"If everything is so glamorous in Texas, then why do they need us? Why don't they go find Gabrielle themselves and left us alone to live out our lives unmolested? It is either us or them. They called us, so they should leave us alone to do our job. If this was 2010, their interference would have had the local law enforcement arrest them." Fernando begins, "They are not gods. And they should not be treated as such. Simply put - God goes not need technology to do his job. These spirits do. Thus they are not gods. And all they are doing is preparing us like we used to prepare cattle before sending them to the slaughter house. If you do not see that, then you are oppressed. Oppression can not happen unless you allow it. And right now, despite your blindness to it, are oppressed. The oppressor can not oppress anyone unless those who are oppressed allow it. As I see it, you and the rest of the Texas, are allowing yourselves to be oppressed for measly gains like an electric railroad that requires a gigawatt of power that can never be obtained by solar and wind technologies alone, and a 'free educational system' that is limited to the 6th grade but what standards are measured is unknown and what depth of measure to it are also unknown. You are nothing but a mule chasing carrot tied to a string leading you to where they want that carrot to be. These are my last words on this subject until you realize what you are being lead too." He then raises his hand, "Waiter!"
 
The waiter arrives, "Is there something wrong?"
 
"Now, nothing is wrong. The food is great. I just need my share wrapped up to go as I need to leave immediately." Fernando tells her.
 
"Oh. OK." The waiter says before taking his meal to the kitchen. She returns with it wrapped up in neatly folded butcher's paper, "Here you are sir."
 
"Thank you." Fernando tells her as he gets up, "Would you mind showing me where the bathrooms are? I need to go before I go."
 
"It's right this way." The waiter tells him as he follows her to the facility.

Fernando, coming out of the bathroom, hears Jeanette's request.
 
"Let's go outside." He tells her, "I need to check on the campers."

"You have your suspicions? Look where Arendelle is at or was at. It is now the Baltic Sea nations/states and part of the former Soviet Union. Arenedelle won the Napoleonic Wars because of the year without summer - his soldiers froze to death and Arenedelle won without firing a shot. But this caused animosity against Queen Elsa, aka - the Ice Queen, and the nations rebelled against her, forming their own nations. Its all part of World History that has been somehow manipulated." He begins to explain, "As to why they would choose you? Your journal for one. You're naive and easy to manipulate - two. If god wanted you to do such a job, he would have sent an angel, not a crow. Remember the story of Noah, in the end he sends out a black bird for sign of land. It never returns. Then he sends out a dove - a white bird, and it returns with a olive branch. From that Noah lands the ark on Mount Sinai and the animals are released. Not far away, was an olive tree, with the black bird in a nest within the tree's branches. So in short, the black bird does not care about anyone but itself. To it, you are just a means to its agenda. And you people do not see it. That is why I am not saying anything because even if I tell you, you are not going to believe."

Fernando waits and thinks. Jeanette is right, something happened if Arendelle still survives. Without his equipment, he can only speculate that Elsa was never returned to Arendelle to fulfill the year without summer or she did but and Anna became Queen instead. Either way it is just theories.
 
"Excuse me mister!" A faint voice calls.
 
Fernando looks about, seeing nobody, except for a group of young male thugs with a couple of female followers heading his way. Though the oldest could be in his 20's, they average in their mid to low teens. The oldest one in the center calls to him.
 
"Hey, mister! These rides yours?" The oldest approaches him with some teen girl on his arm.
 
"They are. They are not for sale if you want them." Fernando tells him.
 
"We take what we want. Now how you got here?" He says.
 
"That is none of your business." Fernando tells him.
 
"We're making it our business." He says.
 
Fernando shakes his head for the moment before lowering his glasses on the bridge of his nose and looks at him dead in his eye, "Get on the highway and talk to the biker gang on it. They will let you know what the deal is."
 
The elder thug reaches out to his side and snaps his fingers, leaving his hand open to receive something. The others scuttle about and a short mouse of a make teen wearing a dented pasta colander belted onto his head is pushed towards the elder thug, putting a large taped up walkie talkie in the elder thug's hand. The elder thug puts the walkie talkie towards his face and presses a button to his side.
 
"This is Ike the Mike calling for Dirty Leon. Dirty Leon, are you out there?" The thug says into the beaten up radio.
 
For a while there is nothing but silence, so he keys up again, "This is Ike the Mike calling for Dirty Leon. Dirty Leon, are you out there?"
 
The radio breaks its silence, "I told you not to ever call unless it's an emergency."
 
"I need some information on a couple of shiny rides." The elder thug as his followers gather around him to listen.
 
"Are they a pair of medical vehicles with a large red cross on the rear, one of them as a thin black platform on it's roof?" The radio says loudly.
 
"Yeah." The elder thug says as he looks at Fernando with some concern.
 
"Tall guy, black jacket, dark face visor and a black cap on his head?" The radio says.
 
"Yeah..." The elder thug says with some worry in his voice.
 
"Leave them alone. He and his riding girl pals are under our protection." The radio lets out.
 
"What they do?" The elder thug asks.
 
"All I'm going to say is that they did us a favor we can never pay back, so they have our protection while on our roads. Now apologize for bothering them and leave them alone." The radio says.
 
"Will do." The Elder Thug answers the radio.
 
"And Mikey..." The radio calls to him.
 
"Yeah?" The Elder Thug answers the radio.
 
"Don't call unless its absolutely necessary." The radio lets out, it is followed by a loud snap, as if something it was turned off from a sticky switch.
 
The elder thug looks at Fernando as he hands the radio to the one who gave it to him without looking at him. The he snaps his fingers and and points behind him. The group walks away from him, leaving him and his girl to be with Fernando.
 
"Yo, its a misunderstanding. Right?" the Elder thug tells him.
 
"Yeah, what ever. If you don't mind, I want to be left alone." Fernando tells him.
 
"Leon said that there were girl pals with you. If I can ask, where are they?" The Elder thug says.
 
Fernando points to the restaurant, "In there. Eating."
 
"So you're out here protecting the rides." The elder thug says.
 
"Nope. I already ate. but to let you know, these rides have have a death trap in them if you try to take them. But that's besides the point. Like I said, I want to be left alone." Fernando tells him.
 
"Alright. I'll let everyone know you are to be left alone." The elder thug says.
 
"Thanks. Now if you do not mind..." Fernando tells him.
 
"Alright... No disrespecting here!" The elder thug says as he turns the girl on his arm around and pushes her away and then leads her away from the area.
 
As soon as they are gone, Fernando taps the heel of his boot to the fender of the electric ambulance, says loud enough to be heard, "You too."
 
A mousey looking young kid in tattered overalls and a dirty t-shirt crawls out from under the bus and look at Fernando as he or she stands there on its hands and knees. only its voice says that it's female.
 
"Got room for one more, mister?" She says.
 
"That depends on what the girls say." Fernando tells her.
 
"I can make it worth your while." She tells him.
 
"How old are you?" He asks.
 
"15." She answers. Fernando looks at her in disbelief, forcing her to answer as she gets on her knees, "Alright I'm 13."
 
"Yeah right. I got daughters so I know what 13 looks like." Fernando tells her.
 
"Alright, I'm 12." She tells him.
 
"And what does a 12 year old know about making it worth my while?" He asks.
 
"I may be young, but I've seen it all. I snuck around Lacey's whore house and saw what they do." She says as she points to a far away building.
 
"And you done anything that you saw?" He asks.
 
"No, not yet." She says.
 
"Then don't. You do not want some guy to fill you up with some illness or damage your baby making equipment." He tells her.
 
"But..." She tries to say.
 
"But what?" He asks, throwing in, "And what is your name?"
 
"Macey." The girl answers as she tries to wipe her hands on her overalls.
 
"Now, but what?" Fernando tells her.
 
"Lacey told me that sooner of later I will have to be turning tricks." Macey tells him.
 
"And Lacey is?" He asks.
 
"Owner of the whorehouse, "Macey begins to say, and then throws in, "and my mom."
 
"If I take you, that's kidnapping, kid-taking or kid snatching. I'm not getting in trouble for taking you. Now if you mom told us to take you, that is another story. Now what about your brothers and sisters? What about them?"
 
"I'm the only one, which mom is always telling me that I should not have been born, that I ruined her life and her figure and her everything else. She does not want me, at all." Macey says.
 
"Hmmmm..." Fernando thinks, then he points to the ground by the rear wheel, "Sit down there, in the shade. When the girls come out, then you can talk to them about taking you. And then you will take me to your mom and I will talk to her about taking you with us. If and only if she says yes, then you can come with us. But if anyone says no in this, then you stay."  
 
"OK Mister." Macey says before adding, "Can I ask you something?"
 
"What is it?" Fernando answers.
 
"If anyone says no, then I want you to pay for a room and take me, err... my cheri." Macey says.
 
"Girl, I'd split you half if I were to take your cherry." He tells her.
 
"But... someone like you, I mean, I can wash up and pretty my self up first for you." She says.
 
"That's the the point. I would hurt your tiny body if you gave me your cherry. Look. Point where your cherry is at, and I'll point where I be inside you." He tells her.
 
Macey points at the zipper's mid way point, as the overall's crotch was somewhere hanging between her crotch and her knees. Fernando takes his index finger and points to where her belly button should be. She gulps before saying, "You don't have to drive it in all the way to break me. Couldn't you be nice and gentlemanly about it?"
 
"How about we don't say a word about it. Now remember, if anyone says no, you don't go. That includes me too."  
 
"Alright... alright..." Macey says as she crawls to the rear wheel in the shade and curls up into a ball, letting out, "You probably like boys..."
 
"I like girls and only girls. Boys belong in the fields working, girls belong at home learning how to do home stuff and how to be a good wife to a man." Fernando lets out.
 
"I can be a good wife. You'll see." Macey says before punching the floor.
 
I said to be quiet while we wait." He tells her.
 
For now Macey does as she is told.
 

---

Note: "Mousey looking kid" does not mean she's a mouse. It means that she has two large front teeth as some kids do but eventually outgrows, beady eyes and a messy/tattered and unkept look to her. Her hands are callused by years of building/junk yard/garbage pile climbing and site exploring. She is a normal looking girl, perhaps a bit malnourished, making her smaller and under developed than where she should be at her age.

"It's a long story," Fernando begins with a sigh. "Her name is Macey. She wants to leave this town and be with us on our trip and will do anything to do so including being my wife... like that is going to happen. But I told her that is up to you all to decide if you are to accept her and then it is up to her mom to release her to us as I am not going to jail for kidnapping. She claims that her mom runs the whorehouse on the other side of town. It's one thing if we rescue the child from a life of abusing debauchery, its another to steal her from a family or harbor her away from the family she ran away from, even if that family is abusive to her. What do you say?"