Alexis went about making sure everything was up and running while I got settled and explored. Her father had been up two weeks ago to make sure everything was ready, and lock all the liquor away, but things like the wifi needed to be turned on. I was given the master bedroom for the trip and my eyes nearly bulged out of my head when I saw it.
The king sized bed seemed tiny in the huge space. There was a couch and a couple of chairs around a coffee table in front of a fireplace with a large TV above it. All the furniture here, as with most of the furniture in the house, was dark wood with a real rustic feel. It was all hand made and I figured the dresser alone cost more than all my bedroom furniture combined back home. The master bedroom was only accessible via the bedroom, and that too was impressive. A huge tub with jets, glass shower stall, and his and hers sinks. The floor and countertops were both white marble. Large windows in both rooms overlooked the forest outside with a view of a far off mountain top peaking above them.
The bedroom led out to a hallway that had two other rooms, Mr. McCarthy's office and a pool den. The office was one of the few rooms without large windows letting in copious amounts of light. The hallway overlooked the large family room in the center of the second floor. The main staircase in the foyer led up to it and had a huge table surrounded on both sides with L-shaped couches. It also had a small table with four chairs around it for more intimate playing and a fireplace of its own. Two hallways branched off from there to the north and south where a majority of the bedrooms were. These weren't as large as the master bedroom, but they were still spacious and well furnished. There was also a nook at the end of one of the halls with a bay window overlooking nature and a smoking den. Some of the rooms had more than one bed and I quickly lost count of how many there were. When I later asked Alexis how many people could sleep here she said 20.
The deck connected on the second floor with a doorway in the family room leading out. It had a hot tub made for a crowd and several lounge chairs, as well as a couple of outdoor tables and chairs. The deck was the latest addition and below it was a grill station that you'd expect to find in a restaurant.
The first floor housed the large kitchen that featured more of the marble from the bathroom upstairs. Like the furniture, the appliances were all handmade and appeared complicated to operate. The dining room housed a table with ten seats along its sides and one at each end. The table itself was beautiful, a dark cherry wood and glossy. There was a smaller family room on the first floor as well that resembled a library, and a small movie theater that could seat 10. The basement below seemed almost out of place. It was practical with no decoration, housing instead some supplies, a backup generator, and linens.
I knew Alexis's family had money, but this was far beyond being comfortable. She expected the line of questioning and met it with a shrug. "I didn't know we had this kind of money either," she had said. "My dad is always griping about money even though I know it's never been an issue. We were all shocked when he showed us the plans."
In the kitchen, I discovered a neatly handwritten list labeled "Mr. McCarthy's Rules of Conduct". It was a list of rules the younger ones were expected to follow and I was expected to enforce. They were as follows:
1. No alcohol
2. No drugs
3. No sex
4. No strangers
5. Boys and girls are to sleep on opposite ends of the house
6. No boys in girls rooms (or vice versa)
7. No going in to my office
Rule three was already broken and would continue to be it seemed. I knew rule one would be broken as well. Despite her father taking all the liquor, I knew one of Alexis's bags was full of alcohol. I told her I'd look the other way if they all agreed to only drink in the cabin and not break anything. Rule two I was unsure of. I myself had some weed stashed in my bag upstairs that I planned to enjoy in private. McKayla was fairly straight laced for fear of not being able to play volleyball, and Sydney had a fear of getting in trouble. I had no idea about Alexis, Nat, or Emma, but as long as they weren't doing anything stronger than weed I was likely to ignore it. Rules 4, 5, and 6 didn't seem to be an issue, and I didn't think his office would hold much interest for the girls.
Just as I finished reading the list, I heard another car crunching up the gravel drive. I walked towards the front door only to see it burst open a moment later. McKayla looked at me, her blue eyes wide in panic.
"Bathroom?" She blurted out.
I pointed towards the nearest one and the tall blonde disappeared in an instant. The other three girls walked through the door a moment later, all of them greeting me with bright smiles. Nat walked over and hugged me, the tiny Japanese dancer pulling me to her with surprising force.
"We're so glad you're here," she said.
"Yeah Mr. H," Emma added. I saw in her eyes a similar look that Alexis had in the car and I grinned in return.
Sydney nodded her agreement with her friends. McKayla emerged looking far more relieved.
"So you didn't piss yourself?" Emma teased.
McKayla grew red and glared at her friend. Sydney and Nat broke into laughter, which made McKayla crack a smile. I helped the four of them get their things from the car and up the stairs with Alexis appearing just as we dropped the last bag.
"About damn time," Nat teased the red head. "At least we had a big strong man to help us."
"It took me a little longer than expected to get the remote camera feed off," she said. "We don't want my dad tuning in and seeing Emma getting stoned."
That answered that question. All eyes went to me when Alexis said that, but I showed no change in my expression. I did look at Emma with a cocked eyebrow.
"Get stoned on what?" I asked.
She shrugged, "Just weed."
"JUST weed," Sydney spoke up sarcastically.
The other four girls sighed without words. It was clear that this was a topic that came up a lot. It's no surprise, Sydney's father is a rather prominent figure at their church and she grew up with a conservative view. I had often seen the conflicts that emerged with the other girls over stuff like this in the past, especially between Emma and Sydney. They were polar opposites in their upbringing. I remember when Emma first got her nose ring, Sydney was amazed that her parents would let her do such a thing.
"Oh come on Syd," Emma huffed. "The rest of us have done it. McKayla doesn't have practice for another month, so she said she's gonna do it. You've seen us all high and how much fun we have. This is the perfect environment to try it."
Sydney turned bright red and turned up her nose, "It's still illegal in lots of places."
"So?" Emma countered, "It's getting legalized everywhere, and you drink when we hang out. It's illegal to do that. Get that stick out of your ass already."
"That's enough," I said, my voice making all of them pause. For a moment they were all students again, their teacher taking authority. "If Sydney doesn't want to do it, then she won't. At the same time, you're all adults now. Sydney, Emma can smoke if she wants." My eyes went to her again, "As long as she at least blows the smoke outside." Emma nodded. "And Emma, don't pressure her. She'll try it if she feels comfortable and we both know she won't enjoy it if she's doing it for someone else."
