“I’ll definitely consider that tonight, Jay,” Max replied.

  The sprites didn’t linger much longer at Michael’s house that night. They all knew they would be up early the next morning once again to go to the meeting house. Most of the sprites slept very well that night. Jay, however, slept restlessly.

  The following morning, the council woke all of the sprites up early and called everyone to the meeting house. Although Abbie knew Jay had to have been exhausted, he didn’t show it in front of everyone. Once all of the sprites had arrived, Kirby called the meeting to order.

  “Thank you all for coming back again this morning. I’m sorry that we had to adjourn so abruptly last night. The news that Max had to tell us was very important. As we found out last night, Max was telling the truth when he told us that he was not the leader of the Dixon Glade sprites. Jay was actually the leader of the sprites,” Kirby told the assembly.

  They all began to whisper excitedly as Jay walked up to the front. “So, to make this a much shorter process, we will put it to a vote,” Kirby said.

  “You know, Kirby, if Jay has a problem being the leader of the Ashcroft Forest, I can still remain in this position,” Joneé offered.

  “No, Joneé. I’m ready to take this position if the sprites of the Ashcroft Forest are ready for me to be their leader. I know I can handle it, and I know that there will be friends to support me. As Kirby said, ‘Let’s put it to a vote,’ and let the sprites decide,” Jay replied motioning to the gathered sprites.

  “All of those who are in favor of Jay leading the tribe, and Joneé assisting him, please raise your hand,” Kirby said.

  The vote was unanimous to accept Jay as the new leader of the sprites of the Ashcroft Forest. Even Joneé raised her hand to confirm him. Jay smiled as he stepped forward to address the sprites.

  “Thank you for your trust in me. I promise to do the best that I can to lead the tribe. I know that Joneé’s help will prove to be very valuable to me in the coming days. I would also like to enlist the help of someone who was with me during my time in the Dixon Glade. With the council’s approval and his consent, I would like to have Max continue to help me here in the Ashcroft Forest,” Jay announced.

  “That sounds like a wonderful idea, Jay,” Bebo told him.

  “Max, do you accept the responsibility?” Feath asked.

  “I would be honored to help,” Max replied.

  “Great. Thank you, Max,” Jay replied.

  “Alright. Unless anyone has any other business, I’d like to thank you all for coming,” Kirby said stepping back up. He looked around at the assembled sprites for a moment before saying, “The meeting is adjourned.”

  All of the sprites ambled out of the meeting hall and headed out to start on their respective tasks for the day. Abbie and Edie stayed in the meeting hall to see what Jay needed them to do. When Jay saw that they had lingered, he called them down to the front. Max, Joneé, and a few other sprites had stayed to see how they could help Jay. All of the sprites spread out in front of the platform.

  “Max, I have a request to make of you right away,” Jay said.

  “Just tell me what you need, Jay,” Max replied easily.

  “Max, you know how many of the sprites from the Dixon Glade are still missing. Since I am now in charge of such a large group of sprites here, I do not have the time to look for them myself. Would you and Katherine organize some of the sprites into search parties to try to find the rest of the sprites from our former tribe?” Jay requested.

  “Absolutely, Jay. I’ve been thinking about that ever since you found us out in the woods. I’ll get a few sprites together today and leave tomorrow morning if that’s alright,” Max responded.

  “Fantastic, Max. I’ll leave you in charge of that. I know you can handle it,” Jay said confidently.

  Max and Katherine left the room quickly and headed off to find other sprites to help them. Jay turned to Joneé to ask his next question.

  “Joneé, how long with it take Rufus, Wayne, and Wallace to complete the two houses that we need for the new sprites that are with us?” Jay asked.

  “It’s Walt, Jay. Not Wallace,” Abbie corrected him.

  “Oh, sorry about that. Thank you, Abbie,” Jay said, slightly embarrassed.

  “It’s OK, Jay. With all the sprites we have here in the Ashcroft Forest, it will take some time to learn everyone’s name. Well, if the three of them are left to build the houses on their own, it will probably take several months. However, if we can get most of the other sprites to help them, it should only take them a few days for each house,” Joneé replied.

  “I’m sure that we can get some sprites together to help with that,” Edie said, and Abbie nodded in agreement.

  “Then will you two help me with that?” Jay asked. “I know that the other members of this tribe respect you. Abbie, after how you convinced Parvack to help us, I think you will do the best at enlisting the help of these sprites.”

  “Sure, Jay. Edie and I can handle that for you,” Abbie replied.

  “That reminds me of something else. We need to discuss with the council how best to protect the Ashcroft Forest from Amirnov,” Jay said.

  “Who is that?” Kirby asked.

  “Parvack’s brother. We believe he is the one responsible for destroying our settlement at the Dixon Glade,” Max told them.

  “Parvack’s WHAT?” Joneé exclaimed.

  Abbie sighed and looked at Rufus, who nodded for her to explain the whole story. She wished she had left with Edie to get the sprites together to help with the building as soon as it had been suggested.

  Chapter Eleven

  Settling In

  The next several days were full of preparation. All but a few sprites were busy either preparing to build the new houses or taking care of those sprites who were arranging for the houses to be built by bringing them food, water, and other supplies. The handful of sprites who were not helping with these preparations were out searching for the missing Dixon Glade sprites. Abbie and Edie assisted those working and helped Jay get whatever he needed.

  Jay organized teams to gather the supplies it would take to build the houses. With the help of all of the sprites, Walt, Wayne, and Rufus had estimated it would take less than a week. The trio said that they had never built a house this quickly, but hopefully since all of the sprites were joining in, they could complete the task in the time they had estimated.

  Muzuru followed Abbie and Michael most of the time, and Abbie showed him around the village while she was helping Jay. Most sprites do not keep pets, so it was novel to most of the sprites to see Muzuru trailing after Abbie. She thought of him more like a companion than a pet though because he was so helpful.

  Jay and Michael invited Edie and Abbie to have a quiet dinner with them the night before the building started. “I’m glad to see you two! Now we can have a chance to talk and relax a little bit. Everything’s been so busy the last few days that I haven’t really gotten to spend that much time with any of you,” Jay exclaimed as they walked into his house.

  “It’s good to see you too, Jay,” Abbie said, suddenly feeling shy.

  “I’ve almost finished making dinner. Just let me put a few finishing touches on the meal,” Jay requested of his guests.

  Abbie and Edie followed Jay to his kitchen to help him with the rest of the meal. Jay was making a salad for dinner. He had prepared a special dressing for the salad, and it looked delicious.

  “I feel like we should be making dinner for you, Jay. Isn’t there anything we can do?” Abbie asked.

  “Just having your company is enough. I’m almost done anyway,” Jay replied. “You three just have a seat and talk to me while I put the finishing touches on dinner.”

  Jay sliced a few fresh strawberries and mixed them in with the tossed greens. Edie and Abbie got plates, and Jay served them all a healthy portion of strawberry salad.

  The four of them sat and talked over dinner and had a great time. “It’s nice to have a meal together and take a break,” Abbie said to her friends.

  “Yeah, I just wish Max and Katherine were here. They haven’t been back in a few days. I know everything is alright with the group. I just miss them. I know what they’re doing is important though,” Jay said.

  “Don’t worry so much, Jay,” Michael said. “They’ll make it back safely.”

  “Well, at least you’ve got us, Jay,” Abbie said quietly.

  “That’s right,” Jay replied sincerely. “And I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  The four sprites continued to talk while they finished their meal. Abbie thought that the strawberry salad was fantastic. She wondered what Jay had put in the dressing. She was too shy to ask him though.

  Abbie slept restlessly that night, thinking about everything that was going on. Muzuru heard her movements and cuddled in closer with her. She still had not told anyone about her talk with Jay in the forest. Now with the pressure of leading the tribe, Abbie knew it was not the time for him to be distracted by love. Abbie was also worried about Max, Katherine, and their search party. She hoped that they would find more of the Dixon Glade sprites. She also hoped that they would not run into Amirnov during their expedition.

  Abbie drifted off to sleep thinking about what the next day held. She could not wait for everyone to get settled in. Wayne, Rufus, and Walt would need to start work on more houses once these first three were done, but there would not be as much of a rush to get those up. They might soon be needed, however, if Max and Katherine succeeded in finding the other sprites.

  When Abbie woke up the next morning, sunshine was streaming through her window. She wished she could just stay in bed a little longer, but she knew that she had work to do. Abbie quickly got an earth-colored skirt on, pulled on some thick slippers, and a blue top with an open back for the space of her wings. She gave Muzuru a rub on the head while he slept, knowing he would find them later in the day. She had breakfast of some apple jelly on toast with Wendy, and then went to see what she could do to help.

  All three of the houses were being built at the same time, so the sprites split into teams. Abbie could not do any heavy labor, but she did help get food and water for the sprites who were working. Edie, Michael, and Jay on the other hand, jumped right in and started helping put the frame of the house together. Wayne, Rufus, and Walt had their hands full trying to oversee the building of three houses, but they all seemed to be handling it well. All of the sprites who were not out searching were cheerful and working hard together.

  The next five days flew by. Abbie enjoyed seeing the progress on the houses. With almost all of the sprites in the Ashcroft Forest working on these three houses, it was like watching the houses come together in fast motion. It was also nice to see all of the sprites working together for a common goal. Abbie also enjoyed getting to know Wendy and Skylar more. She and Edie had dinner with these two sprites every night.

  Though it had seemed to be an enormous task at the beginning, all three houses were finished and ready for their new owners by the end of the fifth day. There were still a few pieces of furniture to complete for both houses, but that could be done over the next few days. Abbie and Edie helped Skylar and Wendy get settled in their new homes that very night. Michael helped Jay get settled into his new house. All three of the new homeowners were glad to finally have a place of their own.

  It had been so long since the last celebration, that Jay decided this was a reason to have another one. Sprites love to celebrate. They usually celebrate every eighth of the month, but since so much had been going on lately, they hadn’t had a celebration in quite a while. Jay hoped the Max and Katherine would get back in time to enjoy it and possibly bring back more of his former tribe to join in the celebration. Abbie and Edie helped Joneé with plans for the celebration. They wanted to make sure that the new sprites got to meet everyone and felt welcome.

  When the day of the celebration arrived, the entire village buzzed with excitement. Max, Katherine, and their small search party arrived that afternoon, but they reported no luck in finding the other sprites. They hadn’t even gotten a sense of where to continue looking. The search party agreed to stay for the celebration and take a few days to rest before they headed out again. All of the sprites in the search party looked absolutely exhausted.

  This celebration was like no other. Jay opened the festivities by telling all of the assembled sprites how much he appreciated their hard work and how proud he was of the three new homes. Abbie sang a new song she had written, and all of the sprites enjoyed the delicious food that had been prepared. This was also Muzuru’s first celebration, and Edie could tell he enjoyed taking it all in.

  Abbie was glad to see that all of the sprites enjoyed the celebration, especially the sprites from the Dixon Glade.

  Chapter Twelve

  Conversations

  The celebration lasted long into the night, and everyone slept late the next morning. In fact, Abbie slept so long that she didn’t wake up until after lunch time. Even Muzuru was still asleep. Abbie woke the sleeping creature, and the two of them went to see if they could find Edie. They found that Edie had woken up late too, so Abbie fixed something for them to eat.

  After they had eaten, Edie suggested that the two of them go gather food together. Abbie decided this time together might be a good time to talk to Edie about her conversation with Jay.

  Abbie left the door to her house slightly open for Muzuru when he was ready for a nap. Then Abbie and Edie headed out.

  “Edie?” Abbie began. “Can I talk to you about something?”

  “Sure, Abbie. Anytime,” Edie replied. She smiled at her friend and turned back to her berry bush.

  “You remember when Jay and I were talking together in the forest a few days ago?” Abbie asked, turning over the blackberry in her hand.

  “Yes. What were you two doing out there?” Edie asked absently as she continued to gather berries.

  “Jay told me he loved me that day, Edie,” Abbie replied.

  “What?” gasped Edie, who almost dropped her basket of fruit.

  “We were out there sitting on a rock by the creek, and he told me that he’s been looking for someone like me for a long time. And then he told me that he loved me,” Abbie told her friend.

  “What did you say to him?” Edie asked.

  “I didn’t really say anything, Edie. I just sat there and looked at him. Then he hugged me. After that we just sat and talked until the rest of you showed up,” Abbie replied.

  “What did you talk about while you were sitting there?” Edie asked suddenly.

  “Nothing, really. We just talked about things that we liked, things from our past, and things like that. It wasn’t anything special,” Abbie said.

  “Well, what do you think about what he said?” Edie asked.

  “To be honest, I don’t really know what to do. I don’t know what I think about him,” Abbie told Edie.

  “Abbie, he’s got a lot of pressure on him. I don’t know if this is the right time,” Edie said.

  “I agree, Edie. Thank you. I just wanted your opinion,” Abbie said, turning back to gathering berries.

  “And to be perfectly honest, Abbie,” Edie continued, “I don’t think the two of you are right for each other. I mean, we hardly know anything about him at all. And he hardly knows anything about you. How could he know that he loves you?”

  “What?” Abbie asked in surprise.

  “I don’t think you should spend that much time with him. Let him do his job,” Edie said.

  Abbie knew this answer wouldn’t help her confused emotions, but Edie’s statement seemed so final. “But Edie…” Abbie began.

  “I don’t want to talk about it anymore, Abbie. I’ve given you my opinion,” Edie said sharply.

  Abbie knew it was pointless to continue. Trying to talk to Edie about it more would only make her angry. She quickly changed the subject, and they finished gathering food. Abbie remembered how jealous Edie had been when she had even thought Michael and Abbie had something romantic between them. She didn’t bother to press the issue any further. Abbie decided she would talk to Joneé later that night and see what her opinion was.

  After Abbie and Edie returned to town, Edie said that she had some things to do around the house. So, Abbie took advantage of that time to go to Joneé’s house. Joneé was one of the wisest sprites in the Ashcroft Forest, and she knew a lot about relationships and friendships.

  Abbie knocked on Joneé’s door. “Abbie! It’s so good to see you!” Joneé exclaimed when she opened the door. “Come on in and have a seat.”

  Abbie obliged Joneé’s request and had a seat on her comfortable purple couch. “This doesn’t happen to have anything to do with Jay, does it?” Joneé asked as she sank onto the couch next to Abbie.

  Abbie’s jaw dropped in shock. “How did you know about that? Did you hear me talking to Edie this morning?” she barely managed to get out.

  “Abbie. I’ve seen the two of you together. It’s so obvious to me,” Joneé replied.

  Abbie was stunned. She hadn’t talked to anyone besides Edie about her conversation with Jay, so she didn’t think anyone knew. Abbie soon found herself telling Joneé everything that happened on the trip to find the lost sprites from the Dixon Glade. Joneé listened patiently as Abbie told her the whole story.

  When Abbie finished her tale, Joneé asked, “So what do you think about Jay?”

  “I don’t really know yet, Joneé. That’s why I came to you for your advice. I already talked to Edie about everything. Edie told me that she didn’t think I should do anything about it. She also didn’t want to talk about it anymore. I just don’t understand her sometimes,” Abbie told Joneé.

 

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