The Hidden Deep

by Christa J. Kinde

  Ransom noticed and quirked a brow at her, and she colored slightly. That smile was meant for Omri, not him! Silence stretched awkwardly between them until he remarked, “The music’s not bad.”

  “They’re a Christian group,” Prissie pointed out.

  “Yeah. The lyrics kind of gave that away.”

  Swallowing hard, she glanced over and mumbled, “About the other day. I’m sorry if I was rude.”

  “If?” he challenged.

  Squirming under his direct gaze, she grudgingly said, “I might have been out of line.”

  “You think?”

  “I’m trying to apologize!”

  Ransom only shook his head and said, “Try harder.”

  Flustered and frustrated, Prissie snapped, “What do you want from me?”

  “Mostly nothing,” he replied. “But if you’re feeling generous, maybe half a chance.”

  12

  THE

  GROUP

  PROJECT

  I want another way in,” the dark figure growled.

  Dinge and Murque exchanged nervous glances, and the latter cautiously inquired, “In where, my lord?”

  “Haven’t you been paying attention?” he asked silkily.

  “M-more or less,” the demon replied in ingratiating tones.

  “Lots of places you’re wanting to get into lately,” said Dinge. “If you catch my meaning.”

  Their superior sneered. “The girl is hemmed in on every side, but I can still reach her through those around her.”

  Murque’s eyes took on an evil gleam. “The father’s a trusting fool.”

  Dinge leered and added, “The brother’s at a difficult age.”

  “Perhaps,” the Fallen mused aloud. “Look for an opening. There’s always an opening.”

  When the regular football season ended, the West Edinton Warriors moved on to the playoffs, and without a Friday night game on the docket, Prissie was able to make plans for a different kind of fun. The social studies assignment was due next week, right before Thanksgiving break, so she invited April for a sleepover to give their group the chance to work on it.

  It was by far the best project Prissie had ever been a part of, mostly because for once, she didn’t feel the need to do everything. April had bookmarked half a dozen search engines, and she wasn’t afraid to use them. Koji remembered everything he read, so he was able to bring up useful tidbits from the stacks of library books he’d read on their assignment. For her part, Prissie was good at giving the teachers what they wanted. Once the report was finished, she’d be the one to present it. They each carried their own weight, and it was coming together quickly.

  “Want to take a break?” Prissie asked. They’d been working steadily since right after dinner, and she was ready for a change of pace. “We could make popcorn.”

  “Yes!” April quickly agreed. “Homework always gives me a case of the nibbles.”

  They found Neil at the kitchen table, munching his way through an apple while he read. Prissie did a double take. “Studying?” she asked incredulously.

  “Kinda, yeah.”

  “What class?” inquired April, plopping down across the table from him. She never minded being called nosy because it was a reporter’s job to be curious. Prissie thought April might have made a decent Observer, except that her curiosity was a lot more in-your-face.

  “Not a class,” Neil corrected, flipping over the book to show her the cover.

  “That’s some pretty technical extracurricular reading,” April remarked.

  “This is the manual first responders have to learn,” he explained. “Derrick Matthews loaned it to me.”

  “So you’re interested in first aid?”

  “Kinda,” he repeated. “It’s a good place to start.”

  “If that’s your starting point, where are you headed?” April pried.

  “I’m going to go into medicine.”

  Prissie’s head whipped around, but her friend didn’t bat an eye at this pronouncement. “What kind? Are you talking neurosurgeon … pediatrician … veterinarian?”

  “Nope. I’m going to drive ambulances.”

  “Since when?” Prissie asked.

  “Since now,” Neil replied with a careless grin.

  In spite of a late night, both April and Prissie were awake early on Saturday morning. Soft sounds from the kitchen lured them down the back stairs where they found Grandma Nell already at work. Saturday breakfast was often her treat, and with both Neil’s play-off game that afternoon and April over, she was going the extra mile. The coffeepot was on, and she was just sliding some kind of cheesy potato bake into the oven.

  “Blueberry pancakes?” Prissie asked, eyeing the ingredients her grandmother had set out.

  “And sausages,” Grandma Nell confirmed. “Help yourself to juice.”

  The girls padded over to the table with their glasses and joined Tad and Koji, who were polishing off cinnamon toast.

  “You’re up early,” April said cheerfully.

  “No more than usual,” Tad replied.

  April pointed out, “It’s not a school day.”

  “Tell that to the pigs and chickens,” the oldest Pomeroy boy replied with a small smile.

  “I’m an early riser, too, but that’s because it’s the only way I can keep up with my dailies before school.”

  Tad asked, “What’re dailies?”

  April pulled out her cell phone and tapped the screen a few times before showing him the morning’s headlines. “I keep up with several blogs, a couple of forums, some web comics, all the major news feeds, and that doesn’t even begin to cover my emails, personal messages, tweets …” Tad’s expression showed April he wasn’t plugged in, and Prissie wasn’t much better. So she smoothly changed the subject, asking, “What kinds of chores do you have to do every day?”

  “Koji and I will head into the back forty to take care of the pigs, and then I’ll give Judicious a hand with the chickens,” Tad replied. “The other usual stuff can wait until after Neil’s game.”

  “Oh! I remember when your grandpa used to give us rides around the orchard behind his tractor,” April said. “Do you remember that?”

  “Sure,” Prissie said with a smile. When it came to impressing little girls, her Grandpa Pete was a real pushover.

  Tad glanced between the girls. “If you bundle up, I’ll hitch the trailer to the quad. It’s not the same as Grandpa’s hay wagon, but we should have time for a little tour.”

  “You probably have an hour and a half before breakfast is ready,” said Grandma Nell, giving the four of them an encouraging smile. “There’s nothing like morning air to give you a healthy appetite!”

  April’s eyes took on a shine, and she glanced at Prissie. “Let’s?” she begged.

  “Sure! Prissie readily agreed. Her friend was obviously very excited, and it would be fun. Prissie didn’t mind because, more than any of the others, April had stuck by her.

  When they reached the machine shed a few minutes later, Tad had the quad ready to go. Its trailer was square with low sides, and Tad had tossed a couple of old blankets in the bottom, not that they’d do much good. Prissie knew from experience that they were in for a bumpy ride. Still, it was a nice gesture.

  April clambered aboard. “Thanks so much!”

  “We’re heading out that way anyhow. I don’t mind the extra company.” Tad swung his leg over the four-wheeler’s wide seat.

  Prissie stepped over the side and settled down next to April, and Koji climbed in with them. The young angel seemed to have gone back into silent Observer mode, for he tucked his knees to his chest and simply listened as the girls swapped memories of the games of hide-and-seek they’d played out here when they were younger.

  Their breath showed on the morning air, and frost glazed the grass that hadn’t been touched by the sun. All but the most stubborn leaves had dropped from the apple trees, and here and there, Prissie could see odd pieces of shriveled fruit clinging to a branch. Even ove
r the exhaust from the quad’s rumbling motor, she could smell the sweetness of fallen fruit, the apple scent that defined home for all the Pomeroys.

  Just as they reached the pig shed, which had an odor all its own, Prissie noticed that Koji’s mood had changed, so when April hurried to the fence to admire their porkers, she nudged him and whispered, “Are you okay?”

  His gaze darted upward, and he quietly admitted, “There are a lot of things going on right now.”

  “Things?” she asked worriedly.

  “Fear not,” he said with a reassuring smile. “There are many protecting us.”

  When Koji finished with his responsibilities to the pigs, Tad urged everyone into the trailer so their tour could continue. “We’ll take the scenic route back to the house,” he said, putting the quad into gear and driving toward the far end of their land.

  Prissie glanced around curiously, wondering what Koji was seeing, and she noticed that Tad was checking out the vicinity with just as much care. The eighteen-year-old sat tall and systematically looked over the trees, keeping an eye out for signs of pests, disease, and damage. If he was anything like Grandpa Pete, he was probably also deciding which branches he would prune next time he came through.

  When they reached the top of the last hill, the quad sputtered and stalled. “Huh, that’s odd,” Tad muttered as he hopped down. “Gimme a sec to check it over.”

  While he popped open the covering on the engine and began to tinker, April climbed out of the trailer and stretched. “What a view! I didn’t realize you were this close to the fairgrounds!” She pointed down the gently sloping hill to the outbuildings that lay between the Pomeroy’s land and Sunderland State Park.

  Prissie joined her friend, replying, “Yes, we’re next-door neighbors.”

  “How far are we from your house?” April asked curiously.

  “From here, it’s probably almost two miles,” Tad replied, not looking up from his tinkering.

  While he rattled off boundaries, Koji edged closer to Prissie, and his fingers silently found hers.

  Meanwhile, April said, “I guess I didn’t realize your place was that big.”

  “The orchard and farm have been in the family for a lot of years,” Tad explained. “When adjoining properties went up for sale, we bought them. This section is part of the original orchard, and the newer parts are along the highway. There’s enough wiggle room for both me and Judicious to stay busy.”

  April admired the acres of fruit trees. “You have it all figured out!”

  “It’s not so hard with a family business,” Tad said.

  Prissie only listened to Tad and April with half an ear. “Is something wrong?” she whispered. Koji shook his head, then nodded toward the base of the hill. She followed his gaze in time to see a figure step through the trees from a neighboring row and walk their way. “Who’s that?” she asked a little too loudly.

  Tad straightened from his work and frowned. “We’re not close to much of anything out here. I should see if he needs help.”

  The teen started forward, but the oncoming hiker waved him back and called out, “Wait there, please! I’ll come to you!”

  Prissie stared hard at the man working his way uphill. He wore a nondescript denim jacket and carried a simple hiking stick, but even from a distance she recognized his hair. Thick black braids hung on either side of his face. “Padgett?” she gasped.

  “You know him?” Tad asked curiously.

  “He’s … I met him on our last field trip.”

  “He is one of the rangers at Sunderland State Park,” supplied Koji helpfully.

  “Oh, that makes sense,” Tad murmured, stepping forward with hand extended.

  Padgett accepted the greeting. “Good morning. I was admiring your trees and thought to see the view from this slope. I apologize for trespassing on your land.”

  “No harm done,” the oldest Pomeroy boy replied amiably.

  “Hello again, miss,” the Caretaker said, a smile lurking in his dark eyes. “Koji,” he added with a nod.

  “Padgett, this is my brother, Tad, and my friend, April. Aren’t you a long way from the park?”

  “Not so far,” the ranger replied, glancing back toward state land. “My ramble brought me over more boundaries than I realized. Are you having trouble?”

  “Oh, nothing serious,” Tad said. “Even if I can’t get the quad running, it’s a nice day for a walk.”

  “I can attest to that.” Padgett nodded at the four-wheeler. “I would offer to help, but I know little or nothing about mechanical things.”

  “I’m pretty good with this stuff,” Tad assured. “Something probably jiggled loose.”

  “Show me?” the ranger asked.

  “Well, sure,” the teen agreed, returning to the open case to poke at the motor. “It’s usually something small, so I was checking everything over.”

  “I see.”

  April joined them while Tad performed minor surgery. “Do you really know what you’re doing?” she asked.

  “Sure. Part of the job. Let’s see if that did the trick. Start her up, Prissie?” She hopped onto the seat and hit the starter, and the engine turned with a cough and a rumble.

  “Nice!” April exclaimed.

  Tad nodded in satisfaction and closed everything up, then cast a critical glance at the angle of the sun. “We should probably skip the scenic route and head straight back to the house. Knowing Grandma Nell, they’ll hold breakfast for us.”

  The Caretaker moved to stand between them and the boundary. “Yes, that would be best.”

  “Would you like a ride?” Tad offered.

  “Thank you, no,” Padgett replied with a scant smile. “I’ll find my way back to where I belong.”

  “If you say so,” the teen said. “It was nice to meet you, Padgett.”

  “Likewise, Tad,” the Caretaker replied, nodding to each of them in turn. “Koji. April. And Prissie, it was good to see you again, miss.”

  “You, too,” she murmured, wishing she knew what was going on.

  “Have a pleasant day,” Padgett said, then strode down the hill at a steady pace.

  Tad turned the quad around, and once everyone piled back into the trailer. He made a beeline for home. It wasn’t until they were hurrying up the front walk that Prissie had the chance to whisper to Koji, “What was that all about?”

  “The boundary is a place of unrest,” the young Observer replied seriously. “Padgett redirected us.”

  “Why?”

  “The path we were on led into danger.”

  Over breakfast, April was in what her friends called her interview groove. Conversation at the table seemed to revolve around her, but not because she was doing all the talking. Rather, she was asking all the questions.

  For a while, she quizzed Tad on his college plans and discussed the pros and cons of the various universities that offered agricultural degrees. Prissie was amazed that April managed to draw the eighteen-year-old out enough to talk about anything, since he wasn’t much of a conversationalist. Then, she turned around and dragged Grandpa into the discussion by asking him if he thought it was more important to know how to take apart an engine than it was to earn a degree.

  Fleetingly, Prissie wondered about the attention April was paying to her big big-brother, but just as quickly, her friend turned to Jude, wanting to know the current retail value of farm fresh eggs. The next minute, she switched gears and asked Neil about the upcoming football game and the statistics of the other team’s quarterback. From there, she talked to Grandma Nell about the difficulties of raising blueberries in their region.

  At school, April mostly talked about celebrity gossip and fashion, but Prissie supposed that’s because those were the things that Margery and Jennifer were most interested in. April seemed to know a little bit about everything. In comparison, Prissie felt a little … dull.

  Later, when they were in Prissie’s room, changing for the game, April asked, “Why do you always wear skirts and d
resses?”

  “I don’t,” she said, feeling a bit defensive. “I have work pants and a pair of overalls, but those are for around the farm.”

  “Why don’t you wear jeans to the game?” her friend suggested. “They’d be warmer.”

  “There’s no way,” Prissie replied. “It just wouldn’t be me.”

  April nodded thoughtfully, and said, “It must be nice to know yourself so well.”

  Prissie blinked. Most people called her stubborn, stuck in her ways, and even stuck up. “I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way before.”

  “Some people can’t seem to make up their mind about who they want to be,” April explained. “But you’re very sure of yourself. I admire that.”

  With a tentative smile, Prissie asked, “What do you like, April?”

  “Me?” she asked, surprised.

  “Yes. What kinds of things are you interested in?”

  April tapped her chin, and her eyes took on a mischievous twinkle. “When it comes right down to it, I guess I’d have to say people!”

  Prissie giggled. She couldn’t help it. It made her even happier when April joined in.

  The stadium where the play-off games were being held was much bigger than the one at Prissie’s school. Jayce and Grandpa Pete escorted Neil to the team’s locker room while Momma and Grandma Nell herded the rest of the family along the concourse toward the restrooms. “Is it okay if we start looking for seats?” Prissie asked.

  “Go ahead, sweetheart,” her mother replied. “We’ll catch up to you in a few minutes.”

  April, Koji, and Prissie hurried through the tunnel that opened onto the football field. Four games were scheduled today, so there were people from eight different schools in the stands. Whole sections had been claimed by the various schools, and they were already filling with crowds, proudly wearing their school colors. Prissie cast sidelong glances at a bunch of boys who’d painted their faces orange and white. A little further along, they had to edge around marching band members with fluffy gold plumes on their helmets.