Chapter 3

I left my new friends at the tunnel entrance and, still trying to absorb everything I’d just seen and heard, I thought I’d grab a quick lunch and headed into the kitchen. When I opened the fridge, it was full! I don’t mean from what I’d put in there the night before, I mean full! I looked in the cabinets and the pantry, and they’d been restocked as well. Obviously, Jellico’s kids (that still sounded so weird) had done it, but where did they get all the food?

I made a sandwich and ate some stuff in a covered bowl that tasted like it was made out of some kind of grain mixed with chopped up vegetables, nuts, garlic, oil and lemon juice, and who knows what else. I had no idea what it was, but I liked it. When I got around to asking Chiam a couple of days later, he told me it was an eastern dish called tabouli, nothing all that exotic, apparently, but it was new to me.

Up in my room, I saw the scrap of paper on the dresser that had my bank account numbers on it, and I remembered that I needed to call them in to Spencer so he could direct-deposit my checks. I got his card out of my wallet and called his office. His secretary (she of the nice butt) said he was in court and wouldn’t be in for the rest of the day. I asked if she knew anything about the disbursal of my allowance checks, and she said it was one of her duties. I gave her the account and routing numbers and she said she’d take care of it.

So, what to do next. In jail, my days were planned for me, so being at loose ends was something I wasn’t used to. I looked out the window and saw that it was a nice, sunny day and decided to explore the property. I wasn’t even sure how much of my land was walled in (or walled out, for that matter), so I thought I’d take the ATV and ride the inside perimeter.

It was a Honda Rancher, 420 cc. I’d never driven an ATV before, but the controls looked similar to a motorcycle, so I climbed on and cranked it up. I couldn’t find the gearshift lever or foot pedal, so I turned it off. I looked around and found the little compartment behind the seat that contained the owner’s manual, parked myself in the grass to read the basic instructions, at least enough that I knew how to use the electric gear-shift, the thumb throttle, and some hints on how to avoid killing myself. Good thing, too, because when I shifted into first gear and goosed it, I damn near got bucked off! I rode up and down the driveway a few times until I felt like I had it under control. I always thought those things were for wusses afraid of two-wheelers. They ain’t!

Anyhow, I rode down to the gate and turned left to drive along the inside of the wall. It soon disappeared into the brush and trees, so I had to pick and choose my way carefully. It didn’t take long to appreciate what ATV really meant. I finally found the corner of the property and turned to drive toward the back wall. About fifty yards along, the stone wall came to an end and was replaces by a ten-foot high chain-link fence with razor wire along the top. I guess the stone wall was just for decoration, or maybe to give the place the look of a fortress. The ride was all uphill to the rear fence. There was a spot where I could look down on the house, and I saw that the entire back roof, the south-facing side, was solid solar panels. I guess we were self-sufficient in the energy department.

By the time I got back to the front gate, I’d judged the enclosed portion of the property to be almost a mile square. I wondered how many acres outside the wall were being leased out. Jellico probably knew. Or maybe Spencer.

Back at the house, I found Ellana, Chaim and Lothos busy in the kitchen. Lothos was kneading bread dough, Chiam was chopping up vegetables and Ellana was rubbing spices onto three roasts of some kind of dark red meat that turned out to be venison. It was late afternoon, so they had to be preparing dinner.

I asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Ellana answered, “If you wish, but please don’t feel any obligation. Preparing the meals and maintaining the house are duties we look forward to. You could wash these sweet potatoes and stab them several times with a fork. We’re going to steam them, then mash them up with butter, honey and spices.”

“Sounds yummy! Do you guys cook all the meals?”

“Just the main meal of the day. Everyone manages breakfast and lunch on their own, although we’d be happy to prepare yours.”

“Oh, no, don’t bother. I don’t like being on a schedule.”

“As you wish, but I would strongly recommend you let us prepare all your food. A steady diet of most of the food you put into the refrigerator yesterday will shorten your life considerably. Seriously!”

“Um, OK, then. But I hate to put you to the trouble.”

“Jesse, it’s to all our benefit to see that you stay healthy.”

I’m sure I wasn’t catching the meaning behind that, but there was no point to making a fuss, so I let it drop. As I washed the sweet potatoes, I thought this might be a good opportunity to learn a little more about these strangely appealing people. “Ellana, when I was talking to your mother and father this morning, they said something about your ‘final escape’. Can you tell me what they meant by that?”

She flashed a quick half-smile and shook her head. “Father or Grandfather will tell you everything you need to know as you need to know it, Jesse. It’s not my place or anyone else’s to interfere with their plan. If you’ll be patient, everything will be made clear to you in time. You must trust them.”

“Yeah, well I’m not trying to do an end-around, I just wondered because it all sounds so mysterious. If your people have been forced underground to escape the pollution, I can’t imagine where else you can go from there. Seems to me you’ve run out of options. But sure, I’ll keep my questions to myself for the time being. Um, on another matter, I take it you guys stocked up the fridge and the pantry this morning. Where did all this stuff come from?”

Chiam answered, “It was all kept in cold storage in the cave. We didn’t know when you’d be coming, so Mother thought it best the house appear to be unoccupied. We had no way of knowing who might show up.”

“So, nobody knows about you except me?”

“Yes, that’s right, and before you, only Samuel knew.”

“Hmm, like I said, it’s all kind of mysterious.”

It was the best meal and the most amazing company I’d ever enjoyed. Grandfather Jakoby sat at one end of the long table and I was seated at the other end. I felt conspicuously of out of place seated in a place of honor like that. I thought it should have been Jellico or Arena. As for the food, I guess I wouldn’t know a master chef if one sat in my lap, but everything was cooked to perfection, in my opinion. Judging from the gusto with which it was being put away, I guess everybody else felt the same way.

I was introduced to the other five members of the clan. Errol, brother to Mallya and son of Katia, was apparently an artisan of the first order, carving intricate designs on the harps and building beautiful furniture, including the table and chairs currently in use. He’d mastered his skills under Jakoby. If I were given a choice of crafts to learn, it might be a toss-up between what Errol did and what Mallya and Katia did.

Ninnith is Katia’s mother, and true to her Elven blood (rather, her Ennahai blood), she looked to be in her forties, even though she was, in fact, ninety-two. I took note that she was the scholar of the clan because, when I had to start working on my GED, I was pretty sure there were subjects I’d need some help on. But come to think of it, every single one I’d met spoke like they were pretty well educated.

Twin brothers were apparently cousins to Arrena. At least that’s about as close as I could figure the relationship. Their names, believe it or not, were Romulus and Remus, of Roman mythology fame. They were hunters, among other things, and had procured the venison we were eating. It was poached, of course, but silently. They used only bows, arrows and traps to take their prey. Apparently, the chemicals fed to domestic food animals didn’t agree with their systems, but animal protein was an important part of the diet. Of course, they had to wear HEPA masks while they were out hunting. When they weren’t, they did whatever else needed to be done; jacks-of-all-trades.

The last of the fourteen was Gilleena, unrelated by blood to any of the others. She was - wait for it! - a seer! Yes, one who predicts the future! I almost laughed when that little tidbit was offered, but I managed to control myself. Jakoby must have seen something on my face all the way from the other end of the table, because he put down his fork and said, “Yes, Jesse, your people generally dismiss Gilleena’s art as myth and superstition. I encourage you to withhold judgement until you’ve learned more of her remarkable talents. She and her kind have always been held in highest esteem among our people, and not without reason.”

I blushed with embarrassment at being caught out, and tried to apologize. “Um, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. I’m sorry if you thought that.”

Jakoby waved it off, “No need for that, Jesse. We can’t expect you to be familiar with our ways on the first day of our living together. I only offer my comments by way of education, and I hope you’ll take some time to sit and talk at length with Gilleena. It’s sure to be of value to both of you.”

Gilleena spoke very softly, “I would be honored if you would visit with me, Jesse. Already, I see that there is much more to you than even Grandfather has guessed. Anyone here can direct you to my rooms.”

After dinner, I offered to help clear the table and clean up, but my help was hardly needed. Thanks to the efficiency of the children, fifteen minutes after the last bite was taken, all that remained of the dinner and the trappings was the aroma. The table was wiped clean and shiny, the candelabras were back in place, the dishes were being sterilized in the two dishwashers, and the kitchen could have withstood a Marine DI’s inspection.

Most of the crowd wandered back down the tunnel while Arrena and Jellico got into a game of chess in the living room. I went to the basement to see if Netflix offered anything worth watching. I brought up the Swedish detective series ‘Wallander’ and watched the first episode. I really enjoyed it because the lead character isn’t portrayed as some kind of super hero. He’s just an old, experienced police officer who plods through the case until he works out the solution. I like characters that seem real and flawed like the rest of us.

When it was over, I was looking forward to a nice, long soak in the spa and another great night’s sleep in the king-size bed. Pure luxury, for my money. I said my ‘Good nights’ and headed up the stairs. I thought I’d check in with Katia the next morning to see if she was ready to begin some lute lessons.

I turned on the hot water in the spa, stripped and brushed my teeth while the tub filled. When I bent over to spit out the toothpaste, I heard the water shut off. I turned around to see Ellana standing there in the altogether. Jesus! She was gorgeous! Toothpaste started dribbling down my chin, so I had to turn back to the sink to rinse my mouth. When I turned back, she was still standing there wearing a coquettish grin.

“We don’t want it too full, do we? With two of us in the tub, it might splash over the side.”

“Yeah, uh, right.” That’s all I could come up with by way of witty conversation. My dick, on the other hand, was far more articulate. It began to rise in salute. My last sexual encounter had been over six months earlier; well, except for my right hand.

How do I put into words what I was looking at? Tall, like I said, slim but far from skinny, beautiful softball size breasts, hips with a lovely, graceful flare, melting into those long, long legs. There wasn’t a hair on her body other than on her head, framing an exotic Elven face professional models would kill for. Her light-brown skin with the rosy flush seemed to glow.

As she walked toward me, her eyes dropped down to my rapidly charging equipment. “At least some part of you seems to approve of what you see. I hope you don’t mind if I share your bath and your bed. If I’m being too aggressive, just say ‘No’ and we’ll make it another time.”