Page 20 of Little Fury

We were everything to and for each other.

We were lucky to have Harry and Beth; they filled the parental voids that Marcus and I had suffered.

Marcus became a fun and happy kid. We both sank into our new lives better than I think anyone expected us to after the way we came to the ranch. Birthdays, Christmas’ and summer breaks marked the passing of time for us. We made friends at school, but none were ever closer to us than each other. We were starting to be truly free from the sad and harsh circumstances that formed the paths that brought us to the ranch.

We remember how we got the scars left behind from my parents’ deaths, Marcus’s father and the death of his mother. Those scars never go away, but for the briefest moments, we thought we might come out the other side better than we went in. We were happy.

At least until the day before Marcus turned twelve.

Marcus’s 12th birthday is a month after mine. We had a big pool party planned for tomorrow with all the kids from school. Everything was ready for the next day. We were sitting down for dinner with Beth and Harry, talking about the party; Marcus was excited. He wouldn't stop talking.

I overheard Beth and Harry talking one night about Marcus's changes. He seemed so happy now, like a kid. When he arrived here, he was a very sad 7-year-old boy. Beth said he was broken when he got here, and now he smiled, laughed, and loved.

Yes, I eavesdrop. I’m curious by nature.

Just as we finished clearing the dishes, we saw headlights coming up the road to the ranch. It was more than one vehicle, and Harry was instantly out of his chair and heading to the door. It's easy for me to forget sometimes that Harry isn't just a father figure. Underneath his funny, larger-than-lifeScottish personality is a very smart and calculating man who could kill you just as quickly as he could laugh with you.

In the five years, Marcus and I spent here, the ranch did its best to shield us from the more brutal aspects of what people came here to learn. It was an unwritten rule among the people who lived and worked here and the guests who stayed that when it came to Marcus and me, you made sure to keep yourself under control.

Only once did we see the other side of Harry. About a year and a half ago, a guest didn't follow the rule that no guns should be allowed outside designated areas. No, instead, the gentleman thought it would be okay to threaten Parker over him, beating him in a game of cards the night before.

Harry was walking to the main house when he saw the altercation and was on the man so fast. If we hadn’t seen it, I don’t think either of us would have believed it if the other had told us about it.

Harry knocked the man to the ground with one kick to the knee. The guy screamed in pain and went down hard. He tried to get the gun on whoever had attacked him, but Harry was faster. Knew what the guy was going to do before he even did it. Harry grabbed the guy by the wrist with one hand, getting the gun away from him with the other, all while the dude was still trying to figure out who the hell attacked him. Harry turned the gun on him as he straddled the man's chest, pinning one arm under his knee.

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa,”the manfranticallyyelled at Harry.“I meant no harm! I wouldn’t have shot him. I swear, I just wanted him to know he can't cheat me and get away with it,”the man confessed to Harry in a panicked voice.

Without removing the gun from the man's forehead,“Don’t move.”Harry ordered the man as he looked up at Parker.

“Boss, we were playing cards; I won,”Parker tells him like it's just any other Monday.“I don’t cheat. I’m just smarter than him, and the asshole has a really big fucking tell. He thinks running his tongue along the inside of his cheek is somehow less noticeable thansmirking.”Parker looks at the guy under Harry,“Dude, it isn’t.”Parker turns his eyes away from the man under Harry.

“Well, then,”Harry says, returning his focus to the man he has under him.“It looks like we need to reteach Mr. Hudson here the rules by which I run this place.”

By this time, more people had come over to the commotion. Marcus and I were over by the arcade watching the whole thing happen. Wes, one of the guys who works for Harry, saw us and made Harry aware that we were watching.

“Take Mr. Hudson to the gym. I’ll be there shortly.'' Harry starts towards us, tossing the gun at Parker as he walks by.

“Kids,”Harry drawls at us as he approaches.“You two better close your mouths before you catch flies in them. Questions?”

“Not so much questions as observations,”I say to Harry, cocking my head to the side as I study the big man in front of me.“First off, WOW! That was very cool for an old person.'' Harry raises a red eyebrow at me. “Second, no one here is stupid enough to play cards with Parker. He always wins, so the guys don’t even let him play Go Fish with them.”Marcus stifles a laugh.“Third, Harry, we are almost 11. We have eyes and have lived here for four years. We’ve seen a lot of shit.”

“Don’t swear, Little Ava, Bethy doesn’t like it,”Harry tells me.

“Well, Beth is in town picking up groceries, so she didn't hear it, so it never happened. And fourth, Harry, while we may not talk about it, Marcus and I both know why and what we were sent here to learn. So, some asshole pulling a gun, especially on Parker, barely even registers. What did grab our attention was you! Dude! You’re old! And that was badass!”

That memory makes me smile it was the first time we saw that side of Harry.

Harry grabs a gun from the drawer in the table by the door and heads up towards the main house. A group of guys join him as they wait for the vehicles to make it all the way to the house.

We could hear car doors slam and hear voices but had no idea what was happening. About 5 minutes after Harry left, Parker knocks and walks in.“Hey Beth, Hey Ava. Marcus, I need you to come with me to the main house bud.”Parker tells him.

“I’ll come with him,”I say, but Parker shakes his head.

“Sorry. I was told very clearly by Harry, Marcus only,”Parker says, looking right at me. “You and Beth are to go to the arcade. That's what Harry wants. Come on, Marcus. We shouldn't keep him waiting.”

I see Marcus stiffen at the mention of him. He looks over his shoulder at me and gives me a wink. I shake my head and give him the finger. It's a practised goodbye between us. One winks, and the other flips the bird. They leave, and I look at Beth.“It’s his father, isn’t it?”

“Probably Ava,”she answers me.“Come on, we should get to the arcade. We can see and hear what’s going on from there. Parker finished wiring the entire property with cameras, and some places have sound.”

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