Home Plot: Benne Seed

[polly_okeefe]

On one random night in Tabula Rasa, random things began to happen once again. At precisely midnight, Zell Dincht, Polly O'Keefe and Calvin O'Keefe began dreaming much deeper. They no longer responded to the outside world. Their dream took them to a world far away. Eventually others would come to make sure their sleeping bodies were okay, but none

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[polly_okeefe]

Upon waking up from two days straight, there are priorities. Having a shower was one. Eating a big breakfast comes next. Then I thought that Zell and I needed to stretch our legs; walk around a little, so that our muscles wouldn't atrophy. So, after taking Zell to breakfast at the Winchester, we headed up to the northern beach to check in on Daddy, in case he wanted to go for a walk, too.

Truth was, I still wanted to talk to him. He'd looked so lost when we found him at the phone, trying to get in touch with his family. It was alarming enough to wake up beside a woman you hadn't seen for over a year; it was something else again to discover that we didn't have any phone numbers of my many aunts and uncles on my father's side.

But as we neared Daddy's hut -- the one he'd shared with Mother and now shared with Adam, I frowned. The place was quiet. Too quiet. I picked up the pace and walked around to the front to knock on the door.

[transluminary]

When Adam wakes up, everything is a familiar dark. The air is too warm and for the briefest of moments he thinks he feels Calvin breathing deeply beside him. Back, he thinks, more tired than he can imagine, and immediately rolls over and falls back asleep.

By the next time he cracks open an eye, the hut is empty and bright with late morning, and his head is aching from dehydration. He forcibly pushes himself out of bed, Fortinbras whining mournfully as he stands, and eventually chucks himself into the shower for want of something productive to do.

More awake, he's thinking of checking in at the Compound and the lab when the sound of knocking breaks the quiet. He pulls open the door and blinks in surprise. "Oh. Hi Polly. Zell."

[spirited_hero]

[polly_okeefe]

I smiled to see Adam. That was a sign of normalcy, at least, though something still gnawed at the back of my mind. "Hi, Adam. Calvin, Zell and I were on another of those dream trips. I wanted to make sure he was okay."

[transluminary]

"Calvin?" Adam scratched his head thoughtfully as he automatically stepped over to let the pair inside. "I can't say I've seen him today. I just woke up from one of those myself. Pretty wacky stuff. I'm sure he's around somewhere."

[spirited_hero]

[polly_okeefe]

The nervous feeling was growing in the pit of my stomach. Where would he go? To the Compound, perhaps, for the Island school. But we were between here and the Compound. It was possible we'd just missed him, but... he'd have checked in on us. I was sure of it.

I looked at Fortinbras, who whimpered a little and nuzzled Adam's hand. Then I looked up at Adam. "You don't... look too well. Didn't somebody come along and check on you two?"

That was standard procedure, but sometimes people got missed.

[transluminary]

"I wouldn't know," replied Adam honestly, some of Polly's nervousness passing on to him although he wouldn't have been able to pinpoint a source. "But I think two days comatose would have done worse than I feel." Fortinbras got a pat for his troubles, and then a more thorough head rub. For once, it didn't seem to help in the least.

"Really Pol," Adam continued, "I'm all right, although now I'd like to check up on your old man. I'd have thought you two would have passed him on the way over."

[spirited_hero]

[polly_okeefe]

I thought that was a good idea, but I waited for Adam to say yes before entering. Instead, I looked around at the ground around us. Was there a pair of footsteps that wasn't ours leading away from the door? I hoped so hard that there was.

But there wasn't.

[transluminary]

"Of course." Adam moved back farther from the doorway, dragging Fortinbras along with him until he was sitting on the floor, dog in lap, and looking up as Zell and Polly came in. "Es su casa, you know that."

The hut was neat. Possibly too neat. That didn't register.

It wasn't that he hadn't been touched by loss in his time on the island, but Adam hadn't been trained yet to immediately think of disappearances. Certainly not when Calvin could just be out for a run, right?

[spirited_hero]

[polly_okeefe]

When Zell said those words, I looked around the room, frantic. Suddenly, I could see the clues that he saw. The place was tidy. It wasn't like Calvin had left; except for Fort, it was as though he had never been.

But... no. Not him!

I let out a gasp that was part sob. It sounded like a hiccup.

[transluminary]

Adam's expression froze, and it stayed frozen as his mind raced and found no exits. Not looking around, but only up at Polly, he replied steadily, "Yes, Zell. I think you must be right. Pol..." but he found he couldn't continue.

Fortinbras, ever sensitive, let out another mournful sound, more wrenching than a whine, and climbed out of Adam's unresisting arms to butt agitatedly against Polly's legs.

[spirited_hero]

[polly_okeefe]

I sat down on the edge of the bed, almost missing it entirely. Idly, I rubbed poor Fortinbras' head. I felt grief rising up in my chest.

"It's okay," I said. I cleared my nose with a sniff, but my eyes watered. "It's okay, really." I gulped. "He's home, now. He's with Mother."

That should make things better, but while it was some comfort intellectually, it still hurt. It hurt bad. Daddy had opened his arms to me. HIm being here with Mother told me that there were still things I could count on. He'd made my stay here bearable. And now he was gone.

I bit my lip, and then broke down crying.