Patricians: Sinful Seven (1 of 9)

Chapter 11: Post-Traumatic Stress

Sun reflected off the sleek shuttle ascending into the Sky. Henry watched the clamouring crowd fade into the distance. Feeling the loving embrace Julia rested her head on her father's shoulder. Maj. Lee and Capt. Anderson sat with their troops watching over the Williams family. Events of the day filled the cabin of the shuttle with a sombre ambiance that everyone felt sink in. Sudden weightless feeling of gravitational inertia from the shuttle foreshadowed the future.

Holding the most important things close Henry felt relief wash over him. Holding one arm Victoria rested to in her seat with eyes closed. Looking down Henry smiled daughter cuddled up to him. Everyone who knew the William's described the family as affection, loving, and private. Henry was a proud family man from a family that had ever reason for their pride. When bad times struck the family pulled together and endured.

Soft leather cushions drained tension from Henry sinking deeper into his seat. Memories of the events of the day replayed over and over. Examining the memories Henry tried to gleam any new piece of information. Today's events would define Julia in unpredictable ways for the rest of her life. Henry tried to focus his thoughts away from the worry pulling at his mind. The future is always uncertain like a raging river of rapids. How the event would shape Julia would only be seen in time.

Henry knew that the real problem with people is you can never know what is lurking behind their eyes. The best scientific theories measured observable behaviours to form patterns of thought and action, but freewill meant at any moment that pattern could change. Experience taught Henry that life is a struggle between organized reason and chaotic violence. People lived in ignorant bliss at the dangers all around them expecting police, firefighters, and doctors to solve every problem.

Henry watched most people struggling to survive putting forward minimal effort. Success demands effort. Life defines the individual by pushing people past their breaking point to see how much they can endure. Looking down Henry thought about how much his daughter surprised him today. Julia never surrendered choosing to fight back unarmed and without training. Nerves surged with a terrible mix of pride, terror, and helplessness when Henry watched his daughter fighting back.

The ordeal at the mall would be talked about for weeks in the news. Realization swept through Henry knowing how much this event would infect Julia's school life. Every student and teacher would be talking about the event. Henry knew the real struggle would be answering the questions still to come. Political and corporate enemies would seek to use the story of the tragedy to their advantage.

Half-truths, rumours, and lies would descend with hurricane force swirling around Julia at the center. Henry knew there was nothing he could do to shelter his daughter from public opinion. Every parent wants to protect children from the horrors of the world. No feeling is worse than powerlessness. Utter futility to prevent a tragedy weighs on everyone with equal strength. Wealth and power didn't protect children, but create even more danger.

Silence lingered in the cabin of the shuttle during the trip back to the William's estate. Snowflakes danced just beyond the window of the shuttle. New York City drifted away and skyscrapers vanished into the sky. The William's estate rested on the Long Island sound between New York State and Connecticut. The family home boasting fifty acres of beach front property, two offshore islands, and an almost fourteen thousands square foot old French renaissance Mansion.

Sweeping over the copper beech trees the shuttle approached the landing zone. Thrust from the engines of the shuttle tossed the titanic trees back and forth like tooth picks. Descending into the clearing the shuttle hovered to a stop over the landing pad. Lights flashed from the landing pad reflecting off the shuttle in steady strobes. Hues of amber and orange broke through the dark grey clouds gathering in the early dusk skies.