Pat went and found a room that no one had staked out and he got in bed. Although Pauline had sent him to Brenda Pat felt self-conscious about facing her. His mind was working overtime and it was a long time before he fell asleep.
The next morning he walked into the kitchen to find that Anna and Pauline had fixed coffee. The two women were talking when he walked in but they both stopped talking as soon as they saw him. Pat saw that the shiner that Brenda had given Pauline had almost closed her eye.
Pauline tried to smile at him but her black eye was hurting her, "Shasta said that she has to talk to you this morning. She said it's important but she wouldn't tell me what it was."
Pat was relieved that Pauline seemed to have less of a problem with him bedding down others than Pat did himself. He couldn't get over the guilt that he felt. He loved Pauline and, in different circumstances, he would be one hundred percent faithful to her.
Pat sipped his coffee, "I'll see what's on her mind. Anything else going on?"
Both women shook their heads. Three of the girls walked into the kitchen and Anna asked them what they wanted to eat. All of the girls said that they would get something later.
Pat asked the girls if they knew where Shasta was and Hanna told him that she was sitting by the pool. Pat filled his coffee cup and walked to the pool area with his cup of coffee.
Pat walked to where Shasta was sitting, "I heard that you were looking for me."
The young girl looked up at him and he could see the concern on her face, "I think that you should talk to Cassie. She's talking about leaving the group and going out on her own."
Pat hesitated before answering her, "Any idea what brought this about?"
Shasta shook her head, "She never talks much and she won't discuss it with any of us. I don't think she's said twenty words this whole trip. She tells us to stay out of her business."
"I'll talk to her. She wouldn't last a week on her own. We've had it easy for the past couple of weeks. The foods that we've been eating aren't going to be so plentiful in the near future. When the refrigeration stops the food in the refrigerators and freezers is going to rot fast. We're going to have to rely on canned goods and what we can find on farms and what we can grow ourselves after we settle down in one place."
Shasta looked ahead like she wasn't even talking to Pat, "None of the girls know anything about her; she's always stayed to herself in school. Hell, we don't even know where she lives."
Pat put his hand on Shasta's shoulder, "Thanks for cluing me in. I'll check on it and see what's bothering her."
Pat walked back to the kitchen. Sarah had come down and was sitting and listening to Pauline and Anna talk. The women were fixing breakfast for a couple of the girls. Several girls walked by the kitchen with towels over their arms, heading for the pool.
Pat waited until the girls had gone into the restaurant to eat before speaking to the women, "Does anyone know if anything's wrong with Cassie? Shasta says that she's unhappy and I'd like to get to the bottom of it before it gets out of hand."
Anna spoke first, "She used to be a good student but the last couple of years she's been letting her studies slip. She's become very quiet and she's belligerent at times. I don't know if it's a faze she's going through or not."
"Have you ever brought this up with her parents at PTA meetings?" he asked.
Anna thought for a minute, "Her mother was in an accident and the father said that he was busy taking care of his invalid wife and couldn't come to the PTA meetings. I requested a meeting at his convenience but he never set up an appointment."
Pat thought for a minute before answering Anna, "I'd like to talk to Cassie. It's a bit serious and it has to be discussed with her now."
"I've tried to talk to her but she more or less tells me to mind my own business," Anna said.
"Get with Cassie and tell her that I'm going to get some supplies before we head out of here," Pat said thoughtfully, "Tell her that I need help and that you'd like me to go along to help. Don't tell her that I'm the one that requested that she go along with me. Be forceful and don't let her turn you down."
"Okay, when do you want to leave?" Anna asked.
"As soon as possible; I think that it's going to take some time to draw her out. Tell her that I'm checking out the vehicles and I'm ready to go."
Anna left to get Cassie and Pauline looked at Pat, trying to figure out what was wrong. Pat saw her looking at him and walked to her and drew her in his arms.
"Pauline, Cassie has been telling the girls that she's going to leave the group and go out on her own. She won't last a week on her own. Something's going on in her head but, apparently she's withdrawn from everyone and won't tell anyone what the real problem is."
Pauline leaned up to him and kissed him, "Always looking out for your flock, aren't you?"
Pat told her that he was going to go outside and check on the vehicles and to send Cassie out when she came down. Pat went outside. He looked over at the pool and saw that some of the girls were swimming in the nude. He was shocked that half of the girls shaved their pubic hair. He hurried to the vehicles and began to check the vital fluids in each vehicle.
About a half an hour after he had finished checking the vehicles Cassie walked out of the motel with her hands in her jeans pockets. She was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt that was too much for summer. She walked toward Pat like this was the worst punishment in the world. She walked to Pat and stood several feet in front of him without saying a word.
Pat smiled at her, "You ready? Let's get going."
Cassie didn't move, "Why do I have to go?"
The smile on Pat's face faded, "We all have to pull our own weight, now get in the truck."
Cassie glared at him for a minute and then got in the truck. She sat in the seat and pushed herself against the door as if she wanted to be as far away from him as possible. Pat pulled out of the parking lot and started driving. He had no idea where he was really going but this trip was really to find out what was going on with Cassie so the destination really didn't matter.
Pat tried to talk to her but she either ignored his questions or answered as curtly as she could. He continued to try to draw her out.
After they had driven a while Cassie turned to him, "Look, do we have to talk. Let's just do what we have to do and get back to the others."
Pat didn't answer her and continued driving. He tried to think of what he had to do to get through to her. He saw a fast moving stream off of the side of the road. The stream widened to a large pool next to the road. The water in the pool wasn't moving as fast as the stream. Pat pulled the truck over to the side of the road and shut off the engine. Cassie looked at him with fear in her eyes.
Pat got out of the truck and walked around to Cassie's side and opened the door, "Okay, get out. I've had enough of your mouth. I don't know what I've done to you but I'm tired of you trying to make me feel like the villain."
Cassie sat in the truck and it was clear that she wasn't going to get out of the truck. Pat grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the truck and dragged her to the stream. When they got to the stream he pushed her down and made her sit next to the rushing water.
"Now, tell me what's wrong," he snapped, "We're not leaving here until you tell me what's wrong."
Cassie glared at him and then snapped at him, "I'm not going to be part of your harem. I'll kill myself first."
Pat couldn't believe what she said, "Have I asked you, or anyone else for that matter, to be part of my harem?"
"I know what's going on," she said with venom in her words, "You're the only man in the world and now you think that you have a harem. Well, you'd better never put your hands on me or I'll cut them off."
Pat walked to the truck to give his rage a chance to subside. He stood at the back of the truck for several minutes. He saw two blankets in the back of the truck that the girls had apparently put there. He took the blankets out of the back of the truck and walked back to where Cassie was sitting.
He threw one of the blankets in her lap, "Here, sit on this. You seat will get wet and the ants will start biting you."
Cassie put the blanket under her in a way that told him that she wasn't going to give him an inch. He sat down on the other blanket after he had spread it out. They both sat for a long time just watching the water. Pat began to try to figure out what he had done that had made Cassie distrust him so much.
Cassie turned to him, "Are we going to get those supplies or did you just bring me here to rape me? Is that really the reason for bringing me here?"
Pat pulled the gun out of his belt and handed it to her, butt first, "Here, if that's what you really think; take this gun and put a bullet in my head. You can tell the others that I walked into the woods and I never came out. They'll think a wild animal got me. You can take the others to another spot so they'll never find my body."
Cassie reached into her pocket, "I don't need that. I've got this."
She pulled a switch blade out of her pocket and it flicked open. Cassie held it as if she was trying to scare him into thinking she was going to stab him.
She got up, folded the knife and put it in her pocket and started to walk down the stream. Pat let her go; keeping an eye on her so that she didn't get out of sight. She sat down next to the pool and stared at the water. Pat let her alone and they sat apart for over an hour.
It began to dawn on him what was bothering Cassie. He let her have her space and he waited for the right time to ask her for answers.