Champions of Serenity :Gathering the Circle

Chapter 14

The moon was silvery against the dark water of the lake, making the yellow sand glow softly. A light breeze caused the water to lap gently at the beach and the bare feet of Debra and Darin as they walked along the wet sand. Somewhere in the distance, a single car made its way down the road probably heading home in the early morning hours.

“I’m sorry Karen was being such a pill, Debra. She did promise to be on her best behavior, on account of Phil. I guess you just bring out the worst in her.”

“Darin, I don’t want to talk about Karen.” Debra stopped walking and looked up into Darin’s face, smiling. “I’m just glad that you are here. I’ve missed you since this last winter.” She guided them away from the water’s edge to a spot further up the beach near the shade trees of the nearby park.

A blanket had been set out there earlier by them and Debra sat down, drawing Darin with her. As their lips met, her arms went around his neck, pulling him closer and leaning back to lay them both down. Her kisses were no longer hesitant and she was as eager to enjoy the shivery pleasure his caresses brought her as she was to touch and caress him in return.

It was the last night of their stay here and in the morning, Darin and the others would be returning to California while Debra returned to work. Both were doing all they could to make the night last forever and to make it so their parting wouldn’t be as hard in a few hours.

Debra pulled away for a moment and looked down into Darin’s face. A stray moonbeam had hit him just right to outline his golden body in silvery light and make him look like a young Greek god or hero from the histories. His lips curved into a slow smile as she traced his cheek and jaw with a fingertip.

“Debra, in case I haven’t told you before or lately, I love you.” His voice was as soft as the moonlight and as bright as the stars shining around them. Before he could reach up and kiss her lips, they both heard other voices, softly speaking by the water.

“It’s so beautiful here. I can see why she loves it so much.”

“Yes, but it isn’t the scenery I came down here to look at, Em. I don’t know why you just don’t tell him that we are together now. I know he would understand.”

“Oh, Grant, I just….I just couldn’t. It was so hard when I had to tell Darin that Jer and I were dating. And now that you and I are…I don’t know what to say. I think that Darin is more worried about you than he ever was about Jer.”

Debra looked over at Darin and watched him listening to his sister and friend talk in the moonlight. When he started to get up, Debra held him down and whispered so that the other two wouldn’t hear them. “Don’t, Darin. Emily is a grown woman now, working and learning a career of her own. She needs your support, not condemnation. And, if you really think about it, who else would you want your sister to date and fall in love with; a friend who already knows you and your family, or a stranger that you don’t know and doesn’t know you and your family?”

“I guess you are right, Deb. I just can’t help but remember her as a kid who always ran to me for protection.”

“That’s normal, Darin. Eric still thinks of Connie and I as babies, well, Connie anyway. And Connie’s married with children of her own now.”

“Sh, they are coming closer.” A change in voice alerted Debra that Darin had listened and accepted the situation. “Let’s scare them and see what happens.” He sounded more like Mike planning something than a worried older brother now and Debra relaxed, knowing that this time, Emily wouldn’t have to fight Darin for her boyfriend.

As the two approached the shadows where she and Darin sat, Debra couldn’t help but notice that Emily and Grant made a better looking couple than Emily and Jared. Something about the two of them just fit together. In the back of her mind, she put Jared with someone else and although she wouldn’t wish that on anyone, she thought that it would be the perfect match.

The next thing she knew, Emily was hitting Darin around his head and shoulders with her hands. “Don’t you ever do that again, Darin! I’ll kill you!”

“I tried to stop him, Grant. I’m sorry, I was distracted a moment when he jumped.” Debra said softly to the tall, blond, man who was now starting to laugh at the whole situation. “And you won’t have the problems with him that Jared did when he and Emily first started dating. I took care of that for you.” She added in a whisper to him and saw the knowing gleam in his eye as he picked up what it meant.

Grant took Emily in his arms and calmed her down with a few soft words and a kiss. Then Emily realized that her brother was there and tried to pull away.

“Oh, give it up, Sis, you are too old for me to beat up every guy who wants to kiss you. Besides, Grant is someone I like and trust, so have fun.” Darin was still laughing some at how badly he frightened his sister just a few moments ago. “And that was for stealing my keys so many times in high school. C’mon, Deb, let’s leave these two the blanket and take a walk around the docks.”

“Darin…?”

“No, Emily, your boyfriend’s name is Grant, not Darin. And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten our plan. Enjoy the evening while you can.”

With a small laugh, Emily and Grant walked in the opposite direction that Darin and Debra were going. “What plan is that, Darin?”

“Oh, nothing.” He tried to be nonchalant about the whole thing, but failed as he looked down into the night dark eyes of his lady love.

“Darin, if you don’t tell me, I’m going to leave you here on the beach by yourself. I know that tone of voice.”

“Debra, really, it’s nothing. It’s for when we get back home is all.” He leaned down and kissed her, trying to make her forget about the plan and all that in could mean.

“I don’t believe you, Darin. But if you want to have your little secrets, then I guess I can have mine.” She tried to hide a huge yawn and failed.

Darin guided her into the resort and up to his room. An hour later he tucked her into his bed and kissed her before she fell asleep with a soft smile on her lips. He looked down at her and felt a sharp pain in his heart. Somehow, he knew that she would only be his for a little longer, and then someone else would have the care of this special lady that he loved so much. But until that time came, he was going to do all in his power to make sure she knew that he loved her, no matter what. Then Darin went and woke up Mike and they put the next stage of the plan in action.

“You said it was only a matter of days now, Shægnek. It’s been almost six days there in that place. When is it going to happen?”

“Are you in a hurry, Perlish, for the whole of Sandeenai to be turned on its ear?”

“I’m more anxious to see who the child of mine is going to be, Shægnek. As you already know which child of yours is in the prophecy, you don’t have to worry as much.”

“No, it’s just her job to make sure the prophecy is recorded correctly and that it comes to pass, Perlish. She has more to lose if she isn’t right than you or I do.” Mhahluh said softly as he watched with his fellow gods and goddesses aligned with Chaos. All were waiting for the moment when the first 8 would come together and complete that part of the prophecy. “Will I like her?”

“Yes, Mhahluh, you will.” Chaos added his voice to the others. “I have been able to watch some of it happen as it was being recorded. And I believe you will find the First to be a very great treasure indeed.”

“When is it going to happen, Shægnek?” Perlish again asked, wringing her hands as she waited and watched.

“Watch, it will happen soon, very soon now.”

Debra sat in the back seat of the shuttle bus, still wondering how they had managed to pull it off. Somehow, Emily and Darin had managed to talk her boss out of another week’s vacation and to get her a spot on the plane back to California with them. She was now sitting between Mike and Darin in the bus, luggage she hadn’t packed in the back with the others.

“I still don’t see why we had to bring her with us. I mean, it isn’t as if we haven’t just spent a week with her.”

Mike leaned forward and smacked Karen in the back of the head with a magazine. “I would rather have Debra with us than you, Karen. At least she can be pleasant without complaining every minute.”

“I don’t complain every minute, Mike. I just made an observation.” Karen’s whine made it difficult for Debra to feel comfortable in the enclosed space. It was hard enough just feeling comfortable with going to California for a week, away from all she had ever known, and to know that at least one of the group didn’t want her around. For all that she cared for them; she knew in her heart that she wasn’t part of this group of beautiful people and friends. They allowed her to be on the fringe and to look in and a few of them included her, but she was still and would always be the outsider.

As they boarded the plane, Debra was shocked to see that her seat was next to the one person she had been avoiding almost as much as Karen. Phil smiled at her when he stood and offered her the window seat. Darin had apologized that they couldn’t get seats next to each other; but that he would make it up to her once they landed.

Phil couldn’t believe his luck when he realized that he would be sharing the row of seats with Debra. He had been intrigued by her from the first moment he saw her, flustered from having run into him. There was innocence in her that you didn’t find very often and yet she had wisdom beyond her years. She was real, that was the best way he could describe her, in a world where most people wore masks.

As the week had progressed, he watched as she deftly handled Karen’s tantrums making them look almost comic. Phil had been surprised the by the strength of jealousy he felt every time Debra would smile into Darin’s eyes and accept his kisses, returning them freely. He wanted it to be his hand she put hers in so trustingly and eagerly. More than anything, he wanted to be able to claim this woman as his very own.

The catch was, it was very clear that she and Darin were a couple and were happy together. They even looked good walking along, holding hands, heads bent toward each other in a private conversation. Phil was a gentleman in every respect of the word and he wasn’t the kind of man to steal another man’s girlfriend. But every time she laughed, every time her smile made the whole world brighter, every time the breeze played with her soft brown hair, Phil died a little because he wanted all of that to be his.

Why did he have to go and fall in love with his friend’s girlfriend? Of all the women in the world, what was it that made this one so different? Why was he drawn to her like he had never been drawn to another woman ever? Phil couldn’t figure it out and it was eating him up, this desire for Debra and his personal code which forbade him from even trying as long as she was with Darin.

“I hope that you aren’t planning on pretending I don’t exist the entire flight, Debra. I’m really not that bad a person, if you give me a chance.” Phil’s voice was soft, wistful, as he sat next to her and buckled his seatbelt.

Debra looked at him, startled. His voice, as usual, played with her blood in ways that made her feel like she was on fire every time he spoke. “What do you mean?”

He smiled at her and wondered if she knew just how different she was. She was probably the only woman, besides his mom and Emily, that didn’t make him feel hunted or trapped. The best part about it was that she didn’t even realize it and the more he tried to catch her attention, the harder she tried to avoid it. At first, he thought it was because she had heard about him and was playing some kind of new game. But as he got to know her, through watching her and through what he learned from the others, he knew she was for real. She really didn’t see how special she was and that bothered him some.

“It’s just that all this week, I’ve tried to get you alone to talk to you for a few minutes and each time something has come up. I’m starting to feel as if you don’t like me, Debra.”

“Oh, no, Phil, it isn’t like that at all. It’s just that, well, you see…” The horrified expression on her face was just too much for him to take. He couldn’t go on letting her feel guilty for ignoring him when she wanted to spend time with her boyfriend. For a moment, Phil wondered what Darin had done to deserve such loyalty from such a woman.

He laughed as she stumbled over the words. Gently, he touched her hand and patted it once, almost like he would a skittish horse or dog he wanted to make friends with. “It’s okay, Debra, I do understand. I was just teasing you, trying to get you to talk to me a little.”

Debra felt guilty. She didn’t want Phil to think she didn’t like him, she was just afraid she would like him too much. She was drawn to his quiet thoughtfulness, the way he always held the door for the girls, the way he rested his hand, ever so softly in the small of a girl’s back when he helped her around an obstacle. He was everything she thought a man should be and seldom was.

Her big dilemmas were that she was with Darin and she didn’t want to hurt him. Then there was the fact that Phil was a man she didn’t know, and although she didn’t feel she needed to be afraid of him, she was. Silently she cursed Jason again for what he had done to her. And finally was the desire she felt for Phil was so strong it terrified her. She caught herself dreaming of him in ways she had never dreamt of Darin and the intensity frightened her more than anything else.

“I’m sorry, Phil, if you thought I was ignoring you. It wasn’t intentional. I just thought it would make things a little easier with Karen if it didn’t look like I was trying to make friends with you. She can be bad enough as it is and she made it very plain that she was interested in you.”

“What that woman wants or doesn’t want, or likes or doesn’t like isn’t my concern and never will be. I have done everything I could, short of being as rude and tactless as she is, to let her know that I am not interested in her at all. In fact, I would rather she left me alone altogether.” The bitterness in his voice ran deep and was tinged with anger.

They both knew Debra’s reason for not being alone with Phil was an excuse. Phil thought it was because of the relationship with Darin and wondered why Debra didn’t use that. Debra knew it was because of fear.

Debra looked out the window as the ground vanished below the plane and the sky surrounded them. They flew though a cloudbank and for a moment, it was white all around them. Phil silently cursed himself for sounding so snobbish when he spoke of Karen to Debra. She seemed to have pulled in on herself again and he wasn’t sure how to bring her back out. He had to remind himself that Debra wasn’t like most women and that he shouldn’t take his frustration with Karen out on her.

“I think, Phil, the reason Karen acts the way she does is because she feels threatened, at least by me, anyway.” Debra’s voice was soft as she watched the clouds drop below them. She kept her face turned toward the window, afraid that the words wouldn’t come out right if she looked Phil in the face.

“Mike once told me that when Karen was very young, she lost her parents in a car accident and that she had been horribly disfigured in that accident. It wasn’t until she was almost out of high school that she finished with the reconstructive surgeries and skin graphs and such to make her look as she does now.

“I also know that Emily was her only friend for most of her growing up and so she is jealous of anyone else who can claim Emily’s friendship. It’s almost like she’s afraid that if Emily found another friend, Karen would lose what she has. I don’t pity Karen, she brings most of her troubles on herself, but I can understand why she strikes out at me.”

Phil couldn’t believe it. Karen had been poisonous to Debra and here Debra was defending her? What had Karen done to deserve such consideration from someone so much above her? The thing that made Phil the angriest was that Karen would never truly understand the gift Debra was, even if she did manage to get over her insecurities and start being nice to Debra.

“How can you do that?” His voice was surprised at the speech Debra had made. For a moment, he wondered if she knew the effect she had on him. “She has been horrible to you, yet you defend her. She doesn’t deserve a friend like you.”

A sad, wry smile touched Debra’s lips and eyes as she turned to look at Phil again. “I don’t think she would consider me a friend, Phil. As for your problem with her, I don’t know you well enough to offer any insight. But I do know that she only goes after what she thinks other people want or that she can’t have. I don’t know if that helps you or not.”

“What are you two talking about?” Karen said as she walked down the aisle toward them. The light had just flashed off and allowed the passengers to move about the cabin. “Debra, would you mind moving so that I can sit next to Phil and talk with him?”

“It’s none of your business what we are talking about, Karen. And I would mind if she moved. I want to talk to her for the moment. They are about to serve the drinks and peanuts, why don’t you let the attendants through.” Phil tried not to let the grating of Karen’s voice get on his nerves but it wasn’t easy. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the way Debra withdrew even further into herself when Karen made her appearance and that annoyed Phil more.

For just a moment, Phil wondered if something hadn’t happened to Debra. It wasn’t obvious, it was just something in the way she reacted that made Phil curious as to what Debra was like when Emily and the others had first met her. Small things started to click in his mind as the thought occurred to him. Darin was being very protective of her, more so than a jealous boyfriend would be. Jared had also been watching Debra closely this past week, jumping in when Darin wasn’t around to protect her. Grant even toned down his normal flirtatious behavior around her as if afraid to scare her off. Mike was the only one who didn’t seem to back off, yet even he wasn’t as boisterous around her. Something just didn’t add up and it was more than just Karen picking on Debra.

“Well, you don’t have to get all huffy, Debra. I just asked.” Karen said, even though Debra hadn’t said a word. She stomped off, muttering about how much of a bitch Debra was over such a little favor.

“I’m sorry, Debra, she just brings out the worst in me.”

“It’s okay, Phil. Like I said, she brings most of it upon herself. If you notice, no one else is being that sympathetic toward her either.” Debra looked out the window again for a minute. Phil was seeking her out; he wanted to talk to her, but why? She couldn’t figure out why someone like Phil would want to spend time with her when he could have someone like Emily.

Phil knew better than to push Debra, especially after seeing how shy she was. So he tried to learn about her in other ways, things that didn’t matter as much to her, even though they meant a great deal to him. He directed the conversation to small things after that, mostly about California and what she could expect. The flight passed quickly, with frequent visits by Karen to make sure they weren’t doing more than talking.

In the shuffle of landing, collecting luggage and getting into cars, Debra once again found herself alone in the car with Phil. Karen had driven her own car and now regretted it as it meant she couldn’t be there to keep an eye on her competition. Even if Debra hadn’t figured out that Phil was interested in her, Karen saw it and it made her want to claw Debra’s eyes out.

Phil had one more card to play in his hand of getting to know Debra. He had spent the morning on the plane trying to draw her into conversation. The intelligence and wit of her replies were surprising to him. He couldn’t ever imagine getting bored with someone who thought the way Debra did. But now it was time to let her see a little into his private life. If he was ever going to get her to trust him, he had to open himself up to her in ways he never had to before with another woman. It scared him a little, to be so open around her, but he had to take the chance or he would never know.

“There’s some place I want to show you, Debra, before we get to the Hollingsworth’s.” He felt her tense up and guessed a little at what had happened to her in the past. If he ever found out his guess about her was correct then someone was going to wish he had never been born. “It’s my thinking spot. Don’t ask me how I know, but I just figured that you were the kind of person who had a place like that of your own.” When she still didn’t relax, he changed the subject. “You said you liked the Broadway musicals, how about putting in the Phantom soundtrack while we drive.”

He watched as she stiffly moved to put in the music he requested. He wanted to kill the man who had hurt her and was a little surprised at the strength of his anger toward the unknown man. He was also silently grateful that Darin had been there for her and had helped her through the worst of the effects. Then he berated himself for even thinking she was his, it was still just a dream for him; that in and of itself had surprised him when that first night he had dreamed of the shy girl who had literally knocked him off his feet.

Phil smiled as she started to hum with the soundtrack and then to sing softly with her favorite parts. He let her voice caress him as if it was her hands and the ache for her grew in him. “What is it?” She had stopped singing and Phil glanced over at her in concern. He had just turned off to take her his beach lookout.

“Nothing, it’s just that the others didn’t get off on the same exit and I was wondering where we are going.”

“I told you, I wanted to show you someplace special. Don’t worry, Debra, I’m not going to hurt you.” He didn’t move toward her with anything but his voice as she sat tense and silent for the drive to the parking lot at the beach.

“When I was a little boy, my mom took me to this cove off of Nantucket. I could sit there, on this rock, and watch the seagulls dive and play in the surf all day if I wanted to and it helped me to think. When I got older, I ended up buying that piece of land, just to keep it from being developed so that I wouldn’t lose my special place. The first thing I did when I moved out here to California was to find a place like that here. I haven’t even told Emily about it and I consider her my closest friend here.”

“Why are you telling me then? And showing it to me?” He smiled as her voice wasn’t as guarded as it might have been and a little curiosity was present as well.

Debra was scared again, but curious at the same time. Karen made sure she knew all about Philip Andrew Bennington the Third, but somehow those facts just didn’t add up to the Phil she had come to know this past week. He wasn’t above being pleased, he wasn’t a snob thinking he was better than anyone, and he certainly wasn’t stuffy. It was nice to know something about him that wasn’t in the biographies about him and his family.

“I don’t know. Just watching you this past week, I figured that you were the kind of person who has such a place and who would understand the need for one. I was offering to share mine with you, while you are here, if you should need it.” He helped her from the car and guided her along the path to the lookout.

Her reaction was all he could have hoped for and more. She stood and watched the Pacific Ocean crash against the rocks below and then closed her eyes to let the spray kiss her face as tenderly as any lover could. When she spoke, her voice was soft, almost reverent. “Thank you, Phil, this is a beautiful place. And you are right; I do have a place, in the mountains.”

Phil knew Debra knew the public side of Philip Bennington, he had overheard Karen telling Debra all about it, about his family and money and business. He had waited for the change that always happened when that information was known. Even though it wasn’t a big change, it had still happened with Emily when she knew who he was. But with Debra, that change never came and he was curious. Now in seeing how she reacted to a little bit of personal information she had about him, he knew that change would never come. Debra didn’t see people the way the rest of the world did and Phil liked that….a lot.

Phil took her arm and led her back to the car and then on to the Hollingsworth’s. The others were there waiting when they arrived.

“It’s time. Before the sun sets this night, it will happen.” Shægnek said triumphantly. The others gathered even more closely to the window that opened onto that other world and the first half of the circle. They had been watching for several days now and had tried to figure out who would be playing which role in the game. Now, they would have the answers they sought.

“Chaos, I hope that I am not interrupting. But as it is almost time, I thought we should all be together for this moment.” The melodic voice of Serenity filled the library. As the others turned, they found the rest of the family ranged behind the bright Goddess of Sandeenai.

“You are most welcome, Serenity. Please, join us. This group is most enlightening.” Chaos made room for his sister to stand next to him and watch as the events were set in motion.