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This story contains descriptions of consensual sexual contact between males, adult and minor. As such it is homoerotic, designed for the entertainment of mature adults. If you are not of legal age to read such material, or if the subject matter would create irresolvable personal moral dilemmas, please exit now
Note: I would like to thank Colin and John for their continued support and patience while I try to write this story. Their support and efforts at editing and correcting my errors contribute significantly to the reader's pleasure.
Like 'feel good' stories? Go to Adult/Youth section and try "Brad's Idol" or "Never Take Love For Granted". One is another of my stories, the other is written by a talented friend.
Chapter Forty-One: New Horizons
The judge signed papers granting temporary custody of Connor and Peter to New Horizons. Custody had to be temporary until a final determination was made regarding next of kin and a plan worked out for the boys' future. Daniel's first priority was to get the boys away from juvenile hall and someplace more pleasant. Elizabeth suggested they all go to her place for an impromptu cookout. Hopefully, the homey atmosphere, and her two sons, would allow the boys to relax and feel more at ease with everything happening around them.
When Elizabeth got out of her car and headed for the door she turned and looked at Daniel, smiling, "Daniel, you remember my boys and know what to expect, right?"
Daniel thought for a moment and then broke into a laugh before answering. "Actually, I had forgotten. This will be just like home to my boys. It'll be an interesting test for the other two."
As soon as Elizabeth entered the house, two young, naked and well tanned boys ran up to greet their mother. Elizabeth introduced her two sons to the other boys and let her sons know she expected them to be good hosts. Daniel had watched Connor and Peter for a reaction and was surprised as they took everything in stride.
Elizabeth told the visiting boys they could get comfortable and go swimming if they wanted. Daniel's boys looked at him and when he nodded his approval, Jamie and Jimmie stripped to their birthday suits. Gerry stood there taking the younger boys' clothing, but doing nothing about getting comfortable himself. Connor and Peter looked at one another, shrugged their shoulders and stripped. Daniel was the one surprised and who reacted.
"Connor, is there something you want to tell me?" Daniel asked.
"Sir?" replied the boy questioningly.
"Connor, it isn't often boys will strip down as quickly and easily as you and Peter just did, particularly when you're among strangers and in a strange house." As Daniel spoke he lifted Connors arm to look at the pit, more precisely, to look at how much tan the boy had in that area. "You and your brother seem to have pretty good tans which tells me you spend a lot of time outside. I also notice a lack of tan lines?"
"Looks as though they'll fit right in, Daniel," Michael interjected.
Connor blushed and looked down at the floor; then he began to put his clothes back on. Peter followed his brother's lead.
"I'm sorry, sir. We understand." Was all Connor said.
"Connor, what are you and Peter getting dressed for?"
"Sir, aren't you sending us back to Captain Jackson?" the inquired.
"Why would I send you back? Do you think it's because I think that maybe you didn't tell me everything?" Daniel was very careful to keep any hint of dissatisfaction out of his voice; he was trying to give the boy an opening.
"Sir. I didn't tell you everything. I kind of lied about where we were on holiday." The boy looked Daniel right in the eye as he spoke.
"Son, I don't understand why you think you had to lie to us. Don't you understand that we're trying to help you and Peter?"
"Sir, yes, sir, we understand. Mum and dad said we shouldn't talk about where we'd been. Some people think it's wrong and it might cause trouble. You see, sir, we were at Disney World, just like I said. We left there and drove somewhere where we got on a boat late in the afternoon. The next morning we were someplace else. We were at a camp where nobody wears clothes. That's the part I didn't say. We just got back and were driving somewhere else when the lorry hit us." The boy stated very simply and matter of factly.
"You were at a nudist camp?" The boy nodded. "Can you tell the name of the camp? Connor, they usually check out their guests very thoroughly and may have information on who we contact to help you, like a family member."
"No Sir, I can't say the name, it was very strange. I think I would know the name if I saw if though."
"Good boy," Daniel responded. "Right now, why don't you and Peter take your clothes off and join the other boys at the pool? While you boys play, we'll prepare some supper."
The boys ran out to the pool. Daniel turned to Michael and asked him to go on line and look up the names of nudist camps or resorts in the area. The hope was that Connor could recognize the name. If not, Daniel would call each camp and ask if the family had been there. If the camps wanted to use privacy or privileged information as a shield, there was always Captain Jackson.
"Mr. Daniel," Gerry interrupted, " I'm pretty good with a computer. Can I help?"
"Gerry, why didn't you get comfortable and go with the other boys?" Daniel asked.
"Well, you see, Mr. Daniel, I don't mind goin' naked back home, actually, I like it. But I've never been naked in front of anyone except the guys, and you and the staff ^Å. Sir."
"Gerrrrryyy" Elizabeth intervened teasingly, "are you telling us you're embarrassed? Did you see my two boys when we came in? I'll let you in on a little secret, I've even seen Mr. Daniel and Dr. Mike get naked and get in the pool. Also, the house rule here is that anyone that is not an adult is not allowed to wear clothes in this house. I suggest you get comfortable before you insult your host."
Daniel knew Elizabeth was just trying to make the boy feel more comfortable. While she talked, both Daniel and Michael tried to remember if Elizabeth had ever seen them naked.
"Gerry," Michael intervened, "do you want to make us look bad by breaking the house rules? I tell you what; we'll turn our backs and not look until you're in the pool. Will that work?"
"Dr. Mike," Gerry tried to whisper in Michael's ear, "that's not the problem. Ms. 'lizabeth, you know, well, ,,, Dr. Mike, she's a pretty lady and when I see her, well, sir, I can't help it, I just ^Å."
"Gerry, are you trying to tell me you get a hard-on when you look at Ms. Elizabeth?" Michael demanded, trying not to smile or break out laughing.
"Yes, sir," answered a very embarrassed and blushing fifteen year old.
"Gerry, come here," Michael whispered and directed the boy away from the others, "if it starts getting hard, turn your back to her and thump the head real hard using the middle finger and thumb." Michael thumped the boy on the arm to demonstrate what he said. 'The best thing for you to do is not think about it and it probably won't happen. Remember, she's almost old enough to be your mother. Would you get a hard-on looking at your mother?" A shocked boy shook his head vigorously. "Then get naked and get out there and relax. Remember, we're counting on you to keep all the little ones in line and you can't do it in here."
Michael waited for Gerry to get outside with the others before he broke down laughing. He told Elizabeth and Daniel the boy had the hots for Elizabeth and was worried about developing an erection in front of her.
"What did you tell him to settle him down and get him moving?" Elizabeth asked.
"I told him you were almost old enough to be his mother and then asked him if he'd think of his mother like that."
"Michael! You didn't!" An astonished and somewhat insulted Elizabeth stated. Daniel and Michael were holding there sides that hurt from laughing so hard.
Come and get it fellas, supper is served. The boys darted from the pool as though they hadn't eaten in days. Daniel watched Connor and Peter. Both had smiles on their faces. Their troubles had been set aside for the moment. Gerry seemed to have forgotten his concern over embarrassing himself in front of Elizabeth. That, or his empty stomach demanded a higher priority.
Gerry used his hands and arms to press himself up out of the water. As soon as he stood he placed his hands in front of himself in an attempt to be modest. Elizabeth understood the boy's predicament and decided to walk over to the other boys, thinking Gerry would be more comfortable if her back was to him. He didn't realize she could look out of the corner of her eye and see his reflection in the patio door.
"Elizabeth, you're being cruel to that boy, you know that don't you?" Michael stated.
"Michael, it's been a long time since I teased a boy. Remember, I'm old enough to be his mother, so he shouldn't care. Isn't that what you said?" Michael cringed at the tone in her voice. "Besides, I feel somewhat flattered a boy his age would find me arousing."
"Daniel, it's already a little late, why don't you stay here tonight and drive back tomorrow. We can go through some of the pictures I have for the news spots. The boys would enjoy a little fun time of their own."
At Fort Ogden, during supper, Paul let the other staff members and the priests know that Daniel had called to let them know he was staying in Orlando but planned to return the next morning. Daniel asked that the priests wait for him to return before leaving. Paul explained to the priests what he knew about the two boys Daniel and Michael had gone to pick up. The priests understood and expressed a hope they could help them.
After supper, the twins watched their mentors jump in the pool. When they thought no one was watching they walked in to the woods. They were soon followed by twelve year old Alex and then thirteen year old Jimmy. Just inside the edge of the woods, Alex stood behind a tree waiting on his very special friend.
Alex stepped out as Jimmy approached. Jimmy placed an arm around his friend's shoulders while Alex wrapped an arm around Jimmy's waist, allowing his hand to come to rest on the top of Jimmy's cheek.
"It's good to be able to walk out here and be alone some times." Alex commented to his friend.
"Yeah." Jimmy responded, "I like feelin' we can walk someplace and be alone without havein' to worry about bein' attacked. Back in the city we couldn't even stick our head outside without bein' afraid some bozo was gonna try and rape us."
"Jimmy?" Alex asked with some trepidation. "You gonna do what we said. Are you gonna let me try and maybe teach me?"
"You know I'll do ya. You don't gotta try and do me. You know that?"
"Yeah, I know. But, I wantta learn. I'm old enough; I'm twelve and a half and I can shoot some. I'm startin' ta get some hair down there too; just a little, but it's startin. My brother's just bein' a prick; he's tryin' to keep me from growin' up."
The boys talked while they walked through the woods. Their conversation was enough for both boys to get excited; a fact neither could hide. They found a secluded spot where they sat. Jimmy sat with his back to the tree. Alex lay on the ground with his head in his friend's lap.
"Your brother would have a shit fit if he saw us now. Know that?"
"Yeah, I know." Answered Alex, sounding despondent. "You know, we had ta sneek around in the city and I thought here he'd leave me alone. It's not like I was havin' ta go out and do anythin'. I understand it was hard and he got hurt some, but it's not like that here. Besides, you ain't gonna hurt me. Timmy needs ta lighten up some."
Jimmy didn't respond right away. Jimmy had been on the streets. At Alex's age he was givin' blow jobs to survive. He remembered what it was like to hafta meet some strange man in an alley just to get a few bucks. So many of them smelled of booze; so many just smelled. Worse, almost all of them weren't as clean as you'd want and tasted bad. They didn't care. You were boy trash givin' head. Jimmy looked down at his friend and rubbed his hands gently across his friend's chest. With a finger, he outlined Alex's jaw.
Alex looked up at the boy who had been his best friend since they were on the streets. Alex could remember nights Jimmy would come back with red marks across his back and face where people hit him. Sometimes he got hit because that's what a john wanted; other times he was robbed. Sometimes his brother, Timmy would come back with those marks, and more. Many times he came he would just lie down and cry. Timmy told Alex he couldn't go out because he didn't want to see Alex hurt that way but, now, Timmy was hurting Alex another way. Alex was just entering puberty and wanted to learn about all the fascinating feelings he heard other boys talk about. While he was thinking, and remembering, Alex circled Jimmy's nipple with a finger and watched it get hard and be surrounded with little goose bumps. He watched Jimmy roll his head back, take a slow deep breath and close his eyes. Alex wanted to know those feelings.
The two boys enjoyed their time alone. Neither made demands on the other; both could be comfortable with their thoughts. Then, they heard sounds coming from not too far off. The sounds were from young boys; they weren't alone. Listening carefully, they identified the direction the sounds came from.
Moving quietly so as not to let anyone know they were there, the two boys crept towards the sound. Soon, looking through the bushes, they saw the twins. Both boys were bouncing up and down in shorts movements. It took only a moment for Jimmy and Alex to realize the boys were probably riding something or someone. Their giggles said they enjoyed what they were doing.
Creeping in closer, Jimmy and Alex could see two sets of feet, the owner's obviously lying on the ground. There was no doubt now that the twins were giving themselves to two other boys. Alex shifted to see who was on the ground. He took a sharp breath when he saw it was his brother, Timmy, fucking one of the ten year old twins. The two boys continued to watch the scene in front of them. Each boy reached for his friend's package and began the familiar male right of masturbation. After a few minutes they crawled away, both now extremely excited.
When they thought they were away from the scene they had just witnessed the two boys again reached for the other. Alex had been after Jimmy to teach him how to give good oral sex. Jimmy was reluctant, knowing how Alex's brother had always threatened to beat up anyone that touched Alex. Jimmy's raging hormones now over rode any fears the boy may have had.
Facing each other, the two boys began manipulating the other's nipples. Normal gentle movements became more urgent, fueled by their desires. While hands were busy stimulating extra-sensitive nipples, hips moved to cause their erections to caress each other. Without saying anything, the boys slowly dropped to their knees to belly rub. They pressed against each other. Each boy holding and pulling the other boy's cheeks.
Jimmy bent his head and kissed Alex's neck. He continued to give the younger boy thrills and felt the boy going limp. Jimmy guided his friend to the ground. Kneeling over him, Jimmy shifted to give his friend the thrills of oral manipulations. Alex shifted, wanting to get his first taste of another boy.
"YOU FUCK WAD!!" screamed Timmy as he kicked Jimmy in the stomach, almost lifting the boy off the ground.
"AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!" Jimmy cried out as he doubled over, grasping his stomach.
"I TOLD YOU WHAT I'D DO TO ANYBODY EVER TOUCHED HIM. YOU FUCKIN' WHORE! HOW COULD YOU?" Timmy raged on kicking at Jimmy.
Alex, at first, was in shock. The attack was too sudden and unexpected. Then he saw what his brother had done. "NO! NO! STOP! TIM, STOP!" Alex cried, tears running down his face, fear in his voice.
Timmy was in a rage after catching Jimmy having sex with his brother. Timmy continued the attack, oblivious to his brother's pleas. When Alex grabbed Timmy's arm, Timmy flung his brother aside, striking him on the side of his face. Frank, the other boy with Timmy and the twins, wrapped his arms around Timmy to pull him off. As Frank tried to stop Timmy, Alex threw his body over Jimmy to protect him. Timmy stopped before he hit his younger brother. All the boys were shaking; their expressions and breathing revealed the fear and tension each felt.
Timmy stood there, looked at his brother and Jimmy, and realized what he had done. Jimmy lay on the ground, doubled over and writhing in pain. Alex had blood trickling from his lower lip.
"Oh, My God! Jimmy, I'm^Å.Oh! My God, what'd I do? Jimmy? Jimmy? Alex?"
"GO AWAY!" Alex screamed at his brother. "You've hurt him. He wasn't doin' nothin' that I didn't want him ta do. GO AWAY! LEAVE US ALONE!" Alex screamed at his brother. He then turned to his friend.
"Jimmy? Please, Jimmy?" Alex called to his friend hoping for some sign of recognition. "Get help. Somebody, get some help, he's hurt. Jimmy?" Alex continued to cry and cover his friend for protection.
"Alex, move, let me get to him and check him." Timmy was trying to get his brother to shift over so he could see how badly Jimmy was hurt.
"NO! You've done enough. Leave him alone!" Alex cried out through his tears.
While Timmy was trying to handle Alex, Frank was able to get behind Jimmy. He didn't try to move the injured boy, but bent over to talk into his ear.
"Jimmy. It's Frank, can you understand me?" Jimmy nodded and answered with a moan. "Jimmy, can you straighten up? Can you sit up?"
"AAAGGHHH!" was the only sound Jimmy made when they tried to move him.
"We need help. I'm goin' for Mr. Mark." Frank said as he ran towards the compound.
When Frank left, Alex moved behind Jimmy. Gently lifting his head, Alex placed his legs and set Jimmy's head in his lap. Alex continued to hold his friend, softly calling his name, pleading for him to answer. Timmy stood and watched, still shocked at what he had done. Neither boy knew how long they stayed in that position. Their trance like states broken only when Mark came running up with four other boys carrying a stretcher.
"Please, Mr. Mark. Help Jimmy!" Alex pleaded through his tears.
Mark fell to all fours in front of Jimmy. Mark immediately noticed the boy appeared pale, his breathing was quick and shallow. Checking his pulse, Mark determined the boy's heart was rapid to the point of racing.
"I think he's going into shock. Let's get him on the stretcher and to the infirmary."
"Mr. Mark ^Å Mr. Mark, I'm sorry, I didn't mean ta hurt him like that. I swear, Mr. Mark, I didn't^Å..," no one listened to Timmy's pleas. No one was interested at the moment, especially his brother.
Jimmy moaned with almost every step. Mark was glad the boy could feel something and respond. As they entered the compound, boys followed them. In the infirmary they placed Jimmy on a bed and quickly covered him with blankets and elevated his feet. Mark again checked Jimmy's pulse while he dialed Michael.
While he talked to Michael, Mark began checking the boy's blood pressure. Jimmy lay flat on the bed while Frank held his feet in an elevated position. Mark related what he knew of the incident and answered Michael's questions as best he could. Jimmy wasn't spitting up blood; that was a good sign. When Mark pressed on the boy's side, he quickly responded as though he were in pain. Michael guessed the boy had one or more cracked or broken ribs and was in shock due to the severity of the attack.
After a few minutes the boy's color began returning to normal and his blood pressure rose. Michael told Mark it sounded as though the boy was coming out of shock. They were to keep him covered in a blanket and hydrated until the boy regained consciousness. When Michael was comfortable the boy was out of danger, Daniel took the phone and told Mark what he should do. Mark hung up the phone and looked at Timmy.
"Mr. Mark, I swear, I didn't mean to hurt him like that, no way. I wouldn't do that; not on purpose." Timmy pleaded.
"You did do it, Tim. It doesn't matter at the moment if you did it on purpose or not, you could easily have killed him. Dr. Mike will be here tomorrow with an x-ray machine so we can tell how badly he's hurt. I can tell you that right now it looks kind of bad. Daniel said you are to return to the dorm and stay there. You don't go to your bunk, you go to the spare room in Building B. Stay there and you don't come out and you don't see anyone without permission. Is that understood?" Mark said in an even tone.
"Yes, sir." Timmy answered meekly. Then turning, "Jimmy, man, I'm sorry, I really am." No one could tell if Jimmy heard him.
As Timmy left the infirmary, the other boys separated to give him a path. No one said anything or looked at him. For now, he was alone.
Arriving early the next morning, Michael and Daniel entered the infirmary to find Mark and four boys sitting with Jimmy. The boys immediately moved away from the bed to give Michael room to examine the boy. Jimmy appeared to be half conscious and moaned. Michael didn't find any obvious injuries so he knew the injury had to be internal. There was no swelling to suggest extensive internal bleeding, if any at all. When he pressed on the side of the boy's rib cage, Jimmy arched his back and cried out in pain. Michael moved the x-ray machine into position. The other boys were told to leave.
Mark handed Michael the chart showing the boy's vitals during the night. Jimmy's blood pressure, respiration and pulse were steady and in an acceptable range. Mark had given the boy strong sedatives as instructed which helped explain his semi-conscious state. The x-ray would help define the situation.
Michael placed the image against the lighted glass; it showed two broken ribs and one cracked, but there was no evidence of additional internal injuries.
"Daniel," Michael stated somewhat dejectedly but also relieved, "he's going to be one hurtin' young man for a while. I was really worried about whether we had any additional internal damage. Mark's information last night suggested we didn't, but I always feel better looking at the picture. If I'd been really worried last night, of course, I'd have asked Mark to transport him to the hospital."
"With his ribs messed up he'll hurt every time he breathes or tries to move. The ribs that aren't broken or cracked are badly bruised. He has a lot of tissue and muscle bruising too. I'll need help wrapping his rib cage. Someone will need to be with him round the clock for a while. It'll probably take a couple of months for him to fully recover."
While Mark assisted Michael in setting and taping Jimmy's ribs, Daniel stepped outside to let the boys know Jimmy's condition. After assuring the boys that Jimmy was in capable hands he suggested they go about their normal routine. Daniel then walked over to Building B.
Timmy sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. He was up all night thinking about what he had done and his fate. Timmy believed Daniel would most likely send him away. He knew that Daniel stressed the point that he would not tolerate physical abuse; he really screwed up this time. When Daniel walked in, Timmy jumped to his feet, both anxious and fearful of what Daniel would tell him.
"Timmy, I'm told you and Jimmy were not fighting; you attacked him without warning, is that true?" Daniel looked the boy straight in the eye as he asked.
"Yes, sir." Timmy answered, looking down at the floor. Timmy then looked up, took a breath and started to say something, but stopped. Daniel looked at the boy a moment and then continued.
"Why, Tim? You know the rules. Why would you attack one of the boys, and Jimmy was in your group." Daniel was both perplexed and angry, but fought to maintain control and hear the boy out.
"Mr. Dan'l, I really didn't mean to hurt Jimmy like that, I swear. It's just that, well ^Å when we was out there I always protected Alex. He thinks he knows what me and some of the others done, but until you've had to do it, Mr. Dan'l, there's no way he could really understand. There was a lot of times people wanted him, but I wouldn't let it happen; no way. It was bad enough for me, I just didn't want him goin' through it if I could help it. Anyway, I always told everybody that my brother was off limits. I guarded him Mr. Dan'l, I tried ta protect him from losing everything."
"Me and Frank was in the woods. When we was comin' back we found them. Jimmy was blowin' Alex and Alex was tryin' to get under Jimmy. Alex was gonna do what I always tried to guard him from." Timmy stopped a moment to take a deep breath and wipe away some of the tears. "I swear, Mr. Dan'l, I really didn't mean to hurt him like that. It's just that when I saw 'em, I^Å.." Timmy's voice trailed off, he didn't finish his statement.
"Mr. Dan'l? ^Å Sir?" Timmy asked very timidly, "am I gonna be sent off?"
"I don't know, Tim." Daniel opened the door to leave and then turned back. "Tim, what am I supposed to do? I'll say this right now, no decision has been made to send you away. We don't like the idea of a boy being made a slave for one mistake. But, no decision has been made not to send you away. We'll call a meeting of the disciplinary board for Tuesday."
"Tim, you should understand that we have over one hundred boys here that look to us for security and protection. If they wanted to live in fear, they could be on the streets instead of here. How am I supposed to believe that you won't lose that temper and attack another boy? I can appreciate you wanting to protect your brother. You need to appreciate that we want to protect all of you."
"Right now, I need to get a feel of how the other boys are reacting to all this. We don't need any of them going crazy and trying to pull a vendetta. If I let you out of here this afternoon, can I trust you to keep your nose clean and not try to run? You know, if you try to run, that'll just make things worse." Daniel pointed to the side of his neck to remind the boy that all of them were chipped and could be tracked.
"Yes, sir." Tim answered meekly.
Connor and Peter sat on the sofa with Jamie and the other two boys. All the boys were naked. Concerned about the incident, Daniel had forgotten about the boys. When he saw them he had to chuckle, they were not the least concerned about being naked. Actually, they seemed to enjoy it.
"Jamie, didn't you take your new friends out and show them what we have?"
"No, sir," Jamie quickly answered. "I didn't know where they was gonna stay. They gonna stay with us, in our building?"
"Would you like for them to stay with you in your building?" Jamie nodded. "Suppose Mr. Rick didn't set up a bed for them there. What do we do then?" Jamie stuck his finger in his ear while he thought. His expression changed when he thought of an answer.
"Me and Jimmie can put our mattresses on the floor next to each other. All four of us can sleep on them sideways." The boy beamed with pride at having come up with a good answer to Daniel's question.
"Okay, and who is going to mentor the boys?" Daniel was curious to see if he could stump Jamie.
"That's easy, Gerry." Jamie smiled from ear to ear. He knew Gerry wouldn't mind even if he hadn't asked him.
"Well, it sounds to me like you have this all worked out." Jamie's chest began to swell. Daniel decided he better end this before the boy over-inflated and burst. "So, why don't you take Connor and Peter out, introduce them around, and show them where all the fun stuff is?"
Jamie just grinned and signaled for Connor and Peter to follow him as they ran out of Daniel's office. Daniel knew they were out when he heard the door slam. He laughed to himself as he realized this was not the first time he thought about changing the name of the project to New Horizons Nudist Camp.
Daniel walked over to the dining hall. It wasn't lunch time yet, but he knew a cup of fresh coffee would taste real good; he also needed the caffeine. Paul and Rick sat at a table, evidently having had the same thoughts.
"How's Jimmy?" Rick asked.
"He's going to be one sore kid for a while, but Michael says he'll make it. Our big problem right now is Timmy. What do we do with him?"
"Don't you think it might be a little dangerous keeping him around?" Paul asked. "You know, I've thought that we've been pretty lucky with these boys so far. Quite honestly, I thought we might lose a couple of them before now. Don't misunderstand, it's not that I want to lose any of them. It's just that ^Å well, look at the background. These are not what one would refer to as highly stable kids."
"Aren't we overlooking something?" Daniel asked, "Timmy is a problem, a big problem. We can't ask the other boys to have to live in fear of him losing his temper, that wouldn't be fair. What about Alex? What happens to Alex, what effect would it have on him, if we send his brother away? All these kids know that if we do that he'll be a life-long slave. Suppose Alex starts blaming himself for that?"
"Right now, we need to sit on this until we can talk to Alex and Frank. I firmly believe that when a boy loses it the way Timmy did, there's something else there; but what? No one ever said this was going to be easy and I don't like the idea of throwing a boy away which is what would happen if we send him off."
"Let's change the subject. How'd our boys do with the tests yesterday? Everybody tested that needed to be tested?"
"They all took the test, but most of them weren't thrilled about it." Paul said laughing. "The priest also brought reports on the progress of all the other boys. Want to take a guess which ones are running way ahead of projections or standards?" Daniel shrugged his shoulders; there were over a hundred boys he could guess from.
"Evan and the twins. All three seem to be soaking up knowledge like a dry sponge dropped in the river. Of course, there are many others doing real well, also, but who would have thought about those three?" Daniel looked astonished, but pleased.
"Will these kids ever cease to surprise us?" is all Daniel could say. "Speaking of the priests, I'd like to talk to them about the two boys we just brought in. Any help we can get identifying relatives will be appreciated. Last night we found out some new, and interesting, information. They told us the family was vacationing at Disney. We also found out it was a family of nudists, and they spent part of their vacation at a nudist camp. I thought a priest that shepards a nudist camp might be of help."
Daniel left his staff to locate Alex and Frank. He needed to know what precipitated the attack on Jimmy and any additional background information that might affect the decision on Timmy's future.
Daniel recognized the nature of the attack was almost vicious. The other boys had a right to live at Fort Ogden feeling secure with where they were. As Daniel thought about the situation, this was looking more and more like a circumstance of having to sacrifice one to protect the many. He knew a time like this might come and had promised himself he would be strong enough to make the best decision for the majority if he had to. Regardless of how much he talked to himself or how much he tried to prepare himself for that moment of decision, this would not be easy. Also, how would Alex be able to handle the situation? He was too young to separate the responsibilities.
Daniel decided to wait until he talked with the disciplinary board; the boys might have a different perspective. He wouldn't ask them to make this decision, but he would let them have an input if they so chose. They would all meet privately in mid-morning to discuss the situation.
Timmy would be allowed out of the spare store-room. The boy didn't need to feel he was ostracized by the staff or other boys. However, there was some concern over how the boys would react to him.
After talking with Frank, Daniel walked the grounds trying to get a feel for how the boys were reacting to the incident. Whenever he approached a group of the boys, they either stopped talking or dispersed. Daniel knew this was not good. Staff members also walked the grounds and were able to speak with some of the boys. Those who would talk said Timmy had committed a cardinal sin.
If there had been an argument going on between Timmy and Jimmy, the fight and it's outcome would have been accepted. There was no argument; Timmy attacked one of their own. The act was unforgivable.
Daniel decided to take a chance and let Timmy out at lunch time. Before telling him to come out Daniel faced the boys in the dining hall. He told them what he was doing and that he hoped they would treat Timmy fairly. When Timmy walked into the hall the boys were quiet, not a sound was made. Tim was nervous, he knew what the quiet meant. After being served he turned to find a seat. Not one of the boys would say anything to him or even look at him. Daniel noticed Tim was getting frightened and was shaking. Tim dropped his tray and ran from the hall.
Daniel stood and looked at the boys. His expression told them that Daniel wasn't pleased with what they had done. The silence continued. Daniel grabbed two sandwiches and some fruit. He left the hall to find Timmy.
End Chapter Forty-One
To Be Continued: comments welcome; contact Dwight at adm2780@yahoo.com