The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Yep.” Johnny started looking at the charts. “When are these people going to get over their pneumonia?”

  “That’s what some of these tests you’re running are gonna hopefully show.”

  Johnny fluttered his lips. “Doubtful. I think they’re sick forever. Hey Dr. Dean, what are you gonna do if Ellen hates the house or doesn’t even care to see it?”

  “Cry,” Dean laughed as he talked.

  “You’ve been working so hard to make the house into a Barbie house.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Todd from fabrics told me you sweet talked Ben into giving decorating tips.”

  “Ben made curtains,” Dean said.

  “Did you have to put out for them?”

  “Ha-ha-ha. Spare me the Slagel humor. Speaking of putting out.” Dean leaned on the counter with one hand. “When?”

  “No way. I’m not putting out for you.”

  “Johnny.” Dean nudged him. “I'm talking about what your grandfather asked you.”

  “I know.” Johnny snickered. “I’ve been giving it thought. I figure, tonight . . . maybe tomorrow, I’ll start ‘operation why’s Bev bothering Ellen’. I don’t want to embarrass the girl.”

  “Embarrass her?” Dean asked. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, she’s been chasing after you, right? Well it would be embarrassing if all of the sudden she realizes I like her, which I don’t, and she feels foolish for even considering you.”

  “You are such a Slagel.”

  “Do I have to have sex with her?” Johnny asked. “Seriously, do I?”

  “Probably not. Maybe you can just get close to her.”

  “But if I want any real secrets, I should sleep with her. Of course then I run the risk of having her fall in love with me and never leave me alone.”

  “Is that so?” Dean was enjoying their talk.

  “Yeah. I’ve heard I’m pretty good. I’ve been around the block, probably more than you.”

  “Probably.” Dean laughed. “But, Johnny, how can you be good? You’re a kid.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “Experience doesn’t match maturity in that department. Knowing how comes with maturity.”

  Johnny chuckled in amusement. “No way. You old guys get to a point that sex becomes a chore.”

  “Johnny.” Dean laid his hand on Johnny’s back. “Sex never is a chore when you’re older. It becomes a fine art you have mastered.”

  “Right.” Johnny laughed loudly.

  “Let’s settle this. We’ll get an honest opinion from someone who knows.” Dean smiled. “Let’s ask Trish.”

  “Trish?”

  “Hi!” Trish waved chipper as she walked in the lab. “Busy?”

  Johnny spun around on his stool. “How long has she been standing there.”

  Dean whispered, “She just walked in.” He spoke normal again. “Hey, Trish. Can you help us out with something? We need an honest female opinion.”

  “Oh!” Trish was excited. “Something medical. I’m honest and I’m female. Go on, shoot.”

  “It has to do with sex,” Dean said.

  Trish hesitated then smiled again. “I might get embarrassed, but go on.”

  “If you want to have good sex, who do you get it from, a young man or an older man?” Dean asked.

  “It depends what you consider good sex,” Trish commented. “What’s important, longevity or style. If you want longevity, then you go with the young man because they go and go, but they just don’t, well...know. If you want style, you go with someone older. They know how.”

  Dean smiled and held his hand out to Johnny. “There you have it.”

  “But!” Trish held up her hand, “If you want both, then you go with someone closer to sixty.” She shrugged at their aghast expressions. “Anything else?”

  With a heavy stomp-stomp, Jenny stormed into the lab. “Trish come on. What is taking so long? Did you ask?”

  “No.” Trish shook her head. “We were talking. Sorry.”

  Dean interrupted what looked like a secret conversation between the two ladies. “What did you need, Trish?”

  “I need something really strong for constipation. Something that will clear out the old system.”

  “Like an enema?” Dean held back his snicker. “Why do you need this, Trish?”

  “Not me.” Trish looked insulted as she pointed. “Jenny.”

  Johnny tugged on Dean’s jacket whispering. “If Jenny needs an enema right now, I’m moving beds.”

  Dean tried to keep a straight face. “Um Jenny . . . Do you uh . . . not feel well.”

  Jenny tilted her head. “Why would you ask . . . oh!” Jenny waved her hand. “It isn’t for me. I need a laxative that can be put in food. Hopefully something without any taste or smell.”

  “Who are you going to sneak a laxative to?” Dean asked. He didn’t get an answer from either of the ladies. They just shifted their eyes around. “Jenny?”

  “Dean, I really need it and I need it right now. The cake is being iced and Bev is . . .” Jenny shut up when she realized perhaps she shouldn’t have mentioned a name.

  “Bev.” Dean raised his eyes. “I ethically can not do this. I can’t distribute a medication for you to do that to someone, even if it’s Bev.”

  “Ouch!” Jenny grabbed her stomach and hunched down. Her acting was so bad it was good.“Oh my God!” She held tightly. “The gas pains. Dean, please, I haven’t gone in days. I need something. Please.”

  Dean looked back at Johnny who was laughing. “You’re on call. You handle this. I’m out of here.” Dean smiled at Jenny and Trish. “Moving day.”

  Johnny stood up from the stool. “I’ll distribute the med. Dean, about our little plan.” Johnny stood behind him whispering, “If they’re feeding her what I’m gonna give her. I’m not going forward with the plan for at least another day.”

  Shaking his head with a snicker then with a fake scold to Trish and Jenny, Dean left the lab.

  ^^^^

  Bowman, North Dakota

  Twelve men sat in red chairs that used to be behind desks in the class room of the school. They sat there like children awaiting punishment and that feeling grew with each click of The Captain’s boots they heard draw nearer and nearer.

  Hal enter room 110 of the school room. He saw Sgt Ryder prepare the men to stand at attention, but Hal halted him with a raise of a hand and a shake of a head. “No need.” Sadly Hal stood before the twelve men. He leaned dramatically against the desk and spoke distraught. “Gentlemen, I think you all know why you are here. You . . . are the chosen few.”

  They knew it but they still moaned.

  “They don’t ask it of us much but they do now. You all know the routine. The women have picked you. You are to be there this evening. You are to be clean and shaven. Keep conversation to a minimum. They don’t think we’re intelligent enough to speak. They hate when we speak. You know they believe our place is to protect, to work and to . . . you know. Please under no circumstances are you to make any vulgar bodily functions that you could somehow control. Last month I received three complaints. And . . . you know the preparations. Each of you know what you must do prior to going there to ensure . . . well, though I preach mighty and swift with the sword, that is not a route you can go with this.” Hal took a deep breath and saw one man, Peter, raise his hand. “Yes Peter.”

  “Deliver the bad news. Which one was chosen by . . . by . . .” Peter swallowed. “Grace.”

  Hal walked up to Peter and laid a firm hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “No.” Peter nearly shouted. “She picked me last month. No. This is so unfair. Why? Why do we have to subject ourselves? Can’t Blue say I’m ill? Can’t he, Captain? My God., last month I was there with Grace. It was hell. Shear hell.”

  Hal looked back to Sgt. Ryder. “Elliott?”

  “Captain, we never established that they couldn't pick the same man twice.”

  Hal nodded
. “Anyone else here on the list last month?” Hal saw no show of hands. “In fairness, I will tell them to pick someone else in Peter’s place because he is ill. I will do the same for any of you if you get picked next month but let me remind all of you why we subject ourselves to this torture. Women are slowly becoming extinct. Even The Society must genetically enhances their offspring to ensure a semi equal ratio of male to female. They will forever remain the lower gender. They are precious and should be regarded as such if we seek to preserve them. We must treat them well and protect them. We know what The Society does to them. We must give the women what they want and keep them happy because we’re fortunate to still have them around. We could be living in a world without them.” He saw the men lower their heads.

  Peter raised his hand. “They know this. They know they are spoiled. I don’t mind that we spoil them and pamper them, but do they have to treat us like we’re . . . we’re beasts.”

  “Probably yes.” Hal answered. “We are sub-standard to them. Look at what these women went through in our world before we protected them. Is it any wonder they regard men as beasts?”

  “Do you think they’ve all become like ours?” Peter asked.

  “Not all. You have the few that are just as much a male Wildcat as the ones they run with. The ones The Society has, well . . . are they human anymore? Trust me, any community that harbors women, treats them the same as we do. If it’s any consolation, I’ll bet the men of Beginnings go through the exact same hell as we do. They have to. They are civilized and wish to preserve life as much as we do.” Hal let out another breath. “Well gentlemen, I’ll leave you with Sgt. Ryder for further instructions. I feel deeply for all of you, but . . .” Hal smiled as he walked toward the door. “I wouldn’t trade places with you under any circumstances.”

  ^^^^

  “It’s near here.” Ellen called out over the helicopter noise. “I know it.”

  “Why, do you see a landmark?” Robbie asked.

  “Yes., that beat up water tower.” Ellen pointed to the water tower embedded in the trees to her right.

  “Where do you remember seeing that from?” Robbie asked.

  “The front porch of the house. I saw it was in the distance.”

  “O.K. I’m going that way. Keep your eyes peeled.”

  Ellen only turned her view away from the window to nod at Robbie, then she returned to looking out.

  It was a view that by ground would not have been seen. After circling around the farm house that was so hidden, Robbie spotted it. “Oh shit.”

  “What?” Ellen felt the chopper lift. “What are you doing? Where are you going?”

  “Up.”

  “No shit. I want to go down.”

  “In a minute. I don’t want the blades blowing this. Look.” Robbie pointed and heard the heavy exhale of Ellen.

  The land below looked like an abstract painting. If it was a square, set in the top right hand corner was the gray roof to the house. Fifteen yards from the house, center of the square were sporadic brown spots. Fifteen, twenty of them. Then directly center was a larger one and from that large spot of blood was a streak of brown, a thick heavy line that crossed the field and led directly from the high grass into the trees.

  “El, see,” Robbie said. “See the brown spots.”

  “Yes.”

  “Blood. So where are the bodies?”

  “They took them.”

  “Exactly. They carried them, but . . . see the long line of blood.”

  “Like a trail,” Ellen commented.

  “That’s someone they carried out also, But it wasn't easy because when they carried him, he was too heavy.”

  Ellen let out a breath. “And his body dragged against the grass, leaving a trail.”

  “Care to make a wager that trail of blood is Frank’s?”

  “No, because I wanna prove that blood is Frank’s. If it is it can lead us somewhere.”

  “Exactly.” Robbie raised his hand and handed her a clipboard. “Go in the back. There’s a case. See what you can come up with to take samples. We’re gonna start where you think Frank dropped and go from there. Ready to do some work?”

  “I’m ready.” Ellen started to get up. “Robbie? If they took him, he was alive right? They wouldn’t take him if he were dead. Right?”

  “What would be the point?”

  Ellen smiled. “That’s what I thought you’d say.” Ellen, still holding the clipboard, stood and went to the back of the chopper.

  “You cold?” Robbie asked after seeing Ellen shiver. He stayed low in front of her.

  “No. The wind just gave me a chill.”

  Robbie squinted and examined the grass. “A hundred and fifty feet.”

  Ellen wrote down what Robbie said. She watched him reach and pull up a handful of grass. He handed it to Ellen. She laid it on the clipboard and rolled the paper that said 150 feet all around it. She pulled a piece of string that dangled from the metal part of the clipboard and tied it around the paper that held the grass. She took that and placed it carefully in the tan sack she carried around her shoulder.

  Robbie stood up. They had made it into the trees. He took the clipboard. “The blood is heavier in this area. They held him here for a few minutes while they got a truck or Jeep.”

  “How do you know?” Ellen asked.

  “Come here.” Robbie grabbed her hand and brought her another twenty feet deeper into the woods. “Broken branches and the brush is smashed here.” Robbie crouched down. “Tire tracks.”

  “Are you sure?” Ellen looked. “It just looks like holes.”

  Robbie pulled her down. “Look closely, tilt your head, and peer at the ground.”

  Ellen did. “They go that way.” She pointed.

  “Yep they do.” Robbie grinned. “We now have a direction. We didn’t have one before. This is good. If this blood proves to be Frank’s, this is really good.”

  Ellen leaned into Robbie and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for this.”

  “You’re welcome for this.” Robbie stood up and helped Ellen to her feet. “I say let’s at least check out the roads from the air. We have enough gas. There may be lots of ways they went but this is a start. I’ve been charting our course so I pretty much have an idea where we are. You ready to go?”

  “No.” Ellen shook her head and turned back to look at the farm house so far in the distance. “Could we just take a few minutes to go in there. We could have that lunch Andrea made and there’s something I want to get.”

  “Did you forget something?” Robbie asked.

  “No. Let’s just say there’s something in that house I need, something that gives me a future to hold on to. Can we?”

  Robbie looked at his watch. “Not for long. We’ve been in this field for two hours. I want to make sure I have enough daylight to canvass the roads from above.”

  “It won’t take long, I promise. Please.”

  “I’m in the mood for those brownies anyway.” He smiled at her. “Let’s go in the house.” Robbie took the tan sack from Ellen and tossed it on his shoulder. He took the clipboard. “Lead the way.”

  Ellen slid her hand down to his and walked with him toward the farm. Robbie saw a certain look on Ellen’s face that wasn’t there when they left Beginnings. He was sure at that moment, with what they had just found, he had the exact same look on his face. The look of hope.

  ^^^^

  Beginnings Montana

  What Henry was doing was beyond Dean. Walking up to his new home, he could see Henry standing out front holding Nick. In a long line behind Henry were all of the kids, from Joey to Josh, standing there in front of the door.

  “Henry?” Dean called his name. “Are you locked out?”

  “Oh no, Dean. I’m teaching the kids how to enter the house without getting yelled at.”

  “What do you mean?” Dean asked.

  “When I was a young kid, I used to think that ‘take off your shoes’ was a normal hello. I found out later it wasn
’t so I want them to learn the technique of taking off their shoes so they don’t get yelled at. You know as well as I do, Ellen is going to be that way.”

  “Henry.” Dean paused before laughing at him. “How hard can it be for these kids to take off their shoes?”

  “It’s an art, Dean, especially when it snows because you don’t want to step into the wetness in your socks. Yuck.” Henry made a face to Alexandra and Billy. Alex thought it was cute. Billy looked more annoyed.

  “Dad.” Billy looked at his father. “Can you please tell Uncle Henry that we don’t need to learn this. I’d like to go back to Pap’s.”

  “Henry, do you mind running them down to Joe’s?”

  “No not at all. I’ll be back to finish helping,” Henry said. “Come on kids.”

  Dean watch them start to leave with Josh joining them. Immediately Dean held out his hand, grabbed Josh’s shirt, and tugged him back. “Where you going, big guy?” Dean looked up to the teenager that was much taller than he.

  “To Pap’s.” Josh saw Dean shake his head. “No? How come?”

  “You’re helping. Let’s go. The trim in your bedroom needs to be painted and you have a bed to make in there.”

  “Aw.” Josh tossed his hands down.

  “Josh.” Dean laid his hand on Josh’s back. “No whining. In.”

  “O.K.”

  Dean followed Josh inside, smiled, and took off his shoes. Though there were boxes laying around the living room, Dean was pleased with his house and how nice it looked. He was also pleased with the sound of the doorbell, a simple chime. “Hey Josh.” Dean grinned. “Did you hear that? A doorbell. What do you think?”

  “I think it means someone’s at the door. I’m going to my room.” Josh pouted and moved to the hall that led to the bedrooms.

  “I’m not ready for a teenager,” Dean spoke to himself and opened the door. Jess was there. “Hey Jess.”

  “Hi. I was at the clinic. Johnny said you needed to speak to me.”

  “I do. Come in.” Dean held the door opened for Jess. As Jess stepped in, Dean saw Henry trotting to the house. Dean smiled and shut the door. “Jess, do you mind if we talk while I unpack?”