Chapter 19
Boardinghouse in Fountain Grove, State: Percival, Republic of Shantu, Continent: Barat Year: 2040, Planet: Grimoire
Once everyone finished their meals, a mutual agreement was made. "We should head back, it is getting late." Ms. Hermina informed all of them. "While there are two and a half hours remaining, it will take us some time to return." She'd been glancing out the window for some time now. "It appears that ruffians have begun roaming the streets."
Truly it was very dark outside.
"In that case shall we make one pact?" Harper looked at everyone calmly. "In three days', time, we shall make the final arrangement for the party formation." His voice was calm. "Then we head out for the journey to Three Pronged Fork plains,"
The guards nodded reluctantly. "Three days' time, we'll make a final decision." The spokesman for the guards stated their intent.
"That's fine then." Hermina stated calmly.
With relief of something settled by that time, Harper, his siblings, and Ms. Marten returned to the boardinghouse. Once there, the guards would dispersed.
Shiloh heard the news and grunted. "You let them off too easily." She stated.
That was before she heard the rest of the information. "Okay, now it makes more sense." She nodded in approval. "Go upstairs and wash up. We'll talk to you all later."
They would regroup three days later to make final arrangements in regard to forming a formal hunter/adventurer group. If the guards didn't join the party but would continue guarding them until they reached Three Pronged Forks no grudges would be held by the siblings or Hermina for that matter. With that agreement settled, everyone went on their separate ways.
*
Harper, Anara, Sherpa, Daryl, Holly Jennifer, Ambrose, and Sapphire were ensconced in chairs in a communal area within their suite in an upper floor of the boardinghouse.
Harper regarded the newest brochures with a sigh. "So, we've found at least three good alternatives thanks to Mr. Marcus." Everything had become so much more complicated with their return to the boardinghouse.
The others nodded in reluctant agreement and aggravation.
Truthfully, it hadn't been an easy decision to go against their mother's wishes as far as the academy of choice. However, in the end, they concluded that ulterior motives had come into play that would've forced them into an untenable circumstances.
"So, what should we consider now?" Daryl wanted to know. "We have to make a decision eventually."
"Well obviously we're not going to go to Fang's Cliff." Sherpa stated simply.
Every one of them heaved a sigh of relief. "Yes, that was indeed a potentially very bad mistake." Anara agreed quietly.
They'd also voted against going to Fang's Cliff Academy either. That had more to do with honoring their mother's dislike of it. As well as more practical considerations based on the further digging, they'd done. Mostly to confirm their suspicions that neither of those academies were suitable for any of them.
Ambrose murmured. "I'll admit, I was surprised when the Whitcombe's came up with quite a few reasonable locations."
The end result was them opting for another potential that they'd uncovered with Shiloh and surprisingly enough, the Whitcombe's assistance. That couple had dropped by before the curfew and settled into chat with them.
"Yes, I was also surprised, but grateful." Sapphire smiled. "I wasn't expecting much after they abruptly left the day before." She shook her head, her smile fading. "Yet, they're still willing to host the five of us until we come of age." She found that discomfiting.
Daryl grimaced. "I too am not pleased with that, but it might be the only reasonable thing to do right now." He conceded with a sigh.
*
Later that night, after everyone returned with two hours to spare before the curfew, all of the siblings confirmed their decision to not attend Tremont Vocational Academy.
When Shiloh heard the news, she was relieved when talking to Hermina and the Whitcombe's later that evening. "I'm glad that they opted to not attend that academy." She admitted. "I was concerned about the unsavory rumors floating around it lately."
Hermina nodded. "I, too, was against it but at the time, their mother still had stars in her eyes whenever it came to Amos Denbigh." She shook her head in disbelief. "I still cannot believe he'd intentionally deceived her about that location."
Shiloh shrugged. "To be honest, when I heard the trouble, she'd gotten into, I was disillusioned thinking that it was, yet another problem caused by that Matriarch." She frowned. "I realized otherwise when hearing his death." She shuddered. "Shades of what happened to that unfortunate first love of hers, now that I think about it."
Hermina and the Whitcombe's nodded soberly. They also recalled those horrible memories clearly as if it happened yesterday, not three decades ago.
"So have they found some alternatives?" Marcus wanted to know.
"Yes, I would like some reassurance about their futures one way or another." Joan frowned. "We can still harbor the quintuplets." She added after a moment of silence.
Hermina snorted. "They almost chose Fang's Cliff Academy of all places." She watched them wince. "At least until I warned them about the reality of what they faced once inside the grounds." Hermina sighed heavily. "Evidently there were some parts of her past that Davina didn't share with them." She shrugged ruefully. "I'm beginning to understand why we were left with that quandary."
Joan and Marcus were flabbergasted when they heard that.
Joan shook her head in surprise. "Goodness, you must've had some difficulties persuading them not to choose it."
Marcus folded his arms. "I did send them some information about a few other places they could check out." He mentioned with a faint smile. "Latford, Cornell, Burdock, Mannock."
Hermina nodded. "Yes, all of them are suitable alternatives and have reasonable requirements for graduation." She shrugged. "It is now going to be up to them." Hermina honestly hoped that they would continue their studies. Their intelligence would surely help them succeed in their future goals.
Marcus smiled a little. "As you said it is their choice of whether they chose something from those suggestions we made," He shrugged cheerfully. "Or they go off on a wild hair of just earning a living without continuing their education."
It wasn't something they could really interfere in beyond what they provided as guidance, Hermina understood that, but she was frustrated. "Why must our hands be tied especially now?" She fretted. "I'm worried that that matriarch will come back and continue haunting them."
The Whitcombe's and Shiloh winced upon hearing that. They all sat in uncomfortable silence.
*
Jennifer found the debate about the academies downright irksome and boring as all hell. She stifled a yawn to the amusement of her siblings both older and same age. Jennifer didn't care if they appreciated her yawns. She was wearied and just wanted to go to bed.
Sure, they had to choose something, especially the oldest three, Jennifer sighed. However, it wasn't the same for her and her quintuplets yet. They had three years to decide. She just wanted this over with or at least a tentative decision made since time was running short.
She tapped her fingers on an armrest and considered the problem. A trigger to get them into a mutual consensus was needed. Jennifer knew why they were as yet undecided. No one really wanted to part from one another, and the unknown future was frightening.
After all this time they hadn't come to a conclusion yet. Now how to get onto one subject? Well, there was a way to force them to conclude and head for bed. The difficulty was in snagging Harper's attention to force a decision. Jennifer rolled her eyes.
Fine, she would address the situation since that was her strength, being the dense and oblivious sister sometimes paid off when breaking a stalemate which seemed to be the problem this time. Jennifer knew she would have to do it. They glanced at her and averted their gazes before shaking their heads slightly and she sighed inwardly.
All the others were avoiding the topic of the precognitive dream. Surely bringing it forward would spark some kind of formal decision. At least she sure hoped that would be the result. "What do you think of that dream we all shared?" Jennifer addressed the one topic they were ignoring till now in favor of the academies.
It was now or never. Jennifer eyed her oldest brother somewhat sourly. Yes, she had another motive as well. Surely their awkward silence would do the trick in also bringing a summons forth from the adults. If she wasn't mistaken, they had some way of tracking their conversation in the common room.