been too fond of this summer break.”
It took Ravela a moment longer to relax fully. “Okay, I am good to drive.”
Leroy put on his seatbelt. “Then let’s drive back to Gradjia. There should be an off-ramp in about ten kilometers. From there we can neatly get on a road back home.”
Ravela released the handbrake and started the car. Indicated, checked her mirrors and dead angels, and off they went.
It took a good while before they made it back to Gradjia. Leroy dropped Ravela off in the town center leaving her with the words, “Same time on Monday, Ramiel. Don’t forget to bring the money for the lesson.”
Ravela laughed and said her goodbyes with, “I would never. Have a wonderful weekend.”
A short time later she was back in Ma Stone’s house. Ravela sat down in her room. Having the exact plans of the buildings and property with measurements together with a general idea of the state of the house, Ravela had begun planning renovations.
So far she had only planned on the renovations she wanted to do roughly. But now she began writing down in detail all the materials needed. Calculations on rebar, cement, and steel bars for her hideout. She would have her playground hidden from the world.
She had spent a lot of money on the acquisition alone. She would spend a lot more money before calling this her home. Looking into her bag of cash, Ravela realized she would spend much of her money on this project. Making herself a promise, not to acquire any more money through shady or gray means from now on.
Doing the math on her current funds, Ravela felt the pain of spending. 180,000 dollars for the property house and barn. She had paid over the market price by a good margin to ensure the family forced to sell their ancestral seat wouldn’t hold a grudge against her.
That means she only had 660,000 bucks left to wall off her property and renovate the house and build herself a hideout. She would have to get quotes on materials and labor. But she didn’t expect to pay less than 50,000 for the wall. She would build the hideout and fix the house by herself. She would need lots of equipment and materials for that. She would also need a car. One to transport equipment, and one car to drive into town.
Ravela wondered and kept planning for the rest of the day. Electronics, electric cables, space for pipes, raw material for a generator, designs for tools she would have to build herself, all things she kept adding to her ever-growing list.
She got excited the more detailed the plans became. An idea crossed her mind. Using the wood from the forest on her property might be a way to make renovating the house cheaper. Ravela didn’t mind thinning it out for her use.
The earthwork she would have to do on her project would be extensive. This wasn’t a project she would finish quickly. She balanced her pen on her upper lip humming and hawing while new ideas got incorporated into her future home. Her thoughts kept drifting. Spinning her deputy star on the desk, she thought about the upcoming time in the police academy. Sheriff Thorn had made it clear to her that she got the star as a learner and was to wear it only inside the sheriff’s office when they would drill her on the paperwork.
Laena Stone sat in the classroom trying to ignore Safora poking her side.
“Ksst, stop that,” she whispered, “we’ll talk during the break.”
Her friend wasn’t easily deterred and kept pestering her. In truth, Laena knew her too well. Safora was probably just bored out of her mind and thought squeezing Laena for a reaction was more entertaining than anything she could doodle and scribble in her notebook could ever be.
“Cut that out.” Laena finally flicked her friend's nose when the teacher wasn’t looking. She knew full well that Safora was barely feeling the flick just as she barely noticed her friends pestering. Still, there was a satisfaction to pestering back that made Laena grin.
This went on like that for some time. Music class was relatively dry and as a recreational activity class the grading didn’t endanger their overall grades, not that they were failing. They were just very lax in their attitude.
Troy Han on the bench in front of them thought differently though. Music was his life and their bickering cut into his enjoyment of the class.
“Can you two cut that out? This is my favorite class.” He complained over his shoulder.
Safora pursed her lip in a pout. “Don’t ask me. Ask my friend, she is the villain. She started it.”
Troy turned his head, his ears glowing red. He had a thing for her friend, Laena thought while she turned her head mouth agape, aggrieved by her friend’s slanderous, shameless lie.
While she stared daggers at her friend, Safora made a crosseyed and overall silly face. Laena laughed and Troy Han appealed to them again, “Come on, girls.”
Moments later they all three stood together in the hallway. Safora happily glowed, and Laena and Troy had faces that spoke volumes about being played by Safora to get out of class and not have to be on her own.
“Come on, you guys. We are to report to the principal’s office on this most serious of matters.” Safora practically danced down the hallway. Skipping and humming.
Laena looked over at Troy. “How is your arm?”
Troy sighed but smiled, “The Doc says I will be rid of the cast in a month and so far everything is healing well. Thanks for asking.”
While the two talked, Safora walking upfront had a sly grin on her face. Laena didn’t even know that Troy Han had a big crush on her, but she should be thankful that Safora was such a diligent and good friend. Arranging for the two to get some time to talk.
She hummed a happy tune from the newest album her parents wished she didn’t listen to. She could break out in dance and song if not for the fact that she listened in on the two getting along. She could almost feel her ears wiggling and growing.
