Edward had lingered on at Rose House after dropping Beni off for the day. This wasn't something that he would have normally done, but there was Charlie to brief on the upcoming mission and the new cook had baked some shepard's pie and snickerdoodles cookies. Edward had a fondness for both. So he sat at the kitchen table, hair drawn back with a leather thong, slowly eating the pie with a plate of cookies nearby and a glass of milk near his left hand. As children passed to and fro from classroom to classroom and eating hall to the dorms, he grunted his greetings as they shouted his name and waved. He was proud of these kids, proud of how he had a hand in helping them out. He knew he was just a single spike in the Rail, but together the Rail was making a difference.
It had become routine now for Beni, to be ready when Edward came to pick her up in the mornings. He didn't usually stay, though, and what was more unusual was that most of the children seemed to know who he was. And yet, before he'd come to find her in the darkness, she'd never seen him before. It was a puzzle.
But a puzzle that would have to wait, for now. The morning classes had to be dealt with, and although her classroom was usually the loudest of the two, filled with laughter and questions, they did manage to get some progress made with reading and writing. There was even a little history done this morning.
Of course, the half hour before the lunch meal - which was then followed by nap-time - was devoted to carpet time. Beni and her little gaggle of children curled up on the carpet at the back of the classroom, amid avid discussion about what they should do. A few moments later, through the open door of the classroom, their voices began to filter down to the kitchen. "We're going on a bear hunt ... we're going on a bear hunt ..."
It wasn't difficult to hear the commotion inside of Beni's classroom, he was only a hallway away. Every once in a while, Edward tilted his chair back and craned his neck to look inside. He agreed with Ro that Beni had been an excellent choice as far as teachers went. He just wasn't sure if she could be trusted with the little secret that was the reason for Edward's employment at Rose House. The mention of a bear hunt caused him to lean back and crane his neck again. What's that all about? he wondered as he watched.
From the classroom came the rhythmic sounds of hands clapping against thighs, setting the rhythm for the words that were spoken. Each phrase Beni spoke was repeated by the children arrayed in front of her, all of them thoroughly in the zone. It must have sounded very strange to someone who couldn't see the actions made for certain of the phrases. "We're coming to a river ... we're coming to a river ... can't go 'round it ... can't go 'round it ... can't go under it ..."
Edward stopped trying to watch and the chair came back down to all fours gently. His hands and arms curled around his plate. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the rhythm of the tune and the voices telling the story. To the unknowing eye, he could be asleep; but that was the furthest thing from the truth.
On and on the story went, involving running through short grass, long grass, jumping over rivers, going 'round mountains, and finally going through a forest and into a cave. It was at this point that the back and forth cadence of voices stilled, and only Beni spoke, in a voice fully intended to convey amusement as well as fear. "It's all dark in here ... can't see anything. What's this? Furry ... big ... growling ... it's a bear!" There was a collective scream from the children with her, followed by giggles as the journey was abruptly reversed in double time.
Edward's eyes opened up when Beni exclaimed "It's a bear!" and he chuckled at the screams that came from the children. Taking a final drink of the milk and grabbing the plate of cookies, Edward wandered down the hall towards her classroom. He paused in the doorway and smiled at Beni from over the heads of the mob of youngsters.
"Do you know what keeps bears away?" He was speaking to the chiildren, but his eyes were on Beni. "Snickerdoodles. Who wants a cookie?" Edward knelt down on one knee then, holding the plate out for the children. "Only one, and it's a secret. Ms Millard will be disappointed if you don't eat all of your lunches."
Movement in the doorway made Beni look up, and she couldn't help smiling back at the tall man as he entered the classroom. It really wasn't fair, she reflected to herself, that he was even more handsome in daylight. And she really had to get her mind off him when she went to bed; some of the things he was doing in her head would have made a whore blush.
Of course, offering cookies was a good way to get yourself mobbed, and Beni laughed as the children scrambled towards Ed, obediently taking only one each before settling down to munch happily.
"What do you say to Edward?" she prompted, before too much munching started. There was a pause, and then the little group of faces turned to Edward. "Thank you, Ed."
And mobbed he was. He laughed out loud, happy to be the center of a maelstrom of giggles and squeals. With the plate clean, he stood and then smiled to the small sea of faces that chanted their appreciation in unison. "You're welcome."
Edward then walked over to Beni's desk and placed the plate down. "They're good kids," he spoke quietly as he took a seat on the corner of the table. The job that Edward did made him especially sensitive to body language and facial expression. He wasn't quite accustomed to the way Beni looked at him, tender emotions did not often go hand in hand with the slavery business. "May I talk to you, when the kids have their lunch?" He posed the question quietly, as was his way.
"They're little terrors, the lot of them," Beni added to his flattery of the children, turning a fond grin onto the children, who protested laughingly at her cheerful insult. She glanced up at the clock, then back to the children. "Right, tidy time." Clapping her hands together, she stood up, and Ed would be treated to the sight of the little group moving to tidy up their classroom together.
Back on her feet, Beni rolled up the sleeves of her cardigan as she joined them, moving the bulkier toys and teaching aids out of the way. She looked to Edward as she passed him, again with that cheerful smile of hers. "Of course," she told him. "I can eat while they're asleep."
It had become routine now for Beni, to be ready when Edward came to pick her up in the mornings. He didn't usually stay, though, and what was more unusual was that most of the children seemed to know who he was. And yet, before he'd come to find her in the darkness, she'd never seen him before. It was a puzzle.
But a puzzle that would have to wait, for now. The morning classes had to be dealt with, and although her classroom was usually the loudest of the two, filled with laughter and questions, they did manage to get some progress made with reading and writing. There was even a little history done this morning.
Of course, the half hour before the lunch meal - which was then followed by nap-time - was devoted to carpet time. Beni and her little gaggle of children curled up on the carpet at the back of the classroom, amid avid discussion about what they should do. A few moments later, through the open door of the classroom, their voices began to filter down to the kitchen. "We're going on a bear hunt ... we're going on a bear hunt ..."
It wasn't difficult to hear the commotion inside of Beni's classroom, he was only a hallway away. Every once in a while, Edward tilted his chair back and craned his neck to look inside. He agreed with Ro that Beni had been an excellent choice as far as teachers went. He just wasn't sure if she could be trusted with the little secret that was the reason for Edward's employment at Rose House. The mention of a bear hunt caused him to lean back and crane his neck again. What's that all about? he wondered as he watched.
From the classroom came the rhythmic sounds of hands clapping against thighs, setting the rhythm for the words that were spoken. Each phrase Beni spoke was repeated by the children arrayed in front of her, all of them thoroughly in the zone. It must have sounded very strange to someone who couldn't see the actions made for certain of the phrases. "We're coming to a river ... we're coming to a river ... can't go 'round it ... can't go 'round it ... can't go under it ..."
Edward stopped trying to watch and the chair came back down to all fours gently. His hands and arms curled around his plate. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the rhythm of the tune and the voices telling the story. To the unknowing eye, he could be asleep; but that was the furthest thing from the truth.
On and on the story went, involving running through short grass, long grass, jumping over rivers, going 'round mountains, and finally going through a forest and into a cave. It was at this point that the back and forth cadence of voices stilled, and only Beni spoke, in a voice fully intended to convey amusement as well as fear. "It's all dark in here ... can't see anything. What's this? Furry ... big ... growling ... it's a bear!" There was a collective scream from the children with her, followed by giggles as the journey was abruptly reversed in double time.
Edward's eyes opened up when Beni exclaimed "It's a bear!" and he chuckled at the screams that came from the children. Taking a final drink of the milk and grabbing the plate of cookies, Edward wandered down the hall towards her classroom. He paused in the doorway and smiled at Beni from over the heads of the mob of youngsters.
"Do you know what keeps bears away?" He was speaking to the chiildren, but his eyes were on Beni. "Snickerdoodles. Who wants a cookie?" Edward knelt down on one knee then, holding the plate out for the children. "Only one, and it's a secret. Ms Millard will be disappointed if you don't eat all of your lunches."
Movement in the doorway made Beni look up, and she couldn't help smiling back at the tall man as he entered the classroom. It really wasn't fair, she reflected to herself, that he was even more handsome in daylight. And she really had to get her mind off him when she went to bed; some of the things he was doing in her head would have made a whore blush.
Of course, offering cookies was a good way to get yourself mobbed, and Beni laughed as the children scrambled towards Ed, obediently taking only one each before settling down to munch happily.
"What do you say to Edward?" she prompted, before too much munching started. There was a pause, and then the little group of faces turned to Edward. "Thank you, Ed."
And mobbed he was. He laughed out loud, happy to be the center of a maelstrom of giggles and squeals. With the plate clean, he stood and then smiled to the small sea of faces that chanted their appreciation in unison. "You're welcome."
Edward then walked over to Beni's desk and placed the plate down. "They're good kids," he spoke quietly as he took a seat on the corner of the table. The job that Edward did made him especially sensitive to body language and facial expression. He wasn't quite accustomed to the way Beni looked at him, tender emotions did not often go hand in hand with the slavery business. "May I talk to you, when the kids have their lunch?" He posed the question quietly, as was his way.
"They're little terrors, the lot of them," Beni added to his flattery of the children, turning a fond grin onto the children, who protested laughingly at her cheerful insult. She glanced up at the clock, then back to the children. "Right, tidy time." Clapping her hands together, she stood up, and Ed would be treated to the sight of the little group moving to tidy up their classroom together.
Back on her feet, Beni rolled up the sleeves of her cardigan as she joined them, moving the bulkier toys and teaching aids out of the way. She looked to Edward as she passed him, again with that cheerful smile of hers. "Of course," she told him. "I can eat while they're asleep."