A Rock and Family Vacation

[23]

Her father was coming here. Brooke felt suddenly ill in a way that spread throughout her entire body. Simultaneously, a blazing, roaring fury consumed every sliver of thought. She could imagine a handful of reasons as to why he would show up and none of them were good. Eliot coughed into his orange juice.

Following a deep breath, Brooke responded to the host, “I see.”

The girls all turned to listen, with Blair paying special attention. But nothing more was said.

At the door, they made a left and continued down a hallway with all the same ostentation they had seen so far. Blair noticed the occasional security camera along the way. Most were positioned high on the ceiling, looking down. A few pretended to be round decorations. But soon this section of the club had a clear absence of cameras. She pulled the bag with the rainbow obsidian rock closer to her.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at a modest door, mostly wooden, with some light silver inlays. The host beckoned them inside. The interior most resembled one of those fancy dens from historical dramas. Blair hadn’t seen a lot of them, but she recognized the aesthetic. Old-style couches with claw feet and maroon cushions spread across the room. The carpet was a worn shade of green that looked like grass that had been groomed but not watered. A library section adorned one wall with an empty fireplace and lots of cabinets. Blair put an arm to keep Lacy and Clare from going too far. They stopped just a few paces inside and she glared at the host.

The man with the mustache looked ruffled at Blair‘s expression. He cleared his throat and tightened his hand along his side. It looked like a fist, but he kept it low.

“No need to be tense. This is the social room. Just find yourself a comfortable spot. It’ll be just a minute.“

Clare’s eyes danced around in concern and confusion at the palpable tension. “Is someone going to hurt us…?”

The host flinched and frowned with shock and dismay. “Why, my dear, absolutely not! There are simply some gentlemen who know your grandfather and would like to meet you. They simply want to talk. And you’re simply here to greet them as friends. Nothing more to it.“

Despite that simple reduction, several questions occurred to Clare, mostly variations of “why” but the host hustled away before she could figure out the right words for them. The three of them were left alone in that huge room. Blair checked the windows. but they had iron bars on the inside and no clear way of opening. The doors on the far ends opened up to a small study and a walk-in closet. The only way out was the way they came in.

“What's happening, Blair? I don’t understand.” Clare sounded on the verge of tears, but her elder sister gave her an encouraging look. Blair actually figured it all out when he was young. Innately, he understood something was very wrong about the way the “gentlemen“ his grandfather knew were cozying up to him, as close as parents but strangely different. Nothing “happened” that he could point to but, when distressing clues emerged, he wanted to punch his grandfather almost as badly as his mother did. Lacy was quiet and reserved, more focused on the discomfort of her outfit than anything else. Blair struggled in her thoughts for how to make it clear to Clare in a way that wouldn’t worry her or go to unsettling places.

“What I’m about to tell you, you cannot say to anyone outside this room. Especially not mom or dad. No fooling around, no joking, you just have to promise it.”

For emphasis, Lacy looked over and brought up the other promises and made a fist and a tearing motion. That was help Blair didn’t really need right then but she reiterated her seriousness. Clare already appeared absolutely terrified in a way comparable only to her nightmares of the dark man. This wasn’t going the way Blair wanted, but she would have to work with it. Softly, Clare nodded her head and gave a tense gulp.

“Okay. All right. Oh boy. I don’t share this lightly. This is very serious. You know Pepe Le Pew?” Blair’s mind went through countless iterations of the idea of adults asking her to do things or the terror felt during an injection, but that was more of a Lacy problem. Invoking the dark man wasn’t gonna work. And there was no safe harbor analogy she could work from. This would have to do it.

Clare brushed her hair back and dipped her head a few times before responding, “The skunk?”

“Yes. Remember how he would get really close to the cat with the accidental stripe and wiggle his eyes and say… romantic things? And grab her and smooch her all over?”

“Y-y-yeah…? Why?” Clare knew their parents had gone back and forth about whether she should watch the show because of it being decades older and with a “different style”. She liked the animation and thought it was funny how Pepe always managed to show up ahead of time. The endings were always silly. But Clare had clue how a cartoon skunk could apply to meeting a bunch of old guys.

Before Blair could really set it up and present it, Lacy blurted out, “We’re the cat and they’re the romantic skunks. They want to grab us and do all sorts of gross things to us.”

Blair did her best not to get mad at that outburst as she added, “That’s the worry. Because grandpa knows people who are…uhh…”

With a reserved whisper, Clare actually said the Word. The P word. This threw Blair off and even raised Lacy‘s eyebrows. “You know… That word? For this sort of thing…?”

Clare averted her gaze and softly cleared her throat. “I heard mom and dad talking about it when they were watching some streaming thing. When they were asleep, I watched some of it. And then I just googled it, but I was scared to look at it. So, they ARE going to hurt us?”

Blair immediately shook her head. “No. None of them are going to do anything you don’t want. I swear on my life as your… brother and Everything I have that we’re gonna make them regret ever coming here. I don’t care what grandpa thinks… He’s an asshole. And whatever happens, it’s going to be okay.”

For all that talk, Blair also understood that there really weren't a lot of things she could do without risking unfortunate consequences for the entire family. That was probably how their mom felt. She didn’t blame her, but she did wish that mom had told grandpa to take a hike a long time ago. They didn’t need fancy houses along the beach and luxurious brunches or private schools or video games. When grandpa showed up, she could only imagine shoving that rock right in his face.

Clare took a deep breath and nodded to her sister. Blair reiterated the same protection vow to Lacy, who vehemently responded in kind. They were going to look out for each other. An ominous lull followed until the door creaked open again and the host beckoned several figures through. Slowly, three older men made their way into the room.

The one at the lead rested on his mahogany cane before scurrying through. He wore a pink, collared shirt with gray pants and adjusted his thick glasses before surveying the area. He had a strange, dark, nearly black ring on his finger. He was bald in places with stark white hair like a cotton ball awkwardly spread across his head. His mouth dangled open, looking like the preparation for a yawn. Just behind him stood a mostly bald man with reddish and white hair concentrated around the sides of his head and leading down into a full puff of a beard. A pair of tan shades rested atop his head. He had on cream-colored shorts and a jean polo. He also wore a similar ring to the other man. Blair pondered whether it was some sort of fraternal item.

The last figure to enter arrived with a clacking, rattling gray walker supporting him and drawing lines against the frail carpet. His head had a narrow, tall shape. And each of his features appeared vaguely exaggerated with his massive ears verging on elephant flaps. He also had the same ring. He wore a black and white checkered polo and tan slacks as he methodically pressed his way in.

In Blair’s head, she could easily conjure up some figures in the public eye that reminded her of how these men looked. Mostly politicians who had run for president, tech moguls, and characters from cartoons. But she didn’t want to go there. Comparing them would either humanize these insects or degrade those figures. Lacy hopped up from where she was sitting and joined her sisters. Together, they stood in a line. While Blair held Clare’s left hand, Lacy moved over and protected her on the other side. Looking down in the bag, Blair was briefly convinced that a shimmer of light had come from it. But checking it revealed no way she could’ve seen anything of the sort.

The old man entering the room under his own power without a cane or walker gave a quick cough and offered up, “Well, good morning. Arthur, would you be comfortable over there? Steady on, Chester. You’ve got this. Dear ladies, if you would be so kind, we just need a quick hand.”

Even though she didn’t have her iron giant muscles anymore, Blair stepped forward and was able to provide more than enough support for the man with the cane to find a place to sit down. Lacy cautiously approached the man with the walker and didn’t need to do much to guide him to a spot on one of the long couches. The last man creaked at his knees but was able to find a separate spot on his own.

“Oh dear me, my apologies. Thank you very much. That was quite a meal. Should not have indulged that much. Already feel like I’m about to pop and it’s not even afternoon.” The man with the cartoonish ears rubbed at his eyes and kept a hand near his stomach. Blair concluded that was Chester according to what the one man said, so the other had to be Arthur, which left only the most mobile old man yet unnamed.

Before departing, the host clasped his hands together in front of him and inquired if there would be anything else. Arthur rubbed at his eyes and shook his hand expressively, like he was trying to vigorously dry it. “That’s quite enough, my good man. Is everything packed away as requested? All the entertainment?”

Adamantly, the host confirmed that “the entertainment is all here”. Blair was honestly just waiting for them to be alone to act. Share around this mysterious old rock and wait as the trio dropped off into a life-changing slumber. The host didn’t lock the door when leaving, which Blair kept in mind if they had to run.

Silence passed amongst the group for several long seconds with the sisters standing as tall and still as statues. Clare glanced around, as though hunting for some unseen weapon she could grab.

“It appears Vincent has been a bit tricky lately. Your dear grandfather. Well, no need to stand on ceremony or be fretful about it. Come along and we might as well pass the time cordially. How was brunch for everyone? I thought the waffles were marvelous. Made just right. What were your favorites?”

Blair scrutinized those comments, but also urged her sisters to not act too stiff. Conversation about the meal ate up a few minutes, especially with Lacy detailing everything. Arthur gesticulated with his cane while Chester clasped his hands and moved them around, as though preparing for an imaginary ball game. The third man crouched on occasion and looked consumed by quiet thought.

During a lull, the mystery man postulated, “Lose me once, I’ll come back stronger. Lose me twice, I’m there no longer. What am I?” He directed his attention towards Blair but cast his eyes over the others as well. It was a riddle, Blair immediately realized. Chester chuckled and shook his head. Arthur put a finger to his mouth and rubbed at his rough hand, as though that might reveal the answer. Ultimately, it didn’t take Blair long to arrive at her conclusion, “Teeth.”

That earned a slap on his knee from the unnamed man. “Marvelous! Very good. Well, looks like we’re in good company. You don’t know how many young professionals… supposed young professionals, twist themselves into pretzel knots trying to deduce what I mean when I ask such questions. Or they laugh, throw up their hands, and don’t even bother taking a guess. So disappointing.”

He revealed his name was Silas and invited Blair to engage in a bit of logical scrutiny, for he allegedly knew more puzzles than anyone else his age. “I’ve been acquiring them for near eighty years now and the poor things need a bit of dusting off before they fade away."

After that, Chester pressed Lacy about her interests. Flippantly, she declared extreme sports and video games. With delight, he spread out his hands and announced that not only was he a producer on some of the early underground videos to feature young skaters and adventurous wakeboarders, but he founded and owned a small video game studio. Frowning, Lacy admitted that she did recognize some of the titles they released. Arthur wasn’t bombastic and didn’t press his interest but casually brought up board games and the fact that this room had several of his favorites squirreled away, along with ones he was also responsible for. Clare knew that she should’ve been on guard amongst these people, but she was also intrigued about what Agricola was.

Blair slipped on a friendly face for the logical conundrums and quirky riddles Silas offered her, but she remained tensely aware of everything around them. There was no way that these three old men just happened to share casual interests. It fit together far too neatly. She knew this had been planned.

Fortunately, as they sat down near the old men, they kept their hands to themselves. There were no obscene motions or implications. But she was watching. If any of them so much as made the slightest gesture towards her younger sisters, then she had the ultimate protection. 

[I have a question at the end of the chapter again to help with suggestions for where the story should go. I'm a couple chapters ahead but I love seeding ideas from people as much as possible. Feel free to add an idea which doesn't show up in the options. Also, if you see any random typos or uncapitalized starts of sentences, please pass them along. I have to cut down on my editing due to release speed and my programs don't seem to be catching lowercase sentences. Thank you for reading!]

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