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.

at his ear, "Don't encourage Rosie to

her small fists clenched as she declared, "Fighting is easy. If anyone

trained hard every day, but was no match for her brother. But after getting into a fight with someone else today, she realized that she wasn't weak. Jasper

the subject, Stella 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

Stella, did we lose out on brother's fish? Cody and Lukas said we only

as long as you think it's worth

had different needs, and anyway, Jasper wasn't

exchange were more practical: two packs of salt, dried vegetables, sanitary pads, and a lighter. Angela passed her a pack of sanitary pads, "Even in the

refused, "I have

are hooked. They want to go again tomorrow. Do

a few days. You go have fun."

at the idea

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

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

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

like he had just come out of a coal mine with

blunt, "It

mouth, looking at

'Get this

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

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

looked at Stella,

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

and nuzzled into her arms: 'If I'm so handsome, make

fur meant he didn't feel the change in temperature now, so he didn't react to the suit. When she finished the second suit, she used the leftover fabric to make a suit for Smoky

up Rosie. Stella stopped him and handed him a nail gun, "I

"Keep it."

tool, and he was just giving