House of Guardians

by Beatrice Sand

  I am surrounded by girls in colored tunics and boys with rock hard beach bodies—most of them decorated with impressive tattoos.

  Nervously, I wiggle my leg. I am being stared at as though I were from a different planet, and that is exactly how I feel. Somehow, the other guys and girls all look the same—they are all attractive, and they all have very well-developed bodies.

  I am sitting next to the girl from my art class, Olivia, and I am glad to know at least one other person besides Sam—although we have barely talked to each other at school. And only now am I understanding the words of Sam’s mother. Olivia adores my son and she will always take his side.

  Could Olivia be the friend Sam was talking about? Is he dating her? But what am I doing here then? Still, Sam never said he was interested in me.

  A girl lying on the deck showing off her body attracts my attention. If I remember correctly, her name is Philene. She is dramatically beautiful, with gorgeous golden hair that reaches her hips, and she knows it. So does Andreas, who is ogling her.

  My eyes glide across Andreas’ body—the lead singer of the band. From top to bottom he is covered in dark body art. He looks just like a piece of art and there is so much to discover, that my eyes can’t take it all in. My gaze pauses at his face. He has the look of a lethal combatant with his crew cut hair.

  All in all I find myself in the company of a group of attractive and intimidating people. What am I doing here?

  “Can anyone tell me why our charming cousin is missing?” Philene asks. Of course her voice is honey sweet and I’m almost starting to pout.

  “He couldn’t join us today,” Olivia answers. “I got the impression that he is chasing a mor… girl.”

  “Poor child,” Bastian says, “whoever she is, she’s got my sympathy.”

  The little guy next to him starts to chuckle. He is remarkably smaller than the others and has a cute, child-like face. Then another guy catches my eye—Bow. He has long blonde hair and a slim toned body. I remember him being in the restaurant with Adrian that night. Adrian… the guy Sam wants me to avoid. I quietly turn away when Bow looks at me.

  “Can’t this piece of junk go any faster?” Don sighs.

  “Why don’t you swim if it’s not fast enough for you?” Sam responds calmly.

  “Good idea! It is too crowded here anyway.” He climbs onto the edge of the boat, which immediately begins to rock dangerously. Don dives under the surface.

  “Clumsy idiot,” Philene yells when the boat begins to capsize.

  If Renee ever discovers that I’m hanging out with these people today, it will ruin our already rocky relationship forever.

  A little while later, Sam brings the sloop up to a little beach, where Don is waiting for us as though he arrived hours ago. He gets up and without any effort pulls the boat on the beach.

  Storm jumps off and disappears into the surrounding forest.

  People are collecting all the stuff they’ve brought, and I get my own bag and start climbing out of the boat. Don suddenly pops up.

  “Hand me your bag.”

  I offer him my bag, and he holds out his hand, which I hesitate to accept. It feels like betraying Renee.

  With tingling feet—the water is just as cold as it is crystal clear—I walk over to the picnic table, where Olivia and another girl are unpacking. My bag is already there and Olivia takes out the bowl of salad.

  “Is this yours?” she asks, holding up the bowl.

  “Yes,” I say a little shyly. “It’s coleslaw. My dad made it. He’s a chef,” I add, as though I owe her some sort of explanation. Jeez, why am I acting so nervous?

  Olivia peeks under the foil. “Looks yummy.” She takes out the other foil packet. “What about this?”

  “Oh, that is freshly baked bread. My dad made it this morning.”

  Clumsily, she drops the packet on the ground. “That’s very nice of him; please thank him on behalf of all of us. By the way, it’s nice of you to come to our birthday party. I’ve been meaning to chat with you at school, but I haven’t had the chance yet.”

  Frowning, I look at her. “Your birthday party?”

  “Yeah, Sam’s and mine. We were born on the same day. You didn’t know?”

  Sam has invited me to his birthday party? “No. Happy birthday!”

  “Thank you. Our birthday was actually last Thursday, but because of the nice weather we are celebrating it today.”

  “I’m afraid I didn’t bring any presents.”

  “You brought food. We like food.” Olivia smiles at me, and then I see something in her face that reminds me of Sam. Is it the dimple in her cheek?

  “Sam and you… are you twins?”

  Olivia and the other girl both start laughing. “No,” Olivia says. “We are cousins, and coincidentally born on the same day.”

  With those words, I feel a little more confident. Olivia just adores her cousin. I can’t blame her.

  After we eat, a lively discussion starts. Everyone takes part—except for Philene and me. She is constantly staring at me with her green emerald eyes. I don’t think I have ever seen such smooth skin and such shiny hair. If I end up talking to her today, I’ll have to remember to ask her about her beauty secrets.

  Suddenly, the loud conversation changes into a foreign language. I’m not able to make out the hard, raw sounds, and I wonder if it is Latin.

  “Stop it!” Philene shouts, and immediately they fall silent.

  Somebody giggles.

  Bastian picks up an acoustic guitar and pushes it into Sam’s hands. “You entertain us, man!”

  Clearly reluctant, Sam puts the guitar on his lap and picks some strings.

  Philene gets up, her turquoise kimono fluttering around her. A floral scent is blowing by on the breeze. Elegantly, she kneels beside Sam, putting her arm around him. Then she looks at me as if she wants to be sure I am watching.

  Sam turns his head, and for a few seconds their eyes lock. He just leaves her arm where it is and returns his focus to the strings. From the moment Sam’s friends arrived at the cabin, he has paid no attention to me.

  My stomach is acting weird. I am surrounded by eleven gorgeous people, who have no interest in me, and I am feeling more and more uncomfortable by the second. I want to take off, but I realize there’s nowhere to go.

  Olivia gets up and starts to pile up the dirty plates.

  I get up too and walk over to the picnic table with my glass of juice and empty plate to help her clean up. I am glad to have something to do, and it keeps me from having to watch Sam and Philene.

  “Are you having a good time?” I hear Olivia ask. She gives me a worried look and I send her a reassuring smile.

  “Yes, absolutely. And the food was really good.”

  “Good catering,” she says without batting an eyelid. “You’re the only one who went to the effort of making something. Well, your dad did.”

  I glance at the empty salad bowl and I am happy to have contributed. But then my eye falls on the bread. It’s still untouched. “Can I help you with anything?” Please…

  “No, just kick back and relax.”

  I bite my lower lip and keep standing at the table. I just can’t make myself go back. Suddenly, the glass of apple juice is pulled out of my hand. I turn around and look into Sam’s face, as he empties my glass in one gulp. Something prevents me from breathing. He is standing so close that I almost can’t move.

  “Are you sorry you came?” Sam puts the empty glass down on the table behind me and takes his sunglasses off. He throws them on the table and looks at me with his piercing eyes. They sparkle. “You are, aren’t you?”

  I grab my elbows. “No, I’m not,” I lie.

  He brings his mouth to my ear. “Liar,” he says softly.

  His voice vibrates against my ear and goose bumps spread through my neck to th
e rest of my body. I try to keep my head cool and ignore the curious stares of his friends. “Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday?”

  He shrugs his shoulders. “It’s no big deal.”

  “I feel embarrassed showing up without presents.”

  “Don’t. We don’t do presents, we do food.” Sam comes a little closer, and places his hands flat on the table—one on either side of my hips. I am caught between lean muscles and a picnic table. The fabric of his sun-bleached shorts rubs against my bare thighs. “What would you have bought me?”

  I shrug my shoulders while I wrack my brain to come up with something original. “A dog leash. That way you can leash Storm so he is a little less intimidating.”

  “Well, that’s going to be complicated, I’m afraid.”

  “Why? Most well behaving dogs are okay with that,” I say challenging.

  Attractive lines and dimples appear on both sides of his mouth. “Are you saying my dog is not well-behaved?” He takes another step closer. He smells fresh and clean like the lake, and it makes me want to bury my head in his chest. “Storm is not like most dogs. He doesn’t want to fetch a stick, he doesn’t like to respond to commands, and you definitely won’t get him on a leash. He needs his freedom.”

  Why do I get the feeling that he is talking about himself and not his dog? It is probably because of his penetrating gaze, as if he’s trying to make a point. I save the information in the back of my mind—just in case.

  “And besides, one leash wouldn’t be enough.”

  “Why not?” I ask hoarsely and clear my throat. I try to stand in a different position.

  “Because a wolf dog should be walked with two leashes.” A seductive smile plays around his lips and we stay as we fall silent in the same maddening, indecent position. The only sound comes from rattling foil, porcelain and my own shallow breathing.

  I have to resist the temptation to touch his windblown hair and I place my hands behind my back on the table to make sure I won’t. I accidentally touch his hand, and a low sound escapes my throat. I desperately ask myself how much more I can take before I’m going to beg him to take a step back—or to touch me. “How old are you anyway?”

  “I just turned eighteen.”

  “Look at all that food!” Olivia sighs. “We should get together tomorrow to eat the leftovers. What do you think, Sam?”

  No answer. Sam’s eyes are fixated on me.

  “Hey, Sampson, we are going to take a sprint,” Don yells across the beach. “Draw us a line, man.”

  With a weary sigh, Sam removes his hands from the table, and with one last glance at me, he runs off. I am finally able to breathe again.

  I watch the group of guys. A few of them are comparing muscles, another one is jumping up and down, and two are holding each other in a firm grip. I guess the relaxing part is over with for today. The testosterone is flying across the sand, and I feel like I’ve entered a training camp for gladiator school.

  “Are they always this competitive?” I ask Olivia.

  “They can’t get through a day without challenging each other’s strength. They are extremely fanatic, always wanting to know who is the strongest or who can pee the farthest. Terribly tiresome.”

  I look aside again, and see Andreas begin to unbutton his swim shorts. I vaguely understand what he is about to do, but before I can even turn my head, his shorts are around his ankles and he kicks them off. The very next moment, Andreas is standing on the beach naked, and my mouth drops open at the sight of this toned god, because that is what he is.

  He stretches and glances my way.

  He is such an explosive force that I stumble backwards. When I feel the sharp edge of the table, I fall down, taking a few glasses of water with me. The last thing I see is a small smile on Andreas’ face.

  “Oh,” I hear Olivia say. “Did you hurt yourself?”

  “It’s okay,” I mutter, “I bumped into the table.” With my cheeks burning, I scramble back up and pick up the glasses. I try to pull myself together by breathing evenly. Okay, so Andreas is going to work out naked, who cares. It’s not like the first time I see a guy naked, right?

  Yes, it is.

  “Guys,” Olivia says, “is that really necessary today?”

  “Oh, come on… it’s just bodies,” Bastian calls.

  Olivia sends him an angry glance. “Don’t mind them,” she says annoyed. “They like to sprint like they did in ancient times.”

  I put the glasses on the table and look confused. “Is it any different now than it was back then?”

  Olivia smiles. “There’s one difference.” She gestures to the guys and I turn around and swallow.

  They’re all naked, except for Sam who is still a few feet further down the beach.

  Olivia is laughing, her ponytail bobbing up and down. “They like to pretend they’re Olympic heroes.”

  “Ah.”

  Sam joins the group of guys, as they start warming up. “Okay, let’s do this,” he says.

  Thank goodness he is still in his swim trunks, although I fear he won’t be for long. Embarrassed, I turn around at the sight of all those muscular butts.

  Olivia looks at me embarrassed. “You must think this is strange?”

  “Don’t worry about it, I’ll look the other way if I can’t handle it anymore,” I say, sounding tougher than I feel. Meanwhile, I’m very aware of Sam pulling on the strings of his shorts. “I’m just glad we don’t have to play volleyball with them,” I try to joke.

  Around me there’s laughter. They heard my remark.

  “We don’t do team sports,” Andreas calls, “and definitely not with women.”

  “Afraid to lose to a woman?” I venture. It takes everything I’ve got to keep my eyes fixed on his face. Sam laughs.

  “After this we’ll box and wrestle, you’re welcome to join,” Andreas says and sprints away.

  “Do the tattoos on his body have a special meaning?” I ask Olivia.

  “Ehm… something tribal-ish, I believe.”

  “Tribal?”

  “Indigenous cultures, tribes. It’s his personal statement.”

  I notice that Olivia has a modest tattoo at the base of her neck, between her shoulder blades. And in class I had already noticed that she has two dark spots on her forehead, but it is only up close I see that the black dots are identical to each other. “And you have a moon symbol. It’s beautiful.”

  “New moon.”

  “Does it have a special meaning?”

  I can see my question is embarrassing her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

  “It’s okay. Hey, are you wearing a bikini?”

  “Yes,” I say, happy that she is distracting me, since I am still very conscious of every act Sam is doing over there. His linen shirt is already on the ground.

  “Then let’s go for a swim. I’ll get the others.”

  I smile weakly and turn away from Sam. Nervously, I put the tableware into a basket.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Olivia says.

  I take off my blouse and walk into the water as quickly as possible. I dive in right away. It’s terribly cold, but I can use some refreshment.

  When I get back to the surface, I notice Philene having stayed behind on the beach.

  “Why isn’t she coming?” Poppy asks.

  “The queen is cranky,” Alexandra says and looks at me briefly. “Just let her be.”

  With the guys at a safe distance, I dare to look their way. They’re standing close to the starting line that Sam drew before. It remains a fascinating sight: cool adonises with tight bellies, hard tendons and a sun-kissed complexion. The group of friends would not look out of place on the cover of Men’s Health. I notice that Sam is the only one who doesn’t have any tattoos.

  Suddenly, he puts his hands in the sand and is standing
upside down—in a straight handstand. A complex of tendons and muscles wriggle on his back. His legs are tightly pressed against each other and are now slowly bending sideways until they form a perfect ninety-degree angle. Then he lifts his left arm.

  Flabbergasted, I stare at the pose, which is executed right before my eyes. Not only because of the sheer power it radiates, but also because of the immense self-control he has over his body to pull this off.

  And then all I can think is that Sam’s body doesn’t need art—it’s perfect the way it is.

  “Needs to show off his balance exercise,” I hear Olivia sigh. “So pathetic.”

  We are distracted by a row, and Sam and Don pull the quarreling boys apart.

  Olivia starts to yawn.

  “Macho behavior,” Poppy says.

  I understand less and less of all that’s happing around me. They all act like it is the most normal thing in the world to have seven naked men tumbling through the sand and challenging each other like a bunch of young dogs.

  It becomes silent.

  The boys line up. They stand in an upright position, their arms slightly bent and their bodies leaning a little forward. They sprint away with their knees lifted high and their bodies in a perfect diagonal line.

  Only seconds later it is already over.

  “And Bow wins again, so predictable,” Alexandra says. “Hey,” she says with a grin on her face, “how about we do our own race? Let’s see who gets to the other side first?”

  The idea is welcomed with enthusiasm.

  “Are you in?” she asks me kindly.

  “Sure,” I say, happy to be involved. I swim toward them and stand beside them.

  The boys are already coming our way—in all their naked splendor—and starting to encourage us. They chant my name. Just in time, I realize that Olivia is counting down, and I dive off into the water. Like a madwoman, I start to do the crawl.

  When I come up for air, I look around me to see if I’m still on track. From the beach, I hear shouting and whistling. I blink the water out of my eyes and look around dazed. Where did the girls go?

  From the shore, the boys dive into the lake. Except for Sam and Andreas, who walk back to Philene. And then I catch sight of the girls again. They’re already halfway across the lake, while I am not eighty feet from shore—In fact, I can still feel the bottom under my feet.