Tom watched as the bus unloaded its passengers.
He was not a people person. Countless jobs over countless years had proven that, as had his social life. Meeting strangers was something he avoided, something that rarely led to good things. That he now had a stranger beside him, a teen girl no less, and was waiting to meet two more, almost seemed more surreal than meeting a god.
God was everywhere, after all.
It had been a long drive. To save money, and keep the two kids from having a long layover waiting for the connecting bus, Tom had bought them two tickets to Glens Falls. The small city was just outside the Adirondack park, a metropolis compared to the place he had met Alice but which probably wouldn't even register as a town to kids from New York. Not that it mattered. It was dark enough that you couldn't see much beyond the street lights anyways.
"There she is! Krissy!"
His blonde companion jumped up and down, waving. A heavy set girl exiting the bus waved back. Tom considered her. She was not fat, really. She may have been called that, by those who felt if you can't see a girl's ribs she's obese, but at this point in her life her body just had fleshy curves. Hips swelled out, more than filling her blue shorts. Breasts were not the small firm half spheres Alice's seemed to be, but large soft pillows that could not stand on their own, promising comfort and pleasure. Her hair was black and curly, falling just to her shoulders. As she carried two duffle bags towards them, he admired her strength. This was NOT some weak little girl. He was impressed.
The boy next to her, he had no idea what to make of. He was Black, for one thing. Skin as brown as could be. Tom had nothing against Blacks. He just... well, Black teens were to be avoided. Everyone knew that. There was nothing racist in admitting it. The kid looked OK, though. Smart, even. Walking up next to his sister, wearing a small backpack obviously meant for school, his eyes took in Tom the same way Tom was regarding him. That was more than fair.
Alice didn't wait for them to walk the final few feet, throwing herself into Krissy's arms. Tom watched, amused. Also a little aroused, he was not quite ashamed to admit. He was a lonely man, after all. The boy was watching the girls as well, expression amused, resigned. Tired. Tom could relate. Stepping towards him, he reached out his right hand.
"Tom."
The boy looked at him.
"Zak." His brown hand slowly came out, taking Tom's. They shook once, then released their hold simultaneously. Almost as if neither were good at this kind of thing. Tom nodded, attention turning back to the girls. "And you are Krissy, I assume?"
The two teens separated, Alice now holding one of the bags. The heavier girl looked at him with distrustful interest.
"That's me."
Tom held out his hand. He was conscious of those around them. A small group, true, and people they'd never see again, but he was with three runaway children in a public area. They really should be leaving. After a moment's pause, Krissy's hand touched his.
It was soft. Warm. Unfamiliar. He let go quickly, face feeling hot.
"OK, let's get everything into the car."
****
"He doesn't seem like a cannibalistic serial killer."
Krissy tried to keep her voice low. The man heard, though. She saw him pause, just for a moment, before continuing on through the mostly empty parking lot. Well, that was OK. He had to know what all this sounded like to her.
He seemed OK. Not... dangerous. That he wasn't overly friendly was in fact reassuring. She almost got the feeling that if they DID just run away, he'd curse the loss of the money for the tickets then go on with his life. He really was doing this for reasons that had nothing to do with enslaving them or the like.
Although, he obviously did want to fuck her.
"You STILL into cannibals?" Alice bumped against her. Krissy bumped back.
"You were only gone a week. It's better than sparkly vampires."
Cannibals were cool. Italian cannibals, in badly dubbed movies from the 70's and 80's. It was so fake, yet... Krissy shuddered at just the memory of the last one she had seen. The girl cut open, alive, and her slimy innards pulled out and eaten raw.
That had to hurt.
Their savior was waiting next to an old blue hatchback, its back hatch open. He stepped away.
"Toss your stuff in, and we'll get moving. It's a long drive."
Great. First she and Zak spent the entire day in Central Park, with all they could take from home in two duffle bags, hoping they didn't LOOK like runaways. Then a five hour bus trip, and now even more driving. With an unknown destination awaiting them. Maybe the delay was good. Coming up to the car, she lifted the bag up and tossed it in. Alice placed hers a bit more gently, straining a bit. Krissy smiled. Her friend had the looks and brains, but she had the strength. At least she out did her somewhere.
"Watch your fingers."
Tom slammed the hatch shut. The back of the car bounced. He looked at them, hesitating.
"It's a two door car. I'll let you three sort out who sits where. I get the driver's seat."
"Darn," Alice said, pouting. "I wanted to drive."
"Can you drive a stick?" the man asked. Krissy laughed as Alice turned red. Reaching out, she pushed into her friend's back, sending her a half step towards him.
"Oh, she's gooood with a stick!"
"Shut up!" Alice shoved back, laughing. Krissy didn't even budge, her legs shifting a bit to give her a more stable stance. She saw Zak looking at them. Her brother shook his head, turning to the man.
"I'll sit up front. They can fight in the back."
Tom nodded.
"Sounds good."
****
Zak tried not to sleep.
It was hard. The girls in back were silent, talk having died out after fifteen minutes or so. Most of what they wanted to say probably couldn't be with the stranger listening. Or him. Zak knew his sister kept secrets from him, or tried to. Protecting him. Like he was some child. Forcing his eyes open, he looked out the window. Once the car had turned off the main highway, the trip had become dark, no streetlights, little oncoming traffic. Just them, traveling down a two lane road through the forest, weak headlights shining ahead. Just him, alone with his thoughts.
The stranger was not Dad. Not in the obvious way, being a different person and all, but in the way he acted. He was not like Dad. In many ways, of course, this was good. Dad was... moody.
Zak frowned. Why not admit it. Dad was a drunk. A bastard. A mean, horrible...
Dad was his father, and he loved him.
His sister was probably right. The two of them could no longer live under the same roof as the man who had raised them, the man who was their only family. That didn't mean the thought of never seeing Dad again didn't make him want to cry. How could he not be with him? Life was not fair...
The car slowed, turning onto another road. This was was smaller, if that was possible. There were no signs. No shoulder. They traveled on in the darkness.
****
The man coughed.
Zak opened his eyes. He didn't know he had closed them. He glanced at the dashboard, saw he had been out for about six miles. The stranger, Tom, glanced over. Seeing Zak was awake, he smiled. It was a friendly, if awkward, smile. Reassuring, for some odd reason. Tom spoke loudly.
"You two awake back there?"
"No," came Krissy's tired voice. Zak grinned. Sis was damned funny. The man nodded.
"Well, if you were, I'd tell you we're just about there. We'll have some walking to do, before we get to the clearing where you three can pitch your tent, so I'll leave it up to you if you want to take all your stuff in, or leave some of it for tomorrow."
"Walking? God, Alice, what have you gotten us into?"
"Forest, I think." Alice's voice wasn't quite as tired. Zak looked out the window again. Nothing but trees.
What would it be like, living in the forest? In books, it could be great, living with nature. Adventurers traveling through forest paths, onward towards epic battles. Coming on farmers or woodcutters. Elves. Monsters. Rabbits.
The car slowed. There was a fence, seeming to come out of the woods, cut across a small field, only to turn and vanish back into the trees. Before it was a small parking area. Tom pulled the hatchback into it, parallel to the road. He turned off the ignition.
"We're here."
Zak unbuckled, opened his door, and exited. He didn't want to. Part of him just wanted to sit in the car some more. Stay with this last contact with home. The rest of him just wanted to get to the place where he could lay down and sleep. Turning, he found the lever that moved the front seat up. His sister reaching a hand out, he helped her out of the back seat.
"Ow," Krissy said, straightening her body. "Should have taken the bus."
"I don't think a bus runs out here," Zak said. He looked around. Apart from the fence, and the thin road, there was no sign of civilization, and those had a sense of age about them. He felt a slight breeze on his face, heard leaves and branches moving in the dark. The idea of Ents passed through his mind.
The man was passing out things from the trunk. Zak grabbed his backpack, slipping it on. It was heavy, every book he owned shoved into it, including a library book he now would not be able to return. He also accepted a sleeping bag, rolled up tight and tied with two pieces of string. Alice had a soft suitcase he recognized, pink, along with a light green duffle bag similar to the two Krissy was again carrying. The man had a large roll of canvas, and a second sleeping bag.
"Watch your fingers." Zak chuckled as the man made the same warning as he shut the trunk. The sound of metal latching with metal seemed out of place, echoing otherworldly through the night. The four humans stood there, silently, letting the sound fade.
The man straightened his shoulders, adjusting his burden.
"OK, let's go."
He led them to a gate in the fence. The wood and wire doorway sagged a bit, the weight of its car width length almost too much for the material to bear. Two shorter gates would have been better, Zak thought. Those would be stronger. Adjusting his load, Tom unlocked a padlock, using a key that almost shined in the starlight. Pushing the gate open, he stepped aside.
"Ladies and gentlemen first."
Smiling, despite himself, Zak followed his sister and her friend through the gate.
****
Momentum carried Alice an extra few steps after her mind froze in awe.
The world was different.
SHE was different. That was it. Once still, Alice took stock of herself. She was awake. Awake in a way she honestly did not think she ever had been. Refreshed, like exiting a stuffy, windowless room in the summer, onto a cool lakeside beach. She turned. Krissy... she GLOWED! Not quite literally, but almost! Her friend, always pretty, looked incredible, so alive. Zak, too. The boy looked older, more confident. And, Tom...
Both she and Krissy were watching as the man crossed through the gate. They both saw the change. On the outside, by the road, he was just some guy. A little handsome. Not that special. As he took that next step, it was as if he had stepped out of fog into crystal clear air. Alice could see the cut of his muscles, under his shirt. His eyes sparkled in the darkness. She could almost SMELL him. A scent of Male, with a capital M. She closed her eyes and inhaled, body reacting. God.
She wanted him.
"I honestly didn't know how to warn you." His voice was self depreciating, yet strong. Shaking her head, Alice looked at him again.
"What is it?"
He smiled.
"Her."
****
Alice stepped into the meadow with joy in her heart.
Home. Home. That was all she could think. Stepping slowly, grass brushing against her smooth bare legs, she moved half in dream. The stream babbled, telling her secrets. Stars lit the sky, like a city hanging above them. Never... never had she dreamed... yet, she had dreamed. Had dreamed of this. She had just forgotten. Forgotten Eden, like all humanity had.
"It's beautiful," Krissy whispered. Her friend moved ahead of her, longer legs taking her towards the domed tent before them. Alice nodded.
"It's perfect."
"I'm glad you think so." Tom move up next to her. She blushed.
He was perfect.
****
Zak had never put a tent together before. Had never, really seen a tent in person, unless you count a diorama of Native Americans or other nomads in the museum. They were all over his books, though. He had just accepted the mention of characters setting up camp at the end of the day, without really thinking about what they were doing. Now he was actually doing it himself!
"Pull that out more, Zak."
Zak did. The rope attached to the tent pole stretched as far forward as it could go, the pole now standing straight up. Tom nodded.
"Good. Now put the stake in the ground and hammer it in."
Zak could do that. The stake, plastic, with a hook that caught the loop at the end of the rope, went into the ground easily to start. About half way in he met resistance. He looked around for a hammer. His sister had it, banging in stakes around the bottom of the tent. Well, there were other ways to get things done. Standing, he placed the heel of his sneaker on the top of the stake. With all his weight working for him, it slowly went in.
"Good work. Here, do the other one."
Tom tossed him the end of the other rope, already attached to the top of the pole. Zak pulled it taught, at an angle, the two ropes working together to re-enforce the pole that supported this end of the tent. He caught the new stake that came his way, quickly setting it into the ground. Looking up, he saw Tom nodding in approval.
Zak felt his cheeks warm. Dad never looked at him like that. Never... said he had done a good job. He looked around. He wanted to do more. There had to be some other chore he could do.
"Done!"
His sister rose, hammer in hand. He grinned at her.
"Done banging, Sis?"
"Me bang good," she replied. Zak laughed as she walked over to Tom, handing him the hammer. "What next?"
"The rain fly, then we're done."
****
Zak looked at the finished tent with pride.
He had built something useful. Dad had said Zak would never be useful. Never do anything good. Well. So much for Dad.
A wave of tiredness came over him. Sleep... he just wanted to sleep. A soft hand touched his shoulder.
"Go lay down," his sister said. "It's late." He nodded.
"Does it matter where?"
"Naw. Not tonight. We'll divide the sleeping arrangements tomorrow."
Good. Dropping to his knees, he crawled into the tent. He barely made it onto the sleeping bag.
****
Tom sat in his chair, looking up at the sky. With no fire, the stars seemed to shine even more. The moon, just a sliver, was setting behind the trees. Beautiful.
So, two, were the two stars sitting beside him. Alice and Krissy sat on two of their duffle bags, bare legs outstretched, backs bent as they looked up into the heavens. Their breasts were thrust out, four covered moons which dazzled him. They were perfect. Perfect in a way no woman who had ever looked at him had ever been. That they had come... he shook his head. He didn't care about children. Didn't care if they never shared his tent. Tom just wanted to be friends. Real friends. It had been so, so long...
"Come."
He had been expecting the voice. Waiting. The two girls reacted about the way he thought they would, with surprise that was not surprise. They looked at him. Alice spoke.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yes," he said, pushing himself up to stand. "Come. The Lady wants to meet you."
****
He had them dip their feet, already bare, into the cool stream. Led them to the eastern path. Fireflies flittered in the branches of the arching trees, lighting the way. Tom thought he saw them form into constellations, Orion, the Bear. The girls walked on either side of him, their hands almost touching his. He thought to tell them what to expect. Tell them how to honor the Lady. But, something told him to stay silent. The Lady would tell them all that was needed.
They gasped as the white oak came into view. Its leaves seemed to shimmer in the night sky, outshining the stars. As they approached, Wisdom spoke.
"Welcome, my children."
Tom stopped, falling to one knee. Alice and Krissy did the same, heads bowing.
"We have come, Lady," he said, softly. "As you have commanded."
"You serve me well." Her voice was one moment like a brook, flowing over rocks. The next, the wind through leaves, or snow falling on grass. "Welcome, Alice, welcome, Christina. I have brought you here because you are worthy. Worthy of serving."
"How may we serve?" Alice asked. Tom was incredibly impressed with her bravery.
"I have promised this man companions. Wives, to provide children. Wives to stand by his side, to serve me, to honor and worship me, even as you honor and serve him."
"Serve him?" Krissy's tone was not subservient. The branches before them rustled.
"As he will serve you. I do not place man over woman, but husband beside wife. I will bless both of you with many children. I will bless all of your household with abundance, with crops, livestock. I will bless you as man has not been blessed in living memory. All I ask is the first of each blessing be given to me in sacrifice, as a sign of the covenant between us."
Tom felt first Alice, then Krissy, take his hand. His breath caught.
"We accept, my Lady," Krissy said.
****
They left the path, walking beside the brook.
"A God," Alice said. Her voice seemed to marvel at the idea. Tom nodded.
"A Goddess."
"So the Bible... lied?" Krissy sounded upset. Understandable. He shrugged, their warm hands still in his.
"The words were written by man. What we're hearing, I think, is a little more authoritative."
"That's a big word," Alice marveled. Tom looked at her. There was a teasing quality to her voice. Teasing that was not hurtful. That... was a new concept. He heard Krissy chuckle.
"I wonder what else he has that is big."
Innuendo, he understood. He looked between them, but the teens were ignoring him, their eyes on each other.
"It seems right," Alice said, softly. Krissy frowned, but her hand did not release his.
"Too soon," she said. "We have time. Let's..."
"Take our time."
Krissy nodded, smiling. Tom felt his heart skip a beat at that smile. Her hand squeezed his.
"We should at least wait until tomorrow night."