The Pack

Ch. 2

The drive up to the Williams' new house was a long stretch of road with thick forest on the left side and a few scattered houses on the right. The beginning of the road had street lamps but the farther you get the less light there is and the more you rely on your headlights. Their house sits at the top of a hill. They turn to the right onto a road newly lit with street lights. Technically it was a neighborhood but the houses were few and far between. The outside of the house was cabin style with logs and stone accents but the inside was more modern. It was two stories with enough room for them to have an art studio and an office. As they entered the house they already made their way to their respective areas. Marcus' new office was scattered with moving boxes and loose papers of previous sketches. He had a desk and a working table both covered in paper already. Dana's art studio was upstairs next to her room. She also had a desk but she enjoyed painting as well and had paints and canvases stowed away in boxes while her easel laid on the ground begging to be rebuilt. Marcus' room was plain, just a place to sleep as he spent most of his time in his office. Dana's room, on the otherhand was bursting with color to match her artistic interest and her wardrobe. She preferred to express herself through her art and she considered her clothes her art as she often made alterations with patches and paint. The house overall was left as they found it but they each made their spots their own. "See you for dinner." Dana spoke as she made her way upstairs.

"We should set an alarm or we'll both forget." Marcus reminded her. They had made this agreement a while back. When it was only the two of them and they were always deep in an art project they needed to remember that they needed to eat. They would set alarms and come together to cook and eat a meal together. Dana remembered when she was younger her mother loved to cook and would always have food ready for them. It was probably why she and Marcus got along so well together. They both got to do what they loved and spend enough time together to get by. But Dana's mom died when Dana was ten, since then they've had to remind each other to eat.

~~~

The Hemming family live in a secluded cabin-style house near the woods on the outskirts of town. It's a large, single level home with rooms for all seven members of the household. The large family room connected to the kitchen and dining room and was open all the way to the back door. The backyard had a covered patio, a pool, and about an acre of land leading to the woods. Caroline is a stay-at-home mom and it's a good thing, if she wasn't then the house would be an absolute mess of toys, stains, and sports equipment. Coming back to the house after school and practice is always hectic. Willow and Bryce had enjoyed a couple hours of peace and quiet before their mom came home with the rest of their siblings. As the oldest, Willow gets the second largest room in the house with her own bathroom. In a twist of irony, Bryce- the middle child- has the room between Willow and Caelum. Caelum and Bryce share a hallway bathroom. Their rooms all sit behind the living room area separated by a wall and a hallway. Caroline and her husband Eric have their master bedroom on the other side of the house. Ariana and Tommy share a room next to their parents, settled behind the kitchen separated by a wall and hallway. When Ariana gets old enough she will get her own room next to her current room which is currently used as a private living room.

~~~

"Alright Marcus, I think we've been doing some good work. The guys are working quickly and we've got everything laid out and we're starting to build." The chief construction worker debriefed Marcus on the work the construction workers were doing building the plaza. 

"Yeah, it's looking good. My plans are doing good for you all?" Marcus asked. 

"Yep. You've got some nice designs in mind." The man replied. "Hey Hemming, come over here!" He hollered to a worker passing by. The man walking up was quite tall and held himself with confidence. He had a dark tan- probably from working in the sun- and light brown hair. As he got closer Marcus noticed that his face and neck covered in white scars. He wondered what the man had gone through to get them. "Marcus, this here is Eric: the man I leave in charge when I'm not around. This man can sure conduct a team." The man introduced them. 

"Nice to meet you." Eric spoke with his hand outstretched. 

"Likewise." Marcus replied and shook his hand. 

"Marcus here is the designer of the plaza." The man explained. 

"You've got some nice ideas and relatively easy for us to build." Eric spoke. 

"Thank you. I had the average human in mind when building my design. Architects these days seem to overestimate the ability of a man to build when they're thinking a machine will do it all." Marcus went into detail about his thought process. 

"Well I appreciate that. What are you here for?" Eric asked. 

"Just checking in, making sure everything's going alright and wanting to see if there's anything I can clarify." Marcus responded. 

"Well that's very kind of you to do. So far everything's going smoothly. If you want to look around you can. The men will be nice to you, I'll make sure of it. You seem to have a good heart." Eric said. 

"Thank you." Marcus replied.

"Well, I'll be off back to work." Eric decided.

"Not too much longer, you still haven't taken your break. I'm not getting in trouble for you." The crew leader pointed out.

"Have I ever let you down?" Eric reminded him and walked away.