Society Rules (28 page)

Indie tried to envision some stranger showing up at her door, telling her that they needed to be involved in her children’s lives, and visualized what her reaction would be to such a thing.

“How on Earth do they do it?” she wondered aloud. “It must be pretty difficult to get people to comply with that sort of thing. I mean, if they don’t, do you just kidnap the kids?” Indie felt ill at the thought. Jackson stopped pacing and looked at her, appalled.

“Indie, we are not evil beings, who run around kidnapping children from the arms of their screaming parents!” He sounded reproachful. “We have been around for a very long time, and our tactics are very effective and positive for everyone involved.”

“Okay then,” she challenged, “tell me how it’s done!”

He walked around the table to stand behind her and bent down, placing his hands on the table. She could feel his warmth spreading across her back and shoulders, his breath in her hair. His close proximity made it hard to focus.

“The tactics differ from one case to the next, according to the family dynamics,” Jackson began. “For instance, we would go about things differently for a child born to a single mother, or an unplanned birth, than we would a child born into a family . . . planned and wanted. Sometimes, it is as easy as adopting the child.”

“We have legal teams all over the world, and truly, unlimited finances available. But at times, we must take a more finessed approach. We go to the family, bringing a team of attorneys and very detailed documents tracking ancestry, and show legal proof that this child is the heir to a massive fortune, but that it comes with stipulations about the child’s education, and various other caveats, which most families are quite ready to meet, not wanting to risk this fortuitous inheritance.”

He smiled now. “It’s not usually that difficult to convince a family to take a large sum of money when in return, all that is asked of them is that they allow their child to receive the finest education in the world! Believe me, the families are generally overjoyed at their unexpected good fortune.”

“So, then what, you take them away?” Indie still didn’t like this.

“It’s no different than any privileged child going off to boarding school,” he rested his hands lightly on her shoulders. “We try to get them into some kind of academic boarding school at a very young age. Prior to that, we arrange home care or a nanny service, which is always part of the contract.

“The caregivers are specifically selected Society Members themselves, chosen by their ancestry. They have the patience and commitment, and sacrifice time with their own
Equals
during the term of care for their charges. They are invaluable, because they begin the process for teaching the children, preparing them for life.”

He smiled, looking distant for a moment.

“My nanny came to me when I was born. My mother was alone and sickly. I never knew my father. She needed help so badly and was thrilled to have a live-in nanny for me, as well as financial support. She never had to work again. I was sent to Queen Ethelburga’s from age five to eleven, then to the Queen’s College from twelve to eighteen. At graduation, I took the National Admissions Test for Law, and then continued my studies at Oxford, where I earned my PHD.

Indie was dumbfounded. “You graduated from Oxford?” She shook her head with new respect. “That’s pretty impressive.”

“The Society has been sending members to Oxford for nine centuries,” Jackson explained. “Our nannies are our first contact for teachings that are for Society Members only. We learn our origins, our history and purpose . . . and how to survive.

“After graduating from Oxford, I was accepted into the British Special Air Service, and served for six years.”

Jackson did not feel a need to add that he had spent an additional year with the Master Simon Wong, studying the Yellow Dragon Fist unarmed combat techniques. He figured that the fact that he was former SAS was probably quite enough for Indie to deal with, although she seemed to take this in stride.

Yeah, actually when he thought about it, it was definitely no big deal compared to all of the other information she’d had rammed down her throat in the past thirty-six hours.

Indie looked appropriately awestricken, but made no comment about his affiliations. “And do you see your mother at all?”

Jackson looked out the great window as he spoke.

“No, she died when I was thirteen. She had the best medical care, but her health was never good, and she finally succumbed to an auto immune disorder.” Indie’s eyes and thoughts relayed her sympathy to Jackson wordlessly.

He started pacing again, and the withdrawal of his hands from Indie’s skin was nearly unbearable. A soft involuntary whimper escaped her. He shot her an anxious look, hastily returning to stand behind her again; hands warm on her arms as he wrapped up his monologue.

“I’ve spent the last seven years running my own law firm, often as an absentee partner, while doing work for the Society; research, volunteering, and actively working to promote the values that are critical to the success of the Population.”

Jackson knelt at her side now, and sought her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. He stared at them while he spoke.

“I also have other duties that I am positive would be very . . .
distasteful
to you, but involve the protection of the Human Population.” He briefly looked up at her from the corner of his eye again, as her caught her mental gasp, but finished his thought. “I can’t explain my other duties to you until you know everything, and can understand.”

Human
Population?

Indie’s mind latched onto the words, the implication something that she was not at all prepared to face. Not right at this moment.

And to Hell with his statement about “other duties.” The only way she could continue having any conversation now, was to bring it back to her earlier curiosity about convincing parents to allow the Society’s takeover of their children’s’ future.

Jackson read her abrupt change of mental status, and went back to the earlier topic instantly, to accommodate her.

“Occasionally, there is the parent or parents who want no part of this gift, out of either pride, skepticism, or whatever, and send us packing. In those cases, we simply bide our time. The child is kept under constant surveillance and when he is older, he is ‘befriended’ by another young member brought in for this purpose. They are then assigned to slowly educate and advise them.

“Young pre-teens are very easy to convince, because they are already feeling the awkwardness of not fitting in, and as it so happens, this age group is very eager to believe that they are ‘special’, and adapt very quickly to the Society Rules.”

“And just what are the ‘Society Rules?” she had to ask.

“You will learn the rest later, but one pretty important one involves keeping your status a secret. I can more fully explain the reasons, at some point,” Jackson assured her.

“Well, it’s not exactly hard to guess some of the major ones.” Indie shuddered, remembering Will’s description of the treatment of the captive Society Member.

“Yes, that would be the main problem with disclosure,” he nodded seriously.

“Also, as soon as it is feasible, you must meet your
Equal
, which is not supposed to take as long or be as hard as it was for me.” He laughed, and kissed the top of her head.

“The Elders find them . . . same date of birth for one, which makes it easy to narrow the possibilities. In addition, certain family surnames have more incidences of full genetic markers than others do, just because the genes all began in a handful of individuals, and the surnames tend to follow those individuals. Although expanded by marriage, there are still approximately fifty surnames that have a higher percentage of births, Allen being one of these. Then, they just follow the built in tracking signal, which
you
deemed unnecessary at birth, apparently!” He smiled a little forlornly.

“Although we do use aliases at times, we know our true root names, and try to use them in the Population for as long as we can get away with it. It makes life easier”.

“So all . . . Society Members have an
Equal
; a mate for life built right in?”

“Mostly, yes.” Jackson replied. “To clarify, we all have an
Equal
. Usually they are introduced at boarding school as soon as the matches are located, which begins the bonding process right away. It is a match that leads to the Commitment, and they become mates.

“The exception is a rare phenomenon. There are some born, who are direct descendents of the most powerful, most pure of our ancestors. They have
Equals
of the same lineage. There is nothing . . .
passionate
about their partnership, although their loyalty and commitment is just as strong, possibly stronger. They find and love one another for life, but it is a mental connection, never physical. They remain untouched by carnal thoughts or feelings. Their power comes from the classification of their ancestor.”

Jackson knelt next to Indie, and sighed. “I think you’ll need to understand more about
your
origins, before I can elaborate on these particular Members.”

She clutched at his hands, intrigued by the idea of “classifications” of these ancestors, but willing to wait for the full explanation.

“Okay . . . but that still doesn’t explain my ‘invisibility’ gift,” she pressed.

“Ah, yes.” He straightened and resumed wearing a path in the hardwood floor. “Well, the gift of becoming invisible to others, mentally. You aren’t invisible in the literal sense, obviously, but you have a natural ability to block your ‘GPS’, so to speak, as well as to make people sort of . . . see
through
you, for lack of a better description.

“It can be done deliberately or, as in your case, quite inadvertently. I can see where it would make you very adept at ‘blending in’, and is probably one of the reasons you have functioned so well on your own. People tend to truly notice your presence, only when you make them, either by commanding them in some way or by doing something out of the ordinary that attracts the natural wariness of the Population.”

Indie was enlightened by this revelation. But how awful she felt now. It was never Will’s fault that he seemed oblivious to her existence most of the time.

Until she was leaving, of course.

Demanding a divorce had apparently “commanded” his notice. It was a good bet that this was also the explanation as to why Will had been her first and only boyfriend. Suddenly, many things about her life were becoming a little clearer.

She felt Jackson’s gaze. He was watching her with a sympathetic look. “No, it’s fine, really. Go on.” She nodded encouragement to him.

“All Society Members have some sort of gift, or gifts; powers that have been somewhat modified as they have moved down through the descendents,” he continued. “The gifts that a Member has, reveal what classification their ancestors fell into.”

Indie shifted in her chair. That word again.

“Classification?”

“Uh, yes,” Jackson spoke while eyeing her warily. “There was a hierarchy of ancestors, the ones who were sent by . . . er—” He seemed to catch himself. “—sent to teach and to eventually mingle with mankind. Different ranks possessed different powers.” He shrugged as if this information should be common knowledge.

“Some are protectors, warriors, having acute senses in knowing the thoughts of potential threats. We all possess pretty awesome math skills, and technical ability.” He ran his hands through his hair, sighing. “I wish I could drop
you
off at some sort of training center,” he said, wistfully, “then just pick you up when you have heard everything, and have reconciled your mind to it.”

Indie made an impatient noise at this.

“Hey, look, I have no problem with the truth. Well, for the most part, anyway. It’s the unknown that frightens me, and so I want to hear it all!”

Jackson stood against the wall with a resigned look, and then walked around the table, taking her hand and pulling her out of the chair.

“Right. Well, then, we might as well get comfortable,” he sighed, “because it’s going to be a long day . . . and night!”

He led her along down a short hallway, and stopped at the entrance to a huge bedroom. Her suitcase was on the bed. She hadn’t even noticed that he had carried it, along with her, into the house.

He retrieved a small duffle bag from behind the door, and tossed it on the bed as well. “I took the liberty of lifting a few personal items from your house while you were conversing with Will.”

“You were in my house, while Will was there?” Indie was belatedly horrified at the idea.

“Yup. Afraid so.” Jackson was unrepentant. “The door to your deck was open, and I could feel where Will’s thoughts had led him. I knew you were going to have to leave rather quickly.” He shook his head, a pained look in his eyes. “I saw the things you had already packed. Sentimental things, but I thought you could use a few more practical items like clothes, toiletries, a toothbrush . . . you know.”