CODE NAME WOLFGIRL: LOST CHILDREN IN AMERICA

Chapter 7: Candy in the Garden

“I’m sure everything will be fine,” Saunders replied. “Candy will help the police find a child molester and she’ll be a hero.”

He seemed to be a little too self-assured.

“When do you think she’ll be ready to leave?” Saunders asked Jason. He seemed too eager as usual.

“I need time,” Jason replied. He caught a smile from Major. “After last night, I need to work with her for a few more days. This came on quick and I wasn’t prepared. Her nightmare was bad; she hasn’t had one like it in a long time. I need to find out what triggered it because that is a stimulus we need to avoid. No matter where we stay, she’ll have to interact with people. Candy hasn’t done much of that since she came to us. I’ve had her on trips outside, but never for more than a day.”

“You’ve made a lot of progress with her,” Elysian noted. “We’re all very proud of that. She couldn’t talk when they found her; now I understand she can even read.”

“Candy made a lot of progress,” Jason corrected. “I’m here to see that it continues; that’s all. She has a long way to go, please don’t forget that. Our eventual goal is to have her on her own and living outside the institute.”

They spent another hour talking about Candy and what was known about her condition. Had anyone discovered who was responsible for it? Major reminded them several times that there wasn’t a lot known about Candy before she was found. It might be years before they located the person who abused her. They might never find them.

The meeting adjourned with the board representatives giving Jason their assurances that he was the right person for the job. They also let Jason know how much trust they put into him. Jason shook everyone’s hand. However, he was in a hurry to leave once the meeting concluded. Somehow, he didn’t enjoy the tons of responsibility on his shoulders.

The first thing he needed to do was work with Candy and make sure she was ready to leave the institute for several weeks. Saunders didn’t say how long they would be outside the grounds, but Jason assumed it would be more than an overnight trip.

When he arrived at her house, Candy was already outside. He wasn’t too worried about her occasional trips outdoors. There were security cameras everywhere. One hummed as it turned in Candy’s direction as she worked near the foundation of the house. This time Candy wore only a t-shirt and a pair of panties. She dug with her hands in the soft dirt.

“Hello, Candy,” he called to her as she walked up to the small figure. Even from the distance, he could see the dirt on her hands and legs. “Would you like to tell me what you are doing?”

“Flowers,” she told him. “I don’t like them so close to the door.” She reached over, uprooted an iris, and placed it in another location.

Jason stepped back and looked at the flowerbed. The institute had groundskeepers who took care of the flowers and decorative shrubs. There was a particular way they planted everything. For some reason, this offended Candy’s sense of decor and she was moving them into another location. He’d have to talk to the maintenance people about this. It would be something else they’d have to keep in mind. At which point Jason had another thought.

“Is this the first time you’ve done this Candy?” he asked her as she worked her way to another row.

“No,” she responded. “I did it yesterday. They came back and put them here again. Why do they move them, Jason?”

Oh great, he thought. I’ll have to keep this in mind as well.

“It’s what they’re paid to do, Candy,” he tried to explain.

“Paid?” They’d had this discussion before. It was time to have it again.

“It’s what people do for money,” he told her as he opened the door and held it for Candy. “You do remember what I told you about money, don’t you?”

Candy brushed herself off and stood up. To watch Candy stand was to see a thing of grace. She didn’t stand as much as unfold. Jason couldn’t figure out how she came by some of her movements, they had to be self-taught.

“I think so,” she replied.

“Good. We can talk about it some more today. We’re going out for a few hours. There’s a shopping mall around her and I want to take you to it. We need to get you some things for the trip and its time you learned how to try on clothes. Now go inside and take a shower, I’ll wait for you to get ready.”

Candy walked into the house and wiped her feet off before she headed to the bathroom. Jason reminded himself to inventory the van contents. There was plenty in it they already had for the occasional trip outside. He made a reminder to purchase a second pair of shoes for Candy. She had an annoying habit of losing them.

As Candy walked to the bathroom door, she stripped off all her clothes and tossed them into the basket, just as she’d been taught to do.

Have to talk to her about doing that in front of men, Jason thought to himself.