Lady of the Night (Downworlder Series, #3)

Chapter Fourteen: Meeting Familia

I looked over the large kitchen as Mama glided through the open space, elegantly looking around. "Neighbourhood is safe?" Her voice was clipped and the harried looking real estate agent hurried towards her, looking over her clipboard. "My girl needs to be safe." She glanced at me, her mouth twitching upwards slightly.

"Very, this part of the city is behind thick walls with the highest of security. Only those with clearance can get in and out." The words were reassuring, I mean we had been forced to go through the large gates and the security had been thick. Despite that, I still wasn't entire comfortable. The brothel was much safer than anywhere I had ever been and leaving that was a bit scary.

"What about schools?" Miles moved up beside me, his hand touching my lower back. I was thankful he was there to bring it up because I felt exhausted. We had seen nearly forty different houses and chasing after the younger kids, listening to the real estate agent speaking about numbers that nearly made my brain hurt, and being floored by everything I was seeing.

"While there aren't any within the neighbourhood, there are several great and award winning schools within the general area. Elementary and high schools. So schools for the younger and older kids." The real estate agent flashed a brilliant smile at us both. "It is a great area for families. There is a wonderful downtown area just a few blocks from the gates. It has all the amenities you would require. As well as this house." She gestured with her hand, I could see the kids in the backyard. It was a large yard and even Jovan was running around with the younger kids. They were all smiling and happy and it made my chest ache.

"It has three stories, as well as a fully finished basement. Eight bedrooms, four and a half baths, this beautiful kitchen, large backyard that I can see the kids love." Her teeth were nearly blinding as she smiled and mama moved towards the large french doors that looked out ovr the back yard. I felt a bit struck by everything we were seeing, I never thought it was a possibility of being shown this type of house, let alone the possibility of living in this scale of house.

"Price?" She turned around elegantly, tucking her hands in her hanbok. Her hair was perfectly in place and I wondered how she looked so unaffected. I felt like a mess, my hair everywhere, and feeling just haggard.

"Just under one million marks. The price is very high, quite a bit over price and I think we can get it for under nine hundred thousand." Her voice was cheery as she rattled off the numbers. I felt floored at the sheer size of them. I felt like I lived in a world that was touched with a heavy does of surrealism. Ever since mama had handed me the marks bank. I still didn't believe I actually has a saving account that held over three million marks. I still didn't believe it.

My gaze was pulled to Mama as she nodded shortly before turning back to the doors, throwing them open. "Come." At the sharp command all six of the kids came inside. "Do you like house?" Margo jumped up and down, grasping as mama's hanbok as she nodded enthusiastically.

"Its got a library!" Colette fairly vibrated with her excitement and Maurice nodded quickly.

"And we each could have a room." Jovan sounded relieved by that and I didn't have to imagine why. He had never been able to have his own room, he always shared and he was a temperamental teen.

"Don't see any crack houses or gangbangers." Akuza rubbed at his nose and the real estate agent's eyes went wide at that. "Good neighbourhood." He gave a slow nod before looking at me and Miles. "Schools?"

I gave a quick nod. "Both elementary and high school." He gave a slow nod, looking at the floor. I could feel how much he wanted to get his education and I wanted to give him that. I wanted them all to have a better life than mine.