Chapter 3 Getting Set Up

Keeping my cool, I walked to the opening leading to the entryway. There was a step up there, and I wanted to feel a little taller than my charges. "Girls, gather around. It's time for a team meeting."

The six automatically lined up side-by-side in front of me, kneeling.

"Uma and Ursula, are you listening?"

"Yes, Sir!" they said. All giggling was gone from their voices.

"I want to apologize ahead of time. You girls look so much alike I am bound to get your names wrong."

Lisa held up her hand. "Sir, we understand the problem. We will do everything we can to help you. Whenever you encounter us, one of us will give our name. That will give you a starting point."

"I'm sure I'll figure out who is who, as I get to know you better."

Tia or Kai continued. "And if you get our names wrong, we'll understand. It happens all the time."

"Secondly, calling you by both your names is a bit unwieldy, don't you think? When I am talking to both of you, I'll refer you by your first initial. Samantha and Sarah, you're the S's; Lorraine and Lisa, you're the L's; and Ursula and Uma, you're the U's"

"What about us?" asked Tia and Kai.

"You're the TK's"

They all nodded. It seemed that they had encountered this problem before.

"TK's and S's you seem to have been here the longest."

"We arrived the same time as S's," objected the U's. "The TK's came two days later."

"I stand corrected. What I am saying is, you know the set up here better than I or the L's do. What do we need to do to get this household up and running?"

"You need to set up a work schedule," said one of the S's. "Someone needs to man the security room at all times. During the day, one of us will be out collecting coconuts, and one of us will be in the house cleaning and cooking, but they are also on call for any arrivals at the dock."

I quickly realized that when she said "one", she actually meant "one pair."

The other blonde continued. "The coconut girls will have to be the TK's or the U's."

"Why?" I asked.

"Neither of us or the L's can climb the trees. We've been trying, but we just don't have the knack."

"We tried in Honolulu," said Lorraine. "We haven't tried here."

"It's the same," said an S.

A TK spoke up. "Oh, the U's can't work on the pier."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"When you meet them, I think you'll understand."

The voice on the intercom said, "Speaking of which, it's about time for someone to relieve us."

Lisa sighed. "That's us."

"You just got here," I exclaimed. "Are sure you are ready?'

Lorraine patted me on my shoulder. "We have been very well trained, before we got here, Sir."

The two red-heads walked to the entryway. A double click was heard, and a hidden panel opened. Out bounded two petite girls, who looked like they belonged in Middle School.

They had short platinum blonde hair, grey eyes, and stood about a foot shorter than me. From all I could see, they had no tits. They were wearing "Paxton Industries" tee shirts and black cotton shorts.

One of them stretched. "I know there's plenty of room down there, but after a couple of hours I start getting claustrophobic."

The other smiled. "Come on, Uma, it's not that bad. A little boring maybe..."

They both realized I was staring at them, and snapped to attention. "I'm sorry, Sir," said Ursula. They raced past me and took the L's place kneeling in a row.

"U's please stand," I ordered. "I want to get a good look at you."

They both rose to their feet, without using their hands. "Do you want us to strip?" asked Ursula.

"No!" I said, horrified.

"Don't worry," said Uma. "We'll strip for him soon enough." They both snickered.

Maybe they were older than they looked. They certainly didn't talk like tweens. They had the musculature of an Olympic gymnast. Many of them, through strenuous exercise, delayed puberty for many years.

"Do you know gymnastics?" I asked hopefully.

Uma nodded. "And judo, aikido, krav maga, and savate."

One of the S's shook her head. "Don't act like you're anything special. We all know how protect our boss."

I looked back at my employees with new eyes. There was more to these women than I thought.

"Now, what is this about you two not being able to work on the pier?"

Ursula shook her head. "None of the boat crew will take us seriously. They rub our heads and tell us to go get a grown up."

"That must be tough."

Tears started to form in Uma's eyes. "We're as much a part of this group as anyone. We can't help if we look young."

"The next guy who tousles my hair, I'm going to break their hand..." said Ursula. She started. "Except for you, of course, Sir; you can tousle my hair any time."

These two new girls had me uncomfortable and confused. I acknowledged her compliment with a nod.

It took a minute for me remember what I was talking about before I was interrupted. "So far I have 3 jobs, and 4 teams. What does the fourth team do, while the rest are out working?"

"Why accompany you, of course," said Kai.

This stunned me. "What? Why?!"

Tia shook her head. "You need to read the house rules. They're on the laptop in your room. 'All facility managers must have a security detail with them at all times, unless he is in a secure location.'"

"Why do I need a security detail?"

An S sighed. "You don't understand what it is like being rich. Mr. Paxton, and all his possessions, have a big bull's-eye taped to it. You could be kidnapped and held for ransom, by some criminals out to make a quick buck."

"Hey! I'm not that important."

"No, but someone might think you are, and this island is a soft target."

"So, I am going to be confined to this house?"

"Oh, no!" exclaimed the other S. "Part of your job is inspecting the island, and making sure we are doing our job."

A TK stepped in "And once a month you can go off the island, to anywhere you want in the state of Hawaii."

"And going home?"

"You can travel to the continental US when your employment ends, or once a year, if you decide to stay here permanently."

I nodded. This little island suddenly had the feel of a prison.

The other TK seemed to sense my mood. "It's not that bad. You may not be able to get out in the world, but we can bring the world to you. We get all the latest films on our TV, and we can get any kind of food flown here."

"Speaking of which, what's for supper?" I asked. It was getting close to 6pm. Suddenly pandemonium broke out. Everyone started shouting, though they kept their kneeling position. "I'm sorry, Sir," said one of the TK's. "We've been so distracted; we totally forgot to fix supper."

"It was your responsibility?" I asked.

The two bowed their heads, on the verge of tears. "Yes, Sir."

"Well, go fix it."

They sprang to their feet and ran to the kitchen.

"They are the best cooks," said Uma.

I looked at the U's. "Go see if they could use your help."

They got up and bolted after them. A few seconds later, they returned.

"The TK's said that they had it covered."

As we waited, I tried to make small talk. Find out where they were from, and what their last names were.

Samantha, as she identified herself, said, "You really need to read the household instructions. Giving out personal information is totally forbidden. We could be punished, or even lose our job."