“It needs no thanking. It was late at night and I could see that you needed help. I couldn’t just leave you out there alone at night. Anything could happen.”
“Well, yes what you say is true but thanks anyway. Do you mind if I can contact my cousin? I live with her and need to let her know I am okay.”
“Sure. No problem the vidcom is in the great room where you slept.”
The twins immediately zeroed in on the word “help.” Something had happened while they were asleep the night before.
They asked, “Drak can we be excused from the table.” They got an okay and went to linger around Anya while she made the call. Their intention was to listen in on the conversation. They knew asking Drak for more details would be a lost cause. He had already informed them that it was grown-up business, which meant no more questions. They were rewarded with hearing some of the details of what had happened. Someone had attempted to hurt her, and Drak had saved the day.
Anya, not one to stand on pretensions, saw an opportunity that she could use to her advantage and so returned to the kitchen with the twins trailing her. “Look, I know that this may seem strange coming from a complete stranger, but I can see that you can use my help. I am not saying that things aren’t neat or clean because I can see that they are, but I can also see what you are eating . . .”
Drak was caught off guard and was without, for the first time that the twins knew, anything to say. He just sat there.
“The way I see it, we can help each other. It’s really a unique opportunity,” pressed Anya as she looked at Drak and the boys.
She proposed becoming their full-time live-in housekeeper. She explained that she recently moved in with her cousin, but their place was small. She had been in town all day without success looking for a job. He had two small sons and a farm; surely he could use the help. Drak had looked her over and could see that she was well-spoken, which meant educated as well as a fine figure of a woman. So he agreed to let her work on a trail basis. The one stipulation was that each night he would see that she was returned to her cousin’s place.
By the end of the month, Drak knew in more ways than one that he could no longer do without her help. The decision was made, and she moved in and became a part of their household. Drak felt himself fortunate to have Anya appear in their lives so soon after their arrival. He couldn’t believe how well she fit in with their routine. The twins soon learned she brooked no foolishness from them but had a soft spot for flattery and chocolates. It was Anya who registered the boys in the local school. As the years passed, everyone around knew who ran their household, and all wondered when Drak would pop the question.
With the memory of the attack reduced to an annoying thought, Anya never filed a report with the authorities. Drak, however, made it his business, unknown to Anya or the boys, to cross paths with Tank Hanling. Whenever Tank’s name came up, it was remembered that he had very suddenly left town; some said even the planet. The only other residual effect Anya had was the pleasant feeling of gratefulness that she had for Drak. She somehow knew it came from more than his having made a place for her in his household. She gave up trying to determine why she felt as she did because the reason was always just beyond her recall. Drak always knew when she was trying to recapture the memory because she would look intently at him. He in turn simply sent <forget>.
Anya turned out to be of great assistance in enabling Drak to settle in. She explained the meaning of the forms he had, which proved him to be the owner of the farm. She registered the twins into the local youth organizations. As the years passed and they grew older, they began to tease Drak about his relationship with Anya. The twins knew that he had strong feelings for her, and she for him. However, Drak never gave Anya any sign of wanting or needing marriage. Anya had no problem with it and accepted the fact that marriage between them was not possible. Both gave the twins the same lecture when they became too demanding in wanting to know why their household was the way it was.
It bothered them that Drak and Anya were the only parents they could remember; yet they did not call them by anything other than their actual names. They were told that theirs was a unique household, therefore the use of first names. Drak and Anya also reinforced that it was better to have an ongoing liaison rather than a binding union, especially when neither desired to produce children. Raising two were enough.
Eventually the boys let it go and accepted Drak as Drak and Anya as Anya in their lives. Johan and Collin never called them “Mom” or “Pop,” but the affection that they developed for the two was on the same par as any that would be felt for biological parents. Anya ruled over all issues concerning deportment, cleanliness, assignment of household chores, and learning the rudiments of cooking and taking personal care of the house. Drak controlled the twins’ education as well as development of their combat skills.
These drills began when the twins turned seven. At first, Anya questioned this aspect of their learning. She periodically asked, “Aren’t they the sons of a farmer? Why such intense needs to develop combat skills? Why start this at such a young age?” Anya’s questions went unanswered, and she saw that Drak remained firm on his sense of duty. Anya, wanting the last word, always shouted at Drak, “Okay, so don’t answer me. Who knows, maybe you are right, and times could change when they reach their maturity. Perhaps all of this training will be put to good use!” Then she would leave the room in a huff.
Usually during these times of Anya’s one-sided tirade, the twins left the house. They loved Anya, but they secretly enjoyed the training Drak put them through. The love they had for Drak went without question, and if he thought that they needed it, there was no more to be said on the subject. Their training as children was the reinforcement of specific skills through games played by the three. Important tactics were always inferred in the games’ outcome. By the age of ten, Johan and Collin had advanced to serious hand-to-hand knife combat. They gradually added to this the use of different lengths of swords, and finally by fifteen, they had mastered firearms to the point of being expert marksmen. It was strange, but during all of this time, Anya never thought to ask Drak where he obtained his skills as the instructor.
Their farm prospered and it became known for its cheese production. Anya had hired the farm manager, Jona Huros. Jona had a problem. He could not control his need to gamble and because of excessive debts had lost him his cheese farm holdings. Anya heard about it and convinced Drak to offer him a managing position. Jona found himself in need of an income and, without a better offer, accepted. The surrounding townsfolk thought Drak foolish to hire him. Bets had been made as to how long it would take Jona and his gambling to cause trouble for Drak. Miraculously, as everyone soon found out, Jona did a complete about-face and became engrossed in managing the farm. His goal was to make it bigger than his own had been, and gambling had suddenly become repulsive to him.
This very unusual household settled into a pattern. Anya ran the house. Jona managed the farm. This freed Drak to take the twins after school to the secret hangar in the mountain where, away from prying eyes, they received supplemental, educational, and combat training.
Chapter 2
The sun was high overhead. As far as the eye could see, the land lay hot and hazy. Just ahead, a startled rabbit froze in its tracks. Collin stopped and dropped to his knees in the dirt. Noon, he thought. How much time did he have before his brother caught up with him? A small movement caused him to look to his right. He saw a rabbit. The head of the rabbit turned left then right, its ears frantically twitching. The rabbit then took off, hopping out of sight. Focusing on the movement of the rabbit distracted the teenage boy, and he failed to notice the nearer, more sinister movement of a snake coiled and ready to strike.
Johan decided to also stop for a breather. He too noted that the sun was at its highest position in the blue gray sky. Johan’s thoughts centered on the past six hours, which he had spent tracking Collin. Then he smiled. Off in the distance, he spotted the movements of the scampering rabbit. Collin was near. Aha, little brother, he thought, each year, our little game improves. With each passing year, it takes less time to catch up with you. Drak will be pleased. Johan stretched his six-foot-two frame and then dropped to a crouch.