Chapter Twenty-Four
Elise: 20 March 2017, Afternoon, Gateway
Before we can reach the steps of the Community Hall we are surrounded by a group of children.
“Are you coming to watch our play today?” A small girl, no older than five years, pulls on my jeans. “I’m playing a little birdie.” She looks at me with large, light-blue eyes, the color of the early morning sky that is full of promise and beauty. Her raven-black hair is braided and wrapped like a crown around her head.
“Rena, come here. Leave the lady be.” A middle-aged woman comes rushing up to me and tears the girl away. “My apologies. Rena is too small to know how to behave around strangers.”
“I don’t mind. She didn’t bother me at all.” I meant it. When you live with a bunch of inside kids you have to like children or they will drive you around the bend and push you into the craziness.
Raymond smiles and nudges the girl aside. “This is Miss Granger, our preschool mistress. The kids have playtime before they come in for lunch.” Then he turns to the preschool teacher. “Ms. Seagar and Mr. Thompson are joining us for the lunch concert today.”
The woman nods a greeting but doesn’t show any surprise. They all knew we’d join them today. I’m trying to convince myself that’s not unusual in a small, tight-knit community.
“Welcome to Gateway. We have to hurry to get the children ready. We’ll see you inside.” And as quickly as they appeared, the children disappear inside the building, giggling and chatting like a flock of excited chickens.
Inside, the hall is light and friendly, with large windows offering a view of the beautiful park and the lake. Someone had decorated the walls with oversized paintings depicting some of the stunning places on the West Coast. Rows of ten yard long tables with chairs on each side fill the room. They have set with flowers and yellow and white crockery. Large white serving plates with yellow rims stand in the middle piled high with baked goods.
A surge of thoughts is flooding my head.
“I had the impression that the happy world outside was staged for our sake. Now I’m not so sure anymore. This is all very light and relaxed.”
Sky expresses exactly what I feel. But there is a lot of talking inside my head that I better pay attention to.
“This is very different from how it was when we were little.”
It was good to hear Maddie not being afraid, although she’s far from relaxed. What we see here is so different from the dark catacombs and the dungeon-like cubicles of torture and misery I expected. I feel bad and have the urge to apologize to Ray. The least he deserves is that I give him the benefit of the doubt.
“He wants us to be at ease. Don’t trust him.”
Amadeus has a point and the different thoughts and feelings inside me are at war with each other. I turn to Raymond and notice that he is observing me with his sharp eyes. There is no smile in his eyes. Even though the whole environment is inviting, I’m far from being relaxed. It’s hard when parts of me are on tenterhooks and scared.
Sky is working hard on comforting me.
“We have to move on from the past. If we view every moment through the broken glasses of our past, we’ll never be free.”
“So, how do you like what you’re seeing so far?” Ray’s question pulls me away from my internal dialogue. For a split-second, I listen to the light-footed, classical music playing in the background.
“I think it’s amazing. You’ve achieved so much. I don’t remember how it was when I was here as a young child, but it can’t have been anything like this. I commend you on the changes you’ve made.”
We walk through the rows of tables and take our seats in the first row near the stage.
“Simon Baker said you need Wrights Homestead to expand your outdoors program? As we drove through your compound, I was puzzled. I would have thought that you had more than enough space for setting up your outdoor program on your existing property.” I’m glad Scott asks the question that has been on my mind for a while.
Raymond doesn’t look fazed by Scott’s direct approach.
“You are right. If it were for anything other than the outdoor program, the logical thing would be to build a house on our grounds. The whole valley is ours, right up to Quarry Valley. What your homestead offers, however, is the proximity to the higher mountains. That’ll help with upping the challenges for young people. The advantage of having it separate from here is twofold. Participants are forced to rely on themselves and their problem-solving skills. They can’t run home to mum or dad to help them out. That’s what makes the homestead so special for us.”
“That’s a good point. I hadn’t thought of that aspect.”
I look up and study his face. He hadn’t thought of it? That’s so unusual for him. Perhaps he’s not well? The drama of the last weeks might have taken its toll. It could be too early for him to be out and about after his hospital stay. He still looks a little pale and tired.
While a group of young women brings in plates of food for lunch, I try to turn the attention away from Scott.
“I can’t get over the fact that everything is so light and inviting. You must’ve put a lot of work into renovating, or has it always been like this?”
Raymond looks pleased about my question and seems more than happy to explain the situation to me.
“Some have been like this from the beginning. They built the individual houses after plans by Sebastian Feldman. His family emigrated from Switzerland and the houses are a nod to his Swiss heritage.”
“I love the houses, they look so cozy and inviting.”
“Thank you. What we’ve done since the police arrested the
