Alison waited impatiently for her brother Sam to come down the stairs. He arrived home late last night. She’d heard low voices. Too low to understand what was being said, but loud enough to recognize Sam’s voice in the mix. Shortly thereafter, only one set of footsteps had come up the stairs. Where was Ben? Had he come in later, after she’d fallen asleep?
Fidgeting at the table brought the wrath of her mother.
“Alison, go outside. Go to the school. Go clean you room. But for heaven’s sake, remove yourself from my kitchen.”
Then, a little more gently, “Sam will be down when he comes down. He’s safe. Go on now.”
“But what about Ben? Is he home? I didn’t hear him last night. Did he come in with Sam?”
Sarah turned away so Alison couldn’t see her face. She busied her hands with the dishes to keep them from shaking.
“Ben is still on assignment. He should be back later in the week.”
Alison accepted that and stood. As she hurried to the door, she called over her shoulder, “Tell Alexa I’m on the course.”
Sarah watched her youngest child through the window with sadness in her eyes. Life was never certain. Especially for those engaged in the dangerous activities that defined their family livelihood. She hoped the twins would be able to enjoy more of their childhood before understanding the true realities of the family business. But at least Sam was done with fieldwork. His role would now be to learn from his father how to continue the school. He would carry on the family legacy, training the next generation. If there was a next generation.
Shaking off her dismal thoughts, Sarah began preparing the various meals for the day. She wanted everything ready so all she need do was warm things up when it was time. Today she was joining the training. She hadn’t used her fieldcraft for some time, but Samuel wanted her to stay sharp. Her mission today was to stalk the younger children, shoot them with a paint gun if the opportunity presented itself, and evade capture should that be necessary. Samuel had set up training deep in the woods that covered a large part of their property. He’d told the children at breakfast that they were to find a hidden chest of valuable documents, cautioning them that they were not the only ones seeking the treasure. It was his only warning. Time would tell whether they’d understood the warning for what it was. Finishing her meal preparations, Sarah went upstairs to dress and prepare.
Alison, Alexa, and Caleb waited impatiently in the school yard at just past eight in the morning. Each was dressed in dark camouflage clothing and carried a small backpack of the ten essentials they might need if they had to stay in the woods overnight. Their faces were painted in various patterns of green and black. The twins were making faces at each other and giggling when their father approached.
“Children, stop goofing around. Are you prepared?” Although his voice was mild, each child heard the steel in it.
“Yes sir!” they answered in unison.
“You understand your mission?”
“Yes sir!”
“Caleb, explain the mission.”
Caleb did so with a clarity that impressed his father. The boy’s coming along, he thought proudly. At fifteen, Caleb was showing a talent that his older brothers hadn’t demonstrated. At least, not as yet. He could assess a situation and form an action plan faster than any of the other children. Sometimes, almost faster than Samuel himself. He had an innate ability to see a mission from several viewpoints and with singular focus, choose a plan that minimized risk and maximized success potential. In many ways, Caleb reminded Samuel of his father. He just hoped Caleb would live as long, or longer, than his father who had died far earlier than he should have.
Samuel reached into the large duffle he held and pulled out three pistols. He gave one to each child who looked at it with wide eyes.
“Relax. They’re not real. They’re paint guns. But you’re to consider them as deadly as a real handgun. Each has six paint pellets. Only six, and a different color for each of you. You have no other backup ammo. Do not point the gun at anything unless you plan to use it, and if you use it, you’d better be accurate. Remember your training. It may be the only thing that gets you home tonight.”
“Why do we need—” Alexa began, but her father interrupted her.
“Today, you all act as individuals. You are not a team. You must evade each other while still focusing on obtaining the documents in the chest. There is only one winner today. Understand? One. The one who comes back with the documents. Each must decide how to proceed and to what lengths they are willing to go to succeed. You have four hours to deliver the documents. Four hours.”
“What happens after that?” Alison asked.
“You would do well to not find out,” her father answered cryptically.
Before any of the children could ask another question, he explained they would be leaving twenty minutes apart. They could choose amongst themselves the order of their departure, but after that, there was to be no communication between them until the mission was over.
He watched as the children huddled together to discuss who was going to leave first. It didn’t take long to agree on the order, and they straightened and turned to their father.
Caleb made the pronouncement. “Alexa, me, then Alison.”
Samuel hid his smile. He had guessed that would be their choice.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes sir!” all three answered.
“OK. First one leaves in five minutes. If you need to use the facilities, I’d suggest you do so. Also, double check your gear. Make sure you have everything you need.”
He walked to the edge of the schoolyard and checked his watch, glancing back at the children as he did so. They had moved away from each other, each focused on their own preparations. He observed their body language. Good, he thought. They’re taking this seriously.
Five minutes later Alexa approached her father and nodded. He nodded back and she took off towards the woods. Samuel marked his watch as she reached the first of the trees. He was giving them a few seconds longer than he’d told them, starting the twenty minutes from the tree-line as opposed to the schoolyard. He figured they’d need it. He wondered if Sarah was in place, then smiled to himself. Of course she was. She was a professional. One of the best, in her earlier years. Motherhood and being out of the field may have taken some of the edge off, but he had no doubts she would give the kids a run for their money. He almost laughed out loud but stopped himself just in time. It wouldn’t do to give his children any indication that this was anything other than the original laid-out mission. They’d find that out themselves soon enough.
Caleb was next up. At the appointed time he was off, jogging towards the woods with a purpose. Samuel glanced back at Alison. She was fidgeting with something on her pack. He barely stopped himself from asking if she needed assistance. She had to overcome whatever challenge had presented itself by herself. As hard as it was to let go of his father role, he clung to his instructor role and ignored her struggles, murmuring a quiet time check. Finally, she resolved whatever she’d been focused on and stepped up next to her father. He counted down the final few seconds, then waived her off, watching as she took a slightly different path towards the woods than her siblings.
Interesting, he thought. She took the path I would have taken.
With all three children now out of sight, he walked into the building to prepare his own gear. He hadn’t told them he’d be joining them in the woods. Nor had he told them he’d be stalking them. He smiled as he checked his own paint gun, confirming it was loaded and ready. Smearing camouflage paint on his face and hands, he donned his pack and began the hunt.