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This story has been an odyssey. It has stretched me in ways that I would never be stretched as a writer. For that I would like to thank Alan Lockridge, who came up with the idea for this story. He was the high bidder for the entire bake sale. Without his generosity, it would not have been the success that it was. Without contributors like Alan, FM would be just an idea. So, in recognition of that contribution, I wanted to make his story special. Anne approached me with the idea of writing the 5000th story to be posted on FM. I thought that would be the perfect showcase for Alan's story. I approached Alan, and he agreed. Here we are. That was not enough. I asked the invaluable Steve Zink to come along on this project. His contributions as an editor and writer have added greatly to the community. I thought it would be the perfect honor for him as well. His editing on this story has helped me a great deal. Thank you Steve. Now. The story itself. I usually deal with 2-3 characters in my stories. This story has at least ten different characters. I tried to breath life into each one of them with their own separate problems, motivations, etc. I found it more challenging then I ever imagined. Alan's story parameters just happened to dovetail with a story that I've had rumbling through my head for years and years. This is the perfect opportunity for it to come out. For that I want to thank Alan. I hope you all like it. This story contains all of things (hopefully) that Alan asked for. The thing was, the entire story was too big for just one book. So, this book is the first part of a trilogy. By the end of the odyssey, I can only hope that it will become known as the TG version of the Lord of the Rings. I never imagined that the story would take on this epic scale. There's an old saying, "Be careful what you ask for..." To my readers who have been faithful to me all of these years, thank you. Thank you for being so patient with me. This story marks my return from oblivion. I am officially un-retired. THE DOORWAY INTO SUMMER By Raven Prelude: Vernal Equinox Billy Powers sat on his Granddad's knee, and looked adoringly up at the smiling face of the family patriarch. Even though he was only five years old, he seemed to understand the crazy stories his Granddad told him about a magical place called "Summer." Billy's Mom, Jennifer Powers, always frowned at the two when she heard her dad spinning his yarns yet again. She'd say something like, "Oh, Dad! I wish you wouldn't fill Billy's head full of that nonsense. I remember when you used to tell me and Rick those stories when WE were kids. They haven't gotten any better, either." Rick was Jenny's brother, and Billy's Uncle Rick. "Hush, Jenny. Billy's jut a kid; so let him be a kid. You and Rick were never much interested in my stories, but Billy here loves 'em. Don't you, Billy?" The man the world knew as John Smith, a fairly nondescript name, looked directly into his grandson's eyes. The lad was all smiles and big rimmed glasses. "You bet, Pappy!!" he blurted enthusiastically. "Pappy" was Billy's name for his Granddad. Jenny Powers added, "Dad!! It's just that Billy's tested out with a genius level IQ. The people who tested him say that he has a great future ahead of him. He can be anything he wants to be, so I don't want him sidetracked by your silly fantasy and science fiction stories." Eventually he relented to his daughter, but not before protesting, "Besides, the stories are all true." "Sure, Dad," said Jenny in a patronizing tone. "Just like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny." "Jenny!!" admonished the man. "Not in front of Billy. You'll ruin all of the holidays for him." Billy's mom dismissed her aged father with a gesture. "Billy hasn't believed in Santa or the Easter Bunny for almost two years. He's too smart for that, aren't you, Billy?" "You bet, Mom," said Billy, with an equal dose of enthusiasm. Up until this point his head had been snapping back and forth watching his elders argue about him. He looked a lot like a spectator at a tennis match! "That's my little Einstein," beamed Jenny Powers. "I'm tellin' ya, Jenny. You have to let kids be kids, and play. If you don't...well, it comes back to haunt them." "Dad!" Jenny started sternly. "Promise me that you will stop filling his head with all of these lies." "I promise." Little did Jenny know that her father had already related almost every story that his failing memory could retain to his grandson. He believed that after he was gone SOMEBODY had to remember them. "Just one last story. Okay?" Jenny considered her father carefully. "You absolutely promise me? One last story?" "Would I lie to my own daughter?" Jenny started back to the kitchen to finish her preparation for the evening meal. "Just be done by dinner, Dad. I wonder how Mom ever put up with all of your stories?" With that, Billy's mother was gone, leaving the two to the telling of one last story. She didn't stay long enough to hear her father say something under his breath, with a tear in his eye. "Sarah loved my stories...she understood." Sarah Smith had long since left this mortal coil. After her death, Jenny and her husband took her father into their large house on South Harbor Island off the coast of North Carolina. Justin Powers, Jenny's husband and Billy's dad, made more than enough money; so having John Smith live out his remaining years with them was no hardship. Heaven knows, the huge house (six bedrooms) had enough space. Yet, John missed his departed wife. He loved her very, very deeply. It was the kind of love that few people understand, let alone experience. Billy asked his Granddad innocently, "Pappy? How do you know so much about this place called 'Summer'?" "That's because I lived there. That's where I was born, and where I played when I was your age." Jenny Powers was walking close by, close enough to overhear a little snippet of the story. She just shook her head. "That man!" she uttered in exasperation. Fortunately, neither Billy nor Jenny's father heard her comment. "Really?" asked Billy, his eyes full of wonder and adoration. "Then why are you here? Why did you leave? How did you get here from there?" he asked in rapid-fire succession, not unlike a machine gun. In fact, his Granddad wasn't quite sure that Billy took a breath in between each query!! No matter how many questions, he knew there was but one answer. "This!" replied Billy's Granddad, while simultaneously pulling a multicolored piece of jewelry from his pocket. "WOW!" exclaimed Billy. "What is it, Pappy?" To Billy's eyes, there were four rings of different colors, full of twists and kinks and turns, all held together by another ring of the purest gold. That ring also was full of kinks and twists and turns. "It's a puzzle, my boy. A puzzle that has an infinite number of solutions. Don't you recognize the rings? I've told you stories about them. Here...what is the green ring?" The much older man pointed to the jade green ring that was interlaced with a red ring, a black ring and a blue ring. All of them hung loosely from the gold ring, like keys on a key chain. "T-that's the...energy ring." "Very good. And what does it do?" "It turns one kinda energy into another." "And the red one?" quizzed the man. "That's the matter ring." The boy remembered it all now. "The black?" "That's the space ring, Pappy!!" Billy liked this game with the pretend rings. "Very good. What about the blue one?" "Time!!" Billy almost shouted. "That's the time ring." "And finally, the gold ring?" "That's the master ring that controls them all. It unlocks the full powers of the rings, an' lets 'em work together." "That's right, Billy. But you see all of the twists and turns? The rings can be fit together in any number of ways to make a bigger ring that you wear. When you put it on, something magical and special will happen." "Really?" Billy was awed now. "Only one person in all of Summer knew every way that it could fit together. Each way made something different happen. He was the most powerful wizard of all. Do you know who he was, Billy?" "It was you, Pappy, wasn't it?" "Your mom is right. You are a smart boy, Billy. The problem was that a ring of that much power attracted the most evil of people. There was a really, really bad one called Nemesis Bane. So, in order to prevent him from getting it, I had to use the ring to make a doorway into this world. When I came here, I took the name of John Smith, and met your Grandmother. I never went back. Ever. And because I left, a terrible curse has fallen upon the land." "Is that true, Pappy? You're from there?" "Yes. And it is written that somebody from here, but who is not from here, will someday go to Summer and lift the curse from the land." "Is that you, Pappy?" Billy had to know. "No, not me," his Granddad guffawed. "I am much too old. I don't know who it is, but until then, I am entrusting you with the rings. Always remember my stories, for they will guide you. Never tell anybody that you have them. It'll be our secret...promise?" "I promise, Pappy!!" stated Billy, bravely. He accepted the treasure, while hugging his Granddad deeply. "Boys? It's dinner time. Billy, go wash up." Billy did as he was told, but took a side trip into his bedroom to hide the rings inside the secret compartment of his toy box. Nobody would ever find them there. However, as boys sometimes do, no matter how smart they are, he forgot all about the rings. John Smith died later that year, very peacefully, in his sleep. He had a smile on his face when they found him. Chapter 1: The Ghosts of the Undone Billy walked quietly and carefully through the canyons of furniture. His movement was such that not even the dust on the plastic furniture covers stirred. The young man toggled the switch to the overhead lights into the "on" position. They worked...but then, he knew they would. It was just that...when you haven't been home to the house you grew up in for ages, you weren't sure how much still worked. Billy hadn't crossed the threshold of this house since the day his parents died. It was a horrible car crash on the mainland, and the police assured him they died instantly. It didn't make it any better. And this...this would be the last weekend that he would ever be able to spend in this place. The realtor hired by the estate already notified him that the buyers met the asking price. They even wanted all of the furnishings. All that was left was for Billy to go through all of the personal effects to decide what he was going to keep. The rest would either be sold or donated to charity. Billy sighed. He wasn't even able to say good-bye to Mom and Dad. No. He'd been away at school when they died. In fact, they were on their way to Raleigh to catch a flight to Boston to visit him. That stray memory caused tears to well up in the corner ducts of his eyes. Still...after all of this time...they would not come. A sense of guilt, it seems, makes a wonderful dam. Only a few days before the accident, Billy got into a shouting match with his Mother. "You never come to see me," he said. "You and Dad don't care about me. That's why you sent me here, away from home." That wasn't true, and Billy knew it. He'd made that decision as much as they. It was just that when you are a fifteen-year-old prodigy, there is only so much high school can teach you. So M.I.T. offered the boy genius an unprecedented scholarship in physics. The boy had a natural aptitude for the subject. And so...Billy packed up and moved to college to compete academically against students who were four, five, and even six years older than him. It wasn't much of a challenge. Even now, he was due to graduate in a few weeks at the tender age of eighteen, and one year ahead of the other people in his freshman class. This is now, and that was then. Being under the age of sixteen when your classmates were much, much older didn't do much for the social life. That, and being torn away from his circle of friends who had dubbed themselves the "South Harbor Island Irregulars." So, in the end, it was never Billy's fault. Unfortunately, the emotional maturity of a child genius does not match the intellect. That was why he placed the ill-fated call to his parents within the first few weeks at M.I.T. He was just...lonely. After their death, Billy threw himself into the study of physics. His professors would say that he was driven, and indeed he was. Driven by a need to know how the universe worked. What cruel hand had caused the death of his parents. Billy just needed to know why!! Billy was jerked away from his reverie by the ringing of the telephone. The realtor was very thorough. He picked up the handset to inquire who was calling. "Hello?" The traditional greeting was the best. "Billy? Is that you?" came the voice on the other end of the line. "Hi, Uncle Rick," said Billy, recognizing the voice almost immediately. His Aunt and Uncle tried to take the place of his parents after they died. Nobody could. "You know I prefer William now," the youth reminded his relative. "I'm...sorry. You'll always be Billy to us. That's what your parents would call you if they were still alive." "They're not. I don't want to talk about it," Billy cut his Uncle off. That didn't stop Rick. Nobody in the family was able to get Billy to talk about his feelings, and they were all worried. Something was going on inside. The name change, and selling of the house of his birth were just two bits of evidence. It was if distancing himself from everything that he knew would make it like it never happened. "The house is yours, Billy. William. Selling it won't change anything. It won't bring them back. Keep it..." "I SAID I don't want to talk about it," Billy replied, vehemently making his point. "Fine. Your Aunt and I were down last weekend to make it a little easier on you. We put all of the personal things in the family room. We even found your old toy box." "My toy box? Where did you find that thing?" "It was in the attic with a lot of your baby things. You should look through it before you just throw it away. There a lot of toys in there that your Granddad made for you." That was a name Billy hadn't heard in years and years. It was a person he hadn't thought of in years and years. Suddenly, he felt warm inside. The kind of warmth he hadn't felt in years. The silence must have made Rick uneasy. "Billy...are you okay?" Billy brushed away a single, solitary tear that ran down his face. "Uh...yeah. Granddad. I heard you." "You'll look through there, then." "Sure, Uncle Rick." "Okay, then. The phone's working, so if you need anything, just call. Or even...if you just need to talk." "Uncle Rick," Billy began, "we've been through this. I have to do this alone." "I know," answered Rick. "We just want you to know that...you're not alone. Never." "Thank you. I'll talk to you later." With that, the youth hung up the phone. Granddad. All of the stories that his Granddad told him ran across his mind. Stories of a wondrous place he called, "Summer". The ironic thing was that it was like winter there, and that was part of its powerful mystery. Granddad said that the people there were looking for a way to turn winter into summer again. That struck a resonant chord in Billy. How he longed to turn the sorrow of winter that his life had become into the joy of summer once again. That was when Billy remembered the long summer days when he and his friends played Dungeons and Dragons together out on his enclosed back porch. Billy was the Dungeon Master. In fact, he'd constructed his dungeon or world based upon all of the stories of his Granddad. When the summers turned to autumn and winter they would all play the game at his house after school. They would continue to play on the weekends. They played to find a way to solve the mystery of Summer. And then, that last summer ended. Billy went off to school. The game was never finished. "I wonder?" questioned Billy aloud. He hurried into the family room to find stacks and piles of clothes, mementos, and personal items. It only took him five minutes to locate his old Dungeon & Dragon materials. There were the books, the manuals, the maps, the miniature figures, and his notes. Even Billy could not remember how the mystery of Summer was to be solved. The only thing that he could recall was that it had to do with a white rose. The Winter Rose. "I wonder?" repeated Billy again. He was there to confront the ghosts that he'd avoided for so long. The ghosts of his parents, and now this. It touched his sense of incompleteness. How could he put all of this behind him, how could he find the answers he sought, without finishing what he'd started? Yes. It all made sense now. Billy was there to say good- bye. He was there to put his ghosts to rest. The ghosts of the undone. He decided to call up the South Harbor Beach Irregulars. They would all be seniors or juniors in high school now, but they would still be there on the island. Their families, like all families on South Harbor Island, had been there for generations. It stood to reason they would not have moved away. It was April, and things were starting to warm up. The Irregulars could spend the weekend. They could finish the game. Billy sensed that if he could finish the game, just finish ONE thing in his life, he could lay his parents to rest. Their ghosts would haunt him no more. Chapter Two: The South Harbor Island Irregulars Billy sat on the dusty floor, legs outstretched and spread- eagled. Between his legs was a wooden toy box made of still aromatic North Carolina cedar. It was the toy box made for Billy by his Granddad when he was just two months old. And Granddad fashioned toys of all shapes, sizes, and imaginings every month thereafter. They were things unimaginable, things that you would find in science fiction novels. The strange thing was, as he sat there, Billy could not recall his Granddad ever actually READING a science fiction novel. It never occurred to him why he never wondered about that before. Strange. Yet he shrugged it off. In one movement, Billy opened the toy box with an eerie "SQUEAK." It was the kind of a sound that you'd hear in a scary movie on Saturday afternoon. Clearly, the box hadn't been opened in some time. The smell of cedar, as fresh as the day the box had been made, filled the air. Billy closed his eyes and remembered the day that his Mom made him put the toy box away for good. His Mom never did like the stories that Granddad told. And his sad passing gave her the opportunity to store it away for good in the attic. "We'll put it up here for safekeeping," she said. "For your children when you are a father." Unfortunately for her, the stories from Granddad were not so easily forgotten. So it was that Billy picked up the game of Dungeons & Dragons, and those tales had a new outlet. A new medium. From there, the South Harbor Island Irregulars were born. South Harbor Island was an odd kind of a place. It was situated in the lower part of the Outer Banks just off of the coast of North Carolina. It was about the size of Key West in South Florida, but there was not a single bridge to connect it to the mainland (or any other island in the Outer Banks, for that matter). The Islanders, as they preferred to be called, were too proud for that. The population was about 10,000 people strong, and a collection of old, old money, the families who served that money, and eclectic artists and artisans. It was an...interesting...mixture. And then, of course, there were the fisherman and ship builders. No, South Harbor Island was connected to the mainland by a ferry that ran four times a day. If you missed the last ferry of the day, you were stuck on either the mainland or the island for the night. For the proud denizens of South Harbor Island, being stuck on the mainland was a fate worse than death! Even though South Harbor Island could support a school system of its own, all of the children of high school age had to make the long voyage to the mainland to attend the institution of higher learning. That didn't make any sense, since there was a Community College on the island, although it did specialize in marine biology. The mainland, filled to bursting with nouveau riche from "Technology Triangle", looked down their snooty noses at the islanders. That tended to construct a makeshift caste system at the East Bend High School in the mainland town of Townsend. In the end, all of the South Harbor Island kids befriended each other. They formed tight knit groups. That in and of itself was a little out of the ordinary. In high school you usually have jocks hanging with jocks, nerds with the nerds, brains with the brains, the popular with the popular, the thugs with the thugs, etc. Not so with the Island kids. They were not unlike the kids in the movie 'The Breakfast Club'. All of the subclasses and subcastes were equally represented. So it was with the Irregulars. It helped that the Irregulars also went to the same middle school, which WAS on the island. South Harbor Island did support a system of elementary schools and middle schools. There was even talk of building a high school of their own, that would no doubt be the archrival of the East Bend High School Mariners. Mariners, what a joke, thought Billy. He'd only been to the high school for one year before going on to M.I.T., but this much he knew. There wasn't a mariner in the bunch. If you wanted a real fisherman, you had to come to South Harbor Island. That made Billy smile for the first time in a long time. That, and the thought of his old friends in the South Harbor Island Irregulars. That was it, he had to see them. But how...how to get them all together? Billy started to put a small wooden toy, which looked strangely like a space ship, back into the box. He was about to close it when he noticed some old writing on the inside of the lid. It was a simple rhyme that read: Red over green, and green through blue. Once around gold, a door to step through. That was curious. He couldn't ever remember seeing that writing before. A closer inspection demonstrated that it was the handwriting of a person that he knew long ago. "Pappy," Billy said aloud. Sure enough. It was the writing of his dear old Granddad. Exactly what it meant, he had no idea. The memory of the man compelled the lad to touch the raised handwriting on the cedar wood. It made him feel...closer...to his Granddad, and through Granddad his parents, for just a second. His fingertips caressed the etching lovingly. Then suddenly, a little door opened, depositing a strange little ring into his hand. Not a single ring, but four rings colored green, red, blue and gold, all linked together. It was the ring that Pappy had given him oh so long ago, and he'd hidden in the toy box. The memory of it played across his mind's eye. His Mom put it away with the rest of his toys shortly after Pappy's death. He'd never been able to play with the ring. Another Ghost of the Undone. "I'll see to that," stated Billy. "I'll use it as a prop for the game when the Irregulars meet. I'll make it a part of the game, the most IMPORTANT part. That's how Pappy would have wanted it." There was almost a part of Billy, the part that listened to his Granddad for hours on end, which came to the surface just then. The joy that goes with just being a boy. Then it was gone. Billy closed the lid of the toy box, to look at all of the personal things that he had to go through before the weekend was over. If he got the Irregulars together for a game, he would never get through it in time. There was no reason to think he could even get them all together. It was a Friday, after all. There was no doubt they would have plans...lives to lead. Lives that went on without him. "Screw it," stated Billy to the ghosts that haunted him. Everything else could wait. He had to finish one thing first before going on to everything else. The game would finish two things, at one time. Economy of effort...one of the things he learned from Physics. But how to get them... "The blood oath! The blood oath of the South Harbor Irregulars," he remembered. It all started with a call. The call would go out. Chapter Three: Blood Oath Billy looked at his watch. 3:00 p.m. High School would be letting out in another half hour, but the ferry to South Harbor Island wouldn't get in until about 6:30 p.m. That was one of the realties of life on South Harbor Island. All of the high school kids had to wait until all of the islanders who worked on the mainland got to the ferry launch. To kill the time, they took up extracurricular activities such as sports, cheerleading, clubs, etc. For Billy, it was the science club and chess club. David was Billy's best friend...or one of his best friends. The other was Kevin. The three of them formed the core of the South Harbor Island Irregulars. David was more like Billy, and was also a member of the science club and chess club. Kevin, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of both Billy and David. His only interests seemed to be to hang out, and chase girls. He was motivated only by getting in and out of trouble. The other members of the Irregulars were assimilated into the group through friendships with the central three. For instance, David was also friends with Tony, and through David, was the first outsider to join the group. That had a side benefit, as Tony was an avid fan of comic books, and all things collectible. On the weekends, he worked in the local comic book/gaming store. As such, the group had access to the latest gaming material or miniature figurines. Tony was also the nerd of the group. Unfortunately, he was very overweight and wore thick glasses, which made anything physical prohibitive for him. He was a natural for the games of Dungeon & Dragons. Otherwise, outside the gaming arena, Tony was very backward and shy. Billy's memory wandered back in time to remember the exact order of membership into the Irregulars. Next came Greg, who was also a member of the chess club. Video games and computers were more of his milieu. Greg joined the group through Billy. Rachel came on board shortly afterward, through Kevin. Rachel was actually Kevin's girlfriend at the time, but like all of Kevin's relationships, it was short lived. Thus was the lot of the "bad boy" of the group. Rachel remained the only girl in the Irregulars. That made Billy pause for just a second. Why was Rachel the only girl in the group? It wasn't like there was a shortage of girls in their age group on South Harbor Island. And it wasn't like they had a shortage of good looking guys in the group, either. After Rachel broke up with Kevin, she started to date Kyle. Kyle was the best looking guy in the Irregulars, and naturally a jock. By the time Billy left for M.I.T., Kevin was already the star quarterback on the junior varsity football team. Many locals who followed football actually thought he was better than the starter on the varsity football team. However, since he was only a freshman, and Matt Wilson (the starter) was the son of one of the richest families on the mainland, feathers would have been ruffled! The bias of mainlanders over islanders reared its ugly head once again. That relationship lasted only so long. Rachel, it seems, developed into one of the prettiest girls that people had seen in those parts for some time. She had multiple beauty pageant titles under her belt by the time she got into high school. Then it was on to the cheerleaders. She, by far, was the most popular and social of the Irregulars. The elite of the mainland even accepted her as one of their own. Was it any wonder that absolutely everybody in the Irregulars had a crush on her? To Rachel's credit, she remained steadfastly loyal to the Irregulars, despite her social status. Billy deeply suspected that pressures of being so popular forced her to conform to what was more or less expected of her. The Irregulars was the one place in all of the world where she could just be herself. And the game. Her character in the game was the one world where she could be who she wanted to be. How else could you explain the prettiest cheerleader religiously playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons with people who were her complete opposites? It was release. It was escape. Rachel also, unfortunately for the rest of the group, started to attract the attention of older boys. That is how Mike came to be a member of the Irregulars. He was also the only member of the group who was not a native Islander. Mike came from Florida, and attended South Harbor Island Community College. Attended, as in the past sense. Shortly after starting at the college, Mike started to develop an interest in software. So he quit and started to work for a small software company on the island. Like Kyle, he was also a football star in his high school days. It was love at first sight when Rachel and Mike first laid eyes on each other. The only problem was that, due to the age difference, it was something of a forbidden love. Mike had to literally wait until she graduated from high school before they could do anything about it. So, for the most part, their mutual affection manifested itself in a close friendship and longing looks from across the room. Rachel brought Mike into the group so they could do SOMETHING together, but, judging from the way that they were never out of touching range from each other, one suspected that something...more...was definitely going on. They at least HAD to have kissed at least once. How else could you explain the intensity of their smoldering glances, the reality of their star crossed passion. Oh, they would have each other; it was only a matter of time. And THAT made all of the other members of the Irregulars insanely jealous. Mike did what he could to assuage those "sore" feelings by providing the group with...how shall we say it...controlled substances. Just beer and weed. Enough to make the gaming ritual an existential, stream-of- consciousness event. Billy thought, how could I have forgotten all of them? Especially David. And the Blood Oath. Eventually, everybody began to have their own outside activities. Distractions from the South Harbor Island Irregulars. There were football games, practices, club meetings, and even, in the case of Tony and Mike, jobs. It all came to a head when Billy learned that he would be going to M.I.T. They'd met one last Saturday, and in a teary eyed postponement of the game, declared their fealty to one another. The Blood Oath, they called it. When one of the Irregulars called, for any reason, they could invoke the Blood Oath. Wherever they were, whatever they were doing, they were sworn to obey its call. When the call went out, they would meet on Billy's porch to resume the game that would now be unfinished. One would make the call and recite these words: "The call is made, the Blood Oath invoked." That person would call the next, and that person the next, until ALL were called. Then, Billy moved away to school. The Blood Oath was never made. The obligation to one another never invoked. Would they honor the call? Have they stayed together? What has become of all of them? Many questions raced across Billy's fevered mind. There was only one way to find out. It was time to make good on the Blood Oath. Billy raced to the phone. His fingers called David's phone number from rote. The youth could only hope against hope that his best friend still had his one number, and his own answering machine in his bedroom. A once familiar voice greeted his ears, although it was a little deeper than he recalled. "Hey, this David. Here comes the beep. You know what to do!" Same 'ole David, thought Billy. At the beep, Billy left a simple message. "This is a voice from your past. The call is made, the Blood Oath invoked. Tell the others. My house. 8:00. It's time to finish the game." Billy hung up. Time to get things ready. All of the other duties and the other ghosts would have to wait their turn. Chapter Four: "The call is made..." David Talbot got home around 6:03 p.m. "David?" his mother called, after the slamming front door. "Yeah, Mom?" "Dinner's at 7:00! I need you to clean up your room before then." David sighed. He was eighteen, and his mother still treated him like he was eleven. If he WANTED a messy room, he should be ALLOWED to HAVE a messy room. There should be one place in all of the universe where he could just...throw things. Where order was random, and not something that had to actively be arranged. Such was his life. "Oh, and David?" continued Mrs. Talbott. "What-" David started. "I think you have a message on you answering machine." "Who is it?" "I'm sure I don't know. I don't listen to your messages. Maybe it's a girl." That was a sore spot, and his mother knew it. He was just...awkward around girls. That's all. David made the familiar trek up the flight of steps to his room. Sure enough, the message light on his answering machine was blinking. The L.C.D. indicated there was only one message. The first one in a long time. David wasn't exactly at the top of the social food chain, and everything seemed to change once the Irregulars slowly drifted apart. Without Billy and the game to hold them together, there just didn't seem to be any need to keep up the pretense of meeting. David and Kevin still hung around occasionally together, but even that was becoming a rarer and rarer thing. Kev took the dissolution of the Irregulars the hardest. Then his parents split up, and things went downhill. Since then, Kevin had frequent run-ins with the law. David hit the 'Play' button on the answering machine. So stunned was he by Billy's message that he could only stand frozen like a statue. David's mother chose that point in time to check up on her son. "David? Honey, is everything all right? Who was on the phone?" "I-It was Billy. He's back on the island." "Such a sad, tragic story. His parents were nice people. It's been a while since you talked to him, hasn't it?" "Almost three years. The last time I saw him was at the funeral. I tried to talk to him, but he was just so torn up, you know? I tried calling him at school a few times, and writing to him. But nothing. Now, he calls me." David's mother offered a little unsolicited advice. "Be a little easy on him, honey. It's hard to lose your entire family." David intellectually understood her words, but taking it to heart was another matter. A large part, a very large part of him, considered Billy's silence to be a betrayal of their friendship. A friendship that dated all of the way back to kindergarten. It felt like an abandonment that left HIM all alone. Without his best friend. "What did Billy want?" asked Mrs. Talbott. "He wants us to come over...our group. He wants us to finish the game." "Oh, that silly Dragons and Cellars game? That's a game for kids." "Dungeons & Dragons, Mom. It was the last time we were all together. We vowed that we would all finish the game. It's...important." She understood. The bonds of friendship, especially this friendship, were strong. They'd survived three years of tragedy, and it was time they were renewed. Besides, she was deeply concerned that her only son was becoming...disconnected. He needed friends. Friends other than that awful Kevin James boy! "Will you be eating dinner here or over there?" David leaned in to kiss his Mom on the cheek, saying, "I love you, Mom!" "You'd better," she whispered, heart breaking over love for her child. "But don't think this excuses you from cleaning up your room..." "Mom..." David protested. "...later," she continued her thought. David sighed. "I'll probably stay all night. Don't wait up for me." "I figured," she commented, as she turned to continue her dinner arrangements. It would only be for her and her husband. Maybe it was a GOOD thing that David would be out of the house for the night. There were other relationships that SHE needed to attend to. *** The phone rang at the James' residence. For a change, Kevin was home. Since the divorce, he split time between his Dad and his Mom. Currently, his Dad had custody of the troubled youth. Mr. James was the captain of a fishing vessel that sailed each morning from the South Harbor Island pier. Their house was a facsimile of a cozy New England house on the Island waterfront. The former Mrs. James now resided on the mainland. Kevin hated it there. The sea was his first love...that is, when he wasn't getting into trouble. "Yeah?" he breathed into the mouthpiece of the phone. "Hey, Kevin? Is that you?" "Yeah," he repeated. He was a man of few words. "Who's this?" "David." "Hey there, Davey-boy. What's shaking?" David was one of the few people in his life that Kevin somewhat grounded. The one person who DIDN'T give up on him. "You're never gonna believe who's in town!" "Who? It better be some babe!" "Billy." "Billy?" "Not only that, but the call's been given. His house. 8:00." "What the Hell's THAT supposed to mean?" "Don't you remember the oath? We have to finish the game." "That stupid assed Dungeon & Dragons game? I'll pass." "Kevin, you promised. We all promised." "C'mon. It's a Friday night. Me and a few of the boys are gonna meet down on the waterfront. Gonna have me a real good time." "Kevin!!" David scolded. "Billy's our friend. Doesn't that mean something to you? Remember all of the times that he was there for you when we were kids? Remember the time you ran away from home, and he hid you in his cellar until everybody's temper cooled down? He needs us now. Besides, we all vowed to complete the game when the call was made, and now it is made. We HAVE to go." "Stupid Blood Oath," Kevin remembered. David had effectively guilted him into going. However, David was not without sympathy. "Hey, look at the bright side. You'll get to see Rachel again." She was an ex-girlfriend that he'd never, ever gotten over. "Isn't that who you're supposed to call on the phone tree?" THAT reminder brought a smile to Kevin's face. He remembered that night when they all took the oath, and constructed the phone calling tree. One person to the next. First Billy to David, and then David to Kevin. After that, it was Kevin's turn to select who he would call. There was only one choice. Rachel. The troublemaker in him just couldn't let Rachel and Mike have unfettered access to each other. Kevin was her first, after all. A little fact that only he and Rachel shared. In truth, Rachel was his first, too. If there was truth to the old saying that you never forget your first love, then it was certainly accurate for Kevin. The only problem was that Rachel had moved on, leaving Kevin way behind. It would be worth it to go to Billy's, if nothing more to see Rachel again. Interfere with the damned Romeo & Juliet story between Rachel and Mike. Rachel was only about a month away from her eighteenth birthday. They could consummate their relationship at that point. He couldn't let that happen. Kevin knew that he had to stop it somehow, some way. There was no way that some twenty-four-year old, college dropout should have her. "I'm in," confirmed Kevin. "See you there, Squirt." Kevin's name for David. It made David wince. He was a little sensitive about his height. No sooner had Kevin hung up the receiver, than he dialed a new number. A number that he knew by heart. Rachel's cell. Chapter Five: The Phone Tree Putting the phone tree together had required more strategy and cunning then the game of Dungeons & Dragons itself! It was not so much a question of who was going to call whom, but who was going to BLOCK who from calling whom. The first two steps were easy. Billy was the initiator of the chain to his best friend David. David naturally selected Kevin, the third person in the central triad. Although...David WAS dangerously close to picking Rachel. He, like every other male member of the Irregulars, had a crush on Rachel. What separated David from the rest of the guys was that he never, ever let her (or anybody else) know about it. So he carried around an unrequited secret longing in his heart for the girl. In fact, in the many years that the group met, or did other things, David had barely said two words to her. So that meant that if David were to select Rachel as his branch of the phone tree, he would actually have to SAY something to her. That was the one thing that he couldn't do. The poor boy's shyness was almost too heavy a burden for any human to bear. That was why David's friendship with Billy was such an integral part of his being. It allowed him to come out of his shell. Even Billy flirted with Rachel, and even if he was just emulating his best friend, it gave Billy hope. And that is why it was so crippling and debilitating to David when Billy went away. In the end, David's innate shyness compelled him to pick the only other person he knew reasonably well. Kevin. After David, it got interesting. Kevin was equally compelled to pick the one that got away. Rachel. *** Rachel picked up her cellphone on the first ring. "Hi! This is Rachel," was her ever perky greeting. Kevin savored the pleasingly sweet soprano before identifying himself. Her voice was one of the first qualities about Rachel that attracted the boy. It was just one level higher than average, with the slightest whisper about it. He closed his eyes to picture the possessor of the voice in his mind's eye. Rachel was short, at 5'1". Not only was she short, but petite at ninety-five pounds, dripping wet. She possessed the deepest brown eyes that you ever saw, with small Cupid's bow lips. She was an intoxicating, if mind- boggling mixture of Hispanic and Sicilian blood. Explosive, too. She had only A cup breasts, but definitely didn't need any more. To top it all off, the diminutive girl had dark, wavy brown hair that hung to the junction of her shapely shoulder blades. The other defining feature about Rachel was her pierced navel, which she took every advantage to show off with a never-ending supply of belly shirts. "Hello? Is anybody there?" questioned the object of everybody's desire. That was enough to wake up the delirious eighteen-year-old boy. "Yeah," Kevin started. "It's me. Kevin." "You?" her tone changed instantly. It was almost indignant. "What do YOU want, and how did you get THIS number?" Kevin looked at his own reflection in the full-length mirror that inhabited the back of his bedroom door. Fortunately, he could take the wireless phone into his room for a semblance of privacy. Not that anybody was home. Nobody was EVER home for him! The youth stood a rather large 6'5", which was imposing enough. Kevin augmented his looks by completely shaving his head, and wearing small hoop earrings in each ear. The completely shaved pate was fashionable among black guys and older guys trying to disguise a receding hairline. However, Kevin was as white as white could be. In fact, the absence of hair only accentuated his piercing ice blue eyes. As for the rest of him, he was clad in his usual attire of leather pants, black shirt, and black combat boots. All in all, he was quite striking. As he intended. You wouldn't be lying if you said the boy was the fantasy of many a girl in high school and South Harbor Island. The "bad boy" image only made him more the forbidden fruit. Fruit that many a girl had already tasted. Still...there was the one that got away. Should NEVER have gotten away. Kevin told Rachel smugly, "I make it my business to know these things. You don't need to know who I got it from." "Then lose it," his ex requested, before continuing, "or I'll get a new number." "I can find that number just as easily. This boy has skills." "Too bad one of those skills is an overblown ego. It's too bad that you don't have either the brains or the ability in bed to match that sense of self." That one stung Kevin. Rachel was his first. He wasn't as good in bed then as he was now. Another thing that he intended to rectify with her. However, before he could respond to her attack, she added something else. "Maybe I'll just get Mike to kick your ass once and for all." "Oh, yes. Mike. How is the old man? I'm surprised he hasn't dumped your sorry little ass for somebody younger. I think I saw him cruising the recess at the elementary school the other day." "SHUT UP!" Rachel screamed into her cell phone. Kevin ran his hand over his freshly shaved head. If he was going to do this last game with the damned Irregulars, he was going to do it right. There was no reason to joust with her anymore. "The word is given. No, wait, that isn't it. The call is made. Be at Billy's at 8:00 p.m. Plan to stay all night." "Excuse me? What did you say?" Rachel's voice softened once again. "I said, the call is made..." But before Kevin could finish, Rachel asked, "Billy's back? He's here?" "Yeah. And he wants to finish that stupid game." "But...I have a date. And before you start anything, it isn't with Mike." "Cancel it. We gave an oath. That stupid Blood Oath. Whenever he called, we came." "I remember," commented Rachel. "If I remember, you cried. You told him whenever he needed you, whatever he needed, you'd be there. I can see your word is as good as always." Rachel defiantly stated, "I'll be there." "It's a date." "It is NOT a date. I'm going for Billy. And if your dumb little brain has forgotten, Mike will be there, too. Mike and Kyle. In fact, I should thank you. You've given me a reason to call Mike. Bye." With that, there was nothing left but a dial tone. That was the one thing that poor Kevin had forgotten. After he picked Rachel as his branch of the calling tree, she got to pick next. Her pick, of course, was Mike. "Damn!" said Kevin aloud, bitterly. He was once again reminded of how shortsighted his old plan was. *** Now, the rest of the phone tree fell into place. Rachel, of course, called Mike, who was still at work checking the code on a new software program. She gave the word. Mike was only too happy to heed the call. A good three months has passed since the older man saw Rachel. Even then it was in passing at the grocery store. Rachel was with her mother, which limited their contact to lingering glances to each other from across the aisles. A full eight months earlier than that, the two decided that they just couldn't bear to be around each other without consummating their love. For the good of all concerned, they decided to stay away from each other until she was eighteen. Mike made Rachel realize that she could see other guys. In fact, he made her promise to see other guys. Even sleep with other guys if she wanted to. He wanted her to be sure, so when they did get together, they would both know it was right. She made him promise, too. Mike lied. He never intended to see anybody else. He didn't want anybody else. So he bided his time, FINALLY applying himself to one thing. His job. And he'd become pretty proficient at it. He learned to write code, and was actually starting to design software. Mike wanted to build the stable environment to give Rachel everything she could ever want. In that, she was his muse. His inspiration to make himself better than he was. Still, every now and again, the love of the sea, the reason he first came to South Harbor Island, called out to him. Naturally, Mike and Rachel took the time to whisper a few sweet nothings into each other's ears. He came away from the phone call with his heart beating like a trip hammer. He would see her tonight, even if it was only to play the game. **** Three years ago, Mike had selected Tony as his branch of the phone tree for purely practical reasons. The comic book and gaming store where Tony worked was right next door to his place of employment. Tony still worked there, so ultimately, it was a very insightful choice on the part of Mike. "Hey, Bill," Mike shouted down the corridor of Island Software. The delayed response was, "What?" It was delayed because Mike's former boss, now partner, was busy stuffing his face with snacks from the kitchen. "Going next door for a few minutes, then I'll be back. I'll be leaving early tonight. I have an important...event to attend to." It was important, too. Not only because of Rachel. All members of the group, with perhaps the notable exception of Kevin and Kyle, were concerned about Billy. Mike wasn't sure about Kevin and Kyle. Concern seemed to be beyond those two. It was only natural they had a bitter rivalry. Cut from the same bolt of cloth, thought Mike. And both of them want Rachel's heart. It wasn't the first time that Mike wondered what the hell he was doing. Wasn't he too old for Rachel? Shouldn't he just move on? Something kept him there. That same thing hastened his step over to South Harbor Book & Games. *** Tony was, as anybody would expect, happy to get the call. He got a chance to go back to that game, that one game that he hadn't been able to figure out. So, he canceled his usual Friday night game with his new gaming group. Tony waited all of this time, spent hours and hours trying to figure out the mystery of Billy's land of "Summer" ever since he left for M.I.T. It was his one consuming passion. Unfortunately, it wasn't the only thing he actually consumed! The guy was up to a hefty three hundred pounds. On only a 5'10" frame, and most of it was around his middle. That type of physical limitation tended to restrict one's social activity to...well...eating and gaming. Tony was great at both. He hoped Billy had enough food. The game was going to solved, one way or another. Tony called Greg, his branch of the phone tree. *** Greg was actually the one person out of the group that Tony stayed in contact with. In fact, as time went on, Greg and Tony became fast friends. It took a few phone calls to get through, but Tony eventually made contact with the brainy youth. Greg was widely considered to be the second smartest of the Irregulars, after Billy, of course. Greg, in truth, had benefited the most from Billy's untimely exit to M.I.T. It allowed Greg to get out from underneath the intellectual shadow of Billy. The absence of scholastic competition propelled him to the top of his class, and at this continued rate, he would be the class valedictorian. There was only one little problem with the equation. In his heart of hearts, he knew he didn't earn it. All of his academic accolades had been handed to him by default. Just because Billy went away. It didn't exactly make Greg bitter. He wasn't mad at Billy at all. That is, unless you exclude the fact that Billy chose to call David rather than him with the phone tree. It was just like back on the playground or at recess, when they were picking up teams to play ball. Greg was ALWAYS the last pick. And so he was, yet again. Okay, maybe he was a little bitter. More than that. He had something to prove. Greg HAD to prove that he could beat Billy at his own game. And that was why Greg and Tony spent hours upon hours talking about the unfinished game, and mysteries of "Summer". Tony convinced him to join another gaming group, which he gladly did. If there was one thing that Greg could do better than anybody else, it was watch and learn. Learn and become better. The best. Tony's call to Greg was a most welcome one. Opportunity had finally come knocking at his door. Even though it technically knocked at almost everybody else's door before it knocked upon his own. Nevertheless, Greg gathered up his worn notebook of notes and theories. Time to put them to the test. It was too bad that he wasn't even close. *** The last call was from Greg to Kyle. Kyle was the one that nobody wanted to call. After Kyle and Rachel broke up, nobody quite knew why Kyle hung around with the rest of them. Eventually, they figured it out. The athlete of the group had such a force of will, an indomitable will. His very nature, quite literally, would not allow him to admit defeat. In his mind, quitting the group would be admitting defeat. Kyle's personality trait manifested itself in a group setting to one of fierce loyalty. However, on the flip side, it also created an air of arrogance and superiority. He was good, and he knew it. He was handsome, and he knew it. Strangely enough, he was able to accept his breakup with Rachel. Everybody suspected that he was able to rationalize it by believing that he was too good for her. Even though they all KNEW that he still loved her. It wasn't exactly that Kyle was trying to get Rachel back, either. He was trying to prevent Kevin from getting her back. Now, THAT would be admitting defeat. Kyle really didn't have a problem with Rachel moving forward, it was just that a step back would be telling him that HE just wasn't good enough. So...as odd as it was to everybody in the Irregulars...Kyle was a vocal supporter of the Rachel and Mike relationship. It opened the door for Mike and Kyle to become, for want of a better term, athletic buddies. Kyle invited Mike to join a softball team. That developed into throwing darts after the game with some of the guys. And THAT led to watching the games at the sports bar. Mike even bought the underaged Kyle a beer or two. The tension and dynamic created a natural rivalry and hatred between Kyle and Kevin. They physically fought on more than one occasion. Neither could claim victory. Yet. *** It was just about 6:05 p.m. when Billy's phone rang. It was Kyle. "All calls have been made. We're all in," announced Kyle. "I can't believe it," answered Billy. "Everybody's coming." "You aren't the only one that has things to tie up, man." "I guess not. It's good to hear your voice, Kyle." "Really? We were never that close." "Yes. I know that. But I always understood you a little better than everybody else." Kyle considered that for a second before replying, "Hmmm. Maybe. We were all worried about you after your parents died, you know?" That made Billy smile. Kyle's loyalty, despite everything else, could always be counted upon. Billy would be relying upon Kyle's will to get everybody to finish the game tonight. "I'll see you when you get here, Kyle. I've got to get everything set up. Got a lot to do." "Catch ya later!" Billy put the phone down. The game would go on. Now, there was only one thing left to do. Play it. Chapter Six: The Game The players began assembling at exactly 7:46 p.m. Tony and Greg were the first to arrive, together, as thick as thieves. They were followed shortly by David. Within minutes, Rachel entered in all of her splendor. Mere seconds after that, Mike arrived. You had to give the two credit. At least they TRIED to make it look like they came separately. Tony glanced at Greg, who returned a knowing smirk. The two of them looked at David, who returned the conspiratorial expression...grudgingly. Even though he was secretly in love with the little girl, there was something inherently "cute" about the way they were enacting "Romeo and Juliet". Even Billy smiled. It did nothing to vanquish his overwhelming sense of sadness. Many things were coming to an end tonight. He'd spent several hours preparing for the game. He set up the props, maps and boards the same way they were when last they met three years ago. All of the player's icons were positioned in the same places where they left off. Billy cleaned the porch, positioned plenty of comfortable chairs, a couch, and love seat for the marathon session. What did he care? They were being sold, anyway. He called a caterer to supply the group with plenty of food and drink for the game. He had plenty of money from his parent's estate, even though it was currently controlled by Uncle Rick in a trust. Rick set it up so Billy had enough discretionary cash at his disposal, particularly on this weekend. He really wanted his nephew to want for nothing...considering the circumstances. As an afterthought, Billy placed an extra call to Mike. He asked the only one of them "of age" to bring plenty of controlled substances. Billy wasn't surprised that Mike agreed, although it took a little coaxing. Mike professed to be out of that type of behavior. All that Billy had to do was to remind him that it was a special occasion. An ending. And THAT thought trigger a hidden emotion deep within the heartbroken youth. Seems it had been there all along. All of his studies of physics were for naught. For every iota of effort he put into figuring out the way the universe works, the more he realized that he could never control it. He could never control the forces that took his beloved parents away from him. And at that moment, he reached the only possible conclusion that his logical, ordered mind COULD reach. If he couldn't control those forces, he would have to protect himself from them. He would have to shield himself from anything or anybody to care about. That way he couldn't be hurt. Nothing would ever break him again, because they could never touch him. So, in the truest sense of the word, this WAS an ending for Billy. He was figuratively checking out. Saying good-bye. Permanently. Although nobody would ever know about it. But as much as he tried to project an upbeat image of happiness, there was still the shadow, his own little cloud of doom, which hung precipitously over his head. "What?" Rachel squeaked, at seeing all of the grinning males around her. Simultaneously, they all said, "Oh...nothing." Then Mike entered, carrying a couple of cases of beer. "There's more out in the car. Will you grab them, Tony...Greg?" He was just in time to see the smiles fading from their faces. It compelled him to ask, "Is there something going on here that I should know about?" That only brought the smiles back to their faces. "C'mon, Tony," urged Greg, as he scrambled out the door toward Mike's SUV. Meanwhile, Mike had Billy take one of the cases, while the two of them transported the drinkables into the kitchen. Billy had a cooler waiting. Rachel tagged along. "How are you, Billy?" Rachel asked, as the two men loaded bottles of beer into the cooler. Billy winced. This was just the first of them to ask the question that he was going to have to field over and over tonight. It was inevitable, but he DIDN'T want to talk about what was going on inside of him. "Yeah, man. If you need to talk or anything..." added Mike. Billy left no doubts about where his head was at, as he answered them as directly as possible. "I'm fine. But I don't really want to talk about me. All of you agreeing to be here tonight is enough. It means a lot to me, so let's just have fun. That means no fights with Kevin." "I swear," pledged Rachel. "I'll do my part," added Mike, "although Kyle and Kevin are the ones you really have to worry about." "I know. I've set their places as far apart as possible." By the time the three of them returned to the living room, Tony and Greg had the rest of the things supplied by Mike. David, who was left to greet the other two remaining Irregulars, was chatting cordially with Kyle. Everybody greeted Kyle. Again, Billy had to deflect questions and queries about the state of his emotional health. And still...he provided them no answers. Instead, he motioned for everybody to follow him out to the porch. They were still one group member light, but it was officially game time. The old clock on the wall read 8:01 p.m. "C'mon guys," Billy urged, as cheerfully as he could manage. "The game awaits." He added to Tony, Greg, and Kyle, while pointing at the remaining alcohol, "Bring that with us. I have some coolers and mixers out on the porch." Surprisingly, it was Kyle who noted the conspicuous absence of the group troublemaker. "Where's the Jackass?" His "pet- name" for Kevin. "Late, as usual," more than one of them said at the same time. The splendor of the setup out on the porch made them all gasp. The dining room table was now sitting in the middle of the wide and deep screened-in porch. There were candles all aglow everywhere, due to the shortage of lamps. Oh, there were enough lamps to provide ample light, but the candles provided amiable light. It was the atmosphere that Billy was trying for. Apparently, he'd succeeded. In the middle of the table were the maps that the adventurers' resident mapmaker, David, had written during their earlier adventures. There was the scale model of the setting, which was a snow blown expanse surrounded by high mountains. In the expanse were all of the figurines of the players' characters. The last were Christmas presents from Billy to the rest of the group more than four years ago. He'd spent hours upon hours of time on those miniatures, which showed on the exquisite detail and craftsmanship. There were also two picnic tables, which were usually set up out on the porch, filled with plates and bowls of food. Food of every imagining, from wings to pizza, even to cake. "Wow!" said Rachel. "You can say that again," replied Kyle. David, as per usual, said very little. Being the shy one of the group was such an oppressive burden. Tony picked up the miniature of his character from the board, saying, "I haven't seen this for sooo long. Shit, this takes me back." Greg agreed, "It's like we never left." They all agreed. David took this chance to speak up. "Except for Billy's mom and dad. I miss them." "Me, too." "Yeah." "Ditto, man." Everybody chimed in, acknowledging the underlying reason to why they were all there this night. It was a warm early spring evening in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. All of the weather reports promised that the weather would hold. It was a good night for gaming. Billy motioned them all to take their places. They all graciously complied, taking their designated slots by their respective character figurines and materials. Once there, Billy said his piece. "I know you all are concerned about how I'm doing. I know you all want to know about how I've been after the death of my parents. We'll get to that...as the game goes on. I wanted you all here so we can finish this game, and I appreciate it that you all honored our oath. Let's forget about all of our problems, at least for one night, and have some fun. What do you say?" There was a vocal and enthusiastic consensus. "There's tons of food and things to drink, so help yourself. I hope you guys brought change of clothes, 'cause I think we're gonna go all night. If you get tired, there are places to sleep. If you need a shower, well, you know where everything is by this time." Everybody grabbed a beer, or in the case of Rachel, a mixed drink. By that time, the