Tag: Diana Carter

Sunday, June 26, 1988
Camp Tandy – Boy’s Campsite 5
Glassboro Township
New Jersey

Sundays are open days for the campers to do their own thing. Everyone must still attend Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner or notify an adult of where they will be if not attending. The adults at camp also have free time that is not monitored.

With Supreme Warrior momentarily out of the way and having no idea where Dr. Crow could have taken him, Steve is ready to focus on the job he was sent here to do. Even with only getting a little over an hour of sleep the previous night Steve is up and out of bed early. He has even found the key to sneaking out at night. The answer to not waking his tent mate is speed. If he moves fast enough to get out of the tent as well as return he doesn’t disturb Paul. “You’re up early today,” Paul Denmark comments from his cot, waking up as Steve is dressing.

“A lot to get done today,” Steve replies not wanting to say much to his tent mate who he is also suspicious of doing wrong. Steve’s plan is an early morning bed check on Barry Ramirez to see if what the other boys told him is true. “I’ll catch up with you later,” Steve says, heading out the flap of the tent.

Steve is across the grass to the tent of the four boys of which he is in charge. Opening the flap to enter unannounced he finds all four boys still asleep on their cots. Or so he believes. As he turns to exit Barry Ramirez asks, “Early morning bed check, Steve?” “Not what you were expecting?” Steve turns around to face the young man as he throws back his sleeping bag to expose his morning wood. “Perhaps this is what you were looking for,” the teenager grins.

“I suggest you put that away and get dressed.” “I have a job for you today,” Steve instructs him.

“Sunday is our free day,” Barry grumbles. “I have other plans.” The other boys in the tent begin to stir at the exchange of words.

“See the thing is I’m in charge and you are a camp assistant, so even on Sunday you have to do as I say!” Steve explains.

“Steve, what is going on?” Avery says sitting up wearing a long sleeved T-shirt under his sleeping bag.

“Man, aren’t you hot in that?” James asks, looking at Avery’s pit stained shirt.

“The rest of you can head to breakfast, Barry you are with me,” Steve orders.

“What no breakfast?” Barry grumbles. “Seems cruel and in-human.”

“Stop complaining and get a move on!” Steve replies.

Philadelphia Elite Squad office
1st precinct
Philadelphia, Pa

It is Sunday and Detective Paddy Berger sits at his desk anticipating the arrival of his boss, Commander Olpere with dread. He knows that a new team is starting today and the only way Olpere managed to get them transferred in so quickly was because of the threat the Supreme Warrior posed to the public. He does not look forward to relaying the Intel he received from Steve on a call late last night. He looks around the office at the empty desk, Bower and Zadlo are out on a call and his partner, Officer Maguire is in the gym having an early morning workout.

“Good Morning Detective Berger,” Commander Olpere announces as she enters the Elite Squad room with the two new members. The woman is a tall brunette with her short hair pulled back into a ponytail. She appears confident with an athletic build. “This is Detective Brenda Stillwell.” “She is joining us all the way from Pittsburgh.”

The other is a thin Hispanic man with curly dark hair. “This is Officer Tomas Lopez from Carlisle, the other side of Harrisburg.” “I’ll need you to fill them in on the latest about our most wanted Zeni, Supreme Warrior a.k.a. Gary Rogers.”

“About that ma’am, it would appear that Supreme Warrior has been taken,” Detective Berger explains.

“What do you mean, taken?” Commander Olpere interrogates her detective. “Do not tell me those Feds got him!”

“No, Ma’am, someone else,” Detective Berger explains. “I was contacted by Master Warrior and he had Supreme Warrior down for the count, when the man calling himself Dr. Crow intervened.”

“This Dr. Crow again?” Commander Olpere exclaims. “Then it is him who moves to the top of our list!” “I want to know everything there is to know about Dr. Crow!” “And the why and how of him taking someone as powerful as Supreme Warrior.” “Is there anything else that Master Warrior could tell you?”

“Not much, he encountered Dr. Crow previously but never saw him in person,” Detective Berger explains. “For the most part Dr. Crow is an urban legend in the Cincinnati area.” “Most likely someone has just assumed the name to add to the local tale.”

“Excuse me Commander, but do you regularly take the word of one of these ‘Super-Heroes’ on face value?” Detective Stillwell asks.

“Well Detective it has been a rough road since Master Warrior first appeared in this city,” Commander Olpere begins. “But he helped to uncover that our previous Police Commissioner was corrupt and he has nearly given his life to protect the people of Philadelphia.” “Commissioner Aspen trusts him and I have learned that he deserves some respect when it comes to what he has done for the city.”

Officer Maguire enters the Squad Room to be introduced to the two new arrivals. “Officer Maguire, can you show Officer Lopez around our facilities while, Detective Berger and I brief Detective Stillwell on a few things,” Commander Olpere instructs.

“Yes ma’am,” Officer Maguire replies. “Come on, Tomas is it?” “Let me show you the gym, I just finished up my morning workout.” “You’ll learn real quick around here how important it is to be in top shape.”

Camp Tandy
Glassboro Township
New Jersey

With an ax slung over his shoulder Steve leads Barry into the woods on the mountain away from camp. “It sure is getting hot on this hike,” Barry says, pulling his shirt off over his head. “Are we headed somewhere private to finish what we started yesterday?” “The ax is a nice cover.”

“You might say that,” Steve replies, not looking back at the sweaty boy. He is leading Barry to a place that he has only been once before when he was thirteen. It was his first year at camp and Gary had talked Steve into hiking in the forest off all the marked paths on a Sunday. It was rather uneventful all they found was this large blooming tree with red berries. It seemed out of place on the mountain side, but at the time he had not idea what kind of tree it was. “This is the place!” Steve announces turning back to Barry. “Time to get to work!”

Barry’s unwavering confidence appears to have lessened slightly as he drops his shirt on the ground and moves to open his pants. “If you think it is work, you’ve been doing it wrong.”

Steve glares at Barry, “You might want to let them on.” “I’ve brought you out here to collect trees to replenish the wood shed.” Steve hands a disappointed Barry the ax.

“You expect me to do all the work?” Barry asks, taking the ax.

“Isn’t that what you expected me to do?” Steve asks. “Get started on that tree, it should supply plenty of logs,” Steve tells Barry pointing to the large blooming tree. “My guess is that it must be close to seventy years old.”

“But it is huge and still alive, how will we ever get the wood back to camp?” Barry argues. “Besides I came out here to find a different kind of wood.”

“I know exactly what you were looking to find,” Steve says. Looking to the tree Steve tells the teen, “I’m sure you recognize this tree, it was the final piece of the puzzle.”

“What puzzle?” Barry says clearly not sure what is happening.

“It is a Rowan tree, brought here a long time ago,” Steve explains. “I’m thinking it didn’t come here alone.” “Its berry can be used to make a special wine that is poisonous to most.”

“The only old tree I’m interested in is the one in your shorts,” Barry grins.

“Your confidence seemed to have no bounds,” Steve says. “You really do believe you can seduce me like you did the others.” “I knew a boy like you before, Brad Jurgens.” “He thought he was all that too.” “You remember Brad Jurgens don’t you?”

“How could I possibly remember him, that was nine years ago,” Barry argues.

“I don’t believe I said it was my first year at camp,” Steve says smiling knowing he is on the right track. “Come on, let’s chop this tree down!” Steve grabs the ax from Barry’s hand to raise it over his head.”

“No wait!” Barry shouts. “There must be an old dead tree around here somewhere we can chop up!”

Steve drops the ax to the ground, turning back to face Barry. “When I went to bed last night I laid there on my cot running over everything I have learned since returning to Camp Tandy.” “Somehow the pieces of the puzzle I had collected just didn’t fit together right.” “Paul Denmark was a pedophile, who has been molesting boys for years?” “My best friend Gary was one of them?” “Maybe I was just too naive back then to see what was happening around me.” “Or maybe I just didn’t want to see it.” “But then Gary told me himself that it was him who took advantage of Denmark.” “Then there was you, a kid I thought was just a bully.” “Then you led me to believe that you were more than that, a sexual predator.” “All of this under the nose of Mr. Tennyson whose family founded this camp decades ago.” Then yesterday at the bond fire I noticed how much you enjoyed the sing-a-long.” “I also notice how some of the other boys including Jeremy were enthralled with your singing.” “Brad appeared to have the same charm all those years ago.” “All of these thoughts rattling around in my head I managed to drift off to sleep.”

Steve steps closer to Barry still trying to look confused by everything he has said. “It was the dream I had that brought the pieces together although I didn’t realize it at first.” “I dreamt of this tree and how its beauty hid a dark secret.” “When I woke up I remembered this tree, this place from the first year I came to Camp Tandy.” “Gary and I took a hike off the regular paths and found it.” “Looking back at that hike it was strange, it was like Gary knew exactly where he was leading us.”

“It was just a matter of research after that.” “I must admit I didn’t get much more sleep after that last night.” “What with reading through every camper’s file in the last forty years in Mr. Tennyson’s office.” “Tennyson was a camper here when he was a kid too, until he was seventeen in fact.” “So was Paul Denmark.” “The age cut off on campers has always been sixteen.” “At first I thought it was just because Tennyson’s family owned the camp, but Denmark stayed until he was seventeen too.” “There were several other boys that met that criteria too over the past four decades.” “Each four years apart.”

“What does any of this have to do with me?” Barry questions.

“Still hiding,” Steve smiles. “Maybe a few strikes at this tree will loosen your tongue.”

“At least finish your silly story first,” Barry says, unzipping his pants. Steve chuckles as Barry strips naked in front of him. “Do I make you feel giddy?”

“Not in the least,” Steve responds. “Your power doesn’t work on me, just like when you were Brad Jurgens.” “I know about Satyrs.” “I know how they hide in Rowan trees, trees like this one,” Steve says, pointing at the huge old Rowan tree. “You have been in there all these years taking control of boy after boy to stay here at Camp Tandy.” “Feeding on their pubescent lust.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Barry says. The nude boy rushed forward at Steve to grab the ax. “You are out of your mind!” he shouts as he easily wrestles the ax away from the man. He stands holding the ax defensively. “Wait until Tennyson hears about this, you’ll be headed straight to jail!” “Threatening me, forcing me to take off my clothes at ax point.”

“It was clear to me something else was going on here,” Steve tells Barry. “Something more than the ordinary, so I gave my mom a call last night too.” Steve smiles, not at all frightened by the ax wielding teen. “She filled me in on Satyrs.” “There is an age limit on the control a Satyr has over a child.” “Eighteen in fact.” “But when the Satyr releases a target they still hold sway over them.” “That is how Tennyson and Denmark are still in the fold.” “Helping you cover your tracks as you move from boy to boy over the years.” “She also told me how to release all of the people under a Satyr’s control.”

“Sounds like your mother is as crazy as you!” Barry shouts.

“She has collected a lot of knowledge in the past 3000 years, I trust her completely,” Steve says, reaching for his left ear to trigger the change to Master Warrior. He moves swiftly to pull his arsenal from his right thigh to form it into a battle ax twice the size of the woodsman’s ax Barry holds. Springing up into the treetops he brings the battle ax down into the trunk of the tree cleaving it in half. A cloud of steam billows free of the inner core of the tree.

By the time Master Warrior’s feet touch the ground again, Barry has dropped the woodsman ax to the ground. He stands with a blank look on his face for a moment before his knees buckle and he crumbles to the forest floor. Master Warrior appears relieved at the event as he turns back to the split tree. Master Warrior returns his arsenal to his right thigh in the form of a strap.

The steam begins to clear, revealing a strange figure inside the tree trunk. The figure is unmoving at first as Master Warrior watches it carefully. It is a small strange man who lifts his head into the sunlight. He has short cropped dark curly hair and glimmering green eyes. On each of his temples he has small knubish horns. As he steps forward out of the split tree his lower body is revealed to be that of a goat. The Satyr appears and smells as one would expect of one who had spent the last five decades in the rotten center of a hollow tree.

As the Satyr’s cloven hooves touch the ground Master Warrior feels a chill up his spine. He has seen many other strange creatures during his time in Olestra, but this one creeps him out knowing all he has done to these innocent boys over the decades. He can not help but to notice the only thing the Satyr wears is a large silver bracelet with emeralds on his left wrist. “Why boys?” Master Warrior demands of the Satyr.

“Why not?” the Satyr replies in a gravelly voice that has not been used in several decades. “The boys at this camp were easy targets for me.” “For many it is their first time away from home.” “Adolescent girls are much more difficult to control and so many of them have no desire for the pleasure of the flesh that I feed on.” “The pleasure these boys give each other is the most desirable to me.”

Feeling almost sick to his stomach, Master Warrior tells the creature, “Well that is over now!” “Without your tree you can’t play your sick games anymore.” “Now tell me, what lasting effects will there be on your victims?”

“You mean my lovers?” a smile on the Satyr’s dirty and hairy face.

“You make me sick, none of those boys acted of their own free will!” Master Warrior charges. “How dare you even suggest they were your lovers!” “If any of them even knew you existed they would be as disgusted by you as I am?”

The old Satyr cackles again, “Everything they did under my influence will be like a wet dream to them.” “Just as it is for the ones who outgrew my control.” “All of them will do whatever they must to hide the truth.” “Until I summon them again.”

“You see that is the thing, that is not going to happen,” Master Warrior says. “The way I see it you have two options, one you leave here never to return.” “Or I make some wine from these tree berries and put you in a coma for fifty years or so.”

The Satyr gets a look of fear in his eyes at the threat of the wine. He knows all too well the wine from the tree berries is irresistible to him. It also has the power to do just what Master Warrior suggests. “You think you’re a clever little man,” the Satyr sneers.

“I am more than clever, I am fully capable of making good on my threat,” Master Warrior asserts. “As the child of an amazon I could easily slay you.” “I choose not to now, but if you do not accept my terms I could change my mind.” “You would not be the first half human/half animal I have put down.”

It has been a very long time since this Satyr has felt fear. Looking at this imposing man claiming to be the son of an amazon he feels more fear than he has ever know. He knows all too well how lethal an angered amazon can be. And he had heard the prophecy of the son of an amazon who would become King by slaying every god spawn creature in existence. If this man is that would-be King he does not want to cross him!

Master Warrior’s hand moves for his arsenal as the Satyr reaches for the silver bracelet on his left wrist. “Your day will come!” the Satyr says as the emeralds on his wrist glow and he vanishes.

Master Warrior stands shocked at how easy this was. Then he hears Barry begin to moan on the ground behind him. Instantly changing back to his regular clothing, he moves to gather up the teen’s clothes. “Barry, are you okay?” Steve asks, going to help the boy to sit up.

“Oh my head,” Barry moans, sitting up barely able to open his eyes. “What happened, what am I doing here?” Opening his eyes to look at himself he exclaims, “Where are my clothes, why am I naked?”

“That is a very good question,” Steve replies. “Get dressed.” Steve tosses his clothes onto his lap. “I was told that you were sneaking off at night to drink wine.” “That appears to be true now.” Still sitting on the ground holding his clothes, the young man begins to cry into his shirt. “What is it?” Steve asks, more than a little surprised to see Barry Rameriz crying.

“I can’t remember,” Barry sobs. “Are we at Camp Tandy?” “I haven’t been able to remember being here for years?” “Just arriving on the bus and then arriving home.” Barry begins to cry harder over the gaps in his memory. “And it never bothered me in the least.” “What is wrong with me?”

“It’s going to be alright Barry, just stand up and we will get you dressed and take you to the nurse,” Steve tells him, taking the kid by the arm to lift him up. Barry continues to sob as he puts his clothes back on. Steve can’t believe how this turned out. Only days ago he thought this boy was the villian and now he can not help but to feel sorry for him. He gives the boy a hug once he is dressed and puts his arm around his shoulders to say, “Let’s get back to camp now.”

As they begin to walk Barry asks, “Who are you anyway?”

Monday, June 27, 1988
Camp Tandy
Glassboro Township
New Jersey

It is just after breakfast, before the first classes begin. Lori Striker leads Avery Lewis into the woods behind the lodge. “Where are we going?” Avery asks as the young girl leads him down an unmarked path. “This is not a standard Camp hiking area.”

“Just follow me, this is going to be fun!” Lori insists as she leads him farther away from camp than he thinks they should be going. “Didn’t you have fun when I told you to follow that black guy up to the old mill?”

“How do you know where we ended up?” Avery quizzes. “I never told you what happened up there.”

“You don’t have to, I already know.” Lori giggles. “Why do you think I told you to follow him?”

“How could you already know?” Avery asks.

Lori stops to turn around to face him. “The same way I know you have this now!” she announces pulling up the front of his sweatshirt to expose his organic metal plated belly.

Avery reacts instantly, pulling away from her to push his sweatshirt down to cover the pale yellow metal plate on his body. He glares at the younger girl for a minute before saying, “Something is changing about you.” “When I first met you at the field hockey game I sensed something inside of you, something weird.” “Now that weirdness seems to be growing.”

“I’m weird?” Lori says turning to start walking again. “I think you are weird!” Avery follows after her if only to make sure she doesn’t get hurt or lost in the woods. The two campers walk for a while. It appears to Avery that Lori knows exactly where she is leading him even if all he sees are trees all around them that look the same.

That is until they reach a clearing where the high-tension power lines cut through the forest. “This way,” Lori gestures to him as she begins to walk along the clearing next to the tall metal towers. She leads him three hundred yards or so along the trees. Then Lori heads back into the trees.

“Where are you going now?” He shouts running after her to catch up. Chasing after her they soon come to an old broken up cinder-block wall at the edge of an access road. It is covered with graffiti of all kinds. “What is this place?”

“It’s a place to have some fun,” Lori suggests. She continues to lead Avery past the ruins of the abandoned building. The teens continue to wall through some more trees. It is not more than a several minutes until they again emerge from the forest again into a hidden field.

Lori and Avery come to a stop standing under a large camouflage netting that spans a football sized field full of plants. “Shit, Lori!” Avery exclaims. “These are pot plants!”

“I told you we could have fun here!” she laughs.

“How the hell did you know this was here?” Avery demands.

“That is a good question?” a man standing behind them holding a rifle asks. He is accompanied by two other men. All three of them are rather dirty in appearance, dressed in old concert t-shirts and cargo pants. Their shaggy hair and beards look like they have not seen a shower in months. “Speak up brats, how did you find this place?” the leader with the ponytail demands.

“Look sir, we were just out hiking.” “We stumbled upon this by accident,” Avery defends as he steps between Lori and the gunmen. “We don’t even know where we are.”

“I say we kill them!” the blonde man with a sparse goatee says,pointing his rifle at them. “We have enough problems with the new boss.” “Clearly she is not part of the circle!”

“We are friends of Barry Ramirez and Coach Denmark,” Lori says, pushing past Avery.

“Lori, what are you talking about?” Avery says, grabbing her arm. “Stay behind me!”

“That means they are from Camp Tandy, the new boss will really want to see them now!” the third man with ratted curly hair says, lowering his weapon to point to the ground.

“He’s going to tell us to kill them for sure!” the blonde guy argues. “I don’t want to end up like Mark!”

“You make a good point, whether you know it or not,” the leader says. “He might like the boy, take some of the heat off of us.” “Jurgens, get some rope and tie them up!” The leader tells the trigger happy blonde man.

“Come on back me up here, Mullens,” the blonde guy called Jurgens pleads with the man with the messy curly brown hair.

“No, Charles is right, tie them up we will take them back to the cabin of the new boss,” Mullins agrees with the leader.

Camp Tandy – off the beaten path
Glassboro Township
New Jersey

After lunch Steve and Sylvia managed to sneak off to the waterfall upstream from the camp to have a private picnic.

“Just as beautiful as ever,” Sylvia says, looking at the water flowing down over the rocks to the basin.

“I can not argue with that,” Steve says, sitting their picnic basket down on the grass near the edge of the lagoon. “I was too afraid to say it back then, but I thought you were beautiful that day we first came here.”

“I was talking about the waterfall you dope,” Sylvia responds, looking over her shoulder at him as he begins to unpack the basket. She watches his body move as he spreads the blanket out on the grass. Just looking at him makes her hate the thoughts she has been having since yesterday. What if some nut like Malice Maid showed up here right now? What would she do? How would she protect Steve? What if she couldn’t protect him and he got hurt? How would she explain any of it to him?”

“Come on let’s eat, no telling how much time we have,” Steve suggests sitting down rather stiffly. “Everything looks so good.” Yesterday his mind was so made up. He was going to break it off with Diana, tell her they should only be friends. But when she suggested having a picnic here he couldn’t say no. Looking around at this place and being here with her, the thought of breaking it off sounds like such a mistake.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

“Just a little stiff, too much wood chopping yesterday I guess,” he tells her, knowing full well it is Supreme Warrior focused attack on his legs that has made him worse for wear. Thank God the bruises have faded or he would still be wearing sweatpants in this heat and not a bathing suit. “Did you make all of this stuff?”

She giggles, “If you count befriending the kitchen help to get them to put together a picnic lunch for us, yes.”

“I have to admit, you are a charmer,” Steve says, opening foil wrapped fried chicken. “I know I find you irresistible.” Why can’t he just keep his mouth shut?

“I can think of a few people back home that would not agree with you there,” she replies, taking a drink from a can of Coke. He is such a flirt.

“I assume you are referring to people you have caught doing things they shouldn’t have done?” Steve suggests.

“When I first came home from…,” She stopped for a moment to get her story straight. She still hates lying to Steve but it is important to keep up her cover story. “Home from college, the last person I wanted to see was my father.” “I knew he would feel the same way, but I also knew I had to face him.” “I dreaded how he would react and was almost relieved to learn he had died.”

“That is kind of cold for you?” Steve comments. He knows that Diana and her father never had a good relationship after her mother died but being glad he was dead is not like her at all.

“After we met at camp, my life really went to shit and I put all of that on him,” she confesses. “I had learned a lot in my time away, but I figured he hadn’t changed.” “I was sure he didn’t expect to ever see me again.”

“I’m sure if he had been alive when you got home, he would have changed too,” Steve suggests trying to give her some comfort.

“Not likely, the last thing I did was punch him in the face,” Diana says with a raised eyebrow.

Steve chuckles, “You never cease to surprise me.” “I’m sure he deserved it.”

“And then some,” Diana says while taking a drink. “When I got home, I found out he had read my mother’s diary.” “I could only assume it was right after she died.” “I could only assume that he treated me the way he did after Mom died because he found out he wasn’t my birth father from that diary.”

“Does your Uncle Zac know that fact too?” Steve asks coyly.

“Yes, I told him the truth when I got home, but it turned out he already knew,” Sylvia explains. “He told me that it didn’t matter to him, that I was still the niece he watched grow up and that he loved me no matter who my father was.”

“Sounds to me like he is a great guy,” Steve smiles. “It also makes me think the man you always thought was your father had more problems than what you think he did.”

“That is nice of you to say,” Sylvia replies. “In the end I know none of it was my fault.” “It would be easy to blame my mother, but I think she only did what she thought was best at the time.” “I know she loved me and things would have been different if not for the cancer.” “Enough about my problems, wasn’t there something you wanted to talk to me in private about yesterday?”

Steve falls silent for a moment not knowing what to say. They have been having such a good time together it would be shitty to ruin it now. He gives her one of his smiles that makes her melt slightly. “It seemed important then but the moment has passed.” “So can I ask you something?”

“That sounds ominous,” Sylvia smiles back. “Is it my shoe size?”

Steve chuckles, “Like in Monty Python, I get it.” “No, something else.” “It might sound like something it is not, I promise it isn’t that.” Taking another breath, he says, “I’m guessing with your past you aren’t interested in getting married and having a family.”

Sylvia gives him a suspicious look, what is this about? she thinks. She only gives him the answer she wants him to hear, “I’ve thought about it, I don’t see it in my future.” “Is that a problem?”

Steve is both relieved and disappointed at once, but doesn’t let it show on his face. “Not a problem at all.”

“So with your wonderful childhood and family growing up, you aren’t the marrying kind?” Sylvia questions with suspicion.

Steve knows he has to choose his words wisely, “I can’t really put it into words that would make sense, probably.” “What my parents have, what I had growing up sets a pretty high goal to reach.” “I don’t really believe I could ever reach it.” “I will settle for nothing less.”

Sylvia looks at him not sure if she believes what he is saying. But his words work to her advantage. If he is not expecting a future from what they have, then perhaps it is for the best. “So just a bunch of casual hook-ups for you then?”

Steve blushes, “No, I don’t think so.” “There seems to be little point in that to me.” “Like I said, I’m not interested in settling for less than a soulmate.” It sounds silly when he says it out loud. But what he tells her is true if not the whole story.

Sylvia is intrigued by his words. “How will you know this soulmate when you meet her?” she asks.

“To be honest, I don’t know if I even believe that I have a soulmate,” Steve replies, wanting to change the subject. “It is something my parents always said that they were from the time I was young.”

After finishing eating Steve shifts his position making his discomfort known again. “Hey, why don’t you let me rub your legs, it might help?” she suggests.

“I don’t know, is that something you feel comfortable doing?” Steve asks, fearing that if she massages his legs she will start commenting about the density of his muscle tissue, like Carol did. “I mean after what we have just been talking about.”

“I know we have been acting like more than friends and we have both made it clear that there is a line.” “Besides, It’s me, Diana, not Denise,” she jokes as she rolls up a beach towel. “Here, put this under your head and lay back.” “I’m no trained professional masseuse, but I have been known to give a good massage or two.”

“Okay, if you are sure,” Steve says, taking the rolled towel to lay back with it behind his neck.

He can’t help being nervous as Diana goes to work by slipping off his shoes and socks to begin with his feet and ankles. “Huh, you have really nice feet,” she comments, starting slowly to apply her healing power.

“Ya, think?” Steve replies. “I always thought they were bony.” He wiggles his long toes as she squeezes the sole of his left foot.

“They actually look pretty muscular to me, like the rest of you,” Diana comments, moving to rub his tight foot, then moving up to his ankles. “That must have sounded weird, I’m really not into foot fetishism or anything.” “I guess I should just shut up and rub.” Diana moves to Steve’s calves causing him to moan softly. Maybe she needs to turn down the healing touch. “Are you okay?” she asks.

“No, I’m fine,” “I think I’ll take the foot stuff as a compliment,” Steve says as he closes her eyes. “You’ve got strong hands.”

“Oh, am I hurting you?” Diana asks, afraid she is using too much strength.

“No, it feels great,” Steve says, moaning slightly. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a leg massage.”

Diana moves up Steve’s legs working and kneading his sore muscles as she goes above his knees. “You’ve got quite a bit of hair on these legs, I hadn’t noticed it before because it blends with your skin so well.”

Steve lifts his head to open his eyes to watch Diana massage his legs. “Is that good or bad?” He asks, catching a glimpse of her tits down her shirt. He quickly lays his head back down to close his eyes before he gets caught ogling her.

“Neither,” she replies, moving her hands to the edge of his shorts. “Oh,” she comments.

Here it comes, Steve thinks.

“Sorry I nudged your shorts up, I don’t want you to think I am checking for tan-lines like Denise,” she giggles.

Steve chuckles as she moves back down his legs, “I usually wear a smaller bathing suit to the beach,” Steve tells her. “You’ll have to go pretty high on my legs to find the pale skin.” Steve smiles as her hands move back to his calves.

“What, like a speedo?” she asks, the image of him nearly nude in her mind. I’d like to see that sometime, she thinks to herself. If he had dressed like that at camp years ago, she might have fainted at the sight.

“Yeah, or panty shorts as my father always jokingly called them.” “Do you think you can handle that?” Steve grins, lifting her head to check out her cleavage again.

“That is quite an ego,” Diana chuckles.

“I just remember how you were when I would take my shirt off,” Steve grins, laying his head back.

“I suppose you’ll tell me next that you have been to a nude beach.” she asks out of the blue.

“Once, with my Dad when I was 17, on a trip to Europe,” Steve confesses.

“You went to a nude beach with your father?” she quizzes surprised.

“Seeing my Dad naked was no big deal, my Mom was a different story, I would have been scarred for life.” Steve says honestly, what he saw on their trip to Themyscira was enough.

“Your Step-mom, you mean?” she questions.

“Yeah,” Steve says, forgetting the cover story. “I don’t think she ever took my sister to that beach.” “Even as liberal as she is, that beach was too much penis for a ten year old to see.”

“What about you and all of those naked women?” Diana asks, noticing something is going on in his shorts as he tells the story.

“We didn’t stay long.” “All those naked boobies were a bit much for me to see back, especially being naked myself.” “I spent most of the time with a towel on my lap.” “It was like nothing to my Dad.” “Just another day at the beach.”

“Why don’t you flip over and let me rub the backs of your legs?” Diana suggests hoping to calm what is happening in his pants.

Steve flips over on his belly instantly feeling what is going on in his shorts. “Oh shit!” he exclaims.

“Is there something wrong?” she asks innocently.

“Think of it as you were doing a really good job!”

She doesn’t mention what she suspects, moving to massage the back of his legs. His calves are like steel in her hands. She can only imagine what he must have going on under his shorts. Looking at his plump butt cheeks she is tempted to massage them but holds back the urge. The thought of rubbing his body nude flashed in her mind. Perhaps it is time she stops before she starts on his ass. Sylvia sits back down next to him on the blanket. This was all a horrible mistake on her part. She knows they can never get physical but she keeps teasing him. “Guess you were right, I shouldn’t have offered to massage you.”

Hoping his problem will go away Steve lays on the blanket unmoving. “I think maybe I should take a dip in the cold water.” “What to join me?” He says hoping she will not take him up on his offer.

“No thanks, cold water is not my thing,” Sylvia tells him. She sits watching Steve walk into the water’s edge with his back to her. She wishes she had the nerve to offer to help him with his problem but her brain keeps telling her that would be wrong. Steve walks into the lagoon waist deep holding up his shirt tail not to get it wet. She eyes his rock hard six pack. “Does that really matter?” she calls to him. “Once you come out and let your shirt touch your shorts it will get wet anyway.”

Steve ties his shirt up under his pecs asking, “There, is that better?” He can not believe this has happened again. What makes it worse is he thinks she saw what she was doing to him. If it was anyone else it wouldn’t bother him this much. He would just shrug it off as his body played tricks on him. Steve really can not figure out why he is so embarrassed to have it happen in front of her of all people.

“Denise is going to love seeing your six-pack when we get back to the fire tonight,” She jeers.

“As long as that is all Denise sees, I’m safe.” Steve grumbles. The water temperature appears to have no effect on him. Steve’s Dad used to harp on the importance of wearing a jockstrap and now he knows why.

“Let’s talk about something else then,” She offers. “What happened to Barry?” “I heard he is headed home tomorrow.”

Steve hates it but he must spin this story so it is easy to remember. “He had something of a mental breakdown.” Steve says. “He can’t remember anything that happened at camp for the past few years.” “I’m no psychiatrist, but I’ve seen it when I was a cop.” “It would appear that he has multiple personality issue.” “Mr. Tennyson arranged for his father to get treatment.” “The change of conversation has helped because his erection is completely gone. The distraction has been overtaken by the guilt he feels about not telling him everything that happened. Even though he knows it is misplaced.

Bloomingdale’s Outlet
1625 Chestnut St Suite 240-248
Philadelphia, PA

Detective Berger and Officer Maguire arrive at the Bloomingdale Outlet store. “Can you feel anyone overly angry?” Detective Berger asks his partner.

“That is not an easy question to answer,” Officer Maguire replies as they walk though the store crowded with people. “It is going to take me a while to pinpoint the disturbance through all of these women who are angry they couldn’t get the shoes they wanted in their size or the blouse that would go with that skirt.” “A department store is not the best place to scan people’s emotions.”

“The call said the suspect was in Menswear, we should head over there to see if it is easier for you,” Detective Berger suggested. Having been in the store several times before Paddy knows right where he is headed. As they come around the end of the escalator the two policemen can hear the disturbance ahead of them. A young man with wavy blonde hair stands on top of a clothing rack shouting at onlookers. Over his face is a theatrical drama/comedy mask, it shifts and changes like a normal human face as he speaks.

“Foolish people believing this Outlet center is giving you some kind of bargain!” the man in the mask shouts. “You are just lambs to the slaughter!” With that statement his mask changes to a look of anger as he points to several women carrying large Bloomingdale’s shopping bags. “You four gullible women make my point perfectly!” “You are but little lambs!” Instantly before the eyes of everyone in the crowd the four women drop their shopping bags as they are transformed into four white down coated lambs.

The crowd in the menswear department roar with laughter at the sight of the four lambs who begin to chew on the paper shopping bags. “Paddy what is going on here?” Christine Roberts asks, walking up next to the detective.

“Christine, what are you doing here?” Paddy asks the girl.

“I’m meeting a friend, who is that idiot?” she replies. “Are you here to arrest him?”

“Arrest him, didn’t you see what he just did?” Detective Berger insisted. “He just turned those women into sheep.”

Christine looks around the Men’s wear department and all she sees is four women crawling around on all fours on the floor. She looks up to the guy on top of the rack shouting as he singles out two men dressed in three piece suits.

The man on the rack points his outspread fingers at the men shouting, “You are the biggest Jackasses of them all!” As Christine watches the men fall forward to walk around on hands and feet. The crowd roars with laughter again.

“What is happening here?” she asks Paddy.

“That guy just turned them into donkeys!” he replies.

“What the hell are you seeing?” Christine exclaims, grabbing his bare arm. Instantly she sees the store through his eyes. There are four lambs nibbling at paper bags and two donkeys. The nut on the clothing rack is wearing some kind of theater mask that transforms with his emotions. She looks to the crowd and everyone of them is enthralled by him, even the cops who have arrived to take him away. All accept Paddy, what is it about this cop? She turns to look at him going to probe his mind knowing it will erase a few seconds of his memory. “Holy Crap, you have powers!” she announces pulling her hand from his arm.

“What did you say?” Detective Berger asks the girl. “You really need to get out of here.” “If you get turned into a chicken like those little kids, your brother will kill me!”

“No one is getting killed and no one has been turned into anything!” Christine responds. “This guy is using some kind of mind control that we are both immune to.” “Well, you are half immune.” “All the rest of the cops are enthralled by him, but you aren’t.” “Although you still see the illusions he is casting.” “It is all fake!”

“How could you possibly know that?” Detective Berger asks. “Unless…”

“Unless, what?” Christine challenges.

“Unless, you are not Steve’s half-sister, but his full-blooded sister,” Detective Berger concludes.

“So this is why they made you a detective,” Christine jokes.

“Just pull out your sword or whatever you’ve got and take the guy down!” Paddy tells the teenage girl.

“Look I promised my blockhead brother that I wouldn’t do anything public while staying in Philly, so it is up to you.” “You have the ability to walk right over there and arrest him.” “You just have to ignore everything you see.”

“You make it all sound so easy,” Detective Berger says. “I’m just going to walk through this crowd of farmyard to arrest him.” “How exactly?”

This Jester appears to be protected somehow, but these customers are not,” Christine explains. “No matter what he tries to make them see I should be able to hold them back.” “If you can get him outside, his spell should be broken.”

“I should be able to hold them back?” Paddy questions. “How exactly is a little thing like you going to hold this mob back?”

“Like this,” Christine says, raising her hand to part the sea of spectators. “As far as his control on them goes, Mind control is not an exact science,” Christine explains, “I have no idea how much juice he has in him.” “If taking him outside doesn’t work, punch him out.”

“Great plan, you are Steve’s sister for sure,” Paddy says, clearly irritating Christine. Detective Berger begins to make his way through the crowd of onlookers that Christine mentally holds at bay. Toward the front it has become something out of Old McDonald where the people who believe they have been turned into animals mill about aimlessly.

“What have we here a non-believer?” The Jester on top of the clothing rack announces turning all eyes to Detective Berger. “You look like a pig all ready for Easter dinner to me!” With that statement there is another roar of laughter from the crowd.

Paddy looks at his hands and they do look like pig’s hovers but he doesn’t feel like a pig. He can feel that he is still standing upright and that he feels completely human, it is just his eyes that are deceiving him.

“Hey Officers, why don’t you use those guns to serve up this pig!” the Jester commands causing the uniformed officers to draw their weapons.

“Shit,” Christine mumbles under her breath as she momentarily releases the people she holds away from Paddy to turn her attention to the armed men. With a wave of her hands to send all of the guns sailing back through the store away from the scene. Then moving quickly she uses her telekinesis to shove all of the people in the crowd aside to establish the path for Paddy to reach the man in control. It took only seconds for the mesmerized people to close in on Paddy and he has been forced to fight some of the off. Shoving a teenage boy to the floor is not something Paddy would usually do but he has no choice if he is going to get to the Jester.

Grabbing the man on top of the clothing rack by the leg, Paddy brings him down to the floor face first. The fall knocks him unconscious. It takes only seconds for the people in the store to return to normal in appearance and action. Detective Berger cuffs the man and rolls him onto his back. The shifting mask he wore is gone.

“It was part of his hypnotic power,” Christine says as she and Officer Maguire approach.

“Who are you Miss?” Officer Maguire asks the girl.

“Christine Roberts,” She says introducing herself. “You must be my brother’s replacement, second in fact.” Christine stoops down to touch the Jester’s hand. “It is his eyes that cast his power, keep him blindfolded and he will be powerless,” she tells the cops,

Glassboro Wildlife Management Area
New Jersey

The three armed men that tied Avery and Lori up have taken them to a small one room cabin hidden in the woods away from the pot field. Now tied to chairs in the center of the room inside the cabin, Avery takes the chance to inspect his surroundings. It appears that the three men have been living in this cabin while tending the crop. It stinks of body odor, pot, beer and something else that the teen can’t identify. Lori and He are tied to chairs from a square table left of the door. There is a large wood stove at the center of the room. Behind them along the back of the cabin is a makeshift kitchen with several ice chests and a counter space built from 2×4s and plywood. The strangest thing is that all of the men appear to share a large king size mattress on the floor at the front corner of the cabin to the right of the door.

By now they have learned the men’s names, the blonde with the silly goatee is Jurgens, the leader with the ponytail is Charles and another guy with the curly hair like Slash is Mullens. All of them appear to be several years apart in age. Charles, the leader being the oldest and Jurgens the youngest, the third man somewhere in between.

“When is Denmark due back, we need to tell him what happened to Mark,” Mullens asks Charles.

“He should be coming up around dinner time,” Charles replies. “But there is nothing he can do about Mark.” “He wouldn’t dare go against the new boss either.”

“I thought Coach Denmark was the boss?” Lori Striker asks.

“Shut up kid!” Charles shouts. “Somebody put a gag on her mouth!” Jurgens goes over to the dirty sheeted mattress at the front of the cabin to look for something to make a gag.

“Lori, shut up, I don’t want anything from this place in my mouth!” Avery whispers. He watches Jurgens lift the sheet on the bed, is that blood? The shaggy blonde man tosses the pillows around on the mattress looking under them.

“I think what you are looking for rolled over into the corner,” Lori directs.

“LORI, shut up!” Avery continues in a whispered tone.

Jurgens looks from the side of the mattress to the corner where the two walls meet. There he spots his goal, he walks over to calm the roll of duct tape. “How the hell did you know that was there?”

“I know what you used it for last too.” Lori says, causing a shocked look to all of the men’s faces. “If fact I know what the four of you do on that mattress after you get drunk and high.” “I know all of you are just as big of perverts as those boys back at camp!” Now it is Avery who gets a shocked look on his face. “I dreamt it all.”

“Just shut her up already!” Charles demands. He watches as Jurgens wraps the duct tape over the girl’s mouth and around her head to end her talking. Then he moves behind Avery. “Wait a minute with him,” Charles says, stopping Jurgens. “I have some questions for him.” “Maybe he can tell me what I want to hear.” “How old are you?”

“16,” Avery replies nervously.

“How well do you know Barry Ramirez?” Charles demands in a threatening tone.

Avery barely knows Barry but instantly says without thinking, “We are best friends!”

“Are you now?” Charles says suspiciously

“Maybe Barry sent him here to replace Mark?” Mullins suggests.

“How could he replace Mark?” Charles quizzes. “He is not one of us, he has never felt it inside of him.” Charles’ words disturb Avery enough to make him consider escape now.

“Wait a minute, what is this?” Jurgens says, standing behind the chair Avery is tied to, looking down the front of the boy’s shirt. Jurgens takes hold of the collar of Avery’s shirt to rip it open down the front. All of the men stare in amazement at the pale yellow metal plate that is form fitted to the boy’s chest. Jurgens leans forward to run his hands down over Avery’s chest into the waistband of his pants.

“Get off of me you perv!” Avery shouts as the smelly man leaning over him.

“It goes down just above his pubes and is open on the sides.” Jurgens reports moving his hands around under Avery’s shirt. “It is on his back too, down to the top of his ass.”

Charles walks over to tear the rest of Avery’s shirt off. He tries to slide his fingers under the plate to find it has no edge, so to speak. “It appears to be glued to the kid’s body,” he says as he tries to dig his fingers under the metal, making Avery grimace in pain. “What did you put this on with superglue?”

“Just let Lori go and you can peel me like a shrimp,” Avery offers knowing he can take these guys if she is gone.

Camp Tandy – The Lodge
Glassboro Township
New Jersey

Steve is working in the kitchen to help with dinner prep when Coach Barnes comes up behind him. “Steve, have you seen Avery?” she asks. “I haven’t seen him since breakfast and I thought for sure he would be back for dinner.”

“Are you sure he isn’t here?” Steve replies. “It is still early.” “I’ll help you look for him, if you want.” “Ms Evans, I’ve got to go, we have a missing camper,” Steve calls to the silver haired kitchen supervisor.

“Sure thing Stevie, thanks or all of your help!” Ms Evans calls through the noisy kitchen. Ava and Steve head out of the lodge toward the parking lot. Both of them scan the dining hall as the campers come in to make sure Avery has not arrived.

“Where did you last see him?” Steve asks once they are outside.

“I think I saw him talking with that Lori Striker girl,” Ava confesses. She stops to turn and faces Steve, “I need to tell you, she is a Dream Traveler.”

“What the hell is a Dream Traveler?” Steve exclaims.

“We need to keep moving,” Ava tells him, as she starts to walk across the parking lot. “A Dream Traveler is a person who can dream about people’s past who are Zeni-humans.” “Most people with this gift don’t have it surface until they are older.” “But a child her age can be very dangerous if she does not have it under control.” “It is a power that attracts other much more dangerous entities.” “She knows all about us.”

“What a minute you are saying she knows my secrets?” Steve says, grabbing Coach Barnes’ bare shoulder. The instant the skin to skin contact is made Steve seizes falling backwards to the ground. He lays there motionless for several minutes as Ava tries to revive him.

Then suddenly Steve springs back up shouting, “Holy Shit!” “We need to go!”

“What is it, what is wrong?” Ava asks, startled by his reaction.

“I just had the mother load of a premonition from touching you,” Steve gasps as he jumps to his feet. He begins to run for the forest at the far side of the parking lot. “Come on!” he shouts. Ava easily catches up to him. Once in the cover of the trees he transforms into Master Warrior.

“What did you see to bring all of this on? Ava asks as she jogs through the underbrush next to him.

“It is the other boys, the ones the Satyr took control of over the years,” Master Warrior explains. “I recognized them from their file photos.” “Avery is overconfident from what happened at the mill, but this is more than he can handle.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, he can handle a few former Satyr slaves,” Ava retorts.

Master Warrior stops dead in his tracks, “You knew about the Satyr?”

“Of course I did, my boys are immune to his power,” Ava replies to Master Warrior’s shock.

“What about the other boys that aren’t immune, you could have stopped the Satyr years ago,” Master Warrior contends. “Prevented all of the trauma these boys went through while he was still in that tree!”

“What do you mean still?” Ava questions. “Did you free it?”

“Of course I did, I had to free those boys from its control!” Master Warrior shouts. “I destroyed the tree and told him to leave or I would put him in a coma with the wine of the berries.”

“YOU IDIOT!” Ava shouts at Master Warrior. “A Satyr is more dangerous when he is free of the tree!” “He could easily take control of Avery now!” “Just like he still controls his previous host!” “Where are they?”

“In a cabin past the pot field,” Master Warrior says, beginning to run again.

Ava follows after him as she manifests her full organic armor over her body. “If anything happens to my boy it will be on your head!” she shouts after him.

Steve Roberts & Patrick Berger’s apartment
1701 Tulip St
The Fishtown section
Philadelphia, Pa

“I can’t believe Steve left you here without telling me you could do that shit” Paddy exclaims the minute they enter the apartment.

“It isn’t that big of a deal,” Christine replies. “It is not like he told me you were a Zeni-human.”

“That aside, I don’t have a power like you have!” Paddy says. “What exactly can you do?”

“Nothing like Steve can do,” Christine explains. “My powers are mostly mental; telepathy, telekinesis and mental blasts.” “But my parents don’t know.” “Steve is on me about telling them, but I’m afraid to do it.” Christine flops down on the couch feeling embarrassed.

“Why, it’s not like they don’t know about Zeni-humans,” Paddy suggests.

“Sure my Mom, but my Dad is just a normal guy,” Christine admits. “While my Mom and Steve were off doing Super-hero training, Dad and I were bonding on a normal level.” “I don’t want to risk losing that with him.”

Paddy sits down in his chair slapping his head. “It must be hereditary, you are as ridiculous as Steve.” “Do you really believe that your father will stop loving you because you are a Zeni-human?”

“What do you mean?” Christine asks, wanting to just probe his mind and make him forget all of what happened today. “What has my brother ever done that was out of fear?”

Paddy turns away from the girl knowing he can not violate the man code. “Let me just say he makes life decisions based on his powers.” “It is preventing him from being happy.”

“Are you saying my brother isn’t happy?” she asks, sitting forward on the couch. “How could he not be happy, he has everything he ever wanted!”

Paddy knows he has said too much already but he still says, “What about love?”

“Love?” Christine repeats like it is a foreign language. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve said too much,” Paddy confesses. “Clearly for someone who has mental powers, you are not very perceptive.” “No matter what you have been told, men need love too.” “Your brother is the loneliest person I have ever known.

Glassboro Wildlife Management Area
New Jersey

Avery is still tied to the chair in the cabin but he feels more relaxed now that Mullens has taken Lori out of the cabin. He can only hope that Mullens being the benevolence of the group is really letting her go. Then he looks to Charles and Jurgens who are still glaring at him.

Outside Mullens leads Lori Striker away from the cabin, her wrist still tied. While still inside as he untied her from the chair he saw something in her eyes. That is why just out of sight of the cabin, Mullens removes the duct tape from her mouth letting it hang from her hair. Lori wastes no time speaking up, “You know you really aren’t meant for this life.”

“What do you know little girl,” Mullens says, starting to drag the girl by the arm through the forest.

“I know a lot,” Lori says. “I know you don’t like what you do as much as the others.” “You want a wife and family.” “But you feel compelled to keep coming back here summer after summer.”

“SHUT UP!” he shouts at her, pulling her arm harder.

“I can help you escape, find a new purpose,” Lori tells the man.

Mullens stops in his tracks realizing he has no idea where they are, he has never been in this part of the forest. It all looks the same, identical in every way. “How could you ever make such an offer?” he asks the girl. “How could you fulfill it?” Lori just smiles, she has been in this place before.

Back at the cabin, Charles and Jurgens untie Avery from the chair still keeping his wrist bound with thick rope in front of him. He is shirtless, his natural body armor fully exposed as Jurgens leads him to a hook on a cross beam in the kitchen area. The long haired blonde man raises Avery’s tied hands up to put them over the hook. But before he can complete the act Avery makes his move to escape.

A bust of super-speed is all it takes to evade the two men and get loose of the rope. But a burst is all it is, this trick only lasts for a few minutes and he can not do it again for hours. Luckily his speed holds out long enough to get him to the door. Yanking the door open he finds his path blocked.

“It would seem my boys have strayed once again,” Ramo says standing in the doorway. Avery is in shock at the sight of the half-goat, half-man blocking his path. Avery doesn’t even move as the Satyr reaches out his hand to take him by the throat, lifting his feet from the floor to move him back into the cabin. “What do we have here?” Ramo tosses Avery to the floor.

The room falls silent as Charles and Jurgens instantly fall to their knees where they stood. Avery is still transfixed in Ramo as his cloven hooves step into the cabin. The Satyr closes the door behind himself as he looks to the bowed heads of his boys. Another is missing and Denmark has not yet arrived. “What have you boys been up to now?” Ramo questions the men who do not even lift their heads in response. Then he turns back to the metallic boy to step closer to look him over. “It has been a long time since I have seen one of you.”

“What are you?” Avery manages to ask.

“I am their master little mutt,” Ramo tells him. “I remember you from Camp, I wondered why you were immune to my influence, now it is clear to me why.” “You Metalloids are always resistant.” “But now you are ripe for the picking.” Leaning closer, the Satyr takes a deep breath before stumbling back. “You stink of amazon as well!” “This will be better than I thought!” “Are you the offspring of the one who freed me?”

Suddenly the door to the cabin opens again. “Oh my God!” Paul Denmark exclaims at the sight of Ramo as he quickly falls to his knees, averting his eyes. Like the others Paul Denmark was a host to the Satyr when he was a boy at Camp Tandy. The shock of seeing the creature in the flesh for the first time is almost more than his heart can take. “What is that boy doing here?” he asks in a soft voice.

“That is a very good question,” Master Warrior says from outside the open door. He charges forward into the cabin colliding with the beast. Master Warrior carries Ramo across the room pinning him to the wall, his forearm across Ramo’s hairy chest. The satyr’s goat legs kicking trying to find a footing. “I believe we had an agreement, Satyr.” “Still in contact with these men has broken that agreement!”

“Ahh amazon child, what a pleasure to see you again,” Ramo growls, his rancid breath in Master Warrior’s face.

“Gross, what have you been eating?” Master Warrior says in disgust.

“I believe it was called Mark Thompson,” Ramo replies. “Oh he was so delicious in so many ways.” “It has been ages since I tasted such tender flesh.”

Master Warrior moves his hand to the Satyr’s throat. “I gave you two options.” “You have clearly chosen neither which leaves me only one other.”

“You may have destroyed my tree but I still hold sway over all of my boys,” Ramo replies to the threat. “Something you can not take from me.”

“You have left me no choice!” Master Warrior threatens to squeeze Ramo’s throat tighter.

“You haven’t the balls to kill me,” Ramo tells Master Warrior. “Although I would bet they are quite substantial.”

“I’ve killed Centaurs bigger than you!” Master Warrior says moving both of his hands to the Satyr’s throat. “Snapping your neck will barely work up a sweat!”

“I can do better than that,” Asuma says, stepping into the cabin to see Avery lying on the floor, mostly unharmed. The sight of Asuma in her shimmering full body armor sends a shiver up Ramo’s spine. Master Warrior can feel his fear. “He was cursed to become this thing by the goddess De’Obolic.” she says, walking closer. All attention is on the shimmering metallic woman, giving Denmark the opportunity to signal to Charles and Jurgens.

“I was cursed by no one!” Ramo shouts. “I was born like this!”

“But you should not have been,” Asuma tells him as she reaches out her hand to touch the Satyr. “Release him.” Master Warrior does as he is told, stepping back from the scene. The shimmer of Asuma’s yellow skinned fingers expands over the Satyr’s body. Then the shimmer grows so bright that it momentarily blinds everyone in the room.

When their eyesight returns, the Satyr is gone leaving behind a completely human nude man. He leans against the wall barely able to support his weight in his thin human legs. Nearby a large goat trots around toward a bag of snacks on the table from the previous night.

“I have reversed De’Obolic’s Satyr curse on him,” Asuma states. “The curse gone he has lost all of his power as well.” Master Warrior and Avery are in shock at what they have just witnessed. “You will need to learn to walk with those new human legs,” Asuma instructs as Avery walks up next to her. None of them can help but to look at the man as he slumps to the floor to examine his new human lower half.

“You demented Bitch! Ramo shouts. “What have you done to me?” Ramo looks at the goat that stands near him. “You are an evil bitch who has cursed me with humanity!” Ramo shouts up from the floor.

“You can think of it as a curse if you wish,” Asuma tells the former Satyr. “But if you ever want to be what you were, you must keep your other half, the goat close.” “If one day you realize the error of your ways, the two of you might again be rejoined.”

The sound of the raised voices startles the goat as it makes a run for the open door. Ramo reaches for a chair to pull himself up. He is unsteady at first but he has no choice but to stumble across the room toward the door after the goat.

“You’re going to just let him leave?” Avery asks.

“We don’t have much choice, the law doesn’t have the means to prosecute a former Satyr,” Master Warrior explains. “I think Asuma’s punishment is worse than anything I could have done.”

“Asuma?” Avery mumbles. “You are my ancestor the Demi-goddess Asuma, aren’t you?” Avery asks, realizing the truth about Coach Barnes for the first time. “Only she would have this kind of magic!”

“That is a secret that must be kept between us,” Asuma tells him. “You were never meant to know this truth.” “None before you ever have known me as more than a mentor.”

“I think it is going to be hard to hide now that you have that metal skin.” Avery says, knocking on her arm with his fist. Asuma chuckles as the shimmer of her pale yellow skin dims and the metal armor turns to dust revealing Coach Barnes underneath. “How did you do that?” Avery exclaims. “Why haven’t you taught me that?”

“It is something that took me a very long time to learn and chances are good that you may never be able to control your mental skin as I do,” Coach Barnes explains. “So for now you are going to have to keep it hidden.” She picks up a dirty concert t-shirt from the floor to hand it to Avery. “Put this on for now.”

Taking the shirt Avery says, “Gross!” “It smells like B.O. and pot!”

“Speaking of pot, the three of you growing pot here is completely illegal.” Looking around the cabin, Master Warrior notices for the first time that the three former hosts of Ramo have fled as well. “We need to call the state police to report this place, Denmark and his lackeys.”

“Sounds like a job for a hero, not a field hockey coach,” Ava says.

Mystic Source Point
Glassboro Township
New Jersey

“What is this place? Luke Mullens asks as Lori leads him to where the trees begin to thin into a small clearing. At the center is a large rock that is no longer hidden by the tall grass. In fact all of the vegetation around it is now dead.

“It is a place of power,” Lori says, strolling up to the edge of the dead zone. “The first time I was here I had no idea what it had to offer me.” “It can grant wishes, you could wish to be free of those men.”

“You are a foolish child to believe in dreams and wishes!” Mullens replies. “There is only one escape from that creature and it is not a wishing stone.” “If I was Jurgens you would already be dead.” “Who knows what else he would have done to you first.”

“Are you trying to scare me?” Lori asks. “I don’t scare easily, not anymore.” “Do you know the story of Abraham and Issac?” Lori steps into the circle of dead grass that surrounds the altar. “God told Abraham to take his first born son to the mountain and sacrifice him on the altar.” “Abraham had faith in God and did as he was told.” “In the end it was all a test of faith.”

“I am not here for Bible class,” Mullens tells the girl as she sits down at the base of the carved stone altar. “You can not tell anyone what you saw at the cabin or he will punish us all!”

“You keep talking about Coach Denmark like he is some kind of monster,” Lori says, running her hand along the carvings at the base of the stone.

“Not Denmark, the new boss, he is the one who will punish us in ways you can not imagine,” Mullens tells the girl. “Now get up, this is not where we should be!”

Lori makes no effort to move and she begins to monologue again. “I was told this place was used in rituals.” “I had no idea what that meant.” “Then I dreamt of those rituals, they were really gruesome.” “The lost Israelites that used this place were nothing like what you read about in the Bible.” “Those ancient people came here to practice dark magic.

Mullens’ interest has peaked now, “You mean they were Satanists?” “Did they summon the devil?”

“They tried and failed,” Lori grins knowing she has hit a soft spot.

“No, no they didn’t, I’ve seen the devil they summoned,” Mullens says frantically as he puts away his gun and approaches the altar. The sun goes under a cloud as a warm breeze blows across the meadow the moment Mullens reaches out to touch the altar. “If the devil was summoned by this altar, it could return it to hell.”

Lori has no idea what Mullens is talking about but it helps with her plan. “Maybe, if that is what you really want.” She stands up in front of the altar moving her hand across the top edge of the stone. “The last time I was here I made a wish to not be afraid anymore.”

“Afraid of what?” Mullens asks. “You don’t seem to be afraid of anything for someone your age.”

“That is because my wish worked,” Lori tells him, silently reading the inscription on the top of the stone. “That is why I know this place can solve all of your problems, your fears.

Luke Mullens can think of no reason this child would lie to him. Everything she has said to him up until this point has somehow been true. Being rid of Ramo would give him the chance to change his life. He had always feared that the creature he sometimes saw in dreams was real. Now having seen him in person was horrifying. If a creature such as Ramo could exist, why couldn’t a place to grant wishes exist as well? “What do I have to do?” Mullens asks Lori, figuring what does he have to lose?

Lori is almost giddy as she begins to tell the man what to do. “You need to climb up on this rock and lay down.” As Mullens steps up to the granite altar Lori returns to the base of the stone on the opposite side where she slides out a small chard that has been carved from the larger.

Mullens lays down on the granite altar stone to ask, “What now?” Suddenly the man feels a strange tingling beginning to move over his body. It is like the sensation of pins and needles that quickly cover his whole body. “What is happening to me?

“You are being readied for what comes next,” Lori grins as she stands up next to the altar with the dagger made of granite. She hesitates for a moment looking at the man on the altar with blood stains on the front of his shirt. “You’ve done some bad things haven’t you? she asks.

“Where did you get that knife?” Mullens asks, seeing the dagger in her small hand. He tries to sit up to push her away, but he finds he can not move. He is completely stuck to the stone underneath his body. “What is going on?” he shouts. “Why can’t I get up?”

“It is the spell, I didn’t need to say it out loud for it to work,” Lori answers.

“Spell!” he shouts. “What spell?” “Let me up!”

“No, it is too late for that,” Lori says in an eerie monotone. “If I were to stop now you would lay there until you died.” Lori hesitates as she lifts the granite knife.

For the first time she hears the voice clearly in her head, “Do it!” it says. “End his suffering.”

“I can’t let you suffer any longer,” Lori mumbles.

“Just let me up, let me go!” Mullens begs.

“Do not listen to him,” the voice whispers to her. “He is the next step to reaching your destiny.”

“Once the ritual has begun, it must be finished,” Lori says again in that strange monotone.

“Make the first cut my lovely,” the voice in Lori’s head tells her. The teen girl raises the knife over Mullens’ left wrist. Her hand shakes for a moment and then she brings the sharp stone down into the man’s restrained wrist to slice it open.

“No, no stop!” Mullens cries out in pain. “Please stop!” “What are you doing?” His blood begins to flow over his skin to the stone altar beneath.

Lori moves around to the other side of that man mystically held to the altar. She ignores the man’s pleading now as she slices open his right wrist. “That is beautiful my lovely,” the voice in her head chuckles as the blood flows from his second wound. “Now his thigh, Now his thigh, my lovely.” She no longer feels anything in the act of cutting the man. She wants to feel something as she moves over Mullens’ thigh to find the artery that still pumps blood inside his body. Lori brings the granite knife down slicing through his pants and into the soft flesh of his leg. Cutting deeply until the blood spurts. Glancing to his face Mullens teeters on the edge of consciousness. She must move quicker now to the left leg. Moving swifter this time she opens the other artery in his leg, blood now puddling under his body on the slab. “Now the final one, My lovely and all of this will be forgotten and you will be safe at home,” she hears the devil inside her say. Lori moves to his throat placing the knife under his chin against his skin. She looks away, pressing it down she pulls it back slicing open the man’s jugular.

 

Tuesday, June 28, 1988
Camp Tandy- Boy’s Campsite #5
Glassboro Township
New Jersey

Steve waking up in his tent, it was the first night he hasn’t had a dream of some kind since arriving back at Camp Tandy. It had been a long night after the State Police arrived to begin the search for the Satyr’s men. Steve looks over to Paul Denmark’s empty cot, knowing that now he is in charge of eight boys rather than the four. The State police and search teams did manage to find Paul Denmark and Brad Jurgens in the forest before dark. They were arrested for the pot growing set up. But there was no sign of Luke Mullens or Mark Thompson that Steve knew were also part of the organization. He can’t help but to fear the worst that the Satyr did eat Thompson. The thought of it is repulsive but Steve is well aware that creatures like a Satyr can be cannibals.

Steve is feeling pretty guilty about everything that happened with the Satyr. What if he had put more people at risk? And they still have no idea what has become of Lori Striker. Diana will be worried sick when she finds out that she is missing. He has no idea what to say to her. Rolling onto his back Steve stares up to the top of the tent where the poles supporting it meet. That is just the beginning of what Steve has to tell Diana. His heart wants to tell her everything he has been feeling these past weeks, but his head stands in the way. All these things that have happened here at Camp Tandy. It might have felt like a second chance with Diana at the beginning, but now it just appears even clearer to him that he can’t put anyone he cares about at risk like this. Although it breaks his heart Steve knows he must tell Diana that after Camp they should stop seeing each other. To do anything else would just be leading her on. Or worse putting her life in jeopardy needlessly.

Maybe a hot shower before waking the boys will clear his head. He climbs out of his cot to pull on a pair of gym shorts. Then he pulls on an oversize 4x t-shirt. Grabbing his shower gear he heads out of the tent into the early predawn morning.

As expected the bathhouse is empty. Most mornings these boys try to sleep in as long as they can. With all the changes this week it is most likely for the best. Steve starts the shower water to let it get hot while he strips down. Stepping into the hot shower he knows there is little chance of anyone coming into the bathhouse this early with Denmark gone.

It is then that Steve hears the door open, “Shit sorry Steve, were you jerking off?” Avery asks, stepping into the bathhouse wearing a large sweatshirt.

Steve leans on the side wall of the shower stall. “No, no, the water is just hotter than I thought,” Steve suggests. “What are you doing up so early?”

“It’s this damned armor,” Avery replies, pulling the sweatshirt off over his head. “Coach told me this hardens from the outside back to my body.” “I’ve been using hot showers hoping to harden it quicker.” “But it looks like you are using it all up this morning.”

“No, let me just finish up and you can get in,” Steve turns back to the water to rinse off. Quickly grabbing his towel he wraps it around his hips.

Avery pulls off the rest of his clothes to tell Steve, “It’s no big deal you doing that.” “After all, it sounds to me like a lot worse has happened here over the past years.” They trade places and Avery goes to work heating his chest and back. “You know those creeps were trying to peel this off me.” “It didn’t hurt as much as it did when I tried to do it several days ago.” “I think they loosen it, look.”

Steve looks over the side of the stall at the boy’s belly where the edge of the second skin has peeled away from his abs. “Ohhww,” Avery says as he slides his wet hand under the edge of it toward his belly.

“Be careful, don’t hurt yourself,” Steve says, concerned.

Avery nods as he continues to side his hand between the metallic exo-skin and his body. “I think I just pulled out my belly hairs.” “Damn, I was so proud of them.”

“Maybe you just need to wait like Coach Barnes told you,” Steve advises.

“I want to be done with this thing,” Avery replies, getting his whole hand under the chest-plate. “I don’t want to be a hero anymore, you and Miracle Maiden can keep it.” “Ohhhwwll, it is stuck on my nipple.” Turning to get the hot water under the shielding. “There, I got it off.” “Tha da!” Avery announces lifting the front flap over his head. Letting go of the form fitted organic metal chest plate it flops down onto his back. “Shit, I forgot about that.”

“Language,” Steve comments as he moves to get dressed.

“Wait, don’t get dressed yet, can you get this off of me?” Avery asks.

“I guess I could rip it off at your shoulders,” Steve says walking back to the shower stall.

“No, I want it all the way off!” Avery insists. “If you get in here and hold it out under the water it should peel off.” “Just get undressed and in here with me!” Avery says holding up the flap of organic metal like an unwanted appendage. “Please.”

Steve chuckles to himself over how self conscious he felt that summer wearing a shirt with Diana always watching him. He can relate to this kid on more levels than one. “Let’s do this first,” Steve says, locking the bathhouse door. He then strips naked again. “With everything that has come to light we don’t need anymore stories started.” Stepping back into the stall with Avery, Steve takes hold of the organic metal flap to lift it up under the hot shower. Steve stands with the water running across his shoulders onto Avery’s back.

“Use your fingers to pry it away, no hair or nipples back there,” Avery says, feeling the water start to cool. “Better hurry, we are running out of hot water.” Avery reaches to turn off the cold water as Steve’s big hand slides down Avery’s back at his neck.

Steve is surprised to see how easily it does peel away from the boy’s back. Avery grunts slightly. “Am I hurting you?”

“No,” Avery replies, clenching his teeth slightly. “It is just like you are running your hand over a bad sunburn.” “Keep going, I want it off!”

“Bend forward, brace yourself on the wall, I will go slow,” Steve instructs.

Leaning forward Avery braces his hands on the block wall. As he feels the pull on his back he giggles, “Do you know how bad that sounded?”

“Just shut up, if you want me to do this,” Steve says, peeling the metal skin down to the center of his back. “There are only a few more inches to go.”

“That sounded bad too,” Avery giggles.

Frustrated Steve gives the metal armor in his hand a yank, pulling off the last six inches of it.”

“Shit!” Avery cries out. “Cold, cold, turn on the cold water!”

“You asked for it,” Steve says, holding the whole piece of organic metal armor up. Steve adjusts the water to cold to get out from under it. Steve is surprised when Avery turns to
put his left arm under the running water and not his back. Taking a closer look Steve can see a new sheath of metallic skin forming on Avery’s forearm. “What happened?”

“I guess the sudden pain triggered it,” Avery answers. “If hot water hardens it, cold should wash it off, right?” Avery scrubs over the area where the organic metal emerges from his pores. Soon it is covering his whole forearm and the back of his left hand. “Shit, shit, shit!” “It won’t come off, now I am stuck with it.”

“We can just cover it with a bandage, tell everyone you sprained your arm,” Steve suggested. “Much easier to hide than your whole chest.” “I think the bigger question is what do we do with this?” Steve holds up the chest and back plate. “It is much thinner than I thought it would be for something that is bulletproof.”

Still frustrated, Avery tells him, “Chuck it on the floor.” “When I asked Coach what to do with the armor when it comes off, she told me once removed it can be dissolved by Nitrogen and Ammonia.”

“Piss, it is dissolved by piss?” Steve says watching as the chest plate is sliced in half by Avery’s urine stream.

“Hey who’s in there?” A voice calls from outside banging on the door. “Open the door!”

“Damn it,” Steve says, “Piss faster!”

“You know you could help me!” Avery says to the man standing with him. “Remember don’t cross the streams,” Avery jokes.

“Very funny, Ghostbuster,” Steve chuckles as they quickly cut the metal plate on the wet floor into pieces that dissolve and wash down the drain. Both of them rinse off their feet before turning off the water.

Steve dresses much quicker than Avery to unlock the door. “Sorry guys the door was sticking again,” he tells them. Avery wraps his left arm in a towel to follow Steve out of the Bathhouse.

Mystic Source Point
Glassboro Township
New Jersey

Sylvia and Coach Barnes arrive at the Mystic Source point looking for Lori. “Is this the right place?” Sylvia asks.

Ava walks around the perimeter of the small clearing in the forest. “Yes it is, I can feel it,” Coach Barnes tells her. “This is the place, I could find it with my eyes closed.”

“Then where is the stone altar?” Sylvia questions walking to stand where she is sure it was days ago. “It didn’t just get up and roll away.” “There is no sign of it, not even so much as a bare spot in the ground cover!” “How is that possible?”

“I’m not sure,” Ava says, squatting down to examine the ground at Sylvia’s feet. “That thing has been here for hundreds of years.” “Only someone very powerful could have taken it.” Then she stands up to look around through the forest. “Or move it.”

“What do you mean, like Master Warrior?” Sylvia asks, going for the obvious suspect she knows has been in the area.

Ava grins, “Believe me when I say it was not him.” “The kind of thing like this altar can not be moved by brute strength alone.” “Master Warrior may be strong, but his strength is limited when it comes to magic.”

Sylvia looks at Ava confused. “How much do you know about Master Warrior exactly?” “When did you even meet him?”

“My aren’t we curious, got a crush on the big guy?” Ava teases. “Besides, even if he did move it that would not explain the undergrowth that has sprung up under where it sat.” “This should be a bare spot but these shade plates look like they have been growing here for years.”

“A crush!” Sylvia exclaims, ignoring the rest or Ava’s hypothesis. “Don’t even suggest it, me having a crush on that Showboat, not in a million years!” Sylvia walks away from the center of the clearing to the edge of the trees.

Ava watches her new friend understanding why Steve holds back from telling her the truth. If she has made these feelings clear to him, he probably fears the truth about him would end what they have built. “Why are you so hard on him?” Ava asks. “After all, isn’t Miracle Maiden in the same league?”

Sylvia walks around the edge of the tree circle looking to the ground for a clue. “Don’t be ridiculous, Miracle Maiden was created out of necessity, not a desire to be a celebrity.” “Hey come here, look at this.” Ava walks to where Sylvia stands over a circular burn mark on the ground. “I’ve seen this before.”

“You have?” Ava asks stooping to get a closer look. “This was no campfire, it is a radioactive scorch mark.”

“Radioactive!” Sylvia exclaims, stepping back.

“Not radioactive like scientific,” Ava explains, touching the black ground inside the circle.

“What other kind of radiation is there?” Sylvia asks, looking over Ava’s shoulder.

“Cosmic radiation, it is completely harmless if used properly,” Coach Barnes explains. “Still nothing will grow on this spot for years.” “A connection to Cosmic energy is what made the Zeni-humans that became known as gods different from other Zeni-humans.”

“Gods?” Sylvia repeats. “Like the ones who became the Mistix?”

Ava stands to look Sylvia in the face more surprised than ever at this young woman. “Have you heard of the Mistix?” she asks.

“I met some of a while back,” Sylvia tells Ava. “On a trip to a place called Zeeza.”

“My father was Eajamail who became Sagittarius,” Coach Barnes reveals.

“Yes, I met him.” “Is that how you know about Cosmic radiation and the gods?” Sylvia asks.

“I never met him, but my mother taught me a lot.” “Somehow this is different,” Ava says. “It is a lot of focused cosmic energy like used as a transportation beam.” “Whoever cleaned up this place, used this as a means to leave.” “That is why they could not heal this spot.”

“That fits with where I saw one of these before, it was where someone I went to school with disappeared years ago,” Sylvia explains. “I believe he returned in the same way recently.” “Do you think Lori was taken by this Cosmic Transportation beam?”

“There is no way of knowing, but I would say we are finished here,” Ava suggests. “We should head back.” As they begin to walk through the forest, Coach Barnes asks Sylvia, “Did you meet anyone else in Zeeza?”

“Are you asking about the Showboat?” Sylvia grimaces. “He was calling himself Wonder Man then, but I know it was him.”

“But you have no idea who he really is now?” Ava quizzes.

“I prefer to know as little as possible about him.” Sylvia replies.

Camp Tandy – Mr. Tennyson’s office
Glassboro Township
New Jersey

Before breakfast, Steve arrives at Mr. Tennyson’s office not sure what to expect. He is not clear on the extent of Tennyson’s involvement in all that has been going on at the camp. Although he is sure that Tennyson was the Satyr’s first host. When he enters the office he notices that it is not as neatly organized as it was when he read through the files a few nights ago. Files are stacked on Tennyson’s desk that Steve recognizes. It would appear that the camp owner might be doing some house cleaning.

“Please take a seat Mr. Roberts,” Mr. Tennyson says motioning to the chair in the corner of his office. “In light of recent events I will be needing you to pick up the slack created by Coach Denmark’s arrest.” “As for Barry Ramirez, his parents will be arriving after lunch to take him home.” “Until then he will not be participating in any activities.”

“Is this because of what we spoke about a few days ago?” Steve asks, knowing full well what is happening with Barry is not something anyone is going to be willing to talk about openly.

“He is a troubled young man,” Tennyson says as if he doesn’t have any skin in this game. “His parents and I have agreed that there is no need to involve the authorities.” “They have arranged for him to receive special treatment at a facility out of state.” “I would appreciate you discouraging any talk about Barry between the other boys.”

“Of course sir,” Steve asks. “But what about if any other boys come forward about activities they may have been involved in with Barry?” Steve chooses his words carefully to gauge Tennyson’s reaction.

If anyone comes forward to make me aware that Barry’s actions caused any harm, physical or emotional to any of the other campers, steps will be taken to make sure those campers receive any treatment they might need.” “On the issue of the missing girl, Lori Striker.” “Her father called and she returned home this morning,” Mr. Tennyson explains.

“How is that possible, I mean she lives in New York City, right?” Steve quizzes.

“You see her father is rather well-off, she called a private car service they use to get a ride home,” Tennyson reveals.

“At any rate I am glad she is safe, I’m sure I am not alone in that feeling,” Steve says, relieved that he has good news to tell Diana.

Leaving Mr. Tennyson’s office to head for Breakfast. Arriving late he spots Coach Barnes and Sylvia arriving as well from the lake side of the lodge. He makes a beeline to them across the room full of campers eating breakfast. “Well you ladies will be glad to know Lori is safe at home,” he announces to them. “Mr. Tennyson just told me that her father notified him that she came home last night using a private car service in their employ.”

“And we are expected to believe that?” Sylvia blurs out.

“Why wouldn’t you believe that?” Steve asks, wondering if Diana knows more than he thought about what happened at that cabin in the woods. He looks to Coach Barnes wondering if she has told the woman she knows as Sylvia Banks something she shouldn’t have told her.

“I can understand that you are upset about her sudden departure,” Ava says, taking hold of Sylvia’s arm. “But there is nothing we can do from here,” Coach Barnes assured. “You live in New York City, there is nothing stopping you from checking on her when you get home.”

“I have a friend with the police, perhaps he can check in on her sooner,” Sylvia suggests.

“You don’t mean Detective Prussia do you?” Steve asks. “I’m not sure what his job is now, but I am pretty sure it is not child welfare.”

“Nevertheless, I would feel better giving him a call,” Sylvia tells Steve, wondering how he would know anything about Prussia’s new job. She has no memory of telling Steve anything about her current relationship with Prussia.

“That being said, it looks like I am going to have less free time the rest of the summer now that I have twice the responsibilities,” Steve tells them. “So, I’ve got to get to work on corralling these boys.” “I’ll see you when I see you.” Steve heads out of the lodge leaving Ava and Sylvia to get breakfast.

Camp Tandy – the Lodge
Glassboro Township
New Jersey

It has been a long day by the time Steve gets to the Lodge for dinner. He can’t believe how hard it is to keep all of these boys in line. It would appear that for all the grief he got for being lax in discipline, Coach Denmark was even looser with the boys he was charged to look after. Not surprising now knowing about his side responsibilities at the pot farm. Although Denmark was still under the influence of the Satyr, none of the boys he directed showed any signs that he was inappropriate with them. Nothing like Gary said Denmark allowed him to do either. Steve spots, Diana, well Sylvia getting into the food line. As usual they are both late in arriving. He hurries up grabbing a tray to get in line behind her. She gives him that smile that says to him, glad you made it.

“Do you have some free time after dinner?” Sylvia asks Steve as they stand in the food line.

“I think so, wood for the fire is all chopped, got some of the boys helping with snack set up so, yeah,” Steve replies. “What do you have in mind?”

“Just a little something to take our minds off of all the drama around here,” Sylvia replies. “Meet me over at the Utility shed.”

Finishing in the food line the couple turn to look for seats in the dining room. There is a table where most of the other adults sit, but that is usually monopolized by Denise’s silliness. The table where they usually sit is empty. Steve scans the room to spot Coach Barnes sitting alone with Avery Lewis by the large old fireplace. Sitting alone together is something neither of them would have done before yesterday. It would have raised too many eyebrows and left both of them open for ridicule and questions. But considering that Avery has learned the truth about their relationship, it doesn’t surprise Steve at all. “I guess it is just you and me tonight?” Steve says as they walk to their usual table.

They sit down across from each other at the folding lunch table. Both of them begin to eat, not saying much to the other. Looking up to smile while they chew, both think about how wonderful it has been spending this time together, but neither of them speaks it aloud. Looking at Steve’s tray Sylvia says, “I’m going to miss this.”

“Me too,” Steve replies. “This is so much better than a phone call or so a month.”

“I agree, watching all the crap you eat and still look like that is amazing,” Sylvia jokes. “I don’t know where you put it all.”

“You’re not exactly Jenny Craig over there either,” Steve responds. “Two slices of Chocolate cake?”

“Hey, no judging my cravings!” she retorts.

Steve grins across the table at her, “Together with you not wanting to get in the water, I guess I know what that means.” “Makes me think I should watch my step or you will be taking away my surprise.”

“Oh if you are implying that I am on the rag, then you should know that will make me want to give you that surprise more,” she tells him with a raised eyebrow.

Steve drops his fork to his plate to glare at her. “I think I might be grossed out by that statement.” Sylvia laughs at him and he joins in the joke.

After finishing up their meal Sylvia stands up to announce, “Are you ready?”

“I just need to go to the bathroom first, I’ll meet you in 10 minutes by the Utility shed then,” Steve says, collecting up his tray and Sylvia as well.

“Don’t show up all freshly showered,” she warns him. “You probably need another one by the time I am done with you.” Sylvia walks away across the room leaving Steve standing to wonder what she has intended for him. The thought of losing his virginity with a woman on her period adds even more fear to the idea.

The Utility shed is located on the other side of the parking lot behind a row of trees. It is where the electrical, well pump and the sewage disposal lines come onto the property. Past that there is an open field that is used for overflow parking usually on the Fourth of July.

Steve steps through the trees onto the grass to spot Sylvia standing with her hands behind her back. What is she up to he thinks as she stands smiling at him. Dressed in Bermuda shorts and flip-flops Steve still has no idea what she has in mind. “Really is that what you wear for the rematch?” Sylvia calls to him as she walks toward him bringing a soccer ball from behind her back. A smile of relief on his handsome face almost makes her laugh.

“I’m sorry, if you had told me what we were doing I could have changed,” Steve calls back as he approaches the edge of the field where she waits holding the soccer ball. “Besides, my sneakers are still wet from the rain the other night.” “Nothing seems to dry in this place.” “I can just play in my bare feet,” he says, kicking off the flip-flops.

“Don’t call foul when I break your toes,” Diana says seriously. “You know how we stomped up the field last time.” “That is why I figured we should play here.”

“I think it would be wise not to repeat that because I don’t think Coach Booth ever figured out it was us,” Steve suggests. “Now let’s see if you still got it, because I know I do!”

“Big talk steroid boy!” Sylvia challenges. “I’m going to love kicking that cute little ass of yours.”

Steve twists around to look behind himself. “So you think my ass is cute?”

“Don’t get too full of yourself,” she replies.

As the couple begin to play, Coach Barnes and Avery Lewis arrive unnoticed by them. This is the place they usually go for a light training session before the bonfire. “Take a seat, let’s watch this game,” Coach Barnes suggested to her student. Both of them sit on the grass leaning back on the side of the shed to watch Steve and Sylvia play soccer one on one. At first the game appears very controlled and average to the spectators.

“Wow Steve is really holding back,” Avery comments. “He should be wiping up the field with her.”

“This is the point of watching this game,” Coach Barnes comments. “As powerful as you may become you must also learn restraint.” “What you did the other day was a milestone in your development but you must not be so free with revealing your power.” “Normal people are not ready for what you can do.”

“That Detective that I saved didn’t seem too unprepared for my powers,” Avery comments.

“There are some exceptions to that rule, but on most days those do not apply,” the Coach says as they watch the soccer competition. Then something impossible happens as Sylvia steals the ball from Steve by phasing her leg through his leg. She does it with such speed and skill that Steve does not even realize what has happened.

“Wait a minute, did you just see that?” Avery exclaims standing up. “What just happened, how did she do that?” He looks to his mentor who sits smiling at the events happening on the field. “Does she have powers too?”

“It would seem so,” Coach Barnes smiles. “The joke is that Steve has no idea that she does, nor does she know what he can do.”

“How is that possible?” Avery challenges. “It is clear to me that they have been friends before coming to camp.” “Even if neither will admit it.”

“I believe it is the emotions that they feel for each other that keeps each of them from seeing what is right in front of their faces,” Coach Barnes suggests. “Both of them feel like outcasts because they are different.” “Both of them work so hard to keep their secrets safe that they ignore that they are not alone.”

“So you mean we have to keep their secrets even from them?” Avery quires. “That doesn’t seem right.” Avery sits back down on the grass to watch the two adults play soccer. Judging by the way they are now moving it appears they don’t realize the speed at which they are moving. Both of them lost in the match.

“But it is what each of them wants, we must respect that,” the Coach says. “No matter how
silly it seems to us.” “I know that you were raised to believe that your gifts are to be used wisely and not to be flaunted.” “But Steve and Diana have chosen a different path.”

“Diana, who is Diana, I thought Miss Banks name was Sylvia?” Avery questions. “Wait a minute, the other day when I was at the old saw mill Miracle Maiden was there.” “So was Master Warrior, neither one of them is a Jersey native, why would both of them be here?” Avery looks back to the field at the two chaperons that fight for control of a soccer ball. “Steve is from Philadelphia.” “He has told me in secret that his powers come from his mother.” “And you you’re…”

Coach Barnes puts her finger to Avery’s lips. “I know who I am, there is no need to say it again, ever.” “Yes, Steve’s mother is an amazon, just like mine, not the same one.” “He chose to use his inborn powers to become a hero of the common man.”

“Then what is her story?” Avery asks. “How did she become a hero of the common man?”

“She has no interest in telling me,” Coach Barnes. “I believe her situation is more by chance than desire.” “What are your thoughts on the subject of going public?”

“I’m sure you will be relieved to know that I have no interest in doing that,” Avery answers. “What happened at that cabin removed any idea in my head of doing that.”

Coach Barnes and Avery’s conversion is cut short by the sound of laughter. Across the field both Steve and Sylvia lay on their backs in the grass. “I think it is time we should give them some privacy,” Coach Barnes says. “Let’s head over to the bonfire.”

“Privacy?” Avery questions as he stands up. “Can you see the future?” “Are they going to make out?” “Damn, are they going to do it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I can not see the future,” Coach Barnes replies. “Now come along!”

Steve and Sylvia lay on the ground laughing after they both went to kick the ball at once and it popped. “How old do you suppose that ball was?” Sylvia asks, hoping to make a joke of the occurrence.

“My guess is 25 years,” Steve laughs. “Maybe the same one we used last time.” “Wow that was quite the workout, I think I broke a sweat.” He lifts his arm to sniff his armpit. “Yep, definitely sweaty smelling.”

“Doesn’t matter, I still kicked your ass!” Sylvia giggles.

“My little cute ass you mean,” Steve corrects.

Then Sylvia falls silent for a moment looking up to the blue sky, the sun hanging low about to set. “You know we aren’t fifteen anymore,” She comments. “We are both adults, we have our own lives and responsibilities at home.” “I’ve enjoyed every minute we have spent together in the past few months.” “These past few weeks have been like a second chance for us, but I have been thinking, maybe our real lives don’t fit together so well.” She rolls her head to the side to see his reaction. Steve lays on his side looking at her with a big toothy grin. “I’m not joking, I’m serious!”

“I’m smiling because this is what I have been meaning to say to you for the last week,” Steve replies. “I feel like this still isn’t the right time for us, I have so much yet to do back home.” “And your career is just starting.” “I don’t think either of us is willing to throw any of that away.” “I was just having such a good time with you, I didn’t want to ruin it like I did before when we were here.”

Sylvia rolls onto her back letting out a large sigh, “I guess great minds work alike.” “I don’t want this summer to end just yet, but when we go home, we need to stop with the phone calls and long distance stuff.” “Agreed?”

“Agreed!” Steve says rolling over next to her to look at the pink ribbons cast on the sky as the sunsets. “It’s not going to be easy, but it will be for the best.”

Camp Tandy – Boys campsite – 5
Glassboro Township
New Jersey

Steve returns to his tent with his feet and legs covered in mud and grass stains. It has been a long day and he really needs a shower now before going to the campfire tonight. Pulling open the flap of his tent he climbs inside to find Avery sitting on Denmark’s cot waiting for him. “Haven’t we talked about this, you can’t just sneak in here.” Steve tells the young man.

“I just want to know what happened,” Avery says eagerly. “Did you make out in the field?”

“NO!” Steve says, “What are you talking about?”

“You and Sylvia, I saw the two of you laying in the field,” Avery answers. “Damn, did you do it right there in the grass?”

“You are so over the line right now,” Steve says gathering up his shower stuff. Steve has his back to Avery revealing the grass stains on his shirt and shorts.

“Holy Cow you did do it, didn’t you?” Avery exclaims.

“I think you are still confused about our relationship,” Steve says, turning back to the young man. “I am the adult counselor here and you are the underage camper, we are not best friends who share everything.” Steve carries his towel and other shower things to the tent flap. “I am going to get a shower, do not follow me!” Steve moves to leave then stops. Turning back he says, “If you must know we decided to end it, we both need our space once we go home.”

“Did you tell her why?” Avery quizzes. “Did she tell you why she needs space?”

“Enough, just get your bony ass out of my tent and to the fire-pit, NOW!” Steve says exiting to head for the bathhouse. That kid is relentless, he thinks as he walks to the bathhouse. The last thing he needs right now is to be accused of having boys in his tent alone!