Chapter 4

Williamsville East High School had been an experiment.

The goal, for the lucky designers, had been twofold. One, it was to be open, spacious. An experiment in education where classrooms would not have walls, where learning would not be confined. Two ... it had to be convertible to an office building in case the population projections were wrong.

While the second had not come to pass, the first choice had come to be seen as a minor mistake. Makeshift walls, be it filing cabinets or other dividers, quickly went up around classrooms to try and provide some privacy and remove distractions. Still, there was always the hum of conversation in the background, to which one either adapted or came to hate. The positive of the design, though, and the general attitude of the school, was the lack of study halls. During your "free" period, students could go ... well, anywhere. Not just the library or cafeteria, but any empty hallway or even classroom, so long as no teacher objected. In that way it was a bit like a college campus, be it a small enclosed one.

Julie's favorite spot was in the second floor hallway behind the offices. Running through the middle of the non-classroom side of the building, it saw no traffic unless someone was using the weight rooms on the left side or the upper entrances to the auditoriums on the right. Being somewhat visible to those with the ability to deal out suspensions, those who had to worry about such things avoided the area. It was also relatively noise free.

Sharon and Martha were already sitting against the wall when Julie and Cynthia arrived. Best friends of Julie since forever, they had adopted Cynthia as one of their own despite a total lack of any similar interests. Both sides, to some degree, found the other unintentionally humorous.

"So," Julie asked, sitting cross-legged in front of them, "what's on the agenda for today?"

"Prom plans," Sharon replied, brushing some of her blond hair from her face "Still some minor details to work out."

"I don't even know if I'm still going to be with Paul by then," Martha muttered. She brought a brown hand up to her eyes, rubbing. "He's getting to be such an idiot."

"What did he do now?" Julie had never cared that much for the guy, but didn't think there was anything really wrong with him. Martha's eyes narrowed, just the memory bringing her anger back.

"He got drunk Friday, and tried to hit on my sister."

"Hit on his older brother, make it even," Sharon suggested.

"Not unless I'm ready to put out. Sean would jump me in a moment if I even hinted I was interested."

"Guys are such idiots," Cynthia deadpanned, looking over her AP History notes. Martha gave her an appraising look.

"Why aren't you and what's her name going to prom?"

"Please."

"No," Sharon said, turning her body a bit to face the redhead, "really. You two should go. There's at least two other lez couples going, nobody's going to say anything."

With a sigh, Cynthia put down her notebook and looked at the teens.

"It has nothing to do with being out. Neither Violet or I are ... well, the prom type. Besides," she added, looking at Julie, "it's probably not good to leave her alone now."

Martha leaned forward, tense.

"Is there something wrong with ... her?"

Julie looked back towards the offices, biting her lip.

"Wrong? No. But..." she looked back at her friends, seeing the serious concern in their faces, " ... things are changing. We're probably going to call a 'Fan Club' meeting tonight. We're going to need you."

Ai sat on the garden bench, munching on a carrot.

Food, she had come to discover, had taste.

This was entirely new for Ai. She had tasted, yes, certainly. When she ate the love of Bill or Julie, each had a different flavor, and that flavor tended to vary for unknown reasons. But, of all her senses, that was the one that had experienced the least. NOTHING had entered her mouth, apart from her two lovers, for ... well, since the first week of her life. Once experiments had shown she couldn't eat or drink food, that had been the end of that.

Yet now she could.

Ai was not one for deep questions. She trusted Bill or Julie or Mother or Doctor to figure out what was what. She was one, though, for experimenting with the world around her, and for the past two days she had thoroughly enjoyed eating some of everything she could. It was a whole new world. Never had she imagined there could be such flavors! Sweet, sour, hot, bitter ... Bill had speculated that it was the babies, that in fact what Ai was doing when she ate these meals was feeding it directly to the two babies in her tummy.

Pausing, carrot sticking out of her mouth like an orange penis, she looked down at her belly. Inside her ... were two babies.

Two. Two little ... somethings.

Ai knew what babies were. She even knew how they were made, and long had she hoped that one of her feedings might somehow accidentally give her one. But, to have it a reality now ... her mind didn't know what to think. Bill tried to help, and she loved him for it. He had found a movie on babies, and Ai had watched entranced as the screen showed the inside of a woman and the wonderful creature growing in her. THAT, or at least two somethings like that, were in HER.

She felt something wet on her feet.

Leaning forward, Ai smiled as the puppy Bilbo came into view, looking for attention. With practiced ease she scooped him up into her lap, laughing as the dog began eagerly licking her face.

Ai wondered if her babies would be like puppies.

Tom looked over the gathered as they settled into seats. The Cutter basement was finished rather better than his own, with a thick blue carpet and an oak bar, although the folding chairs set up around the room somewhat cheapened the effect. Still, it was a nice room. He'd always wanted to do something similar, and after helping Nick put this in, the plan had been to figure out something for his house. Then his friend had to go and...

His eyes flicked to James. He liked Gretchen's new husband well enough, he supposed. For 'The Plan', he was essential. What Tom wouldn't give, though, to have Nick at his side through all this. Never had he expected fatherhood to be the basis of a lasting male friendship ... well, maybe it had been the joint experience of pregnant wives that had been the glue. Never took much with guys, and bitching over moody women was classic male bonding fodder. It had helped that Nick had just been a great guy.

Seeing it was about time to start, Tom took a quick count. The number of those in the know about Ai was still small, but growing. Shirley had been skeptical, and concerned, about his insistence that spreading the secret was inevitable and indeed necessary. Some of her worries still remained, and he relied on that to balance his ... deficiencies in certain areas. They were a good team.

Bobby, Bill's best friend, had naturally been the first to find out. It took longer than Tom would have suspected, but when his son came to him with the news that they had a problem, he was ready. Bobby's sister soon joined them, as did two of Julie's friends and Violet's four parents. Looking, Tom saw only three were here, then remembered the darker curvy one had stayed home with a sick kid. Coworker Hiro and his adult daughter Tammy, members of a paranormal group, had been all too happy to actually be part of a REAL conspiracy once they were let in. They had also discovered the joy of knowing more than others, and had no desire to tell their former colleagues about Ai.

So he hoped.

Ten people, nine of which were here. Added to the core that had been there since the start, and Doctor James, that made twenty. Twenty humans who knew of Ai, who had pledged to protect her.

May God, and anyone else out there, help them.

Tom saw his wife nod to him. Moving to the front of the bar and raising his arms, he waited until the room became quiet. The seventeen seated members of the "Ai Fan Club", as Betty had named it, gazed back. Lowering his arms, he nodded to them.

"Welcome. I'm glad everyone could make it."

There were murmured greetings in reply.

"Before we start, we have a special guest. This is the first time she's been with so many of us at once, so I ask you remain seated and quiet." The two friends of Julie's sat up, excitement and awe on their faces. Tom tried to remember the last time Ai had made a public appearance: they kept such things to a minimum, and none of the newcomers knew of the shelter. That last, he knew, would be changing.

The door to his left opened, and Bill led Ai into the room. She was dressed in a simple, white dress. Shirley had complained that it made her look like some Greek god or mythological creature. That was the point. Looking at the expressions of those before him as Ai crossed the room, there was definitely a religious undercurrent. Here, before them, was a mystery of the universe. A living embodiment of the unknown. As Ai passed before the Black girl, the teen started to reach out to her, then, remembering, pulled her hand back. Ai stopped, turned her head to face the girl, and with a slow smile reached out and touched her forehead. Tom would almost swear the poor teen had an orgasm, or found Jesus. Maybe both. As Ai moved on, the girl's blond friend slowly reached up and touched the now blessed patch of brown skin, as if to borrow its holiness.

They were going to ask these people to protect Ai and her children for a hundred years, or a thousand. If Tom had to start a cult, had to turn these people into disciples of the Mystery Religion of Ai ... so be it. Shirley would just have to understand.

Bill and Ai took seats in the front next to Tom, still holding hands. When his son nodded that they were ready, Tom turned back to the rapt onlookers. He paced a bit as he spoke.

"Again, thank you for coming. Tonight ... is a special night. There has been a change. As you know, we have been protecting Ai, helping Ai, for a few years now. She has been a wonderful friend, and Shirley and I look on her as one of our children." Ai looked at him, beaming. "All children grow up, though, and we have learned that something wonderful has happened to Ai."

He paused for effect.