Notes: Gabrielle is from “Xena Warrior Princess.” Lillian and Lex Luthor are from “Smallville” which belongs to DC and the WB. The other characters are mine. Please send comments to dante0220@yahoo.com .


Preface [Amazon Village c. 87 AD]

Gabrielle, Bard-Queen of the Amazons, writes….

After surviving a difficult first year in Amherst, David had a more intriguing test: surviving a ‘normal’ year as a teenager. It sounds easy enough but those are some of the most challenging years of anyone’s life. For David, it was no exception. As harrowing as dealing with the ghost, the Curse and his parents were, he knew the ground rules. For “normalcy,” there are no ground rules.

Fortunately, he had his friends to fall back on….


Chapter 1 [Janet’s House—August 25th]

Dave sat in the kitchen, munching on a cookie and looking at his fall class schedule. In addition to the usual suspects—algebra, biology (science), a history class and English, he had Spanish and Latin. “This should be interesting.”

“Looks like murderer’s row to me,” his grandmother declared, peeking over his shoulder.

“At least I won’t be bored,” he retorted half-seriously. “This and the newspaper should keep me occupied.”

“I should say so,” she concurred. “Don’t forget about the library either. Are you sure you want to do that?”

He remembered the after school job and shrugged. “It’s not that big a deal, Gram. It just means I’ll have dinner a little later is all. Besides, I can’t keep asking you to give me money.”

“I don’t mind helping you. I just don’t want your grades to suffer,” she pointed out.

“They shouldn’t. It might mean missing a couple of football games but that’s life,” he replied.  Seeing the skeptical look on her face, he promised, “If it gets too much, I’ll quit. I just wanted to take Ms. Parsons up on her offer. And well, it’ll be something that helps me feel better about myself.”

“As long as you find a way to have some fun, Mr. D,” she retorted. With what he’s been through, he needs to enjoy himself at some point. I’ll let him be responsible for now. Then she heard a knock at the door. “Now who could that be?”

“I’ll see who it is,” he told her. With great effort, he got out of the chair and made his way to the door. For much of that previous summer, he had suffered through the twice-weekly therapy sessions to deal with the injuries from his ordeal in Rowenshire from three months earlier. In addition, he missed a certain brunette girl. Other than the week he and his grandmother had visited the Alvarezes on Cape Cod, they hadn’t seen each other. Of course, they had written to each other once a week, keeping up on things. I wonder what she’s doing?

As if in response, he saw her standing there in front of the door, waving at him. “Hi, Dave. Mind if I come in?”

He stood there in a daze, not believing his eyes.

“Uh, Dave?” she asked.

“Hmm? Oh…yeah…the door,” he realized, snapping out of it. Opening it for her, he allowed her inside. “Great to see you! Been working on your tan?”

She shrugged. “I was working at the beach. Caroline and I spent our off time on the shore. That is when Daddy wasn’t running us ragged.” She grinned. “But you saw that when you were down there.”

He nodded, recalling the scene at Dr. Alvarez’s café, “Packet Place.” The Alvarez family, while needing some time away from Amherst to think on things, ran themselves silly in the busy restaurant. Still, it did make for a challenging summer. Dave, in fact, had put in a couple of days behind the cash register, during the visit when they were shorthanded. “And you’re back now?”

“I told you. You’re stuck with me,” she teased. “This sounds crazy but I’m glad school’s starting again.” Her face turned serious. “There was something I was going to tell you.”

“And that is? Everything’s okay, isn’t it?” he wondered, looking at his grandmother quickly.

“Your family’s all right?” Janet asked, not wanting another crisis rolling down the tracks so soon.

“We’re fine, Mrs. Dubois. Thanks for asking,” Karen assured her. “I was just going to tell you that I have a little part time job after school. Other than the newspaper and classes, I might not have a lot of extra time. Don’t take it the wrong way, Dave, okay?”

“That’s okay because I have one too,” he replied. “Ten hours per week at the library shelving books and doing odd jobs. It’s money.”

She chuckled at him. “And here I was worried that you’d take it the wrong way. I’ll be waitressing at the Express for about eight hours a week. It’s not much but it’s spending money.”

Janet brought her a cup of coffee. “As I just finished telling Dave, make sure you don’t overbook yourself to the point where you don’t have any fun, Karen.”

The younger woman nodded. “I know but I want to have some responsibility. April McKenzie’s going to be working for her parents after school too. It’s strange—for some reason, she and I feel as though we’ve all been given a second chance. But that’s nonsense.”

He coughed, deducing the cause of that insight. As he partially remembered and had heard from the Faerie Empress later, the group had come within a hair’s breadth of disaster. A demon named Dahak had nearly taken him for its own. After the “hunt,” the Empress had taken the memories of the event and the ghost from his friends, leaving them with only scattered fuzzy accounts. They knew there was something about the house but they now had inhibitions against going there. Changing the subject, he asked, “How’s Charles doing?”

“He’s getting ready for his first day at APRHS,” Karen informed him. “He’s nervous about it. Say, Dave, would you mind meeting him at the park at some point this week? He really opened up after the throwing session you two had on the Cape and well….”

“Sure. By the way, what’s your class schedule look like?” he queried.

“English, biology, Spanish, Art, Algebra and that Russian history class,” she told them. She pointed at the paper in front of him. “Is that yours?”

He handed his schedule over. “We have some stuff in common.”

She compared the two slates and smiled. “Did you rig this?” She ran her fingers first over hers and then his schedules. “I take back what I just said. We’ll be seeing each other more than I thought.”

“Classes in common?” Janet asked.

“Try four out of the six,” he replied, after comparing the slates for himself. “When you said stuck together, you didn’t know what you were asking for, did you?”

“I can deal with it. April has bio, English and that Russian history class with us,” Karen declared, taking a sip of her coffee. “Speaking of dealing with things, how are you holding up?”

“One more therapy session and I’m finished. That camping trip of ours was murder, you know?” he fibbed, looking at his grandmother.

“Funny, I know we went on it but none of us can really remember anything from it,” she reported. “I know we helped you out of there.”

Let them think that. Janet knew that only she, Dave and Candace Colavitto knew the truth of the Weekend from Hell. And Candace is dying because of it. I wish Dave would stop beating himself up over it. “Have you seen Mrs. Colavitto yet? She was asking about you this summer.”

“I was going to see her in a couple of days to get caught up on the newspaper agenda before school starts. Has she made any progress?” Karen inquired.

He shook his head. “Nope. She’s getting worse.” And she will—thanks to that damn cancer touch. If only I had been here instead of in Boston. “I’m heading over there in just a bit. Want to come along?”

“I wish I could but Mom and Daddy want me back home to help unpack. They let me loose so I could see you and your grandmother,” Karen declined regretfully. “Say hi to Mrs. C for me though. Speaking of which, I need to be going.”

“I can walk you out,” he volunteered, standing up and making his way to the door. “Thanks for coming by.” He looked down at the ground, suddenly feeling shy for some reason. Oh cut it out! She’s practically your best friend, Dave.

“My pleasure,” she told him. “We need to work on that, Chief.”

“Work on what?” he asked.

She put her hand under his chin and raised his face so they were looking each other in the eye. “You’re way too serious. Chill out.” She smiled, letting her eyes linger for a minute before turning toward her bike. “My parents invited you to dinner this weekend. Let them know when you can come by.”

“I’ll do that.”

She looked at him for a second before taking off down the street.

He watched her disappear around the bend before returning to the house. Putting his schedule back in his pack, he told his grandmother. “I guess life’s getting back to normal, isn’t it?”

“As normal as it can get. Listen to her, Dave. Relax,” Janet advised. “Are you going to the Colavittos’?”

“She’s expecting me,” he told her. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours, Gram.” Kissing her cheek, he smiled at her. What would I do without you? With that, he walked out the door, heading for the garage.

After he left, his grandmother took a deep breath. She felt relieved that he wouldn’t be the only one running a gauntlet. The kids can support each other. I just wish Dave wouldn’t feel so responsible for everything. The mess isn’t his fault.
 

Chapter 2 [Colavitto Residence]

Dave stopped in front of a single story brown house just on the other side of the high school. After walking his bike into the garage, he knocked on the front door.

The White Knight’s advisor answered it. Over the course of the summer, her pace had slowed a bit and she felt chronic pain from the cancer. Still, she kept up a good front for her husband and everyone around them. “Dave, come in! How are you?”

“I’m fine. Just finished another physical therapy session. The therapist says the biking and the pitching are speeding things along. Did you need help with anything?” he asked.

She saw the guilty look on his face. “You aren’t responsible for my condition, Dave.”

“I brought her here,” he countered, sitting down on the plaid sofa.

“You mean she followed you here. Dave, you can’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Isn’t that why the elf woman made everyone forget? So you could live a normal life? You need to act like a normal teenager—if there is such a beast.” She smiled. “Besides you nearly died saving the others. Give yourself a break. When it’s my time, it’s my time. Just make me a promise?”

“Sure,” he agreed.

“Just do the best you can in all things. Make me and your grandfather proud. All right?” she requested. Seeing him nod, she continued, “All right then. Marina said that she’s going to need you for a story on the new theater in the town center. Think you can handle it?” She broke into a coughing fit for a minute.

“I’ll call her when I get home,” he promised, handing her a glass of water.

She drank half of it. “Excellent. From what I hear, you have quite the schedule. You’re not overextending yourself, are you?” she inquired caringly.

“After what I’ve been through, Latin’s going to be a piece of cake,” he assumed.

“Don’t bet on that,” she declared. “I’m not pulling any punches with you kids either. I want your best work.”

“Just like class—what else is new?” he teased. “Karen stopped by Gram’s today. We talked for a minute.”

That made her eyes brighten. She’s back. Dave needed something to cheer him up. “I’m sure you were glad to see her.”

“She looks good. And yes, it was getting a bit stale here without everyone,” he noted. “Those sessions made for a long summer…although your kemo sessions were worse.”

“We’re each going through our own issues, Dave. At least Karen and the others are here to help you. Let’s hope the ghost never shows up again,” she declared.

I wouldn’t bet on that. He sighed, knowing his nemesis too well. Somehow she would find a way out of that energy field. “Well, Gram needs me so I’m going to head out. Call her if you need any help.”

“I’ll do that,” she agreed. As he pedaled away, she shook her head. I wish he’d stop to enjoy himself. That young man’s got way too much guilt for one person to bear. With that, she returned to her chores.

Chapter 3
[McKnight Field, APHRS—10 minutes later]

Charles Alvarez paced around the grass outfield of the fenced in facility, staring at the brick building across the parking lot. He couldn’t believe that in just ten days, he would be a freshman there. “It’s so big.”

“It’s not so bad once you get used to it,” Dave replied, walking up to him. “Leaving all the work to your parents and sisters, huh?”

Charles sighed. “I unpacked my stuff. Caroline told me to take off and do some thinking. How did you know where I’d be?”

“Karen told me you’d be at the park. I was just coming back from Mrs. C’s when I saw you here. What’s bugging you?” the older teen asked.

“Worrying about my freshman year,” Charles admitted.

“Hey, at least you don’t have a new town to adjust to like Garth and I had to,” Dave pointed out. “Come on. If we’re going to talk, I need my catcher.” They walked over to the pitcher’s mound. As Dave climbed on it, Charles squatted behind the plate. “You’ll be fine. Give me a sign.”

Two fingers went down, slapping up against the left thigh.

Dave grinned and whipped a slider over the inner third of the plate, hitting the glove dead center. According to the doctors, his side-arm and submarine style deliveries worked muscles and sped up the healing process.

“Not bad,” Charles commented, firing the ball back to his friend. “You think I’ll find some friends like you and Karen did?”

Getting the new sign, Dave snapped a curveball over the outer part of the plate. “You already have them, Charles. Cut yourself some slack. Keep your old friends and make some new ones. Just don’t be ultraclingy on your sisters, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah…don’t be the whiney little brother,” Charles realized. “I just want to make my mark.”

“You will. Hey, we hotshot sophomores are still looking to do that, all right? Just take your opportunities as they come,” Dave indicated, going into his motion again and releasing a “three fingered slider,” or in more conventional baseball terms would be called a forkball.

Having spent time dealing with this pitch that summer, the frosh anticipated its downward path, allowing the ball to pop into his glove. “Are you going to try out for the baseball team this year?”

“Maybe. Garth and Steve were talking about it. Why?” Dave asked, taking the return throw.

“I was thinking that I’d go for the freshman team. Then maybe next year, I could make varsity. You know?” Charles answered. “Besides they need pitching.”

“There you go. They also need hitting and good outfielders,” Dave indicated, hitting the glove again. “I need to see how everything else works out first. Job and the White Knight come first. Just remember, Charles, balance is the key.”

“Thanks, Dave. Seriously, this is making me feel better,” Charles expressed.

Dave smirked. “Well good. Hey, think that your parents could use a couple of pairs of hands to help unpack?” Seeing the other nod, he suggested, “Let’s get to your place and pitch in, all right?”

Charles got on his bike and rode away, heading for his house.

I hope that helps him to relax a bit. Dave sighed. Now, Dave, see if you can take your own advice. With that, he pedaled off in pursuit of his friend.
 

Chapter 4 [Town Library—Day Before School]

Dave wheeled the large cart of books methodically through the building. He shelved each book in its appropriate place. As he did so, he checked each range to make sure the numbers were in order. While the job could seem tedious to most, he enjoyed being in there anyhow. Seeing what was in the library and getting paid for it was the best of both worlds. This isn’t that bad. Besides it’ll give me some money for the Express.

As he brought the cart back up to the Circulation Desk, Mr. Graves asked, “How’s it going, David?”

“I’m fine, sir,” Dave replied. “What should I do now?”

“I think there are some date due cards to stamp,” the librarian told him. He is certainly enjoying this. Ms. Parsons was right to suggest he work here. “Maybe about fifty or so?”

“That’ll work,” the teenager agreed, setting to work on the thin colored slips.

****


[Twenty minutes later]

After doing the cards, Dave sat and watched the volunteer library assistants helping patrons. While he was sure that he could do it, he learned a lot about desk duty from watching them—intangibles, body language and manner. He could understand why the librarians observed each other. Still he wanted to show what he could do.

As he did, Ms. Parsons walked over. “Hi, David. See anything interesting?”

He nodded. “I see manner and technique. I can’t wait to practice it.” He gave a hopeful smile to her.

She nodded. “I’m sure. Well it’s 4:00 and you’re finished for the day. I need to talk with you for a minute if that’s all right?”

He looked at her anxiously. “Did I do anything?”

She looked at him in disbelief. For the past three weeks, his work had been nothing short of excellent. We need to work on his confidence. “No. I need to check something with you is all. Let’s chat. Okay?”

“Fine.” He followed her to her office and waited for her to sit first before doing the same. “How are we looking?”

“Everything’s finished in my areas. I did some shelf reading but they could use some more work,” he commented.

“They’ll wait until Thursday. Speaking of which, do you mind if I put you down for three hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays apiece? Then I can offer you four hours on Saturdays—9-1. Will that fit with your school schedule?” she offered.

“Sounds great to me. So that’s 3-6 on Tuesday, 3-6 on Thursday and 9-1 on Saturdays?” he verified.

“That’s right,” she agreed. “You’ve done really well so far, David. I’m glad that this is working out. Besides on Thursday evening, you’ll have something waiting for you.”

He smiled, thinking of that first pay envelope. “I’d appreciate that, Ms. Parsons. Thanks. Can I do anything else before I go?”

“We’re set. Have a great day at school tomorrow,” she told him.

“I’ll do that,” he agreed, leaving the office. He wrote the time on his timecard and put it back in the appropriate drawer. Then he biked over to his grandmother’s. Fifteen minutes later, he walked into her house. “Gram?”

“Hi, Dave. How was work?” she asked.

“Time went fast. I was learning about checkout and working with people,” he replied contentedly while taking a seat. “How was your afternoon?”

“All right. I just did a few things around here. Are you set for school tomorrow?” she asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he indicated. “I wonder when Caroline’s going to want to meet with us?”

“She called. I think the first meeting’s tomorrow after school. Did Ms. Parsons give you your schedule?”

“She did. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3-6 and Saturday from 9-1. That shouldn’t be too bad.”

Janet beamed at him. He resolved the biggest issue that I had: time management. He’s right. Three hours per afternoon for two days and then four on Saturday should work out fine. He’ll have time for his studies and his friends. She took the cover off of a simmering pan and spooned some shepherd’s pie onto two plates. “Can you set the table please?”

He did so, setting up a place for each of them. “There we are!” He sat down and took a spoonful. “Thanks. I was starving.”

“How’s that article coming for the paper?” she wondered. “Mrs. Colavitto was curious.”

“Mr. Rinaldi was really interesting. He gave me about six pages of notes on the theater and a schedule. I hope I can write something that’ll do him justice,” he related, feeling anxious about the piece.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” she assured him. “When you’re finished with that, you should head home and get some sleep. I want you fresh for tomorrow at school.”

“Yes, Gram,” he sighed. Time to get started again, I guess. At least you’ll see everyone. With that thought, he dug into the meal in front of him.

Chapter 5 [APRHS—Next day]

[Cafeteria]

Dave set the books from that morning’s classes in his locker and grabbed his lunch. English, Spanish and Biology all would prove challenging over the next year. For now though, he looked forward to eating lunch with his friends. Walking into the cafeteria, he saw the others waiting for him there. “Hey, guys!”

“There he is,” Steve told the others. “What did you think of those classes?”

“They should be a handful,” Dave noted. “I’m looking forward to those English readings though.”

“And that history class,” April pointed out. “Everyone’s talking about Mr. Richards. I hope that won’t be too hard.”

“Dave, if there’s a presentation, you can go first,” Karen teased.

“Gee thanks,” Dave retorted, arching his eyebrow at them. “You’re all heart, Karen.”

“My pleasure, Chief,” Karen retorted, playfully smirking at him. “Remember we have the Knight staff meeting this afternoon.”

“Here we go,” Garth declared. “Another year of pursuing the truth.”

“You have a problem with that?” Dave wondered.

“Nope. It’s an art,” Garth retorted, sipping on his drink.

“Glad to hear it,” Steve replied. “Frank, you’ve been quiet.”

“Just thinking about things,” Frank noted. “Latin looks challenging. What do you think, Dave?”

“Carpe diem, Frank,” Dave noted dryly.

“That’s cute…really cute,” Frank commented wryly. “Don’t quit your day job.”

“I won’t.” Dave shrugged, already thinking toward that afternoon, their classes and the next set of deadlines.


*****


[White Knight Newsroom]

Caroline watched as her staff assembled in front of her. Over the previous summer at the shore, she had planned out some things for the paper. This should be a great year! Seeing that it was 2:30, she cleared her throat and started, “Hi, Everyone! I hope you all had a great summer. For those newcomers, welcome! I’m Caroline, your editor-in-chief. Over here, we have Dennis Moore, our sports editor, Mike Jenkins, our news editor and Marina, our Features editor. The lady to my right is Mrs. Colavitto, our advisor. Mrs. C?”

“Thanks, Caroline,” Mrs. C. accepted before starting in, “Welcome, everyone, to the White Knight. Last year, we took the best high school story in the state. Let’s take it again! For those newcomers, I have one rule: do what you can and do it the best you can. If you remember that, you’ll be fine. Remember, even freshmen can make a difference. On that note, Dave Dubois and Karen Alvarez did just that last year. Dave and Karen?”

That’s putting it mildly. Dave sighed.

“Give yourself some credit,” Karen told him, as she dragged him up to the front of the room. “Sorry, guys, he’s really too humble for his own good.”

That remark got some snickers.

“All right,” Dave replied, putting his hands up defensively and blushing slightly. “Remember, guys, work hard and look for the opportunities. I had one fall into my lap literally. I did the interview from a hospital bed but it worked out.” He laughed. “Seize the opportunities. We’re all in this together. Hang in there. Karen?”

She added, “Everything he said and one other thing: have some fun while you’re doing it.” She grinned at Dave before heading back to her seat.

“Caroline, you’re up,” Dave told her, following Karen toward the back of the room.

“Thanks, Dave,” the editor-in-chief accepted. “Okay, everyone, talk to an editor. Those of you who already have something can check in. The vets from last year will be getting a call tonight. The newbies should check in with editors.”

Dave walked over to Marina who had a mini-gathering around her.

“How are you doing with the theater piece?” she asked him.

“I just need to write the story. Did Minnie get the pictures?” he inquired.

She nodded. “They’re waiting for you. Can you get it to me by Friday?”

“You bet. I don’t want to keep you from your adoring public, Marina. See you later,” he declared, smiling at her and walking toward his friends. “How did you guys make out?”

“We have our assignments,” Garth declared. “I get to interview the principal on his new attendance policy.” Seeing the grin on Steve’s face, he asked, “What did you pull out?”

“Cough it up, Petersen,” April pressed. “What did you get this time?”

“The field hockey game against Athol this weekend,” Steve revealed, not making any effort to hide the satisfied smirk on his face.

The others exchanged skeptical looks before they quirked eyebrows at him.

“Remember, Steve, there’s more to the team than just Darcy Rivers,” Frank pointed out knowingly.

Karen teased, “And that the first question shouldn’t be—‘will you go out with me?’”

Steve shook his head. “I’ll keep those tips in mind,” he remarked dryly. “Let’s get going.”

With that, they left, heading for the Cappuccino Express and a much deserved coffee break.



Conclusion [Friday afternoon]

[Janet’s house]

Janet sat at her kitchen table, admiring the single red rose in its vase. Right after Dave had collected his first pay envelope, he’d made sure to “tip” his grandmother—by buying the flower directly from April. To think that’s why he wants to work. Dave, I wish you’d realize you won’t be young forever. Still, how can I fault him when he acts responsibly?

At that moment, he came through the door. “Hi, Gram. Sorry I’m late.”

“Late?” She looked at her watch and saw that it was 3:15. “I don’t remember setting a time for you to get here. You did turn in the article on time, right?”

“That’s exactly where I was,” he agreed. “I see you’re still looking at it.”