Echo Book 2

34. Designs

We get to where the spa is going and Nadine tackles me and Thora into hunter. The 4 of us fall down. "ME TOO." I taste blood, then pry myself off the ground.

Hunter gets up. "All of you tackle each other way too often. Mom, you need to design the furniture, so the guards have beds to sleep in."

"We're finishing the spa. 1 more hour."

"They're tired. And the beds aren't built yet."

Nadine turns into her new wolf. "I'll finish up here, and you can sign off on the plans. These 2 can help with furniture."

Tye comes in and pokes his head back out. "DIPAK, WE'RE GETTING A NEW FORM."

Dipak comes in and hands his shirt to Nadine. "Fine."

"Come on, Hunter. I'll take you to Mason."

Kehlani sees us walking and puts her arm out. I chomp it as I walk by. She keeps going.

We follow Hunter and Mason to Hunter's house. Mason spins in a circle. "There's no furniture."

"We're doing that. We needed a house for inspiration. This works."

"Do that quickly. People need to sit on something other than those hard chairs."

Thora smiles. "How many bedrooms does the biggest house have?"

"Packhouse has..."

"Not that house."

"6 bedrooms."

"Make the oversize furniture that's in Tye's apartment at the castle. I want 1 couch and 2 chairs in the living room. Add a drop-down television. 1 coffee table. 2 side tables. Is the lighting in the ceiling?"

"Yes. With fans."

"Perfect. Start with that for the living room. Put a set in here so we can test it."

"Dining room. Table and chairs from my house on Crucorix. Have the table seat at least 8. But only put 6 chairs in it." I smile. "They may think it seats 8, but it's crunched like that."

"And make the wood designs and type the same for all the furniture." Thora opens a door. "What is this room?"

Hunter peeks in. "Office."

"It's a home office, girls. No conference tables or couches. You'll want the desks and shelves." Mason sits at the table.

"Ok. What's this room?"

"I didn't know we would get an office. It's supposed to be a second bedroom. I have no idea what to do with it."

"Theater?"

"Spa?"

"Too small for a spa."

"True."

"I want this room as a work-out room. Most houses don't have this extra room."

"Ok."

We go back to staring into the second bedroom. Hunter goes to the table with Mason.

"Let's do the bedroom."

"Yea."

15 minutes later, we're staring into the 2nd bedroom again. Everything else is done. We even added workout equipment.

"The office is done, ma'am."

We go back to the office. "Maybe the other room could be a library?"

"Line this room with bookshelves. It's big enough. And it makes sense for an office."

"Yea, do that."

"Yes, ma'am."

We check the living room and sit on the seats. "This is nice."

"Yea. I love oversize stuff."

"Drop television and play a movie."

Thora nods. "Pirate movie."

"No. Get up and finish the house. You're not taking a break to watch TV." Mason points down the hall. "Mass produce that living room and put 1 set in every house in the moon keepers pack land. But remove 25% of the filling of them."

"Yes, sir."

"Why?"

"We have to grow the filling and there is a lot. They will be able to make more furniture if we do it this way. A lot of people need furniture... Keep his the way it is. No reason to destroy it."

"Yes, sir."

Thora designs a lighting piece above the dining room table. I add in some bar chairs for the kitchen. Then we check the bedroom. It's perfect.

"MASON, CHECK THE BEDROOM. WE THINK IT'S PERFECT."

We go back to staring into the empty room.

"Oh s**t. This workout room is amazing."

"Thank you. I put a lot of stuff Malax has in his. They wouldn't let me put a pool in though."

Hunter nods. "He must have a huge gym."

"He does." I go back to the empty room.

Mason and Hunter come in after a few minutes. "I signed off on the office and bedroom. Other offices aren't getting the shelving all the way around. Or a 13 inch mattress. But other than that, everything was good. Are you stuck?"

We nod.

"Well, design towels and sheets. Pillows. Blankets. Dish towels. The normal stuff like that."

"Ok, did you want the backyard fenced?"

"Down the sides only. I want to be able to get to the river and put a fire pit down there."

"Pool?"

"I'll come look when you get there. Go do the towels first."

We design the blankets and everything. It's all got a blue and white theme going on. Then we go out the backdoor. We put in the fence. Then a 2 person dining spot with 2 sun chairs on the other side of the deck.

The boys come out when we're done.

"We put the fire pit down there with a couple of chairs. Do you want the garden closest to the deck or did you want a pool here?"

"How about a pool on that side? Rectangle."

Thora points. "Brains, red room a pool over there in real color. We need to visualize."

15 minutes later, the brains are digging, and the yard is done. He has a nice pool with a hot tub built in on the side. Mason signs off on the furniture. He's not giving anyone else a pool though. The others get a 4-person table set and some garden boxes.

We stare at the empty room.

"Do you need a bigger closet?"

"No."

Mason shakes his head. "Do you have any hobbies like painting or sculpting?"

"Just working out."

"I have no idea. I'm going to sign off on the towels." He walks into the bedroom. "GIRLS, HE DOESN'T NEED 27 PILLOWS."

"IT'S FINE."

"MAKE THAT ROOM." He comes back. "Set this room up as a kids' room. Think 1-year-old. After I sign off on it, we'll remove it. Then you can make a room for a 5-year-old and so on."

"Ok."

We design a room for a baby, then a 1-year-old, all the way up to a teenager. Mason signs off on them easily. "The parents will have to tell the brains the ages of the kids so they get the right stuff. But it'll work."

Hunter nods. "To start, it's amazing. You girls are going to have to do the packhouse too. It has guest rooms."

"We will. I give up on this room."

"Make it dark with a big chair and TV screen. I'll use it as a movie room for now."

Thora nods. "Cupboard for snacks and a popcorn maker. That's perfect."

Mason nods. "Let's go see where they are on the power grid. I signed off on towels, pillows, sheets, blankets, throws, dish towels, and cleaning rags. Anything I'm missing?"

"Did you get the soaps and cleaners?"

"s**t no." He goes to the bathroom.

Me and Thora plop on Hunters bed. His pillows are amazing.

Then they chase us out. "You're bored. Go play."

"I'm hungry."

"Ok. Let's go eat. I need to check the power grid."

I get some food and sit beside Tim. Dipak shows some papers to Fang. "I seriously suggest putting in your own solar field. You never know when something will disrupt the main power flow. This way, you could keep the power on in your village no matter what."

I spin right around and find Malax. He's with Alden and Kehlani.

"How are you holding up, Kehlani?"

"I'm good. I do want to go see if I can find more records for Uhmok, but we need to do this first."

"Yea, I wasn't expecting this. I tried to leave and said we would come back after a couple of days, but they summoned us to the damn castle. Then all hell broke loose."

"We saved a lot of lives. It's worth waiting. I keep telling myself he loved me no matter what some papers say."

Alden puts his arm around her. "He did. There's no way to fake the bond. I think the boys have it right. He probably lost his mate and went crazy. Drunk all the time. Doing stupid s**t. Then he wanted to try to live a good life. He saw a way to have his record erased and took it. But he didn't know how much he would fall for you. He wanted a life with you. I know he did."

"I believe that. It'll be nice to know his last name too."

Malax and I crack up laughing. "Don't worry. I didn't know Malax's for the longest time."

"I'm not the only one." Kehlani laughs.

The guy that was with Tim that one day sits down. "I need a copy of the vows people take to sign under you."

"You're already vowed, dumbass."

"I know that, asshole. But Dipak wanted them for someone. f**k if I know. I think someone's trying to sign under Tim. But they don't have vows. Maybe Tim wanted them. Hell, I don't know."

Alden gets a copy from the brain. Then the man walks off with them.

Malax puts his arm around me. "Who is that?"

"Clark."

"Thank you. I've seen him a few times and didn't remember his name."

Alden nods. "You can call him dumbass too."

"Good to know."

I snuggle into his side.

"You tired, babygirl?"

"A little. We did a lot today."

"Yea, you sure as hell did. Let's go tell Tim I'm taking you back to the ship."

"Ok."

He picks me and I snuggle with him. I love him.