Family Visit

“Huh?” Wren just stared at him. ~What?~ Her family was here?

“The director is with them,” Talon said, reaching down to help her up. “Come. We need to dress. They are heading to the house right now from his office.”

Shortly, they were standing outside the sitting room where her family was waiting on the other side.

Wren took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Good evening,” she said, giving a slight smile as she entered the room.

Sure enough, her mother, father, and sister stood before her. Her mother and sister were sitting on the couch opposite the director, and her father stood at the window.

“May I introduce Mr. Talon Fielding. My partner and—”

“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Hintz. Ms. Hintz,” Talon interrupted Wren and gave them a bow. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“He explained you all worked in pairs.” Mrs. Hintz stood and walked over, placing her hand out for Talon to take.

He bent and kissed it, then did the same to Wren’s sister, who had come up behind her mother. He then turned and shook her father’s hand.

“I am pleased to see there is someone here to protect our daughter,” her father began, not bothering to introduce himself or his wife and child. “I was a bit worried. Especially when they told me what she was expected to do.”

“I will always protect your daughter, sir,” Talon replied.

“Please, call me Jon. This is my wife Claire and our other daughter Lucy.”

Talon nodded. “As you wish.”

Her family returned to their spots, her father opting for a chair this time.

Wren followed them and sat on the other couch while the director moved to the other chair.

Talon chose to sit down next to Wren.

Wren was glad for his presence. She loved her family in their own way, but they worked better further away from each other.

“I see you managed to lose a bit of weight,” her mother commented.

“Yes. The training is very strict.”

“I see. Is everything going well? We have not heard anything since you left,” Claire said. She looked like it was a struggle just asking about Wren’s life here.

“Of course, they told us to expect that, but still, not even a letter.”

“I am sorry. It was not allowed—outside contact—until I had been here a year,” Wren explained.

“As you can see, everything is fine. I have finished my training, I have a good partner, and I am now teaching music at the local school.”

“You are still in music?” her mother asked. “I thought for sure you would get rid of that.” She gave the director a scathing look as she spoke.

“We like to keep them with something they are good at. It helps them adjust and gives them comfort in such a strange and new world,” the director interjected.

“I see,” her mother replied.

“Tell me, Mr. Fielding…” Wren’s father spoke up after an awkward pause.

“Please, call me Talon.”

Wren was amazed at how polite he was being. He was acting the perfect gentleman with her family.

“What do you do?”

“I currently teach science at the same school. It keeps us close together, and it is the closest thing to what I did before they could find around here.”

“Oh, what did you do before?”

“I was in the protection business.”

Wren choked at his words. What was he saying now?

“That explains your physique,” Lucy said.

“I guess so,” Talon said to her. A distant, cold smile.

“What do your parents do, dear?” Claire asked.

~Here we go. Pedigree is everything.~

“I do not know my family, ma’am. I grew up in an orphanage.”

“Oh, you poor thing. That must have been tough,” Claire replied, giving him a sad smile.

Talon hated people like her. She did not feel sorry for him; she thought he was beneath her.

“Think nothing of it. I am happy, satisfied, and not only do I have plenty of money, I have a job I am interested in. I am also in a position to help others like myself and am the owner of the local orphanage.”

“What an admirable thing for you to do,” Claire replied, clearly not interested but too polite to be rude.

Talon wanted to smack her, but she was Wren’s mother.

Wren stood. “Would you like something to drink or eat?” she asked.

“That would be nice,” Lucy said.

“I will get it. Sit and visit with your family.” The director stood and headed for the kitchen. “I will return shortly.”

“Tell me, Talon.” Jon leaned back. “How did you get through school?”

“I worked.” Talon did not elaborate. “I earned a master’s in business and a doctorate in Earth Sciences.” He gave Wren a sly wink before continuing.

He knew how to win over people like the Hintzes. Money meant everything to this type of person.

They could overlook many things if the price was right.

“Before coming here, I had earned enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life.” Talon leaned back. “As I am sure you are well aware, every expense is covered here, and they pay us quite well. As I did not need their money, I used that to set up a home for others like myself who just needed a place where they were loved and provided for.”

“That is wonderful.” Claire smiled politely at him. “Every child should have a good home.”

“Yes. I agree.”

“I have sandwiches and tea.” The director re-entered. “Please help yourself.”

“Thank you.”

Silence fell as everyone took a cup and ate a sandwich.

“How long will you be staying?” Wren asked.

“Just for the night. We need to return tomorrow. We just wanted to see how things were and make sure you were happy,” Wren’s father commented.

“I am sure you have things to discuss.” The director stood. “I will be off. It was a pleasure to meet the family of such a wonderful person. I am afraid I am heading out to a meeting early tomorrow, so I will not be able to see you off. Have a safe trip home.”

Jon stood. “We will. Thank you for your hospitality.” They shook hands, and he left.

Wren took the opportunity to look at Talon.

He nodded and stood as well. “I believe I shall leave as well. You have things to discuss, and I have some training that needs to be done. It was a pleasure to meet all of you. I will see you in the morning.” Talon bowed and followed the director out of the room.

Everyone else sat and fell into silence.

“He seems like a nice gentleman.”

“He is.”

“It is a shame that he is an orphan.”

“Why?”

“Because you do not know his pedigree, though I am sure it is not the best if he is an orphan.”

“We do not know mine.”

“That is different. You have us,” Claire spat out.

“True.” Wren decided changing the subject would be best before it got ugly.

“Are you tired? Would you like to see where you will be staying?”

“That would be nice.” They stood and headed up the stairs toward the bedrooms.

“I will give you a tour of the facilities tomorrow before you leave. If it is all right with you, I will also introduce you to a couple of my roommates who are not here right now, as they are studying for finals.”

“Studying for finals? Are they still in high school?” Lucy asked. She was in her final year of high school.

“Yes, they are. I think you will like them,” Wren replied as they stopped in front of the door of her old room.

“Here is your suite.” She stepped into her old room, glad now she had vacated it.

“There is the bedroom, and the sofa folds out so Lucy can sleep there. The bathroom is through the bedroom, and I just cleaned it the other day, so everything should be ready for use.”

“Thank you,” Claire said, looking around the room.

Wren could see she clearly did not approve of the accommodation, but Wren did not care.

“I suppose this will do for the night. Did you have plans for tomorrow?” her mother asked.

“No. It is the weekend, so after breakfast, I will show you around. We usually eat around seven-thirty on weekends, but you can eat whenever. There is no set time.”

“Seven-thirty is fine. We have a few matters to discuss tomorrow as well.” She turned to go before turning back. “Will that man be with us?”

Wren shrugged. “I do not know. I am not separated from him much.” She flushed after she spoke, realizing how that sounded.

“Really,” her mother said, giving her a disapproving look. “We will need to discuss that as well, it seems.”

“There is nothing to discuss, Mother. We are partners and have to spend a lot of time together, that is how it works.”

“Mmm,” was the only reply she got.

“It is getting late, and we have traveled a long way to be here. I think we will head to bed. Good night, dear.” God, she hated how her mother said that.

“Good night, Mother, Father, Lucy. I will see you in the morning.”

Wren headed out the door and to her room with a sigh. “Damn, what am I going to do now?”