Old Friends (Dubois Chronicles 1.15)
DJ Dubois
September 1986/November 2004
Notes: The characters from “Xena Warrior Princess”
belong to StudiosUSA and MCA. The characters from Smallville belong to DC and
the WB. The characters from Forever Knight belong to Sony Tri-Star. All other
characters are mine. Please send comments to
dante0220@yahoo.com .
Introduction [Amazon Village—c. 88 AD]
Gabrielle, Bard-Queen of the Amazons, writes….
As I’ve discovered, there is much to be gained
through composite history. As we learn more about David’s past, there are
different perspectives about those years depending upon who you talk to.
But as we move into late November of 1986, events
occurred faster and faster. While David and the others were occupied with
school, threats positioned themselves to strike both close by and far.
Talking to David and the other members of the
“Cadre” now, they’re hard on themselves for not seeing the approaching storm
especially given the visitors who appeared to warn them.
Chapter 1 [Metropolis—LuthorCorp, Weekend before
Thanksgiving, 1981]
Lionel Luthor sat behind his desk, inspecting his
projects and planning his calendar for the next six months. For the previous two
years, he had been trying to put together a big project to get his social image
on track again. In the wake of the poisoning incident in Massachusetts, nobody
had wanted to touch him with a ten foot pole.
Finally, his associate, Stuart Dubois had arranged
a lucrative deal with a firm out of Denver. The two parties had negotiated an
understanding to do a renovation project in Smallville of all places.
Although skeptical at first, Lionel checked into
it. Much to his delight, his research indicated that this project could have
great potential gains with minimal effort. It’s all in the timing. The only
thing there is that old theater. The local history crackpots will want to save
it but if we can swoop in there and take it down, they won’t be able to stop us.
Then the phone rang.
“Yes?” he asked.
“Lionel, Stuart Dubois here. How are you?” Stuart
replied. “Did you get the specs I sent you?”
“I did indeed. I was looking them over as well as
my own research,” Lionel mentioned. “This looks promising, Stuart.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” the consultant
indicated. “It’s a go then? When would you like me to fly out there?”
“Could you meet me out here on Thanksgiving? I
know that’s short notice but Lillian’s not going to be here and we can talk
other things if you get my meaning,” Lionel suggested.
“Done. Yeah Mom’s having her and your son up at
her house,” Stuart agreed. “I’ll make the arrangements. Maybe we can look at the
site on that day before we eat?”
“Very good,” Lionel concurred. “See you then.
Thank you, Stuart. Have a good day.” With that, he hung up. Very good indeed. He
opened the safe and handled the manila envelope. According to his spies up in
Amherst, everything was going according to plan. Keep thinking you’re safe, Boy!
When I’m ready, I’ll pull the carpet out from under you.
****
[Rowenshire—Old Dubois House, Sunday Night]
Across the reservoir and to the east of Amherst,
the sky always remained gray and gloomy over Rowenshire. The people continued to
keep to themselves for the most part, staying in town or heading toward Ware,
Three Rivers and Palmer.
Off toward the north, Anne Lichtenfeld’s ghost
continued to plot and wait for her opportunity. Since her standoff with Dave and
his friends, the energy field imprisoning her in the old house’s backyard had
begun to weaken slightly. Over the previous summer, she had whispered to the
teenager’s mind, letting him know that she remained the dominant part of his
destiny.
Despite all of that, she sensed the changing tides
of Fate, shifting the balance in her direction. Through her own dark arts, she
knew of the two fathers’ plans and relished them. The fools freed me once!
She
grinned, knowing that they would do so again.
She cast several spells, lighting up the night
sky. “There! When my boy screams in pain from his sire’s foolishness, he’ll free
me!” She cackled loud and long; the voice echoing clearly into town.
Even if the prison kept her there, she was back as
a threat…..
****
Meantime, a truck sat right in front of the house;
its occupants observing this activity. While most of the residents avoided the
place, Brother Andrew and Nancy McEverwood kept a vigil on it. They remembered
what Dave had gone through on the site over the years including the harrowing
week during the previous year.
“Lord help us, she’s recovered her power!” the
minister exclaimed.
She coughed anxiously. “The ghost hasn’t left the
place since then. Let’s hope she can’t!” She shook her head. And of course, the
first person she’s going to go after is Dave. Even if he isn’t here anymore,
Amherst is close by. “We have to let Dave know. Thankfully, my parents are out
of town.”
He nodded, knowing how her father felt about the
troubled teen. “We don’t need him raising Cain over this situation. Your
neighbors are already frightened enough. We’ll go there after school
lets out in Ware.” And may the Lord contain the ghost’s mischief until then.
For
a second, his thoughts went to the spell book still locked away in the town
church’s basement. Hopefully, the safeguards from last year will still hold.
David, be wary of Lichtenfeld’s malice!
Chapter 2 [Tuesday—Amherst]
[Amherst High]
Dave stood at his locker, engaging in the usual
book swap prior to heading for the cafeteria. In his mind, he rummaged over the
memories from the first part of the school year. The class schedule proved less
daunting than he had initially feared although he still studied a lot. The White
Knight hummed along smoothly with few problems. Maybe it was meant that I didn’t
have that job this year. The ten extra hours of study time are paying off. He
shut his locker door and zipped the knapsack up.
Then his stomach rumbled at him.
“I’m going! I’m going!” he hissed impatiently at
it while rushing toward the cafeteria.
****
Five minutes later, he found the Cadre manning
their usual table. “Hey, guys! Some morning, huh?”
Having survived Mr. Flahrety’s latest surprise
quiz, they all rolled their eyes.
“Oh-kay!” Dave changed the subject. “Nice spread
in tomorrow’s edition, April.”
“Thanks, Dave. Marty Saunders and Nellie Wilson
will appreciate that,” April noted.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll say something as well,”
Dave offered. Since he took over as editor-in-chief, he had made a point of
encouraging and complimenting the reporters. “It’s good to know that everyone’s
appreciated.” He rubbed his forehead, feeling another numb spasm up there. Here
it comes again! Although sporadically coming up since the previous summer, the
sensations usually meant trouble from a well-known source. Keep out of my life!
Like ye can stop me!
Stuff it!
“Dave?” Karen asked with concern.
“Huh?” He stiffened.
Not again! “Are you all right, Chief?” Garth
wondered, eyeing him carefully. While their memories of the cause were blocked,
they certainly remembered these spells.
“Yeah. It’s just a headache,” Dave assured them.
“Just thinking about English and my presentation tomorrow.”
“Don’t get so worked up,” Steve advised. “You
could walk in and blow it away.”
“Let’s not get cocky,” Karen disagreed. “Miss
Jenkins is well aware of what he can do.”
“She’ll have some tough questions for me and the
rest of you,” Dave surmised knowingly. “We just need to get through today and
tomorrow morning.”
“You all going to join Sam Cassell and me at the
game on Friday?” Steve inquired.
Dave thought for a minute. The football team was
playing Athol, its traditional rival, on that Friday. That year’s game was being
played Athol High…barely three miles from the old house. I really shouldn’t risk
it but I want to put on a good show of support. I’d also like to stick it to Her
Nastiness by showing I’m not afraid of her. “I’ll be there.”
“We’ll be there too,” Garth chimed in, speaking
for him and April both. “We haven’t been there in a couple of years."
“Daddy’s taking Charles, Caroline and me. I’m sure
he’d give you a ride,” Karen indicated.
“I’ll talk with Gram about that. Auntie Lillie’s
coming for Thanksgiving,” he mentioned.
“Aw! I wish I was going to be here for that!”
Frank exclaimed, speaking pretty much for Garth, April and Steve.
“I’ll give you all the scoop. Dave, do you think
she’d mind if I stop in for a visit?” Karen inquired hopefully.
“Actually, she insists that you do,” Dave replied,
smiling at her. “According to Gram, she should be here tomorrow. I wonder what’s
going on that she’s here and Uncle Lionel’s down there?”
“Who cares? As long as he stays there,” Karen
retorted sharply, still recalling the poisoning incident from two years earlier.
“No argument here,” Dave concurred. “Still, don’t
say that in front of her, okay?”
“I won’t,” Karen promised, flushing with
embarrassment.
“It’s okay. Believe me; I don’t want to be around
him any more than I have to,” he assured her. Looking at his watch, he added,
“We’ve got ten minutes until English. Shall we, Gang?”
They all groaned and got up from the table.
And the Beat went on…..
Chapter 3
[Cappuccino Express—Later that afternoon]
Brother Andrew stopped his truck by the café.
After picking Nancy up in Ware, they drove right over to Amherst. Unfortunately,
school had let out for the day and they couldn’t remember where Janet’s house
was. “Maybe someone here might have some information.”
“Seems like a popular enough place,” she
concurred, as they got out.
As they walked in, the duo surveyed the
establishment and its patrons, hoping to find a familiar face.
Then she spied Karen at the counter. “Wasn’t she
at the house last year?”
He nodded. “Follow me.” Heading up to the counter,
he approached her. “Excuse me?”
Karen recognized him from Mrs. Colavitto’s
funeral. “You’re Dave’s minister from Rowenshire, right?”
“That’s correct. Karen, right?” he replied,
offering his hand.
“That’s right,” she agreed, shaking his hand and
noting the serious look on his face. “Is everything all right?” She saw Nancy
standing there. “I think I know you too.”
“I’m Nancy McEverwood, a former
classmate of Dave’s,” Nancy answered, trying not to seem too anxious. “This is
quite the place you have here.”
“It is busy,” Karen agreed. “Can I get you
something? A cup of coffee? A cookie?”
“Maybe two cups of coffee?” Nancy requested.
“We…uh…need to get a hold of Dave too. You wouldn’t happen to know his
grandmother’s phone number would you?”
“Certainly. Take a seat and I’ll get those coffees
for you,” Karen offered. At that moment, she saw Dave walk through the front
door. “Speak of the guy in question….” She pointed toward the door and motioned
to him.
“Hi, Karen. What’s going on?” Dave wondered,
heading right up there. Then he saw the two newcomers. “Brother Andrew! Nancy!
This is a great surprise!” He shook the minister’s hand and gave her a friendly
hug. “What brings you here?”
“Is there a place we can talk privately?” Brother
Andrew queried, giving him a serious look.
If this is about what I think it is, we’ll need
that privacy. “We can do that at my grandmother’s if that’s okay. Right now,
drinks and cookies are on me. Karen, I need a mocha please and put their stuff
on my tab too.”
“Gotcha,” she concurred, noting his sudden
seriousness now. Now what? I hope that mob in Rowenshire isn’t going to cause
trouble here or on Friday! She took a deep breath and motioned to Dave again.
After they stepped out of the visitors’ hearing, she asked, “They aren’t going
to be a problem, are they?”
“They’re fine. Brother Andrew’s a friend and
Nancy’s cool. I hope Gram doesn’t mind company,” he assured her. Auntie will be
SO thrilled with this. She feels guilty enough about the ghost’s handiwork
already. “As soon as we finish our stuff, we’ll head right over to Gram’s.” He
handed her six dollars and grinned. “There you go and your usual bonus for being
you.”
She chuckled. “Flattery, Mr. Dubois, will get you
nowhere.” With a sly grin, she scurried off to get their orders.
I hope I can get them to relax first. Gram will
want to hear about this too. With that, he rejoined the minister and his former
classmate.
****
[Janet’s House—Twenty-five minutes later]
After a quick ride over there, Dave led the
visitors into the house. “If you could take your shoes off here, Gram would
appreciate it.” He looked around. “Gram?”
“Hi, Dave. You’re back early,” Janet declared,
coming into the front room to meet them. “Why, Brother Andrew! When did you
arrive?”
“We got lost. Fortunately, we stopped into that
coffee place and ran into David. It’s good to see you, Janet,” the minister
replied.
“And, Nancy, are you all right?” Janet asked
cautiously.
“Yes, Ma ‘am,” Nancy replied courteously. “Dave,
it’s okay to talk here, right?”
“It should be. Gram, you might want to sit down if
it’s what I think it is,” Dave indicated. When they all had done so, he asked,
“I know Lichtenfeld’s been up to no good for a while now. I figure that’s why
you’re both here. Right?”
“That’s right. How?” Nancy asked.
“You’ve had more spasms,” Janet guessed, looking
seriously at him. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I wasn’t sure,” Dave lied, not wanting her to
freak out. “She’s been at it since Mrs. C’s funeral. Then today, I heard her in
my mind again.”
The minister nodded. “So. Whatever’s kept her in
check is failing.”
“There were bright flashes of light coming from
the property two nights ago and dark laughter,” Nancy continued.
“The demon’s casting her spells again,” the
minister presumed. “If you felt her here….”
“And on the Cape,” Dave noted. “Great. This is
just great.”
“What is?” Janet asked apprehensively.
“The football game’s at Athol High School. You
know she’s going to want a shot at that,” Dave presumed.
“Your school’s playing there?” Nancy inquired
fearfully.
“You got it. And my friends will be there,” Dave
noted.
“So? They know about her,” Brother Andrew stated.
“They don’t remember the incident and we’d like to
keep it that way,” Janet commented. “Dave, you were planning on going, right?”
“Absolutely,” Dave affirmed. “Brother Andrew,
thanks for the heads up. I appreciate it.”
“My pleasure. I need to be heading back to
Rowenshire now,” the minister informed them. “Nancy, we might want to find you
some place to stay.”
“Yeah. I didn’t want to impose though,” Nancy
stated. “I can survive by myself, Brother Andrew.”
“Mom’s not going to be home until Monday. If you
want to, you can stay there. I do have school in the morning. You could come
over here or wait at Mom’s,” Dave offered. “Did you bring any clothes?”
“I have some things in my duffel bag. Thanks,
Dave, I…wasn’t looking forward to another night by myself with You Know Who
nearby,” Nancy accepted.
“I understand the feeling especially since your
father aggravated her last year,” Dave stated. “Besides there is the matter of
Thanksgiving.”
“Yeah…that. Well, I have some things at home that
I can make dinner with,” Nancy mentioned.
“Since you’re here, you can eat with us,” Janet
invited. “Maybe you can let her see the others, Dave?”
“That sounds good. One thing, Nancy, don’t mention
the ghost, all right?” Dave requested.
“No problem. The less I think about her, the
better. Anyhow, thank you for bringing in here, Brother Andrew,” Nancy agreed.
“My pleasure and thank you for agreeing to let her
visit. Perhaps, we might meet up at the game on Friday?” the minister suggested.
“What about Ware’s game?” Janet asked.
Nancy shook her head. “I’d rather hang out here
and get to know Dave’s friends better.” She chuckled. “The others back in
Rowenshire have no idea of this. I think it’s great!”
“On that note, I’ll be going,” Brother Andrew
concluded. “Good night.”
After the minister had left, Dave remembered,
“Gram, I left my bike at the Express!”
Janet agreed, “I’ll give you a ride down there
after supper. I have some hamburgers and a bowl of salad ready if that’s okay
with both of you.”
The two teenagers made their way to the table
eagerly.
Chapter 4 [Cappuccino Express—later]
True to her word (as always), Janet brought them
down to the café, arriving there just after 7:45. After helping Dave to load his
bike into the car’s trunk, she mentioned, “Call me if you need a ride, all
right?”
“We will. Thanks, Gram,” he agreed. “And if we get
one with someone, I’ll let you know too.”
“Please do,” Janet agreed, fishing for a five
dollar bill in her purse. “Treat Nancy to something nice, all right?”
“That’s okay, Mrs. Dubois. I have some money with
me,” the girl assured her.
“You’re our guest, Nancy,” he told her. “Come on!
See you later, Gram.”
“Right,” she replied as they headed in the front
door. That girl was the only one who ever treated Dave right in that dark place.
Maybe this might be good for her too. Thinking that, she got in the car and
drove away.
****
Karen wiped down the counter and scurried to keep
ahead of the orders. It had been a typical Tuesday night with its steady waves
of business. In another five minutes, she would be finished for the night. I
wonder why that girl’s here now? What’s her tie to Dave? Is she here to…? Cut it
out, Karen! Dave’s here now. She bit her lip, feeling tremendously insecure.
Maybe Gram can help me understand this. Then she saw Dave and Nancy enter the
café.
He led Nancy up to the front. “Best desserts in
town…and service, I might add.” He smiled. “Holding up all right?”
“Sort of,” Karen surmised, seeing her relief
punching in on the time clock. “You both are my last customers of the night.
What’ll it be?”
“My usual and the cookie. Nancy?” he inquired.
“That cookie’s good. Do you do cappuccinos here?”
Nancy replied to Karen.
Karen smiled. “We sure do! I’ll have those right
out to you.”
“Thank you,” Nancy expressed warmly. “I appreciate
it. Say, Karen, are you heading right home or do you have time to sit and chat?
Since I’m here, I’d like to get to know all of you.”
The waitress nodded. “I need to call my father and
let him know. It’ll just take a minute.” With that, she headed to the back.
After they sat down in his usual booth, Nancy
giggled.
“What?” he asked, not getting the joke.
“She likes you, you know,” she pointed out
frankly. “You like her, don’t you?”
“Keep a secret?” he inquired.
“You know I can,” she agreed.
He leaned close and revealed, “I’ve never felt the
same way for anyone else. It’s amazing.”
She grinned. “I’m happy for you then, Dave. Karen
seems like a great person. You haven’t told her, have you?”
“I’m still getting everything together. With
You-Know-Who lurking around, that might not be a good idea,” he explained.
She shook her head. “Dave, I don’t believe you.
Don’t let her ruin this chance for you!” She grasped his hands in hers. “Tell
Karen how you feel. All right?”
“Yeah,” he agreed.
She looked him in the eye. “Promise me you’ll do
it.”
“I promise,” he added.
She took a deep breath. “Good. People like her
don’t come along every day. Even if my father drove us apart, I’m still making
sure you find someone.” She smirked. “So this is where you keep yourself.”
“Some times,” he remarked. “Other times, I’m at
the library or at school with Karen and the others. Between classes and being
the school newspaper’s editor-in-chief, it takes a lot of time. Fortunately, I
have the best crew in the business helping me with both.”
She arched an eyebrow. “I know you too well. I
take it those are your classmates that I met?”
“They are,” he indicated. “We watch out for each
other, Nancy. It’s unbelievable having support like this.”
Recalling some of the incidents from before, she
sighed. If only everyone there could have accepted him like this! I have never
seen Dave so content. “I’m sure it is. And Karen?”
“What about her?” he inquired.
“She’s involved too, isn’t she?” she queried; her
smile becoming broader.
“She’s my right hand person. And I think that
answers your question, doesn’t it?” he replied.
And there it is. Karen, he doesn’t put that much
trust in anyone save his grandmother. I hope she recognizes that. “It most
certainly does.” Seeing Karen approach, she smiled. “Is your father okay with
this?”
“Sure. He’ll pick us up in an hour if that’s
okay,” Karen informed her. “So…how long are you here for?”
“Until Friday afternoon. School in Ware’s already
out for Thanksgiving and my folks are out of town for the weekend,” Nancy
explained. “I was just telling Dave that this is some place.”
“Too bad you all don’t have something like this,”
he noted.
“A place like this would never go over there,”
Nancy concurred. “The people don’t go into town unless they have to.”
“So what do they do?” Karen wondered
incredulously.
“They keep to themselves, Karen. Trust me; it’s a
very different place,” he declared, looking the visitor in the eye as he said
it.
“You can say that again,” Nancy concurred
anxiously, wanting to change the subject. “When does school let out for you
all?”
“Tommorrow at noon. Speaking of which, Dave, how’s
the report coming?” Karen inquired.
“I just need to type it up when we get back,” he
noted.
“Report? Dave, I’m not keeping you from your
homework!” Nancy shook her head.
“I’ll manage. Say, we were all going to do lunch,
right?” he suggested. Seeing her nod, he added, “Maybe the others wouldn’t mind
if Nancy came with us?”
“She isn’t your brother,” Karen indicated. Seeing
the other girl wince, she supposed, “You’ve met?”
“Unfortunately,” Nancy retorted. “He caused
trouble here too?”
“That would be an understatement,” Karen replied
uncomfortably. “He practically had the town ready to lynch him and his friends
that weekend.”
“I took care of it,” he reminded them.
Karen laughed. “You sure did. Siccing the sheriff
on them was something else.”
Nancy stared at him. “You got him in trouble?”
“Randy got himself in trouble. I just made sure
that he learned something from the experience. Older brother’s job,” he noted.
“And your father? He isn’t anywhere near here, is
he?” Nancy wondered nervously.
“He’s in Ludlow and that’s not far enough away as
far as I’m concerned,” he replied firmly. “He’s done enough damage.”
Isn’t that the truth? “Between him and Lionel Luthor, they’ve caused you enough grief,” Nancy agreed.
“Too bad Lionel isn’t more like his wife. She’ll
be here tomorrow afternoon,” he mentioned, taking another sip from his mocha.
“Now there’s someone destined for sainthood if there is one.”
“If you say so,” Nancy agreed tentatively. “Dave,
you can’t keep taking Mr. Luthor and your father on like you do. One of these
times it’s going to cost you.” Especially with what they did to you back at the
house.
“Good luck getting him to listen to that one,”
Karen declared. “I can’t imagine having either one of them as a father. Makes me
realize how lucky I am to have my parents.”
“Amen to that,” he agreed. “Wait until you meet
her Dad, Nancy.” Then he saw another familiar face. “I’ll be back.” He got up
and walked over to Miss Jenkins. “Late night coffee run, Miss Jenkins?”
“Hello, David, how’s the report?” the English
teacher greeted, taking her coffee from the waitress.
“I need to finish it when I get home. If you have
a minute, I wanted to ask a favor. A friend of mine’s visiting from my old town.
If she wants to, would it be okay if she sat in on class tomorrow?” he
requested.
“As long as you can do the report, I have no
problem with that,” Miss Jenkins concurred. “Is that her?” After he nodded, she
concurred, “That would be fine. Maybe she’d like to see what you do with the
Knight too? What does Karen think?”
“We were going to talk about it but I wanted to
clear it with you first. Trust me; Nancy’s just a friend and she shares
everyone’s assessment from here,” he informed her, blushing slightly.
At some point, even you need to get that message.
“Let’s meet your friend,” she agreed, heading over to the table with him.
“Nancy McEverwood, this is Miss Jenkins, our
English teacher and the newspaper’s advisor,” he introduced.
“Welcome to Amherst,” Miss Jenkins greeted,
shaking the visitor’s hand. “In town for the weekend?”
“Just until Friday, Ma ‘am. It’s good to meet
you,” Nancy replied courteously. “This is a nice place. It’s so much bigger than
Rowenshire.”
“Sorry that our classes don’t let out before
tomorrow,” the English teacher apologized. “David has a presentation too. Say,
would you like to sit in?”
“Is that all right? I don’t want to be any
trouble. I mean—I’d love to but I don’t want to inconvenience anyone.”
“It’s no trouble,” Miss Jenkins assured her.
“Besides you get to see him at his best.” She beamed. “Medieval mystery plays
and their context.”
“That’s Dave all right,” Nancy concurred. And
there’s a reason he’s into drama. I pray you never find out why. “With Mrs. Luthor here too, I hate being an inconvenience.”
“Mrs. Luthor’s coming here?” Miss Jenkins asked.
“When?”
“Tomorrow at some point. I forget when she’ll be
here exactly. Of course, I’m bringing her by to look at the newsroom and the
award,” he indicated.
“Absolutely!” the teacher agreed, hoping to
finally meet the woman behind the myth. “This is good news. I look forward to
seeing you tomorrow, Nancy. Have a good night, David and Karen.”
“You too, Miss Jenkins,” the classmates chorused.
After the teacher left, Karen remarked, “You’re
going to like the group, Nancy.”
“I’m sure,” the red headed visitor agreed
anxiously. I just hope I can fit in!
Chapter 5
[Metropolis—Luthor Estate, 5:00 Next Morning]
Lillian inspected the luggage, making sure that
everything was in order. While she would have preferred that Alexander had a
Thanksgiving with both her and his father, Lionel’s “urgent business” would make
that impossible. What kind of priorities are you teaching him, Lionel?
“Are you all set, Dear?” Lionel asked with
interest.
“Just about,” she indicated. “Everything seems in
order.” She motioned to the butler to carry the bags. “Thank you. Where’s Alex?”
“He’s waiting downstairs with Stuart,” he replied.
“Meantime, the limo is waiting.”
She nodded and followed him down the stairs. There
she found Stuart Dubois talking pleasantly with the boy. Too bad you couldn’t do
that with your own sons, Stuart. “How was the flight, Stuart? Sorry I wasn’t
awake when you finally arrived.”
“Other than the delay in Chicago, fine. Say hello
to my mother when you see her,” Stuart answered flatly.
“And your son?” she asked, trying to incite a
sense of guilt.
“When his attitude straightens out then I’ll think
about him,” Stuart retorted.
“Lillian,” Lionel interjected sharply.
She smirked at the two men, having accomplished
her intention. “Look at the time! Alex, come. Let’s leave Father and Mr. Dubois
to their urgent business, shall we?”
“Okay,” Alex agreed, shaking hands solemnly with
the two men before they left. “Good bye, Father.”
“Take care, Lex,” Lionel noted.
After the two had driven away, Stuart mentioned,
“Her principles make things difficult, can’t they?”
“They can. Still, let her have her weekend with
your mother and David. That keeps her out of our hair for a while. Now let’s get
some breakfast and then we can discuss business,” the host stated.
As they headed in, Stuart frowned. Dave thinks
he’s getting the best of me. He should think again!
****
[Amherst—Sarah’s House]
Dave sat at the table, scrutinizing his written
report for the third time. After challenging himself to get through Middle
English dialects (and some assistance from the medieval lit prof over at UMass),
he had selected his examples. I hope they like this. They have a full range of
plays to deal with. He patted the stack of handouts. That’s set too! The books
are in my locker so that’s set too! He yawned and stretched.
“Dave?” Nancy asked, joining him in there. Much to
his surprise, she was already dressed.
“Morning!” he greeted before taking another gulp
of coffee and feeling glad that he wore his sweats around the house out of
habit. “You took your shower already?”
She nodded. “I took it about half an hour ago. I
peeked in on you before I did. You were so engrossed in that research, I didn’t
want to disturb you.”
“It’s okay. The dialects are tough to deal with
but the folks at the university gave me some back up,” he noted.
“Score another one for your grandfather. They have
no idea about your language background, do they?” She smirked.
“I needed to kill time in the dungeon. What can I
say?” he replied. “Well, I need to shower and get dressed before we go to
school. It’s about a twenty minute walk from here.”
“Sounds great. Mind if I swipe some coffee and a
bagel before we go?” she inquired.
“Help yourself,” he agreed, handing her a mug from
the dish strainer. “Milk’s in the fridge and the sugar’s by the stove.”
“Thanks,” she expressed.
He nodded and went to the shower. He had to admit
that having a girl his own age in the house with him was more than a bit
unnerving. You’re just friends, Dave. Then his mind flashed to Karen. I hope she
understands what this is about. He hurried up the stairs.
Chapter 6 [White Knight Homeroom—7:45 AM]
Karen tapped her pencil on her desk anxiously.
While she knew there was nothing to worry about, the fact that Dave had a female
house guest bugged her. Come on. This is Dave. Besides, she wouldn’t try
anything, would she?
“Hi, Karen,” Adrienne greeted, walking up to her
with a gigantic smile on her face.
Terrific. Why doesn’t she take a hint? “Adrienne,
what’s going on?” Karen replied tersely.
“Who’s the redhead that Dave was talking to last
night?” the willowy brunette inquired, needling her classmate.
“She’s his classmate from Rowenshire,” Karen
retorted impatiently. “Actually, you’ll have a chance to meet her.”
“Really?” Maybe I can get some dirt on him too!
“Yes. Dave’s bringing her here and English class.”
Karen got up. “Sorry but I really have to go to my locker.” She got up and
rushed out.
Adrienne grinned, knowing that she had managed to
get under her rival’s skin. Not as secure as you’d like to be, are you?
****
Even as this scene was playing out, April and
Garth finished getting their books and shut their lockers.
“Dave certainly seemed worked up over his
presentation,” she noted.
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “There’s something else
going on. He’s acting like he did when we moved here.”
She could see his point. “Hopefully, he’ll relax
over the weekend.” Then she saw Karen rush by them without even saying hello.
“Now what? Say, Garth, I’m going to go after her. Can you let Miss Jenkins know
I’ll be back?”
“Right,” he agreed and headed for the room.
Let’s see what’s going on. She rushed down the
hall toward the Girl’s Room. Opening it, she called, “Karen?”
“April?”
“What happened?” April asked. “Are you okay?”
Karen walked out of a stall where she’d been
thinking. Her eyes were red. “Not really. I let Adrienne get to me like an
idiot.”
“What?” April stared incredulously at her. “Karen,
Adrienne Mitchell’s got nothing on you! Why did you let her get to you like
that?”
“Oh she made a comment about Dave and his
friend….”
“Friend? Who’s this?” April inquired.
“Sorry. This girl from Rowenshire came into town
last night. She seems nice enough. You’ll meet her this morning, I guess,” Karen
explained. “She stayed at his house last night.”
“Isn’t his mother away?” April inquired.
“Uh huh. I know that Dave isn’t like that but….”
Karen replied.
April rubbed her friend’s shoulder. “I get it.
You’re upset that she’s at his house with him. Karen, as you said, this is Dave.
Believe me; it’s going to be okay.”
“I know. Sorry, I’m being silly. I should have
more faith,” Karen apologized.
“You should. Maybe he hasn’t said anything but he
does care about you. I can’t see him doing what you’re thinking. If she’s an old
classmate, I’ll bet he spent the night on the couch and let her sleep in his
bed,” April surmised.
“You’re right,” Karen agreed. “We’re going to be
late. Come on.”
****
[White Knight Home Room]
Garth rushed into the room and found it empty
except for Adrienne who sat at her desk. “What’s going on in here?”
“Hi, Garth? Is something the matter?” she asked,
acting innocently.
“You tell me. Karen just hustled out of here
really upset. Did you say something?” he inquired.
“I didn’t say anything other than to ask about
Dave’s friend,” she insisted, glaring at him indignantly.
“Friend?” he asked. Hearing Dave talking with
someone outside, he decided, “I’m going to see what’s going on.”
“Do that and find out who she is,” she directed.
He ground his teeth. No wonder Karen’s ticked off. “Like that’s any of your business. Give it a rest, Adrienne.” With that, he
headed outside where he found Dave talking with a red haired girl. “Hey, Dave.”
“Garth, what’s going on?” Dave asked.
“You tell me,” Garth replied. Looking at Nancy, he
smiled. “Is this your visitor?”
Nancy bowed her head. “I knew I was going to cause
a fuss.”
“It’s okay,” Dave told her. “Garth Singleton, this
is Nancy McEverwood, a former classmate from Rowenshire. Nancy, Garth’s one of
my best friends here.” He sighed, “What do you mean ‘you tell me’?”
“Adrienne saw you two go into your mother’s house
last night,” Garth reported.
“Nancy was there. In fact, Karen and her Dad
dropped us off there. Garth, what’s this about?” Dave queried anxiously.
“Adrienne started egging Karen on about you two
and well….” Garth reported.
She interjected, “They think that Dave and I…?”
She stared at Garth. “Oh for Pete’s sake! Dave, I’m sorry….” She noted the
telltale head rubbing. “It’s okay.”
He felt his head going numb. “Great. Like…I needed
this.”
“Deep breaths, Dave. Come on, it’s okay,” she
urged. We don’t need a fit right now! She remembered what came next from the
playground incidents of the Rowenshire school and didn’t want to get a refresher
at that point.
Dave nodded, feeling things returning to normal.
“Thanks. We’d best get into the room before roll starts.” He led them into the
room and saw that it was 7:54. “Six minutes to spare. Come on, Nancy.”
She saw everyone looking at her. “Maybe this
wasn’t such a good idea.”
“You’re fine,” Dave indicated. “I think we need to
straighten some things out later though.”
Nancy tapped him on the arm and whispered, “Tall
girl with the brown hair at 9 o clock, right?”
Dave nodded in agreement. “That’s her. Adrienne
Mitchell.”
Nancy glared across the room, allowing her eyes to
speak volumes. Don’t mess with my friends, Sister, or you’ll get a snootful of
me!
Dave shook his head and rolled his eyes. This is
starting off REALLY well. Terrific!
Onto Part 2