Then the entire group stood and as a whole and bowed to all three of them, Grayson looked at all of them and sighed. He hated this kind of attention, but there was nothing for it but to accept their respects with a smile and honor them for their attention. As they sat down again Grayson spoke to everyone.
"Thank you for your respects: we are honored to receive them. Now that we've appointed Marcos as headmaster, things should run the way they were meant to, however, before I send you to the dining room, I would like to say one thing. Today we brought children to the school that are not only Sentinels, but vampires as well. These children are Harry's and my responsibility and as such should be treated as our own. KiGa has allowed them entrance and they will be protected like all the others. Please treat them as you would any other child that is attending this school."
Grayson finished speaking and looked around at all the faces, which kept glancing at the children sitting at the front where Harry and Marcos had been sitting. The rest of the assembly looked curiously at the children, but Grayson felt and saw no hatred or prejudice in them.
"Please continue with what you were doing for now, but I will be transporting food into the dining room for you in about an hour to celebrate," Grayson said then turned to Marcos.
"Marcos, we need to settle the children in and make sure there isn't any problems before we head out," Grayson said.
Marcos nodded and lead them to the headmaster's office, so that they could set the children up, it took roughly 30 minutes to get them all registered, and another 5 minutes to assign them to a room. Once they finished, they showed the children to their rooms; after they had all the things they needed and wanted for their stay at the school, Marcos, Grayson, Harry, and Yoshihiro led the children back to the dining room.
The dining room was large and could accommodate as many people as needed. The four extra long and wide tables were lined up in orderly fashion, but the adult table sat at the very front, facing everyone.
As everyone walked in, Grayson transported food in as he had for the Sentinels in the cave and sat down next to the children and began eating with them. Harry, Yoshihiro, and Marcos, like all the other adults went up to the adult table and dug in as well. Anything and everything the children could think of was on the tables; there was food for everyone.
The noise was tumultuous, and the children had gone from somber to excited and cheerful. They had chosen one of the middle tables to sit at and without hesitation, the other children began to talk to the group they had brought from Alexi’s home. They showed no prejudice or hesitation, they simply began to include them in the conversations they were having.
Grayson smiled to himself, they would do well here; they would grow and thrive the way they should be, including the vampires. Unlike the mythology that normally depicted vampires as nothing but bloodsuckers, vampires could survive on food as well as blood. In most cases, they needed blood only once every month to two months, unless they were injured, then they needed it to replenish themselves and heal faster.
Still, Vampires didn't consume nearly as much blood as they were made out to, or even as dangerously as they were portrayed. Yes, the bloodlust could be there in the beginning, but in most cases, it was like what had happened to Yoshihiro or Nulo. Their bodies reacted to the blood they had, like a huge shot of adrenaline, giving them a raging hard on and an enormous rush. This would make them crave it more often and if their makers didn't teach them well, they could form a habit of it, but it was not necessary.
These children would be taught properly and would be shown how to coexist with Sentinels although they had already proven they knew how to coexist with their Sentinel friends. They would not have far to go to learn how to live with the rest of the Sentinels in the land of KiGa.
Grayson was quite proud of them for handling this so well so far, not just the vampires but the Sentinel children as well. They had been through quite an ordeal, and Grayson and Harry had shown Marco just what they'd gone through so that he may better understand them and guide them appropriately.
He knew they were in good hands but he would still have to check on them frequently to make sure everything was going well, especially since he and Harry were responsible for them. How had Hadox seen them having their own children when they already had so many that they needed to worry about?
When would they have the time to do something like that? How would they manage? Not that it was going to happen now; they were much to young, not to mention this whole situation with the Void. Well them having children was too far away to worry about, when the time came they would handle it, but not until then.
After a little more than an hour of eating and talking, they all finished eating, Grayson having eaten only a little to save space for the children at home; they said goodbye, and Yoshihiro, Harry, and Grayson teleported home.
They had left, Silk, Angelo, and Grant at the school per their request, they'd opted for staying at the school and learning with the other children. They seemed happy, and that was what Grayson wanted to see; they would do well it appeared, and that made Grayson exceedingly happy.
They arrived at home only a few minutes after Grayson had spoken to Pari, Xavier, and Red, with enough pizzas in hand for everyone. But the reception they received was not what Grayson had expected, they had all been expecting Yoshihiro as well as them. His Mother had probably told them of Yoshihiro, but Harry must have told them they were bringing him home.
"Hey everyone, sorry it took us so long, I'll let you know everything we dealt with after we ate. Let's dig in everyone, while it's still hot," Grayson said as Pari ran up to him and jumped into his arms.
Grayson caught her and hugged her tightly as his Dad took the pizzas from him and Grayson hugged Red and Xavier when they ran up to him and hugged him too. They all hugged Harry just as tightly and then Pari jumped back into Grayson's arms and stayed there.
Chapter Seventeen
"So what happened after you left Mr. Kumasegawa's office?" Isabel asked.
They were in the library, and all the adults were sitting around, only the three children were missing; they were playing in a room Grayson had set up for them with enough toys to keep them occupied for months. Yoshihiro was in the corner looking from one face to the next, waiting for Grayson or Harry to explain. Everyone had tried talking to him and including him in everything but it was taking him some time to warm up to everyone.
Instead of answering his Mom, Grayson concentrated and let the events fill his mind, feeling the anger he'd felt earlier, as he reversed the process of delving into someone's mind, and fed the information directly into all of their minds. They all gasped and Bell and Aeri lunged for the trashcans on either side of the fireplace, throwing up their dinner.
"Sorry guys, I didn't mean to make you throw up, I should have warned you all, but that is what we've been dealing with. I was thinking of asking the children if they wanted to attend the school throughout the week and they could come home on the weekends. I think it might be safer for them there than here at the moment."
Grayson paused and looked around at the solemn faces, most wore the same expressions Bell and Aeri had. They had fought to not throw up, as he had done when he'd seen it all, his anger had helped him push that urge off more than anything, but it had passed and he had to let the anger go, and concentrate on the here and now.
"You are all welcome to go as well, I know you, Patrick, will probably want to go to the university, but there is a chance the Void can find you that way. You can learn all you need to learn at the school and the diploma you receive from the school is equivalent to any ivy league school, and it's free. Time passes differently there than here though, but you would all be safe there. I plan on asking the other Sentinels in the cave if they want to go there also, so you will not be the only ones if you decide to go," Grayson said, looking around.
"I'll think about it, it is a very inviting proposition, especially the part where it is free, plus I can't imagine the knowledge that i
s stored there after so long," Patrick said, everyone nodded. Grayson smiled and looked at Harry then back at Patrick.
"You would be surprised how advanced the information is, Harry was a teacher there, and if you remember the machine from the caves that he made, you'll have an idea of how advanced it really is," Grayson said, grinning widely.
Patrick looked pensively at Harry then nodded.
"I'll definitely think about it," Patrick said.
Grayson nodded, and they continued to talk about everything that had happened from the time Isabel left them. Everyone continued to talk to Yoshihiro, and he slowly warmed up to everyone, answering everyone's questions when they asked him something. Grayson had thought of asking him if he wanted to stay at the school too, but he was fairly positive he would decline. He would ask him once the teenagers and Patrick decided if they wanted to attend the KiGa school or stay on Earth and attend school.
They finally all went to bed, Yoshihiro taking up the extra cot that they had in the room with Grayson and Harry, since he seemed almost as scared as Pari, Xavier, Red. Before they fell asleep, Grayson asked the children if they wanted to attend the school with the rest of the teenagers and Patrick, if they decided they wanted to go. He explained about the school and how they would be surrounded by other children their own age and they would be safer there than at Grayson's house.
They agreed to go with him the next day to check it out and they would let him know then, but they seemed quite enthusiastic about it. Pari liked the idea of being as strong as her Mother had been, and Red thought the same thing, Xavier said he wished he'd known of it before the Void had taken his parents, but he agreed to attend the school, unless he didn't like it when they got there. After that they went to sleep, the children curled up between Harry and Grayson the way they had done the night before, cuddled up to them safely.
The next morning while they were sitting at the dining table eating breakfast, Patrick told Grayson he'd made up his mind and he wanted to attend the KiGa School. The rest of the teenagers chimed in that they had come to the same decision and wanted to stay there as well. Eri turned to Yoshihiro and suggested he also attend the school, so that he could be safer and get the chance to learn and get stronger along with them.
Yoshihiro turned to Grayson and Harry with worry on his face and Harry patted his hand.
"You don't have to, but what Eri said is true; you would do well to get stronger and feel better about yourself. Alexi did a lot of damage; this would help you grow as a person and become stronger both physically and mentally. We will still be here, and you will still need Gray's blood, we aren't abandoning you Yoshihiro. If you want to go, you are very welcome to; you will be safer there than you will be here as well," Harry said.
Yoshihiro bowed his head pensively and studied his plate, playing with his fork nervously.
"You don't have to decide now sweetheart, just take your time. Gray can take you later if you decide to go," Isabel said with a smile, caressing his head in a mothering way.
Yoshihiro nodded his head and sighed, then started to eat the food on his plate. Once everyone was done, Grayson said goodbye to everyone, gave a kiss to his Mom, and hugged his Dad. Then he gathered the teenagers, Patrick, and the children, and turned to Harry, who was helping him gather all the people going with Grayson together.
"I shouldn't be too long, why don't you stay and go over some strategy with Jo and the others. I'm going to leave them at KiGa, then go with Red to check on his Father's best friend Jesse. I'd suggest you go tell the Sentinels in the cave about KiGa, but I think Dad wanted to do something to get out of the house and he was talking about going to check on them. So I'll leave the explaining about KiGa to him, but maybe you can go with him just in case he needs back-up," Grayson said.
"Ok Gray, I can do that, be safe," Harry said, nodding and smiling up at him, then he pulled Grayson down and kissed him quickly before he turned and walked off toward Jo, who was standing and talking to Isabel about something.
The children giggled when they saw Harry kiss Grayson and Bell, Shell, and Hadley all blushed. The guys didn't act any different, but they looked around everywhere else but at Harry or Grayson while they kissed. Yoshihiro looked at them longingly, but remained silent, as the others had done.
"Yoshihiro are you coming with us after all?" Grayson asked him.
Yoshihiro looked at Grayson indecisively, then down at his hands.
"You know, if you go and you don't like it, you can always come back, you're not being punished. You've seen how I punish, so you would know if I were punishing you. If you want to go then go, all you have to do is ask to come home when you need to, the same goes for all of you. You are not being obligated to go, only if I thought you were in danger would I do that, although it is safer there then here at the moment with the threat of the Void. I would prefer if you were all safe, but I leave the decision up to you, for now," Grayson said.
Yoshihiro looked at Grayson intently for a moment and then nodded his head and grabbed Aeri's hand, the rest followed, linking hands with each other. The last was Pari, who stuck her tiny little hand into Grayson's and then linked her fingers through Red's larger hand.
In a second, they were at the entrance to the school, and once again, Grayson placed his hand on the wall and felt the prick. The door slid sideways, and they entered the school, then walked up the long winding path that led to the front of the school.
When they got there, Marcos was waiting for them, with a wide happy grin.
"Hello Grayson, welcome back, it's only been a month since you left, I hope everything is well. Come in please; why don't you children go play or explore, we'll call you when it's time to show you your rooms and get you settled in."
All but Pari took off to explore or look around; she climbed Grayson and clung to him for dear life.
"Pari, what's wrong precious?" Grayson asked her; she tightened her hold around his neck and looked at Marcos.
"If you go I won't see you for a long time. When will you be back for us? You were here less than a day ago and it's been a month here. If you come in a week how much time would have passed?" Pari asked with a sad face.
"A little more than 9 months will have passed if I were gone for a week, but I can teleport us to any time pumpkin, I will be here at the end of the week each time, regardless of the time difference from the school to home. You don't have to worry Pari, and I will do what I have to, to protect all of you. It is safer for you here precious, and as I told Yoshihiro, if you want to come home, it is only a matter of letting us know, ok?" Grayson asked her, smiling at her.
Pari sighed heavily and looked over at Marcos, cocking her head as she inspected him. She stretched out her little hand to him and waited for him to take it, which he did with a huge amused grin on his face.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Pari; I am Marcos Nuvall, headmaster of this school. You are very welcome to stay and learn with the other children; I think you will love it here. There is so much to do, you will never get bored, you get to choose what you study and there is so much you can learn, that you have quite a bit to choose from; don't worry little one, if you ever want to talk to you Grayson, or Harry, all you have to do is ask."
Marcos seemed to convince Pari because she squeezed Grayson tightly and kissed his cheek then asked to be put down. She ran off in the direction Red and Xavier had gone as Grayson turned to Marcos.
"How are all the children doing?" Grayson asked seriously.
Marcos turned and led him into his office; he had Grayson sit down as he took a deep breath and settled into his own seat.
"The children are doing great, a few of the Sentinel children, the older ones have started getting close to the change, I would expect they will be going through it within the next few months. They were drained of their energy so much that it is a surprise they are rebounding so well, but children are very resilient, these especially. Silk, Angelo, and Grant, are doing exceptionally well, they have taken to the
teachers and the other students, and they have some of the top scores in their classes."
Marcos finished speaking and crossed his legs, placing his hands on his lap; Grayson nodded his head, smiling at Marcos' words, happy the children were doing so well.
"And Baltos, how is he doing?" Grayson asked; Marcos nodded, his face becoming serious.
"He is doing well for the most part, his home was done about two weeks ago, and he has since moved out of the school. He came about three days after he moved out, angry about his expulsion from the school and demanded we call you to complain to and to ask for you to reconsider. I told him if we called you, it would make you very angry and then he would have to deal with you in that state of mind, he left, but not before grumbling that he had been unjustly removed. I told him I would gladly pass on the message, and he begged me not to, but I figured you would know one way or another, so I might as well tell you now. He has been cooperating and surprisingly he has been training in your absence," Marcos said half smiling as he looked at Grayson.
Grayson nodded and sighed; he knew Baltos was a going to have a hard time after being in such a high position for so long, but he also knew KiGa had not blessed his appointment to headmaster. Because of that, he had never been all he could have been in that position, worse still, he had let his position go to his head. KiGa's blessing was necessary to perform the duties of headmaster, unless it was one of the top Sentinels, which had all the abilities that were required of the headmaster of the KiGa school.
However, since most of the top Sentinels were busy with other duties Grayson or Harry had assigned to them or their own regular duties, they had not had the time. Though all Sentinels had the abilities in them to perform for this position, not all had learned to unlock them, in most cases, most opted not to learn them extensively. The older Sentinels had usually learned them from experience or because they were old enough to remember a time when all Sentinels were fully capable.
The Sentinels The First and the Second (second edition) Smashwords edition.doc Page 29