South Mountain Pack Ch. 09

"Anything else you want to ask? If not we'll rejoin the others and start the tour," said Alpha Carlo as he smiled at the girls.

"Uhmm, Alpha Carlo Sir? Are we really safe here? Charles and his men can't get to us here?" whispered Morgan, the fear evident in her eyes.

Carlo looked her in the eye, motioned her to come to him and he held her hands as he said in a quiet yet firm voice, "Morgan, I give you my word as Alpha of one of the largest and strongest Packs in the United States, you and your sisters are safe. You saw the security measures in your home, you met your security detail last night, we are going to show you the security in the school and you see those men over there? Every one of them has taken a pledge to protect you while you are here on campus, and as soon as you joined the Pack, everyone took a pledge to protect you and keep you safe. We want you to be happy here Morgan, but you must remember if you go off on your own without protection then we can't keep you safe. The rules are put in place to keep you safe."

Carlo looked at her and smiled before he continued, "Also you have an intended mate now. Do you think Dominic would let anything happen to you? Or the rest of the Carlucci's knowing how much you mean to him?"

Carlo saw the fear leave Morgan's eyes and a smile appear on her face. He made a mental note to talk to Todd and Holly to see why Morgan seemed more scared then her sisters. Charles had specifically mentioned Brianna in the note and he wondered what had happened to make Morgan so scared.

"Okay girls, let's rejoin the others, but remember if you ever have any questions, fears or concerns please contact me," Carlo smiled reassuringly at the girls and motioned for them to follow him.

Once they arrived back with the others, each male member looked at Carlo and nodded their head acknowledging his pledge to the Miller girls. Like the security detail that was formed for the Miller girls, the security officers at The School House took their jobs very seriously and felt honored to be in charge of the youngsters' safety while they were at school.

"Before we go inside, I'll finish the exterior tour. In 1871, an eight foot high brick wall was built. The year after the wall was completed they planted shrubbery called Pyracantha on both sides of the wall," Carlo stated pointing to the wall. "Erin, can you tell me anything distinctive about the wall or the shrubbery?"

"Yes Sir, it's done in the English Bond style which is one of the strongest styles of brick walls. I can't tell the thickness of the wall, but considering it was built in 1871 and built for security instead of decoration, I would think it would be two courses thick," Erin said with a shy smile on her face. "I can't see the shrubbery either, but I'm also leaning towards something put in for security rather then decorative."

"You are right on both counts," said Alpha Carlo with a smile. "The shrubbery has a thorny stem and when grown as a hedge it is almost impossible to get through. The bricks used were 8.5" x 4" x 2.5", slightly larger then the standard of today, which would make the brick wall almost 17.5" wide."

"Five years ago we added the gravel path which is not to be walked on, it actually contains motion sensors. We turn those off when we have events, but when the youngsters are in school, they stay on. If you look at the wall closely you will see cameras which are not only motion detection but also infrared," Frank added.

"I'm sure you noticed the guard house by the gates. The gates are kept locked and access is only granted through the office after the guard has identified the person seeking entry," said Joe. "If somebody tries to ram through the gate, a barricade will come up preventing a vehicle's entry, allowing those at The School House enough time to get to the safe room."

"Looking at it with an objective eye, the grounds appear like any normal private school, we have a football stadium, tennis courts, baseball and softball diamonds and a soccer field. We try to maintain as normal an appearance as possible so as not to draw attention to ourselves and for over two hundred years it has worked," said Carlo with a shrug. "In today's society, we also have to worry about kidnappings for ransom. The youngsters of Senator Martin as well as prominent business owners attend school here, mine included."

"Well, I haven't even seen the inside of the school yet and I'm pretty damn impressed," said Todd as his father nodded his head in agreement. "I can't wait to see what surprises the inside has in store."

"All doors are solid steel," Aldo said as he motioned for the group to enter the entryway. "The windows are bulletproof and they also have steel doors that come down to cover them, just like our homes and businesses."

"The office is to the right," said Principal Richards. "All visitors are immediately directed here by security. The door on the left is the security office and until you get your ranking Todd and Papa Mike we can't show you how it works, you have to be a First level Beta to have access."

"We understand, no apologies needed," said Papa Mike as Todd nodded.

"On this floor, the right side of the building contains the cafeteria; the left side contains two classrooms for Science and one for the lab. If you notice, there is no central staircase, there is one on the east side which the students use to go upstairs and one on the west side used to go downstairs. It helps with the flow if they aren't fighting against each other to move from floor to floor," said Principal Richards moving down the hall to the east stairwell.

"On the second floor there are ten classrooms, used for English, Math and Computer Science," said Principal Richards as they walked down the hallway. The doors to the classrooms were open and he encouraged the Millers to glance into them.

"Let's go on up to the third floor," he said once again heading to the east stairwell. "On this floor we have eight classrooms, used for Social Studies, Art and Language Arts, we teach Spanish, French and of course Italian. The other classrooms are used as needed for special courses. Let's head on down to the gym." He continued to walk down the hallway to the west stairwell.

"Access to the gym is through the hallway next to the cafeteria. During basketball games the doors leading to the school are kept locked, but the cafeteria is open to provide concessions and there are public restrooms," Richards continued as he led them down the hallway. "On the left are the changing rooms and on the right the kitchen. And here is the gym." The Millers looked around in awe, the building was huge and had bleachers on one side that were currently pushed together to the wall.

"We used the original building plans for The School House when we had this designed almost eighteen years ago. Modifications had to be made of course to allow for the buildings use and we used the same dimensions for the custom made bricks. They used a special process to age the bricks and mortar to match The School House," said Carlo.

"From the outside, it looks like a wing not a completely different building," said Joe with pride. "The old gym was built in the 1950's and needed so many updates it was actually cheaper for us to rebuild then fix. We figured if we were going to rebuild we would do it to match the rest of the campus. Triple C did the work."

"So girls, what do you think of the school?" Carlo asked with a smile on his face.

"Sir, it's beyond every expectation we had," said Erin with a matching smile. "When Daddy told us we would be going to school, we imagined one of those generic schools that had no character. This is unbelievable."

"Erin, I would be happy to show you the architectural features in the main building. Most of the building remains unchanged, including the moldings which we copied for the new addition. The classrooms now have recessed lighting, but the original ceiling medallions are still there from the gas lit chandeliers which were converted to electricity in the 1940's," said Aldo with a smile.

"Okay, everyone please follow Aldo as he leads us to the basement," said Alpha Carlo with a smile. The group followed Aldo as he led them to the west stairwell.

When they were in the basement, Joe looked at Papa Mike and said, "Do you see where the doorway is? Remember it has to be big to allow access for the youngsters to get in within two minutes."

Papa Mike looked around the basement which ran the whole length of the main building. It was obviously used for storage as old desks, lumber; bricks and sporting equipment were down there. "I have no clue," he said sounding disappointed.

"Aldo, open the door. Papa Mike, keep an eye on the boiler," instructed Alpha Carlo.

Aldo walked over to the wall pushing a panel to reveal a keypad in the recessed area. He punched in the code and seconds later the boiler started to swing out to the side and the brick wall opened at the mortar joints.

The Millers stood there watching in amazement as the wall swung open revealing another solid steel door. Carlo stepped forward pushing another brick in revealing another keypad that opened the steel door. "Okay, follow me," he said.

"Excuse my language, but this is fucking unbelievable," said Todd as they walked into the safe room. Nana Ellen swatted him on the arm and his daughters started to giggle. He winked at them as he leaned down and kissed his mother on the cheek.

"While the girls are here, we'll go ahead and take their pictures to put on their bunks," said Aldo as he got the digital camera. He directed the group into the smaller of the two sleeping quarters, all the way towards the back. "If the outer two doors are breached, there is another steel door at the entrance of this room. We placed the girls in the back so they would have to get past the males to get to them." Aldo directed the security team to show the girls their bunk assignments and take their picture.

"If you notice, there is a room in the back for the girls to change and use the restroom and one up front for the boys, those also have stainless steel doors," Aldo motioned to the two rooms as he was explaining.

"There are lockers beside each bunk as well as in the changing room so we will need the girls to bring enough clothes for a two week stay along with any ugh uhmm personal items they may need during that time," Aldo blushed as he finished.

The girls rejoined the group and Aldo led them into the main rec area. "We have games, books, computers, video games, cards, CD's and a DVD collection to keep them occupied. If you follow me, I'll show you the cafeteria."

"The cafeteria has enough food to last for three weeks and will be served buffet style. The tables are mobile and can fold up to be pushed against the wall to provide extra room if needed," Principal Roberts added as Aldo was looking at the digital camera to make sure the pictures were clear.

"The room off to the side is the security area. We have hidden cameras located throughout the school and grounds so the security team can monitor what is going on. There is also a small first aid room in case anyone gets hurt," said Alpha Carlo.

"Any questions or concerns, do you see anything we need to do or upgrade? None of us will be upset if there are, you are looking at things with a fresh pair of eyes," stated Alpha Carlo.

Todd looked at his family and they shook their heads. He looked around the safe room and said, "Honestly, we've never seen anything like this before, it's like something out of a movie. The only thing you haven't mentioned is how everything works like electrical, plumbing and air, but I'm assuming like our safe rooms they are dedicated systems."

"Those are standard in every Pack home and business. Again, once you get your ranking you can see how the systems work," Frank said as he smiled at Todd.

"Okay, we'll go outside then," Carlo led them up the stairs and down the hallway to the front door and into the courtyard.

"Tomorrow morning, we will be running drills to make sure each youngster is in the safe room in less than two minutes. In the afternoon you will be tested so we know where to place you for your studies. Don't worry, all incoming students are tested," said Principal Richards as he smiled at the girls. "Do you have your uniforms?"

"We are going to Robertson's now to get them," said Holly. "Rose and Annie said it is white button down oxford shirts, khaki pants and blue cardigan sweaters with the school logo on them. I forgot to ask what kind of shoes though."

"Mommy, Gabby told us she wears Sperry Topsiders, ballet flats, Converse or Keds in the fall and spring and during the winter she wears Timberland Chukka's. We had her write it down for us," said Kelly. "We have to get those, all the girls wear them and Sophia and Maria already got them too."

"She also told us where to get the ribbons to wear on Saturday to the game, and the matching headbands for our school uniforms," added Caitlin.

"Headbands and ribbons, what do you need those for? Your hair is so dark nothing will show up anyway," Todd said with a straight face as Holly and Nana Ellen whacked his arms while his daughters groaned and rolled their eyes at him.

"Todd, stop teasing your daughters and acting like a horse's ass," said Papa Mike with a grin. "You know damn well if your daughters want headbands and ribbons you'd be the first one out the door to get them."

"Yeah, and I know you'd be right behind me," retorted Todd with an answering smile as his dad nodded his head in agreement.

The men started laughing as Joe said, "That would be South Mountain Florist and Gifts. Matt and Phil are the owners and yes, they make the headbands and ribbons the girls wear."

"We'll go to Robertson's first and then stop by the florist shop," said Matt. "After we're done there, it'll be time to go to Frank's for the meeting."

"Well, we're done here," said Carlo with a smile. "I'll see everyone tomorrow morning at 7; that'll give us time to go over any last minute problems before the youngsters arrive at 8:30." He looked at the security detail and said, "Thank you everyone for coming to reassure the Millers of the safety of their daughters."

"My family would also like to say thank you. You have no idea how relieved we are in knowing our girls will be safe," Todd said sincerely as he and Papa Mike shook hands with the security staff.

"Todd and Holly, it was a pleasure to show you the school and we will make sure your daughters are safe," said Aldo as the rest of the security staff and Principal Richards waved good-bye and got in their cars.

"Okay, Todd, Papa Mike and Holly follow us and we'll take you to Robertson's. It isn't far, only about 10 or 15 minutes away," said Matt and they got in their vehicles following as Matt led them down the long driveway.

"Well Carlo, I think that went well. We will be here tomorrow morning at 7 to help before we go into work. We told Jerry and Joel we would be late," said Joe.

"Make sure the coffee is black and plentiful, I have a feeling we'll need it after this meeting tonight," said Frank with a laugh.

"Oh, that's right; you have to have the dating rules meeting. This is what the third one you've had in the last month?" laughed Aldo.

Frank looked at him and laughed saying, "Yeah, they're falling like dominoes. Speaking of the Clan, we are going to head out, our youngsters are playing one of our favorite games and we want to join them. See everyone tomorrow." Frank and Joe got into Frank's truck and waved to Aldo and Carlo as they drove away.

"Aldo, I noticed your hesitation when you talked about the guards. Is there anything we need to discuss now that we are alone?" asked Carlo leaning against his truck.

Aldo stared off into the trees for several moments before saying, "Carlo, it's one of those feelings I get; it started right before lunch. I can feel a threat coming, I don't know from where, but I can sense it. It's almost like it has a pulse, its faint now but I can tell its going to get stronger."

"I think it's time to let Frank and Joe know about your feelings or premonitions, or whatever you want to call them. If you feel something is going to happen then we need to take the threat seriously," Carlo said looking him in the eye and Aldo nodded his head reluctantly. "What do you think we need to do here at the school?"

"We need to hire more then five new security people; I think we should up the staff to thirty. I want to get those security people trained and trained quickly," Aldo said. "I'd like to put more cameras in the trees surrounding the school, maybe triple the number we already have and extend them out further. Put more motion sensors in the outer perimeter of the brick fence. Do more patrols in the woods and extend them out further while the youngsters are on the premises. The more advance warning we have of an attack, the more time for the youngsters and Pack to get to safety."

"We'll meet tomorrow morning with Frank and Joe at 6 instead of 7. We'll go over everything and make a list of the surveillance supplies needed and I'll order them for delivery on Tuesday. We'll go ahead and hire fifteen more security people. Put them on the payroll as maintenance, we talked about rebuilding the dugouts on the baseball and softball fields and replacing the fencing, this will be perfect cover for them," said Carlo. "Increase the food supply to cover three months for two hundred fifty people. Tell the distributor we had a leak in the storeroom if he questions the order. It's an old building so they'll believe it."

Both men got quiet and stared at the trees. After several minutes Carlo said quietly, "I left the most important questions for last. How bad is it going to be? When and where do you feel it's going to happen?"

"We have time to prepare Carlo. The three of you have taught us well, but the numbers will be against us unless you convince our allies to aid us. It's not going to happen right away, but it is going to happen, there's no doubt in my mind. I'd say twelve to eighteen months," Aldo answered quietly and then he looked Carlo in the eye. "And it's going to start right here at The School House...what they originally came for is here...but their plans will change and they will try and get all of them Carlo. They are coming for our females again."