Godric looked up from his
homework when Manny came bouncing into their room like a kid on speed. “What?” he
asked in amusement.
“Mr. Wyndham’s taking us up
to his retreat for the weekend. Just you and me, as a reward.”
“Reward for what?” Godric
asked a bit warily.
“Cause we did good on the
jobs. Sometimes he likes to make us feel special when that happens.”
“But the other kids—“
“They’ll get their turns
when they earn them. I think it’s partly because you’re new and he wants to
keep you around you know.”
“No problem there. I’m
liking this place and everything,” Godric replied, lying through his teeth. But
he knew that’s what he was expected to say.
“I’m with you there. So,
anyway, we gotta pack so we’re ready to leave first thing in the morning.”
Godric nodded. There was
only one thing that he had to take with him. And it wouldn’t need a bag to
carry it; just the sheath that was always strapped to his thigh when he wasn’t
in the gym or the shower.
After closing his book,
Godric dragged his backpack from under the bed. “How cold is it up there?” he
asked Manny while studying the clothes in his half of the closet.
“This time of year? Cold and
snow, so you’d better take sweatshirts and more than a couple of pair of socks,
on top of the usual.”
Godric nodded, and a few
minutes later had his pack full to the brim with just enough room left for the
sundries that he’d pack in the morning. Dropping it on the floor, he flopped
back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. This could be his one and only
chance to complete his self-appointed mission. Only Manny stood in his way, but
that problem could be dealt with once they got up to the retreat. He frowned,
looking over at him.
“What exactly is this
retreat anyway?”
“Only the coolest place in
the whole world I think. He’s got this huge cabin in the middle of nowhere. And
I mean cabin, with wood walls and floors and stone fireplaces and all that but
still it’s got everything anyone could want, even a Jacuzzi.” Manny paused,
apparently thinking about the place. “There’s these fancy rugs on the walls
with pictures on them. Umm, tapestries he calls them.”
“Sounds different,” Godric
said, even as his mind flew back to before his death. And he wondered if in
some way Cerdic was trying to recreate if not the house, then at least the
atmosphere of the times when they both had lived.
No comments:
Post a Comment