The Hidden Directive

The laughter of young children playing could be heard from a mile away. Elaina stood in the kitchen, peering out of the window at the two children playing in the yard. As the sun cast its warm rays upon her garden, she smiled at the thought of how simple her life had become. Her long skirt swept the floor with every step as she walked to the doorway leading to the yard. “Elaina,” a soft voice spoke from behind her. Elaina’s gaze shifted from the children as she spun around and smiled, opening her arms following an embrace. “Bethany, I’m glad you made it! Marcus is going to be starting training soon.” She jutted her head towards the yard. “Oh, I can’t wait to see!” Bethany bounced on the balls of her toes. “Where’s Wilson?” Elaina asked, interlocking her arm with Bethany’s. Bethany frowned. “He had to stay late today, but he should be here before dinner. Have you heard or seen anything recently?” Bethany squinted as she brought her hand to shield her hazel eyes from the sun as both women stepped through the threshold of the French door. Elaina and Bethany took a seat on a nearby picnic bench, their eyes glued on the children.  Elaina sighed, “Oh, work must keep him busy. I haven’t seen or heard anything lately. Everything seems too quiet these days. Honestly, I’ve just been enjoying it." “Loucian, be nice to Mimori, please!” Bethany called over to her son. She had gentle eyes and a lighter skin tone, making for a motherly look. “Alright, who’s ready to move some rocks, huh?” A playful voice joined in on the commotion the children were stirring up outside. Marcus stood at a muscular six feet tall with dark brown hair and equally dark eyes. Marcus’s playful nature and infinite patience made him the obvious choice as the children’s instructor. He carefully watched Mimori and Lou as they fumbled over one another, running over to him. Crossing his arms, he let out a boisterous laugh. “Ok, ok, there’s no need to push and shove, you two. There are plenty of things to move today.”  Mimori and Loucian untangled themselves and stood up, brushing the dirt and grass from their clothing as they looked up at him for further instructions. Marcus led the children to a nearby clearing they used for training.  The little girl, who possessed fire red hair with tanned skin, took a stance, her feet shoulder-width apart, with one arm extended. She closed her eyes and focused on moving the small boulder in front of her.  Lou, a small boy with raven dark hair and brown eyes, decided to cross his legs and plop down onto the grass. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, concentrating on moving a giant boulder into Mimori’s cluster of rocks, toppling it. A dark aura surrounded Lou. Bethany gasped and pointed to him. “Elaina…” she whispered, “It’s awake!” “Oh, no, Marcus!” Elaina snapped. “Wake him up, now!” she yelled, rushing over to Mimori. She scooped the little girl up and backed away from Loucian, eyes filled with worry. Marcus knelt beside Lou, placing a hand on his shoulder, he gently shook the boy. “Lou, I need you to wake up bud, it’s not time for that, c’mon.” As the dark aura receded, the poor boy snapped his eyes open, glancing around in a daze. “What happened? Mommy… Who was the dark man?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. Elaina and Bethany looked at each other. Bethany spoke up, “I think that’s enough training for today.” “Mommy, is it dinner time yet? My tummy is empty.” little Mimori asked, her big brown eyes full of life and wonder, as if nothing had happened.  “Yeah, Mommy, I’m starving!” Lou piped up as his little tummy let out a growl.  “We were waiting for you two to finish training, loves. Let’s go sit at the picnic bench, and we’ll bring everything out," Bethany replied.  Marcus' head perked up at the crunching sound of gravel behind the bushes leading to the clearing. He turned toward the direction of the sound. Angling his head, he took a couple of sniffs into the air, grinning like he’d picked up the scent of a familiar friend. “Wilson, you dirty bastard, c'mon the jig is up!” he hollered, waiting for Lou’s father to show himself.   A well-built man with a fairly light complexion pounced out from behind the bushes, gently scooping Lou into his strong arms, tickling him. “I missed another session, didn’t I?” Wilson glanced around the training grounds, taking in massive boulders stacked in different formations, ranging from shapes to animals. He set the giggling boy down, placing his hands on his hips.  “Well, I heard you were stuck at work a little longer than usual, but you’ll be able to teach them next time,” Bethany replied as she strode over to Wilson, pecking him on the cheek.   Elaina walked over, embracing him quickly. She paused, waiting for Marcus to catch up before heading back to the house with Bethany.  “Glad you were able to make it for dinner at least. The kids did great!” Marcus glanced at Elaina and smiled. “We don’t deserve those two. Also, we need to talk,” Marcus piped up as he followed behind his wife, giving Wilson a quick yet firm handshake.  The ladies prepped the wooden picnic table in their backyard with serving bowls, silverware, and plates. They took their seats in their respective places beside their spouses as Mimori and Lou sat together at the end. After tons of laughter, nit-picking, jokes, and of course eating, the two families bid their goodbyes as Bethany and Wilson took their leave. “See you two tomorrow! Oh, Wilson, are we still going to talk about... the thing... with Lou?” Marcus whispered.  Wilson nodded his head, pressing a finger to his lips to shush him. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it, I think,” he whispered before trailing back into the house. Lou’s dark power awakening so prematurely set uneasy on Wilson as he shut the door behind him.