Paul, Tom, Betts, and Andra entered the house, sniffing the air and making hungry sounds. Betts and Andra came into the kitchen with the deer and elk roasts neatly arranged on two trays that were nearly dumped on the floor when they collided with Ann coming up the stairs. Juan came to the rescue and steadied both trays, thanking God in Spanish for his successful rescue efforts. Betts, always ready to help, handed her tray to Juan. She grabbed a towel, wrapped it around her middle, and announced she was, "Ready to help put this feast on the table!" Juan slid the trays across the counter, with a little nod that seemed to mean garnish these please, and quickly scurried back into the frenzy of the anthill. Greetings and hugs were given all around amidst a bantering of compliments for the cooks and the food that was quickly overflowing the kitchen.

Betts in her usual bubbly, almost dim-witted way could not contain her 100-mph chatter. "Don't you just love these gatherings? It always reminds me of the old days when families would get together for a celebration or Sunday dinner. I miss that so much. It isn't often enough that everyone in the village is together for a meal." Moving about, flitting from here to there looking busy but really doing nothing at all she continued to talk, "I know it's dangerous, but maybe we could train more dogs, or they could make a new alarm system and we could do this every Sunday. Her eyes sparkling over her broad happy smile she asked, "Wouldn't that be nice?".

"Yeah Betts, and how long do you think it would take before some raider figured out we changed our system on Sundays, slipped by the dogs, and raided your house or your neighbors house?" Ann snapped.

"Oh, Ann, you're always so negative," she quipped back. With a hint of bitter resignation in her voice, Ann replied, "You're probably right." Then, changing her tone, she gently added, "I know it's just a wish, Betts, and that you know the reality. I'm sorry, go ahead and wish. Maybe wishing will make it so one day. It's good to see you happy." With skillful manipulation Ann added, "Have you heard anything about the surveillance report yet?"

Realizing that her silliness had not been appreciated, but never for a moment letting the happy smile leave her face Betts answered, "No, they put the plane away and we came right over. They haven't even washed up yet. I hope they remember to clean up before we sit down to eat." Digressing for a moment she added, "Anyway, I don't like to hear it alone. It's better for me to hear it in the company of everyone so I don't get too scared. There's never any good news." Betts was always the most distressed by bad news. She lived in a pretend world and was often referred to as the village cheer leader. She was not unattractive, but her little frame had been overweight most of her life. It often seemed she tried to make up for her weight by acting as the little girl woman. Chris often remarked she expected to "see braids poking out the sides of her head and Pippy Longstockings embroidered across her chest." She simply refused to see or accept that her world had changed. "Well, maybe there will be this year," Marie said, trying to reassure her with an arm around her shoulder and a little pat.

"You say that every year, Marie, and you know it won't be better." With child like excited anticipation, Betts asked, "Did you get a communication?"

"We did," Marie answered. "Chris will read it after breakfast."

Andra stopped garnishing the plate in front of her and almost whispered, "Is it an inner group message, Chris?"

"Not entirely. I think it's about 60/40 on the side of the village and a little is coded for Randy. It's quite long and took a little more than a week to complete." Trying to turn Andra's thoughts in another direction, Chris asked, "How's the greenhouse coming?"

A greenhouse question always brought out the zealous plant biologist in Andra, and her enthusiasm for the subject was contagious. Tiny and fragile looking, it was astonishing to witness her knowledge and love of nature. Her voice now light and cheery she answered, "Quite good actually. We put in the new hot water system and had a trial run. The temp of the ground looks good. In fact, the citrus trees took on a real growth spurt after the week's run. We didn't expect that to happen; we were just testing the seed germination process." Her face lighting up, smiling broadly she continued, "We were quite blown away by the results." With a lighthearted rhythm she added, "Wait until you see Pat's report. He has the video and the plans for the Northside Village." Andra felt the heat of Lesters’ eyes boring into her but she dared not look around the room for his presence, she knew he was there. The cold plunge of adrenaline spread through her stomach, grasping her chest, but without missing a beat in her dialogue, she changed the subject, "In what direction will the team be heading first?"

Chris nostrils flared, the odor assaulted her senses for the second time that morning. She shook it off, her eyes moved from Ann to Marie as they gauged each other’s reaction to Andra's question.

Ann nearly jumped out of her skin but skillfully managed to hide her reaction. "You know that's very privileged information.," she responded flatly, the suspicion in her voice making her answer almost a question. "Why do you ask?"

Over the past few weeks Ann had become more distrustful of Andra's emotional stability, and considering her developing relationship with Lester, the question about the travelers gave credence to her nagging suspicion. After a long conference with Leslie, the only Doctor in the village, she felt strongly that without appropriate medication another breakdown was probably imminent for Andra. What a terrible loss it would be for the village to lose a fervent plant biologist. Leslie would do what she could to keep Andra stable, but without medication there were no guarantees.

"No reason in particular, just wondered if you'd heard." Andra replied, unnoticed she choked back tears and composed herself.

In the calmest, smoothest voice she could muster, Ann responded, "Let it go, Andra. We'll discuss it later after they're safely on their way. I don't want to hear another word about this until I ask you. Do you understand?"

Ann's directness and absolute order startled Andra. She opened her mouth to speak, thought better of it, lowered her head in silence knowing she had failed Lester’s orders, and returned to garnishing the roast.

Betts surprised all of them with a biting, "You know Andra, there's a time and a place for everything, and this isn't the time or the place." Sweetly and offhandedly, she added, "Don't forget to ask Charlie to put the potatoes around the roast, dear."

Everyone laughed, not at Andra but at Betts, who had sounded so silly and trite. The tension of the previous moment had been swept away in the work and chatter of preparation.