by Robin M Helm
Then he began to think more deeply about what was actually happening. He knew that Donovan and Akuji controlled Caroline, and that Gregory was always accompanied by Lucifer’s guard. Xander began to put the pieces together. Could this have been orchestrated to clear a path for Gregory with Elizabeth? Gregory was pure evil. Xander could feel it every time he was around the teenager. He clenched his jaw tightly as he thought of the lives that had been affected by this night’s work, the irreparable harm that had been done. This is a different kind of attack altogether; the approach has changed. A more insidious intelligence has planned this.
In his mind, Xander heard the Holy Spirit speak, The hour grows darker. Be evermore watchful, my guardian warrior. ‘Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.’ Ephesians 6:10-11. Xander nodded his understanding to his Master . . . and so the onslaught begins anew, my Adonai Jehovah. I will be ever diligent . . . ever watchful.
Richard was totally oblivious to the coming storm. He did not know he had been drugged. He had actively taken part, thinking he was dreaming, and he never noticed the flashing light as Caroline posed with him, smiling lasciviously, for Lydia’s camera. He was past caring about anything, and he was certainly no longer a virgin in any sense of the word.
Chapter 18
“He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. How blessed is the man who fears always, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”
Proverbs 28:13-14
Garnet and Ros remained by Richard’s side, silent and motionless, as they had been throughout the long night. Across the room, Donovan and Akuji faced them boldly, excited and eager for the teenagers to wake up, ready for the flood of emotion that would surely follow, waiting to feed off the anger, hatred, and panic that would fill the room. They had done their jobs well, and many lives would be mangled and ruined this day. Lucifer’s son would be pleased with them.
Across town, the Bennets, the Williamses, and Chance and Janna Bingley were in the Sunday morning worship service at Tabernacle; everything seemed to be normal. Xander, Niall, Roark, Raymond, Sacha, Alexis, and Hector stood close to their charges, knowing the inevitable heartbreak that awaited them and ready to offer as much comfort and peace as they could. The guardians knew that the events of the previous night would cause a tsunami of pain, and that the ripples of hurt from those actions would continue in the lives of their charges for many years. They knew that the effects of sin were never limited to the people who committed the transgressions. Innocent people were always caught in the web, and the suffering was spread wider than anyone could imagine when they were first entertaining thoughts of the temptation at hand.
~~oo~~
Richard squinted at the sunlight streaming in through the windows of the strange bedroom. Where am I? He vaguely remembered a party at Grant Willoughby’s house and stared at the ceiling trying to recall what had happened. The clock by the bed read 11:30, and somewhere in the fog that enveloped his brain he realized that it was Sunday morning; he had missed church. My parents will not be happy with me. El must be wondering where I am.
His mouth felt like cotton and tasted like old socks. He was surprised to find that he was completely naked under the sheet. His head pounded. Now I remember why I stopped drinking.
“Hello, Hotness,” said a sultry voice from beside him.
He closed his eyes tightly. Oh, God, please tell me that that isn’t who I think it is. A hand began to stroke his chest and make its way southward. He jumped as if he had found a rattlesnake in bed with him.
“Are you up to another round?” the voice asked.
Richard grabbed her hand and raked it from his body. He turned his head and looked into the eyes that had tracked him for nearly two years. She leered at him possessively, and he wanted to vomit.
“Another round?”
Caroline was beginning to get irritated. This was not the response she had expected from Richard after he had enjoyed a night of being treated to her superlative skills.
“Yes, Einstein. Another round! I lost track after a couple of hours.”
“I don’t remember the first round, and I would rather drink Drano than touch you,” he told her, looking her straight in the eye.
“Oh, really? Sucks for you. You had no problem with touching me last night. Many times, in fact.” She rolled away from him, left the bed, and began to gather her clothes.
“So, you really scored, huh? You got me drunk and did me. What did that do for you, Caroline? Before this, I put up with you and your stalking. Now I’ll avoid you like the plague that you are.”
She whirled to face him, conveniently ignoring the fact that she had drugged him. “You think you can treat me like this? I’m not a slut that you can use and then throw away, Richard. You will regret the things you just said,” she spat at him in spite, her eyes blazing.
“That’s exactly what you are, Caroline, and I won’t regret one word of it! That’s a promise.”
Richard got out of the bed, turned his back to her, and began to dress as quickly as he could. All he could think of was getting home and taking a bath. He shivered with disgust at himself.
“That’s what you think! You will be very sorry for the way you’ve talked to me! And, just to be crystal, you weren’t that great. Actually you were a big disappointment.”
Donovan and Akuji exulted in the destruction and followed Caroline out the door with Ros trailing dejectedly behind them.
Richard heard the door slam, and he suddenly knew that making Caroline angry probably was not the smartest thing he had ever done. Garnet thought, Making her angry really did not change the outcome. She had already planned what she would do. However, now she will receive greater satisfaction in soiling the lives of those around her.
~~oo~~
Richard made it home just before his parents got back from church. He went straight to the bathroom, undressed, and got into the shower, not even taking the time to go to his room for clean clothes. Wrapped in a towel, he brushed his teeth and had just made it to his room when he heard a car pull up into the driveway. Richard grabbed jeans and a T-shirt from a drawer and started dressing, his mind buzzing. He knew he was in big trouble.
Garnet stayed by him, knowing that the coming catastrophe could not be stopped and that there was little he could do to help Richard. He would have to face the consequences of his actions. He would have to reap what he had sown.
As soon as Richard’s dad was through the kitchen door, he headed for his son’s room. Not pausing to knock, he opened the door, stepped into the room, and looked at his son. Sacha was close behind him. “We missed you at church, Richard. It must have been something very important that kept you from calling us to let us know you were okay. Your mom and I have been worried.” Jim Williams spoke quietly, but firmly.
“Sorry, Dad. I overslept at Grant’s house. It won’t happen again.”
“That’s all? You overslept? If you have a problem, Richard, you know that you can talk to me.”
“No, there’s no problem, Dad. Everything’s fine.”
Jim looked unconvinced, but he turned to leave the room. He paused and looked back with his hand on the doorknob. “You should call El. She wanted to know where you were. We didn’t tell her anything, but I advise you to be honest with her.” He left the room, closing the door behind him.
Richard sat heavily on his bed, holding his cell phone. He pulled up El’s number and hit “call.”
“Hello, Richard?”
It was wonderful to hear her voice. “Hi, El. I’m sorry I missed seeing you at church this morning.”
“I missed you, too. Where were you?”
“I spent the night at a friend’s house and overslept.” It’s the truth.
Do not lie to her, Richard.
“Whose house?”
Tell the truth,
Richard, Garnet said into his ear.
“A guy from school. You probably don’t know him.” She doesn’t know him very well.
Richard, she is far from being an idiot. She will see through your dishonesty.
“I thought you had a project to do, and then you were going to spend time with your parents.”
Garnet was exasperated. Richard was so focused on extricating himself from trouble that he was digging his hole deeper with every word.
“Those were my plans. He called when I was just finishing my project, so I went over to hang out. We were watching movies and it got late, so I stayed at his house.” This is getting worse, but if she knew the truth, she’d dump me.
“Oh. Okay.” She sounded hurt.
Xander stroked her hair gently. She sensed Richard’s deception, but she wanted to believe him.
“I’ll see you tonight at youth. Mom has lunch ready, and I know Janna and Chance are probably at your house. I gotta go. Maybe we can hang out and talk after church.” His voice held a note of finality.
“Fine. I’ll see you tonight. ‘Bye.” Her lower lip quivered. Something was not right, and she knew it.
“‘Bye. Love you, El.” At least that is the truth.
“You, too.” Elizabeth could not say the words he really wanted to hear. She lay face down on her bed, trying to figure out what was wrong with Richard. Xander stroked her back and whispered, It will be all right, my little one. Everything will be well. God will give you the strength to bear what you must.
Richard pushed the button to end the call. He hated lying to her, but he knew that she would never understand what he had done. He could not wrap his mind around it himself. What if she finds out? El is the only good thing in my life right now. I can’t lose her.
Garnet looked at him sadly. You already have.
Richard’s mother called to him that lunch was ready; he wearily walked to the dining room and took his seat, avoiding the eyes of his parents. It was obvious to them that something was very wrong with their son, and his mother was certain that Grant and Caroline had a great deal to do with whatever was bothering him. After a few minutes of silence, Mrs. Williams excused herself from the table and went to his bathroom. She found the clothes he had worn to Grant’s house and put them to her nose, sniffing. Holding his jeans and shirt between her index finger and her thumb, she went back to the dining room.
Garnet, Raymond, and Sacha stood along the walls of the small room, watching with trepidation as the drama unfolded.
“Richard, would you like to explain to your father and me why your clothes smell like a brewery?”
Richard hung his head; the food was like ashes in his mouth. Maybe confessing to drinking will keep them from asking about anything else, he thought.
Now you are using a portion of the truth to hide the rest of your sin. Garnet tried to reason with him.
“Grant had a party at his place last night while his parents were gone. I didn’t know they wouldn’t be there when I went. Everyone else was drinking, and I did it, too.”
His father wore a pained expression. “I thought you had stopped drinking, Richard.” Raymond stepped behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I had stopped, but I slipped up last night. It won’t happen again.”
“No, it won’t – at least for the next month. You’re grounded from everything except school and church. What did El say when you told her?”
Richard’s eyes were round. “I couldn’t tell her that, Dad. She wouldn’t understand at all.”
“You should have been honest with her. If she finds out from someone else, it will just be worse, you know,” his father replied.
“I’ll tell her at youth tonight. Okay?”
“That’s a good decision, Richard. A relationship that isn’t based on trust is worthless. Besides, she will find out from the other kids who were there.”
I just hope that’s all she finds out about, Richard thought morosely. Anyhow, that would be my word against Caroline’s. El will believe me.
His mother took his clothes to the laundry room and returned to the table.
“I need to finish my project. It’s due tomorrow.”
His parents watched him as he trudged from the room, head down and shoulders slumped. They knew their son well, and both of them felt that there was more to the story than what he was telling them.
~~oo~~
Xander and Garnet were ready for what was to come at Tabernacle that night.
As soon as he arrived at youth, Richard immediately went to Elizabeth, sat down beside her on the couch, and took her hand in his. They were listening to the youth pastor speak when his cell phone buzzed.
“Richard, I think you just got a text,” Elizabeth said into his ear.
“No, I didn’t,” he answered quietly, averting his eyes. Garnet blew his breath through his nose, his lips drawn firmly together in a line. Tell the truth!
Richard’s phone buzzed again, insistently.
“It might be your parents. You’d better look at it,” Elizabeth whispered.
Reluctantly, he took the phone from his pocket. The window indicated two messages from Caroline Bingley. Oh, no! This can’t be happening!
Elizabeth looked over at his phone. “What could Caroline want?”
Xander had a very good idea what Caroline wanted. She knew that Elizabeth and Richard would be in their youth group at this time, and she had chosen to text him when he would be with Elizabeth. From his place behind her, Xander placed his hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder.
“I have no idea.” His voice was monotone, emotionless.
“Aren’t you going to open the messages?” Elizabeth looked at him, puzzled.
“I have no interest in anything she has to say.”
That’s odd. “Well, I do.”
Elizabeth put her hand out for the phone. Richard did not give it to her, so she took it from his hand. They had always looked at each other’s messages. She didn’t understand why this time should be any different. Xander began to rub her shoulders. Be calm, little one.
She tapped in his password and the messages appeared.
“El, I need to talk to you first,” he began to plead. But it was too late. She had read Caroline’s texts.
You should have told her what really happened. You should have gone to her house after lunch, said Garnet aloud. The other guardians looked at him. He controlled his thoughts and held his peace.
“I had a great time last nite. Let’s do it again soon. Caro”
That message was followed by a more explicit one.
“I luv knowing I was your 1st time. U were the best I’ve ever had. Don’t worry. I won’t tell El. This will be our little secret. Caro”
Xander heard the scream in Elizabeth’s thoughts and wanted so badly to take her pain to himself. He would gladly have borne the hurt in her place.
Hot tears stung Elizabeth’s eyes as she threw the phone into his lap and ran from the building. Richard went after her, barely clearing the room before he started calling her name and begging her to wait for him. Xander and Garnet hurried after them.
She stopped in the parking lot, and Richard tried to put his arms around her. She twisted away and stood with her back to him, crying.
Xander moved in front of her and embraced her. He looked at Richard, and Garnet saw the anger in his steely eyes.
“El, let me explain.” Do not touch her, Richard, Garnet spoke loudly into Richard’s mind.
“Is it true?” she choked out between sobs.
Xander wanted to wipe her tears away. Her pain was his pain; her sorrow was his sorrow. He bent and put his lips to the top of her head. Give your heartache to me. I will bear it for you.
“Let me tell you what really happened.”
“I’m all ears, Richard. Did you sleep with Caroline?” She turned to look at him.
Garnet raised his voice, nearly shouting. The truth, Richard! Be sure your sins will find you out. You cannot continue to h
ide the truth.
Richard hesitated a moment and drew in a deep breath. “No, I didn’t. She’s lying. I did go to a party at Grant’s house last night, and I got drunk, but I never slept with Caroline.”
Xander lifted his head and vehemently questioned Garnet. Can he not tell the difference between truth and falsehoods? He does not deserve her.
“Why did you make up the lies about spending the night at some guy’s house and oversleeping? I eat lunch with Grant nearly every day. I know him very well, and I’ve talked enough about it that you should realize I know him.” She was no longer crying, but was staring at him, her eyes boring into his.
“I was afraid of losing you, El. I know how you feel about people getting drunk, and I thought you wouldn’t be able to forgive me.”
“Richard, it’s harder to forgive being lied to than it is to understand when you make a bad decision. I’m not perfect either. I mess up all the time, and I know how easy it is to get in over your head. Just don’t lie to me. We have to be able to trust each other.”
Garnet tried one more time. Richard, tell her what really happened. This could be your last chance.
Richard gazed at her and thought about making a clean breast of the whole, ugly situation, but he just could not bring himself to say the words. How can I tell her that I had sex with Caroline? She already believes me. Even if Caroline tells her what we did, she has no proof. El will never take her word over mine. He decided to keep his secret. God, I promise that I will never do anything like that again. Relief washed over him. El knew that he had gotten drunk, and she had forgiven him.
Just then, Joshua Lucas strode up, his guardian, Skylar, in his wake. Joshua, who was like a brother to Elizabeth, could tell that she had been crying, and he glanced at Richard with eyes that were hard and cold. Xander stepped to Elizabeth’s side as Joshua hugged her, turning her away from Richard. Hating what he had to do, Joshua spoke into her ear. “El, you need to come with me.”
Elizabeth looked up at Joshua and smiled. “It’s okay, Josh. I know what Richard did last night.”