Winters' 3 Dears- The 12: Book Three

14. Adventure Adventure

Tennessee smiled behind his coffee mug as he watched Beatrice wolf down her eggs which had run together with the syrup from her pancakes. "Those aren't the only eggs of the world you know."

Beatrice shot him a look as she finished off the last bit. Wiping her mouth with her napkin she looked around the inn. It was divided once my stairs with the eating area on one side and the information desk on the other. Then the eating area was divided by a braided rope with the whites on one side and the coloreds on the other. She silently scoffed at this when she thought of mixed race people. Where were they supposed to sit?

"I'll telegram your sisters to let them know you are all right," Tennessee said.

"You don't need to do that," Beatrice said.

"I feel I do," Tennessee said. "Our train is in three hours. We could see the town before we leave."

Beatrice finished off her juice. "You'd show me around the town?" she asked and he nodded. "What if I try to run away?"

"You won't," Tennessee said. "Besides I know New Orleans like the back of my hand. You'd have no place to hide." He leaned back proudly in his chair.

Beatrice pursed her lips and bounced her knees. "You must know a lot of towns, being a rogue. What's it like traveling all the time?"

"It's not for everyone," Tennessee said. "I'm often on my own. I usually serve as a messenger for my clan."

"Clan?" Beatrice questioned. "That sounds scary."

Tennessee laughed. "I know, but it's not. Honest. We only do good." He looked down. "I've been trying to prove myself lately so I can get on the front lines and not be a messenger anymore."

"You're looking for a promotion?" Beatrice questioned. "You want to prove yourself to your boss?"

"Something like that." Tennessee shrugged not really wanting to explain everything in detail to her.

"So let me see if I understand," Beatrice said. "You run around delivering messages for some top man who could do it himself?"

"Hold your horses," Tennessee said. "It's not that way at all. And I have you know that our second in command is a woman."

"Really?" Beatrice asked. "I'm impressed. So what do you do exactly? Do you rescue damsels in distress? Feed the hungry? Save orphans trapped in fires?"

Tennessee had to smile at her humor making her smile too. "It's a long story."

Beatrice leaned forward in the chair. "We have three hours," she said.

Tennessee rubbed his neck as he stared into her eager eyes. "Well it started before either of us were born," he began. "Long ago in a sleepy little town on the rock coast of South Carolina..."

/

Ladybird roused to someone tapping lightly on her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open lightly and she sat up wiping the drool from her face.

"Good morning," Silas said snapping her out of her tired trance. "Wysteria brought me up; we didn't know you would be sleeping up here."

Ladybird looked from Silas to her sister.

Silas stepped back and whistled as he looked around. "You weren't kidding what you said about when inspiration strikes."

Ladybird looked around and gasped. Getting to her feet she went over to the painted wall. Finished. She had finished it! "It's the map."

"But you said you only looked at it that once, how did you—"

"My father has been painting this map for a long time," Ladybird said. "The house where I was raised was filled with paintings of dancers and sentinels. Combined together they make this map."