The Guardian Trilogy

by Robin M Helm

  Within a few minutes, David was knocking on their door. Roark, grim-faced, was by his side.

  By the time David had finished talking with Richard and his parents, Jim and Delores had agreed on a course of action. Jim called Mrs. Miles, the principal of Peniel Christian Academy. She asked that Jim, Delores, and Richard meet her at the school in an hour. They agreed, and she proceeded to call each member of the school board to come to the school for a special meeting.

  ~~oo~~

  “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7

  During third period the next day at Peniel, the intercom squawked calling Caroline, Grant, and Lydia to the office. When they arrived, the office secretary directed them to the chapel. They were not worried at all. What they had done was off campus. It wasn’t anyone’s business but theirs. All three of the teens were absolutely certain that their parents would take up for them against the school administration. After all, they always had before. Besides that, they were seniors, and they would graduate in a few weeks. Nobody could stop that.

  As they opened the doors to the chapel, it became obvious why the meeting had not been held in the principal’s office. There was not room enough in there to hold all the people present in the meeting. Their parents were all there, as well as Mrs. Miles, the school board members, Jim and Delores Williams, and Richard. The guardians stood somberly near their charges. They knew that they were about to witness Psalm 7:14-18 in action. Behold, he travails with wickedness, and he conceives mischief, and brings forth falsehood. He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, and has fallen into the hole which he made. His mischief will return upon his own head, and his violence will descend upon his own pate.

  Mrs. Miles stood at the front of the middle row of pews at a podium, her guardian Alik beside her. She had a computer behind her on a table, already booted up and opened to Richard’s Myspace page. His parents and Mrs. Miles had asked him to wait a day to take down the comments and block his erstwhile friends, and though it meant exposing himself and his sin to this entire group of people, he had agreed to their request. He quickly navigated from his page to Caroline’s page, then to Lydia’s, and finally to Grant’s.

  Caroline stood, open-mouthed, before her parents, and all those present could see that they looked seriously displeased. Ros, on the other hand, wore a look that was very like hope. This might be exactly what she needs to bring her back to God. Caroline had finally overstepped her parents’ limits for her. Even they were shocked at the pictures, and they were in no mood to defend her behavior.

  In the meeting that had taken place earlier that morning with the school board and Mrs. Miles, Donald Bingley had tried everything in his arsenal to prevent his daughter from having to receive the full consequences of her actions. He had threatened the school with a lawsuit and called his lawyer, only to be told that because he had no chance of winning, it would be better not to expose Caroline further by showing the pictures of her in open court. He was also told that Richard could possibly countersue him and his family for invading his privacy by taking and publishing pictures of him without his consent; he could possibly win a huge judgment. Had the attorney known that Caroline had drugged Richard, he would have further warned Donald to avoid a rape charge at all costs, but Caroline had kept that secret well-hidden. Frustrated, Donald had offered the school fifty thousand dollars to make the problem go away. There had never been any time in his adult life that neither his power nor his money could solve his difficulties, but the school board would not be moved. Donald Bingley was angry, and as no other target was available, his daughter would have to answer for what she had done.

  Grant’s parents were no happier with him. He had used their home for the party, and for Caroline’s scheme to set up Richard. He had called Delores Williams and deceived her so that Richard’s parents would not look for him. Their country club circle would all know of their son’s behavior; their own children had probably been at the party as well. It was likely that the Willoughbys would lose some of their friends in the aftermath of this episode. Grant’s use of their home for a party with underage drinking and sexual activity could open them up to legal difficulties. The Willoughbys had known there would be trouble as soon as they had arrived home Sunday night. The house had been strewn with bottles, cans, and filth, and even their own bed had been used. While they sat in the degrading meeting, a professional cleaning crew was hard at work in their home, and they had seen from Donald Bingley’s antics that there was no buying or threatening their way out of the problem.

  Lydia’s parents would not even look at her. Her comments on Richard’s page, along with her pride in taking the disgusting pictures and posting them on her wall, made them ashamed of her. Though they were not church people, they had tried to be rear her with moral standards and had placed her at Peniel at great personal sacrifice. The Hendersons, unlike the Bingleys and the Willoughbys, were not wealthy people. Lydia’s mother and father both worked extra hours to pay her tuition, and she had greatly disappointed them.

  Mrs. Miles cleared her throat. “Caroline, Grant, Lydia, do you have anything to say for yourselves?”

  Caroline spoke quickly. “Mrs. Miles, I really don’t see how this is any of your business. It happened on a weekend off this campus.” Ros looked expectantly toward Mrs. Miles. He had confidence in her.

  Her father spoke brusquely, “Caroline, shut up and sit down.”

  “But, Daddy!” she whined.

  “I said, shut your mouth, sit down, and listen for once. You aren’t getting out of this, young lady. If my money was not enough, what makes you think that acting like a spoiled brat will work?”

  Ros actually smiled. Finally! There may be a chance for her yet.

  The three teens all sat, wondering what the school could possibly do to them. Detention? That was a joke.

  Mrs. Miles spoke in a moderated tone. “Caroline has raised a legitimate question. Richard, would you please go back to Caroline’s page?” Richard clicked on her name from his page. Her page came up.

  “Caroline, do you see the school name that’s listed in your information?”

  “Yes. It says ‘Peniel Christian Academy.’ What’s the problem?”

  “The problem, Caroline, is that you’ve linked the name of this school with your lewd, illegal activities and pictures. As distasteful as it has been for all of us present at this meeting, we have looked at your pictures and read the comments. If you will refer to your student handbook, you will find that using the name of this school in any way that reflects badly on its reputation before this community is grounds for immediate expulsion. Myspace has been named specifically in this section. Here is a handbook,” Mrs. Miles said, handing her a book opened to the correct page with the pertinent text highlighted. “Read it for yourself. Everyone else in this meeting has already read it. Remember that you signed the back page of the handbook, as did your parents, at the beginning of the year, promising to abide by the rules stated in the book. Here are the signed pages for you, Grant, and Lydia. In the state of South Carolina, this is a legally binding contract.” The principal held up the three pages as she spoke. “You are all equally guilty. The same things are on all of your pages.

  “I certainly take no pleasure in these proceedings. I have loved all three of you for many years, and it breaks my heart to have to do this, but you are seniors – leaders – in this school. If there is no punishment for your behavior, or if the consequences are not severe enough, it will encourage others to follow your example. We must think of what is best for everyone involved. The testimony of the school is at stake. Allowing you to graduate after what you’ve done would severely hamper our ability to minister in this town. People place their children with us to avoid the type of influence that you are exhibiting. I hope that you will allow God to use this in your lives to bring you closer to Him. I will be praying for you and your families.” Mrs. Miles spoke kindly but firmly.

  “But, we
’re supposed to graduate in a few weeks! We’ve been coming here since kindergarten! You can’t do this!” cried Lydia.

  “The board has already voted, Lydia. This is not a negotiation. We are simply letting you know the decision that has been reached. This is a private school; you have no other agency to which you can appeal. Your parents are in agreement with the decision of the board. All three of you should be expelled; however, we have offered your parents the opportunity to withdraw you so that an expulsion will not be on your records. All of your parents have accepted the offer. While you have been in here, your teachers have packed up your belongings and sent them to the office.”

  “But how are we supposed to finish school and go to college?” Grant asked.

  “We are willing to help your parents homeschool you for the last few weeks of your courses by providing copies of the teachers’ lesson plans and your tests and quizzes should your parents choose to join a homeschool association, but you will not receive a diploma with the name of this school on it. Your diploma would be issued by the homeschool association, if you choose to go that route. We will submit a transcript to the college of your choice with your grades through the first semester of your senior year. For the second semester, your transcript will simply say, “Withdrawn.” Some colleges will accept that. Some may require that you pass the GED exam. Your parents will need to contact the college of your choice and talk to the admissions department. I recommend the local junior college for your first two years. They will be more likely to work with you. This meeting is adjourned.”

  “But, Mrs. Miles!” began Caroline, wailing.

  Mr. Bingley stood quickly to his feet. “Caroline, shut up for once in your life. Wait for us in the car. We’ll pick up your things,” her father said sharply, his irritation evident.

  “I’ll just take my car,” she sniffed.

  “What car? You don’t have a car. I have a car. I paid for it, and my name is on the title. Actually, you don’t own anything, because you’ve never worked a day in your life. That’s about to change, Caroline. Life as you knew it is over. Tell your friends ‘goodbye’ here and now. You won’t be seeing them again. While you’re at it, hand me your cell phone. You won’t need it, because you won’t be talking to anyone for a long while. Now go!” Caroline’s father was a large, tall man, and he was very angry. She wisely backed away and joined her family as they began to walk out.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Bingley,” Richard said.

  “Yes, Richard?” said the older man, stopping in the aisle and turning to face the teen. Everyone in the chapel looked toward Richard.

  “I have a request before you all leave.”

  “We will be happy to do whatever we can for you, Richard. What do you want?” asked Mr. Bingley, thinking of his lawyer’s advice and his family’s connections. He had not forgotten that Chance was married to Janna, the sister of Richard’s girlfriend, and that it would be Caroline’s fault if Elizabeth broke up with the boy. Donald Bingley did not yet know how the Bennets would view his family after this debacle, but he wanted to do whatever was possible to salvage the acquaintance. He also realized that there was still a very real possibility that the Williamses would file a lawsuit against his family. After all, that is what he would do if the situation were reversed.

  Alik, Garnet, and the other guardians were disgusted with his self-serving thoughts. Ros said, It has ever been so, since the first moment I have been with Caroline’s family.

  “I want these albums and comments to be deleted right now, here, before anyone leaves,” said Richard evenly, looking at Caroline, Lydia, and Grant by turn. Garnet stood staunchly by his charge.

  “Caroline will be very happy to do that, won’t you, Caroline?” her father said, looking at her pointedly. If the evidence is deleted, there will be less chance of the Williams family winning in court.

  Richard logged out and stood beside the computer.

  Caroline scowled, but made her way back up the aisle. She logged in to Myspace and pulled up her profile. With a perfectly manicured nail, she hit the delete button for the album and it disappeared. Then she removed each comment on her page and logged out. She turned up her nose at Richard and rejoined her parents.

  “Grant, Lydia?” Richard asked.

  Their parents glared at them, and they also went to the computer, logged in, and removed the albums and comments from their pages. Grant looked up at Richard. “I’m sorry, man. That was really a stupid thing to do.” Lydia nodded her agreement. Hanging their heads, they followed their parents out of the chapel.

  Richard joined his parents, their three protectors shadowing them.

  Anne Bingley, Caroline’s mother, had wept silently through the proceedings, but she now approached the Williams family. “I’m very sorry for all of the trouble Caroline has caused you, Richard.”

  Richard squared his shoulders. “I should have said ‘no’ in the first place. If I hadn’t gone to the party, I wouldn’t have gotten into trouble. Sure, Caroline set me up, but she couldn’t have done it without my cooperation.” Garnet smiled. He has learned much from this. It came at great cost, but it will stand him in good stead throughout his life.

  “That’s very generous of you, Richard. What will you do now?” asked Mrs. Bingley.

  “I plan to enter the military as soon as I can after graduation. My parents are already helping me with the paperwork. I want to be a Marine, like my father,” Richard said, looking at his dad with pride. His father put his arm around Richard’s shoulders and smiled a little sadly.

  “Richard will be fine. Thanks for your concern, Mrs. Bingley. He has to get back to school now, but I’m sure we’ll see you sometime when Chance and Janna are in town. I hope everything works out well for you.”

  Mrs. Williams and Raymond returned to her classroom while Richard and his dad thanked Mrs. Miles and the school board members for their time. Afterward, father and son walked out together, Sacha and Garnet trailing silently behind them.

  Chapter 20

  “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

  II Corinthians 11:14

  September 2006

  The Dark Lord and his son descended slowly into the warehouse, their guards close on their heels. As they settled to the floor, their black satin capes gently swirled around their feet with a muted swishing sound. Father and son walked side-by-side, boots clicking on the wooden floor. Upon reaching the dais, they stepped up and seated themselves, Gregory at the right hand of his father. On a third throne to his left, Lucifer placed a gargantuan rattlesnake which immediately coiled tightly, its tail twitching malevolently and its head raised to view the proceedings with cold, unnaturally intelligent eyes. The serpent hissed and turned its gaze to Lucifer who stroked the snake with his long, beautifully tapered fingers.

  The assembled demons each knelt silently on one knee, heads bowed inconspicuously, peeking at the animal with trepidation from under their hoods. This was the first time that Dark Spirit had attended a meeting; it was significant.

  Lucifer regally surveyed his underprinces and captains; then he nodded to the Dark Son. Gregory scanned the room unhurriedly and, finding those he sought, spoke in a voice that was rich and melodic.

  “Ryu, Tala, step forward,” he called.

  The hulking demons obeyed instantly, striding quickly to the front of the crowded space and kneeling before the thrones.

  “Remove your hoods.”

  This was an unusual command, but the underprince and his captain showed no surprise. With rapid movements, they raised their hands and pushed their hoods back.

  “Look at me.”

  The dragon, his fiery red hair flowing down his back, and the wolf, with a closely-shorn head of dark-brown waves, looked up expectantly into Gregory’s beautiful face. He was smiling; they were stunned.

  “You have served me well. The boy, Richard, is no longer an impediment to our plans. My friendship with the girl, Elizabeth, progresses. I seek to ruin he
r, as we did the human boy. Killing her at this time is unnecessary. It will be more effective to destroy her reputation; I can always dispose of her later. As of this moment, all attacks on Elizabeth and her family will cease until further notice.”

  A murmur of surprise rippled through the ranks.

  “Silence! I will not be questioned or doubted.” Gregory’s eyes flashed crimson. His smile evaporated. He spoke harshly, in a commanding tone.

  “We will never get past Xander by continuing a frontal assault on Elizabeth. Xander expects that, and he is prepared for it. He is now wearing the armor of a warrior.” His voice became softer, modulated almost as if he was talking to imbeciles.

  “The time has not yet come. Let us lull Xander into complacency. When his guard is down, when he no longer expects it, I will take her. If she is willing, he cannot interfere, and I assure you that I will not have to force her into anything. Even Xander cannot protect a human against her own free will. Did you learn nothing from the success of my plan with Richard and Caroline?”

  Gregory waited for his words to take effect. “Every day I grow more powerful. With each earth year that passes, I am stronger. I have mastered the dark arts. In two earth years, even the great Xander will not be able to defeat me,” he said with absolute confidence.

  Lucifer stood, raising his son with him and holding their joined hands in the air. The poisonous snake slithered up his other arm and draped himself across their shoulders.

  “This is my only begotten son. Hear him!”

  A roar began in the ranks and swelled until it shook the building. Applause and cheers erupted as the dark ones stood and stomped their feet in rhythm.

  The unholy trinity basked in the adulation of their servants, and Lucifer’s pride grew to proportions unseen since the rebellion in heaven. The thick darkness swelled and grew, expanding exponentially until it sucked in the very moonlight that surrounded the building. Evil rolled from the building in waves and crept silently through the streets, its stench permeating the area, blotting out the moon and the stars. All was pitch black within and without.