Chapter 13 - Conclusion

Ely

The major difference between Nate and me is I tend to ponder about things and Nate tends to act before he thinks something through whereas I tend to ponder things trying to look at all angles. It drives him crazy. But then he freaks me out when he does something without thinking it through. I'm not that way always but Dolf said I was the lifesaver he was throwing to his drowning son.

I understood his meaning. It meant I was the one who had to save Noah from himself. At least that is what I think he meant because he'd already been physically save by Jason.

But I still wondered why me. Why not Mikey, Casey, Kagan, Tony, Jason? They knew him better than me. I hardly know him and we are totally different. I'm poor -- he's rich; he's a babe -- I'm -- I'm average; he's got charisma -- people hardly notice me. I still feel like Jason's booby-prize. It's not to say that I don't love Jason I do. But the fact remains when Ardal and Noah paired up I was all that was left.

"Damn it all!" I yell to myself. I was doing it again. I was putting myself down. I know Jason loves me.

I am the one that Dolf transported to the island. It was real and I had a pocket full of sand to prove it and Noah's Journal. He said he didn't want my help but he was angry and angry people lie -- they say things they don't mean to try and justify their upset. What they say is upsetting them usually isn't it. At least that's been my experience.

If I'm going to do something I better stop pissing around here and get to it. I grabbed the journal, stuffed it into my backpack and headed out on my bike to Noah's.

I've always gone to Noah's by car and I didn't think about the time it would take to bike there. What normally took 15-20 minutes by car took me over an hour on bike. When I arrive at their gated property I rang the buzzer to be let in.

"What do you want?" asked Noah's voice through the intercom.

"I came over to see you," I replied.

"Well, I don't want to see you, Golden Boy."

"Why?"

"I told you I don't need your help."

"I didn't come here to help you. I needed to talk to you about something."

"Go talk to Ardal. I'm sure he sent you here. I don't want to talk to you."

"What are you talking about? The last time I saw Ardal was with you at school. Come on let me in. It's hot and I'm dying out here. I need something to ..." Things were getting dark. I was fainting probably from heat exhaustion.

The next thing I knew I was lying on something soft and someone was dabbing my face with a cool cloth. As I opened my eyes I saw Noah. He looked a bit concerned.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey, sorry I must have fainted or something," I said.

"Yeah, maybe a touch of heat stroke or something, I thought you were faking it but when you didn't move for five minutes I figure you weren't faking it and when I had to carry you up here I knew you weren't," he smiled.
God he was cute.

"Here, drink this," he said passing me a large cold glass of juice. I guzzled it down.

"Thanks."

He smiled.

"So, Ely what was so damn important that you had to faint to get me to hear you out?" he asked with a smile.

"It wasn't to help you because you really don't need help from me. Yeah, Dolf wanted me to help you but I can't. I don't know how. I mean you are Noah Huntington the third. You're rich, smart, resourceful..." I blushed, "exceedingly hot and the most incredible person I've ever met. Me, I'm far from rich, I'm plain and not smart enough to realize riding my bike over here on a hot sunny day was not a good idea...Jason really did get the booby-prize..." I looked away briefly.

"I came here to apologize and then to tell you about something," I said.

"Apologize? For what?"

"I wrongly accused you because I jumped to a conclusion that was wrong. It wasn't until this afternoon that I realized I was wrong in thinking you were an evil person."

"No," he said solemnly, "You were right."

"NO! You ARE GOOD. I KNOW THAT NOW. So, just shut up and listen to me. Sometimes you do things with good intentions that turn out bad, but your intention was never bad. I spent half the afternoon running through the whole thing with Brad, Trey, you and me. Trey knew Brad was gay and in love with him. Brad loved Trey but couldn't tell him because he was afraid Trey wouldn't accept him. Trey thought he could change Brad by bullying you. You thought if you did what you did they realize it was all bullshit. And me I simply compounded the whole thing. I made you wrong. I made you think that you were the cause of something bad when that was never your intention. Brad died but it was his fear of what his parents would do when they found out he was gay that made him not look when he step out in front of that car."

"I didn't mean for it to happen like that," cried Noah and he began to sob. I moved over to him and wrapped him in my arms. Thank goodness I put on deodorant before I left home on my bike.

He cried for a while and I held him without saying anything. He had faced the truth and now he could heal. In a way so did I. It's funny I always get on Nate case because he acts without thinking and that was exactly what I did. We talked about things until we both felt good and we were no longer feeling shame or blame.

"Ely thanks. And you're wrong about one thing. Jason didn't get the booby prize -- he got the grand prize. And another thing -- a question, do you think Nate is `hot'?

"My brother?"

He nodded. "Hmm, yeah I guess so. I think Casey is the one to answer that."

"Well, newsflash! Casey thinks he's hot, and for that matter so do Ethan, Justin, Kagan, Ardal, Jason and me."

"Well, yeah, but what's your point?" I asked.

"Dude! Hello! You're his identical twin brother!"

"So, you're saying you think I'm hot?"

"Duh! If you guys were any hotter they would know what's causing global warming," laughed Noah.

I was about to say something when the doorbell rang.

"I must have left the front gate open," said Noah as he got up and went to see who it was.

I followed him and was surprised to see Trey standing there with Jason, Justin and Ethan.

Trey and Noah just looked at each other. I guess they were lost for words or something. Trey didn't look angry.

"Babe, are you alright?" asked Jason which broke the momentary silence.

"Yeah, I'm good," I replied, "Everything is good."
At that moment both Noah and Trey said, "I'm sorry."

"Trey I didn't mean for it to turn out like that I just wanted you to understand and I didn't think," said Noah in a remorseful voice.

"I understand," replied Trey, "I fucked up too. I shouldn't have done what I did. I should have told Brad it didn't matter to me that he was gay."

"I guess we all fucked up," I said, "But maybe we've learned something about ourselves so that next time we start to fuck up we don't," I said.

Everyone nodded.

"I've spent all day with these Dolphin boys and well you are special Noah - Ely made me see that by his actions. I know you guys communicate to each other through telepathy. At least Jason and Ely do. He got all panicky because something happened to Ely and then just as we were about to leave he calmed down and said we didn't have to leave. Ely was okay -- Noah was hurting and Ely has to fix it. I knew what he meant because I was hurting and he helped me fix it. I'd like to start again. I'd like to be your friend."

"Me too," replied Noah and they shook hands and gave each other a slight hug and manly pats on the back.

Tony's car drove up and Ardal got out of the car followed by his brothers. He stormed towards Noah, "Noah Thomas Huntington the Third, I love you and you are not breaking up with me and that's that!"

"I'm not. Ely fixed me," said Noah with a smile.

I think I blushed. Jason moved over to my side and put his arm around me.

Ardal smiled and walked over to me. "Dude, thanks." He gave me a hug and kissed my cheek then he returned to Noah and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"Okay, guys!" said Trey, "It's cool. You guys are the coolest but it's going to take sometime for me to get use to seeing guys making out so if you'll excuse me I'll be going."


We all laughed and Trey left. We knew we all have a new friend.

Tony and Kagan went to get pizza and returned with four extra large pizzas which disappeared very quickly. We were having a great time laughing and joking. Life was good.

"Babe?" asked Jason.

"Yeah?"

"How did all that sand get in Trey's bathroom?"

"Sand?"

"Yeah, there was a circle of sand on the floor with a couple of footprints in it. They looked like yours."

"Omigod! I forgot!" I said loudly and ran to the foyer to get my backpack. I picked it up and looked inside. It was still there. It was real. I turned and went back to the others in the kitchen. Everyone was looking at me.

I walked over to Noah. "Hold out your hand," I said to him. He dutifully complied. I reached in my pocket and pulled out a handful of sand and let the sand fall into Noah's hand.

The look on his face was astonishment.

"You-you were there," he said softly.

"Yeah, Dolf brought me there this morning." I reached into my backpack and took out the journal and handed it to him.

"My journal," he barely whispered as his eyes filled with tears.

Suddenly everything made sense. I knew who Dolf really was and I think Noah now knew.

"He loved you more than anything. You were everything to him and he couldn't leave you. For seven years he stayed with you and tried to find someone to rescue you. It wasn't until Jason crossed his path that he knew that rescue was on the way. But even then he had to make sure that you were okay. We others had our own abilities and talents somehow he brought us together because he knew you needed us and we needed you. I may be the one who fixes but you are the glue that holds us together," I said.

Everyone was silently watching and listening to the two of us.

"In your diary the last page you said I think `I know who Dolf really is' and then you wrote it down. You were right."

Noah nodded, "Yeah, my dad."

Dolf, better known to me now as Noah Thomas Huntington, Junior, had been a part of each of our lives. He was the Doctor that delivered Nate and me. He had met Tony at the age of thirteen in Florida at Sea World near the dolphin pool and was the first person Tony ever told he was gay. Ethan had actually met Kagan, Ardal, Casey, Noah and Doctor Huntington on vacation in Florida. It was Ethan's tenth birthday and the last one he had had with his parents. Ethan's parents were friends of the Huntington's.

The night of the storm he was washed overboard and drowned. His thoughts were of his wife but mainly of the son he loved. He wasn't ready to die but his body was gone he needed a body and happened to find a dolphin's body. Somehow he was able to use the dolphins body and became Dolf.

Dolf taught me one thing - with power comes responsibility and freedom - power without responsibility becomes tyranny and enslavement. Each of us have abilities where we use them to improve the lives of others is an individual decision. Making the right decision is sometimes hard but a rule of thumb is to learn to evaluate the things that we do and if they result in a greater good than bad do it again and maybe someday we will have peace and happiness.

I wondered a bit where life in the future would take us. One thing I knew we'd always be friends. But then the future is always another story, isn't it?

The End