18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 65

The first time Rosie got into a fight, it left a deep impression on her young mind. She clung to Jasper's neck, "When I grow up, I'll protect you too." "Alright."

"I'll protect Stella too, and Cooper."

"Alright."

Next, they sold fish, with Jasper showing her the ropes.

Stella listened silently. Jasper's teaching methods were rough, but in a world where order had collapsed, maybe Rosie would have been worse off if they'd stuck to the old ways of kindness and gentleness. "Yes, what your brother taught you isn't wrong."

Curious, Stella asked Rosie, "Have you ever been hungry or been beaten up?"

Rosie lowered her head, nervously fiddling with her clothes.

"That's okay. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"When Jasper didn't come home, I was so hungry. My cousin bullied me, and my aunt scolded me."

"Do you want to go through that again?"

"No!" Rosie shook her head vehemently, her voice tinged with a sob. "I don't want to."

"Well, remember that feeling. If anyone ever treats you like that again, you fight back. Don't be afraid. They can't beat you."

"But my aunt said the police would take me away."

"As long as you're not the one starting trouble, the police won't take you away." Stella comforted the little girl, "Today, when you fought, the police didn't come to get you, did they?"

Relieved, Rosie said, "I'll listen to Stella and Jasper. No one will bully me anymore."

Cooper growled his agreement from the side.

ear,

up, her small fists clenched as she declared, "Fighting is easy. If anyone dares to bully me, I'll beat

but was no match for her brother. But after getting into a fight with someone else today, she realized

asked, "Rosie, what did you

quickly, "We got some tools, textbooks, a dress, and a

hairband, which she was currently wearing on her head, made

brother's fish? Cody and Lukas said we

think it's worth

anyway,

dried vegetables, sanitary pads, and a lighter. Angela passed her a pack of sanitary pads, "Even in the apocalypse, we still have to bleed

"I have plenty.

They want to go again tomorrow. Do you

staying home for a few days. You go have fun." No need to

gleefully at the idea of

math and language. When Rosie finished her homework, Stella sat on the couch to continue her project. Finally, she had finished her first thermal suit for Cooper. She called him over, "Cooper, come here." The suit was black, to hide

was brutal, so Stella had made a onesie thermal suit, with a hole for Cooper's tail. There was another hole at the rear end,

be another hole. Not wanting to put diapers on Cooper, she cut

just come out of a coal mine with

was blunt, "It looks

covered her mouth, looking

'Get this ugly thing off me. It's ruining

comforted him, "No way, Cooper is the most handsome dog

amends, "Cooper isn't ugly. He's even more handsome than my brother,

at Stella,

his head, "I'm not lying, my dog is the

her arms: 'If I'm

he didn't react to the suit. When she finished the second suit, she used the leftover fabric to make a suit for Smoky and Snowy. It wasn't pretty,

Jasper came to pick up Rosie. Stella stopped him and handed him a nail

"Keep it."

was a life-saving tool,