At Night's End

by Benham, Tara

  "Daddy, are you sure everything is alright?" Seeming to notice the stress in my voice and the concern on my face, he become more present.

  "What? Oh, yes honey, I'm sure. I have to make a quick trip to D.C to meet with some people on an issue about a reaction to a drug that they want me to consult with them on." Dad did seem to relax some, so I figured he was just nervous about going to D.C. "Well I'll let you finish dressing, while I go and tell Ever and Darcy. Please come down as soon as your done so we can do a brief run down on what all I need you three to do. You may have to take tomorrow off from school as well. I'll make the necessary phone calls to Mr. Carter about Darcy missing school before I leave. Do you and Ever need anything for missing classes?” After assuring him it would be fine if we missed, he seemed to relax a little bit.

  Mr. Carter was the school principle and an old friend of Dad's. Before Mom died, Mr. Carter, his wife, and Mom and Dad would hang out and go places together, but once Mom died, Mrs. Carter couldn't bear to see the way Dad was becoming. Mr. Carter was still friendly to Dad, but nothing like he used to be. I rushed my shower, and instead of wearing the clothes I had picked out for school, I threw on an old pair of cut off jean shorts and a green tank. I was met by Ever and Darcy both as we were making our ways downstairs to the kitchen.

  "Did Dad seem scared or upset to you?" Darcy asked in a whisper that was barely audible. Darcy didn't deal well when others appeared upset or worried, especially those she considered to be strong, and fearless.

  "Yes, but I'm sure it's all okay. I asked him and he said he just had to go to D.C. to check out some experimental drug." I shrugged and looked at Ever who seemed a little concerned as well. My dad didn't leave on business trips too often, because he didn't like to be away from us for very long. So we all knew that if he was leaving, there was a big reason, but none of us wanted to think too much about it either. Our kitchen was a pale green and divided into a kitchen area and a dining area. There was a bar that separated the two. The cabinets were a dark wood, and the counters were white, Dad had the builders' copy the design from a scrap book Mom had made of her ideal home. It was a beautiful kitchen and one of my favorite rooms in the house. We all ate together in there for breakfast and supper, and all family meetings were held in the kitchen, because Dad felt that things worked more smoothly when food was present. Walking into the room now, I was more aware of the details. Dad was sitting at the long, tiger wood dining table with the blueprints laid out. Henry and Micah were surrounding him, along with Ret. Master Sergeant Long, who was normally only here on Friday afternoon for our artillery training. Darcy must have felt the slight twinge of nerves that was in the air, as she grabbed my hand, and breathed a low "Caidee". Darcy didn't get scared easily, and so I tried to reassure myself, in order to help reassure her. Ever put her arm around Darcy and whispered an "it'll be okay" to her. We entered as one into the kitchen. I cleared my throat in order to let them know we were ready for the rundown.

  "Girls, come in. I was just showing the men where they were to have the contractors place the fence."

  The three of us walked over and looked at the lines Dad had drawn out on the map of our property. Dad kept meticulous and accurate maps of the land, so any new buildings or additions were always on the map. The moat was outlined on this new map, as well as the fence.

  "The fence will work from ten feet under the ground to a hundred feet into the air. You will each be getting a bracelet and a packet. The trainers will have to go through a specific gate and punch in both a code and their times each day, aside from Micah and Henry who will also get issued bracelets. Master Sergeant Long will be receiving a bracelet as well, and has decided to move into the guest house. When the men come tomorrow, they will be bringing instructional packets for you all on how to use the codes, the bracelets and what all the fence can do, please be sure to read the entire packet before my return, so that we can review the information together when I do get back. Do you all understand?"

  The three of us, plus the men around Dad all nodded in agreement. Dad had emphasized the word trainers to us, and Micah and Henry smirked some before recovering. Dad had highlighted the "trainer's gate" or guards post as it was labeled, on the map as well. Master Sergeant Long informed us that he would be the security for the gate from now on and that is why he chose to move in with Henry and Micah. I could tell they were not that excited about having him live with them. Master Sergeant Long seemed to be strict, but I always enjoyed his teachings. He was the same age as Dad, so that would be another reason the guys weren't happy, they were probably afraid that their days of fun had ended.

  "Dad, I'm scared" Darcy's softly spoken words created a silence in the house that seemed eerily foreboding. It was a while before anyone moved, and it seemed like everyone was holding their breaths waiting for Dad to respond. He sat in his chair for a while, and gathered his thoughts before he spoke.

  "I promise you that I will be back. They told me I would be home before Monday. If something happens, and the trip takes a little longer, you all will be fine, you know the routine." Dad's face was grim, and his lips pinched together when he finished speaking. I knew that this was hard for him. I was determined to get time alone with him before he left. He needed to let me know what he was going to be doing, so that I could be prepared for any event or none at all.

  "Dad, can I talk to you before you leave, in private please?" I asked as the others were walking out of the room, so that I would have a better chance of getting a truthful response.

  Dad nodded, so I sat and waited until he could get away from the others. I noticed that Darcy was still looking upset, so I also decided to ask Dad if she could stay with Denver this weekend, not only to help release the stress, but so she didn't have to deal with Denver learning about the moat and the fence from other people.

  "What's up McCaid?"

  "Dad, please can you tell me what this is about? I need for you to tell me what all I might need to be prepared for, in case you aren't back by Monday. Please, isn’t things like this why you are having us trained?”

  "Fine, okay. The CDC in Washington DC has a new drug they want me to test to help with decreasing some reports of bad reactions to a vaccine. They didn't seem to think it would take longer than a day or two. So, please McCaid, don't worry."

  "Well, I can't say I won't worry, but I do feel a little better about all of it. Now, my next question? Can Darcy stay with Denver, if her Dad says okay, until you get back? She's already stressed with you leaving, she nor I need to deal with Denver seeing the moat and the fence as well." Denver has been so busy with cheerleading and school this week that fortunately she hasn't had a chance to get over to the house. It won't be long until she finds out about both, but until I'm sure Darcy would rather not deal with it that same time as worrying about Dad.

  "Yes, of course, if her father agrees. Oh, there will be a bracelet for Denver as well, make sure she gets it and learns how to use it too, please." Dad did seem to be a little more at ease now, and then he did earlier, so I was starting to relax too. The CDC has contacted Dad several times in the past, but normally they just had him do the work from his office, so I wasn't sure why he had to go to them this time, but hopefully it wasn't serious, like they were making it out to be.

  "I'll be leaving in about three hours, so please don't any of you all leave, until I can say goodbye." Dad kissed me on the top of my forehead, and headed down to his lab.

  I got up and cleared the dishes from the table. I still had the knot in my stomach with some unknown fear, but it did help to see Dad not look as stressed and nervous. I was just putting the last of the dishes into the dishwasher when Darcy and Ever walked in. I nodded for them to set down at the table, while I got each of us a can of soda from the refrigerator.

  "Darcy, I talked to Dad and he said you can stay with Denver this weekend, if you want and her dad says you can. I thought you might like that so she won't come here during the construction of the fence, and.... "

 
"No!" Darcy yelled, interrupting my speech. "No, I want to be here, I don't give a damn what Denver says, she can some and see it, but I'm not leaving here, or you until Dad gets back. Please, Caidee, Please?" Darcy had tears spilling over her eye lashes, and her lip was quivering. I was positive that she was just barely hanging on, so I wasn't going to push the subject.

  "Okay, you can stay, and Denver can come here if you really want her to, and she is allowed. We," I gave Ever a very pointed look, "promise to behave, if you want her to come."

  "I do"

  "Okay, go call her, and have her come over here soon. Dad wants us here until he has to leave."

  "I'm going to call now." Darcy seemed to be a little less likely to cry at the moment so I let her go, and stayed behind to talk with Ever about what Dad had told me. Ever was always my sounding board, so if she thought what Dad said sounded suspicious, we could maybe work out something from it together.

  "Spill, now, Miss Dobbins." Ever already knew I needed to talk to her. She was ready for the long discussions that would be coming, and had already got out the paper and pen to start taking the notes. Ever was the planner, she helped Dad plan, she helped me and Darcy whenever we needed it. That was what she was good at, what she excelled at, and I knew that with her, even if my suspicions were sound, I would be okay, we would all be okay.

  "Dad said he has to go to DC to the CDC to test on something about a reaction to a drug. He said they told him he'd be back before Monday, but I don't know Ev, I mean he looked nervous, and he didn't say what kind of drug it was either. Why would he having us prep to do the fence without him? And all of a sudden Master Sergeant Long decides to move in the same day that Dad has to leave? Doesn't it sound fishy to you?" Breathing apparently wasn't a part of the plan while explaining that to her, because by the time I had finished I was gasping.

  "Master Sergeant Long moving in was a definite surprise, but I think we should just wait until Monday to hold this meeting. I do hope Denver does decide to come here and stay though just to keep Darcy sane." Ever could tolerate Denver when necessary, and she loved Darcy as much as I did, so I knew she would behave if Denver did show up this weekend.

  "She's coming over now. Her dad said she could even skip school and called the principle to allow her to miss practice and the game this weekend, without repercussions." Darcy's mood was already more relaxed. She wasn't quite smiling, but she did seem to be calmer. She was telling us what she would say to Denver about the moat and the fence when we heard Dad coming back up from the lab.

  "Girls? Oh, good, you're together. I just spoke to Mr. Ralston, so I know that Denver is on her way. I know you girls are worried, but please don't I'm fine, the trip will be fine, and I'll be back Monday. By the way, McCaid, Ever I will know if you break your punishments before Saturday. I know you'll have to hang out with the guys some of the time to get the plans done, and training done, but not after hours, please. Master Sergeant Long will be here for security with the new gate, but he will also be spying for me." Dad grinned at the word spying. If he was really concerned or wanted us to be caught he would not have pre-warned us. Solemnly as possible, Ever and I agreed to behave, but when our eyes met with we barely choked down a laugh. Dad eyed us but was smirking as well. Dad gave us the lecture about locking doors, being on the open property by night fall, and making sure to report any security breaches. Just as Dad finished, Denver came into the room. She must keep a bag packed because she go there in less than ten minutes from when Darcy called.

  "Denver." Darcy practically knocked her over with a huge bear hug when she saw her. Darcy had already told us that she had gave a quick rundown to Denver on the phone. To her credit, Denver seemed chill, and was smart enough to not make any comments to anyone about the whole situation, at least not when Dad was in ear shot.

  "Denver, I'm glad you made it here before I left, I was about to lay down the rules for while I'm gone."

  Denver smiled at Dad and sat at the table with the rest of us. Dad proceeded to tell us the rules that we had to follow in his absence. Most of them were the same rules we always have, but the staying out of the woods, unless an emergency, and that all the guys would be staying in the main house with us were new. When I raised my eye brows at the news, Dad shook his head. "No, it is not for any other reason than me needing them here to watch out for you all." I looked at Ever as she realized as quickly as I that Dad had said the other rule earlier about not hanging out with the guys outside of work related stuff, because these rules would be broken. Dad was warning us about Master Sergeant Long only to let us know that out of the ordinary behavior would be reported to him, not anything else.

  CHAPTER 7

  Saturday morning was the last day of installation for the fence, and the day of training for us on how to use the fence, activators and bracelets. Thursday and Friday had been the hottest days of the summer that we have had in a few years. Luckily for the workers though they were shielded from the overhead sun by the trees. I had Master Sergeant Long go out and buy some tents and battery operated fans so that the guys could take breaks in a cool area. I also had us 4 girls taking turns making sure the tents were stocked with cold water, lemonade, ice, wet towels and anything else that we thought they might need. During this time, Denver finally got to see the moat because we had to walk over the newly build land bridges to get to where the men were installing the invisible fencing equipment. The original plans called for the fence to be about five feet on the other side of the moat however because of the electrical work for the fence, and the piping for the water we had to move the fence another five feet back. This allowed more space to prepare for the fence, but also gave the guys a natural path to follow decreasing the time spent redesigning the fencing equipment. Much to the surprise of the three of us, Denver had found the moat and the fence neat. She suggested that when Dad gets back we have a "welcome home/ come see the fence" party at the house. I highly doubt Dad would appreciate the party, but I was glad for Darcy's sake that Denver was being pretty cool about all of it. The fence people had set up a meeting with us for one in the afternoon, so we still had three hours. I had already talked to Dad twice today. He said that everything was right on track and that he should be home by tomorrow night. He had asked me to go down to the lab with Ever and turn his research computer on, Dad gave me a list of commands to complete and then told me to shut down the computer right afterwards. I told Ever about it, and she seemed to think he may be transferring information, but didn't know for certain. Heading towards the living room to grab Ever, I bumped into Henry in the hallway. His body was strong and with the body contact, I could feel the muscles under his shirt. Anytime I saw him alone or in a group I could feel the butterflies in my stomach doing acrobats. He is always sweet and helpful in private, but even in a group of people he was the same. I know he had moved away from his family because he wanted to see the world differently, and I hoped that he enjoyed it enough to stay because I just can’t even think about what it would be like not being able to see him on a daily basis.

  "Oh, McCaid, I'm sorry I should be more attentive. Did I hurt you?" The genuine concern on his face at the thought that he might have hurt me, totally made me melt. I'm pretty sure I made an audible sigh. His eyebrows scrunched together at my response, which caused the area between them to wrinkle. Currently the only thought that I could hold in my head was how much I really wanted to kiss that spot. I had to shake my head to clear in before I could even speak.

  "Yes, I'm okay, no you did not hurt me. I was distracted thinking about the fence, the training, some stuff Dad asked me to do today. And I'm rambling, I'm sorry. How are you today?" I grinned. Henry always made me flustered. His eyes were piercing and full of emotion. I was staring at his eyes again, when I heard the door opened. I looked away quickly and saw Master Sergeant Long walking around the foyer. I quickly stepped away from Henry creating a more appropriate amount of space between us and saw the enjoyment he got from the reaction he gave me.

  "Miss Dob
bins, Mr. Hollington.".

  "Sir," We both answered in unison. In the past two days, we had learned that Master Sergeant Long was a lot of fun and could lighten any mood usually. He was strict with the rules, but joked with us a lot, so being caught staring at each other in the hallway was funny, apparently to Long as well, because he was smirking as he made his way down the hallway to the kitchen. When he was out of sight, I started to giggle, and Henry chuckled.

  “I'm sorry to run away, but I really must go and get Ever and head to the lab to complete some stuff before our one o'clock appointment with the fencing guys." Henry said good bye, and headed towards the kitchen to meet with Master Sergeant Long. Ever was lounging on the couch munching on chips and laughing at a show with Micah who was chilling on the floor in front of her. They were so at ease with each other, no uncomfortable ramblings, no flustering or blushing when in each other's company. I was jealous and happy for her at the same time. I knocked on the wall as I walked in to announce I was in the vicinity.

  "Ever, we have to go to the lab now. Come on. Hi Micah. We'll see you again at one when we meet with the fencing company." Micah smiled and nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't take his eyes off the show on the television. I shook by head at Ever who just gave a silly grin as we left the living room. We were halfway to the door to the basement when Henry stepped out of the kitchen with two cans of sodas and a plate with two sandwiches.

  "I thought you and Ever might like some lunch while you're slaving away in the lab doing whatever you are going to do down there.” He had a sheepish look on his face as he handed us our plates and drinks. I smiled warmly at him and the thoughtfulness he was showing towards all of us.