by Davis Ashura
“At any rate, this fool on a bike, wearing his contraption, was so caught up in his noise that he almost rode me down. I had to hop lively to get out of his way.” Mr. Zeus shook his head in disgust. “Wicked devices.”
Mr. Karllson laughed. “Mr. Zeus is a man of a different era. He still hasn’t completely come to accept the internal combustion engine.”
“More like the infernal combustion engine,” Mr. Zeus said.
“Anyway, having someone almost run you down probably isn’t as bad as Magnus’s day,” Mrs. Karllson said. “You see all sorts of things in the plumbing business.”
“I didn’t think it was a competition,” Mr. Zeus said.
“I don’t think you need to tell us what happened,” Daniel said in a pleading tone.
“I thought it would be another routine call,” Mr. Karllson began, ignoring Daniel’s entreaty. “The fellow said he was a doctor, but his bathroom was utterly filthy. Imagine all the dried-up stains of things unimaginable and you begin to understand my work environment. Worst of all, his toilet was plugged, and when I took it off, I found . . .”
“Yuck! I don’t want to know anymore,” Lien cried out.
“We’re eating!” William exclaimed.
Mr. Karllson chuckled at their reactions, but at least he didn’t finish his story.
Thank goodness for that, Serena thought. Any discussion about bowel and bladder habits always left her unsettled. It reminded her of childhood as a slave in her true father’s palace where she had to clean out the latrines every morning.
Later on after dinner, Daniel and Lien cleared the table while Mr. and Mrs. Karllson brought out coffee and peanut butter brownies.
“Dig in,” Mrs. Karllson said. “There’s enough for everyone.” She gave Mr. Zeus an assessing gaze. “Although you might want to do without, my apple-shaped friend.”
“Too late!” Mr. Zeus grinned around a mouthful of brownie.
“You are incorrigible!” Mrs. Karllson exclaimed.
“And quite pleasantly stuffed.”
“Like a Thanksgiving turkey,” Mrs. Karllson quipped.
Serena smiled at their interaction. She had never seen people speak mockingly to one another and yet with obvious love.
“We were thinking of going camping over Christmas break,” Jason announced. “There’s a park in West Virginia, out past the light pollution, where we can watch the stars and go hiking.”
“Daniel and Lien are more than welcome to come with us,” said Mr. Zeus. “It should be a lot of fun.”
Warning bells went off in Serena’s mind. The discussion involved more than camping and hiking. A strangeness filled the air, but she couldn’t pinpoint its meaning.
Her thoughts were interrupted when William closed his eyes and quoted a poem:
* * *
Gazing at her mysteries, I wonder,
What is more lovely.
The crowning glory of her silvered moon,
Or her gifted shawl of shining bright stars.
My eyes seek the truth, but my soul ne’er learns.
* * *
“Very pretty,” Mrs. Karllson said.
“Thank you,” William replied.
“You wrote it?” Lien asked, sounding surprised.
William nodded.
Serena arched an eyebrow. “Strong enough to face down your enemies, and also a romantic? There’s a lot to learn about you, William.”
Jason groaned in disgust. “Oh, come on . . .”
“Don’t worry, Jason,” Daniel advised. “I’m sure we won’t hear anything that sickeningly sweet from Serena ever again after she finds out just how much of a geek William is.”
“I think I already have that part figured out,” Serena said.
“I’m a geek?” William asked in a disbelieving tone. “What about you two and how you keep quoting things in that terrible German accent?”
“Well, that’s different,” Daniel said. “That’s quoting Arnie. Quoting him is nowhere near as bad as what you do, especially on Fridays.”
William blinked and wore a sickly expression. “Err. Why don’t we . . .”
“Daniel Karllson,” Mrs. Karllson said in a warning tone.
“I’m missing something,” Serena said, glancing around the table.
“It’s just Daniel and Jason thinking they’re funny,” Lien said. “Don’t listen to them.”
“That’s not true,” Jason protested. “Daniel and I were talking about it, and we think Serena should know something about our friend, William.”
“You guys suck,” William muttered.
“The reason he’s never able to talk to you or see you on Friday nights at ten is because he’s watching Miami Vice,” Daniel announced with a gleeful relish.
“His life revolves around that show,” Jason added, appearing equally gleeful.
“I hope you dick—” William shot a glance at Mrs. Karllson. “I mean, I hope you two enjoy walking to school on Monday.”
Daniel and Jason didn’t seem the least bit worried about William’s threat. Instead, they kept on grinning in evident triumph.
In that moment, several things became clear for Serena. Daniel and Jason truly loved William. Though they had tried to embarrass him, their words hadn’t been spoken in spite. They had been spoken in the teasing fashion that could only be shared by the deepest of friends.
As for William . . . Serena gave him an appraising glance. He obviously liked to live vicariously, whether it was through the books he read or the TV shows and movies that he watched. He enjoyed seeing greatness in others, perhaps hoping to one day see it in himself. But what he didn’t understand was that greatness was earned, not received like some magic ring.
Serena pitied him his lack of insight.
William held up his hands in mock surrender. “I’m sorry. Yes, I love Miami Vice. Yes, I love the theme song. And yes, I think Tubbs is the coolest person of all time. Guilty.”
“Tubbs? He’s a character on the show?” Serena asked.
“Yeah, and he’s just so laid-back and cool and badass—”
“And he probably doesn’t spend his Friday nights watching TV,” Serena finished for him.
“I had a great time tonight,” Serena said to William. “Maybe the best night I’ve ever had.” The words slipped out without thought, and while they were the truth and worked for her purpose, she also spoke them with the same unintentional emotionality for which she had mentally castigated herself earlier in the evening.
“Really?” William asked, sounding surprised.
“Really.”
“Then you haven’t lived much.”
The two of them stood alone on the Karllson’s front porch—Jason and Mr. Zeus had already left—and she leaned into William, knocking him off-balance. “Very funny, Tubbs.”
William grimaced.
“You know you aren’t going to live that down, right?”
“I know.” William sighed.
“See you at home?” Jason called from across the street.
“Sure,” William shouted back. “I’m just going to walk Serena home.” He glanced her way. “Do you mind if I walk you home?”
“I don’t mind,” Serena answered, offering William what she hoped was a shy smile.
He smiled in return.
Good.
“It’s starting to get cold,” William said as they set out for her house. His breath frosted in the night air.
“Yes, it is.” Serena had worn a thin dress, and it didn’t offer much protection from the chill. She drew her shawl closer about herself and pretended to shiver. Of course, she wasn’t actually cold. In fact, she’d spent most of her life in an environment where this late September evening would have been considered balmy. Instead, the shiver had been meant to elicit a reaction from William.
A moment later, William did just as she had hoped he would: he draped his jacket around her shoulders.
Serena’s confidence rose. There might be times when she wasn’t as fully in control of h
er actions and emotions as she wished, but she still had enough control to execute her assignments. She could still manipulate William and finish her final pilgrimage.
“Thank you,” Serena said.
“It looked like you needed it,” William replied.
As she and William crossed the street and made their way to her house, Serena pulled the coat closer about herself. It smelled like William, a warm blend of something as earthy and real as his lovely drawl. Unconsciously, she shifted closer to him.
Immediately she realized what she had done and why.
Damn it. There went her control again. She mentally cursed. It was all William’s fault. She liked him and his friends too much. If she was honest with herself, she liked who she was when she was around them even more. They made it so easy for her to simply lose herself in the moment and live her life freely, without considering the lies she had to tell, or determining how best to use someone to her advantage.
She counted backward by sevens again, this time from one thousand, and by the time they reached her front step, Serena had control of herself again.
She noticed that William’s face had scrunched up like he had a question in mind.
“What is it?” Serena asked.
William flushed, and Serena smiled to herself. There was something refreshingly clean about William. Whenever he spoke or laughed, it was his truth. It was an expression of exactly what he felt at that time. He didn’t lie, at least not to her, and she liked that.
And his dark, good looks weren’t bad either.
A moment later, she mentally chided herself. Control.
“It’s movie night tomorrow. My house. Do you want to come?”
“Sure, as long as it isn’t American Ninja II,” Serena said, needling him over a movie choice he’d made last week.
“It won’t be,” William promised.
“Then I’ll be there.” Time to seal tonight’s importance. Serena leaned forward and kissed William on the cheek. Only a brief, butterfly brush, but his eyes widened. It would have been perfect if Serena’s own heart hadn’t started beating so fast. “Here’s your coat,” she said, hating the uneven tone in her voice. “Good night, William.”
“Good night, Serena.”
Serena stepped inside her home and closed the front door, not bothering to hide her smile of triumph. Even with her clumsiness, her inability to set aside her traitorous thoughts and emotions, events were proceeding quite well.
“Dinner was good?” Isha asked.
Before answering, Serena set her features into blandness, even as “Gloria” played in her mind. She only wished the lyrics to the song were true, that God loved His fallen creations. “It was fine,” she said, infusing her words with carelessness. “But more importantly, it’s furthered our plans very nicely. You heard William’s invitation?”
“I did,” Isha replied. “I also sensed that you kissed him. Was that wise?”
“I think so, sir” Serena replied. “He likes me. He thinks of me as a friend, but as you’ve always taught me, love and desire are more exploitable than friendship.”
“Yes, they are,” Isha agreed, even as he studied her with his raptor gaze. “In turn, you don’t feel friendship for him?”
Her heart skipped a beat, but Serena didn’t let her anxiety show. She snorted in derision. “Friendship is a weakness. Your first lesson, sir.”
“Yes, and you learned it well,” Isha said. “However, allow me to instruct you further. Upon your face and in your heart, I sense something unexpected.”
“And what do you think you see or sense, sir?” Serena asked, maintaining a mildly curious tone.
“I sense the most dangerous emotion of all,” Isha answered. “Contentment.”
Serena blinked in surprise. His observation wasn’t what she had expected, and yet . . . he was right. Serena forced a sarcastic smile. “Really? If that is what you sense, then perhaps your powers of observation are not as fearsome as they once were.”
“Perhaps not,” Isha said, sounding unperturbed by her waspish words. “So long as you don’t lose perspective of the true reason we are here. The true reason why we care for this boy.”
The doorbell rang. And rang and rang and rang.
William hustled down the hall. Only Daniel, that numbnut, did that. Mr. Zeus hated it. He generally hated any kind of loud noises, other than his hammer and anvil. Probably something to do with being old.
Jason came out of the kitchen. “Mr. Zeus is going to kill him.”
“I know,” William said as he raced for the door.
Daniel probably didn’t know that Mr. Zeus was home or he wouldn’t be pounding away on the doorbell as if it were a drum.
“Someone get the door!” Mr. Zeus yelled from his room.
William arrived and threw the front door open. Daniel stood on the porch wearing an unapologetic, cheese-eating grin. “What took you so long?”
“Mr. Zeus is home, stupid.”
Daniel’s grin fell away. “Oh, man.”
“Daniel Karllson, next time you think about ringing my doorbell like that, don’t!” Mr. Zeus shouted.
“Sorry, sir.” Daniel replied in a chastened voice.
“I don’t care. Don’t do it again, you little vagrant!”
“Yes, sir,” Daniel said. “He sounds really mad,” he whispered to William.
“You think?” William rolled his eyes. “Let’s go to my room. And be quiet this time. We don’t want you bugging Mr. Zeus again.”
Jason joined them, and William closed the door after he entered. Daniel flopped onto the oversized beanbag in the corner while Jason sat in the desk chair.
Pennants for the Reds and Bengals and a poster from Back to the Future, decorated the walls. Eddie the Head had been over the bed, but William had taken him down after Serena’s comment about Iron Maiden’s mascot. A poster from Blade Runner had replaced him. Other items, like Star Wars miniatures of a TIE fighter and an X-wing, hung from the ceiling, while the Battlestar Galactica and the United Starship Enterprise faced off on a bookshelf. The Millennium Falcon stood watch from a bookshelf.
“Why do you have Wonder Woman’s bracelets on top of Superman’s logo?” Daniel asked, fingering the articles.
“They just seem like they belong together,” William answered as he thumbed on the boombox. “Kyrie Eleison” came on, but he quickly dialed down the sound, once again for Mr. Zeus’ behalf. Ted Nugent would say Jason’s grandfather was too old.
“What movie did you guys get for movie night?” Daniel asked.
“The Road Warrior,” William said.
“Again?” Daniel frowned. “The girls aren’t going to like that.”
“It’s a Saturday afternoon,” Jason said. “All the good, new movies were already gone by the time we got to the video store. The place was pretty much cleared out.”
Daniel shrugged. “Whatever. Do you guys want to finish that D&D campaign, The Vault of the Drow?”
“Is that really how you want to spend a Saturday afternoon?” Jason asked.
“Well, yeah. It’s why I came over.”
“You mean it wasn’t because you missed the company of your friends?” William asked.
“I missed Jason. You, not so much.”
“Very funny.”
“Don’t ask a question if you don’t want the answer,” Daniel said, sounding smug.
“You do remember I’m the Dungeon Master, right?” William asked.
“Crap.”
“Yeah, exactly. Crap,” William said. “I’m pretty sure any time you roll, Razorclaw the Ranger is going to have the runs.”
“Razorclaw the Ranger.” Jason snorted. “That’s so lame.”
“Shut up.”
FALLOUT
“Good job, Wilde,” Sonya Bowyer huffed, pushing into his personal space and glaring at him. “We lost the game on Friday because of you.”
“The football game?” William asked.
“Yes, the football game, stupid!” She
poked him in the chest. “We lost, and it’s your fault. Half our defense was suspended because of what you did on Friday, and Lance Owens got hurt in the game, too. He was our best wide receiver.”
How’s that my fault?” William demanded. “I’m not the reason Jake and those guys got suspended. They did that on their own.”
“We had a chance to win the city title,” Sonya screeched. “Maybe even state. It would’ve been our first title ever. Because of you Jake might lose his scholarship to Notre Dame, and—”
“Thanks to him,” William interjected, his blood starting to simmer. “What happened was his own fault.”
William and Sonya had been among the first to arrive for Biology, and the rest of the class slowly filtered in. The other students stood by in rapt silence, watching to see what would happen.
“You knew Mr. Meron would be there.” Sonya poked him again. “You knew, and you didn’t care that Jake would get suspended from the team. Or that we’d lose because of you!”
“So what?” William snarled, a red film filtering over his vision. “Jake didn’t try to get me in trouble with Mr. Meron first? He didn’t threaten to sic the entire football team on me? You think I should have just sat back and taken it? That’s not going to happen. Don’t blame me for what your asshole boyfriend did.”
Sonya must have seen something in William’s face, and fear flitted across her face. She stepped back.
Guilt filled William at seeing Sonya afraid of him. His anger quickly drained away.
Mrs. Nelson walked into the room. “What’s going on?” she asked, approaching them and obviously sensing the tension.
Serena arrived as well. She waited behind Mrs. Nelson, chewing her lip in concern.
“Sonya seems to think I should sit back and let her boyfriend beat me up whenever he feels like it,” William answered.
“That’s not true!” Sonya blurted.
“Didn’t Mr. Meron tell you to stay away from Mr. Wilde?” Mrs. Nelson asked Sonya.
“Mrs. Nelson, I was just—”
“Get back to your table.”
“But—”
“Now.”
Sonya snapped her mouth shut, spun on her heel, and stalked back to her table, her back ramrod straight. Mrs. Nelson followed a pace behind, as if to make sure that Sonya did as she was told.
