Gwen's story
an excerpt

Gwen’s Story
Written by Lady Jan

Chapter One
The party

Arthur glanced around the room as he stood nursing his room temperature beer and checked out the young ladies in their Halloween costumes; each and every one was too thin with over-proceeded straightened hair that their ears stuck through. They also wore too much make-up, but hey it was Halloween, they also had as usual thick coats of gloss covering their over inflated collagen injected lips. Their style of dress was pretty much the same too; too small, too short some with revealing medsections not that he minded the view, but they all just looked pretty much the same even in costume.

He’d like to see someone different, he had already dated most of the girls in the room, and even their personalities were the same; catty, spoilt and self-absorbed. The nicest prettiest girl in the room was his sister Melisa who was hosting this little shin-dig, and her invite was the only reason he was here.

What I wouldn’t give to see someone new?

A blast of cold air announced another arrival just as Katrina came over and started to paw at his arm she was dressed as a devil’s doll. “Oh, Arthur I’ve missed you so much since we broke-up,” she pouted with super glossy lips. “Haven’t you missed me?” And then she tried to give him a glimpse of her cleavage in her tight v-neck red dress not that she had much as skinny as she was.

“Not really,” he glanced toward the door; he got a glimpse of someone short and stout taking off their leather fringed coat.

“Not even a little bit?” she whined, and then her expression took on a predatory look. “Oh God, it’s that dreadful girl.”

“Who?” he glanced back at a short person holding her coat like she wondered what to do with it now that she had it off. She was dressed as a cowgirl with a green Western style shirt and white hat; her blue jeans had seen some wear, and what completed the outfit looked like real leather cowboy boots. She had a heart shaped face and a head full of thick curly dark brown hair that hung heavily down her back, not at all the fashion. And the only bit of make-up was lipstick on her narrow but full lipped mouth, which he could tell even at this distance were natural; no collagen added. He also realized that she wasn’t so much stout as very full figured; with large breasts, a narrow waist and nicely rounded hips. Hmm, there is something to say for a full figured gal.

“I hate her,” snarled Katrina.

The young woman must have heard because she shot her a green eyed glare, which made Katrina take a step back.

“She has fire,” Arthur commented in admiring tone of voice.

“I do too,” Katrina interjected.

“Gwen,” shouted Melisa from across the room. “I’m so glad you came.” She sailed across the room in her Glenda “the good witch” costume, and swept up the shorter woman in a hug.

But that was Melisa for you; very sweet very affectionate. And I wish I could find a woman just like her, thought Arthur, I’d never let her go.

Melisa walked the new girl past him, and Katrina backed out of the way like she was on fire.

“When I spoke to you earlier you said you wouldn’t be able to make it?” Melisa asked.

“My plans changed. I went home and found my house filled with a black robed crowd.”

“What? Black robed?”

“My little sister was entertaining,” the young woman sighed then hung her coat in the coat closet that Melisa had opened for her. “She was having a séance.”

“O-oh, for real?” butted in someone’s little sixteen year old sister dressed as a princess.

Arthur tried to remember, oh yeah Rachael’s sister Amy bug, real annoying. She probably tormented Rachael into bringer her today. That’s why I broke it off with Rachael she was such a push over for the little brat.

“Um, yeah, a real live séance,” Gwen answered.

“Can I go?” Amy asked.

“Oh no sweet heart, even I wasn’t invited and I lived there,” she replied.

“Oh, poo,” the pushy brat sulked crossing her arms, and Rachael dressed as an angel come over right on cue placed her arm across her shoulders.

“What did your mom say about your sister having a séance?” Melisa asked.

“My mom took off to Reno and got married, and she’s on her Honeymoon right now so she doesn’t know. And when she gets back; she’ll be living with her new husband and my sister Winnie and I have will have the house all to ourselves. And Winnie is just taken advantage of the fact that mom’s gone, because she knows mom would not approve of this at all.”

“I’m sorry Gwen, that’s terrible. Hey, can you help me with something?” asked Melisa.

“Sure,” she said and Melisa led her off.

“Arthur, why did you keep staring at her?”

“Who?”

“That dreadful woman, that girl Gwen.”

“I guess because she was easy on the eyes.”

“I’ll say,” agreed a young man he didn’t know, and he stared at him till he went way.

“Aren’t I easy on the eyes?” Katrina pouted.

“You’re all angles, and sharp elbows and knees,” he told her, and he had to admit to himself; that was one of the reason I had broke it off with her last week; I got hit too many times in the ribs by her pointed elbows and it kind of erased some of her charm. Plus there was nothing soft about her; not her body nor her personality.

“Put I’m thin and Gwen’s fat!”

“No she has curves,” Arthur disagreed, “and your anorexic.”

“I am not,” Katrina huffed.

“Then why when I stayed over did I hear you puking in the bathroom?”

“Um, um,” she stuttered, but was saved from answering when Melisa and Gwen came back into the room with their arms full.

“We’ll just put it right here,” Melisa told Gwen. “I’m glad you’re here, an art major will know how to put this stuff up.”

“Yeah, I do have the experience,” she chuckled, and set-up the easel with practice ease, then placed on it the oversized clip board along with a just as large drawing pad. “What are the art supplies for anyway?”

“I remember playing the drawing game when I was younger, and it was so much fun that I thought I have it for one of tonight party games. The only thing is you can’t buy that game anymore so I had to make it up from memory. I even had to figure out how to make the card deck with index cards and an indelible marker.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Gwen reassured her.

“Okay, everybody come over and play a game with us,” Melisa waved people over. “And Arthur you too.”

Arthur sat down his beer that was too flat to drink anymore anyway, and came over glad to leave Katrina sulking against the wall.

“Arthur this is Gwenda Dre`ful a second year art student. Gwen this is my very smart, very intelligent, very handsome brother Arthur Castel,” Melisa introduced him. “And he is going to graduate this year and make the family proud, when he passes the bar and becomes a lawyer and joins our daddy at his law firm.”

“Hello very smart, very handsome man,” Gwen grinned and stuck out her hand.

Arthur took it and was surprised at her firm grip and calluses; she gave his hand two firm pumps before letting go. “Dre`ful what nationality is that?” he inquired, then found himself distracted by the tight pearl snap buttons on her blouse; he imagining unsnapping then down to just where it wasn’t taunt anymore, and seeing what kind of bra she was wearing underneath. He was hoping it was a plunge bra.

“Dre`ful, it is French, no,” she told him with a fake French accent. Then after a moment added, “Hey, buddy my eyes are up here.”

Embarrassed he quickly looked into the amused twinkle in her eyes. “Er, sorry,” he apologized.

“Yeah, I get that all the time.”

“Arthur stop undressing my guest with your eyes it’s embarrassing,” his sister scolded as she rolled her eyes at him. “Okay, you guys sit here,” she directed indicating one of the two couches facing each other.” Arthur and Gwen sat down obediently side by side looking up at her. “Hmm, Katrina you’re not with Arthur anymore so let’s put you on the opposite side, and it’ll make things more interesting when you try to beat his team.”

“Yeah, well she can try,” challenged Arthur.

“You’re on,” Katrina answered back, as she sat down on the opposite couch.

“You want to bet on that?”

“Put up or shut up,” Katrina answered as she reached into her padded bra and pulled out some bills.

Arthur reached for his wallet in his plush velvet gentlemen’s jacket, his costume was an English gentlemen a la Jane Eyre. “Gwen did you want to bet too?”

“Um, no that’s okay.”

“Oh Arthur, Gwen never bets, she just isn’t in our league, are you deary? That’s because she’s just a poor farm gal and will always be one,” Katrina said with false sincerity.

“Whatever, Katrina,” Gwen rolled her eyes and rubbed her hands on her jeans getting comfort from the soft material, then looked off to one side.

“That’s not a costume she’s wearing either, that’s a real down on the farm, farm clothes,” Katrina said snidely.

“Actually these are my nice clothes, and I wear them when I ride my pony down Main Street in the Old Timer’s day parade.”

“Really?” Arthur asked getting a better look at her outfit.

“Yes, see the extra stitching and the loops on my blouse, and it even has sparkles in the thread. And this is real leather and silver,” Gwen indicated her bola tie next, and my boots and hat have real silver conches on them.”

“What no chaps?” Katina sneered.

“Well no, I thought wearing those might have been too much for a dress-up party,” then her eyes raked over Katrina devil’s costume. “At least I’m more covered up then you are in that belt your wearing.”

“Belt? I’m not wearing a belt!”

“Honey, when you’re wearing something that covers only your mid section, and nothing else,” ––Then she smiled and nodded–– “it’s a belt.”

“It’s covering me up,” Katrina frowned and tugged at her top.

“Katrina, I can see you’re wearing pink panties with red hearts.” Then she glanced down. “Oops my mistake it’s a thong.”

Katrina jumped up and tugged down on her red mini dress, snapped off her devil’s tail and making the top go further down and showing her bra. A couple of people laughed and she glared at them. “Here Arthur a fifty to your fifty,” Katrina snapped as she slapped down a bill down on the coffee table. “And Gwen since you not really in our league, I’ll give you a handy cap I’ll put my fifty to your twenty--if you’ve got a twenty?”

Gwen reached into her pocket and started pulling out crumpled one dollar bills, then a five. “It’s true I don’t normally bet, and I may have twenty dollars if I count this all up.”

Arthur noticed that there seemed to be a surprising amount of bills in her pockets. “Where did you get all the bills?” Then he realized belatedly that was probably rude. Oops. “Um, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I’m a waitress and these are my tips. I jammed them in my pocket in case I need to fill-up with gas on the way home. I’m driving the farm truck and it really gobbles up the gas.”

Katrina crossed her arms and tapped the toe of her shoe, then sighed like this was taking way too long.

“I thought you lived and worked on a farm?” he asked her.

“I do but I’m also a college art student, and art students always need money for art supplies, lunch and gas money. So I get up early and do my farm chores, then go to college, then work as a waitress at the Cottage Kitchen after school.”

“That’s sounds like a lot of work,” he asked.

“It is, but the tips are good,” she admitted. “Ah, eighteen, nineteen, twenty,” then she placed the amount down on Katrina’s fifty, and Arthur laid his fifty on the other bill.

“About time,” snapped Katrina and she sat down.

“Okay, if the drama is over let’s get started,” said Melisa who had been busy rounding up enough players to make the game interesting, and had heard some of what was said and wasn’t pleased.

“Yeah, we’re ready, and I’m ready to win my winnings,” Katrina smirked then looked Arthur up and down like she thought he might be one of the thing in the winners pot.

Arthur frowned at her tired of her sex kitten act, because he found out it was just an act.

“Okay, Katrina, Arthur your team captains; stand up here, and call heads or tails so we’ll see who’s team goes first,” Melisa told them.

“Heads,” Katrina called standing up.

“Tails, since that’s the only side left,” Arthur added joining her.

Melisa tossed the coin then caught it in the air them slapped it on her wrist, and then peeked under her hand. “Its tails,” she announced, as she let first Arthur look as he had won then a disgruntled Katrina too.

“Okay Arthur who’s your first team member to do this?”

“Gwen, since she’s an art student. Maybe she can show us how it’s done.”

“Okay Gwen, here’s the marker and take a card but don’t tell anybody what it is; you have to draw it, and if your team can guess what it is before two minutes then your team wins. There’s also a bonus point if you can figure out the theme for the game.”

“Oh-okay,” Gwen said nervously taking the marker.

“Okay, pick a card,” Melisa directed her and hit the stop watch button.

Gwen looked at the card and smiled, she was going to like this game. She started to draw a ‘U’ shape then two lines underneath.

“A goblet!” Arthur shouted.

Gwen shook her head then drew curly lines over the top and down the sides.

“A flagon of beer, no ale!” Rachael sitting next to him yelled.

Gwen shook her head then drew two ‘U’ shapes underneath the first part of the drawing, then connected the two lines of what looked like a beer goblet with two flowing lines on either side. Finally she drew two connecting lines from under the two ‘U’s then drew them straight down.

When she did a couple of loops at the bottom Arthur knew what it was. “A mermaid!”

“Yes,” Gwen smiled as she showed everyone the card.

“Okay, Katrina your team is up next. Who are you going to send up to start?”

“Me,” she said as she stood up and took the marker. She picked up a card and frowned.

“Okay, go,” Melisa called.

Katrina drew a straight line then pointed to it.

“Street? Road?” called some of her team mates.

Katrina shook her head, then drew cars on it, and pointed again.

“Main Street? The Main drag?”

Katrina shook her head again, then drew roundish shapes on either end of the line and pointed again.

“Uh, uh, a tight rope walking car?”

Katrina shook her head again then drew several curved line underneath.

“A bridge? A Barge?”

“I’m sorry Katrina you’re out of time,” Melisa told her, and took the marker out of her hands.

“What was it?” her team mates asked.

“The Golden gate bridge,” she sulked, “Melisa that was too hard.”

“I tried to make a few hard and a few easy like I remember the real game being. I’m sorry that one was too hard on you, but maybe the next one will be easy.”

“Arthur your team is next, who do you want to go next?”

He looked at Gwen again.

“No Arthur, you’ll have to give someone else the next one,” Melisa scolded.

“Okay, I want to try it this time,” he got up and took the marker. “This doesn’t look hard, and I think I’m starting to remember this game too.” He picked up a card.

“Okay, go,” shouted Melisa.

Arthur looked at his card, frowned and started to draw a circle, then loops on the outside of the circle.”

“A flower!” shouted Linda sitting next to her sister.

Arthur touched his nose and smiled but he kept drawing, then he drew a ragged shape around the flower with two loops in the middle of one side then he pointed at the flower then the other shape around it. He looked back at his team mates Rachel and her little sister were shouting, along with a few other girls he had casually dated, how did that happen? I’ve got mostly the ones I ended the relationship as friends on my side, and on Katrina side are mostly the ones I had the worst time with, and a guy Jason somebody, whom I took his girl right form under his nose. Oh hell, that was the guy from earlier, the one I stared down. He noticed Gwen wasn’t shouting, she was looking at the drawing with her head to one side trying real hard to puzzle it out.

Then she smiled. “The theme, the theme is California. It’s California Poppy!” Gwen shouted. Everyone stopped and stared at her.

“She’s right,” Arthur showed everyone the card. “How did you figure it out?”

“The golden gate bridge, and the California poppy; that shape is roughly the shape of California right?”

“Yes,” Arthur admitted. “But I’m not very good at maps.”

“But yours was a mermaid,” Katrina snarled, “How can that be part of the theme?”

“There is a licensed California Mermaid, a woman named Vira Burgerman who is our only licensed and trademarked mermaid by the State of California. I was doing research on Mermaids’ when I was doing a series of paintings, and found that she blesses the fleet at the Fishermen’s Festival in Bodega Bay; it’s the theme for the evening,” she told them excitedly, “Melisa didn’t make it hard, it’s all clues, all to do with California.”

“Very good Gwen, and your team get’s an extra point for you figuring this out,” Melisa told her.

“Not fair,” huffed Katrina.

“I’m sorry Katrina but that was the bonus point, but you have a chance of getting it even on the points on the next round.”

“O-oh, alright,” she sulked then looked over her group assessing them as player’s. She did so want to beat not just Gwen, but now Arthur too and wipe that smug smile off his face. “Brittany, you’ve drawn before, get up there.”

“Okay, but I only do cartoons,” she said modestly.

“That’s all that’s needed here,” Melisa reassured her as she handed her the marker.

Brittany picked up a card and looked relieved and started to draw. It was obviously a chicken, but when her team member yelled “chicken” she nodded and kept on drawing, and that got them confused. It wasn’t until she drew the baseball cap on the chicken head and a bat in his hand, that Arthur realized what was wrong.

“Times up,” Melisa said.

“What was it,” Katrina demanded.

“The San Diego chicken; he’s the baseball team mascot,” Brittany apolitically told her.

“Melisa that’s too hard,” Katrina complained again, “we’re already three points behind, how will we ever make that up? If Gwen was able to get mermaid without her team knowing that Vira what-ever-person, then I think we should be able to get the chicken,” Katrina demanded.

“I’m sorry Katrina but no, Vira Brugman isn’t as well known as the San Diego Chicken, and your teammates should have got him.”

“But, but ‘the chicken’ is a mascot of a sports team, and that’s not fair we’re women we’re not into sports.”

“I would have given you that, but for one thing,” replied Melisa not giving any ground.

“Oh, what’s that?”

“You have one man on your team,” she told her.

Katrina looked surprised at that, and looked around at the one man on her side, and he actually slunk down in his seat at her fierce glare. “Jason, why didn’t you know the answer?”

“I didn’t know what she was drawing anymore than you did,” Jason replied defending himself.

The rest of the game didn’t get much better, because Katrina had her team so rattled that they couldn’t even think straight. Brittany finally had come through for Katrina on her next turn giving her team their only point. Melisa finally ended the game just to get it over with, and declared Arthur the winner with one to six points in his teams favor.

“God, I’m glad that’s over with,” Melisa told Gwen as she helped her gather up the home made game cards. “Hey, do you want the easel and the other art supplies?”

“Huh? Why would you want to give them away? I know how much money you must have spent, the easel alone must have sent you back quite a bit, and I should know I’ve been pricing them and haven’t been able to afford one yet.”

“Oh, please take it then, it’ll make me feel better knowing you have it. I don’t want to look at any of it anymore. When we played this game this evening it just wasn’t as much fun as it as I remembered it. In fact it was rather stressful,” she admitted.

“But profitable,” Arthur added. “Here Gwen here’s your winnings,” he handed her some money, “and I’ll help you take that easel out to your truck as well.”

“Oh, okay, thank you,” she stuck the money in her pocket not even bothering to count it. Then he watched her fold up the easel, and then he took it from her. “I don’t know how you do that without pinching your fingers in it.”

“Practice,” Gwen grinned at him.

“I thought you said you didn’t have one?”

“I don’t but I do use the ones in class.”

She got her coat on, and he followed her out to the truck and set the new easel in the back, and took the big clip board and pad from her and set them in too. He watched her take out her truck keys. “You’re not leaving now are you?”

“Yeah, the séance that my sister was having at the house is probably over by now, and I have another busy day tomorrow so I got to get home so I get to bed at a reasonable time.”

“Well, I am glad to have met you,” he told her. “Hey, I’ve got a party at my new condo this next weekend why don’t you come?”

“A new condo? What is it some kind of house warming party?”

“Yeah, something like that. My dad just bought me a new condo for getting a good grade point average, and in anticipating of my graduation from college this year.”

“It must be nice being a rich man’s son,” Gwen commented dryly.

“Yeah, I suppose it is,” he said, as he thought about it from her perspective, growing up on a farm and not having much, it must have been rough. “Would you like to come?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, and edged toward the truck door like she wanted to make a break for it.

“I’ll be having beer, chips, a six foot sandwich and all the accouterments of a party.”

“Oh, yeah, that six foot sandwich sounds like something really hard to miss,” she said as she opened the truck door. “But I don’t drink and I’ll probably be busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Probably work,” she admitted and climbed into the truck.

“Aw, can’t you play hooky for just one night and come over to my place and
have a good time? I’ll even put in a supply of soda, if you’ll name your favorite brand?”

“Well, I do favor coke, but I have chores to do and a shift at the Cottage Kitchen, and there’s this painting I have to do for class.”

“Do you have a paper and pencil or pen?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Watch your mouth buddy, you never say that to an art major and live.” Then she laughed at his surprised expression. “Here,” she reached over and grabbed a sketch book sharing space with various art supplies on the passenger seat, then ripped a page out and handed it to him along with an art pencil.

“Oh, thanks,” he said, and wrote his phone cell phone number and his address, then after a thought drew a rough map of where the condo was located. I’m going to have to watch my step with this one, he thought, she’s not like the other women that I have dated. She’s as skittish as a colt; he smiled liking the analogy because of her cowgirl outfit.

“I hope that you can make it, I’d like to see you again,” he told her as he gave her the paper.

“I’ll try,” she promised.

Then he watched her start the engine and drive away. I do hope she comes; this whole evening would have been a total waste if she hadn’t shown up tonight. Interesting things seem to happen around her.

What she didn’t tell him or his sister was that she had a feeling that she needed to get home right this minute, and also that it was probably already too late. I bet anything my feeling has to do with Jacob the leader of that séance of Winnie’s and she is enamored of Jacob. Funny I don’t normally have premonitions that’s usually mom’s or Winnie’s department.

Chapter Two
Jacob

Gwen parked the car right next to Jacobs black sports car. “Damn he is still here,” she said to herself. She got out her new things from the back of the truck; she was so short she had to climb the side to get them.

She opened the front door with her key and heard, “Oh God, oh God.” And a repetitive squeak that had to be her sister’s bed.

“Craaap!” she stepped back outside and shut the door. Good God in heaven I am too late.

She set her things on the front porch, and got her flash light out of the truck and checked on the horses. Her pony a dapple gray gelding named Smoky Joe wicker at her and hung his head over the fence. “Hi Smoky,” she rubbed his velvet mussel, then stroked his forehead and touched his fuzzy ears even though he didn’t like that and jerked his head, then she rubbed and scratched his poll and he moaned enjoying it. “Hey do you want a carrot? I’ll go get us a carrot, okay?”

She turned on the flash light and opened the gate into the garden and went straight to the carrot patch and felt around for a nice fat carrot. She pulled one up and brushed it off and rinsed it off under the nearby facet. She took a bite out of it and then gave the rest to Smoky and petted him for a while then checked on the chickens. “Hello ladies,” she greeted them and they sleepily clucked back at her, they were already settled in for the night on their perch. Gwen ran the flash light around the bottom of the chicken coup checking for mice or rats. They had to add powdered hot peppers to the chicken feed to discourage the rodents, but the peppers didn’t bother chickens just critters with lips.

By the time Jacob said good night to Winnie and stepped outside Gwen was on the porch whittling on a stick, with a wicked looking knife that had belonged to their father. “Oh hello, Gwen, I didn’t know you were back already. Was it a nice party?”

“It was fine, I’m assuming the séance went well?” she sarcastically answered.

“Yes, and it’s too bad you couldn’t stay, because we were about to contact your father,” he told her proudly.

“Oh really,” she intoned not looking at him, but was concentrating on a long curl of wood.

“Yes, and he had a message for you, do you want to hear it?”

“Not really.”

“Why not? I can’t understand your apathy,” he told her as he came to stand in front of her.

She stopped and looked up at him, he was a tall man with really white skin and black hair well past his shoulders, and he had a black mustache that ran into a goatee. He also had those dreadful stretchers in his ears she noticed. Arthur had black hair too, she thought as she compared the two men, and just to his shoulders, but his eyes are an honest brown not the penetrating blue like this guy’s got; it’s like he want to know everyone’s secrets. “It’s not apathy it’s disgust.”

“What?” he smiled at her, “I don’t understand.

“You . . . are . . . a fraud,” she told him and peeled off another curl of wood.

His smiled slipped a little. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but if you stayed with us today you would see that I am truly gifted.”

“No, you have a modicum of talent and a lot of charisma, and your real talent is in conning lonely little old women out of their savings.”

“Your sister doesn’t feel that way,” he was frowning at her now.

“My sister is a naive little fool that dropped out of high school because it got too hard.”

“Your sister is very talented, and she came to me for help developing it.”

“To what? To read Tarot cards for a living?” she asked sarcastically, as she continued to carve out long curls of wood, he did noticed that the end was getting very sharp, and it seemed to be pointed in his direction.

He swallowed hard before continuing, “Is that really so bad? She also told me you’re talented too, and so is the rest of your family.”

She frowned up at him, but didn’t answer.

“She said you’re empathic, and your mom is clairvoyant, and your brother is gifted with animals.”

“My mom has woman’s intuition and brother is a vet, he has to be talented with animal.”

“You know it’s more than that,” he stated.

She stopped and glared at him and he stepped back with the force of that look. “What we are is none of your damn business. All that you really need to know is that we are hard working people, we give back to the community in which we live, and we do harm to no one.”

“I can help you develop your talent too.”

“I don’t need your help!” She flipped around her knife and stabbed it into the wood arm of the Aaron back chair that she was sitting on. She stuck it in so hard that it vibrated. “You see this?” she asked showing him the stick. “Do you know what it is?”

“No.”

“It’s a stake, and do you know what this stake is for?”

“No, but I’m beginning to think it can’t be for anything good.”

“It’s to stab into your lying heart the moment you hurt my sister.”

Jacob put up his hands and backed up. “I don’t intend to hurt anyone the least of all your sister.”

“Yet you screwed my little sister,” Gwen slowly stood up.

Jacob noticed that she was only five foot tall and didn’t even come up to his shoulder, but she radiated so much menace that he was afraid of her.

“Your sister is eighteen, and of age.”

“Of age to what?” her voice rose high and excited. “For you to screw? And how old are you thirty-five?”

“No, I’m just barley thirty,” he kept backing up and she kept fallowing him, until she had him up again one of the porch post. She wasn’t pointing the stick at him anymore she didn’t need to the anger in her eyes was all she needed.

“Your too old for my sister, you manipulative jerk!” Gwen stared into his dark blue eyes that were wide open and afraid. Good. She felt his fear, and reached for his emotions; in a instant she broke through his mental blocks and could feel his emotional pain and see where he had kept it all hidden down deep. This was her talent her ability to see the hidden depths of pain in others and to bring it out.

She reached for it meaning to rip it open and to see just what he was hiding that was so very bad, but then the door banged open. “Gwen, no!”

Gwen looked around at her sister Winnie who was still in her bathrobe.

“Don’t, please, Gwen I love him. Don’t hurt him like you did dad!”

Gwen gasped and dropped her sharp stick and then bolted into the night sobbing. It was a wonder she didn’t trip on anything, but she grew up on this farm and knew every rock and blade of grass like the back of her hand.

“What just happened?” Jacob asked dazed.

“I think you better leave,” Winnie told him, “before she comes back.”

“Did you just save me?”

“Yes, I did.” Winnie studied him a moment. “I guess I should have told you, Gwen isn’t like me, and you’re better off not pushing her because she pushes back. Hard.”

“I guess I got the sweet one then,” he said as he gave her a kiss.

“Gwen’s sweet too, you don’t know her. She’s just very protective of our family and me.”

“May I ask what she did to your dad?” he asked as he slipped an arm around her.

“No, you may not ask, and I can’t tell either,” she hugged him one armed.

“More family secrets?”

“Afraid so,” she answered, and realized for the first time maybe she had been telling him too much.

“Was she protecting you that time too?”

“Yes.”

“When will I hear about this one?”

“Never.”

He was surprised at that; Winnie had been very forthcoming about her family up till now.
***

After he drove off in his sports car, Winnie went out with the flash light and found Gwen in her usual spot; she was in the horse podock hugging Smoky Joe and crying into his mane.

“Gwen?”

“Hmm,” she sniffed.

“Come on inside he’s gone.” She watched her sister give Smoky a final pat and duck between the fence boards joining her. “I should be very angry with you, but I know you were just trying to protect me again.”

“I’m sorry I almost emotionally crippled your boyfriend,” she sniffed and whipped at her eyes.

“I stopped you in time, this time.”

“Yeah, well, he’ll be fine, I think, but he will have one hell of a headache for a while.”

“You need to be more in control of your emotions Gwen.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s been a rough night Katrina was at the party, and you know how she can yank my chain.”

“Katrina’s a bitch and she always has been.”

Gwen laughed, though there wasn’t much humor in it. “Yeah, she is.”

They had just gotten to the porch when Winnie stood very straight and turned to Gwen, and spoke in that tone of voice that always gave her goose bumps, “You have met him then?”

“I met someone tonight, yes.”

“Don’t waste time he was meant for you.”

“How much time is left?”

“Seven years, and your life as you know it will be over. Cherish the time that is left.” Winnie blinked several times and was back to herself. “You see Gwen this is why I am not wasting my time with school, or Jacob. We have no time to waste on such trivialities.”

Chapter 3