Griffen did not want to go out to explore with the others. Rudy had demanded he stay visible, which made him super uncomfortable. When lunch was over and everybody was getting ready to leave, Griffen still hadn't decided if he would join them. He was surprised when Rufus approached him.
"Hey, dude, nothing to be afraid of. You are the only one of us who has been outside the pod. You already know what to expect."
Always nervous talking to people, Griffin's dropped his eyes, his cheeks flushed red. "I was invisible. No one could see me."
"Yeah, yeah, I get that, but really you'll be with us, nothing to worry about. Stay close to me. I'll keep you safe." Rufus smiled and slapped Griffen on the back. "No worries, buddy."
Griffen watched Rufus amble away stunned at the other guy's promise and amazed by his outrageous confidence. He wasn't sure how Rufus would protect him. Griffin actually smiled.
Anne and Lucy hooked arms and skipped to the door. Ethan shook his head, the girls were treating the outing like a day at the park. He suspected they were going to be sorely disappointed.
Rufus had befriended Griffin, who decided to go with the group.
Georgie looked ready for combat. His face was pinched, his hands fisted.
"Okay, everybody ready?" It was agreed that Rudy would take the lead with Kate following in the back, making sure there were no stragglers. "Stay together." He leaned into the door and did something Ethan couldn't see to open it.
Eyes wide, they tried to take in everything at once.
Their pod opened into a park space. Tree branches drooped with beautiful, fragrant pink blossoms. Songbirds trilled. Water trickled in a stream nearby. Fat bees darted from bloom to bloom.
"Wow." Lucy had stopped.
"Keep moving." Kate gave her a gentle push.
"But, it's so beautiful. Why can't we stay here for a while?" Lucy was confused.
Kate opened her mouth to answer, but before she could speak a blood curdling scream startled them. Georgie flung a rock in the direction of the scream.
Griffen started to fade.
"Okay, calm down." Rudy kept his voice soft, kind of like an angry whisper. "Griffin stop that, right now!" Rudy looked at the group to make sure they were listening. "Lets move on. We thought you might like to see the new pod Kate and I have moved into." He started walking and this time their was no hesitation from the others. Lucy and Georgie were so close on Rudy's heels he almost tripped.
"Come on in." Rudy opened a door identical to the one that led to their pod.
Instead of a gym and study area, the room consisted of a full library and a separate seating area like in a theater. The television had to be 75 inched wide. There were even games.
"Hey, how come you got such a sweet set up?" Rufus asked what they were all thinking.
"We are older." Rudy said bluntly.
From behind the theater chairs two men appeared. They were dressed identical in head to toe black. Ethan tipped his head trying to figure out what was different about them.
"This is Edgar and Allen." Rudy turned and introduced them one by one to the group. When he got to Lucy both men leaned in.
That was when Ethan realized that their arms and legs were extraordinary long. Long and thin. One of them, he didn't know which, reached a long, stick like finger toward Lucy. Almost daintily he plucked a cat hair from her sweater. "Aren't you the sweetest little morsel?"
Lucy shivered. Ethan and Rufus stepped seamlessly between Lucy and the two men. Georgie took a half step forward, then figured the other two had the situation covered, so stepped back. No sense risking all their lives.
Kate took charge. "Back off." Her glare matched her voice. "These are our students."
"Fine." The pair answered as one, their longs arms working, their expressions indignant. "We weren't going to bite anyone."
"On that note, I think it's best we move on." Rudy led them across the room. Georgie and Griffen joined Ethan and Rufus as a guard around the girls.
The second room was similar to their kitchen/ living area, except seated on the couch were two women, obviously conjoined twins.
"Well, you no beauty yourself!" They both glared at Georgie. He blushed almost purple.
"Meet our other pod mates, Sybil and Vera." Kate smiled at the pair, not put off by their bluster. "Obviously, they are clairvoyant. Living with people who can read your mind can be awkward to say the least."
"You, my darling are a dream to live with...now your rascal brother.." They both smiled flirtatiously at Rudy. He smiled back.
Edgar and Allen sauntered into the room.
"Oh, I see you have met the spider brothers." Sybil and Vera made identical expressions of disgust.
"Charming as always." It was apparent there was no love lost between the two brothers and the twin sisters.
Rufus leaned close to Griffen and whispered, "Maybe we're not so bad off." Griffen nodded his agreement.
When the brothers turned in Lucy's direction, Ethan shoved her behind him. Edgar and Allen lips twisted in what he assumed were smiles.
When Kate suggested it was time to leave, no one argued. They didn't quite make it to the outside door of the pod that led back into the garden when Anne yelled. "Stop!"
"Don't open the door."
Rudy turned, a questioning look on his face. "What did you see?"
Anne shook her head, her eyes vacant, her head tilted like she was listening to something only she could hear.
"Blood, mayhem." Griffen shivered. Anne continued as if in a trance. "And a wolf?" It was definitely a question.
"But not a wolf."