“Is she crying again?” asked one of the old men.
“Yes. For good reason. She’s scared. We’re all scared.”
He nodded at Marguerite as she walked back up the hill to her small, isolated home. She liked it this way. Neighbors couldn’t see inside her home but because of her vantage on the hill, she could see all the houses below.
“Everything okay?” asked Frank.
“Yes. Everyone is scared. Nervous. But so far, we’re all okay.”
“Marguerite, we’re going to the cliffs today,” said Ian.
“You can’t! They’ll see you. Did you not understand me yesterday? They know how many residents are here.”
“Marguerite, watch,” said Bodhi. She watched him lift his arms as if stretching something and suddenly, he was gone.
“Wh-what is this?” she stammered.
“It’s a technology that we invented,” said Frank. “It makes us virtually undetectable. That’s why we’re not worried. We’ll be able to get close, perhaps scale the cliff if necessary, and see what’s happening.”
“Amazing,” she said reaching to touch the material. Bodhi gently gripped her wrist, smiling as he shook his head.
“Not advisable.”
“If you have this, this technology, you could get everyone off the island,” she said suddenly filled with hope.
“Perhaps,” said Devin. “There are a lot of moving parts to that and there are a few children here. To get everyone safely to a boat, safely sailing across the water, and then safely somewhere else could be quite challenging. We’re not even sure if the government of Greece is aware of all of this.”
“You’re right,” she said suddenly deflated. “Of course. You’re right. I’m sorry. It just seemed as if there were a glimmer of hope there.”
“We promise that we’re not leaving until we figure all of this out, Marguerite. And if we have to leave, you will come with us,” said Bodhi.
“No. No, I can’t leave unless everyone leaves. We’re all frightened and concerned about what will happen to us. It seems as if we’ve fallen off the face of the earth and no one cares. Diana, a young woman who works in the grocery was crying today. She’s very pregnant and very scared. We must find a way to get everyone off this island. You do what you need to do today and I’ll be here waiting, doing what I usually do.”
“Which is?” smirked Devin. She grinned at the young man.
“Totally innocent, I assure you. Baking, napping, and watching my neighbors.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“How do things get so messed up?” Nicolai asked himself, staring out over the bayou.
“I can answer that for you but you may not like my response,” said the deep voice. Nicolai turned and smiled at the three men standing there.
“I believe you are the fathers of some of those fine young men I’ve met. There is a startling resemblance,” he grinned.
“That’s right,” nodded Gaspar. “Luke is my son, Cam is Nine’s son, and Erik is Tailor’s son. You may not have met Trak’s twin sons, Nathan and Joseph.”
“Yes. Yes I have,” he smirked. “Very mysterious young man that Joseph. I liked him. Only speaks when needed.” Trak gave the equivalent of a prideful grin and the others chuckled.
“You asked a question,” said Nine taking a seat beside him on the wide benches.
“I don’t understand any of this. Our island is nothing. I mean, it’s everything to us but nothing to anyone else. We love our peaceful, quiet place.”
“We understand that,” said Gaspar. “Part of the reason my parents built this place, expanded on what was here, was because they knew that we all would need a place to come home to that didn’t drive us mad.”
“Yes, in many ways your little piece of paradise reminds me of my own. The gardens are extraordinary, the women kind, beautiful, and filled with the kind of soul and heart every man dreams of having. Your food is Michelin quality and the strangest thing, the most wonderful thing is the feeling of peace that comes over you when you’re here.”
“That’s Belle Fleur,” smirked Tailor. “Listen, Nicolai, I’m not sure how things got so screwed up for you but I can tell you this. It’s never too late to fix it. You’ve done the right thing by allowing us to help.”
