Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 21:54:02 +0100 From: Jan Vincent Subject: Sisters - Chapter One SISTERS By Jan Vincent To K. CHAPTER ONE: CONFUSION Linda woke up, shaking off sleep with a yawn, and stretched out the arms from her fit, sport-loving body. She glanced around. In spite of the dim light, she recognized the furniture of her beach-house bedroom. Heavy drapes kept out most of the sunlight, allowing her to sleep longer than usual. It was the weekend, and there was no need to get up at sunrise. Linda sighed as she let her head roll over to watch her younger sister Nikki sleep. Then she looked at the red display of the clock radio: 10:23 AM. 'Dammit, so late?' she complained to herself. The seventeen-year-old girl sighed again and sat up, driving out of her body the last of her sleepiness. She got to her feet and walked over to the window. Drawing the drapes slightly apart, she looked out and rejoiced. The sky was a cloudless deep blue, and a warm breeze blowing from inland stroked her smiling face. It was the perfect weather to enhance her golden tan. In the afternoon, it would be promenade time. Linda picked up the bikini perched on the back of a wicker chair and ambled into the bathroom, whistling a song Rick used to sing with his band. Rick Hillman, the cutest guy for the prettiest girl in San Fernando High. Linda smiled at her own reflection in the bathroom mirror, brushing her long blond hair away from her face. 'Some self-glorification can't hurt,' she thought. But popularity was not a question of just being pretty. Self-confidence and the right amount of rebelliousness seemed to do the trick -- at least for her, she concluded, it did. Actually, all Linda's sisters seemed to do fairly well as far as popularity was concerned, particularly every time the four of them were together and -- more importantly -- had fun together. Nikki, thirteen months her junior, was the sweetest of them all. Nikki was Linda's confidante and her best friend, the one who cheered her up when she was down, the one who listened, the one who covered up for her. In contrast, her sister Zoe was an outspoken, bullheaded, quarrelsome, tomboyish 15-year-old, who wouldn't hesitate to use either her hands to pull her sisters' hair during a fight, or her nails to protect her identical twin Jeannie from a bully. It was clear to Linda that the love and hate lost between the twins was due to Zoe's overprotective, overzealous nature towards their youngest sister. Jeannie would protest and drive Zoe away from her, but it didn't take long for them to kiss and make up. Jeannie was intelligent and resolute, yet withdrawn and thoughtful. Like any pair of identical twins, Zoe and Jeannie loved to play tricks on strangers by dressing and behaving alike. But more often than not they would wear different outfits and hairdos, affirming their own identity and character. Despite all the bickering and name-calling, Linda knew that all her sisters were there for each other. Linda was even proud of them, the way people stared at them as they walked by, arms intertwined, laughing and talking as loud as they could, whooping it up as sisters should. Dad took pride in his "little girls", too. More precisely, Dad took pride in their good looks. With a tipsy smile on his face and a glass of bourbon in his right hand, he had once said that the McDougall genes were known to produce the most beautiful females on the planet. His daughters were living proof of it. 'Yeah, right,' Linda thought, but her reflection kept smiling contentedly. Time for a shower, Linda decided. She tossed her white T-shirt and panties onto the tiled floor and hopped into the bathtub. Her face welcomed the warm shower. Her right hand clasped the soap and worked it over her body and her firm athlete's breasts. Rick joked that she had the figure for model, but what the hell... Her parents wouldn't buy it... Yes, it was just another of her wild boyfriend's crazy ideas. They didn't get along those three. Come to that, Mom and Dad didn't get along with many people anyway. It was strange for someone who was such a successful manager of people and money -- Fred McDougall, the most talked about CEO in Silicon Valley, the man who turned the obscure software company called Servenet into one of the hottest stocks on Wall Street. From time to time Dad mentioned his fascination for the political arena, and the possibility of a bid for Congress. Linda argued against it. She said that politics is such a dirty business, with far too much attention from the news media. The lack of freedom would be too damned stifling. No, Washington DC was definitely not the place to be. Finishing her shower and grabbing her terry towel, she concluded, 'Give me the California sun instead, and I'll be forever happy.' Linda found, as expected, that Nikki hadn't moved a muscle. She was sleeping away, and unaware that her big sister was up and ready to go. Linda stopped in front of the vanity mirror. She examined her own reflection once more, making sure her sporty, skin-tight white and blue bikini with red streamlined stripes looked perfect, enhancing her natural curves instead of hiding them. Teasing the guys on the beach was a turn-on Linda couldn't resist. Capturing the attention of eager young faces was such a thrill, an intoxicating drug that sent chills down her spine and produced a mellow warmth down there, between her legs. Linda smiled to herself, heading for the window. She drew the drapes aside and hollered, "Rise and shine!" Nikki's eyes remained shut. Her slender ribcage moved up and down with the regular beat of sleep despite the strong sunlight streaming into the room, and the stare of someone waiting impatiently for a reaction. Her sister Nikki was hopelessly lazy. Linda had forgotten how many times she had to shake her sister awake, drag her out of bed and splash her face with cold water to get her going. It was a daily routine Linda didn't care much for. Nikki promised she would change, but years had flown by and the promised change was still to happen. Linda knocked on the twins' door. Without waiting for an answer she walked in and repeated the same routine, letting the daylight stream in and announcing the beginning of a new day. Linda would go easy on Zoe and Jeannie as the twins weren't as lazy as Nikki. They would eventually get up and ready on their own, without the need for a second round of hollering and poking. Linda walked back to her room, sighing once again. Minutes elapsed before Zoe came into her older sisters' room, yawning and greeting Linda. Zoe looked at her big Sis picking clothes up off the floor, like a loving mother, while Nikki slumbered away in bed. "Hi, Zoe," Linda smiled back, as she took a fleeting glance up at her sister for long enough to acknowledge her presence, but not enough to interrupt her tidying the room. "How did you sleep last night? No nightmares this time?" Zoe shook her head. After a long pause she asked, "Is Nikki still sleeping?" "Yeah, as usual." "Why don't we do something about it?" Zoe suggested, flipping her long straight blond hair over her shoulders. "Like what?" asked Linda, looking at her sister and holding up a sweater, Nikki's, that she was about to fold and put away in the wardrobe. "Tickle her to death," Zoe grinned. "Yes," said Jeannie, joining her sisters. "Let's do it." Linda laughed, amused by the twins' mischief and enthusiasm -- no wonder they sailed through the tryouts for the S.F. High cheerleader squad. Zoe and Jeannie, Mom's and Dad's favorites, scored straight A's as easily as they mastered straddle jumps. There were plenty of reasons to envy them, Linda realized. Plenty of reasons... "OK," Linda finally agreed, "I'll count to three, and three of us will jump on Nikki." "Yes," Zoe and Jeannie exclaimed, their clear blue eyes shining with anticipation. That too made Linda laugh again. "One... two... three..." and the three girls dived onto Nikki's bed, tickling their sister to death as promised, showing no mercy. Nikki tried to wriggle free. She screamed and kicked, but she didn't stand a chance. Her sisters made sure she paid dearly for her laziness. This was a punishment, a lesson to be learned. "Time to wake up," Linda giggled, pinning Nikki's arms down, preventing her escaping from the twins. Zoe and Jeannie went on tickling her squirming body, torturing her with their fingers, while Nikki pleaded with them to stop. Nikki made another attempt to kick them away, shouting and screaming, but the unrelenting twins kept a good grip on her. When the tickling stopped and she pushed them off her, Nikki laughed as hard as her sisters. Linda got to her feet, smiling and pulling her hair away from her face. She stared at Nikki, noticing how flushed her sister's face was, and that her pajama top had become unbuttoned in the struggle, revealing her firm, beautiful, medium-sized breasts. Nikki's nipples were erect as though she had gotten off on what just happened. Linda felt a certain, undefined tension building up between her legs. The whole thing had been exciting, sexy even. Her breasts touched Nikki's during the fight to keep her sister down. Was that why Nikki's nipples looked so hard? "From now on that's what you're going to get if you don't wake up on time," said Jeannie, smiling and showing her perfect teeth. "Yeah," Zoe agreed. "You can count on that. Right, Linda?" Linda woke up from her daydreaming and stammered in agreement. She urged them to get ready. It was almost 11 AM. It was a shame to remain indoors with such perfect weather outside. After breakfast, they strolled down to the promenade, looking for the right spot on the beach to settle down and enjoy the sea, the blue sky and the guys... Wearing their 150-dollar shades, the happy, loud foursome wanted to look "cool" and distant. Adrenaline raced through their young bodies when they realized that guys and girls alike would look at them with awe, lust or envy. Walking down the promenade was an obvious game of watching and being watched. The guys would sidle up to them and mouth the usual pick-up lines. Linda and Nikki would laugh and ignore them. Zoe usually answered in kind, knowing that their older sisters were just a few feet away if things went too far. When they were together, it seemed to Zoe that everything was possible, and allowed. No jealous boyfriends around, no Mom or Dad to deflate their high spirits. After walking for a quarter of an hour Linda suggested a spot next to the volleyball net. Before they set foot on the beach, a male voice called out, "Hi, girls!" "Hi!" Linda replied, turning toward the deep, manly voice. It was Mr. Cool, an attractive, roguish kind of a guy, who covered his long light brown hair with a red bandanna. He had piercing blue eyes and was built like a bodybuilder. He craved attention and worked hard on his three-point plan for success: Number 1 -- to get spotted by a Hollywood talent hunter; Number 2 -- to become the next Sylvester Stallone; and Number 3 -- to have the world, and the girls, at his feet. Beside him stood Max and Pete. They were less conspicuous than Mr. Cool but equally attractive. Max and Pete worked for Mr. Cool's surfing school. They were known for their prowess with the surfboard and with their female pupils -- whatever that meant. Nikki and Zoe met Mr. Cool's gang at the surfing school a couple of years ago. The girls wanted to learn something new, something exciting, and those guys seemed to be the right instructors -- cute, self-assured and fun to be with. Linda and Nikki caught Mr. Cool's and Max's sexual vibes, in spite of the obvious age difference. Mr. Cool and Max were grown men in their late twenties. Both of them knew they could end up in jail if they went too far with those tempting teenage girls. Still, that didn't stop the guys' trying. Linda had to push Mr. Cool away more than once. It just didn't feel right, somehow. Linda was afraid for her sisters. She didn't want them to get hurt. And she didn't want them to do something stupid with these guys if they had too much to drink and were having a good time. She was their Big Sis. She felt responsible for her younger sisters. She just couldn't help it. After the usual small talk for openers, Mr. Cool suggested a volleyball match. "What about the school?" asked Linda. "Don't you have classes to teach? The girls must be desperate by now." Mr. Cool laughed. He was used to Linda's banter. Linda McDougall was a knockout of a girl, with brains. She defied his stereotypical view of longhaired, leggy blondes. Linda had personality. She was a girl who knew what she wanted and who knew how to get it. She said she didn't want to be a model or an actress. Instead her goals were to graduate and go to college, maybe to become a physician. Linda was a girl of strong convictions. He liked that girl... and more than a lot. As far as he was concerned, Rick, or whatever her boyfriend's name was, was definitely a lucky bastard! In spite of Linda's teasing, the girls picked up on Mr. Cool's idea, and in a few moments the teams were chosen: Mr. Cool, Max, Linda and Nikki against Pete, Zoe and Jeannie. The "younger" team had the best players. The twins were known for their well-timed block, and Pete for his powerful smash. On the other side of the net, Mr. Cool would outperform himself, making impressive dives onto the sand, which were more for show than to prevent Pete scoring again. The guys and girls laughed and giggled at his sand-covered face and his mock look of powerlessness. Linda scored a few points and, to her embarrassment, Nikki congratulated her by hugging her. But why did she feel so embarrassed? Nikki was a warm, kind person, and physical contact between them was normal enough... During the match Linda avoided dwelling on that scary, confusing subject. She worked at concentrating on the game. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult to disregard a strange moist warmth welling up between her legs. 'What the hell is happening to me?' she scolded herself. The answer soon became clear. At the beginning of the second set Nikki struck her first successful smash. Happy as could be, she came over and wrapped her arms around Linda's neck. That fleeting, sudden full-body contact stirred Linda up, making her flush awfully. Nikki's breasts touched hers again, setting off in her body the strangest reaction. Her nipples immediately became erect, and the moisture "down there" increased to frightening proportions. Linda's attempts to get her concentration back failed miserably. She watched Nikki out of the corner of her eye. She thought it would give her a moment of respite if she looked at the cause of her sudden nervousness. She couldn't believe she was actually... what?... becoming aroused by her sister's body? She shook her head. It wasn't like that. It was more the physical contact, and not so much how good Nikki's body looked. They had the same build -- long slender legs, a willowy waist, a dainty tush and a firm bosom. Her sister Nikki was pretty -- everyone knew that -- and Linda was proud of her. She was proud she could say that Nikki was her sister. On top of that, Nikki was kindness personified. That's why they had grown closer and become best friends over the past three years. In their early teens they were typical sibling rivals, competing for the best dress, for the juiciest steak, for the cutest guy... They eventually grew out of it because Nikki's kindness was straightforward and disarming. When she started thinking of that again, tears almost welled up in Linda's eyes. "Sorry, guys," said Linda finally, as she left the volleyball field, "I'm gonna take a dive. It's too damned hot up here." She hoped they would continue the match and leave her alone. But Mr. Cool quit too, and followed her. To Linda's chagrin, everyone joined her in the sea, splashing in the water and making too much noise. She just wanted peace and quiet, and to cool off. Linda swam away from that bunch of noisy men and teenage girls. She wanted to get all that stuff about Nikki out of her mind. A chill raced down her spine. That would be... incest. The very thought of it made her cringe. Fear made her swim out to sea -- a great and worrisome fear that was inside her head. Linda stopped swimming. She was tired, her heart was pounding, and her breathing heavier than usual. She felt suddenly cold, too cold to remain in the water. With uneasy strokes she began to swim back to the beach. Mr. Cool swam with his strong crawl toward her though, preventing her getting back to the beach. He wanted to play, diving into the water and surfacing a couple of feet away from her. Linda was exhausted. She wanted him -- all of them -- to leave her alone. Was that too much to ask? Nikki laughed as Pete helped her to escape from a strong wave and to get out of the sea. Pete laughed too, faking a sigh of relief. After all, they had just dodged a wave that could have crashed on them pretty hard. Pete's smile promptly faded as Nikki let go of his hand. She squeezed the water off her long hair, and gave him her wide smile. Then they looked back, alerted by the twins' giggling. Mr. Cool and Max were telling stories. They were joking about the surfing ineptitude of beginners as they fought with the waves and the soft sand at the wave-line. On the way back to where they left their towels stretched out on the sand, Nikki noticed Big Sis. Linda was alone, and seemingly lost in thought. Her lissome legs were drawn up. She was holding her chin in her right hand, with her arm propped up on her knee. She was staring out to sea. That struck Nikki as strange, utterly strange and out of place. Big Sis was obviously worried. But why? Rick? Another guy? Mr. Cool?... Nah, that couldn't be it. Linda told her she would never sleep with a guy like Mr. Cool. What then? School? Grades? That didn't fit either. Linda's grades were far above average. Nikki sat down next to Linda. She wanted to ask Big Sis if she was all right. But her courage somehow fell short. She sensed that Linda wanted to be left alone. The guys and the twins didn't seem to get it. They kept calling her name constantly. Linda smiled at their clowning. Nikki could see, however, that Big Sis wasn't her usual happy self. Later on Linda got up and said, "I'm sorry, guys... I've got a headache. I'm going home." "Going home?" said Mr. Cool, jumping to his feet and going over to her. "You not coming with us? Sweeney's time tonight... I talked to your sisters. They're all coming... Don't be a spoiler!" "No, I'm sorry... I've got a headache. I'd be lousy company." "In that case, we can join you at your place... You wouldn't be alone... Your folks are away, right?" "Yes, they are, but-" "No," Nikki broke in, getting up and going over to Linda and Mr. Cool. "I want to go to Sweeney's. I know Linda... When she has a headache, she really needs to be left alone." Linda smiled at her sister with gratitude. She picked up her jute bag, took her clothes out, and slipped on her yellow blouse and black shorts. Before she left, Nikki pulled Linda aside and whispered, "Are you all right?" "Yes," answered Linda, tossing her head to sweep her hair away from her face. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just enjoy Sweeney's without me." "We'll see about that. Anyway we still have to go home and change. I'll check on you when we get home." "Yes, Mommy." Nikki chuckled, pushing her sister away. "Just go home, OK? And see you later." "Right," said Linda. Looking around to the others, she yelled, "Bye, guys!" "Bye!" the others answered in unison. Then Linda smiled and left. Linda walked back to the beach house, this time without wearing her sunglasses. She wanted to feel the sunshine on her closed eyelids, to feel that warmth all over her body, and forget the reason why she had made up a headache. It was an excuse like any other to get her freedom back, to have some room to think. No one understood that except for Nikki. Nikki, her sister, her best friend. Linda's breathing became heavier again. She had to forget "it". But the more she tried, the more that scary idea invaded her mind. She needed to cool off again. She would take a shower and wash away those crazy ideas about Nikki. "Linda, where are you?" shouted Nikki from the bottom of the stairs. Nikki had just returned from the beach, and her face was warm from the sunshine and the never-ending laughter with the guys and the twins. "Up here," she heard Linda shout from their bedroom. Nikki hurried upstairs and in no time she was in the bedroom. Linda was sitting on the edge of her bed, one leg lying on the covers and the other down on the floor. With her knees bent to balance herself in that position, Linda was leafing through an old photo album, the one where their early childhood pictures were kept. "What are you doing?" asked Nikki, sitting on the floor next to her Big Sis. Linda kept staring at the old photos that Nikki knew well. Linda just shrugged. Nikki couldn't see Linda's face. It was hidden by the long tresses of golden curls that framed it. Nikki looked at her own hair, so straight and weak compared with Linda's. Zoe and Jeannie also had straight hair, even straighter than her own, Nikki realized. She said she would soon get a perm (to keep up with Big Sis) but Mom wouldn't allow it. Mom said she was too young, and a perm would ruin her hair. Nikki eyed her sister, still unable to see Linda's face. Nikki brushed her sister's hair away from her face. To her astonishment, she saw that Linda's cheeks were damp from CRYING! "Linda, what happened?" she asked, quivering for a second. "Why are you crying?" Linda shrugged again, still looking at the pictures Dad took when they were younger. Some of them showed Linda and herself playing in the back yard of the house where they lived before. "Linda, talk to me... Please..." Nikki tried to wipe away the tears from her sister's face but Linda flinched, avoiding the contact. "Linda, why are you in this mood? If you don't tell me, I can't help you." "So, don't," Linda growled, standing up, stomping into their private bathroom and banging the door shut. Nikki remained where she was, her blue-gray eyes wider than normal, staring at the doorway through which Linda had disappeared from view. Linda ending the conversation like that was nothing new to Nikki. Her older sister had a rather short fuse. That much she knew. But what threw Nikki into total confusion was Linda's strange mood. She had never seen her so distant and sad. Her Big Sis was always the center of attention. Her captivating smile, her looks, and her uninhibited wisecracking were three traits that assured her sister the limelight. Linda was actually the most gorgeous girl she had ever seen. When she was younger she bitterly envied her sister's stunning beauty. And now? Did she envy her still? No, she didn't think so. They had become friends, buddies. Linda was the most dependable person she knew, much more than their own parents. Linda was there for them. The same couldn't be said about Mom and Dad... Nikki shut her eyes for a moment and tried to get that thought out of her mind. She didn't want to think. She just wanted to get changed. She wanted to go to Sweeney's and dance the night away, and forget... About everything. (To be continued)