CHAPTER 35

Chapter 35

The sun had barely risen the next morning when the chirping of birds outside her window woke Maxine up. The soft golden light that filtered through thin curtains spread a warm brightness in her room. She stretched, as stiff could be from a journey the day before, and for a moment, forgot where she was. But as her eyes got used to the surroundings, memories of the time of arrival, words of her grandmother, and the responsibility that fell on her shoulders came rushing back.

She dressed quickly in the simple clothes laid out for her by her grandmother, making her way downstairs to the scent of breakfast with the sound of her grandmother bustling around the kitchen: loose shirt, sturdy pants, boots meant decidedly for work and not comfort.

"Good morning, dear," her grandmother greeted her with a warm smile as Maxine entered the kitchen. "Did you sleep well?"

Maxine nodded, even though in reality, her sleep had been restless, filled with dreams she couldn't quite remember. "Yes