Ainsley only nodded when Alexander agreed to join them, but the truth was, she was happy about it. It had to be lonely, moving around in hiding by oneself for so long, and regardless of the danger, she didnât think it was possible for a human being to really live without social contact with others. Or at the very least, it wasnât a good life to do so. While heâd been relatively amenable to her company, she wasnât sure she trusted herself to provide all the sociability she should; sometimes, she still forgot to talk or check whether anyone else was talking, and she wasnât sure she had that much to say even on the best of days. Perhaps that was just a consequence of living in her own head for so long.
When they got back to the house, Alexander disappeared into his room for a while, and Ainsley moved into the kitchen to help her parents, who were both now at work finishing up the preparations for dinner. They had a stuffed squash for that night, by the looks of it, and herbed rice to go with it. The rice was replicated, unfortunately, because they didnât have the climate to grow it around here, but the rest was either from this farm or one of the neighboring properties, who all grew different things from the Hales in order both not to compete for the small market in grown food and also so that they could trade with one another and eat more diversely themselves.
It was a good system, she reflected as she scraped a layer of fresh butter onto several slices of the bread her parents had bought in town, and in the end it provided for the whole community, so she couldnât see anything wrong with it. The butter was followed by fruit preserved her mother had made a few days prior, and the main dish came out of the oven shortly after Alexander emerged.
The group moved to sit around the table in the dining room, which was circular. Ainsleyâs father had never believed in that antiquated âhead of householdâ nonsense, and the table was a small reflection of that, placing everyone in equal positions, even guests, and when Ainsley had been young, children.
âAlexander,â Ainsleyâs mother, Margaret, said once everyone was settled. âWould you be so kind as to say a prayer over the meal?â Ainsley wasnât surprised that her mom had asked him to do so; actually, she was a little surprised it hadnât happened already. They werenât the most religious family as a rule, but her mother had been raised in a devout household, and still considered herself a member of the faithful.
âYou don't have to, if it makes you uncomfortable,â she added, and Margaret nodded her agreement.
When they got back to the house, Alexander disappeared into his room for a while, and Ainsley moved into the kitchen to help her parents, who were both now at work finishing up the preparations for dinner. They had a stuffed squash for that night, by the looks of it, and herbed rice to go with it. The rice was replicated, unfortunately, because they didnât have the climate to grow it around here, but the rest was either from this farm or one of the neighboring properties, who all grew different things from the Hales in order both not to compete for the small market in grown food and also so that they could trade with one another and eat more diversely themselves.
It was a good system, she reflected as she scraped a layer of fresh butter onto several slices of the bread her parents had bought in town, and in the end it provided for the whole community, so she couldnât see anything wrong with it. The butter was followed by fruit preserved her mother had made a few days prior, and the main dish came out of the oven shortly after Alexander emerged.
The group moved to sit around the table in the dining room, which was circular. Ainsleyâs father had never believed in that antiquated âhead of householdâ nonsense, and the table was a small reflection of that, placing everyone in equal positions, even guests, and when Ainsley had been young, children.
âAlexander,â Ainsleyâs mother, Margaret, said once everyone was settled. âWould you be so kind as to say a prayer over the meal?â Ainsley wasnât surprised that her mom had asked him to do so; actually, she was a little surprised it hadnât happened already. They werenât the most religious family as a rule, but her mother had been raised in a devout household, and still considered herself a member of the faithful.
âYou don't have to, if it makes you uncomfortable,â she added, and Margaret nodded her agreement.