by Benham, Tara
"McCaid, I want to thank you for believing me. Most people assume I'm like my father and I'm not. I know you probably won't believe this, but I'm more like your Dad. I have read up on him and his successes. I can barely speak when he's around, I'm star struck. I just started my senior year at a homeschool program. My dad didn’t think education was as important as learning how to run his business was, so he had me take the very basic courses I could." Milo chuckled at his embarrassment. "I would love to work with and study under your Dad. Do you think that would be possible?"
"I'm not sure, Dad is very particular. However, there is no harm is asking him. I do suggest you try to persuade your Dad to get rid of the information."
"I have tried on several occasions. I even tried to hack his system on his personal computer to get rid of the information itself, but I haven't had any luck." As he continued on about how he had tried but failed multiple times, it gave me an idea. Instantly I remembered Baxlie’s willingness to come over and help if he could. Trying not to think about the awkwardness that would occur if he did actually have a crush on me, I shared my suggestion with Milo.
"I have a friend. He's really good at computers, with your help he may be able to hack into your Dad's computer and get the information, if you're serious about wanting to do that."
"I am very serious. For one, he signed a contract that legally requires him to do that, and two my father really needs to learn how to manage his own affairs and not make money off others ideas."
"Well, it's settled then. When we get back to the house, I'll call my friend Baxlie and see if he can come over." I extended my hand out to Milo to get him to shake on it. He gave a light smile and then he took my hand in his and we shook hands in agreement.
We made it back to the house in record time it seemed, but I'm sure it was more that we were both concentrating more on the conversation than the walk to the house. Inside, the house was buzzing with activity, Darcy and Denver were cooking the evening meal, while everyone else was talking about the news cast and watching for more information to be given. Mr. Sallen and the team had waited for Milo. I went to find Ever, while Milo went to speak to his father. Ever was in her room, I could hear her singing. Singing meant that she was upset about something. Ever had a phenomenal voice but she didn't sing much in public. Singing was her way of soothing herself and relieving stress.
"Ever?" I knocked softly on her door so as not to frighten her. The song was slow and soulful. When she turned to me, she was still singing and there were tears rolling down her cheeks. "Oh, Ever. What's wrong?" I ran over to her and wrapped her in a big hug, and she just began to sob. Ever doesn't cry often so I knew something must really have her upset.
"Kryst pretty much said, good luck, I have a party I'm going to tonight. I asked if she would could come stay here just for a few days to see if everything would clear up. I mean I'm not trying to over react, but if this does turn into something bad" She broke into sobs again, once she regained her composure she finished. "I mean she's not the best mom, but she's my mom"
"Ev, I'm scared too, and I'm sure it will turn out to be anything bad, but I understand. Maybe she'll change her mind. You know "the mother" she's very unpredictable." I was trying to reassure Ever, but I knew Kryst would never come. She was more worried about the social scene than her or her daughter's life. "I have some news that may be of some interested to you. Milo wants to stay and study under Dad, and also he agreed to my suggestion to invite Baxlie over to try to hack his dad's computer to delete the files. When we were outside Milo stated that his dad had plans to sell the information, and that he had tried to do it himself but wasn't that good at computers. What do you think?" This made the tears stop almost instantly and anger took their place.
"I think we need to get Baxlie's behind here right now, and then keep a very close eye on one Mr. Milo Sallen to make sure he isn't a spy." I was kind of glad that she was just as suspicious of Milo as I had initially been as well.
"My thoughts exactly, which is why I love you so much. You think like me." I winked at her and handed her a tissue so we could go make ourselves presentable when we go talk to Dad, but first we had to call Baxlie. I grabbed my cell phone while she went to wash her face. Baxlie answered the phone and sounded more than happy to come assist me. Ever walked out looking fresh faced, and ready to greet the world again. There still wasn't much of a smile and the anger had seemed to fade some but the good news was that there were no longer tears.
"What'd he say?" Ever had a look like she knew a secret and was amused to know no one else did. I remember she said earlier that he had a crush on me which of course made me blush because she giggled. "He's coming over right away, isn't he?"
I playfully pushed her towards the door and headed out to go find Dad. She giggled again, and sang a little song Dad had taught her about kissing in a tree. She was just getting to the spelling of kissing, when Henry met us on the way up to the guest room. She stopped immediately, and both of us turned crimson. The heat in my face had to be radiating off me so much that the others felt it too. Not only had she embarrassed me with Henry earlier, I just hope he hadn't heard the Baxlie and McCaid kissing song Ever had just been singing. I liked Henry and didn't want him to get any ideas that I liked anyone else. This day was not turning out to be any better.
"Hello Henry." Sounding somewhat delighted in herself, Ever excused herself. She gave me thumbs up behind Henry's back before dashing down the steps very quickly to find Dad for us.
"Hi." He still seemed shy, and embarrassed. Turning back to me he had such a look of concern. Again the spot between his eyebrows was there. I could probably have lost time thinking about kissing that spot, and him if he didn’t speak up. "How are you holding up? Are you okay?"
There was tenderness in his voice. I could only nod, because I was afraid with the embarrassment and the concern for the news release that if I opened up to Henry, the dam would break and the tears would flow. I'm not totally against crying, but for now I needed to keep my composure. After a couple more deep breaths I felt ready to give a verbal answer.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I mean the lady said that it was contained right? So I'm sure if a day or so when Dad's medication is handed out, everything will go back to normal. Don't you?"
Henry's face wrinkled and he pulled at his chin. I've noticed he does this when he's trying to come up with the appropriate thing to say. I enjoyed having alone time with him, because I could watch him. Everyone else was so busy getting things together or focusing on the news that we probably had a while before anyone started searching for us. Before he could even come up with something to say I wrapped by arms around his middle and laid my head on his chest. He gasped at first, but placed his arms round my back and laid his cheek on the top of my head.
"Shh, Shh, now come on, don't cry. It'll be okay. I'm sure you are right." His arms were strong and warm. I never wanted to leave this place again. I could hear his heart beat speed up, and eventually slow back down. Time seemed to stand still. Neither of us moved or said a word. I was entranced by the smell of earth and soap. It was comforting. After what seemed like an eternity, he pulled back slightly. I frowned a little, and must have been pouting because he chuckled when he saw my face.
"As much as I would like to have stayed that way we don't want to get caught, and I do believe you were headed somewhere with Ever." Thickness flooded his already deep voice. Strangely I felt empty and lonely now that I was no longer in his arms. "Go on, go find Ever, I'll see you later." He kissed the top of my forehead, and walked towards his room. I stood for a moment not sure what I was doing. I thought I might swoon, and then giggled at myself for being so old fashioned. I could not wait to find Ever and get her alone, but for now I had to go and speak with Dad.
CHAPTER 10
After hearing what Milo said, and the plan I had for Baxlie to hack into Mr. Sallen's computer, Dad decided that we should each change our codes for our bracelets. Ever had a few ideas and they were discussing the pros
and cons of each, when Darcy knocked on the door to the lab. She had changed in the past 4 days, becoming more confident. Never before would she have come down there alone, as she had always said it was creepy with the dark walls and corners.
"Darce, what's up?" I was only half pretending to listen to Dad and Ever's ideas, so I was glad for the distraction.
"Baxlie Carter is here. He said he was called by you to come over?" Darcy had always thought Baxlie was weird, and so the confusion in her reaction wasn't that unexpected.
"Dad, Baxlie's here, I'm going to go get him, and bring him down here. I'll explain the situation somewhat to him on our way here."
Dad nodded, and then almost as an afterthought suggested I bring Milo down as well. Darcy and I headed back down the corridor that led to the main basement. She came up under my arm and laid her head on my shoulder. I wrapped by arm around her waist as we walked. Her shoulders trembled and when I looked at her face tears were falling down.
"You want to stop and take a break here while no one can see you?" Darcy didn't like for people to see her upset. Even when we were little, at Mom's funeral she didn't cry in front of anyone but me. I remember over hearing Dad talk to my grandmother about having her go see a doctor to see if she was in shock. At the age of seven, I was protective of my baby sister. Once my grandmother left, I went in very adult like and told my dad we needed to talk. As Dad tells it, I informed him that he would not seek help for Darcy, that I was perfectly capable of handling her whenever she cried, which I said she did at night when she came to sleep with me. Since then he hasn't really said much about Darcy, figuring I would come to him if I needed help.
"I'm okay now, just with all the stress I needed a moment. Denver went home to get her stuff; she's going to move in with us. Dad knows, and her dad agreed. She's pretty much bringing her room. My room is big enough for both our beds, and Dad said that we could use the spare guest room as our closest. The guys are moving their stuff back to the guest house now."
"Well that's good. I'm sure you'll feel better, and maybe she'll find something she wants a master for…. oh, I know can she cook?" Darcy wiped her face and giggled. She gave me a big hug. The thought of the spoilt Denver cooking must have been even funnier to her than I thought it would have been.
"I love you Caidee. Thank you."
"Awe, Darce. I love you too. Now let's get up the stairs, we have work to do."
Baxlie was standing inside the foyer talking to Micah. I smiled and held up a finger to let him know I needed a minute. He nodded and continued to talk to Micah. Baxlie was wearing green camo shorts and a black hoodie. I found Milo in the living room watching for any new reports, but there still hadn't been anything.
"Hey, my friend Baxlie is here. I'm going to the kitchen to grab some sodas for us, and then I will grab him and we'll head to the lab."
"Do you need anything? I can help get the sodas. Dad went to pack my clothes, your Dad agreed I could stay here and study with him. I'm getting one of the rooms in the guest house with the other guys." Just as he was finishing his sentence he kind of stuttered and turned really red, and was staring at something behind me. I turned and saw Darcy just outside the living room area talking to Micah and Baxlie I assumed, but from where I was standing the wall was blocking them from my view. I cleared my throat, and Milo quickly apologized.
"She's only fifteen, and my dad has really strict rules. You've been warned." I patted him on the back sympathetically, and led him towards the kitchen so we could grab the drinks. I signaled for Baxlie to follow, and heard him excuse himself.
"So what's this problem you need help with?" Just like always, he was straight to the point. The first thing I noticed was that he smelled good, like really good. Dangit Ever why did you have to point out his crush. I never would have taken a second notice of him before, not because he wasn’t handsome, but because I never thought of him like that. Now, I can’t not know and it’s in my thoughts whether I want it there or not. Forgetting my manners, I quickly introduced Baxlie to Milo then explained the whole situation to him about needing him to hack into the computer of Mr. Sallen to delete important information. To my relief, Baxlie acted like it would be a piece of cake to do. With each of us carrying a can of soda in our hands we headed down to the lab, with me leading. At the bottom of the stairs in the main basement, I heard both Baxlie and Milo whisper "Cool." I turned and smiled to them to explain where we were going.
"Okay, boys this is just the basement, I have to put the code in to get us to the lab, so can one of you grab these cans?" Baxlie rushed forward and accepted the cans. I walked over to the wall, opened up the box cover the scanner, and placed my newly activated bracelet to the wall, and the wall slid open. The door seam was hidden by the book case on one side and what looked to be decorative wall paper on the other. Again I heard the awe in their voice with another "Cool" from both guys, and I giggled and shook my head. It seemed to me that all guys thought this technology was the most awesome thing. I suppose if I hadn't grew up with a dad who was an inventor and scientist I probably would have found it neat too. The guys entered the hallway that led to the lab, upon my request, and then I slide my arm on the scanner on the other side to close the door again. Normally when it was just us in the house we didn't bother about keeping the passages hidden, but with the hustle and bustle upstairs, and what we were planning to do downstairs, I didn't want anyone "stumbling" upon us
"Hey, it's really dark in here." Milo didn't sound frightened, but he did seem to be confused on where to go. I switched on the light switch, and realized I was standing very close to Baxlie, I looked up and he was grinning ear to ear. I felt the heat creep into my face and made sure to step back very quickly. I adjust my shirt and pull my hair around to the side, and cleared my throat prior to speaking. Why was I acting so awkward, it was just Baxlie Carter. The same Baxlie that I grew up with and went to school with from kindergarten to graduation, and now took college classes with, he should not make me feel awkward.
"This way, it's not a very long hallway, just around this corner here. Dad likes to keep the lab separate from the rest of the basement, so that Darce and I have some semblance of normalcy in our life." I laughed, but realized that neither of these two probably got the joke. "Oh, I'm sorry, well after you complete this so that we can make sure Mr. Sallen no longer has the information, I guess I'll fill you two in on a secret of ours around here. Especially you Milo since you're going to be living here now."
They both made faces at each other and then shrugged. Dad and Ever were sitting at the computer inputting the new codes into the system so that when we each rescanned them into activation site it'd be the codes they chose and not the ones Mr. Sallen assigned. I turned to welcome the guys in the room and they were both standing at the entrance with their mouths gaping open. Ever snickered and Dad smiled, but welcomed them into his lab.
"Come on in guys, Baxlie it's been a long time. Man, you’ve sure grown tall, and Milo thank you for wanting to help us, I hope you'll find living here to be good." Dad seemed to be back to himself. He definitely was dressing like himself again. Dad had on blue Hawaiian board shorts and a yellow shirt, with brown sandals. He must have changed in his private room while I was upstairs getting the guys. Ever has tried to teach him multiple times how to dress better, but it never takes. Ever was shaking her head and I smiled and winked at her.
"Baxlie you can use this computer and if you need anything just let me or one of the girls know. We reset all the codes in the main computer system, Ever take Milo and please go rescan everyone's bracelets so the new codes are activated according to the new codes and each person's DNA. We also reset the computer that if any unknown bracelet tried to activate the fence or a station site it will alert the main computer system."
"I think that is probably a wise decision. Well, Miss Ever if you would join me we’ll go scan some bracelets." Milo held his arm out and she took it smiling and playing the game.
"Yes, let's away." She flung her
hair and scanned her newly coded bracelet to activate the lab doors.
Once they were out of the lab, Dad informed me and Baxlie there were other changes that he did not want to tell Milo we would be making as well as some other files that he wanted deleted off Mr. Sallen's computer. Dad was explaining that not only did the files that he sent contain the fencing blue prints, but also the coding blueprints, bracelet design and a backup for the main system. Dad did a basic explanation, but Baxlie really wasn't into asking questions, so he started doing whatever he was doing to hack the computer.
"I'm in, and I have found the files. I'll delete them in a mass delete so that he won't even know they're missing until they're already gone." He was sitting there scanning through the documents on the file when suddenly he groaned. "Mr. Dobbins, um can you come here please. Oh, McCaid would it be too much to ask you to grab me a straw by chance?"
"Okay, I guess." I was very confused by his request but since he was helping I didn't think it would be right to deny him a straw. I heard some whispering between Dad and Baxlie, but I couldn't quite make it out. Ever and Milo were making their way back to the lab on my way out, and Milo stopped me to scan my bracelet for the new code. He told me that it would be my birth date if I ever needed to manually place the code into the station activator. We were finished and were heading into the lab when I heard Ever gasp and say a few un-Ever like words... I ran quickly to see what was going on. On the screen were pictures of me, Ever, Darcy and even Denver at martial arts class, at home on the property, sunbathing, leaving school, and other various places in town. I turned slowly to look at Milo and could see he was just as shocked as us, or a really good actor.
