The Homeguard

The Home Guard

The teacher’s voice droned in Amelia’s ears saying nothing she didn’t already know. She kept alert so he wouldn’t think she was sleeping through his class. Not that Mr. Reading was a boring teacher, he wasn’t, but Amelia had already studied and memorized most of the world history he was teaching. Then he began to talk about more recent history, and Amelia perked up.

“In one of the more interesting and unsolved cases, an unknown number of counter-terrorists rescued over three hundred hostages in the U.N. building. There have since been numerous theories on whom and how this feat was carried out. But since the only witnesses to this remarkable rescue were the hostages themselves, we may never know the truth. Now if you turn to page 374 in your book we can read more about it,” Mr. Reading intoned and reached for his copy of the history text.

Amelia curved her arm on the desk and rested her head in her hand. She didn’t even bother reaching for her book; she knew what it would say. “Amelia, are you not joining us? I thought you found counter-terrorists very exciting,” Mr. Reading said coming to stand next to her seat.

“Mr. Reading, you said there were no terrorists left alive when the police and swat squads went in the building. But isn’t it true sixteen of the terrorists were, in fact, alive? I understood they were all in a strange type of coma and that they later rotted in the hospital beds, still in the coma,” Amelia stated, trying not to sound too critical of her teacher. She didn’t often correct him when he made mistakes like this one, but it touched a chord of family pride.

The history class was used to Amelia challenging Mr. Reading once a week, but this wasn’t like the other times. Rob Jacobson groaned as he listened to her. He knew he should have transferred out of the class when he saw that Amelia was in it. But he had stayed to satisfy his curiosity about his friend’s reputation as a human computer. But he just couldn’t understand how she could say something like that.

Mr. Reading nodded and walked to the front of the room. “Yes, Amelia, that’s true. There were sixteen terrorists still alive, and they never came out of the coma and died as you said. So the authorities decided that ultimately all the terrorists met their death within the building. Does that satisfy your sense of the macabre?” Amelia sat back and nodded.

Mr. Reading chuckled and studied his unusual student. He was a little wary of her when she first appeared in his class, knowing what her reputation was. But now he found her insights refreshing and challenging. When he prepared his daily lectures, he always tried to anticipate what Miss Bennington would find wrong about them. Then he found the answer, so he wouldn’t look ignorant in his field. It was a shame she was planning on following her mother’s footsteps in becoming a writer. She would be a useful addition to the scholastic community.

“Amelia, tell me, how did you discover this little piece of trivia? It isn’t in the text book, and I had to do quite a bit of research to uncover it myself.” Rob held his breath as Mr. Reading asked the question. He knew Amelia was able to get out of impossible situations better than most, but he couldn’t see a way out of this one.

Amelia didn’t look at Rob; she knew he was dying from suspense. But as she told him time and again, if he couldn’t handle her style of learning get out of the class. Bending over her desk to reach for her folder, Amelia caught his eye and winked. She pulled a photo copy of a newspaper article from her folder and held it for Mr. Reading to take. “The usual place Mr. Geffries. When I asked him about the incident, he pulled out a file as thick as a book and let me read it. I found this with the other stuff, and asked for a copy. Did you know there were five official stories about the counter-terrorist group who performed the rescue? And none of them agree on any one detail? I found it interesting.”

Mr. Reading looked from the page in his hands and nodded. But before he could say anything, the final bell of the day rang. “Alright, class, on Monday we’ll pick this up where we left off. We have a test over this chapter on Wednesday, so I suggest some extra study this weekend. Dismissed.” In the clamor of students trying to get out of the room, Rob threw a disgusted look at Amelia as she calmly collected her things. Then he disappeared into the hall with the rest of the class.

Amelia stopped to talk with Mr. Reading a minute about the next chapter until the halls cleared. Then she walked to her locker, wondering what she would do this weekend. As she opened the metal door, she felt a familiar touch in her mind. “Mia, what do you say to a movie tonight? I’ll pick you up at five and we can catch some dinner first?”

Without so much as an eye blink did she show her excitement with the date offer or that she was even talking to someone. “Sounds great, Matt, I’m ready when you want. How’d the test go?” She mentally smiled at the groan and sent her condolences. Then she finished gathering her things together and leaned against the wall to wait for Steven to finish with wrestling practice. “I hear Stef’s getting a Game together for tomorrow. If she asks, are you interested? And which team? Or do we stick with the plan?”

“Stephanie asked me this morning. I told her I’d think about it. Jason’s feeling his age again and is making life difficult for the younger kids. If we do it, we should side against him and remind him that older doesn’t always mean better. But I still think we should try for the bigger Game. What does Steve say?”

Amelia could see Matthew shrug in her mind and found it very difficult to concentrate on the words of her book. “I haven’t seen him since we got here. I suppose he’ll tell me all about it when he finishes with wrestling. But he’ll probably want to stick with the original plan. I’ll see you later, and tell you then.” She sent a small caress with her good-bye and felt him return it. In a few more years, they would be ready to get married, and that was something Amelia was looking forward to. When she and Matthew first became friends, it didn’t occur to either of them they wouldn’t always be together. And when her mother finally gave her permission to date, it was only natural she go out with Matthew. Besides, his blond hair and brown eyes complimented her red hair and blue eyes; they would have beautiful children when they finally married.

The relationship had changed and grown over the years. It was now impossible to shut each other out, even if they had wanted to. And they could forget about sneaking up on each other, it just wasn’t possible. But this ability served a greater purpose, one that was more important and took more of their time than a budding romance.

“Excuse me, Amelia?” The voice was timid as it penetrated her mind. She looked up from her book and realized the halls were once again full of students. The sports were out for the weekend and the athletes were getting ready to go home. Amelia put a name to the face, Ben Roberts, one of Steve’s wrestling buddies, also one of Rob Jacobson’s best friends. “Amelia, I was wondering if maybe you’d like to... well, will you go to a movie with me tonight?” he asked, trying not to look too nervous.

Steve came up then and slammed against the wall next to his twin. His hair was more brown than his sister’s and his eyes were more gray, but it was easy to see the family resemblance. Amelia looked up at her tall twin and frowned at him. He was still in his practice gear and all sweaty. “I’m sorry, Ben, but I have a date for tonight,” Amelia said softly, hoping not to crush him too badly. She gave him a half smile so he wouldn’t think she was annoyed with him.

Steve looked between his sister and his friend. He decided to take pity on Ben and inform him of his sister’s long standing relationship. “Hey, Ben, I could’ve told you she’d have a date tonight, and probably tomorrow night as well. You see she has a steady boyfriend and they’re very tight,” Steve offered, then looked over his sister’s shoulder. “Ugh, how can you stand to read that stuff, Amelia? There’s nothing drier than Greek history.”

“Steve, how can Amelia have a steady boyfriend? I’ve never seen her with anyone at school,” Ben said, his eyes still on the shining, long, red hair of Amelia as it fell over her shoulder.

Steve tapped Ben on the shoulder to get his attention. “That’s because Matthew’s in college, Ben,” Amelia said, slipping a bookmark into her book and closing it. “Steve, you stink, go shower or I’m not riding home with you.” Her voice was even, as usual, and her face unreadable. She didn’t have to look around to know she, Steve, and Ben had an audience. “Look, Ben, I can’t say I’m sorry I met Matthew first, I’m not. And in my eighteen years, I think I know myself well enough to know what I want in a boyfriend. And although you are handsome and intelligent, we aren’t compatible. I think you should look for a girl who’ll worship you, not one who’ll only tolerate you.” Then she picked up her backpack and started down the hall.

The group of students got out of her way as she left Ben staring after her. “She’s cold. There’s no way around it.” One of the basketball players said as Amelia turned a corner and walked out of sight.

“Not really, Joel, she just doesn’t mince her words,” Rob said as he watched Amelia disappear. “She’s actually very nice in her own way. You just have to get to know her as a friend, because if you aren’t Matthew, you can forget trying to date her. C’mon, let’s go see what my Mom has at home that we can munch. I’m starved.” Rob wasn’t a jock, but most of his friends were, so he always waited until they were done with practice to go home with them. He had his father’s curly black hair and his mother’s hazel eyes.

Stephanie watched as Amelia had turned down Ben with something kin to jealousy. She liked Ben and hoped that maybe he would notice her someday, but all he ever saw was Amelia’s cool blue eyes and fiery red hair. Why couldn’t she be as pretty as her brother’s girlfriend? Then she remembered she forgot to ask Amelia if she would be on her team for the Game. She pushed past Rob, Joel, and Ben and ran after her friend.

“Now there’s a girl I could go for,” Joel sighed as Stephanie disappeared around the corner. “She may be a little shy, but she has something about her that...oo, you just gotta notice. It’s too bad her mom’s Dr. Morgan.”

“Why?” asked Rob, curious about Joel’s comments. He liked Aunt Karen, she could be really fun. It was true he never really paid a lot of attention to Stef, but he knew what his friend meant about the something. Stef had short dark hair and soft brown eyes that always looked a little sad; she looked like a dancer; lithe, graceful, and strong. He also happened to know she was on the honor roll.

“Because, Rob, with a mom so smart, she has to have brains too. And I’m not a rocket scientist, pretty boy.” Joel sighed then slapped his two buddies on the back. “Well, I have Andie, so I’m not complaining. But, hey, Ben, maybe you should ask Stephanie out? I don’t think she’s the type to turn you down cold.” Ben rubbed his chin and thought about it, then gave a non-committal shrug.

“Amelia!” Stephanie called out as her quarry started to open the door leading outside. Amelia turned and waited for her friend to catch up. “Amelia, thanks for waiting. I was wondering if I could get a ride home with you and Steve?”

“Sure thing, Stef,” Steve said, joining his sister at the door. His reddish-brown hair was still wet from his shower and he smelled of soap and aftershave. He was the most elusive of the men in the Circle’s children. Her mom kept telling her that Steve was just like his mom when it came to being pinned down. But for now, Tricia Thomas had his attention, however long it would last. “Hey, what’s this I’ve been hearing all day about a Game tomorrow? Am I invited?” He didn’t try to hide his enthusiasm. “It’s been ages since I was last invited.”

Stef stared at Steve as if she had been kicked in the stomach. When Steve waved his hand in front of her eyes with an amused grin on his face, Stephanie gave a self-conscious laugh. “That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. Yes, there’s going to be a Game tomorrow and Jason already has most of the older kids on his team,” Stephanie began as she followed the twins to their car. She blushed as Steve held the door for her and made sure she was in before closing it.

She waited until they had pulled out of the parking lot to finish. “When I talked to Matt this morning before I left for school, he said he’d think about it. But he was worried about his Norse Mythology test so he wasn’t really paying attention. Anyway, he said to ask you two what you thought, and he’d go along with whatever you decided.” Steve glanced over at his sister, then into the rearview mirror at Stef. He opened his mind to Amelia and waited. “We could really use you against Jason, please?”

Amelia was reading from her Greek book again and Steve thought it was rude of her to ignore Stephanie, and he didn’t hesitate to let her know it. She didn’t react to his mental disapproval, and that made Steve frown. Stephanie saw the sideways glances Steve kept giving his sister, she knew they were both telepathic, and when she saw his frown she expected the worse.

Turning a page, Amelia made only a single comment to show she had heard any of the conversation. “I hear Jason’s feeling his age again.” Then she went back to her book for what seemed to be an eternity to both Steve and Stef, before she added an after thought. “I don’t like it when he gets too self-important for our good.” And she kept on reading, while Steve and Stephanie, both repressed shouts of joy.

Amelia didn’t look up as Steve pulled into the driveway, or when they dropped off Stephanie. He stopped the car and turned to face her. “Mia, do you have to be so damn unreachable? It’s getting so I don’t even know what you’re going to do or say next. Rob told me you nearly gave him a heart attack during history, again, today. Won’t you at least pretend to be a normal teen-ager?” Steve fumed as his sister calmly put her book away and listened to his words with blank eyes. He wanted to reach over and rip her face off, just to see if he would get a reaction from her.

“I’ve been thinking, Steven,” Amelia began as if ignoring his entire speech. Steve grit his teeth and glared at his sister. “I’m not comfortable with this Game for tomorrow. No, wait, don’t say anything until you’ve heard me out. Then if you don’t honestly agree with me, I won’t say another word about it.” She watched as her brother fought with himself, then gave her a single, sharp nod. “It’s a given that when Matthew, you, and I are on the same team, that team wins. And when we’re on different teams, in any combination, it ends in a stale-mate. The others will no longer play three on all, because again, we win. I want to take the air out of Jason’s sail’s just like everyone else, except maybe Angela. But I also want this to be at least semi-fair and challenging. Frankly, I’m bored by the Game the way we always play it.” Then Amelia left her stunned brother in the car, and went in the house.

Phil was in the kitchen as his oldest daughter came in. He watched as she walked past him without even seeing him, and wondered if it was from him or Debra, Amelia got that particular habit. Then he watched as Steve slammed through the kitchen, running after his sister. He looked at the ceiling and wondered if he would ever understand his oldest children. He didn’t have this problem with his younger five, but then none of them had the concentration of gifts the twins did either.

Pouring a glass of apple juice, Phil leaned against the counter and contemplated life. After he had learned Debra was pregnant the second time, he decided the old house was no longer big enough. So he bought this property and built a new one. It was large enough to hold the entire Circle and their kids and still have room for a few friends, if you didn’t mind a crowd. But it also gave his children more room to hide in when they didn’t want to be found.

“Dad, do you think I’m wrong in wanting to be challenged by life? Or do you think I should take the path of least resistance whenever I can?” Phil looked from his glass to his daughter in surprise. Amelia had changed from the jeans she wore to school into a nice pair of slacks and blouse. She had also pulled her hair into a braid and put on a little make-up.

Phil set his glass on the counter and watched as Amelia bit into an apple. She made face when it didn’t crunch, but finished it anyway. “You’re so like your mother, Mia. She doesn’t like mushy apples either. I can take it from your change of clothes you have a date? Yes, just like your mother.” Amelia looked down at herself with a frown, then back at her dad. “Never mind, Mia. I think you should do what you feel is right. Sometimes it’ll mean taking the easiest path, sometimes the harder ones. Life can’t be explained in black and white, there are too many subtle shadings.”

Then Steve came in, glared at his sister and said hi to his dad. “So, Mia, what’d Dad say; that you can’t always take the hard path, because it isn’t always the right one? I told you, you can’t always have your way in life.” Steve opened the refrigerator then closed it and opened cupboard after cupboard until he found something he wanted to eat. Then around a mouthful of a granola bar, he continued his lecture. “I mean think about it, Mia, what would you do if something happened to Matthew. You wouldn’t just curl up in a ball and cry yourself to death, would you? No, you’d pick up where he left off and finish the job. I wonder if you’d even shed a tear if he died; you’re so focused on the challenge. All I’m getting at is you have to live your life sometimes; you can’t or shouldn’t always fall back on work. Is that asking too much?” Steve finished both his speech and snack at the same time. Then he leaned over his sister’s head and kissed it. “Think about it, Mia, before you lose yourself to an ideal.”

Phil reached out and touched his son’s arm as Steve headed for the backdoor. Looking at his dad, Steve waited until Phil said something. Amelia’s face was hidden from both of them, and as usual Phil couldn’t tell what she was thinking or feeling. Phil tried to organize his thoughts; he never imagined he would hear something like this last speech from any of his children. “Steven, Amelia, would you mind enlightening my enfeebled brain as to the nature of this conversation you’re involved in?”

With a sniff, Amelia’s head came up, and to the surprise of both her father and brother, she wiped her eyes. “I expect Alex has told you about the Game planned for tomorrow,” Mia said and turned around. A single tear slid down her cheek, but neither man reached out to brush it away, it seemed to fit her mood. “Well, Dad, in case you didn’t know, Steven, Matthew, and myself are the ones to beat. And no matter how hard the others try and how many advantages we give them, none of them can come even close to seeing us, let alone catch us. I simply told Steve I wanted a greater challenge in the Game, and he went ballistic.”

Phil looked at his son and daughter in a new light, and then he looked at the doorway leading to the living room and up the stairs, slyly. “So you want a challenge in the Game?” The tones in his voice were pitched to get an instant reaction, and Steve didn’t disappoint him.

“What’d you have in mind, Dad?” Steve prompted, inching over to stand next to his sister. Phil wondered if he had said the wrong thing, or the right, by the way his daughter went still so suddenly.

Looking back toward the stairs, Phil called for his wife to come down. Then to the surprise of his son, he hopped up and sat on the counter. Debra came into the kitchen with a pencil in her mouth and a computer printout in her hands. “Yes, Phil, what do you need?” Seeing her children, she gave them both a smile and stuck the pencil behind her ear. “Have a date with Matthew tonight, Amelia? Ask him if his mother’s finished with my... I’m missing something here, what is it?”

“The twins tell me they’re bored with competing against the other kids. They want something more challenging,” Phil answered, trying to look non-committal. Amelia smiled in her mind as Matthew walked into the kitchen behind her, but continued to watch her parents blankly. It was a tactic she found very useful in gaining information without giving any away.

Debra looked at her twins and raised her eyebrow as a slow smile spread across her face. “Oh really, Phil, that’s most interesting? What would the two of you say to going up against the Circle as well as the other children? I realize you’d have to ask Matthew how he felt about it, but the offer’s open.”

Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Mom, the last time we went against you, we captured all of you in less than two hours. There’s no more challenge in that than in going against all the others combined, except it would mean ten more bodies to catch.” He leaned back against the wall and appeared to pout at the floor.

“A lot of time has passed since that Game and now, Steve,” Debra said softly in a voice Phil knew meant she was interested in teaching Steve a lesson about underestimating his betters. “And since that Game, the Circle has been practicing in secret so when the offer of a rematch was made, you’d get quite a surprise. The last time, you caught us unawares and unprepared. This time, we’ll be alert and ready. Are you interested?”

Matthew chose that moment to make his presence known. “You know, Steve, there’s a lot to what your mother’s saying,” he said quietly, moving closer to his girlfriend. Phil and Debra jumped at his words, a fact Steve, Amelia, and he registered. “But the ultimate decision is Amelia’s,” he finished causally, after Phil and Debra had a chance to calm their racing hearts.

Debra transferred her gaze from Steve to Amelia and found her as un-nerving as Phil did. Mia looked quickly to Steve and he ran from the room. Then she leaned forward, just a fraction, and lifted an eyebrow, much like her mother had done. When Steve came back into the kitchen he had a large, black, duffle bag slung across his shoulder. “We’ll see you sometime early in the morning, but I doubt you’ll see us. Good luck, Mother, you’re going to need it.” Her voice was level, even a little bored as she gave her version of an acceptance and pushed away from the table. Before Phil or Debra could react, the three of them were gone.

“I guess that means the Game’s on. But does it mean it’s already started or starting in the morning?” Phil asked Debra as he jumped down from the counter. Alex walked into the kitchen then and asked when dinner was going to be ready. “Alex, tell me something about your sister?”

Grinning, Alex rubbed his hands together. “Sure, Dad, which one?” His gray eyes twinkled mischievously under a thick head of light brown hair.

“Amelia,” Debra said, staring at the back door. Her blood was tingling as it did when she was on the hunt. Phil grinned at his son’s reaction. Alex looked at his parents from the side of his eyes as if not quite understanding what was being asked of him. “We want to know if she’d start the Game tonight, or wait until morning,” Debra finished and brought her attention to Alex.

“Are you guys playing this Game? Does that mean it’s all of us against them?” Alex asked, his eyes wide with excitement. When his dad nodded, he let out a whoop of joy and called the others in. “How did her face look when she accepted the challenge? And what did she say? And was Steve really loud or quiet when she was considering your offer?” Alex asked after yelling to his younger sibs.

Phil looked at Alex in wonder. He didn’t realize reading Amelia was such a complex task. “Steve did all the talking once we challenged them. Amelia was... still, that’s the best way I can think of to describe her. And she said they’d see us early in the morning, but she doubted we’d see them.”

Alex nodded and bit his bottom lip. “Was Matthew here? And did Steve take the blue or black duffle bag?” he asked as he thought about it. The rest of the Bennington children came in and Alex explained to them what was happening.

“Yes and black,” Debra answered, after the others were filled in on the details. She studied her son as intently as he studied some picture in his mind.

“You were set up. She and Steve probably planned to have you offer the challenge today. So they’ve already started. Was Amelia going out with Matthew tonight? Cause if she was, then you can bet she’s been playing since morning, gathering and spreading false information all day,” Alex said, sitting in a chair and dropping his head into his hands. “She’s expert at doing stuff like that, I wish I could be as good. And we’re as good as captured already.”

Just then the phone rang and Phil went to answer it. “Hello?... Oh, Hi, Grant, what’s up?... Yes, it does and I can’t see where one more on their side would change anything. Call up the others and have everyone over here in fifteen minutes, max. We have some serious planning to do... Yeah, same here, buddy. Catch you in a few. Bye.” He looked up and spread his hands. “The Game’s afoot. Grant’s on his way with the troops and he’s as excited as we are.”

Fifteen minutes later, the large living room was crowded with people of all ages; each talking excitedly about the up coming Game and chase. Rob looked around for Tricia and didn’t see her. “Hey, where’s Tricia? Isn’t she playing?”

Emily looked up from a map of the lodge and the surrounding forest and nodded. “Yes, but Steve and the others picked her up from our house. It’ll be four against all of us, instead of three.” Then she turned back to the map, and suddenly the whole room became silent, and she looked back up.

Rob was white and standing, staring at Grant and Emily in disbelief. “You let her go with Steve? How could you, Uncle Grant?” He slapped his thighs and sank into his chair. The Circle all looked at each other and shrugged.

“Why shouldn’t we’ve let her go with Steve, Rob?” Grant asked, sitting back against the couch and folding his arms.

All the children groaned as if Grant had just asked the most stupid of all questions. Then Rob very carefully explained to the amused and wondering Circle why they shouldn’t have let Tricia go with Steve. “Because she’s the only person who’s ever found their secret base. She can read Steve like Amelia reads Matthew. Haven’t you ever noticed Mia never jumps when Matt pulls his sudden appearance trick, and vice versa? Tricia could’ve tracked Steve right to the heart of their operations and we’d’ve won for the first time ever. But no, you had to let her go with her boyfriend. We might as well just go up there and shoot off flares for all the chance we’ll have against all four of them,” Rob said and slumped even lower in the chair.

“It’s even worse than that, Rob,” Alex said softly and heard the older boy groan. “Mia was silent while Steve was probing. And Matthew was here when the challenge was given and accepted.”

Rob slapped his head with the palm of his hand. “And she pulled out some article on the Circle and that U.N. business today in History and mentioned Mark’s name.”

“Yep, we’re dead,” Stephanie said. “In the car on the way home, she was reading Greek history, in Greek.”

Jared watched as all but the Circle’s faces fell as if these things were a sign of doom. “Wait a minute, people,” he said, standing and shaking his head. “Don’t you see what’s happening here? We’re defeating ourselves by all this talk about what Mia did or didn’t do today. Is she so imposing that her comments are cause for all this concern? I don’t think so. Yes, she’s smart. Yes, she and her brother and my son have a very close relationship. And yes, she can be a formidable opponent. But no one’s so good that a determined effort won’t find a weakness sooner or later. She isn’t even here, but you’re all acting like she’s standing in the room with an executioner’s axe hanging over your necks. No wonder it’s so easy for her to win every time. You go on the instant defense once you learn she’s playing and on the other side. You can never win when you’re on the defensive. We have to get off this pity party and put her and her team on the defense. We must make the first move, we must find the high ground and make her come to us. Don’t worry, we’ll find the chink in her armor.” Jared put all his persuasive skill into his speech and when he was done, everyone looked better.

Debra stood up and paced the room with her hand cupping her chin. “Everything you said, Jared, is true except for one thing. She’s made the first move, so we have to make the next. But that doesn’t mean we have to do what she expects.”

“Mom, no offense, but whether we go up tonight, or in the morning, or not at all, it won’t matter to Mia; she’ll be ready for anything and everything. The best we can hope for is that she’s feeling gracious and will give us a few of the advantages she’s always giving up. So plan for that, and we might have a fighting chance,” Alex stated, sitting back to listen to what his mom would plan.