PART TWO

Luckily Lambourni had the recipe, brought it over, and Jarod didn't have to go to through all the recipes on the Internet.

"It's a good thing it isn't around the sixth or you'd have to buy a deep fryer," he said, "for the fritters , but these Gevuuld Speculaas are quite good. First time I had them. Oh and since I lived most of my life in Mexico, here's one for Ensalada de Navidad so you won't put on some extra pounds."

Jarod did not want to regain the weight he had before going to Carthis. "Maybe I should escape again."

"I wouldn't count on it and besides you have more responsibility and not in the offspring sector either."

Jarod looked out the back door to an enclosed area with a chicken wire fence. "Yes I just gave her one." In the area were dozens of rabbits, of all sizes.

"Well rabbits multiply. Anyway I can give you a list of people who want bunnies for Christmas."

"Forget about it. The Council took care of most of the Sweepers and the staff." He did not elaborate.

Lately some of the Sweepers, who wanted to start families, found they were unable to do so. When they went to the fertility clinic, the doctors told them that someone had secretly given the men vasectomies and the women had had their tubes tied. They could not understand who or what had done such a thing since after the fall of The Centre hierarchy, they figured they were free. They also were angry since unlike the ones who the Dominants, Jarod, Miss Parker, Sydney, Broots, etc had killed in the takeover, that they should have this happen with them.

He kept this information quiet from Miss Parker and Jarod. The Council had their reasons and now that he and Miss Parker had sent applications for former military or police personnel, those given honorable discharges, the new Sweepers would not mercilessly watch or beat some innocent to death. The Council also killed the remaining children of the Sweepers, after making sure that these were their actual biological children and not Pretender or other children switched at birth. Lambourni objected to this, but Roderick overruled him. He was after all his boss and the Executioner and as for the Supreme Chosen, Tom Daniels, he signed the order

Only Sam remained of the old order and no one wanted to kill his sister who knew about Jarod and secretly sent him presents. The Centre in its own evil way had given the gifts to the Sweepers' children after saying, "Thank you," after she had said, "For that young man you have working here. It's Hanukkah."

The Council figured that Sam should volunteer for his own sterilization, but none of his family had Tai Sachs disease, and since Sam never married, they figured that sooner or later, he'd die a bachelor. Roderick was thinking perhaps a knife in his stomach while he slept, then tying him to a chair while he writhed in pain. Anyway that was Roderick's idea of revenge.

'Do you remember those two kids on the house down the street? The Russian kids?" asked his son, "I figured they needed some reminding of home. I got them a CD of music performed by the Red Army Chorus."

"Oh the ones that Nurse Batlowsky sponsored. Miss Parker says they're the children of her niece the one who was lured into prostitution by one of those fake Russian Mail Bride ads. She was killed."

"Suicide," he corrected.

Miss Parker didn't want to part with any of the bunnies, but she figured that Nikita and Sophia deserved some happenings. She even hated when they were away, like the time when she and Thomas were together.

"Why?"

"Thomas was allergic to rabbit hair. That information was on his file."

"Oh the one that she threw in the trash I heard he had quite a coughing spell until she found out. Then they never would've worked anyway. Species incompatibility"

Jarod looked at him. "What?"

"Rabbits and Thomases."

"Oh."

Miss Parker had her coat on and the children packed into the car by the time Jarod had finished putting the recipe into Miss Parker's Master's Holiday folder under "Christmas"

"We're off to Madame Collette's. I gave her a call and she'll give us the recipe."

"And the ingredients?"

"Those that aren't available here."

"I suppose we have to make the Christmas cake and pudding."

"No we don't. The Centre always has a large batch for the staff party."

"With arsenic in it of course?"

She shook her head. "No silly. They have a firm make them and ship them here. We have to go to the Post Office and pick them up, before gong to New York."

Jarod wondered why there was all this trouble for just one day in the year.