Written by Charles Well <charles.well@yandex.com> and Sarge AKA Aldric <pietar_the_fearless@yahoo.com> and Nick <newnick1@yahoo.com>
(C) 2020)
The original Kids of Indian Spring (KOIS) story by Jonas Henley can be found here: https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/kids-of-indian-spring/
and if you wish to read Jonas Henley's account of the 1968 Mackey Choosing Ceremony, look here: https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/mackey-tails/
Also see map.pdf and Springer Families.pdf in the Sandy Jacobs folder on Nifty. There is also an extensive family tree of the Mackey family available in this folder as well.
This story is about sex between boys and is therefore a total fantasy. It was written by an adult for the entertainment of other adults. No children or animals were either involved or harmed in the writing of this story. Please leave now if you are not supposed to be here.
Writing the continuing saga of the Kids of Indian Spring has become a real community effort. My original intention was to conclude the Sandy Jacobs Story after Chapter 10. But my primary co-author and invaluable assistant, Pietar, convinced me that the many loose ends left open by the original author, Jonas Henley, needed to be resolved. As a result, he became the principal author of Chapters 11, 12, and 13. Thank you Pietar for your original ideas, brilliant writing and your continued dedication and commitment to this project. Now a third author, Nick, has volunteered to take on the role of crafting the future long-term direction of the story. You may recall that Nick was first involved in Chapter 12C. Please ensure you make Nick welcome by dropping him a line.
Comments or suggestions may be directed to any of the authors mentioned above. We welcome feedback from readers. It's the only payment we receive for many hours of hard work.
Please consider a donation to Nifty for allowing us to have this resource to share our stories. To donate go here: http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html
Saturday mornings at the Jacob's house were pretty relaxed. Sandy was the only one of the boys who was awake and neither of his parents had to work. They had eaten breakfast and were sitting around the table talking.
"Are you and your fellow councilmen ready for the big day?" Mr. Jacobs asked.
"We have a meeting tomorrow at Jason's place. We'll hammer out all the final details then. It really is a pain not having the clubhouse to meet in."
"I hear they're already putting a crew together to work on replacing it. You might have a new place before school starts."
"That would be great."
"How about your little brother. Is he ready?" his dad asked with a tinge of concern in his tone. The man usually tried to stay out of the children's personal business unless he was needed. The Choosing, however, was a big deal and Chase seemed to be just a little out of sorts lately. He wanted to know what Sandy thought.
"I guess he is. He and I haven't been talking a lot lately. He talks to Stevie and Brad more than he talks to me."
"I guess that's natural. They're closer to his age."
"That might have something to do with it, but he seems to think I'm trying to boss him around when I try to give him advice."
Sam was going to try to explain to his oldest son what it feels like when you're the youngest but stopped when Chase walked into the room.
"Good morning everybody," he said sleepily.
His mom offered him eggs or cereal to eat and he choose cereal because it was quicker.
"Have you got any special plans for today?" Sandy asked.
"No, I'm going over to Scooter's later to check out his new 4-wheeler. He says it's more powerful than the one the tornado destroyed."
"While you two talk I'm going to go read my newspaper. I'll be in the living room if anybody needs me," announced Mr. Jacobs.
"See you later Dad," both boys said almost simultaneously.
Mrs. Jacobs went upstairs to wake Stevie. It was laundry day and she wanted the boys out of their rooms so she could look for stray socks and t-shirts before she started.
Sandy decided to see what Chase knew about the incident with Rory and the boys. "Hey Chase, did you hear anything about Rory getting into a fight with Shawn Sanders and a couple of his buddies down at the creek?"
"Oh yeah. I heard about it right after it happened. I was over at his place and I saw the bruise on his face. Those guys thought they would gang up on Rory but he kicked all their butts."
"What do you mean they tried to gang up on him? I heard he jumped them."
"Ohhh no. That's not what happened. Rory was out running and they stopped him on the trail. They were going to try and fuck him but he fought all three of them and won. He said he might have given two of them black eyes."
Sandy was surprised at how different this story was from what was circulating around Indian Spring.
"I gotta tell you something bro. Those guys, Shawn, Michael and Andrew, are telling everybody that your friend came up behind them with a fence post and started swinging away because they were swimming on his land. They also said he called them stupid hillbillies or something like that. They are asking the council to punish him and making a lot of guys want to vote for him."
"None of that is true Sandy! You gotta tell the council that they're lying," said Chase excitedly.
"I need to find out exactly what happened. I need to talk to Rory. Are you going out there today?"
"I wasn't planning to, but I could. I think Rory's coming over to Scooter's later."
"If he goes there, you bring him over here so we can talk. This is real serious for him."
"I will. If he doesn't come down I'll go get him."
"Good. He doesn't need all the Mackeys pissed off at him right before the Choosing. If the story isn't true we gotta let everybody know. If it is true, he's toast."
Why did this have to happen now? Just when Chase thought everything was working out, there was another problem to deal with. And this was a big one.
Tyler Hardin was actually on his way to see Stevie Jacobs but the stirring in his groin as he passed Carter's house made him decide to stop on the way. Carter answered the door and broke into a smile when he saw who it was.
"Hey Tyler! I don't see you over this way too often. Did you come to see me?"
"Uh, yeah, I did. Have you got time?"
"I always make time for friends. Come on. Let's go over to the shed."
As the boys entered the outbuilding Tyler noted it had some new additions since the last time he had visited. The air mattress was still in the corner covered by a sleeping bag but now there was a bench and a barrel in the room. He found himself thinking of the different positions each piece would be good for.
"How do you want to do it?" asked Carter as he dropped his shorts and stepped out of them.
"How about over the barrel? I've never done that."
"Sure thing. Let me get some lube." Tyler dropped his shorts as he waited for Carter to get ready. As he looked around he also noted three lawn chairs sitting off to the side of the room. He smiled because it made him think of a waiting room. His thoughts were broken when Carter handed him the jar of Vaseline. "Here you go," he said. Then he bent over the barrel with his butt in the air and spread his legs wide.
Tyler thought he looked really sexy in that position and wasted no time stepping in behind him and pressing the head of his erect dick against the waiting anus. Even though his dick popped in easily, Tyler still felt the tight ring gripping him as he slowly slid in. "Damn Carter. You sure feel good. I gotta come by more often."
"You're welcome anytime," muttered Carter between little gasps and grunts as Tyler started to pick up the rhythm a bit.
Tyler leaned forward a bit more and moved one arm around Carter's waist and gripped his dick gently but firmly. This made the boy moan out loud and push his hips backward. Their fucking went on for nearly 10 minutes before Tyler reached his orgasm. He shot his load deep inside as he gripped the boy tightly. Before he withdrew his softening penis he continued to jerk Carter's dick until he felt the sperm shooting out.
"That was great," exclaimed Tyler.
"Yeah, I had a good time too," admitted Carter as they both wiped off with paper towels and pulled their shorts on. "Have a seat a minute and tell me what's going on over your way."
"Well there ain't much going on. Everybody is just talking about the Choosing right now," said Tyler as he sat down in a lawn chair next to his friend. "Your brother's in it this year, isn't he?"
"Yes, Tom's in it but I think he'll be alright. He hasn't been too much of a butt-head this year and he's got just as many friends as enemies, plus he has my protection. Who do you think might be in trouble?"
"Up until yesterday I thought Oak had a good chance of getting bottomed. His brother Bryce hangs out with my brother Tim and my cousin Kyle sometimes. I heard him telling them that if they bottomed Oak he would bring him over for the Saturday night bonfires and they could have a good time. I think a lot of the guys liked the idea."
"Well what happened yesterday that changed your mind?" Carter asked.
"Oh, you ain't heard about Shawn Sanders and Rory Mackey?"
"I haven't heard anything."
"Shawn Sanders, Andrew Carrigan and your cousin Michael came over to my place Thursday afternoon to see my big brother Paul. They were all banged up."
"What do you mean all banged up?"
"Andrew had a black eye and a fat lip. Michael's nose was bloody and about twice its regular size. Shawn had a black eye and a black and blue cheek."
"Damn! What happened?"
"They said they were swimming and Rory came up behind them and whipped up on them with a fence post. He said they were trespassing on his land."
"You mean the new kid who lives in that fancy log house?"
"Yep. Him!"
"He's not a real big kid. I can't believe he beat up all three of them even with a fence post. It just doesn't sound right. My little brother has been out there to a couple of parties and he said the kid's okay."
"I agree. That's why I'm going to see Stevie. I want to see what he knows about it. As of right now though I'd say Rory Mackey is gonna get bottomed for sure. The guys said he called them hillbillies too and you know those deep boys don't like that. Jeff Garvin, my brother Tim, and my cousin Kyle are spreading the word everywhere to try and get kids to vote for the boy. Things don't look good for him."
"Wow, that is something. Let me know if you learn anymore."
"I will. I'm going to get going now. Thanks again Carter. That was super good."
As soon as Rory arrived at Scooter's, Chase told him they had to go talk to Sandy. They found him sitting in the backyard enjoying the sun and they pulled up chairs and joined him.
"Hi Sandy. Chase said you wanted to talk to me."
"Yes I do and it's kind of important. I heard you had a run in with Shawn Sanders, Andrew Carrigan and Michael Mackey the other day. I want to know what happened."
"Well, I don't know all their names but I did have some trouble with 3 kids down by the creek."
"Tell me what happened."
Rory hesitated and looked at Chase. It felt funny telling an older kid, that you didn't know that well, that some boys tried to fuck you.
"Go ahead Rory. Tell him everything," Chase urged his friend.
So he did. He told him about the boy standing in the trail that stopped him. How two more boys came up behind him. He told him, as best he could remember, what they said about being from the council and wanting to help him get ready for the Choosing. He described being led to the log and seeing the Vaseline and realizing what they had planned for him. He admitted hitting them all and he even told him about kicking Shawn in the balls. "I'm not very proud of that but I was outnumbered." When he finished he looked into Sandy's eyes.
"Holy shit!" Sandy exclaimed. He had expected a slightly different story from what the others told, but not this different. Presenting themselves as council members, attempted rape, these were serious charges. But were they true and would anybody believe them?
"Rory, do you swear that the story you just told me is the truth?"
"It's the truth. I swear."
"Okay, listen guys you can go back to whatever you were doing. I need to think about this a little."
"Cool, I want to get a ride on Scooter's new 4-wheeler. It looks awesome. Come on Chase," said Rory as he got up to leave.
"You go ahead. I'll be right there. I want to talk to my brother a minute," Chase replied. They both watched Rory head out of the yard and when he gone, Chase turned to his older brother and said, "See, I told you it wasn't the way you heard it. Can you get the real story out there? I don't want everybody thinking Rory is a creep."
"I don't know buddy. I believe him, but I'm not sure we can get others to believe it. It's his word against theirs and he hasn't lived here that long."
"What are you going to do Sandy? He really needs your help."
"Like I said, I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I'm gonna do all I can."
Sandy got up from his chair.
"Where are you going?" the younger brother asked.
"I'm going to see Jason. He's the Council President and he's a smart guy. If anybody can help, he can."
"Please Sandy. They're gonna bottom him for something he didn't do."
"Listen little bro. I will do everything I can to help him. I promise."
"Thanks." Chase believed Sandy meant what he said.
When Sandy arrived, Jason was working in the kitchen. He seemed pleased at the interruption.
"Ah, Jacobs. Your timing is perfect. I just finished my first draft of the council assignments for Tuesday and I'd like your opinion."
"Sure," said Sandy as he took the paper Jason was holding out to him.
After studying it for a couple of minutes he handed the paper back. "I think you should have somebody on the steps and at least one more guy on the stage with us."
"I forgot the steps. I'm glad you caught that. Think about who you'd like on stage with us and let me know. Anyway, I know you didn't come over to help me with this though, what's on your mind?"
Sandy told him Rory's version of the events by the creek. When he finished he could tell Jason was thinking.
"I'd like to talk to all these kids face to face. Growing up with two little brothers who were always trying to get away with something taught me how to tell if kids were telling the truth or not. We don't have a lot of time but I'd sure like to hear Rory Mackey's story in person. I don't know his mother so I guess I'll just have to go and introduce myself."
"I agree," replied Sandy. Let me know if I can help. I'll be at home if you need me."
"I'll remember that. Thanks Jacobs."
Chase felt like he had been waiting forever and his big brother still hadn't returned. He couldn't wait any longer. If Sandy couldn't help Rory he'd find someone who could. He went up to his bedroom and dug way in the back of his underwear drawer. He pulled out an envelope with his savings in it. He counted out the paper money and he had $47.00. He was saving up for a video game but this was more important. He stuffed the bills into his pocket and headed over to the Tuckers. He was going to get professional help.
Chase rang the bell and waited. Kelly answered the door and greeted the boy. "Hey Chase. Ethan and Ashton aren't here. I think they're down at Scooter's."
"That's okay. I came to see your dad. Is he here?"
"Uh, yeah," Answered Kelly, rather surprised. "Come on in and I'll get him."
He only had to wait a moment and Mr. Tucker appeared. "What can I help with Chase?"
"I need a lawyer Mr. Tucker and you're the only one I know. I have $47.00 and I'll get more if that's not enough."
"Can I ask what you need a lawyer for?"
"It's not exactly for me, it's for my best friend." Chase then launched into the story and about halfway through, Mr. Tucker interrupted.
"Hold on Chase. This is a Jr. Council matter and you know I can't get involved in that."
"But he really needs help," Chase pleaded. "Those boys are spreading lies about him. Rory didn't do anything but defend himself." At the mention of Rory's name, Hal Tucker listened more closely as the boy's mother was a client. Still the council had sole authority in these matters.
"The three boys went to the council and asked them to give him 3 checkmarks to start with and his mom wants him to carry a gun when he goes running," Chase continued.
The mention of a gun made Hal Tucker shiver. "Whoa, whoa! Hold on Chase. Did you say Rory's mom wants him to carry a gun?"
"Yes sir."
"How do you know that? Did Rory tell you?"
"Yes. I saw an advertisement for shooting classes in his room and I asked him about it. He said his mom wanted him to take classes so he could carry a gun in case those guys tried anything again. He doesn't want to."
This concerned Hal, not as a lawyer but as a parent and a neighbor. The idea of a 12-year-old carrying a gun around was frightening to him. "Alright, listen son. I'm not saying I'll be your lawyer but I'm going to do a preliminary investigation. I need to go out and talk with Mrs. Mackey. I don't know if I can help Rory or not but I will look into it. Okay?"
"Thanks Mr. Tucker. Here's all the money I have but I'll get more if I need it," the boy said as he held out the handful of bills.
"You just hold onto that for now. Like I said, I'm not taking the case yet, I'm just looking at it. I am going out to the Mackey's place right now. Do you want a lift home?"
"No sir, and thank you for helping."
Chase headed for home and Hal Tucker took off for Suzanne Mackey's place.
Suzanne was enjoying a quiet afternoon at home. She was surprised to see Hal Tucker's car pull up in the driveway. She greeted him at the door and invited him in. When she asked what brought him out her way, he didn't beat around the bush.
"Suzanne, I heard that you're thinking about having Rory carry a gun when he goes running. Is that true?"
Suzanne was surprised that an idea she briefly shared with her son in her own home had made it all the way to Hal Tucker's house. She chuckled a little before she said," Relax Hal. I did say something like that but it's not going to happen. How in the world did you hear about it?"
"Apparently Rory mentioned it to one of his friends who was concerned enough to tell me about it. What the heck were you thinking?"
"Don't worry. I'd never do something like that. When Rory came home with a bruised face and told me three boys jumped him, I lost my temper. I am prone to overreacting when it comes to protecting my son. I was mad and I said something stupid. You can forget it now."
"Good. I was concerned. Tell me about him coming home with the bruised face. Did he tell you what happened?"
"He didn't give me a whole lot of details. He just said he was running down by the creek and three older boys jumped him. He didn't have too much trouble getting away and from what he told me I bet those boys realize now that they jumped the wrong kid."
"What do you mean?"
"Rory said he was pretty sure he gave two of them black eyes and he was afraid he might have broken one boy's nose. My son has been boxing for almost three years. My brother was his trainer back in California and he's pretty good. Rory can defend himself if he has to. Come in here," she said gesturing toward her office. She went to her computer and brought up her brother's boxing club home page. "Take a look at these 3 videos. I don't like to watch them but Philip loves them. They are all knockouts Rory scored."
Hal stood in front of the computer and clicked on the first video. It was a 20 second clip that showed Rory scoring a k/o with 2 punches. The next one was similar but the third one was the vicious knockout he scored when the rage overcame him and he sent his opponent to the hospital.
"My god," muttered Hal. "The boy can really hit."
"That's what I meant when I said they picked on the wrong kid."
"I never would have guessed your boy could fight like that. He's not really that big and he seems to be the quiet type, at least when adults are around. I am amazed."
"Well I think he's an amazing kid. Of course I might be a bit prejudice being his momma and all."
Hal returned to the next problem. He told Suzanne about the story circulating around Indian Spring about Rory attacking the boys with a fence post and explained that this could have a huge impact on the voting at the Choosing.
"So what should I do?" she asked.
"I'd like to bring the President of the Jr. Council over here to talk to your son. I'd also like you to show him those videos I just watched."
"That would be fine. When do you want to come over?"
"How about this evening. We don't have any time to waste."
"I'll make sure Rory stays home tonight. Come over whenever you want."
Hal took off for home. He was hoping Jason Mackey would be available tonight.
Kevin Mackey tapped on the door as he opened it. He had seen Sandy sitting at the table.
"Come on in," Sandy called.
"You busy?" Kevin asked as he sat down next to his friend.
"Just making sure I'm ready for the council meeting tomorrow. What's on your mind?"
"I wanted to see what you knew about this Rory Mackey situation. Sean told me about it and I'm supposed to be the kid's sponsor at the Choosing. I've met him a few times and I find it hard to believe he did what everybody is saying. Have you got any inside information?"
"No. Sorry but I don't. I'm with you though, I'm finding it a little hard to believe."
"Well the boys back in the woods aren't. They're believing every bit of it and Tim and Kyle Hardin are spreading it everywhere."
"I don't know any more than you do right now, but I'll let you know if I learn anything."
"That's cool. Thanks Sandy. Now, would you like a blow job?"
The question caught Sandy off guard and he spoke before he thought. "What, is Connor out of town?"
Kevin didn't reply. He just stared at his buddy.
"I'm sorry Kevin. I didn't mean that to come out that way. I guess I was trying to be funny and I'm not very good at it."
"That's alright. Actually, Connor is doing stuff with his dad. You're not jealous of him, are you?"
Sandy thought about the question and decided to be honest. "I am sometimes. I mean you guys are always together. But then I remember that I'm usually always busy with council work and I couldn't join you guys if I tried."
"Your cousin is a really nice guy and I do like him a lot. I think he likes being with me too."
"Yeah, he does. He's told me so. You are his best friend."
"I hope you can live with that then."
"Yes, I can. I guess the only reason I brought it up was because I think of you as my best friend and adviser and the guy I can share secrets with. I guess I was a little jealous."
Sandy, we're always going to be friends. But, now, let's get back to my original question. Do you want a blow job?"
Sandy couldn't help laughing. He never had a friend like Kevin before and he was special. The two boys headed up to the bedroom for a little fun.
Jason Mackey had come right over when Hal Tucker called him. Mr. Tucker had been a little vague about what he wanted, but he said it was important. Jason had a lot of respect for the man and had been told by his father that Hal Tucker was a good friend of the Mackeys, but he did have a reputation for outsmarting people. The Tuckers had a boy on the line this year and he assumed it might be about that.
As soon as he arrived he was escorted into Hal's office and the two sat down facing one another.
"I called you over here to talk about the Rory Mackey situation," Hal began.
"Hold on Mr. Tucker. That's Jr. Council business and I really shouldn't let you get involved in it. Please don't tell me that his mother hired you to represent him."
Hal chuckled. "No. Nothing like that and I don't really want to get involved in it too deeply. I just want to offer my services where I think they might help. You have a reputation for running a fair and honest council so I'm sure you'll be wanting to get Rory's side of the story. I'm told you don't know Suzanne Mackey and I'm going out there this evening. I thought you might want to come along. I could introduce you to both of them and you can hear what the boy has to say while I'm discussing business with his mother. Would you like to come along?"
Jason was trying to figure out if Hal was manipulating him in some way, but it was a good offer. He didn't want to admit that he hadn't thought about listening to Rory's side of things yet and the council meeting was tomorrow. If Hal kept his mom busy he could question the boy without interference. He decided to accept the offer. Mr. Tucker was going to pick him up right after dinner.
Suzanne invited Jason and Hal into the living room. Hal did the introductions before they were seated and explained that Jason had a few questions to ask Rory about the incident.
"What would you like to know?" asked Suzanne.
Jason didn't really want a mother's version of the events so he decided to be honest and tell her that. "I need to hear your son's side of the story. He's been accused of an unprovoked attack on three boys and the council takes that seriously. They also say he used a club of some sorts to beat them. The boys have the marks to back up their story. I want to hear what Rory has to say in his defense."
Suzanne was startled at the tale but remained calm as Hal Tucker had told her. "Rory wouldn't need a club to handle three attackers. He's a very good fighter."
"Why don't you show him the videos Suzanne," Hal suggested.
"Sure. Follow me young man," she said as she led him to her computer. She brought up the page with the k/o videos and stepped aside to let Jason watch. When he got to the last one he winced and sucked air through his teeth.
"Damn. He took that boy right off his feet," he exclaimed. "Excuse my language please, but that was amazing. I can see you have a tough little guy there, but I'd still like to talk to him."
"Come on. He's up in his room. I'll take you up."
Jason followed her to Rory's bedroom. She knocked and opened the door. Rory was sitting at his desk putting a new set of colorful shoelaces in some sneakers. His mom introduced Jason and said he wanted to talk and then she left them alone. Jason was thankful for her cooperation.
"Come on in," said Rory. "We can close the door if you want to talk private."
"Thank you. I will," said the older boy as he shut the door and sat down next to the 12-year-old. He told him why he was there and said that he needed to know what happened down at the creek. He explained that the council could impose penalties or punishments if they saw fit and emphasized the need to be honest. Lying to the council could get you in even more trouble.
Rory could tell that Jason was very serious, but he wasn't scary. He felt he could trust him. He told the whole story exactly as he remembered it. Jason looked surprised.
"Are you sure they said they were from the council?" he asked.
"They said they were representatives or something like that."
"This is real important Rory. Try to remember exactly what they said. Passing yourself off as council members or saying you were on council business would be a serious trespass."
"Wait a minute. You can hear exactly what they said." Rory reached into his desk drawer and pulled out his recorder and found the right spot and let Jason listen. Jason's eyes got big as he heard the whole thing just as Rory had said. He could recognize Shawn's voice and Michael's cry when he was popped in the nose. There were only a few bad spots on the tape from wind or something but it was complete vindication for Rory Mackey.
"I can't believe you have this recorded. This is gonna save your tail boy."
"Good. I didn't like thinking all the guys didn't believe me."
"Can I have this to show the council tomorrow," asked Jason holding up the recorder. "I promise I'll get it back to you."
"Sure," Rory replied.
Jason was almost giddy with excitement. He knew the entire council had heard the stories and would be anticipating punishing the new kid at the meeting tomorrow. He was looking forward to shocking them all with the truth. It will be cool to show them why he's the President.
He had come here to get the truth and he had accomplished that mission. He decided he could take a moment or two and get to know the new Mackey. "So, are you ready for the Choosing? It's only three days away."
Rory hung his head and looked at the floor. "I don't know if I'm going or not."
"Whoa! You have to go to your Choosing kid. You'll be automatically bottomed if you don't."
"I know. I might have to move back to California or something."
"Don't even talk like that," Jason scolded. He changed his tone a bit. He was talking with a fatherless boy who might be in the need of support. "Look Rory, I don't know you that well, but I can already tell that you can do this. I think you're the kind of kid we want in the Mackey Brotherhood. Everybody is afraid but you can't let that stop you. Part of the Choosing is about facing your fears and learning you can overcome them."
Rory, still staring at the floor, mumbled, "Thanks for trying to help, but you don't understand."
Jason really wanted to help the kid and something in his voice told him there was a deeper problem so he continued. "Are you afraid of sex?" he asked.
"No, it's not that. I like sex," Rory answered looking up from the floor and smiling at Jason.
"Good. That's an important part of being a Mackey. Look, instead of me trying to guess all night why don't you tell me what the problem is. I'm the Council President. I'll bet it's easier to talk to me than your mom and I might be able to help."
Rory thought really hard. There was something about Jason that made him feel he could trust him. Deciding that he had nothing to lose he spoke. "I'm afraid I might hurt somebody."
"You mean like lose your temper and pop someone in the nose? You'll have to learn to control you temper to get through the day."
"No, it's more than that." Rory then went on to tell him about his PTSD. He told him about Carl and the fight where he put a kid in the hospital and he told him that was why Stevie got pushed through a wall.
"I was gonna ask you about that. Now it makes sense. So you can tell when these spells are coming on?"
"I can feel it when it starts. If it goes too far I don't always remember what happened. I try to stop it before that."
"How do you stop it?"
"Sometimes I just get up and leave. Running works the best. I run till I can't go anymore and that always makes it go away."
Jason took in what the boy said and thought about it. "Rory, it's real important for you to go through your Choosing if you want to stay here."
"I do. I've got the best friends I ever had here."
"Let me think about it for a day and see if I can help out. I can't play favorites but if you're willing to try I bet we can get you through this. How about if you think it over and I'll try and come see you tomorrow or Monday."
"Okay. Thanks Jason."
On the ride home Jason's feelings were sort of mixed up. He was very excited about the recording and getting to the truth of things. But he was also worried about his promise to Rory. He really wanted to find a way to get the kid through the Choosing. He liked him.
When Hal pulled up in front of the house, Jason thanked him for the ride and the introduction.
"Happy I could help," Mr. Tucker replied.
As the man drove away, Jason found himself wondering if he had been manipulated by his lawyer neighbor. It didn't matter. He had gotten the answers he needed.
Stevie staggered into the kitchen and joined his mom and brothers at the table. He was still sleepy but he had a busy day planned. He said good morning to everybody and accepted his mom's offer of pancakes for breakfast.
"What's everybody planning on doing today?" Brad asked.
"I'm gonna get Cole and then we're going to hang out at Henry's."
"I should have known," said Brad smiling.
"How about you Chase. Do you have any plans?" Sandy asked.
"I'm going over to Scooter's and we might go out to Rory's place."
"What's up with this story about Rory beating up Shawn and his buddies?" Brad asked.
"It's all bull-shit," replied Chase angrily. "It's all lies and bull-shit." Unfortunately for Chase he spoke just as his mom was bringing in Stevie's breakfast. She slapped the back of his head and told him to watch his language.
"Sorry Mom, but it's the truth."
"Oh yeah. I almost forgot Chase. Gordon came by to see you yesterday when you were out," Stevie said.
"Did he say what he wanted?"
"No, he just said he wanted to see you before Tuesday."
"Okay thanks. I'll meet up with him before then," said Chase. He assumed Gordon just wanted to make sure he was going to keep his word and surrender at the Choosing. Sandy was curious why Gordon would be looking for his little brother but with everything going on now he decided not to ask.
Brad excused himself and left to hook-up with Sean. They were going to hang out at the park, probably visit the swimming hole and then when they got the urge they'd visit one of the bottoms for some fun. Brad was already thinking about Trevor Havers but he'd wait and see what Sean had in mind.
Stevie took off to go see Cole. He knew they'd end up at Henry's place but it was still early so there was no hurry.
With only he and Chase left at the table Sandy decided to bring up a sensitive subject. "There's a council meeting tonight and they'll probably be talking about Rory."
Chase looked at his brother with pleading eyes. "Would you do whatever you can to help him?"
"I will. I promise. I guess you already know it doesn't look good for him."
"I know, but please do whatever you can. The story those guys are telling isn't true."
"I believe you. Something about the whole thing is wrong. The problem is can I get the council to believe that."
"Just do your best Sandy."
As Chase cleared his dishes from the table Sandy congratulated himself. He had a talk with Chase and neither of them got mad. Maybe there was some hope.
The meeting was supposed to start at 7 PM but by 6:30 half of the guys had already arrived. They were meeting in Jason's dining room which was a little crowded but since there was no clubhouse it would have to do. James Cormack and Sandy were helping to carry some chairs up from the basement. Hayden was putting a job assignment sheet in front of each seat and Hank was putting a pencil and notepad by each chair. By 6:45 everybody had arrived so Jason called the meeting to order.
The first order of business was the job assignments for the Choosing. There was not a lot of discussion as everyone sort of knew what they would be doing. Jason had added a few changes. Hayden would be shadowing Paul to learn the vote counting procedures and record keeping since Paul wouldn't be on the council next year. They didn't have a permanent tally board yet so they would be posting the count on big sheets of paper and hanging it on an easel. They ran down the supply checklist to make sure they had enough Vaseline, drinking water, markers and various other items and all seemed ready. When there were no more questions Jason moved on to the subject everyone was waiting for.
"The last item on my agenda is a certain red-headed 12-year-old who seems to have gotten himself in some deep trouble. Do you all know what I'm talking about?"
Everyone in the room nodded, so Jason continued. "I'd like to turn it over to Paul now because he was the first council member to learn about it. After we get his story we'll go around the table. Go ahead Paul. Tell us what you know."
Paul began by telling them about his visit from the three boys on Thursday afternoon. He emphasized how beat up they looked with eyes starting to turn black, bruised cheekbones, Andrew's fat lip, and Michael's swollen and bloody nose. Some of the guys laughed at his descriptions. When he finished he told them what the boys wanted. "They were pretty mad and they wanted me to promise them that this Rory kid would start the Choosing off with 3 checkmarks, one for each of them. I think they want to push him up to the magic number. I guess he might deserve it."
Next Ernie Mackey spoke up. "I didn't hear about all this until last night. I was at Tim's bonfire and he and his cousin Kyle were telling everybody about it. They wanted us all to vote for the kid and make him a bottom. In my opinion he deserves it too."
Hank said he heard about it from Jeff Garvin. Jeff was also urging kids to vote for him. James Cormack heard about it from Oak Mackey. Oak couldn't believe it. He said Rory wasn't that kind of guy. Joe Mackey overheard Shawn Sanders trying to get a group of kids to use their votes to help bottom Rory. When they had gone all the way around the room one thing was clear. Everyone seemed to have heard the story.
"Alright council members, this is not a vote, but I want to know what you think we should do about it?" Jason asked.
The majority wanted to bottom the kid. Sandy, James and Hayden were unsure.
"Before we take any action on this, I'm curious how many of you talked to Rory Mackey to get his side of the story?" Only Sandy raised his hand. "Good," continued Jason. "At least one of you did. Well, I did too and I think you will all be surprised at what I learned."
"Whatever it is I don't think you'll change my mind." Ernie interrupted. "Kids have been fishing and swimming in that creek forever. Hell, when I was little the old man was still farming that land and he let us play there all the time. I can't see how some new kid can come in and just kick everybody out."
"I gotta agree with Ernie. I don't like outsiders coming in and thinking they can change things like that," added Joe Mackey.
"Okay guys. I understand your feelings but let me tell you how I see it," said Jason. "First off. Rory Mackey is not an outsider. I don't even like calling him a newcomer so I'm gonna say he's a new Mackey. You may not like it but he's one of us. This council doesn't just protect and carry on Mackey traditions. We also have a lot to do with the everyday life of the kids in the brotherhood. They come to us to settle arguments, solve problems and keep everybody following our rules. When they come to us they expect to be treated in a fair and honest way and that's also what I expect from this council. As long as I am president we will not play favorites. We will look at every situation from both sides. We will give all parties a chance to tell their side of the story and we will make decisions based on the facts as we see them. We will not judge kids by how long they have lived here. Does everyone understand?"
Everyone at the table nodded.
"Well in this case, at least the way I see it, the newcomer, or NEW MACKEY, as you wanna call him, is in the wrong," said Hank a little sarcastically.
"But, as you admitted earlier, you only heard one side of the story. Right?" Jason shot back.
"Yeah, I guess."
Sandy, James, Hayden and Paul were all trying to figure out what Jason knew that they didn't. The conversation was becoming a bit combative so Hayden decided to try to get to the point of it all. "Did you learn something from your visit to Rory's that we should know?" he asked.
"Yes, I did. Paul, those three boys flat out lied to you," Jason replied.
"What makes you think that?" asked Paul.
"I have an eyewitness to the event. An electronic eyewitness who heard and recorded everything that was said and I think you'll all be surprised." Jason pulled the recorder from a folder and set it on the table. "Now listen carefully and you will learn exactly what happened at the creek." He hit play.
Jason had already heard the recording several times and he concentrated on the faces of the others as it played. Hank and Joe seemed to be shocked. Paul looked downright pissed off and Bert looked disappointed. Sandy, James and Hayden looked relieved and Ernie shook his head in disbelief. When the recording finished Jason switched it off and waited.
Paul was the first to speak. "Those little shits lied to me. They played me for a fool and I swallowed it all hook, line and sinker."
"Don't feel bad Paul. I believed their story too, until I did a little investigating," replied Jason.
"How the hell did the kid have all that recorded? I smell a set-up," said Bert.
Jason explained Rory's habit of switching on his recorder when people stopped him while he was running and that seemed to satisfy everyone.
"So, now that you know all the facts, do I hear any recommendations for punishment?" Jason asked.
"How about if we strap all three of them," suggested Bert. Ernie signaled his agreement to the idea.
"Now wait a minute. Just a bit ago when everybody thought our new Mackey was guilty, you wanted him bottomed. Now that the blame has shifted to the other side suddenly you want to let them off with a strapping. I don't get it," said Jason intentionally baiting them to bring up his point about fairness.
"Taking a strapping isn't easy," said Joe trying to lend some support to Bert's idea.
"Think about this," said Jason. "If Shawn, Andrew and Michael had been telling the truth, Rory Mackey would have been guilty of being a dirty fighter. They said he pulled a sneaky attack on them from behind and used a club. That is fighting dirty, but we've got a lot of kids around here who will fight dirty. The truth is the kid has been boxing for three years and he kicked their butts fair and square because they didn't think he'd fight back."
"I was wondering how he could have done that," said Hayden. "That part made me believe he used a stick or something."
"He didn't have to. He was a better fighter. According to his mom, Rory took boxing lessons for years in California before he moved here. I saw some videos of him in the ring and he scared me. My guess is that he could have done a lot more damage to Shawn Sanders, Andrew Carrigan and Michael Mackey if he had wanted."
Everyone was quiet. Such an idea had never occurred to any of them before.
Jason eventually broke the silence. "Now, since we know the truth, what crimes did the three 13-year-olds commit? First, they tried to force another Mackey to allow them to fuck him. This is a blatant violation of our rules and the traditional punishment, had they succeeded, is a public fucking. You all know that. But they weren't successful in this particular case. Next, they claimed to be representatives of the Council in doing that. If we allow that to stand, the Council will lose all respect and authority within the community. Kids will go around saying they have authority from us to do this or that, when they don't, and no one will ever trust us again. We have bottomed boys for far less than that in the past."
Paul Hardin looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind and remained silent. Jason continued.
"And later they lied to a councilman. I think that's serious too. Their purpose for lying was to get their victim three checkmarks at the Choosing. I find it very worrying that they were trying to influence the fairness of our tradition. Finally, and this one I don't think we can do anything about, they are still spreading their lie everywhere to get this kid bottomed. Now whose crimes are the more serious?"
"I see what you mean," said Hank.
"Yeah, I gotta admit that what our home-grown boys did is pretty serious," Joe added.
"I want to bottom the fuckers for trying to use me like that," said Paul angrily.
"Now that you've heard the whole story and analyzed the information. I think you're ready to make a decision. I'm going to ask again, what shall we do with these boys?"
Paul spoke first and said they should be bottomed. As they went around the table everyone agreed. Bert was the last to speak and he hesitantly went with the majority. Jason then made a formal motion to bottom the three boys at the Choosing and make them part of the public fucking. This brought out some new debate.
"Why do you want to make this part of the Choosing?" Ernie asked. "We never mix outside matters with that."
"These boys made it part of the ceremony when they went to Paul and asked for the checkmarks. And they wanted it to be part of the Choosing when they went all over the place spreading their lies to try and get Rory bottomed. They wanted it to be part of the event so I'm gonna give them what they wanted."
"Having them there for the public fucking will actually make it better for us. It'll be easy to round up a dozen boys and get it over with," said Hank.
"Okay, let's vote. I can go along with this," Paul stated.
The vote was called and it passed unanimously. The three boys would be bottomed for 1 year and Jason also added he wanted to give ownership of their mouths to some 12-year-olds for 3 months. That also passed.
As the meeting broke up Hayden spoke to Jason. "I was impressed by the way you found out the truth."
"It was right there. I just had to look a little."
"I don't feel real good about what we did. I never voted to bottom anybody before."
"You never feel good about handing out punishment, but you should feel good knowing that you did the right thing."
"I guess you're right. Somebody has got to make the tough calls," Hayden replied.
"And that's where we come in," said Sandy joining the conversation.
"I did learn something tonight. I'll remember your system for solving disputes. Get all the facts. Sift through them carefully and find the truth."
"You got it," said Jason with a smile.
"I'm not excited about getting three new bottoms who will probably have bad attitudes, but I think it had to be done. We can't have kids thinking they can lie to the council." said Sandy.
"You're right. This will send that message out loud and clear."
"When are you going to tell them Jason?" Sandy asked.
"Tomorrow. I need to contact the parents first and then I'll bring the boys over here in the afternoon. You two should come by. Paul and Hank are going to be here."
"I think I will," said Sandy. "I want to see what I'm going to be dealing with. I'll see you then."