Despite her talk with Father George, Catherine's anger at her father hadn't disappeared.  It has lessened, but not completely vanished.  As soon as the car parked in front their house, Catherine announced she was going to take a walk.  After reassuring her father that she wouldn't run away again, she took off in the opposite direction.
                          
She had been walking barely 5 minutes when a light up the road caught her eye.  It wasn't the light of a building, intriguing her even more.  She quickened her pace in hopes of discovering the light's author.  The gap between them narrowed more and more until finally she could make out a silhouette.  Not uttering a sound, she followed it's steps around the neighborhood, leading her towards one of the small secluded areas.  The silhouette finally stopped in front of an abandoned barn, and Catherine quickly ducked behind the nearby bushes as the silhouette cautiously looked around, as though not wanting to be seen.  After making sure no one was around, they opened the door just enough to slip in, and closed it as soon as they were through.  
                          
Curious, Catherine stepped out of the bushes and walked up to the big doors, sticking her ear to them.  Voices and hushed laughter were audible from inside.
                          
After a few minutes, one of them spoke up.  "Okay people, settle down and let's get started.  I trust you all finished your assignments?"
                          
Assignments? Wondered Catherine, pressing her ear closer to the door.  Maybe she hadn't heard right.
                          
Mutters of agreements and the rustling of papers filled the barn.
                          
"Perfect.  We will contact them before going father."
                          
"What?  Contact who?  And who's father?" Questions bumped each other repeatedly around Catherine's mind as she tried to understand what was going on.
                          
"What did you get for number 1, Elizabeth?" The leader asked.
                          
"354."
                          
"That's contact.  Berry good."
                          
Was it some kind of code?
                          
A sneeze took Catherine by surprise, and she immediately turned around and coveted her face as to not be heard, but it was too late.
                          
"Who's there?" The voice came out loud and clear, much more so than it had before.  Catherine could hear footsteps walking up to the door, and soon the feet themselves appeared through the crack at the bottom of the door.
                          
"What do you want?" It asked again.
                          
"Uhm...I..." A small slit formed as the door was lightly pushed open.  A young man, possibly in his early thirties, cautiously showed his face. Friendly green eyes looked up at her as he did so.   Relief washed over his face when he saw her, releasing a breath he hasn't realized he had held.
                          
"Oh.  Thought you were police or something.  Who are you?"
                          
"Catherine Porter, sir." 
                          
"Good to meet you Catherine.  Wasn't expecting someone new, but you're welcome to come in." He opened the door completely and motioned her in.
                          
"Uhm, I'm sorry...what is this?"
                          
"This," he said, pointing the entire room "is the Night School.  NS for short.  That way if we mention it in public no one knows for sure what it is."
                          
Catherine's eyes widened.  "So like secret classes?"
                          
"Exactly like that, yes.  Do you want to sign up?"
                          
"Absolutely." A smile spread from ear to ear as Catherine sat down in one of the available spots.
                          
"Great.  I'm Kenneth, by the way, and I'm the teacher.  You can introduce yourself to the others at the next break, for now we have work to do though.  We were correcting maths exercises.  You can follow along with Peter here." The young boy beside her smiled at her, his deep blue eyes crinkling in the corner as he did so.
                          
"Hey." He whispered.  "What's your name?"
                          
"Catherine, nice to meet you." She replied in the same hushed tone.
                          
After they finished correcting the maths sheets, they moved on to a little bit of History by entering the topic of the American Revolution.  Catherine was so absorbed by the work that the break came and went without her realizing it, missing her chance to meet her classmates.
                          
At the end of class, Kenneth caught up to her.  "What did you think?"
                          
"It was great!" She answered.  "I love school.  How often do you meet?"
                          
"Monday and Thursday nights.  Make it as often as you can, I understand it can be difficult sometimes."
                          
"Great, see you Thursday then!  Thanks for letting me join."
                          
She ran back home, deciding in the heat of the moment that she had ran into Shirley and spent some time with her.
                          
"I'm back! Sorry I..." Her sentence was cut short by her mother entering the room in tears, wrapping Catherine in her arms.  "Mom what's going on?"
                          
A sob escaped before Julia could speak.  "It's... It's your father. We got a letter and...oh!  He...he has to g-go off to war, Catherine."