The Path Of Destiny

To Hank’s surprise two days later he came home from work to find a news crew and TV reporter in the lounge room with Corin, interviewing him about the rescue. Hank saw Amanda watching them from the kitchen doorway and joined her “what’s going on?”

“Corin told one of the crews that if he did an interview they had to swear that they would not only hire men to keep the others away but donate money to us so we can continue running our ‘orphanage’. By the way, he contacted some ‘sources’ and got us listed as an official orphanage so now, starting next week we get payed to take care of the kids.”

When the interview was halfway through Mouse suddenly appeared and came over to Corin, sitting on his lap without pause as if not noticing the cameras. Amanda was about to go and get her when the news woman said softly “and who’s this?”

“Mouse” she said innocently to the woman who smiled and asked, “how old are you Mouse?”
“Five” she said softly and the reporter smiled “and is Corin your brother?”

“No silly!” she laughed, “he’s my teacher!” The reporter smiled wider and with more humor, the humor of a parent with a child “What does he teach you?”

“Everything, history; reading; writing; math; everything.”

When the interview was finished Corin escorted them out, saw them off and came back to them, Hank speaking as he did “I thought it was to dangerous for them to know you are here.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?”

“You said at the hospital that if people knew that you were here that there would be ‘fanatics and needers galore’ and the children would be in danger.”

“Oh don’t worry, they aren’t in any danger” and before the parents could speak Corin turned and was gone, one hand in Mouses’.

The next morning when Jason and Corin came down to breakfast with the children Corin wasn’t wearing the bandage around his leg. The wound was now an ugly red scar that appeared months old, not days and he assured them that even the scar would be gone in the next few days.

This made Amanda realize something. Jason had said he was allowed to be with Corin here in the house instead of out in the property because of his injury, meaning once the scar was gone he would return out there. Which meant she couldn’t be with him, talk to him, make up for everything she had done to scare him or upset him in his youth. She wanted to be with her adopted son, now more than ever, to really truly get to know him as well as her grandson.

The answer struck her when she was tying to sleep at one o’clock the next morning. She sat up in bed suddenly with a cry of joy, “That’s it!” Next to her Hank stirred in his sleep and moaned, “what’s what?”

“I know how to warrant going out to see Jason every day and night!”

“What are you talking about?” he complained sleepily.

“When Corin’s leg is fully healed Jason will go back to watching the outside property with the other three. I was trying to think of a reason to go out and visit him so we could keep talking and getting reacquainted, but until now couldn’t think of anything that didn’t sound like an excuse to spy,” she looked down into her husbands face “but now I have it! Meals, I can take him and the other three breakfast, lunch and dinner! I mean we have enough money to pay for extra food now thanks to Corin and this guy Richard and they are protecting us, it’s only right we do something to repay them like feed them.”

“I guess so” Hank rolled over and before she could speak again he was snoring softly again, leaving Amanda to figure everything else out by herself, to work out her plan by herself.


Two mornings later she bailed up Corin and told him her idea. He protested, argued but eventually told her who was in what area. To her surprise instead of being north, south, east and west they were northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest. When she asked why he said not only was it easier to defend but the area they had meant easier contact with each other. When she started to leave with four plates of food he stopped her “if you are going to feed the others, you better get more eggs and toast and less bacon.”

“Why?” she frowned at it.

“Because Pamilla is a vegetarian, she refuses to touch any kind of meat. She would appreciate more eggs. Carmen would only eat toast, he is half alien and doesn’t have the same sense of taste as we do, anything not bland can be way to strong for him. Besides, eggs affect his teows and makes it temporarily too potent for even HIM to handle.”

“Teo...what?”

“Teows. You see Carmen’s kind when they are children are born with retractable front and back incisors. The front bear a powerful sedative, the back an powerful poison, known to kill within minutes, but agonizingly. Usually their children loose those liquids before their fifth birthday and the fangs dissolve, but Carmen’s didn’t. We think it’s because of the human side of him sustaining it, being half alien and half human not to mention his Idar side. Some foods, like eggs can strengthen the liquids, they react in adverse ways with it.”

“I see, anything else?”

“Terrance wouldn’t want all three or the bacon, he likes lots of eggs and a little toast. That sort of meal would remind him too much of those meals he used to have of a morning before work with his deceased wife and he loved her more than anything in his life-except his daughter-that is. As for Martine, his daughter, she would only eat the toast, she’s trying to get Carmen to like her, even though he’s mated and married.”

“Martine?” this was the first time she had heard this name “what is she doing here as well?”

“Someone needed to guard dad’s corner while he was here with us. Besides, Terrance needs help sometimes staying in the real world instead of his own mind, she keeps him out and alert, she gives him reason too.”

“What do you mean by that?” she frowned at him in concern and confusion to which he smiled sadly “Just after Martine was born Terrance lost his job. Since birth Terrance hasn’t always…been THERE, but first his mother then his wife always handled him, helped him cope. Without work to occupy him and keep him active and busy Terrance began to go weird, desperate for what he needed to keep him thinking straight.

When Martine turned one year old he found another job, but unknown to him they were assassins-for-hire. The group wanted their new superb soldier with no other loyalties to other than them so they murdered his wife and were about to murder Martine when Terrance stopped them, saving his daughter. Knowing she would never be safe again he came to the Idars and pledged his life to them in return for the initiation into them and protection for his daughter. Eagle himself brought him in and then he took her to his sister and brother-in-law to raise as their own, after linking their minds so he could forever watch over her.

Martine grew up aware of her father watching over her but when her husband became a victim of the group of assassins she used the link to hunt down her father and demand, if he loved her like she loved him, he would stay with her. However since she and I had previously gotten to know each other I took her aside and told her that if Terrance left the Idars he’d be considered a Renegade and hunted down.

Realizing what her father would be sacrificing for her she instead went to Richard, explained everything and told him she was willing to sacrifice ANYTHING she had too to be allowed permission to join the Idars with her father, even if it meant giving up her soul and body to whatever they wanted to do to her, it didn’t matter as long as they were allowed to be together.”

Amanda gasped in horror “you mean she just LET the Idars have their way with her body and soul? She just let them rape her!” Corin looked at her in shock and horror “you think so little of us, of the Idars that you would think they would rape a human, let alone an innocent girl barely in her twenties! That I would join and live with such people!”

“You had no choice about joining them Corin, remember.”

“Perhaps, or perhaps I stay by choice, not because I have too. I have other places I could go with others who truly understand and think and feel like me. Besides, as a member of the Protection And Defense Department if I leave the Idars I am still under Richard’s influence and command, and therefore protected. Do you think I would stay with the Idars by choice and not leave for the PADD if they were raping or hurting people like that? Shows how well you know them, after all we’ve told you about their origins and standards and you think them capable of such evil.”

Momentarily Amanda was angry “I don’t need to defend myself with you!”

"It's not me you are trying to defend yourself too. How jaded are you to even think such for even a minute?" he said in that typical Child Of Hualeric insight before turning and leaving her to her thoughts.