Message-ID: <13240eli$9807211537@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Archived-At: From: "Jan V." Subject: REPOST: Jan V. - SISTERS - 12/16 (ff, incest, teen, romance) Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d Content-Type: text/plain Path: qz!not-for-mail Organization: The Committee To Thwart Spam Approved: X-Moderator-Contact: Eli the Bearded X-Story-Submission: X-Original-Message-ID: <19980721102220.8612.qmail@hotmail.com> Jan V. - SISTERS - 12/16 (ff, incest, teen, romance) This is the COMPLETE, REVISED version of "Sisters" and "Sisters-the Sequel" plus much more. Enjoy CHAPTER TWELVE: To die for Nikki and Zoe waved good-bye to Pete. Nikki found it amazing how different Pete could be when he was away from the rest of the gang. He was more patient, and instead of behaving like an asshole trying to impress them with smooth moves on the surfboard - far too difficult for beginners. He made sure you knew the basics before attempting something more daring. Nikki and Zoe were discussing this when they got home. "Hi, Nikki," Linda greeted them as they came in. "Hi, Zoe..." "What's the matter, Linda?" Nikki asked. "You look so pale." "Jeannie... I don't know where she is." "What?" Zoe exclaimed. "It's my fault..." "Calm down, Linda," Nikki said, setting down her surfboard. "What're you talking about?" Linda was shaking. Their older sister, the one who was always in control, appeared to have lost her composure. Linda was doubled up, crying on the couch. Nikki sat down next to her. "Linda, listen to me... What happened? Please... tell me." "It's my fault... It's all my fault." "What, Linda? What?" It took a few long minutes before Linda could explain what happened in the mall. "If something happens to Jeannie... I'll never forgive myself... Oh, Nikki... Nikki…" "She's down at the beach," Zoe suddenly said. Her sisters looked at her, their eyes questioning her how she could be so sure. "Don't ask me why but I just know she's down at the beach. Let's go." Zoe, for the first time, led the way. The three of them made a beeline for the promenade and then for the beach. Soon they found Jeannie sitting on the sand, her arms encircling her knees, staring at the waves, her light hair flapping around her head. "Jeannie!" Zoe called out, drawing near to her twin sister. Jeannie didn't look up. She just kept staring out to sea. "Jeannie, we were worried sick about you," Nikki added. "Just leave me alone." "We ain't gonna leave without you. It's late... and you know it's not safe to stay here after dark." Nikki crouched down beside Jeannie. "Jeannie, listen-" "I'm not coming with you. Just leave me ALONE!!!" For the first time in her life Nikki was afraid of Jeannie. Jeannie looked at her with so much hate... She looked so desperate. Nikki turned to Linda for help, but Big Sis was as helpless and despairing as Jeannie. If Linda was unable to do anything, there was nothing she could do, Nikki concluded. That powerlessness scared Nikki more than anything. She had always counted on Big Sis to solve this kind of crisis. Then the unthinkable crossed her mind... "I'm gonna call Dad." "What?" Zoe cried out. "Yes, look at Linda and Jeannie," Nikki said with a lump in her throat. "I've never seen them so messed up... I don't know what happened in that fucking mall... But I do know we can't go on like this... This is fucking our brains up, can't you see that?" "Nikki, don't you understand?" "What, Zoe?" "Jeannie wants to sleep with Linda..." "What?... Is this all about-" "Yes. And Linda doesn't want to hurt you... Can you be that blind?" Nikki gazed at Linda in total disbelief... Big Sis was crying copiously, her hair flying in the breeze, her eyes so helpless, so dejected. "Is that true, Linda?" asked Nikki. Seconds, like minutes, like hours, elapsed before Linda could nod. "Why didn't you tell me, Linda? Why? I would've understood." "You would?" Linda said, cleaning her face dry with her fingers. "Of course... You think I want to see you this desperate? I don't want to drive anyone crazy. Who am I to forbid you or Jeannie anything? I'm not Mom... or Dad." "Oh Nikki," Linda whispered, hugging her sister. "I was feeling so guilty." "Don't. How many times do I have to say that to you? Nothing happens to me or the twins against our will. We made love because we BOTH wanted that. I could've said no... But I didn't. I said yes and I'll say yes to you till I die." "Oh Nikki..." Linda sighed, holding Nikki tighter and staring at Jeannie. Her youngest sister seemed as bewildered as she was. Zoe offered her hand to her twin sister and this time Jeannie accepted it, rising to her feet. Linda freed Nikki from her embrace and drew closer to the twins. "And you, Zoe," Linda asked, "what d'you think about it? You two were fighting over it when we ran away, weren't you?" "Yes. We were... but not any more. I kept thinking about it when Jeannie was in hospital. I promised to myself if she got better I'd never hit her again. She's free to do what she pleases. All I want is her happiness… I swear." "Don't swear," Linda said. "There's no need to. I believe you. Let's go home. I'll fix a nice dinner… and we'll talk about it." The four sisters walked back home, ignoring the multitude of cars and people flocking toward the sea. A year ago they would have joined the partying crowd without a worry in their minds. Now life seemed far more complicated. Their hearts weighed heavy and their eyes hurt from crying. Nikki held Zoe closer and pushed Jeannie into Linda's arms. Linda smiled her Thank you to her unbelievably unselfish sister. The fist that squeezed her heart began to relax its grip. She looked down at Jeannie. Jeannie's eyes were half-shut, leaning against her big sister's shoulder. Jeannie was utterly worn out. No wonder... after such a dreadful day... It was a day to forget... or maybe a day to remember... one day... * * * "Who was that?" Linda asked, slicing tomatoes for the salad. "Pete," Nikki answered, stepping into the kitchen and abandoning the cellular phone on the table. "He's just asked me out." "And?" "Jealous?" "Maybe." "No need," Nikki whispered into her ear, causing Linda to tremble with a chilling thrill. Nikki's arms encompassed her sister's waist. "I said no." "You didn't have to." "I know... Not in the mood." They heard the twins coming downstairs. Linda's hands clutched Nikki's arms, wriggling herself out of her sister's embrace. She sent an apologetic look to Nikki. "Only tonight," Linda murmured. "OK?" "Don't worry," Nikki said, shaking her head. "I'm not in a hurry." After eating supper and cleaning up the kitchen, the four sisters went into the living room. Zoe turned on the TV and plumped herself down on the couch. Jay Leno's face appeared on the screen. It wasn't the Tonight Show but an interview with him. The interviewer referred to the usual jokes about his chin, and whether or not that bothered him... Nikki hunkered down next to Zoe. "I think I'm gonna hit the sack," Jeannie said, rotating her shoulder, feeling it with her hand and grimacing. "Still hurts?" Linda asked, still standing, just a couple of feet away from Jeannie. "Hmmmmm," Jeannie confirmed. "Maybe you should go with Jeannie," Nikki said, looking at Linda. "Jeannie can sleep in my bed tonight... If she needs a massage, you'll be right next to her. I'll keep Zoe company... Right, Zoe?" "Hmm mmm," Zoe's turn to agree. "We'll be OK," Nikki assured her hesitating sisters. "Just go... Or do we have to drag you two upstairs?" Linda smiled. Nikki's words sounded so strange. Nikki was literally pushing her into Jeannie's arms, Linda realized. Her beautiful, large-hearted sister understood the burning desire Jeannie felt for her, for Linda, her sister, her lover... Lover?... What a strange word to describe what they were to each other. Linda climbed the stairs behind Jeannie. Jeannie stopped by the room she shared with Zoe. "You don't wanna come?" Linda asked. "To your room?" "Yes." "Do you want that?..." "Only if you want to." "I do." "OK, I'll massage your shoulder..." Jeannie nodded, inside her body turning into a furnace. Her legs were failing her. Was this the moment she had waited for all her life? Was tonight the night? She'd had so many letdowns. Life is hard... Life isn't easy... She tried to convince herself this was just a promise of a simple massage. Jeannie shook her head. She didn't want to think about it. It would most likely be another letdown. Self-consciously Jeannie changed into her pajamas after washing her face in Linda's bathroom. It was the first time she did that in front of Big Sis. It felt like they were bride and groom on their first awkward night together. Maybe they were... Jeannie shook her head again, driving away that crazy daydreaming. She was getting carried away... but close quarters with Big Sis was such an intoxicating experience now. "Ready?" Linda asked, smiling at her sister's reflection in the mirror. She spread her night cream all over her face. "What's this stuff?" Jeannie queried, examining the cream bowl. "It hydrates your skin... Beach dries it up... Want some?" "Does it tickle?" "No," Linda chuckled, "but I do." Jeannie let out a short-lived shriek of delight when Linda tickled her ribcage. Jeannie ran to Nikki's bed, giggling. Nikki's bed was hers tonight. She was going to sleep next to Linda. 'This must be a dream,' she decided. 'This can't be real...' Linda walked toward her, the cream bowl in her hand. "OK, just lie back and close your eyes. I'll start with your face." Jeannie obeyed, realizing how unusually warm her body was. She waited for the contact... the supreme moment. Linda's hands touched her, finally, producing an unending, delicious trembling. It was more than a sexual feeling now. It seemed as though her body was floating on air, leaving this earth full of disappointments and misery. Only Linda could make that happen... Linda was a goddess, the river nymph, spreading a magical ointment that cooled down her flushed face and made her relax. She wanted to kiss her... She wanted Linda to kiss her... But the kiss didn't come. She opened her eyes. "Feeling good?" Linda asked, smiling down at her. Jeannie nodded. She couldn't talk. "Now, your shoulder... You've got to take your pajamas off, Jeannie. I mean, only the top..." "OK," Jeannie said, straightening herself up on the bed. She looked down, avoiding Linda's stare. Linda helped her out of the pajama top. Red-faced, Jeannie faced her sister, hiding her breasts behind her arms "What?" "They're so small." "No, they aren't... They're beautiful... just like you." "Yours are bigger..." Linda laughed. "Hey, young lady... This ain't a contest for big boobs. All right?" Jeannie laughed back, nervously. Then Linda added, "And by the way that's nothing I haven't seen before. Just relax, girl. Lie down... on your stomach." Linda brushed Jeannie's hair away from her back. She poured onto Jeannie's arms and shoulder blades the massage oil Mom kept in her closet. With care she spread it slowly, very slowly, all over her sister's back, concentrating the massage more and more on the injured shoulder. She smiled to herself, watching Jeannie's eyelids close, her sister's body get less and less taut. Linda felt happy, in spite of the ghastly events that had taken place that afternoon. She was reassuring Jeannie, making her feel loved... sex aside. When she was done massaging with Jeannie, her sister didn't move. Linda realized Jeannie had fallen asleep. Linda covered her with the sheet, making a special effort to prevent any sudden movement that could wake her sister. She turned off the lights, sighing. 'Better this way,' she thought. They didn't have to sleep together. Maybe that would be a bad call... for both of them. * * * Jeannie's eyes flickered open. She raised herself up onto her elbow. She brushed her hair off her eyes and mouth. She felt so terribly tired. Beach was wearing her down, as Linda had said. Jeannie raised her eyes, stared at her sister, and sighed. Straining reluctantly to recover from somnolence, she put on her pajama top and dragged herself out of bed. It was 7 AM. and the sun was beginning to rise in the eastern sky. Birds sang in the trees, enjoying their few hours of freedom from himans. Jeannie went to the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror, examining her tired-looking features. She tossed her hair back and away from her face. It still looked pale. She scanned her skin for pimples, a daily habit that drove her twin sister crazy. Zoe couldn't understand her obsession with skin care. Zoe stormed out of the bathroom every time she insisted her twin should do the same. Jeannie had a drink of water and traipsed back to bed. Before she sitting down on the bed, she looked down at Linda. Big Sis was still sleeping. Jeannie realized Linda wasn't wearing her T-shirt. The whiteness of the sheets set off the golden tan of her naked body. Linda's hair was spread out on the pillow, gold against white all over... Jeannie followed her sister's curves under the sheets... She made for herself an image of Linda's breasts, rising and falling, yielding to the steady breathing of a beautiful body of an even more beautiful person... Her sister... Her gorgeous, amazing Big Sis... Jeannie kept staring at Linda. She couldn't look away. She just couldn't. A knot began to grow in her throat... And the need, the craving for Linda came upon her, making her shudder. Her breathing was becoming heavier again, and swallowing was almost impossible. Every breath she took seemed like a sigh. Her mouth was as dry as a desert... a desert without water, without a soul... "Oh God..." Jeannie muttered, this time looking away. A sudden urge to cry came over her. In no time tears filled her eyes and began to run down her cheeks. That same crushing despair she had felt at the mall returned. She was unable to understand it. And that scared her. Sometimes she had the impression she was going to flip out. "Oh Sis... Linda..." But Linda didn't wake up. Her chest maintained the same steady rhythm. Jeannie stared at Linda's face, so peaceful, like an angel's, her angel. "Linda, please..." Jeannie begged in a whisper. "Please, Linda... wake up. I need you... I need you so much... Please... Please..." Jeannie's quivering became more apparent. This time she couldn't help it - she began to sob. Only then Linda woke up, sitting up on her bed with a start. "Jeannie... what happened?" asked Linda. She sprung up and pulled Jeannie into her arms "Jeannie... for chrissake... what's the matter?" But the sobbing didn't go away. Jeannie was inconsolable. "Come here, then," Linda said, taking her little sister into her bed. "Lie down with me. We'll stay here all day if you want." Once in bed, Linda cradled Jeannie close, kissing her forehead, her eyes, shushing her. Jeannie drew closer, pressing herself toward Linda, her arms taking hold of Linda's waist. "Jeannie... Jeannie..." Jeannie stared at Linda... at Linda's green eyes... They were like two green emeralds, magnets... "Linda," she whispered. "Yes?" "Linda..." Jeannie repeated. "Linda..." "Yes, baby... What?" "Please..." And with that please, Linda understood how deeply Jeannie had fallen in love with her. And that was scary.. Not even Nikki was that intense. "Please, Linda... Please... I beg you..." Taking matters into her own hands, Jeannie kissed the corner of Linda's mouth, pressing her body against her sister's. But those green eyes hesitated still. "Please, Linda... Please, or I'll die... Please... Kiss me... Kiss me... is all I ask." Slowly Linda's lips came down on Jeannie's. Linda couldn't resist any more Jeannie's mind-blowing intensity. Then the kiss happened, very slowly, as though they were kissing in slow motion. It was a feverish, intense kiss... so intense they shook at the same time, breathlessly. Making love with Jeannie felt so different, thought Linda. With Nikki she could sometimes laugh. With Jeannie, that wouldn't be possible. The intensity of Jeannie's look demanded seriousness, and knowing that someone could love her that much excited her strangely. Linda didn't understand how and why. She preferred to stop thinking about it... Jeannie was waiting. Linda kissed her, this time passionately, and Jeannie melted in her arms, closing her eyes, dying with little spasms, so intense had the kiss become. "Linda..." Jeannie breathed out, her eyelids still shut. "Linda... Linda..." she kept repeating, her voice trailing off, while Linda kissed her breasts over her pajama top, then her stomach, uncovering it. Linda's lips and tongue in her belly button, going up, forcing her pajamas up, generating more sweet trembling... Desire was growing, Linda noticed... and that was good... Desire made Jeannie come down to earth, soothed the pain, kept her away from that intense despair. Because of it, Linda was impatient, her mouth going down to Jeannie's sex, licking her sister's panties, almost without foreplay. Linda worried about it. It wasn't nice to rush, considering it was Jeannie's first time with her. But what Linda didn't know was that this didn't matter to Jeannie. Nothing mattered. Only being with Big Sis mattered. Linda let Jeannie get rid of her panties, and without delay Big Sis began to lick the lips of her vagina. Linda bit her sister's inner thighs, lightly. Jeannie blenched a little, surprised, but it felt good. Her sex was so wet... Jeannie could feel her own wetness oozing out of her cunt. It was so sweet and crazy at the same time... And Linda kept licking her there, causing shivers, endless shivers. "Uuhhmmm... Linda... Linda... Love you... I love you..." Jeannie whispered, playing with her sister's hair, brushing it with her fingers, while desire kept growing... and growing... "Oh Linda!" she screamed, her body arching up. Linda had bitten her once more, making her juices flow and flow. She opened her eyes and saw the damp on her sister's face. Linda's face was showing her pleasure. 'I'm dying,' Jeannie thought. 'I must be dying.' She pushed Linda's face against her sex. It was time to increase the pressure and rhythm. Jeannie pulled up her legs and pressed them together, and she almost fainted when she felt Linda's tongue inside her... Further inside it slid, touching her clitoris lightly, with utmost care. Jeannie lowered her legs. That position tired her too much. She was weak... Her sister made her weaker and weaker. Jeannie was feeling the orgasm coming. Linda's tongue was again approaching her clitoris. Jeannie again shut her eyes, feeling one wave after another. Pleasure was coming... "Oooohhh..." Jeannie moaned. "Gawd... Linda... No... Yes... Yes... YEEEESSSS!!!!" It was a hiss that followed the most incredible wave of pleasure. The orgasm was about to happen. But not yet. Linda kept teasing Jeannie's clitoris, inserting her tongue up Jeannie's vagina, licking its soaking walls. "Linda, I'm dying... I'm dying..." Then at last the orgasm came. Jeannie's body shuddered from head to toe, and she lay still, as though she had indeed died. But she was alive, very, very alive. Her heart pounded, her body was on fire, demanding more. A second wave came upon her, and then another orgasm, as Linda's tongue inside her kept licking and licking. Linda's lips lapped up her juices, kissing her vaginal folds, softly, tenderly, insatiably. Linda was the angel that made her float on air. It felt as though they were floating and floating above the bed, the sky, the trees outside. It was morning now... "That's enough, Linda," said Jeannie, pulling her sister up and into her arms "That's all I can take for now...." They kissed for a very long time, Jeannie's hand slipping in between their hot bodies, reaching for Linda's sex. Jeannie wanted to make her sister come while kissing her mouth. Linda helped her, putting Jeannie's hand in place. Another kiss, a deep-felt kiss, and a hand touching Linda's pussy, her clitoris... "Baby... Jeannie... That's right... That's it... Go on... Please... Gawd... JEANNIE... YES... Yes...Uuuuhhhmmm... You're so good... to me..." They kissed once more, Jeannie tasting her own juices in Linda's mouth. It was delicious to see Linda like this, Jeannie concluded, so close to the ecstatic moment, her moment; to feel her pussy pulsating around slippery hands and invading fingers, covered with Linda's and her own juices... It was to die for. Finally Linda came, groaning with intense pleasure, rolling her eyes and breathing deeply. Seeing this, Jeannie's joy was infinite. She had succeeded in making Big Sis come. In her wildest dreams she had imagined that but she never really expected to achieve it. She loved her. Yes, it really was to die for. They made love all morning, caressing, feeling their breasts against each other's bodies. Jeannie couldn't stop touching those mounds of soft, round flesh, Linda's and her own... She sucked Linda's nipples, one after the other and then back to the first, exciting her sister to ever more wonderful orgasms, one after the other. "I love you," Jeannie whispered. "I love you," it was the answer spoken by a hoarse voice. Then only silence, and a long moan... Linda's pleasure, induced by Jeannie's lips on her breasts... It had happened again. * * * Linda sneaked out of the bed as quietly as possible. Jeannie was sleeping now, spent by their intense lovemaking. It felt odd to make love with Jeannie. Her youngest sister's love was so absolutely breathtaking. The intensity of her gaze and feelings were something Linda had never experienced, not even with Nikki. It had been almost like a religious experience. It had been more than sex. It felt as if their souls were merging into one. Linda slipped on her T-shirt and panties. She breathed out deeply as she reached the stairs, remembering something she had heard about out-of-body experiences. Maybe she was going crazy. Linda shook her head, finding herself in the living room. She heard voices. Zoe and Nikki and someone else were outside in the back yard. She hesitated about joining her sisters without any pants on. Linda peeked out of the window, hiding behind the drapes. A man was talking to her sisters. He was middle-aged. White hair and a large forehead with a receding hairline dominated his pudgy features. He wore a weathered tweed jacket and smoked a cigar. She had never seen him before. She stopped by the open back door and listened... "So, you sure?" the stranger asked. "Yes," replied Zoe. "And you'd better be going, mister," Nikki added, "or I'll call the cops..." "OK, OK... Take it easy, kids... I'm leaving..." Saying this, he made a slow turn and lumbered down the driveway. "Hi, Linda!" Nikki greeted, watching her sister approaching. "Hi... Who's that guy? What'd he want?" "He was asking questions..." Nikki said, stealing a glance at Zoe. "What kind of questions?" "He said he was a reporter... and was writing a story about Dad... He wanted to know things about us... Mom... Dad... The kidnapping, and..." "And what?" "How our kidnapper died..." "And what did you say?" "We didn't say anything, Linda," Zoe cut in. "We said if he wanted to write a piece about Dad, he should talk to him..." "And what else?" "Linda," Nikki said, holding her sister's trembling hands, "there's nothing to worry about... We didn't tell him anything... We just said he was trespassing... He had no right to come barging into our back yard... Honest." Linda sighed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. She sat down on a lawn chair, still shaking. "Linda," said Nikki to her, kneeling beside her chair, "why are you so upset?" "Because he might've followed us, Nikki... Because he might've taken pictures, when you and I were making love... on the beach..." "He didn't mention any pictures... Linda, why worry? I don't care if he's got pictures of us making out... Sometimes I wish..." "What?" Linda said, her eyes meeting Nikki's, which had gained sudden aloofness. Nikki shook her head. "What, Nikki?" "Nothing..." "Please, don't do this to me... Tell me..." "It's not possible, Linda... So why should I say it out loud? It's not possible." "What?" "It is ridiculous..." "Let me be the judge of that." "You're going to laugh at me." "No, I won't. You should know me better than that..." "OK... I wish... Sometimes I wish I could marry you... So, it's out... Now you can laugh..." Before the words could sink in, Nikki got to her feet and ran back into the house, leaving Linda there in the back yard with a stupefied look on her face. Linda raised her eyes, her heart pounding in her chest like a madman. She stared at Zoe but her sister didn't move. Zoe looked down, averting her eyes... Things were out of control, Linda could see, unable to prevent her hands from shaking. Feelings were running ahead of their heads once more. Maybe Nikki was right when she said they were all fucking up their brains. The pain came back... The scream welled up inside her again... Zoe came closer. "Linda..." she said, kneeling at her sister's feet, taking hold of her hands. "Linda, I know it's hard... but it's been hard on all of us... Nikki needs you... Jeannie needs you... We all need you. If you break down now... I don't know what's going to happen to us... I don't know many things, but I do know this... You've got to be strong... Please..." Despite her low spirits, Linda raised a fleeting smile. "So wise now... What ever happened to you?" "I've already told you... When I saw Jeannie lying up there, bleeding to death, and then in the hospital... I realized how stupid our quarrels were... how petty human minds can be... I was losing her... and I swore I was not going to let it happen again... EVER!" "You're right, Zoe," said Linda, trying to get up. Zoe reached out for her, helping her to her feet. "I feel so weak..." And the moment Linda said it, her legs gave up, her eyes went blank, and her body fell on the lawn with a thump. * * * Linda moseyed along the beach, compromising between not getting her cut-off jeans wet and feeling the sea swirl around her feet, caressing them gently like a self-effacing, attentive lover... She had decided to come on her own to the beach house, to find herself on her own, away from her troubled sisters and parents. She felt lonely but she needed that loneliness now to survive. She needed distance from Mom and Dad, even from Nikki... and particularly now from Jeannie... Jeannie's intense love touched Linda too deeply, and to a point she thought she'd go crazy. That was not something Linda had discussed with Dr. Mansfield - Dad had insisted she see a therapist. By now that dark-haired, attractive young woman knew of the goings-on between herself and her sisters. However, she hadn't mentioned that the twins were sleeping together. She didn't want to give the impression the McDougall's household had turned into a perpetual orgy. Linda walked up to the dunes and away from the sea. She scanned the beach for people. Seeing no one close, she sighed and slumped down on the sand, enjoying its warmth. The thought that Nikki or Jeannie could show up uninvited at the beach house slightly alarmed her. Linda didn't hate them. No, on the contrary... She still loved them very, very much... but at that moment she just couldn't handle the awesome amount of love her sisters lavished upon her. To Linda's surprise and relief, Emma - Dr. Mansfield - had been far from judgmental. The therapist had been understanding, though only up to a point. Emma said several times she didn't condone what was happening between Linda and her sisters. Incest can be a devastating experience, she said. Sometimes Linda smiled to herself, though. Emma's brown eyes glistened from time to time. It seemed as though that Emma found them all uncannily interesting. She asked for details about the seductions and lovemaking. Linda couldn't figure out why a therapist should be interested in that, unless... In spite of her curiosity, Emma helped her enormously. Her oppressive guilt was waning now, although she still had nightmares about the redneck, the shotgun, and Jeannie lying on the ground, bleeding and crying for help. Linda played with the sand, grabbing a handful and then letting it trickle down between her fingers, as though her hand had become an hourglass, time passing by and never coming back... She looked out at the waves... She was bored. She missed Nikki, her sister's love, her unconditional love... 'Nikki must hate me,' she thought. 'I ran away from her.' And again Linda was afraid of losing what she had with Nikki. If it ever happened, that would be a first. All Linda's relationships had ended on her own initiative. Leaving instead of being dumped was the rule, not the exception. Linda returned to the beach house, ignoring the staring and head-turning she always caused. Alone, without her sisters, the seduction game had no point, no glamor, no thrill... She realized all that hype about the promenade, and guys, and teasing, and flirting, had just been an excuse to talk with her sisters about sex and love - sex and love with them. The seduction game was not about the boys... The seduction game was about girls... her sisters. Nervously pressing the keys of the cellular phone, Linda dialed the number at home. "McDougall's residence..." Linda heard from the other end. "Hi, Mom." "Hi, Linda... I'm surprised you called..." "I think I wanna come home..." "So soon? Did you discuss that with Dr. Mansfield?" "No... Do I have to?" "No. But do you think it's wise? After all, we all know why you collapsed in the back yard..." "Do we, Mom?" A long silence followed. Linda was getting annoyed with Mom's nagging tone of voice. Taking her chances, Linda asked, "Is Nikki home?" "No, she's gone out with Lana and Jack... Why?" "I wanna talk to her." Silence again, interrupted only by static and far away noises. Linda heard a female voice talking to Mom. It was Nikki... "Hi, Linda," Nikki greeted her. Her sister's voice sounded as eager as ever. Probably there was still hope for them. "How are you? Are you feeling better? I was so worried..." "How's Lana... and Jack?" "Oh, they're OK. Lana's a good friend. She sends her love..." "Did you talk about-" "-us? No... I didn't tell a soul... and I never will..." There was a pause, then a sigh. "I miss you." Linda's heart jolted... Were they telepaths? "I miss you," Linda replied. "Why don't you come home then?" "I've already told Mom I'm coming. She didn't seem happy about it but I don't care... How are the twins? Are they OK?" "Yes... Zoe's changed a lot... The twins don't fight any more... Zoe's more or less become like you... I'm impressed." "Life and death does that, Nikki... I'm happy for them... OK, I'm gonna hang up. Give me an hour and I'll be home." "OK, I'll be waiting... Be careful... I don't want to lose you now..." Linda smiled. "You won't. * * * Linda's couldn't believe it... A quiver rushed down her spine... It was a quiver of fear... Her legs became taut. She hit the brakes just in time to prevent a photographer from ending up under the wheels of the Jeep. What the hell was happening? Why was the press crowding around the gate of her house? Two cops let her through, receiving orders by walkie-talkie to do so. The journalists were screaming something like murder... arrest... Fred McDougall... Her father's name. Dad? Murdered? That didn't make sense. She'd just talked to Mom and Nikki an hour ago... Linda was escorted in by a detective who promptly identified himself as the man in charge. He put his bulky arm around her, maybe bracing her for the worst. She walked into the living room and found Mom crying, Dad standing still beside her. His hair was mussed up, his face serious and tired... No tie, no jacket...cuff links unfastened... What was the meaning of this? Who'd been murdered? If not Dad, then who? Nikki??? The twins??? No, that couldn't be true... Or could it?... Linda stared at her father but he looked away... Linda's heart sank... She just couldn't believe it... The cruelest thought crossed her mind... Had Dad killed them?... No... NO!!!! It didn't make any sense... It didn't... That couldn't be true... It just couldn't... NEXT: CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Cover-up ------------------------------------ Comments always welcome jan123@hotmail.com -- +----------------' Story submission `-+-' Moderator contact `--------------+ | | | | Archive site +----------------------+--------------------+ Newsgroup FAQ | ----