He stretched out, and just stared. Then his thoughts floated to the monkey wrench in the gears, this cousin Bobbie. She is so very stuck up, looking down her nose at him just because he was solidly, and forever lower middle-class, at best. She was a lot like his Aunt Barbara, as she was always talking about how disadvantaged Kyle was, as if it was a punishment from the gods or something.
He yawned and realized that it was later than he thought. He sat up, then started walking back to the house and that was when he noticed his cousin Bobbie and Juliette watching for satellites, laying back in the chaise lounges, laughing and pointing. He stood back and made sure to walk out of sight of the two giggling girls.
Inside, he went up the stairs to the room he shared with Billy, who was at the small desk, his thick glasses perched on his nose as he worked on a plastic model of an old-World War Two bomber.
"Which one is this?" Kyle asked as he bounced on his small bed.
"A Doolittle Raider, the B-25," Billy replied. He used a finger to reset his glasses on his face and turned back to the model.
Kyle flopped back and sighed. "Your dad may be right, I guess I could go into the army."
"I'd go into the air force. Maybe they'd let me fly a bomber?" Billy asked.
"Yeah, you could be anything." Kyle pointed out. "I can't."
"My dad doesn't want me to do that, though, he wants me to study and be an oil banker like him." Billy held a wing together and began clamping it with clothespins. He then turned to Kyle. "What do you think of Bobbie? I think she's hot."
"Yeah, she's that. But she's also stuck up."
"Mom says that's because she's shy, and doesn't know what to say," Billy pointed out, then went to work on another wing.
"Uh huh, right. That's just an excuse," Kyle griped. "I should have stayed at home this summer and stayed in the weight program at school."
"Maybe mom will drive you back in next week," Billy said quietly as he began cutting parts from a plastic runner. "She said something about needing to check on the remodeling they're doing to the house and sis has an ortho appointment."
"I'll see how it goes. I might make a weight set using those old pipes out back, and tie water jugs to them." He studied his arm a moment, flexing it. "I need to build endurance as well."
"Dad said your coach might move you to end," Billy was now assembling the nose gear.
"Yeah, I have decent speed but not enough to be a receiver," Kyle pointed out. "If I can build up a bit, maybe gain some weight, that'd make me a better blocking tight end. And I can still run out 10 yards and make the catch."
The next morning, Kyle brought up the idea of Barbara driving him back to Houston when she had to go and check on the remodeling.
"I'll do no such thing. Both your uncle and I are going down for the day and come back in the morning. I need you to stick around to make sure everything is ok."
"But cousin Bobbie is older than me. She can babysit Billy just as good as I can," Kyle protested.
"Yes, but I am not going to leave your cousin to someone we barely know." And that was that, her final answer.
Later that day, Kyle was watching Uncle George work on his boat. It was a nice older Chris-Craft with the larger Mercruiser engine. Uncle George had bought it when he bought the house, and kept it under a boat cover, so the older boat was in great shape. Now, it had developed carburetor issues and it wouldn't idle. George had been trying to reset the idle and finally tossed a rag aside, and looked up at Kyle.
"Know anything at all about these things?" He asked his nephew.
Kyle squatted and looked at the motor in the stern of the boat. "I used to help dad rebuild the engines in the cars he would try to sell. I can take a look, see what I can do."
He jumped down into the boat and peered into the exposed carburetor. "It's got a varnish glaze on the intakes, that's causing the gas not to flow right. I can take it off and clean it and then rebuild it," Kyle suggested.
George stood back and shook his head. "Why don't you do that. Then we can take it out and give it a good test when you're done."
Kyle nodded and picked up a socket set. He selected a socket and fitted it to a handle. He bent and began loosening the nuts holding down the carb, disconnecting the linkages and gas line, making careful note of what went where. In less than ten minutes, he had it off and was walking with it back to the garage with George following. "Use my work bench, you should find everything you need, ok?"
"That'll be just fine, Uncle George," Kyle said as he sat the carb on the clean bench and switched on the light hanging overhead.
Later that afternoon, Kyle had the boat running fine and he and his uncle were out, bringing the boat up on plane as it sped across the smooth lake. George throttled back and the boat settled into the water, gurgling as it slowed to idle.
"Yes, that was the problem. This thing hasn't run like this in years!" George smiled, and clapped Kyle on the back. Grinning, he threw the throttle to the stop, turning the boat in a wide circle, kicking up a huge wake as he headed back to the dock.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
San Marin
Kyle awoke with his entire body bathed in sweat. He looked around, the dream as so vivid and real, it was like he was there again.
In the bathroom, he washed his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He was still exhausted, so he dragged himself back to bed, knowing which parts of the past he was about to live through again.
***
Canyon Lake, Texas
The next morning, after breakfast, Kyle was outside to begin putting together the make-shift weight set he needed.
He was rummaging around the junk pile behind the garage when he heard a distinct buzzing noise. He stepped back and listened. It was coming from under a piece of plywood that he'd stood on as he was reaching for a length of galvanized pipe. He used the pipe to tip the plywood over and the rattlesnake was exposed.
Snakes both frightened and fascinated him. He stood and watched as the snake coiled and buzzed its tail, making the distinctive buzz of the western diamondback. He cocked his head and poked at the snake with the pipe. It struck, with such force he felt the hit at his end of the pipe. He poked again and the snake was even angrier. It struck the pipe again, hard, so Kyle began to hit the snake as hard as he could, slamming the pipe down on the snake's head until it began to writhe and twist in its final death throes. Kyle was sweating when he turned and saw Bobbie and Juliette watching.
"Rattlesnake," Kyle said simply as he wiped the end of the pipe on the grass next to the junk pile. He then gently picked the snake up by the tail, avoiding the smooshed head. He took a pocket knife out and began to cut the rattles from the tail. Then he tossed the rest of the snake up into the air and watched it as it landed.
"You know, grandpa once said a dead rattlesnake can forecast the weather. This one landed on its belly, showing it back, so it's going to rain soon," Kyle explained. He walked up to his cousins and looked Bobbie in the eye. "You city girls have no idea how dangerous it is in the country. Grandpa used to also say if you receive rattles from someone, no harm will come to you while that person is near you."
He pressed the rattles into Bobbie's hand and brushed past her as he walked back to the house, in search of some weights to use with the pipe.
Bobbie just looked at the rattles in her hand. She glanced at Juliette, "Do you find a lot of these snakes here at the lake?"
"No, usually it's just water snakes, sometimes dad would find a copperhead. A rattlesnake is kinda rare, I think," Juliette replied. Bobbie didn't reply. She just stared at the junk pile with her eyes wide open. Snakes!
That evening, George cooked up some hamburgers on the grill. This time, the conversation around the table focused on the rattlesnake Kyle had killed and how that junk pile should be hauled away.
"I'll handle it when we get back from Houston. It's a long enough drive we'll just stay the night, let you kids have the run of the place, if I can trust you." George said in-between bites
of French fries. He then looked at Kyle in the eye, "and no going out on the boat, none of you have a driver's license, so stick to swimming."
"Yes, sir," Kyle replied. All during dinner, Bobbie was unusually quiet. She just stared at her plate and cut up her burger with a knife and ate it with a fork.
Barbara finished her hamburger and revealed, "We'll be just leaving you two out here, as Juliette has a ortho appointment in the morning and Billy is tagging along, so it'll be just you two, if that's ok."
Bobbie finally looked up and caught Kyle staring at her. "Kyle gave me the rattle from the snake," she blurted out.
"I used to have one I kept on the brim of my cowboy hat when I worked the oil fields," George said. "That thing did bring me luck. I didn't have to work the fields much longer." He grinned and shook his head as he finished his burger.
Kyle dug into his burger, only looking up once, when he caught Bobbie watching him eat. He nodded at her and she quickly ducked her head down, her hair falling past her face. He couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like Bobbie was blushing, her ears a bright red, protruding through her hair.
Later that night, Kyle found himself on the dock again, looking up into the sky. A bright flash caught his attention and he spotted a meteor brighten and leave a faint ionization trail from its swift death in the atmosphere.
"If you make a wish now, it'll come true," Bobbie said, startling Kyle. She had walked up behind him on the boat dock. "Thanks for the rattle. I forgot to thank you earlier."
"Hey, no problem," Kyle said. Then added, "Good thing I found it first, I'd hate to think of one of your girls coming across it. I think snakes are cool, though. You?"
"Lord, no! I got so scared of one at a zoo, I almost peed my pants." She was blushing again. "Aunt Barbara never said if you have a girlfriend."
"I don't. Not enough time and most girls think I'm a dork," Kyle answered.
"You're not a dork, dork!" Bobbie then turned quickly and strode back to the house, leaving Kyle to watch her walk away. He marveled at her rear in the tight denim cut-offs, his gaze traveled down her long, tanned legs as she walked, her thighs flexing. He fixed the shape of her legs all the way down to her sneakers in his mind. Something he'd never noticed before about any girl before this summer.
He felt a tightness in his shorts and was astonished to find he was hard after watching her, his own cousin. Looking around, making sure no one could see, he dropped his pants and relieved himself while laying back on the dock. Yet, she was his own cousin, which made it even more exciting deep inside.
The next morning, George and Barbra packed the silver SUV and gave each of the kids a hug. "We'll be in Houston in a few hours, so we'll call. I left the fixings for hamburgers in the fridge. Kyle, you can do the cooking." Barbara waved as the SUV drove out of sight around a stand of cedar trees and towards the back road that led to the house.
Kyle sighed and walked to the garage. He had rigged a weight bench from several cinderblocks and some planking left over from the deck. He warmed up and then began lifting, doing bicep curls until he broke a sweat, then he sat and began bench presses.
As he worked out, Bobbie appeared at the edge of the garage door, leaning against the roller track, just watching. Kyle tried to ignore her as he kept count while lifting. When he hit fifty, he stopped and sat up. He rubbed his face with an old towel and glanced at Bobbi. She was dressed, if you can call it that, in the briefest bikini he'd ever seen outside a magazine. His eyes felt as if they protruded a good three inches out of his skull. "Feel like a swim?" she asked, tilting her head.
He just nodded and Bobbie walked away and this time, the view was even more exciting. Then she stopped and walked back. She stood next to him on the weight bench. "I saw you last night. You didn't see me, but I saw you. Is this a better view?"
She fixed him with a challenging stare. Kyle felt his face glow a bright red. She saw! She gave the briefest of miles, turned and walked away, shedding her bikini top as she walked.
Kyle sat and stared at her. She reached the dock, bent, and removed the bikini bottoms.
Fully nude, she dove into the water. Kyle's knees went weak and he could barely stand. He walked slowly to the dock, looking for anyone who might be around. The lake was totally quiet that morning. Bobbie was treading water by the dock. She tilted her head to the side and started him in the eyes. A challenge.
"I dare you," was all she said as she paddled backwards.
He turned as red as possible under the tan. He looked around, then just sat on the edge of the dock. He watched as she swam back and forth.
Finally, she smiled, swam to the ladder, and lifted herself out of the water. Kyle watched her long blonde hair streaming wet behind her back as she revealed her staggeringly perfect body. She sat next to Kyle and looked around, then used her hand to turn his face to hers.
"Well? What are you going to do about it? Just stare like a pussy, or you gonna man up?"
"We're related," was all Kyle could say. He tried to back away, and looked around again. Perfect breasts, dark areolas, smooth tanned skin, and a taunt stomach with no skin folding over as she bent forward. She was a real blonde, her patch of pubic hair was a deep golden hue, covering her womanhood.
"No one will see us," Bobbie said as she softly ran her hand over his shorts. “A longtime ago, we could have gotten married. Would you like to be married?
His breathing became quicker and shallower. His heart was pounding as she started to unzip his shorts.
Kyle broke away and ran back into the house. Bobbie shook her head, picked up her bikini bottoms and followed.
She found Kyle in the bathroom, nude and holding himself. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?" She smiled as she watched him turn bright red.
"Uh, no," Kyle said as he stopped and tried to cover himself with a towel. He was so embarrassed, he grew limp as Bobbie tugged on the towel. Now he was standing nude, looking at her, covering himself with both hands and felt cold, embarrassed, almost sick to his stomach.
She smiled again, and took his hand, leading him to the large master bedroom. "I always like to do it in my parent's bedroom. Their bed is so much bigger."
She dropped on the bed and looked at Kyle. She patted the spot next to her and smiled. "Come on, it's more fun when there's two of us."
Kyle was so nervous, he could barely feel his hands as he lay down next to her. His own cousin. Wasn't this wrong?
Bobbie giggled. She touched him and nothing was happening. "What's wrong, sweetie? Come on, let's have some fun!" She kept massaging him and he was still flaccid. Kyle grunted in frustrated, jumped off the bed and dashed out of the room. Bobbi giggled and followed.
Kyle was huddled on the porch, having found a towel to cover himself. Bobbie stepped out, still nude, and looked at Kyle.
"What's wrong? Don't like blondes? Don't like girls? Would it work better if I was a boy?"
"You're my cousin. It's wrong," Kyle muttered, then looked at Bobbie. She began rubbing herself.
"It's okay to watch. You might like it." She gasped while rubbing herself. Her breathing got faster as she rubbed, exposing herself to Kyle. Kyle had no reaction. As she stopped she looked at Kyle. "Man, you are no fun at all, are you?"
Then she began to laugh. She licked her finger and eyed him. "No reaction? I guess you are a faggot."
Kyle looked down, ashamed. He held the towel to himself and walked past her to the garage.
Bobbie followed. She was frustrated, this was the perfect situation to be a bad girl, break out of her mold, and that stupid boy was too weird for words. She found Kyle in the garage with his head down. "What's wrong with you, anyway? It worked fine last night, I saw!"
Kyle grew angry. Why was she torturing him? She should go back to where she belongs. All he saw was her smirk, the glint of evil in her eyes. His vision grew dark.
A voice broke through to him.
Take her. Take her for me. The voice was in his head, Bobbie showed no sign of hearing the voice
. A whispering, raspy, hoarse voice. I will protect you.
He turned to look Bobbie in the eyes. His hand shot out and grabbed his cousin by the throat. As he squeezed, his penis began to react. She grabbed at his hand, clawing at it with her fingernails.
Bobbie's eyes began to roll back into her head as Kyle held onto her neck as he grabbed himself and began masturbating. The look of terror in her eyes made him harder. He felt a thrill coursing through his body as her eyes lost focus, and rolled back into her head. The feeling of power. He felt his body grow more powerful as her life ebbed.
As he finished, he let go of his cousin. He had no idea of what he had just done, but the feelings were so very deep he forgot all about it as he began again, and again, and again as his cousin lay dead at his feet.
It was later that afternoon when Kyle seemed to regain awareness of what had happened. A heavy downpour had started from a line of thunderstorms moving through the area from the northwest. The rain had awakened him while he was still in the garage, and he stood up, still nude. He looked down at Bobbie, obviously dead, her blue eyes now dull and staring at nothing. He felt himself get hard again. He tried to ignore it. He went out into the yard and let the cold rain wash over him. He looked back and felt as if he was standing outside of himself.
Now, he panicked. He picked her up and carried her through the heavy rain and down to the lake. He waded into the water, still holding her. He washed his yellowing semen off her and walked her out further and further. After swimming for almost a mile offshore with her body in tow, he pulled her head up and looked at the unseeing eyes, rain hitting them and running down the lifeless face.
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