 
                        Dragonseekers, Chapter 5
 
Chapter 5
 
 
 
            Julie awoke early, when the sun was just beginning to peek
into the bedroom.  She turned over to see her brother, sleeping
soundly.  She studied him for a minute, watching how his chest moved
with each breath, watching his face as it made small reactions to
whatever dream he was having.
 
            Julie considered sucking him off to wake him up.  She was
horny as all hell, and she really wanted to get laid.  Paul was here,
and he was pretty good-looking, but she wasn’t sure he was available to
her.  It had certainly seemed that way on their travels here, though
she’d not taken advantage of it because she didn’t want to get caught
the way Susan had.
 
            They’d been at the castle for four days, and each night,
she’d hoped he would come in, throw her down on the bed, and fuck her
silly.  And each night, he came in, kissed her good-night, and went to
sleep.  She was frustrated, and hurt, and she didn’t know what to do.
 
            Sighing, Julie slipped out of bed and padded across the
floor.  She took care of her morning activities, and then slipped on
her dress.  She liked the dress; it was much nicer than the one she’d
been stuck with on the way here.  It was lighter, and flowed more
easily, but more to the point, it showed off her body excellently.  She
especially liked that part.
 
            Not that it mattered at the moment; no one was interested
in her.  She stood in the balcony doorway, and turned back to look at
her sleeping brother.  He didn’t seem to care whether she was here or
not.  What had changed?  She considered, briefly, the idea of
confronting him about it, but the idea vanished as quickly as it had
come.  It was not her place to question her brother.  But she had
needs, too, and who would take care of *her*?
 
 
 
            Julie spent over an hour out on the balcony, watching the
sun rise and the animals awaken.  There was a robin in a tree down in
the valley, and there was a doe with her fawn just on the edge of the
forest to the south.  It was peaceful, and for a few moments, her mind
was quiet, and she didn’t worry about anything.  She’d been full of
worry since the day they had entered Zemlia Nov.  She’d at first blamed
Paul and the boys, but those recriminations died out after the first
day.  It was no one’s fault, and they just had to work together to get
out of here.
 
            She turned and went back into the room.  Paul was not in
the bed.  She’d heard him get up earlier, and wondered if he were
already at breakfast.  She checked the bathroom first, to make sure he
wasn’t there, and then she went into the hallway.  She nearly bumped
into Kate, who was nearly beaming, hanging off her brother’s arm. 
Julie couldn’t begrudge the girl her good mood; she only wished she
were in a similar one.
 
            Julie found Paul on the ground floor, waiting for her.  He
had a sheepish grin on his face as he looked at her, but she frowned. 
It wasn’t a look of anticipation, or even of regret, just more of an
“oops” look.
 
            Paul, of course, felt a little stupid to have forgotten his
sister.  The truth is, he’d been so intent on starting his day, on
seeing *her*, that all else had slipped his mind, until he’d come down
the stairs to see Susan and Gill together, looking at some artwork on
the wall before breakfast.  Then he’d realized what he’d done, but to
go all the way back to the room... no, he’d wait for her here.
 
            Julie was not happy, and this was clear to Paul, for she
barely said hello to him as she walked by him into the dining room.  He
shrugged and followed her, sitting down beside her as usual, but they
didn’t communicate.  Yarice, the cook, brought out their breakfast, and
began to serve it as the others filed in.  When Carysta walked in,
Julie noted how Paul’s head turned fully toward her.
 
            *So, that really is it, isn’t it?  He doesn’t want me,
because he can have her.  What the fuck is wrong with me?  I’m not
exactly chopped liver!  Back home, I could have any boy I wanted!  Why
can’t I have my own brother?*
 
            As Carysta approached, Paul used his telekinetic power to
pull out her chair for her.  She smiled at him politely as she sat
down.  Julie glared at her, but Carysta either did not notice, or chose
not to notice.  Finally, Julie slumped in her chair, returning to her
breakfast.  Yarice noticed Julie’s unhappy face.
 
            “Is breakfast not to your taste, Mistress?” the woman
asked.  She called all of them that; Master, Mistress, Sir, Madam... so
formal.  It bugged Julie, but she couldn’t complain that the lady was
too polite.
 
            “No, it’s not the food.  Sorry.  I just have something on
my mind.”
 
            “Ah.  Well, good food often helps settle the soul.”  It was
an aphorism that Yarice obviously believed wholeheartedly, the way she
fed them all.  Julie turned her attention to her meal; at least she
would be physically cared for here.
 
            The remainder of the group wondered if there had been a
fight between Paul and Julie, but this was not the time or the place to
discuss it, and it was clear that bringing it up would only piss Julie
off, so they let it drop for the time being.  Don, however, made a note
that he should talk to Paul about it.  He couldn’t know that Paul would
have no clue what was wrong.
 
 
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
 
 
            Darnell lunged, and Gill sidestepped, snapping his wrist to
smack his sword against Darnell’s.  The blow wasn’t strong enough to
break Darnell’s grip, but it pushed him off-aim, and that was the
opening Gill needed.
 
            Gill stepped in, caught Darnell’s foot, and pushed him
backward with his free hand.  Darnell crumpled backward to the ground,
and before he could get up, the point of Gill’s sword was touching the
ground, right next to Darnell’s neck.
 
            Darnell looked up at his student.  “Very good.  You caught
me off guard, and made good use of the opportunity.”
 
            Gill withdrew his sword so that Darnell could get up. 
They’d already been practicing for over an hour, and the two were
thoroughly bruised.  The workouts were growing more intense, and Gill
was sore on most days.  Still, he knew that hard training made combat
easier, and that was what he needed.  Gill dropped back into ready
stance as Darnell got to his feet.
 
            Darnell waved him off.  “No, no, I think we’ve tried to
kill each other enough for one day.  You are progressing well.  The
last fighter that came through here didn’t have a clue, and I feared...”
 
            Darnell’s words tailed off as he looked behind Gill.  Gill
turned, and wasn’t truly sure what he saw.  There was something on the
horizon, that was sure, but he couldn’t tell what it was.
 
            Darnell looked around for a moment, and then found what it
was he was looking for.  Kate was picking some apricots from a nearby
tree.  He called out to her, and she came over to him.
 
            “Miss Kate, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to
find out who is approaching?”  Darnell pointed in the direction of the
approaching lump, and Kate nodded.  She flew up and forward, until she
could clearly see who was coming.  Her return to the ground was a
speedy one.
 
            “It’s the Elves.  The WolfRiders.”
 
            “All the way from Sheridan?  What are they doing here?” 
Darnell pondered this for a moment, but then came to a decision. 
“Kate, go get Iamor... and you might want to bring your brother as
well.”
 
            Kate nodded, and flew off, above the castle wall and into
the courtyard.  Gill watched her go, then turned to Darnell.
 
            “Could this be trouble?”
 
            “Not from the WolfRiders.  But they may be bringing news of
trouble.  Sheridan is a day’s journey from here, even for those
swift-footed creatures.  They will have to have traveled through the
night to get here so early.”
 
            “Oh.”  The two stood, watching as the lump grew into a
mass, and then finally started to separate into individual animals;
large gray wolves with Elves on their backs.  Darnell relaxed a bit as
he saw the animals were not running all-out, but were in an easy lope. 
That made him curious, though: it would take forever to get here at
that speed.  What were they doing?
 
            Iamor and Don joined the other two before the WolfRiders
arrived.  Kate was still flying, to see if there was anything new. 
When she came down, she landed by her brother, and whispered into his
ear.
 
            “It looks like they have a person with them.”  When Don
looked at her quizzically, she said, “Like us...er, I mean, like you,
anyway, you know a *person*!”
 
            “You mean a *human*?” he asked with a smile.  She blushed,
but nodded.
 
            “Iamor, Katie says she saw a human with them.”
 
            “What?  The WolfRiders travel alone!  No humans, no! 
Nevernevernever!”
 
            “Whatever.”  Don wasn’t about to set him off on yet another
of his diatribes.  The group waited in silence as the Elves
approached.  As the group got within visual range, Gill and then
Darnell made a point of sheathing their weapons.
 
            The WolfRiders pulled up to a stop five yards from where
Don was standing.  Iamor said nothing to them, which Don and his
friends found really odd.  Don shrugged, and then stepped forward.  He
had to think hard to remember the greeting, but finally he said,
“Haialani!”  The Elf before him was not Koatri, the Elf who had led the
WolfRiders before.  Don wondered if there were several bands of
WolfRdiers.
 
            But the other Elf had been part of the group, and so he
knew Don and greeted him in return.  “Haialani, human.”  It was then
that Don saw there was, indeed, a human girl with them, but that she
looked to be unconscious.  She was riding in the middle of the pack,
held up by a female Elf who was almost as pretty as Kate.
 
            “Where is Koatri?” Gill asked the leader.
 
            “Koatri was killed by Dan-Gelmer.  Things outside this
valley are not pleasant, human.  My name is Myrtacor.  I lead the
WolfRiders now.  While I live.”
 
            The party was stunned by the revelation of Koatri’s death,
all the more so since they didn’t actually know him.  What was bugging
Don was that Iamor was not speaking to the Elves, and the Elves were
making no attempt to speak to Iamor.  Don was certainly going to get to
the bottom of that, but not right now.
 
            “How can we help you?” Don asked.
 
            Myrtacor snorted, but didn’t say what was obviously on his
mind.  *Humans? Help an Elf?  Get real.*  Instead, he said, “We found
this girl in the grasslands.  She’s been attacked, and she’s
exhausted.  We brought her here because it was closer than Sheridan. 
She hasn’t spoken since we picked her up.”
 
            Don walked forward into the group.  He noticed that the
wolves did not seem to react to his presence.  When he stepped up to
the animal on which the girl was riding, he gently put his hand on the
back of its neck.
 
            “The wolves will not bother you,” the female Elf said. 
“Especially not Melamuk.  He’s very quiet.”
 
            Don looked into the animal’s face, and there was
intelligence and curiosity there, but no malice.  Don thought that was
a good thing for him.  It turned out that the girl was conscious, but
just barely.  She seemed delirious, and as Don tried to help her off
the wolf, she collapsed, wrapping her arms around his neck for
support.  Don hugged her tightly, holding her up.
 
            “Thank you for saving her,” Don said to the female.  She
nodded, but didn’t say anything.
 
            Myrtacor turned to face Don.  “I hope you will not think us
rude, but it is a very long ride back to Sheridan from here, and we do
not want to be out at night for any longer than necessary.  Dan-Gelmer
is wreaking havoc among the people of the countryside, and I’m sure it
won’t be long before he comes here looking for you.  Take care, human.”
 
            The female Elf spoke one last time before they left.  “What
is your name?”  She was looking intently at Don.
 
            “Don White,” he answered automatically.
 
            “Take care of her, Don White.  She needs your help.”
 
            Without another word, the WolfRiders wheeled their mounts
around, and they set off.  This time, they were moving at a full run,
rather than the easy pace they had set before.
 
            Don realized he was still hugging the girl tightly, but she
didn’t seem to have the ability to stand up on her own, so he couldn’t
let her go.
 
            “Katie, you want to help me take care of her?”
 
            “You seem to be taking care of her just fine by yourself,
Big Brother.”  Katie’s voice was light and teasing.
 
            “Katie,” he said with mock-aggravation.  She stuck her
tongue out at him, but together, they helped the nearly-unconscious
girl back into the castle, and up to their bedroom, since they didn’t
know where else to take her.  They laid her down on the unused bed.
 
            “Um... why don’t you undress her, while I go see if I can
find something to clean up some of her wounds with?  And tuck her in,
okay?  She might get cold in here.”
 
            That wasn’t the real reason he wanted her covered, and
Katie knew it, but didn’t say anything.  She looked at the poor girl
with sympathy, and as Don left the room, she began to undo her tattered
clothing.
 
 
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
 
 
            Outside the castle, Gill turned back to Darnell.  “Should
we do some exercises or something now?”
 
            Darnell still seemed distracted.  Gill’s words startled
him.  “No, I think we’ve done enough for today.  I need to take care of
some things, anyway.  Why don’t you take some time off, take it easy,
relax?”
 
            “Okay.  Thank you, Sir Darnell,”  Gill added the title that
Darnell didn’t understand, but it amused both of them.
 
            “And to you, Sir Gill,” he said, returning the joke, still
without really understanding it, though Gill had attempted to explain
nobility to him once.  He walked off, leaving Gill to ponder what to do
with his day.
 
 
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
 
 
            Julie was frustrated, but she had a plan.  She had been
waiting in her room since lunch, and she would continue to wait until
the time was right.  She thought she heard voices in the hallway.  As
they grew closer, she recognized Don and Kate.  That was no good; Kate
would spoil things.  She’d have to wait.  She had all day; Paul had
never made time for her since the first day they’d arrived, and he
didn’t appear to be about to start.
 
 
 
            Some time later, Gill climbed the stairs into the bedroom
wing of the castle.  He figured to wash up, maybe change, before going
to find his sister.  He wandered down the hallway, casually noting
things, like the fact that Paul’s bedroom door was open.
 
            There was a shadow in the crack to that door.
 
            In the second it took him to register that thought, a face
appeared.  It was Julie.
 
            She looked relieved about something.  “Gill, am I glad to
see you!  Can you help me with something, please?”
 
            He heard the plea in her voice, and though he’d never
gotten more than the cold shoulder from her, he was more than happy to
do her a favor, if only for Paul.  He walked toward the door, and Julie
opened it, staying behind the door, so he had ample room to enter.
 
            Gill looked around as he walked into the room, noting the
differences between this room and his own, which were mainly in the
colors chosen.  He heard Julie close the door behind him.  He didn’t
hear her lock it.
 
            When Gill turned to face her, he was about to ask her what
she needed help with.  That question died aborning on his lips.  He was
faced with Julie, in all her glory, without a stitch of clothing on. 
His eyes passed over her oval face with its short black hair and brown
eyes, and they focused on her large, firm tits.  Her areolas were pale
and the size of silver dollars.  Her nipples were erect and inviting.
 
            Gill’s eyes couldn’t make it past her tits, and Julie knew
then that she would get what she needed.  She moved closer to him, well
within his reach, and shook her chest slightly.  She watched his eyes
follow her movements, and she smiled to herself.  She reached down and
took Gill’s hands, placing them on her tits.  She kept her own hands
over them and forced him to squeeze her breasts, sending tingles
through her body.
 
            Gill’s eyes, freed from their trap, since his hands were
now covering the things he’d been staring at, returned to Julie’s face,
which was now much closer to him.  He started to ask her what was going
on, but as soon as his mouth opened, she pressed her own to it, her
tongue quickly invading and assaulting his, her lips mashed
passionately against his own.
 
            Gill couldn’t concentrate, but his hands could.  His
fingers began to squeeze Julie’s tits, massaging them and rolling them
in his grasp.  Knowing that he would continue without her
encouragement, Julie reached her hands down for the belt he wore.  It
was wide, with a heavy buckle, and it was tricky to undo with her tits
being groped and her mouth locked against his, but she managed it.  The
belt, with his sword and dagger attached, fell heavily to the floor. 
She ignored it, as she reached to remove his pants.
 
            Pants in Zemlia Nov were a strange mix, and Gill’s had an
old-style snap fastener on them.  She undid this quickly, and began
pushing his pants off his hips.  She pulled down the Novian version of
underwear as well, and her hand then finally found what it had been
searching for.
 
            Julie’s fingers encircled Gill’s dick, and stroked it the
rest of the way to hardness.  She longed to just stuff it into her
cunt, but she needed him to last, to fulfill her needs.  She felt Gill
groan into her mouth, and she knew he was close.
 
            She broke their kiss and he continued to groan out loud. 
Julie gently pulled away from him, not really wanting his fingers to
leave her tits, but she wanted something better.  She knelt, thankful
that she had remembered to drop a throw rug over the hard floor.  Her
eyes stared hungrily at the hard cock before her, and her lips moved
toward it almost of their own accord.
 
            “Julie, what are we – ungh!”  Gill’s thought was cut off as
Julie’s lips encased the head of his dick in a soft, wet warmth.  Her
tongue slithered around the tip of his cock, focusing on the drops of
precum that had oozed out.  Her mouth very soon started to move farther
onto his cock, sending shivers up Gill’s spine.  Her one hand moved
down to gently cup his balls, rolling them softly in her fingers.  Her
other hand stroked the portion of his dick not yet in her mouth.
 
            Gill was doing his best to hold out; he didn’t want this to
end, it felt too good.  After less than a minute, though, he knew his
best efforts were not going to be enough.  Julie’s fingers, her lips,
her tongue, were dancing across his privates, and he couldn’t resist
the urge.  He couldn’t even form the words to warn her.
 
            Gill’s cum blasted into Julie’s mouth, where she happily
sucked it down, urging more out of him with a strong sucking and a
tickling of his balls.  Julie believed in the adage, “bad girls suck,
but good girls swallow.”  She loved the taste of cum, and Gill’s was no
different.  He continued to shoot into her mouth a few more times, and
then his body relaxed.
 
            Julie did not want him relaxed, however, and so her hands
and mouth continued to work on him, tried to pull his shrinking cock
back to life.  It wasn’t long before her deft fingers and her hot, wet
tongue were able to encourage some vigor back into Gill’s prick.  In
short order, he was hard again, and she could tell by the way his hands
were clenching at her hair that he was ready for more.  She needed him
more than ever now, and she wasn’t taking no for an answer.
 
            Not that Gill would have said no at this point; he could
barely think straight.  Julie led him over to the bed, and bent herself
over it, presenting her pussy to him with her legs spread lewdly.  She
climbed onto the bed, kneeling, her pussy still wide open for him.
 
            She turned and, in her best seductress voice, she said,
“Come on, stud.  Fuck this bitch.”
 
            Well, Gill wasn’t going to turn down *that* offer.  He
stepped up behind her, placing the head of his cock at her entrance. 
Her pussy seemed to grasp at it, as if trying to pull it into her. 
Gill grabbed her hips, and thrust.
 
            Julie cried out at the sudden fullness of her twat.  Her
body convulsed as it felt the ultimate pleasure of coupling with a man,
felt the one thing that could fulfill her need: a hard cock plunging
into her depths.
 
            Gill did not stop, but immediately set to pounding Julie. 
His hands gripped at her hips, helping him to ram into her repeatedly. 
It wasn’t long before Julie’s hips were bucking back at him, and the
two were slamming into one another so that the slapping noise filled
the room, and probably the hallway outside the room.  Neither of them
cared; they were lost to the passion of the moment.
 
            Gill reached forward, his hands seeking and finding Julie’s
tits.  Julie groaned as his fingers began to grope her tit flesh again,
working their way to her nipples, and tweaking them.
 
            “Pinch them, god, pull on them, twist them, c’mon!”
 
            Gill got the message, and more forcefully pinched and
tugged Julie’s nipples.  Her body was on fire, his fingers torturing
her sensitive tits, his hard cock slamming into her cunt, his balls
slapping against her with every motion.  Julie was riding the wave
higher and higher.
 
            When Gill twisted her nipples, the wave broke, and Julie
cried out in orgasm, her body was wracked with spasms, her mind reeling
from the intensity of her pleasure.  She bucked and wriggled against
him, but he held her throughout, trying to continue to pump into her as
she twisted beneath him.
 
            Julie’s climax lasted for some moments, but she wasn’t yet
sated.  There was one thing left that she really needed.  As Gill
started to slip from her, she reached back and not-so-gently grasped
his cock.  He stopped immediately, even sliding back into her, which
she really enjoyed.
 
            Looking over her shoulder, she pleaded with him.  “Gill,
baby, fuck my ass!”
 
            Gill stared at her, dumbfounded.  She continued.  “Oh, it’s
been more than three weeks since I’ve had a good reaming!  C’mon, it’s
all yours for the taking, just shove that nice hard dick up inside my
butt and fuck it!”
 
            Gill was harder now than he could ever remember being in
his life.  He gave a few more strokes in her cunt, to make sure he was
well-lubed, and then he pulled out.  Julie lowered herself slightly
onto the bed, giving him a better angle at her ass.  He put the tip of
his cock to her rosebud, and began to push.  He held onto her hips and
tried to keep the pace slow, so as not to hurt her.
 
            Julie was having none of that, and she shoved her ass back
onto him, hard.  It took mere seconds before she was fully impaled on
his dick, and her body was near to convulsions already at the wonderful
sensation of being filled there.
 
            “Fuck me!  Fuck my ass!” she screamed.
 
            Gill’s cock was being squeezed tighter than ever, and he
had trouble just pulling himself partway out.  Then he pushed himself
back in.  Julie groaned in bliss.  He repeated the move again and again
until she had loosened.  Soon he was stroking his full length in and
out, and was building up steam.
 
            Julie was moaning and growling beneath him, lost in her
world of ecstasy.  It had been nearly two weeks since she’d last been
fucked, and this was everything she could have hoped for.  For a brief
moment, she wondered how a geek could be this fucking good, but the
thought evaporated as his cock slammed into her again.  She heard his
balls slap against her ass cheeks, even above her cries of pleasure. 
He pulled out, only to slam home again, and her eyes saw stars.
 
            Again and again he rammed into her, and again and again she
urged him on with her screams and shouts of joy.  His own orgasm was
building, and he could feel that it was going to be a big one.  He
reached down to pull her upward, still slamming into her.  He got her
onto her hands and knees, and then he reached under her, his fingers
searching for and finding her clit.
 
            It only took a few strokes of her sensitive bud before
Julie’s body was writhing once more in the throes of climax.  Her ass
was squeezing the life out of Gill’s cock, but it was such a wonderful
sensation, he couldn’t hold back any longer.  With one final, hard
thrust, Gill froze, and then he came.  It felt like he was pouring a
gallon of jism into her ass, and her butt just kept asking for more.  

            Meanwhile, Julie was lost in a world of pure, pink
pleasure.  Her body was wracked with spasms, her mouth let loose with
wails of ecstasy, and her mind was reeling from the overload of joy.  

            Together, the pair grunted and screamed and spasmed for
many moments, before they settled down from their high.  Gill
reluctantly pulled out of her, and then he moved fully onto the bed. 
He pulled Julie down beside him and, spooning, they rested for a while.
 
 
 
            After nearly a half hour, Gill began to stir.  Julie turned
in his arms to face him.  There was a serene smile on her face, much
more pleasant than any he had seen in recent days from her.
 
            “Thank you,” she said softly.  She seemed to be almost on a
high.     

            “Julie... what did we just do?”
 
            Her face darkened perceptibly.  “Something that I was
hoping to do with Paul, but he’s not interested in me.”  Her face
brightened as she looked back at Gill.  “But that’s okay, because
you’re really fucking good at... well, fucking.”
 
            Gill blushed as Julie lightly rubbed his chest.  He leaned
over and kissed her, gently, softly, and without pretense of anything
further.  When they broke the kiss, her eyes were moist.
 
            “Thank you for taking care of me, Gill.  I’ve got to, um...
go to the bathroom now.”  Gill let her loose, and she got up, moving
swiftly across the room to the bath, and closing the door.  He sat up
on the bed, still a little dazed about what had happened, and nearly
panicked when he thought about Paul.  He was standing up and pulling up
his pants in a flash, hoping like hell that Paul didn’t come waltzing
through the door before Gill could pick up his weapons belt.  He strode
over to the entry, where his sword was still lying.  He picked up the
belt and snapped it in place, just as Julie came out of the bathroom.
 
            “Uh, Julie... um... what are you going to tell Paul about
us?”
 
            Her look hardened, and then faded just as rapidly. 
“Nothing, unless he asks me a direct question.  Somehow, I don’t think
he’s going to do that.”  She walked over to him and put her lips to his
again.  He enjoyed the way she kissed; it was much gentler than Susan’s
more demanding pleasures.
 
            “I hope you will take care of me, Gill,” she said in a
small, weak voice.  He wrapped his arms around her in a tender
embrace.  It was all the answer she needed.  This was good, as Gill was
not prepared to answer her question in any more tangible way.
 
 
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
 
 
            Don was searching for some kind of first aid or medical
kit.  He didn’t know what he could use in this world, and he wasn’t
confident enough in his magic to try that on the girl.  She was
attractive enough, with shoulder-length auburn hair and that dark,
almost Hispanic, complexion.  He had looked everywhere, and so he
wandered downstairs in the hopes of finding help.
 
            “You seem to be troubled.”  The soft voice startled him. 
He turned around to see Gaphnia, in her wheelchair, staring at him.  It
was the first time she’d spoken to any of them.
 
            “Yes, ma’am.  The Elves brought in a young woman who is
hurt, and I’m trying to find something to treat her wounds with.”
 
            “I see,” she said, again in that soft, peaceful voice. 
“Most things of that nature are handled by Iamor, but not if she’s been
with the Elves.  There is an old medical kit in that closet.”  She
pointed, and Don went over, opening the closet, and taking out what
looked like a military medical pack.  He looked quizzically at her. 
“One of the game players had it with him, but he neglected to take it
when he left.”
 
            “Other... game players?”
 
            “You don’t know?  You’re not the only ones here.  People
have been drifting through Zemlia Nov for many years.”
 
            “Oh.”  Don pondered that, but decided he had better get
back up to help the woman.  “Thank you very much for your help.”
 
            She smiled at him somewhat oddly, but didn’t say anything. 
Don then turned and went back upstairs, clutching the medical pack.
 
 
 
            Back inside the room, Don saw that Kate had covered up
their guest, and was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her
sleep.  Don set the medical bag down on the floor next to the bed, and
stood behind his sister, his hand gently on her shoulder.
 
            “She looks pretty banged up,” Kate said.
 
            “Yeah.  I think she might be another player.”
 
            “Huh?”
 
            “Someone else stuck here because of the video game.  A
player.  I don’t think she belongs here.”
 
            “Oh, god.  Donny, if she came in here alone...”
 
            Don knew what she was thinking.  “Yeah.”
 
 
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
 
 
            Gill was just a little flustered as he changed into more
comfortable clothing for his “lounging period.”  He needed to talk
things out with his sister... but would she kill him before or after
cutting off his dick for fooling around on her?  Well, there was only
one way to find out.
 
            He found her, as he’d expected to, on the archery range. 
She spent a lot of time there, improving her skill so that she could be
of help to the group.  He watched the strong muscles of her arms flex,
and he noticed how her breasts pushed against her tunic, how her lips
curved softly as she concentrated.  Gill couldn’t help himself, but he
was getting hard *again* just looking at her.
 
            As soon as she let her arrow fly, he called her name
softly.  She immediately turned to see him, a smile crossing her face
as she rested her bow against a tree and came over to see him.  She
wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips.  He felt a
deep stab of guilt when she did that.
 
            “Suse, we need to talk.”
 
            “Okay... can we go sit under the trees?  It’s hot out here.”
 
            They walked silently to the stand of trees, and settled
down against one.  Susan leaned tightly against her brother, and his
arm automatically wrapped around her.
 
            “Susan, I have a confession to make.”
 
            That got her attention, and she looked up at him, waiting
expectantly.
 
            “Um... I’m not really sure how this happened, but um...
just now... I mean, *really* just now...”
 
            Susan could tell he was really worried about something, so
she put her hand softly against his chest and smiled her encouragement.
 
            “Well, Julie and I... uh, that is we... um... *did it.*”
 
            It took Susan a moment to figure out what he meant, then
her face broke into a huge smile.  “Is that supposed to bother me,
Gill?”
 
            “Uh...” Now Gill was really lost.  He’d expected her to be
pissed.  “I thought it might.”
 
            She laughed softly at her brother.  “Baby, if you want to
screw her, then go ahead!  Just so long as I get some too,” she said,
more seriously.  “You *are* still sleeping with me, right?”
 
            “Hell, yes!” he said eagerly, and leaned down to kiss her. 
The kiss turned more passionate, and the two of them fell down onto the
grass.
 
            Making up from a fight that never happened was just as much
fun as making up from one that did.
 
 
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
 
 
            As soon as it appeared that the woman was waking up, Kate
left to go get some clean towels and some warm water.  They hadn’t
wanted to touch her while she slept, for fear they would touch
something that was badly injured.
 
            It was a long process, watching her wake up.  Don sat on
the edge of the bed, near the foot, so as not to panic her when she saw
him.  He saw her eyes flutter, and then they opened.  She turned her
head to both sides, cringed when she felt the pain in her neck, and
then finally stared up at the ceiling.
 
            “Hi,” Don said softly.  Her eyes bolted down to where he
was sitting.  She started to shrink away from him, but to do that she’d
have to sit up, and she was in no shape to do that.
 
            “You’re safe here.  Well, okay, you’re as safe as any of
the rest of us...”
 
            “Where am I?”
 
            “Um... this may be kind of a dumb question, but where do
you think you are?”
 
            “Well, I was playing this video game, and it sent me to a
place called Zemlia Nov... and then there were all these... creatures,
and one really evil man, and... and...” Don could see she was near
tears.  Instinctively, he moved closer to her, putting his hand on her
shoulder.
 
            “Shh.  It’s okay now.  You’re still stuck in Zemlia Nov. 
You’re at Castle Ballor.”
 
            “Where’s that?”
 
            “Uh...” Don floundered for a minute, and then said, “In
Zemlia Nov.”  He smiled at her and finally got her to grin back.
 
            “I need to...” she started to get up, but Don stopped her.
 
            “I’d kind of like you not to get up just now.”
 
            “Why?” she asked with more concern than fear.
 
            Don took the edges of the covers and, keeping his eyes well
averted, lifted them, for her to see that she was nude.
 
            “Oh.  So, um... who undressed me?”  She looked coyly at him.
 
            Just then, Kate popped back in with the bowl of warm water
and several cloths.
 
            “She did,” he said, noting the incredulous look on the
woman’s face.  “This is my sister, Kate.  She became an Elfling when we
got stuck here.  My name is Don.”
 
            The woman was having difficulty forming thoughts, but she
knew she was supposed to say something in reply.  “Oh, um... my name is
Annie Carter.”
 
            “Nice to meet you, though I’d rather have met you when you
were a little more conscious.”
 
            Don got that slight grin again, and that was good.  He
turned to his sister and said, “Can you find her a robe?  She needs
to... uh... you know.”
 
            Kate had set the bowl of warm water down, and dashed back
out the door.  Don turned back to Annie, who was trying to sit up, but
was holding the covers to her slender frame.  Don hesitated to touch
her, but reached out to offer help, which she accepted.
 
            “How did you end up here?” she asked, indicating the
castle, rather than the world.
 
            “We walked.”
 
            “You mean you fought through all that?”
 
            “We must have been in a different spot.  Our trip wasn’t
really all that bad.  Oh, a couple of problems, but nothing we couldn’t
handle.”  He felt far more confident about it now that it was behind
him than he had at the time.
 
            “Who brought me here?”
 
            “The Elves.  They’re called WolfRiders.  They found you and
brought you here to us.”
 
            “Why?”
 
            “Good question.  I don’t know.”
 
            All at once, it was as if a dam had broken.  Tears began to
pour out of Annie’s eyes, and she was sobbing in great, heaving
breaths.  Again, Don hesitated to touch her, he didn’t want to do
anything she would misinterpret while she was naked.  However, once he
touched her shoulder, she leaned into him and wrapped her arms tightly
around his chest.  He fidgeted for a moment, but finally put his hands
on her bare back, trying to console her from something he didn’t
understand in the first place.
 
 
 
            Kate was just coming back from the wardrobe room in the
castle, where all sorts of clothing items were stored, including the
new top that Don had found for her.  She loved her brother more than
she could ever say, and she was glad that he was with her here.
 
            When she opened the door, she saw her brother holding the
woman, who was obviously weeping.  Kate very quietly shut the door, and
waited outside.  If her brother was interested in this woman, that was
fine with Kate... she would certainly miss making love to him, as
they’d done several times in the last few days, but she was more
interested in her brother being happy.
 
            After a few minutes, it sounded as if the crying had at
least died down.  Kate went to the door, and peered in.
 
 
 
            Don held Annie throughout her crying, which lasted for some
minutes.  He rubbed her bare back and rocked slightly, and she clung to
him in confusion and despair.  But tears seem to carry away a small
amount of emotion with each one, and soon there’s no emotion left to
cause the tears.  Annie’s sobbing diminished to crying, and then to
sniffling, and eventually, she stopped, looking up at the young man who
was holding on to her.
 
            Annie smiled, and then looked down.  She saw his shirt. 
“Oh, dear, I think I’ve gotten your shirt all wet.”  She wiped at it a
couple of times, before he took her hand and held it.
 
            “It’s okay.”
 
            She knew he was talking about more than the shirt, but she
didn’t dare believe that her world would ever be okay.  Even before
Zemlia Nov, her world hadn’t been so great, but this... this was more
than she could take.
 
            Both of them heard the door open, though neither of them
turned to look.  Don knew that Kate had been gone far longer than
necessary, and he guessed that she had waited for Annie to stop
crying.  *Why* she had done that, he wasn’t sure, and he would make
sure to ask her about it later.  Right now, there were more important
things to consider.
 
            Kate moved to the bed, and Don reluctantly let Annie go. 
Her bed sheets began to slip, and Don swiftly averted his eyes while
standing up.  He turned to Kate, without looking over at Annie, and
said, “Can you... uh... get her cleaned up and bandaged and everything?”
 
            “Julie’s better at this than I am.”
 
            “Okay... um... I’ll see if she’s got a minute... just, help
her however you can, okay?”
 
            Kate nodded.  She’d never seen her brother so flustered. 
At least not since coming to Zemlia Nov.  Before that, he’d always been
a little anxious around girls, and that was how he was acting now.  It
was strange, but he’d asked her to do something, and she’d do it the
best way she could.  She watched as he strode quickly out of the room,
and then she turned back to her charge.
 
            “He doesn’t like me, I don’t think,” Annie said.
 
            “Why would you think that?” Kate asked in confusion.
 
            “He wouldn’t even look at me.”  Annie’s voice held a lot of
hurt.
 
            “That’s because he *does* like you,” Kate said, holding the
robe out.  “C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up and dressed.”
 
 
 
            Don walked down the hall and caught Julie just as she was
coming out of her room.  He  noticed the peaceful smile on her face
just as she turned away from him.  He wondered what had changed to
remove the slight frown she’d been wearing of late, but didn’t have
time to deal with it.
 
            “Julie?” he asked, to get her attention.
 
            She turned and smiled at him.  “Hey, Don.  What’s up?”
 
            “The WolfRiders brought a young woman here.  She’s pretty
banged up.  Katie’s with her now, in our room.  You’re the only one
with any real first-aid skills... could you go and help her please?”
 
            “Love to!”  She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek as
she walked past.  That got Don’s attention.
 
            “Her name is Annie, by the way,” he managed to spit out. 
Julie just waved as she sauntered down the hall.  *What the fuck has
gotten into her?*  The accurateness of his thought was completely lost
on Don.
 
 
 
            Back in the room, Annie didn’t bother with the robe.  She
padded her way gingerly into the bathroom.  Kate gave her a minute to
handle the less pleasant portions of cleanliness, and then joined her.
 
            “They have a tub, but no shower?” Annie asked.
 
            “Yeah.  It’s weird.  But a lot of things in here are
weird.”  Just then, they heard a knock at the door.
 
            “Anyone in here?” Julie called out.
 
            “In the bathroom, Jules!” Kate called back.  “That’s
Julie.  She’s one of my friends.”
 
            “How many of you are here?”
 
            “Six.  My brother, me, Julie and her brother Paul, and
Susan and Gill.”
 
            When Julie peeked around the corner, Kate smiled at her,
but Annie looked a little concerned.
 
            “Hey, I’m Julie.  You must be Annie... are you all right? 
You look a little green.”
 
            “Well, excuse me, I just kind of expected... well, with
what she looks like, I mean...”  Annie knew she was making a fool of
herself, and finally figured out it would be a good idea to shut up.
 
            Kate giggled at the woman.  “Nope, I’m the only Elfling. 
At least, when Don isn’t accidentally turning me into a fairy, I’m an
Elfling.”  Annie stared at her incredulously, but she didn’t notice. 
“Julie is normal, if a little boy-crazy.”
 
            Julie smiled at her friend, but then stuck her tongue out. 
Turning back to Annie she said, “Don told me you might have some
bruises that need bandages.”
 
            “A few, probably.  Mainly it hurts even to move.”
 
            “Well, let’s get you looked over, and see what we can see.”
 
            Julie did a careful check of Annie, but couldn’t find
anything that really needed bandages except for the cuts on her face.
 
            “Kate, you can handle those, right?”
 
            “Sure... there should be band-aids in that pack Don brought
in.  I hope.”
 
            “Okay.  Then you don’t need me here.  I’m gonna go... do...
something or other.”  Julie traipsed out of the room.  Kate thought she
might actually have been skipping.  *What’s gotten into her?* she
thought, not knowing the appropriate question was ‘who’.
 
            Turning back to Annie, she said, “Okay, well, if we’re not
going to bandage you, I guess you need to get a bath.”
 
            “Yeah.  The sheets on the bed probably need to be burned
after I slept on them.”  Annie’s face was a little down, and Kate
didn’t know her well enough to read her moods.  “Kate, about your
brother...”
 
            “He’s great, isn’t he?” she said immediately.
 
            “You said he wouldn’t look at me because he likes me.  That
doesn’t make any sense.”
 
            “Donny is very shy around girls.  Well, except around me,
but I’m family, so that’s different.”
 
            “He didn’t seem real shy when he was holding me.”  Her
words came out wistfully, almost as if she wished he still was holding
her.
 
            “Well, that’s just my brother.  He saw you needed
something, and he did what he could to help.  Besides, like I said, he
likes you.”
 
            “Oh.”  She thought that over for a moment.  “I guess I need
to thank you both for helping me... you think he’ll be back soon?”
 
            Kate giggled.  “Not until he’s sure you’ve got clothes on.”
 
            Annie finally smiled at her.  “How long can I stay here?”
 
            A shrug was her answer.  “I don’t know how much longer
*we’ll* be here.”
 
            “How long have you been here so far?”
 
            “Four days.  It took us a week to get here.  How long have
you been in this place?”
 
            “Just three days.  I came in by myself... I guess that
wasn’t too bright.”
 
            “Well, from what Don has told me, he didn’t realize it was
anything more than another of his dumb... oops, I mean one of his
computer games.”
 
            “Yeah.  That’s what it was like for me.  I’m not really
able to handle myself in this kind of situation, you know?”
 
            “Hey, look at me!” she unfolded her wings, which was
something she rarely did.  “Do you think I was ready to become a flying
Elf?”
 
            “Wow,” Annie said in awe.  Finally, a thought struck her. 
“I guess I got your bed all dirty, huh.”
 
            Kate just shook her head.  “You mean, you put me in *his*
bed?”  Another shake of the head.  “I’m confused.”
 
            “Donny and I sleep together.  You can use that bed if you
want, we never do.”
 
            “You... sleep... in the same bed with your brother?  Why?”
 
            “Why do you think?” Kate said with raised eyebrows.
 
 
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
 
 
            Just before dinner, Don made his way back to his bedroom,
hoping the girls would be through by now.  He knocked lightly on the
door before opening it.
 
            “Everyone decent?” he asked without peaking his head in.
 
            “You said I was better than decent!” Katie said with a
grumble.
 
            Don blushed, but didn’t enter the room until that died
away.  When he did, he saw that Annie was fully dressed now, in a
cream-colored tunic, dark red vest, and dark green tights.  He thought
she looked beautiful, and tried very hard not to stare.  He hoped she
didn’t notice how his head snapped abruptly away from looking at her.
 
            “Everyone okay?  It’ll be dinnertime soon.”
 
            “Everything’s fine in here, Big Brother.  I’m gonna go see
if Yarice needs any help.”
 
            Kate didn’t give Don a chance to object as she breezed out
of the room, closing the door behind her.  This was the part of life
that Don hated; here he was, in the same room – a bedroom, no less –
with a beautiful woman, and he couldn’t even make his mouth work.
 
            “I need to thank you for helping me,” she said softly,
approaching him.  Her voice was deep, and soft, and warm, and he could
lose himself in its sound if he wasn’t careful.  He looked down at his
feet, without words.  He could have looked her in the eye, but that
would have simply meant he’d have this dumb ‘deer in the headlights’
look on his face, and that would be devastating to what little ego he
had.
 
            Annie walked right up to him, and then she gave him a hug. 
This was a risk on her part.  She wasn’t really sure she believed
Katie.  Why would this boy be interested in her?  He had just turned
eighteen, and she was twenty.  He could have any girl he wanted,
including his sister.  What need would he have with her?
 
            Don, on the other hand, was surprised at her hug.  He
didn’t think she would do that.  Although he had no clue what was going
on, he embraced her, not wanting the moment to end.  She felt very nice
against him, his cheek against her hair.  The moment seemed to stretch
into eternity before she finally let go, and he released her instantly,
not wanting to pressure her.  His hands did stay in contact all the way
down to her hips, though, until they finally slipped off her body and
fell to his sides.
 
            Annie looked at him, and smiled.  “That’s twice today
you’ve helped me get my emotions under control.”  Her voice was still
soft, still light, but there was meaning there.  Unfortunately for Don,
he had a complete lack of experience trying to read women, and so he
wasn’t sure what she meant by that.
 
            “I... well... any time,” he finally said, blushing
fiercely.  Annie took that as an encouragement.  If he was embarrassed,
it meant he was trying to please her.  He wouldn’t do that if he didn’t
like her, would he?
 
            “Katie told me about what you guys have been through since
you got here,” she said as they walked together out onto the balcony. 
The sun was just beginning to set, and it was a beautiful scene.
 
            “It’s been a very hard two weeks, that’s for sure.”
 
            “I’ve only been here three days.  I wouldn’t have lasted
two weeks out there, alone.  What do you plan on doing?”
 
            “Finding Vernior, and getting the hell out of here.”
 
            Annie looked down on the grounds, seeing a small rabbit in
the taller grass.  “I don’t know what to do.  I guess I’m going to be
stuck here for the rest of my life.”  She held her breath.  She
couldn’t ask him directly; this was as close as she could come.
 
            “Why don’t you come with us?” he said, rather eagerly.  He
kicked himself inside for sounding like a schoolboy.
 
            Annie let out her breath, and allowed her heart to
restart.  Still, perhaps it was just politeness on his part.  “Are you
sure?  I don’t want to be any trouble.  I’m not terribly skilled.”
 
            He turned to her, ignoring the fiery sunset before them. 
“I’m sure,” he said, before his courage wilted.  “And I’m sure that
someone here can help you with your skills.  What, um... what character
did you come in as?”
 
            “A psionic sorceress.  It’s a mix-breed character, I
guess... unfortunately, I suck at both of them.”  She drooped her head,
and Don felt the need to touch her again, which he did, but ever so
hesitantly.  He placed his hand very softly on her hip, and smiled.
 
            Annie felt her own insides lurch at the touch of his hand. 
When she looked at his smile, his eyes, she knew he cared about her. 
Finally he said.  “I wasn’t a very good magician when I got here,
either.  I’m sure there’s someone to teach you.”
 
            “Thank you,” she said, and her eyes flashed an invitation.
 
            Don missed that, because he couldn’t interpret her
signals.  He did, however, embrace her again, and she accepted that.
 It felt good to have someone just hold on to her for a while, just to
feel safe and protected.
 
            After a few minutes, he broke their hug and stepped just
slightly away from her.  It was then he realized that something was
missing.  “You’re not wearing your sword.”
 
            “You mean you have it?  I figured the Elves kept it.”
 
            “No, it’s in here.”  He led her back into the room, to her
pile of torn clothing.  He knelt down, sifting through the garments,
and came up with her leather belt and the sheath attached to it.  He
handed it over, and she immediately put it back on.  Her face took on a
somewhat more settled appearance when it fell into place.
 
            “I may be shitty at using it, but at least it’s a weapon. 
The scroll that the game left for me said it’s unbreakable.  I’m not
interested in putting that to the test, but it’s a good thing to think.”
 
            “Can I see it?”
 
            Annie withdrew the sword carefully and then, turning it so
the blade faced away from him, she handed him the handle.  Don grasped
it, and then Annie quickly removed her hands, lest someone slip and get
hurt.
 
            Don thought it was kind of a light sword, but then realized
that Annie was a slight woman, and she probably wasn’t all that
strong.  The sword seemed to him as if it had the very faintest of blue
glows, but he wasn’t sure he wasn’t imagining it.  It was a
single-edged sword, like a saber.  It didn’t feel right in his hands,
though; Don was not a fighter.  Carefully, he handed it back to her,
and she sheathed it.
 
            “I *know* we can find someone to teach you how to use that.”
 
            “Thank you.”
 
            “It’s almost dinnertime.  Why don’t we go down and join the
others?”
 
            As they were walking out of the room, Annie leaned up and
kissed him on the cheek.  This kiss had far more impact than Julie’s
earlier peck, and he was sure she could have heard his heart pounding.
 
            She ignored, intentionally, his fierce blush, and she took
his hand softly as he led her out of the room down to dinner.
 
 
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
            

            The tension at dinner was palpable.  Don sat Annie down
beside him, allowing Kate to sit on his other side, next to Iamor. 
Over the last few days, Don had come not to like Iamor very much.  Not
only was his speech next to impossible to understand, but his moods
were constantly shifting, and many times he would lash out at Don for
making simple errors.  Kate didn’t like sitting next to him since the
day he had threatened to turn her back into a fairy.  Joke or not, she
didn’t like people toying with her life.
 
            She felt no jealousy toward Annie at all.  On the contrary,
she hoped that Annie and Don would work things out, and she’d help that
along if she could.  Right now, though, it didn’t look as if they
needed help.  Don looked over at her and grinned, averting his eyes
downward.  She kissed him on the cheek softly, to let him know things
were okay.
 
            The others in the room, however, were in less of a good
mood.  Three of the siblings knew what was going on, and three of them
didn’t.  One of them that didn’t really ought to have, but he was too
beset with the woman next to him.  Julie spoke to no one at dinner,
from her seat between Paul and Susan.  Gill tried not to look over at
her, because he didn’t want to let Paul know what was going on, though
in truth it would probably have taken a newspaper headline to give Paul
any clue.
 
            Dinner progressed almost silently, after Don had taken the
time to introduce Annie to everyone, and they had all greeted her
politely.  She blushed at the attention and was just as glad it was
over.  The food look excellent, and she ate, well, rather like a pig. 
Yarice saw this and brought her seconds without her even asking, which
embarrassed her even more.
 
            “Eat, My Lady.  You’ll need your strength.”
 
            Suddenly, Julie got up and said, very quietly, “Excuse
me.”  She quickly left the room, her back straight, and her body rigid,
as if she were controlling herself very tightly.  Paul, who had been
discussing something with Carysta – mentally, of course – turned and
said, “What the fuck was that about?”
 
            Gill couldn’t keep his peace about that and said, almost
under his breath, “Maybe if you’d been paying attention to her, you’d
know.”
 
            Paul glared down the table at him and said, “Why is it any
of your business?”
 
            Gill retorted, “Maybe I’m *making *it my business!”
 
            Don looked from one to the other.  He knew that Julie was
somehow the cause of all of this, whether intentionally or not.  He
looked to his sister, but she was no help.  Susan appeared to want to
crawl under the table, and Annie was staring in shock at the two who
had risen from their seats and were shouting at each other from either
end of the table.
 
            Don listened to them for a few more moments, and he started
to get angry.
 
            “Shut the hell up, both of you!”
 
            Both boys turned to him, both of them angry at *him* now.
 
            “Remember the *point* of this little adventure?  To *get
home*?  Well, we’re not going to do that with the both of you bickering
for the next God-knows-how-many days, or weeks... hell, it could be
*months* before we find Vernior!  You should both be ashamed of
yourself!  Christ, guys, we’ve been through a whole bunch of shit, and
you’re going to start arguing over who has a right to say what about
somebody’s *sister*?  You two are disgusting!”
 
            Don stood up from the table, and tossed down his napkin. 
He glared at the other two boys, and then he turned to go.  Just before
he left, he looked to Yarice, the cook.  “Thank you, Yarice, for a very
nice meal.”  Without another word, he turned and left the room.  He
heard the silence that followed him.
 
 
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
 
 
            Annie finally found Don out on the large communal balcony
that faced the southern side of Castle Ballor.  She could see the
tension in his stance, the anger boiling away into the darkness.  He
probably figured he didn’t want to talk about it, but she knew, from
experience, that was the time you really ought to.
 
            She stepped beside him, and turned to see the scowl on his
face.  He was looking up at the moon, but she knew he wasn’t really
seeing it.  She put her hand on his arm, and he barely reacted at all. 
She left it there, because he didn’t object.  She really liked him,
though she’d only known him for a brief span of hours.  They had a
connection; he was a shy, self-conscious boy, she was a scared,
uncertain girl, and they’d somehow translated those two things into a
sort-of friendship.  She wanted to help him if she could.
 
            “I can’t believe they’re bickering now.  Fighting over this
petty shit.  Christ, we’ve been almost killed more times than I want to
think about, and now they’re fighting over *words*!  I’d love to apply
a two-by-four spell to the back of both of their heads.”  She thought
he was joking about that, but she couldn’t be sure.
 
            “It’s important enough to them.  Do you know what it was
about?”
 
            He shook his head, and then looked over at her.  “No.  If
Julie wanted me to know, she’d tell me... or more likely, she’d tell
Kate, who would tell me.  That’s how it has always worked among the six
of us.”
 
            Don noticed that Annie was hugging her arms, as if she was
cold.  He put his arm around her, trying to make her warmer.  She
melted into him, and his robe was baggy enough that she could almost
hide within its folds.  That thought remind him of another cold girl
that had used his robe for warmth.
 
            *Down boy!  She’s not your sister, and she’s not likely to
want you in her bed!*
 
            They stood for a few minutes in silence.  He’d said what he
needed to.  He’d had to vent at least a little at someone.  She knew
she wouldn’t get more out of him tonight, and she wasn’t going to try. 
Trust takes a long time to build.
 
            After some time, he said, “We should go in, before you get
really cold.”  He turned and led her back into the lounge area, closing
the double-doors, made of clear crystal, but not glass, that kept the
room warm.  They sat together on a sofa, and watched the fire.  She
didn’t chance snuggling against him, but they sat close together, and
discussed things “back home”, on Earth.  He was surprised to learn she
came from a town not too far from his own.
 
            “Don, where do I sleep?” she finally asked.  It was an
awkward question, and it was followed by an awkward pause.
 
            “Well... where do you want to sleep?”  He figured there
*had to be* a free room in this place somewhere.
 
            She couldn’t possibly give him the answer that sprang to
her lips unbidden, *With you*.  Instead, she said, “The bed you put me
in this afternoon seems to be free... don’t worry, I sleep in pajamas.”
 
            Don blushed again at the thought of seeing her naked.  He
nodded, though, in acceptance of the idea.  “I’m sure Katie won’t mind
at all.”  *Liar.*
 
 
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
 
 
            Gill and Susan had talked about Julie after dinner.  He
thought maybe he should go find her, to see what was the matter, but
Susan rightly pointed out that was Paul’s responsibility, and if Julie
felt she needed to talk to Gill, she would come to him.  The boys had
skipped their nightly meeting for the obvious reason, and so no further
confrontation with Paul had happened.
 
            They were just about to climb into bed when there was a
soft knock at the door.  Gill looked at his sister, who shrugged, and
then he put on a bathrobe as he was walking to the door.
 
            Standing there, in tears, her eyes red from a lot of
crying, was Julie.  She threw herself into Gill’s arms, and began to
sob.  Gill quickly pulled her inside, shutting the door, and leading
her over to the other bed.  Susan, without even a look at Gill, grabbed
her robe and headed for the door.  She was out it before he could even
ask what she was doing.
 
            He continued to hold Julie, letting her cry through her
anger, resentment, her fear, betrayal and hurt.  It took a good ten
minutes before she calmed down at all.
 
            “Gill... he... he didn’t even ask what was wrong!  He
doesn’t care about me!  I could die tomorrow, and he might not even
*notice*!”
 
            “I’d notice,” he said softly.  She looked at him with a
twinge of hope in her eyes.  Gill had more confidence now, having
discussed everything with his sister already.  If Julie needed him to
be there for her, he’d be there, every step of the way.
 
            “You mean that?”
 
            He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.  She responded
immediately, pressing herself against him.  Neither made any more
advances, but they kissed for a long time.  Then Gill finally broke
their kiss and said, “Let’s get some sleep.  Things will look better in
the morning.”  He doubted that, but it was the sort of thing you said
to a weeping girl.
 
            Julie was suddenly hesitant.  “What about Susan?”
 
            “Susan knows about us.  And she understands.”  He helped
Julie take off her dress, which he laid across a chair, and then he
lifted the covers so she could slide in.  He removed his robe to slip
into the bed next to her.
 
            They were both asleep before Susan came back to the room,
slipped into the other bed, alone but at ease with the situation, and
then she fell asleep herself, hoping that things would be okay, and
confident that Gill could make them so.
 
 
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
===<<<+>>>===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
