Danika

Chapter 30

Danika:

After the soldier left she still had to wait all evening to talk to Adamina. It took forever for her dad to decide that the day's work was done. He finally left about an hour after sunset. 

She sat down next to Adamina on the couch in front of the fireplace. 

"What're you going to do?" She asked her.

"I have no idea, I could stay, but maybe I should turn myself in." Adamina shifted in her seat.

"Why would you do that?" 

Adamina uncrossed her arms and started fiddling with her fingers. "So that I don't put you and your father in any more risk."

"But there's got to be something else that you can do." What could she really do? It was not like either of them had any money. Well, maybe a little, but not enough for any land or a place to live. Nor did they have any way of earning it. But, Danika didn't want her to have to go back. She didn't know what she would do if Adamina left. 

"I don't have any money, neither do you. There isn't anything else that I can do." Adamina twisted a strand of hair that had fallen out of her cap.

"There has to be. We have to figure something out. You'll stay until we can figure out what to do?" Danika looked at Adamina.

"It's not like I want to go home. But, if the soldiers start coming regularly or anything else happens, I can't put you in that much danger," She paused to sigh. "I guess I can stay until the situation is decided if that doesn't take to long."

Danika hugged her.  "Thanks." At least she wasn't going to be gone yet, even if it might happen soon. Now Danika really had to think of a way that Adamina could stay. Maybe there was a way to earn enough money for a place to live.  

The Contests, the yearly contests, were in two weeks. Maybe they could win something there?

She explained the contests to Adamina and how, maybe, they could win something there. Danika didn't know if Adamina completely understood her explanation, but she agreed to stay until the Contests were over at least. 

The chance of them winning so much that they could buy a place to live was very small, but it was there. They would have to join in every competition seperately, every day of that week. Another father might not have allowed them to take half the day off work for a full week, but there wasn't much to be done on the farm and Danika's dad loved the Contests. He'd claimed he'd won her mother's wedding ring at one many years ago. Though he hadn't said that since she died. 

Danika snuggled up next to Adamina and watched the fire dancing in the fireplace. Tomorrow, they'd have to set a proper plan. Figure out which contests would be more likely to give them a bigger win, in case some contests ran at the same time. Find the cheapest piece of land that there was. Danika just had to hope that it would work.

A/N: What do you think of the chapter?