The Trouble with Hades

Chapter 11

Set out under the awning was a lawn chair and a large fan directed at it. Brad had managed to rig up a generator to make the many fans operate, but it just proved that this caravan was not ideal for us. Especially the one that cannot leave it.

"We need to order more walls."

"What for?" Brad asked.

"Well, clearly, you have set this up to sit under the cover with a fan on you, which tells me that it was hot in the caravan. Is that right?"

"Yes."

Brad followed me into the caravan. The heat hit me instantly, and I knew that being in here was not fun. Being unable to escape was probably a nightmare. Now more than ever, I regretted asking James to fix Niko. Sure, Niko was safe, he was repaired, and he was with his family again, but it meant living in an oven.

"Was there another person who might have felt the same way but couldn't escape the caravan like you could?"

Everyone looked at Niko. It appeared as if he didn't know how to sweat.

Dressed in a shirt and pants, he seemed peculiar to me considering that I'd only ever seen him dressed in long pants and a long sleeve cotton shirt.

"I cope, don't worry about me."

"Nonsense, darling," Beatrice said in her soft, husky tone. "We can get a marquee and create a large area for you to rest in. With the walls around them, no one will see you."

"Get the right type, and they can even be air-conditioned. Toss some flooring down, bring in the furniture that survived the nightmare that is me, and you're all set."

Niko gave an uneasy smile.

"I am grateful, but it's not necessary."

"Honey," Beatrice said as she reached across the table. "No one will see through the walls. It won't blow away. You will be safe. We will make sure of that."

"Done," Brad exclaimed loudly.

He looked up as silence hit the caravan.

"Done what?" I asked cautiously.

"Ordered a marquee. Fast shipping should have it here in a couple of days. The place even sells the flooring and all the bits needed for the air con unit."

"And the unit, right?"

Brad rolled his eyes at me.

"Yes," he groaned. "As if I'd want to be stuck in a hot tent without one."

"Okay. It's just that you were rather fast."

"It's hot, and I want it here as soon as possible. If it means that I don't research prices, then that's how it is."

"Well, I guess we'll wait to see what it's like and how big it is."

Niko didn't look overly impressed but seemed to be okay with it. I understood his fear, and I wanted to say that I was worried too, but he couldn't stay in this little hot box during the middle of the day.

The heat wouldn't be here for much longer. Soon, the cold would arrive, followed by snow. Getting out of this place was necessary for all of us.

"How was school today?" Beatrice asked.

"Eh, boring as always. As much as it's great that I can soak information, it kind of makes things like school into a dull waste of time."

"You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"In a way, I kind of do. I mean, I get to see Karina, and I can keep James in the loop of what's going on if I need to. Then there's the infamous duo who are always in need of watching, and at the end of it, I'm rewarded with going to the prom. So, like all things, it has its pros and cons."