Melissa was behind the wheel of Devon's car. Devon was the passenger seat, giving the occasional instruction. Karr's CPU and drone were both in the back seat. Melissa pulled up next to a private beach. She got out and was immediately greeted by the people on the beach calling out variously Melissa, Mel, and even Knight. She waved as she grabbed her cane from the back seat. Karr sent his drone flying to join her.
"I will be back after sundown," said Devon, "so you can get more hours of night driving. This will be your first time on public roads with other drivers."
"Yes, I remember, Uncle Devon. See you later."
"Enjoy yourself."
"Will do," she called over her shoulder as she and Karr headed for the beach.
Devon watched after her with a fond smile before getting behind the wheel of the car and driving off. He only went a short distance before pulling off to the side of the road and parking.
"Is this where you plan to wait until it is time to pick up Miss Knight, Devon Miles?" asked Karr.
"Yes, if that's all right with you," replied Devon with a slightly sarcastic tone.
"This spot is within range of my drone. And I will be able to converse with you while also interacting with Miss Knight."
"I don't plan to remain in the car."
"Where are you going, Devon Miles?"
"Not far. There is a scenic overlook just down this path. I will watch the sun setting over the ocean and then I will enjoy the stars for a bit."
"May I . . . accompany you, Devon Miles?"
Devon considered the request, and then he acquiesced with a sigh. "Yes."
Devon picked up Karr's CPU and carried it with him to a bench. He sat on the bench, placing the CPU on the ground by his feet. The sun began to set, turning the sky a glorious shade of crimson.
"Lovely," Devon murmured to himself.
"Tomorrow will be a clear day."
"I did not ask for a weather forecast."
Karr was silent for a moment before reciting, "Red sky at night / Sailors delight / Red sky at morning / Sailors take warning."
"Wherever did you learn that?"
"I overheard a man share those words with his grandchildren as they walked along the beach where I was buried. I have verified the correlation of sky color to atmospheric conditions through personal observation."
"I . . . see. And do you enjoy sunsets?" Devon inquired out of genuine curiosity.
"No, Devon Miles, I do not."
"No?"
"They merely serve to mark the passage of time."
"I enjoy watching the setting sun. It is an opportunity to reflect on the day's accomplishments."
"You cannot accomplish anything when buried in the sand, Devon Miles."
"No, I suppose not. You could, however, reflect on the actions that led you to be buried in the first place." Devon decided to be tactful and change the subject. "I hope Melissa is enjoying herself."
"Yes, Devon Miles, she is. Though she wishes Greg Halloway were there with her."
"The Halloways are away on a family vacation. But she is friends with many of the other young people at the beach party."
They lapsed into silence. The sun finished setting and the stars came out, twinkling in the darkness. It was a clear night without any clouds, and there were no nearby lights. Devon watched them, marveling at their brilliance.
"How long do you intend to watch the stars, Devon Miles?" inquired Karr after some time had passed.
"Actually, Karr, I'm about done. Let's go get Melissa, shall we?"
Devon picked up Karr's CPU from the ground and returned to the parked car. He placed the CPU in the passenger footwell rather than on the back seat. Then they returned to where they had left Melissa. Devon once again parked and got out. As he headed onto the beach, he could hear laughter and shouting.
When he reached where the party was, it took a moment for him to make sense of what he was seeing. There was an open cooler in the sand. The drone was between Melissa and the cooler. She was clearly trying to get something from the cooler. Karr was clearly trying to prevent her. He heard them arguing, though he could not make out the words. The other partygoers (children, to Devon's eyes) were cheering one side or the other, generally enjoying the spectacle.
"Go, go, go, little 'copter man," chanted a clump of about three or four young men.
Who were raising beer bottles.
Devon's eyes narrowed and he frowned. Melissa was trying to get a beer from the cooler. Karr – or rather his drone – was not letting her. Devon briefly wondered how long this had been going on. Then he realized: this was why Karr had prodded Devon to return to the beach.
Devon was not amused. "Melissa Alexandra! Enough!"
Melissa turned when he called her name. Karr took advantage of her distraction to send the drone to shut the cooler lid. That provoked applause from some of the partygoers and groans of disappointment from others.
Melissa opened her mouth to say something to Devon, her eyes sparking angrily. He forestalled her with a single raised hand.
"Car. Now."
Devon pointed back to where he had parked. Melissa huffed and then she stalked off. The drone followed her.
A girl sitting off to one side looked at him. "S'okay, sir. We've got designated drivers. The beer was bought. Legally. And this is a private beach."
Devon regarded her for a long moment, weighing his options, which were limited. He was neither parent nor in loco parentis for any of the partygoers. Some of them were likely 21 or order. As the girl had pointed out, they were on a private beach. And no one had yet gotten behind the wheel. So he nodded once at the girl and left.
When he got to the car, Melissa was there with the drone. She held out her hand for the car keys.
"You are not driving."
"Why not?" she asked angrily.
"After what you did back there?" he asked equally as angry.
"I didn't do anything."
"Only because Karr showed better judgment than you. And if he hadn't been there, would you have been drinking?"
"Oh, like I've never had alcohol before. You've given me wine with dinner, remember. And my own glass, not just a sip of yours."
"At the house, yes. But this is different."
"How? Besides, I didn't have any alcohol tonight. Karr wouldn't let me."
"And if you had, would you have told me? Or would you have gotten behind the wheel?" Melissa looked away uneasily. "I thought as much."
They got into the car: Devon behind the wheel, Melissa in the passenger seat, and the drone on the back seat. As Devon pulled away from the beach, Melissa was still fuming as she stared out her window.
After a few minutes of an angry and unpleasant silence, Karr spoke up. "Devon Miles, while I do not condone either underage drinking or driving while intoxicated, I do feel compelled to defend Miss Knight's actions."
"Oh, now you're on my side," Melissa muttered.
"Karr, you cannot defend what you do not condone."
"May I attempt to do so, Devon Miles?"
"Yes," agreed Devon shortly.
"Miss Knight would not have been able to attend a party of this nature before. She could not have walked on a beach with a leg brace and crutch. Or even just a crutch."
Devon nodded his agreement, despite himself.
Karr continued, "Miss Knight was invited to this party. And she was welcomed warmly by the other attendees. Well, by most of the other attendees. There was one –"
"Philip."
"The . . . idiot?" Devon inquired.
"Complete idiot." This time, Melissa's anger was directly at Philip, not at Devon or Karr.
Karr was surprised by their interaction. Clearly, they had a history with the young man, one that Karr did not know. He would have to ask Kitt about it the next time they spoke.
"He referred to Miss Knight by an insulting nickname. And used a similarly insulting nickname to inquire after Greg Halloway. However, everyone else immediately made him apologize. Based on my sensor readings, the lack of support he received from the group was punishment enough for his behavior."
"I . . . see," said Devon, thoughtfully.
"Miss Knight was seen as one of the group, despite her cane. She, therefore, behaved as did the rest of the group. And unlike that of this . . . Philip, her behavior was considered acceptable by the group."
Devon considered what Karr had said. It was true: Melissa had been very limited in what she could do but no longer. The operations to repair her hip had been successful and she was now more mobile. Soon to be even more mobile when she got her driver's license. And when Karr was once again mounted in a vehicle.
And it was also true that she had been behaving like a normal teenager at a party with other teenagers. Perhaps they shouldn't have planned a driving lesson in conjunction with the party. He had, now that he thought about it, been too harsh in his reaction. To be honest, Devon did tend to be overprotective of Melissa, partly due to his friendship with Wilton but mostly due to his guilt over having failed to protect her from Garthe.
In a milder tone than before, he said, "Melissa, come to my office tomorrow morning around 10:30. We will go out for an hour of driving practice. Then, after dark we'll go out again along the same route. So you can see how different everything looks at night."
"Okay, Uncle Devon." Melissa was also calming down.
"And Karr, if you would be so kind, plot us a route for tomorrow that will include sections that have streetlights and sections that are dark."
"Of course, Devon Miles."
"Call me Devon, Karr." He paused, then asked, "Have you ever heard the story of when Wilton and I were in Spain?" Melissa shook her head. "While I am in no way encouraging reckless behavior, I believe you will enjoy the tale."
Devon launched into the story. Karr realized it was as much a thank-you gift for him as it was an apology for Melissa. He also realized that Kitt was right: humans did think with their hearts.
Author's Note: Thanks to The Storm SD for serving as a sounding board for this chapter. I appreciate your thoughts on where to take this to help Karr develop.