Champions of Serenity :Gathering the Circle

Chapter 8

His turn had finally come. Phil was being given the chance to prove himself to his father in the Los Angeles office. He wasn’t going to give anyone a chance to pull him back to Boston and the make work he’d been doing for the past few years.

Phil stepped off the plane into the arid summer heat of his new home city. Phil felt a freedom he hadn’t felt since he was in high school and too young for all the politics involved with being in his social position. He smiled at the porter who greeted him and led him to where he could retrieve his luggage.

“There is a car for you, Mister Bennington. A map to your new home is in the glove compartment. Of course, you can change both the house and the car if you so choose, but your mother thought it would be nice if you had someplace besides a hotel to go to when you arrived.”

The man wasn’t being intrusive and he wasn’t using that wheedling voice that most of his parent’s lackeys used when trying to impress the son of the Bennington Empire. Phil relaxed another notch at the more laid back attitude of the people on the west coast. He was really going to like it here, he thought to himself.

The porter handed him a set of car keys, a couple of house keys were also on the ring, and pointed to the frosty white ’67 stingray, the top down, and seats covered to keep them cool in the sun. Opening the trunk, Phil put his suitcases inside and shut it gently. Walking to the driver’s side, he stepped in and started it, listening to it purr for a few minutes.

“Well, at least it isn’t a Bentley and chauffeured.” Waving to the porter, Phil pulled away from the curb and eased out into the traffic heading to Malibu and the house that his mother had selected for him. He only hoped it wasn’t one of those homes once owned by someone rich and famous. Phil really didn’t like all the opulence of such places.

The drive was a lot more beautiful than he thought it would be, especially after hearing about the traffic problems in this city. But the map took him out of the city and down to the beach highway. He stopped at a parking lot a few miles from his new home and got out of the car to take a look at the Pacific Ocean. A couple of trails led off of the lot and down to the beach, while another two led off into a wooded area near the lot.

Following one of the trails into the woods, Phil came out to a lonely place overlooking the ocean. The trail led onto a picnic area a little further on, but this was the spot he was looking for. Stepping away from the dirt path, he found a rock and sat down to watch the waves and feel the hint of mist on his face. He really hoped that the house would turn out to be right, because here was a place he could go to relax when he needed to get away.

The sounds of some children brought him out of his thoughts and he smiled to the young woman who led the group of children down the path to the picnic site. The young voices filled with excitement and laughter brought another smile to Phil’s lips as he nodded to the woman and returned to his car. The longer he was here, the more comfortable he was becoming. He silently thanked his mother again for pressuring his father into giving him this chance.

It had a brick façade and nice front yard. The house had two levels but wasn’t too large or overwhelming. It was part of a secured family neighborhood and from the back of the house; Phil had another breath taking view of the ocean. He didn’t want to know how long his mother had to search for it or how much she paid for it, all he wanted to know was how she knew it would be so perfect for him. Not that it mattered much, he was home and this was where he was going to stay.

Opening the door, he paused again and smiled. For all that she bothered him about finding the right woman and starting a family, his mother really did know him well. The furnishings were as simple and elegant as his apartment back in Boston had been. His fingers lingered over a few of his treasured knick knacks that she had shipped out to his new house while he had been in Paris on business.

Several of his new neighbors greeted him as he unpacked his car and welcomed him to the neighborhood. They were a little surprised to find he was single as most of them had young families but didn’t press him for explanations. When he was once again alone, he realized that all the tension he had felt over the past years in Boston was gone. This move was good for him in more ways than one.

The next morning, Phil walked into his office and glanced out over the city and ocean. He could almost feel the pulse of life rushing up to meet him and challenge him to do his worst. Smiling to himself, he sat down and looked over the first of the day’s business. A small company had caught his attention as having a great deal of potential. This was what he had been looking for, something he could do without first getting his father’s approval.

Leaving early for lunch, Phil went to the local university to do some research on the company that caught his attention. School was in session but he didn’t think he would be lucky enough to go un-noticed through campus. It wasn’t until he was in the library and one of the student librarians asked him to repeat his name that Phil realized no one really cared who he was. Again, he was pleasantly surprised and very glad he had made the move.

A soft voice caught his attention and he glanced up into a pair of questioning blue eyes. A long blond braid was tossed over the girl’s shoulder and she pointed as if this wasn’t the first time she had asked for something.

“Excuse me, miss, I’ve been rude. I didn’t hear what you asked.”

Emily took a deep breath to stop from swearing. Yes, he was very nice looking but she really needed the book he had next to him for her business law course. His voice was a surprise, the accent was soft and it took her a moment to place it and then she took a closer look and decided he wasn’t a student.

“I asked if you were done with that book and if I could please have it.” Again she pointed to the business book at his elbow.

Phil stood and offered her the seat next to his. For a moment, he had forgotten his manners and how the game was played. If this girl was trying to get his attention by expressing an interest in what he was reading, he would trip her up early.

Phil looked Emily over and decided she wasn’t the starlit type, even if she looked like it. The irritation on her face appeared to be genuine, so he would take a chance.

“Please, won’t you join me? I am new in town and haven’t met many people yet. Are you a student here?”

Emily tried to figure out this guy’s game and shrugged, taking the seat. He hadn’t offended her and if it would get her the book that much sooner, she would play along. She just hoped that Karen would wait for her instead of heading off to the beach without her.

“Yes, this is my first year. I’m studying law with the idea of going into business law. Are you a visiting professor?”

Phil laughed. He was getting too paranoid from all his time around his family’s friends back home. This girl was just what she claimed to be and Phil liked that about her.

“My name’s Phil and I was just doing some research on a company my firm has an interest in.” He handed the book over to her, liking the way her eyes seemed to laugh with some kind of private amusement. “If you would like a clerking job, I could put in a word for you with my firm.”

“Thank you, Phil, but I was going to try for a job with the Bennington Corporation. They just moved a branch out here from back east. It’s a really prestigious firm from what my dad tells me, so he’s going to try to get me in there.”

Phil’s face darkened. Maybe he wasn’t wrong, maybe this girl did know who he was and was trying in yet another manner to catch his attention. He was no longer amused. He wondered for a moment just how different the rules were for the west coast.

“What is it, Phil?” Emily picked up on the mood shift of the strange man she was sitting with and wondered if he was from a rival company.

“Are you aware, miss…?” Phil left it hanging in the hopes of getting a name. Her answer would tell him if the rules were too different.

“My name is Emily, Phil. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. But I didn’t expect to get into a conversation with you.”

She was too neutral, it didn’t answer his question. He wasn’t sure about the rules from the answer. He would try a different tact. “Fine, Emily, are you aware of who I am?”

Now it was Emily’s turn to be unsure. This was more than just borrowing a book and she wasn’t sure just how deep she wanted to get with a total stranger. “Not really. Your name is Phil and you are looking up some information about a company. You work in a firm that may or may not be a law firm. And you appear to be very annoyed for some reason. Other than that, you are a perfect stranger to me. Why? Did I say something stupid?”

Phil clenched his jaw and grit his teeth. He didn’t know if she was for real or just playing along with the script so many others had followed.

“May I ask who your father is, Emily?”

It was now Emily’s turn to get angry. She hadn’t meant to do anything to upset this person, she just wanted a book. And now he probably was just there to get into her good graces so she would recommend him to her father for one of his shows.

“My father is Jeremy Hollingsworth.” She waited for his pretend surprise and then the question to meet her dad.

Shægnek laughed. This was too perfect. Two of the Champions were ready to come to blows all because of a misunderstanding. Her mosaic had done its work almost too well. But she needed to make a few more adjustments because the Second wasn’t supposed to be so hostile.

Taking some liquid bronze, Shægnek poured the foundation for the statuette. A touch here and a little smoothing there and it was ready for the final casting. Carefully she filled the mold with the bronze and let it set. As it cooled, she added a little silver and a hint of gold. When it was done, Shægnek looked it over and smiled at the way the foreign metals blended and shimmered with the bronze.

When it was placed on the shelf next to the vase, Shægnek twisted its base until it was perfectly positioned. The two belonged together and yet unless you recognized the hand that made them you wouldn’t see the connection.

Phil sat back in his chair and looked the girl over again. His father had backed one of Mister Hollingsworth’s movies before and he had met the man once. Phil vaguely remembered he spoke of a son and daughter. If she was his daughter, then she definitely knew the rules and she wasn’t interested in him at all. This was a girl he could actually be friends with.

“Forgive me again, Emily. I’m sorry if I offended you, it wasn’t my intention. I just assumed you knew who I was and that you were trying to get…well it’s no matter… I suppose it’s just reflex for me to be suspicious of any young woman. My full name is Philip Bennington and I met your father once when my father backed one of his projects. It’s nice to meet his daughter.”

Emily laughed and blushed at the same time. She really didn’t know who he had been, but now that she did, she understood his reaction. Her dad had told her that he felt sorry for the young Phil Bennington because of how pursued he was.

“It’s okay, Phil. I’m sort of in the same basket. When people know who I am and who my dad is, they all go really weird. So I get defensive as well.” Then she remembered his offer. “But…did you really mean it? You’ll get me a job clerking for you?”

Phil laughed and offered her his hand. He had made his first friend in his new home.

Shægnek smiled and dusted the vase. This was more of how it was supposed to be. They didn’t know why, but they were attracted to each other. Only a few more projects left and the prophecy would be complete.

As she looked around her library at the shelves of scrolls, the tapestries, the sculptures, and the other works of art, she wondered what form the next part would take. It needed to be something unique and yet subtle enough to not stand out. What would she do?