Hide And Seek Chapter 3
Outside was dusk but the skies were clear and I could easily see without adjustment. The truck had backed up to the church at some kind of alcove. There were wide doors so this must have been a receiving area of some kind. The church itself was so tall I had to look almost straight up to see where it ended and the sky began. I stepped down from the truck and turned to see if Jared needed any help since he had most of the bags. He didn’t and was soon standing by my side inspecting what he could see of the building himself.
“Hello” A voice brought our joint attention to the giant receiving doors. A man stood in the white priest robes with a green and gold shawl around his neck and shoulders. A young woman in a yellow summer dress stood slightly behind and to the side of him a small smile on her face. “I’m father Fuller.” He was a tall man in his later years with a balding head but a genial smile and looked to be in good shape. Not a man who sat around and did completely idle work. “Welcome to our church, please come inside. Do you need help with your bags?” He eyed our baggage.
“No thank you father” Jared gave me a nudge and we walked towards him and into the shadows of the church looming over us.
I wasn’t sure what to expect but it wasn’t what looked like a mix between a junk shop and a mechanics shop. The room was large with high ceilings and lacquered concrete flooring. There was stuff everywhere in sections with walkways between them. There was a corner of all furniture, boxes, and racks of clothing across from that, bookshelves full of books with more stacked on and around them, a few bikes, stacks of chairs and folding chairs, rows of tables. There were large standing toolboxes and metal pipes, there were gardening tools, there was a small hoist crane like from a car shop and more.
The woman, a redhead who was half a foot shorter but a few years older than me noticed my observations. “This is where we store the donations we give out to those in need as well as work on our organ. We do a lot of good work back here, but I’ll admit it does need a good tidying up.” She smiled as she gave the room a quick once over as if to see it through new eyes. “I’m Julie by the way, Julie McNiven. I’m father Fuller’s assistant and church secretary.
“Why don’t you show them where they’ll be staying while I get into some less formal clothes to show them around” father Fuller smoothed his hands over his robes and stayed clear of the side of the room with the dirtier labor use objects. “Please excuse me gentlemen I’ll be back with you shortly, you came just after mass.” With that, he left us with Julie.
“Come on this way” She started towards the opposite end of the room from where father Fuller went. “It’s not much since our other rooms are being renovated but it’s safe and out of the way so you aren’t likely to been seen by anyone.” We entered a hallway and went all the way to the end. As we passed by doors we saw that the rooms in question were being worked on. All had no carpets and some had new or half-painted walls. The ones farthest on the end had new walls being put in and we could see inside to joists and wiring. At the end of the hall there were stairs but instead of going up, they went down. Having a basement in Texas is a good idea because of tornados, having one in Louisiana not so much. We were below tide level and in what was once swampland. This much I had remembered from geography class.
But as we went down the stairs the smell of fresh paint was faint but there and the wood floor once they reached the bottom looked spotless. “We redid the basement a few months back and just finished it a week ago,” Julie said as she opened the first door at the bottom of the stairs. It was small maybe 12 by 16 or so. There were no windows obviously and the walls were painted a light pastel blue, the carpet and trimming were a cream color. There was a single narrow twin bed with a darker shade of blue comforter, a small nightstand with a lamp and clock, a chair, and a long short dresser. She opened the door across the narrow hall and I looked inside to see it was the same as the first room. “Sorry there’s no view but it’s private, quiet, and warm at night” she smiled at us.
“Thank you it’s fine” I went into the room on the right and set my bags down on the bed. I would just fit it so Jared might not be so comfortable in his. But beggars can’t be choosers and I was just happy to have a finished room.
“There is a bathroom on the floor above you with a shower. The walls aren’t painted yet but we will finish that tomorrow so if you could wait a day to shower…” she left off.
“We can do with wash clothes and deodorant for a day as long as you don’t mind a little us looking a little ruffled” Jared’s voice came from the other room.
“Great” Julie clasped her hands in front of her. “Once you get your stuff put down why don’t we go back upstairs I’m sure father Fuller will be ready for you.”
I decided to put my stuff away later and went back out into the hall closing the door behind me. I was pretty sure no one was going to come down and snoop through my stuff but it was a habit to close the door, especially coming from a house with an occasional annoying big brother and a curious little sister. I felt a brief pang of longing and a passing wonder about how they were doing but I pushed it from my mind and focused on the here and now. I might need all my attention to remember where everything was in this place it was so big. Jared joined us and we went back up and out into the workshop as I was going to call the room we first saw.
Sure enough father Fuller was waiting for us. “Thank you Julie, I’ll take it from here,” he waved us over closer. “You have a safe drive home and I’ll see you in the morning, and don’t worry about locking up I did it on my way to the rectory, just get the main door behind you.”
“Of course father” Julie smiled at him “I’ll see you men tomorrow” she gave us a slight wave and proceeded us through the far door.
“I’ll just give you the quick tour tonight and really show you the lay of the land tomorrow since you must be tired from the journey.” Father Fuller clasped his hand together and looked at us as if for confirmation.
I wasn’t all that tired because I had slept a lot in the truck but I wasn’t going to tell father Fuller that. “Sounds you, thanks” was all I could come up with.
“Oh, when we’re done I have some sandwiches in the kitchen. It isn’t much but they should hold you over until tomorrow. This way” he waved a hand at the door Julie had left through and started off.
We followed him and passed through a meeting room, what looked like a breakroom, a small private chapel, a large kitchen, two offices, a giant foyer with the baptismal font that looked like a giant chalice and into the nave. From the entrance to the nave, I could make out the altar, choir stands, huge organ, and confessional. From there we backtracked into the kitchen and were shown the pantry and into a dining area. As promised there were sandwiches, chicken or ham along with a verity of fruit to pick from and milk or water. It was going to be healthy eating for the duration of our stay.
“Thank you for the dinner,” I said as we ate in lieu of a blessing. If father Fuller took offense at it he didn’t show it. We’d have to ask Julie about rules and etiquette for staying here later if there were any. With all kinds of people seeking sanctuary, I’m sure things were a bit relaxed but it never hurt to be polite and put in an effort.
“Not at all” he reassured and took a banana for himself. “We do have a bit of a schedule so if you come up between seven and nine there will be something to eat for breakfast. The later it is of course the fewer choices there will be” he told us when he had finished his snack and thrown away the peel in a green bin. “One last thing, we compost so organics will go in here is you will” he patted the lid of the green bin. We nodded and found the proper receptacles for our dishes.
Father Fuller walked back to the stairs with us before wishing us a good night and going his own way. Once down in the room I had picked I opened the duffel and put away what little there was. Once done I went over to Jared’s room to see him finishing up, leaving a single bag of left-over snacks and a few water bottles on the top of his dresser.
“We need to go back upstairs I can’t get reception down here” he waved the cell phone at me. I felt a little bad that I had forgotten we still needed to call Chris. I followed him back up into the unfinished hall where he looked the phone over again. Shaking his head, he kept walking and I followed trying not to think of home. When we got to the workshop it was dark as the lights had been turned off. There were long thin pools of light that came in from the windows and I could tell that there were street lights outside by how some of the windows were brighter than others. I waited and watched as he paced around the room looking from the phone to his position so he didn’t trip over anything as he looked for a good signal. At last he was satisfied and motioned me over to a spot with spare metal tubes that must have been for the organ. By the time I got to his side, he had dialed and the phone was pressed to his ear. It wasn’t on speaker but the volume was up, I was standing close to him and the metal surrounding us helped boost the sound so I could make out that the line was ringing.
“Jared? Jensen?” Chris’s voice was strong but I though held a tinge of worry.
“Yeah, it’s Jared, Jensen is right next to me. We made it and everything is fine so far so don’t get your panties in a twist” Jared spoke a bit softer than usual but loud enough to be heard just fine by Chris who was not amused.
“Not funny Padalecki. It’s late and I expected you hours ago” Chris huffed.
“Yeah well, I think the driver took the long way round without actually hitting another state. Plus we were getting the nickel tour and some dinner.” Jared was serious now. “Any problems back home?”
“Well a lot of people got arrested not just some of your biker buddies but no one is talking and the media is putting it off as some kind of anit-government stunt. Only a few have mentioned Jensen so far but I’m sure the shits going to hit the fan real soon once they figure out he’s gone.”
Jared looked at me before answering Chris “You mean they don’t know he’s gone yet? But then why did he come up?”
“Because some of the crazy people or really smart people who just don’t have all the correct answers yet depending on how you look at it figured that the anit-government part was because of Jensen’s involvement with the army and by extension big brother. The fact that they can have him look for anyone they want and do their bidding or dirty work or experiment on him to make more people like him. Take your pick but they think he was either the cause or a part of it.” Chris’s explanation and the news media’s conclusions were a bit creepy.
“When is the real news going to leak?” Jared’s response caused me to jerk and look at him. He wouldn’t look at me and instead looked upwards out a window.
“We’ll start out slow tomorrow over the internet and social media. Then a secret source will contact a few news outlets with a few tips over the next day or two.”
This was a part of the plan I hadn’t yet been let in on and it bugged me that Jared hadn’t mentioned any of this on our trip out here. They were planning on telling people what had happened to me? I couldn’t believe it. Then again there were a lot of things that had happened that were unbelievable but this was personal. I reached up to try and take the cell away from Jared so I could talk to Chris but Jared evaded me.
“Look I have to go, Jensen isn’t happy” Jared had to raise his voice a bit since he was holding the cell up a bit and trying to stop me from it.
“You’re an idiot Jared I told you to tell him. Call from the other cell next time and turn this one off.” Chris sounded as angry as I felt but with that as his parting shot the line went dead.
There was no point it getting the cell now since even if I hit redial Chris wouldn’t pick up. “What the hell Jared” I hissed “What is he talking about and why didn’t you tell me?”
“Okay I know you're mad but let’s go downstairs and talk about this. We don’t want to be interrupted or overheard if you’re going to yell at me.” He sounded tired and worn out but I wasn’t going to let him off the hook.
But he did have a point about voice volume and not wanting attention so I backed away and headed for the stairs. Jared followed me but I could tell it was from a distance and I wondered if he was deciding on what exactly to tell me. I wasn’t going to settle for anything but the full and complete truth. I opted for his room since if I didn’t like what I heard I could storm out which would be easier then trying to thrown him out of my room, not that I figured he’d resist if I insisted. As soon as he crossed the threshold to his room I turned to face him. “Spill.”
He signed and ran a hand through his hair “sit this is going to take a while.” I didn’t sit but crossed my arms over my chest. “Fine” he passed me so he could sit in the chair. “When you didn’t contact us we got in touch with that lawyer Mr. Browne. He said we couldn’t do anything just because you didn’t call, like maybe you forgot or had a phone limit or were restricted to calling your parents. But then the next day when he had your parents call and they got the message you were busy he wasn’t happy. He had your parents call a few times with the same basic results. He and Chris talked and we started to put our plan into motion. Part of that was getting ready for any backlash that will come from breaking you out. We had to guess about what they would say in order to counteract it so no one would get in trouble except them.” Jared rubbed his hand over his face and sighed. He looked very tired and burdened like there was too much to worry about and he was just keeping his head above water.
“We decided that we would have to let leak the agreement you signed and whatever evidence we could on how they broke that. We don’t know what they did to you” Jared gave a slight wince “well not everything. Agent Carroll told us a little bit but not much. Doctor Ferris is going to put in a little bit about how you were treated and a little bit about the tests you were put through but not in any real detail. When we get enough press snooping around if the base doesn’t confirm you are gone we’ll leak it. When the media really starts to get into it I’m sure Doctor Ferris will be barred from saying anything and that will look bad. Mr. Browne will help by giving more about what was supposed to happen legally and your parents will talk about how they couldn’t reach you. Our hope is that someone on base will talk about any rumors going about. You know how the press can hound people and young people under pressure blow off steam or can be bribed if they want cash. That’s about it” Jared finished and stared at me with a natural expression but with drooping shoulders like he was waiting for a blow or a blowup.
I was very angry but thinking about it while he talked I could see why they were going to do it. Knowing that he and Chris didn’t have the details about what I had gone through was a slight weight off my shoulders. Doctor Ferris would never tell unless she wanted to lose her job and possibly be sued, plus I didn’t think she would violate her hypocritic oath. Not unless I asked her too which I wouldn’t do. “Would you tell people what happened to me if I told you?” I wanted to know how far they would go to make the lab and military into the monsters I knew them to be.
“No,” Jared said very quickly “at least not unless you said it was okay and then I would prefer it if it was you telling it.” He emphasized that it was my choice. “But even if you don’t tell the world I would hope that someday you would talk to me about it” he gave me a quick small smile.
That made the rest of the anger drain out of me to be replaced by a warm content feeling as well as tiredness that was from all the ups and downs my emotions and body was taking from the adrenaline dumps. “Okay” was all I said and let a comfortable silence hang between us for a while. “Well I think that’s it for me today, I am done. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night Jensen,” Jared said before he yawned.
I left him in his chair and went back to my room shutting the door behind me. There wasn’t much to do besides read a little but I decided to just go to sleep instead. I set the clock’s alarm for seven-thirty so I could clean myself up in the bathroom before going up to eat. The mattress was kinda hard but the blankets were soft, the pillow was fluffy and I was warm enough that I fell asleep quickly.
When I woke up to the alarm I was momentarily disoriented but once I turn on the lamp and saw where I was a small wave of sadness passed through me. I collected my toiletry kit and some clean clothes and headed up to the bathroom. I didn’t see any sign that Jared had been there not that without a running shower that meant much. I cleaned up as best I could with the washcloth and using the sink to wash my hair. Dressed in clean clothes and looking fairly presentable I returned the dirty stuff to my room and found my way to the kitchen. Julie was there and another woman who looked so much like Julie that it had to be her mother. The women were laying out plates of fruit and bagels besides containers of yogurt and carafes of coffee.
“Hi” I said to announce myself before entering the room. Both of them turned towards me and Julie smiled.
“Good morning. Jensen this is my mom Amy” she gestured towards her mom.
“Hi” I repeated myself.
“Nice to meet you Jensen” Amy kept smiling at me. “Come have something to eat, we’ll have some bacon out soon.”
“Thanks” I came over to the table “is there anything I can help with?” My mama would be so proud of me, she raised me and my siblings with manners even if we forgot some times. Also, it felt kind of wired not to be serving people if I wasn’t at home, school, or at Chris’s.
“No, thank you hun. Sit. Eat.” Amy gave orders just like mom and it was nice to know that things did change too much when one is one the run. Just then Jared came in and the introductions and manners started all over again. In the end, Jared and I ended up sitting side by side with plates heaping with food. It was all very good and when we were done we didn’t quite know what to do since there were no dishes to be done and no more food to cook or put out. I had just decided to go back to my room when father Fuller came in.
“Good morning boys, did you sleep okay?” He grabbed an apple and a bagel before leaning on the counter to eat at which he got a not so nice glance from Amy and moved over to a chair at the table.
“Yes everything was fine” I wasn’t sure exactly how to answer but fine was a universal answer so I went with that.
“Good” he ate half the apple before he really got going on a conversation. “I don’t know how much you boys know about construction work or handyman skills but I could use your help fixing up the church or doing chores.” It made sense that we would be asked to earn our keep or do something other than just sitting around.
“I have a few of those skills” Jared spoke first. “I used to fix stuff up around the house like minor plumbing and fixing woodworking. I can paint pretty well or hang stuff. I also tinker with engines and stuff” he shrugged and looked to me both for a reaction and to see what I had to contribute.
“I have a hobby in instruments but I can cook since I worked in a restaurant and I did household chores.” It wasn’t much but with the junk shop they had going I figured I could be kept busy and out of sight for a while.
“Well that is excellent and fortunate and blessing for us” father Fuller quickly finished off the apple in three huge bites, and I was impressed. “Jared if you could help out with the remodeling going on that would be a tremendous help. We are a little behind and I am sure you guys wouldn’t mind having the work including the bathroom finished sooner rather than later. You could move into the upper rooms if you like when they are finished.”
I wasn’t sure how long we would be here but I hoped that it wasn’t too long. As much as I was grateful for the sanctuary I hoped that something could be worked out and that we could go home or at least somewhere else that I didn’t feel so awkward staying. I’m more of a relaxed Christian then traditional Catholic to which we were surrounded by.
“Jensen” father Fuller turned his attention on me “We run a soup kitchen and food pantry three days besides Sunday evening so if you could help out there I’m sure our lovely ladies group would welcome an extra pair of hands. You can both help out with the charity shop sorting on the off days. And don’t worry about being seen most of the work is all behind our closed doors and you won’t need to leave. The parishioners who are helping out now will of course not discuss your presents here outside these walls. We’ve had a bit of practice with other souls in need of help although none so famous as you” he addressed me at this last bit.
I wasn’t sure how to answer that and Jared jumped in and saved me. “Thank you father Fuller it will be good to keep busy.”
“Of course it’s all the Lord's work so you can know that your work will put you in on a path to be blessed with His good grace.” Father Fuller was positively fervent about this and he looked quite excited. I wondered what it was going to be like listening to him preach as I was sure there was no way we were going to be exempt from attending.
“Eat father Fuller and let the boys be for a while” Amy broke in placing a cup of coffee in front of the father along with a bowl of what looked to be grits.
“Oh yes of course” he looked up and smiled at her until she left. “Sorry I guess I can get carried away” he shrugged before he took a bit of the grits. “Why don’t you guys meet me back here at ten and I’ll introduce you to the parishioners you’ll be working with.”
“Okay,” Jared and I both said almost in perfect unison. We got up from the table and wandered back to the junk shop not really wanting to wonder about the church. It was big, we didn’t have the full layout and who knew who would wander through as we didn’t know what time the doors opened to the public.
“Kind of a bit excitable isn’t he” Jared stood off to the side where the outdoor tools and entertainment stuff was and looked back towards the kitchen.
“I guess” I answered as I went to look over the bookshelves and furniture. If we were going to be here I would need another book sooner or later and I didn’t think that anyone, including the good father Fuller, would mind if I took one.
Jared came over to join me a few minutes later and we browsed titles, many of them either Christian literature, romance novels, or crime novels. There was a nice sized pile of children’s books too but they were of no interest to us. I ended up with an old Agatha Christie novel I had never read but had been turned into a movie several times, Murder on the Orient Express. We took our selections down to our rooms. There wasn’t much to do until it was time to report in for duty so I joined Jared in his room and we just sat next to each other and read. It was kind of like being in detention except the seating was better and having Jared all to myself close by my side with no one watching was nice. Time passed quickly and before we knew it it was time to go back to the kitchen.
When we arrived father Fuller was seated at the table with papers spread out before him and glasses perched on the end of his nose. There were also two other people, a man, and a woman. The man was tall and built like an ex-football player but not the tackling kind. This brown hair was cropped close to his head but not quite in a military cut. He wore clothes that I will say are cliché of an indoor construction laborer. Jeans with stains, mostly paint, a black t-shirt under half open red flannel, and a gray hoodie only zipped at the bottom. The woman was a whole other story. She was black with black hair that fell just past her shoulders and a face that had smile lines but had an aura of power and attitude that could also turn that look into something very severe when needed to put you in your place. She was dressed as if she were the head of a corporate office in a nice but not too expensive pantsuit.
“Oh good” father fuller looked up to a clock mounted on the wall “right on time. Come on in boys” he busied himself with straightening papers before getting up as he approached. “I’d like you to meet Tahmoh Penikett and Lanette Ware” he pointed to each one and we all stepped forward to shake hands. “They have both been a part of the church forever and we are lucky to have them. Jared, you’ll be working with Tahmoh. He’s our handyman for most things when he isn’t running his own housing construction business.”
“I hear you have some experience” Tahmoh got in before father Fuller could go on.
“Just minor stuff from working on my own house and some odd jobs here and there in my neighborhood” Jared was pretty humble about what he knew. Thinking about it, he probably actually knew quite a bit since I’m sure it was cheaper and easier for him to do the work on his house then to call in a professional. I had seen some reworking done when I had visited him but hadn’t really paid too much attention at the time and now those little scraps were coming back to me. I figured it was a weird sort of homesickness for things that had been familiar.
“Good that will be helpful to start. I’ll teach you what you don’t know as we go” Tahmoh sounded only slightly pleased and I had a feeling that he didn’t usually show a lot of emotion.
“Jensen” father Fuller got everyone’s attention back “You’ll be working with Lanette obviously. She oversees the kitchen and food bank for us. She has past restaurant experience but right now is running a food brokering business.”
“I’ll admit I did a little research on you” her voice was deep and pleasant but that didn’t stop a chill from running down my spine. “Your family has a restaurant and you worked there” it was more of a statement than a question.
“Yeah, I’ve been in it more or less since I could walk and know my way around a kitchen” I could be humble too.
“Good, I’ll give you an assessment but I think you’ll do fine” she smiled at me.
“Great” father Fuller seemed happy that everything was more or less settled. “Let’s have the both of you start tomorrow. Lanette can show you around the kitchen but the real cooking doesn’t start until Wednesday. When you aren’t doing that find Julie and she can get you something to work on in our workshop” Father Fuller addressed me. “Jared you and Tahmoh will be working a bit every day or as much as he can get away from his other jobs.” With that, we were dismissed as he went back to his paperwork.
Jared and I separated to talk to our new bosses. Lanette took me into the little kitchen and asked me all kinds of questions about the equipment, utensils, as well as safety and health concerns all of which I knew from working in our family restaurant and I had to update my knowledge about in order to earn my food handlers permit which all kitchen workers dealing with the public must have. I helped her prepare lunch when she was done assessing me. After that, the day was ours, and Jared and I spent much of the time reading, exploring the workshop and playing cards. We would save exploring the church for the evenings when we weren’t likely to be discovered.
Chapter 4