Uncle Nelson was the other uncle who visited them sometimes. He was usually too busy to spend much time with them, and seemed uncomfortable around children, but he always made a point of asking Genie how she was doing and if she was happy. He was married, too, but Genie had never met his wife. Mom said he’d married someone who didn’t like being around all the Fletchers, especially at big family gatherings. Genie couldn’t understand that.
Naturally, not everyone was close to every other member of the family, but Grandfather had worked hard to make sure that family was the most important thing in his children’s lives. Genie always felt loved and safe here. That wasn’t just because there was always someone keeping an eye on the children, or lots of adults to embrace you and ask you how you were doing. Here, just like at the academy, there were cameras and security people. Most of the latter were Fletchers, too.
This day was an especially quiet one, even though there were a great many family members present. The grown-ups, especially Grandfather, had required their attention when they first arrived. Grandfather had been so sad. Some of the oldest cousins took Troy and Aaron to play in another room, while Grandfather spent time telling the older children (the ones who were nine and older, which meant Genie just made the cut) about Sheila, one of their cousins. Grandfather told them about Sheila’s life, how her birth mother had given her to the Fletchers because she knew that Sheila’s father was a man who would never be kind to a baby girl.
A few years ago, Sheila had wanted to find her birth mother, and Grandfather had helped her to do that. He said that he was glad Sheila and her birth mother had time to know each other before Sheila’s birth mother died, but he was even happier that Sheila had moved back here to Las Piernas. He went on to tell them that he didn’t want to frighten them, but he did want them to know that someone had killed her, and he was telling them that because he wanted everyone to be extra alert and not talk to strangers.
The idea of a murder in the family was shocking, kind of thrilling, and scary to Genie all at once. Grandfather didn’t tell them much about the murder. He just said the police were working on it. He ended the way he often ended talks with the whole family, reminding them to love one another, to work as hard as they could to learn, to use what talents they had been given by God, and to help one another.
You couldn’t help feeling sad for Grandfather today.
They all knew that other people wanted to try to hurt Grandfather through his children.
Once, Genie told Carrie that she wanted to run away, and Carrie freaked out. She didn’t tell their parents, but she pleaded with Genie not to leave, and Genie began to see that Carrie needed her. And Carrie told her that she needed to think about not hurting Grandfather, and Genie could see her point.
Being a Fletcher wasn’t so bad, after all. People took care of you. If she wanted to go to a good college, and showed that she meant it by studying hard, the Fletchers would help her get into that college. When she decided what she wanted to be when she grew up, Fletchers would help her then, too. When she had children, and her cousins had children, they would all help those children to be happy and healthy and successful. Fletchers helped one another.
Most people outside the family admired the Fletchers, but some people were jealous, of course. They would say that love, learning, and money made a difference. In her lessons at home, Mom and Dad made sure that Genie already knew these facts by heart: If you were wealthy, no matter how much you gave to charities or your community, no matter how much good you did, there would always be a few people who thought you owed them what you had earned. Or they would believe you would not miss what they stole from you. A very few wanted to hurt Fletcher children just because they were Fletchers. That was why you could not talk to strangers. That was why the family had to have security people.
Genie wondered if the person who killed Cousin Sheila had done it because she was a Fletcher. When she asked Mom about it, she got a lecture about not asking prying questions. But then she asked Dad about it, and he said, “Probably.” He was upset, but he hugged her and told her not to be afraid, that he would always keep her safe.
Being kept safe was one of the reasons you were home-schooled or schooled at the academy and could not go to a public school. Public school was a place where you didn’t learn as much, anyway-something Genie was sure was true from the rare occasions when she encountered other children her age and tried to converse with them. Most ended up calling her names that meant she was smarter than they were, and although she could never understand why that should be considered an insult to her, it definitely felt like one. It was so much easier to be around other Fletcher children. They had better manners, too.
Not all of the Fletcher children were supersmart, of course, but they all got the best education possible, and the family always tried to help its children discover what they were good at and make the most of their talents. From what Grandfather had said that morning, Genie got the impression that Sheila wasn’t one of the supersmart ones.
Grandfather told them that he didn’t expect them to be sad about Sheila if they did not know her, but he hoped they would say a little prayer for her before they went to bed tonight. He believed she was in heaven because she had spent the last two years of her life learning how to find lost children with special dogs, which was a good use of her talents.
After that, the children were told they could have the day off from classes and that they should just spend time with their brothers, sisters, and cousins, and enjoy being a family.
Mom stopped them before they left the room, probably to ask them where they would be, but Uncle Giles saw her do this and quickly came up to her. “Victoria, I believe Roy is looking for you.” She looked as if she might say she would be there in a few minutes, but he shepherded the girls along with him, saying over his shoulder, “Go to your husband. We will keep an eye on the girls. I promise. Your children are not in any danger here.”
When they were outside, Carrie said, “Thank you, Uncle Giles.”
“For what? Rescuing you from your mother?” he asked, then laughed when both girls blushed. “It was my pleasure, Carrie. Now, you and Genie enjoy your day.”
When he had walked back into the house, Carrie said, “Mom’s going to be mad.”
“Yes,” Genie said. “So we might as well have fun, because she’s going to be mad, anyway.” Genie thought Carrie worried too much about Mom getting mad. Then again, Genie got into trouble more often than her older sister.
CARRIE and Genie had played with their cousins for a time, then wandered off together toward the children’s garden.
They said they wanted to see how their little vegetable patches were doing. No one questioned this-the girls did this every time they came here. One of the cousins mentioned that it would be muddy, then smiled and said, “But that will make it easier to pull weeds!”
Genie wondered why she couldn’t be like that, what Dad called “good natured.” But there was something restless in her, and she decided she just never would be someone other girls called “sweet,” not even as sweet as Carrie.
It was muddy, but there were boards and stepping-stones to help them navigate their way. The rain had made the garden very green this year, Genie thought. For a time they pulled weeds, although not many had been allowed to grow up among the carrots and beans and tomatoes. Then they went into the greenhouse, where they could deliver the weeds for composting and wash the worst of the mud off their hands.
Edith, one of their favorite aunts, was there. She greeted the girls cheerily, always pleased to see two of her protégées. Edith had found her talent here. She loved the garden, and loved to teach children about plants and their care, so she happily set them up with jars and pots and young plants that needed to be moved into bigger containers. April was a busy time for Edith, and before long, she wandered away from them to work on projects of her own.