Linny, a year younger than Ricky, was an absolute sweetheart. She'd taken to Ellie right away and never passed up an opportunity to sit on her lap or scoot up close to her side. She even let Ellie brush and braid her long, beautiful pale blond hair, bravely biting her lip whenever Ellie had to work out a tangle.
It had reached the point where Ricky sometimes got visibly jealous, and Ellie had to make a special point of holding and cuddling him as well.
The youngest, Denny, who'd they'd taken to calling Den so as not to confuse him with Denny Clarks, the leader of the Zolos survivor patrols, was an endless bundle of energy with bright red hair and an infectious grin. He was about Tallie's age, but seemed to take twice the energy to handle.
Thankfully Hal was up to that task, and the boy was more than happy to tail around endlessly hounding his big brother. Ellie was almost relieved that Den didn't pester her too much to play with him, since she just couldn't keep up with that much enthusiasm. But the little boy won her heart even so, always plopping down to rest his head on her knee whenever Hal had finished wearing him out with running around, at least for a little while.
In contrast to the others Todd, the oldest of Hal's young siblings, was a bit more guarded with his affection. He'd recently turned 10 and was very solemn and studious. Probably a lot like his big brother at that age. He was willing enough to talk to Ellie, but he became a plank of wood when she hugged him.
Well, hopefully if she kept trying he'd eventually come around. When it came to schooling she did her best to teach him new material, but with him so far ahead of the younger kids he spent a lot of time helping her out with them instead.
Which she had to admit she really appreciated, since she didn't have much experience with teaching, outside what she'd done in the Colorado Springs quarantine camp. She'd learned there that it was far different from giving instructional seminars and workshops to the employees of the businesses she consulted for, and it was no exception with her young son and soon-to-be brothers and sister.
Especially since it was hard to find ways to let the kids work out all their boundless energy in the small confines of the camp.
That was where Hal's portion of the schooling program came in. He not only directed their exercise routines, but also sat the kids down and taught them everything he knew about survival, camping, and things like that. Which in times like these were probably even more valuable than learning their reading, writing, and arithmetic with Ellie.
Not to mention the kids all had way more fun with it; she was almost jealous that she had to work hard to keep them focused on the boring stuff, while from her fiancé they got to learn things like building shelters, making fires, identifying dangerous plants (such as the poison oak Hal had had so much trouble with on their journey home), and making snares they couldn't currently use but would come in handy if it ever became safe to leave their camp.
As for Hal's mom, Cara, she showed zero interest in participating in the schooling efforts. If anything she acted like it was a huge inconvenience that they were all so noisy for a large part of the day, interrupting her as she lounged around scowling and complaining. An activity which she seemed tireless at; there was always something new and inventive to find fault with, either about their situation or the people in the camp with her.
Especially Ellie.
That was another reason why focusing on schooling the kids had proved so beneficial, since without it Ellie might've ended up in nonstop shouting matches with the bitter woman, unable to bear her constant cruel and devastatingly perceptive barbs.
At the moment Ellie was focused on trying to teach Ricky and Linny how to add the sides of a shape to find the perimeter, so she could admit she jumped a bit in surprise when the radio crackled with Denny's voice.
With Jay listening in on the airwaves and everyone in Stanberry and the quarantine camp hunkered down, it was the first time anyone had used the thing since yesterday. That surprise turned to concern at the sound of the Zolos survivors' leader's grim tone.
“Can I call everyone together for a meeting? Need to discuss a situation.”
There was a long pause before Darby's voice crackled over the radio in response. “What situation? You know it would have to be something serious to make us leave the safety of the barricades under the circumstances.”
Ellie couldn't believe the man would openly admit that, even if that was how he felt. How were the people in the quarantine camps, outside the protection of those makeshift barricades Stanberry had constructed around their town, supposed to feel about that?
Maybe that was why Denny's voice was tight when he replied. “Up to you, Mayor. But I figure you folks in town would be the ones to care, since Jay's trashing the outlying houses you abandoned.”
There was a long silence on the radio, almost as if time stopped, while Ellie shared a wide-eyed look with Hal. They had friends with houses outside the protected borders of the town; even the Norsons, who'd taken them in with the sort of genuine kindness that seemed to be becoming vanishingly rare in today's world, especially with Zolos rampaging across the globe, had their house at the town's edge, beyond the barricade where it was probably vulnerable.
Although not too vulnerable, hopefully, since tonight the stockpile in the basement of the Norson's house would officially be done with its three weeks of quarantine, safe to use. The family was planning on grabbing it and moving it into the safety behind Stanberry's barricades in the morning.
Ellie almost wondered if they shouldn't
