The little girl looked up at Kayla, then John in order, thankfulness in her eyes. She greedily slurped down the spring water, a look of peace descending over her eyes. John's intervention surprised the people. They knew OF him, but they rarely saw him, so to have him here and grabbing authority so readily rather threw everyone off their games. By the time the sheriff and deputy mayor showed up, plans had already been made to store the teenaged girl in the local school overnight with a watch, just to be sure, and bring the younger girl to the doctor, that he might better see what he could.<br/><br/>The horse stood impatiently off to the side. When John Beckett walked back to his cabin, slowly, thinking he might check on the girl again in the morning, the horse followed him -- at a careful distance but still a deliberate one.<br/><br/>+++++<br/><br/>Trish couldn't put her finger on it, but something didn't add up. Safely ensconced again in her home with her husband, warming some well water in the fireplace for a cup of coffee, she felt her brow knit itself into one of worry. Then again, she felt that way ever since the birth of her child. She hadn't intended to be an over-concerned mother, but with the world the way it was, well ...<br/><br/>"I'll agree it IS odd," Shaun was saying, staring down at his hands. "But they're two young girls. How much harm could they do?"<br/><br/>"Our most valuable citizen was a teenager when she got portions of our electrical grid up and running again." She gave him a sardonic glance, responded with withering sarcasm. "How much harm could they do?"<br/><br/>"Jenni's ... special. These just seem like two girls. With a horse more like a Saint Bernard than anything else."<br/><br/>Trish smiled. A part of her wondered if her daughter would ever see a Saint Bernard. Probably not.<br/><br/>"Anyway," Shaun continued, "there's a council meeting tomorrow to determine what to do. As a witness, you'll need to be there."<br/><br/>Trish grimaced. Great. Just what she needed. Stuffed shirts.<br/><br/>+++++<br/><br/>The council meeting convened early the next morning, as the frost was still fresh on the grass on the courthouse's lawn. A muted fog lay low on the ground, causing all sounds to feel curiously muffled.<br/><br/>The courthouse was one of the buildings that still had electric lights, something that struck many of the citizens as just asking for trouble. Yet there they were, buzzing along nicely, only flickering now and then, when the river's current slowed or something briefly snagged in the water wheel. But they'd always zap back on, sure as could be.<br/><br/>The mayor looked down from his dais, the council sitting on either side of them. Turning toward the witnesses - Trish, Kayla, Victoria, and John - he asked carefully what should be done with the two girls permanently ... and if anyone had any idea how they had come to have heard a transmission that hadn't been on for years.