The Jilliad
Book 2
After the Necklace
Chapter 16 Connections and Truths
Back at Hill Hall, Mark, Trish, Wendy, Alexis, Amber, Jeff, Amy, Sarah and Kelly were talking in Tricia’s room. Jeff looked over at Wendy and the two headed off to find somewhere private to talk. Unfortunately the lounge on the main floor where they had talked last night was occupied by people watching TV. They found an open study carrel where they could talk alone. “So what’s up handsome?” smiled Wendy.
“Just looking for a place we could be alone together,” smiled Jeff.
“You know I did come to Sanders to spend time with my sister.”
“She gets to sleep in the same room as you. I don’t!” complained Jeff.
“Good point. I don’t think Trish would approve of that,” laughed Wendy.
Jeff felt like responding, but figured it might be a good idea not to. Just then Jeff’s cell rang. “It’s my other goddess, so I have to answer.”
“By all means, don’t keep her waiting.”
Jeff answered his phone. “Hey Will! I’m here with Wendy now. Can I put you on speaker so you can meet her?”
“Sure brother,” said Willow.
“Hi Willow!” said Wendy brightly.
“Hi Wendy. I’m glad you’re still talking to my brother after all of the excitement today.”
“I know, it was a regular traumatic event.”
“Jeff, have you fully recovered and has that bitch been brought to justice?”
“Yes and I guess you can say she has repaid her debt.”
“Jeff, baby, please don’t tell me you let her off the hook after what she did to you!” exclaimed Willow.
“Trust me Will, Wendy will vouch for the fact that she will never do anything like that again.”
“Wendy, you have to straighten my kid brother out for me. He’d give the shirt off his back to anyone, even someone who is trying to stab him there.”
“Willow, I’m only a senior in high school right now, but I’m coming to Sanders next year. For now he has an excellent support system until I get there.”
“I worry that he doesn’t have a lot of friends, at least friends he can trust.”
“He seems to have them now, especially since he has gotten to meet some of Mark and Tricia’s friends,” said Wendy.
“I’m glad to hear that! It seems that I lost my shot with Mark to your sister,” laughed Willow.
“Sorry sis, but I have since learned that you never really had a chance. Apparently Trish had always wanted Mark as much as he wanted her. Circumstances had just kept them apart,” said Jeff.
“Well I just wanted to make sure that we are still on for this weekend, bro?”
“I can’t wait to see you sis!”
“I guess I’m going to be a little bit delayed. I got a ride, but we can’t leave until about four, which means that we won’t be able to get up here until about 6:30 or so Saturday night.”
Jeff was disappointed. “That will give you only a day up here before you have to go back.”
“Nope, you have me through Monday. I only have Tuesday and Thursday classes because I’m working on my thesis this term,” said Willow.
“What about your ride?” asked Jeff.
“He’ll probably leave Sunday. I’ll catch a bus back to Boston Monday night.”
“He?” asked Jeff with interest.
“Just Rich,” laughed Willow. He knows someone at Sanders and wanted us to spend some time catching up.”
“So I finally get to meet the mysterious Rich. I’m going to have a word with that guy,” said Jeff with determination.
“Don’t you dare, Jeffrey Meyer or I’ll tell Wendy all your dirty little secrets!”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me. Wendy, we’ll talk off line later,” laughed Willow.
“Sounds like fun!” joined in Wendy laughing.
“OK, you win. I still don’t like what he’s doing to you.” groaned Jeff.
“I’m a big girl.” said Willow.
“I know.” said Jeff.
“Wendy, Jeff is so lucky to have found such a sweet, down to earth girl.”
“Thanks Willow! Jeff is a sweetheart. Any girl he likes would be lucky to get him,” said Wendy.
“So Wendy, are you going to be around this weekend?”
“No, sadly I have to go back Wednesday.”
“That’s right. I remember Jeff telling me that. I was really looking forward with putting a face to you. Hey Wendy, have Jeff take a picture of you two with your cutest pose and send it to me. That way I can see you two together,” Willow requested.
“Hold for a sec, Will,” said Jeff as he took a picture and sent it. “You should have it anytime.”
“Got it! Let’s see what we have here,” said Willow.
Willow looked at the picture and was shocked. Wendy was really cute. Actually cute wasn’t the right word for Wendy. She was drop dead gorgeous. Even prettier than Josie, who Willow knew was up to something, because as wonderful as her brother was, she knew that Josie was out of his league. Now this girl could be a model. What worried her even more was she looked really familiar, like she had seen her before, but out of context. When she looked closely at the picture, she did notice that Wendy was beaming happily into the lens and Jeff seemed equally happy. Could she really have feelings for her brother, she asked herself? “God, you guys look so cute together!” said Willow covering.
Jeff showed Wendy a picture of Willow he had on one of his backgrounds. “Jeff is showing me a picture of you and you are pretty cute yourself,” laughed Wendy.
“No, I’m not” said Willow somewhat modestly.
Willow knew the picture Jeff was showing her. She was wearing a slinky cocktail dress and she wasn’t wearing her glasses. It was taken a few weeks ago at the senior cocktail party. Rich couldn’t go because he had an away game at Auburn. She knew that was the picture, because she had deleted all of the other pictures of her from his cell over the summer because she didn’t like them. She then sent the picture they were looking at to Jeff to show a perspective date at Sanders, when she came to visit this weekend. For all of her protest, she liked that picture.
“You’re a hottie, sis!” said Jeff laughing.
“I guess I clean up OK,” Willow laughed in return.
“Your sister is so modest,” said Wendy.
“You are a really sweet girl, Wendy. I’m sorry I’ll be missing you.”
“Don’t worry Willow, I’m sure we we’ll get a chance to meet soon.”
“I hope so Wendy,” said Willow “I hope so,” she repeated.
While Jeff and Wendy were away, the others planned this evening’s accommodations. “You can’t stay with Amber tonight, Amy,” said Mark.
“And why not?” asked Amy.
“Because I am,” he laughed.
“Isn’t that a little risky with Wendy across the hall?” asked Amy.
“She doesn’t need to know that,” smiled Trish.
“You can stay with me, Amy,” offered Kelly.
“I guess you want a little of this, cutie?” said Amy as she rubbed her hands along her body sexually as Kelly blushed.
“Amy, you have to control yourself around Kelly. You’re embarrassing her,” said Alexis as she possessively wrapped her arms around the petite girl.
“Sorry Kel, I was just kidding. I know this whole girl on girl thing is new to you. I just haven’t been with you in a while and I miss you,” smiled Amy sweetly.
“Don’t worry Amy. It’s not that. I guess I just tend to blush when I get horny. I miss you too,” grinned Kelly.
“OK, so Kelly and Amy, Alexis and Sarah, me and Amber and Trish and Wendy. I think we have it figured out,” said Mark.
After the call with Willow, Jeff and Wendy continued to get to know each other better. Jeff decided to do a preemptive launch into his more embarrassing moments to prevent Willow’s threat so he could grill Rich about his intentions concerning Willow. Wendy shared some of her life blooper reel with him too. Finally came the topic that made Jeff the most uncomfortable of all. He had noticed the strange reactions that many of the women who were at Elsie Taylor’s house had toward Mark and each other. He tried to justify these looks, but he could not in any meaningful context. Wendy was so sweet, but also naïve. She had reasoned that they had all become a family, but he was not so sure. “Do you think that there is something sexual going on with that group at Ms. Taylor’s house?” asked Jeff.
“Well I’m sure Mark and Trish are doing it. I think Marcus and Angie are too. Amy’s gay so she might be sleeping with someone there. Coach Vasquez and Coach Sommerville are partners too,” observed Wendy.
“I don’t know… I saw several women there, including Coach Sommerville, Amy and Ms. Taylor who looked like they wanted to jump Mark’s bones.”
“C’mon Jeff. You’ve seen Mark and Trish together.”
“Sometimes I saw those women and others looking at Trish the same way.”
Wendy laughed. “Don’t be funny Jeff, Trish isn’t gay. She’s engaged to Mark.”
“I didn’t say it made sense, but I saw what I saw.”
“Well if it makes you feel any better, I’ll ask Trish tonight,” laughed Wendy. “Oh, Trish, dear sister, are you sleeping with Mark AND Amy?” she added as she burst out laughing.
Jeff started laughing too. It sounded absurd. Maybe Wendy was right. “Nah… maybe I’m still just dopey from being drugged,” laughed Jeff.
“Or maybe you’re just dopey,” laughed Wendy.
“Oh, I’ll get you, Miss Perfect. I know your weakness.”
“What?”
“You’re ticklish!” shouted Jeff as he began to tickle Wendy and she burst out laughing.
“Hey no fair!” laughed Wendy uncontrollably.
“How do you like this?” laughed Jeff as he kept up the assault.
“I don’t. Stop!” said Wendy. So Jeff stopped. “Why did you stop?” she asked disappointedly.
“Because you asked me to stop,” he said, as Wendy looked into his eyes.
“I didn’t really want you to stop,” said Wendy as she moved closer to Jeff.
“Then why did you ask me to stop” asked Jeff as he moved his face closer to Wendy’s
“Because, when you’re being tickled by someone, that is what you’re supposed to say. You just don’t expect them to stop” said Wendy as her lips moved an inch away from his.
“Oh,” was all Jeff could muster before Wendy kissed him.
It was a long sweet kiss like the one earlier that night, but even longer. Jeff made no attempt to turn it into a French kiss and neither did Wendy, but both shuddered when the kiss was finally broken by Wendy. “I guess that kiss means goodnight,” said Wendy.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t think I’m capable of topping that kiss.”
“We could try,” suggested Jeff.
“We could, but I’d rather not. If we fail, it would be anticlimactic.”
“Agreed,” said Jeff grudgingly. “May I try a different kind of a kiss?”
“OK,” said Wendy hesitantly.
Jeff took Wendy’s face in his hands and then gently lowered her forehead to his lips and kissed it sweetly. Wendy melted, before hugging him goodbye.
After Mark had said goodnight to Wendy and Trish. Wendy looked at Trish and told her big sister about everything that had happened including the two goodnight kisses.
“So, I think it is fair to say that you are sweet on our little Jeff,” said Trish.
“’Our’?”
“Yes, Jeff is Mark and my secret little project.”
“Does he know that?” laughed Wendy.
“Of course not, it wouldn’t be a secret then!” laughed Trish. “Look Wendy, Jeff is such a sweet guy, but he doesn’t really have a lot of friends. Mark and I have decided that he needs more people in his life who appreciate him, so we have included him in our little family.”
“You mean the group at Nurse Taylor’s?” asked Wendy.
“And some others too.”
“Am I part of that family?”
“Of course, you’re my sister after all.”
“Well as long as you don’t want to have sex with me.”
“What?!” asked a surprised Trish.
“Jeff thought that practically everyone at Ms. Taylor’s house wanted to have sex with you and Mark,” stated Wendy.
Trish knew that she would have to explain things to her sister eventually but had hoped for more time. In many ways Wendy was an innocent, but she had a strong practical side to her. She could have stalled and played for time by laughing it off, but Trish chose to risk explaining everything to her in the hope that she would understand. Wendy did and she did not.
“So you are saying that you and Mark have sex with most of those people?” said a dazed Wendy.
“I am saying that Mark and I are in love with most of those people,” corrected Trish.
“And it is all due to some magic?”
“Originally the necklace and then Mark’s innate magic.”
“Sis, that’s absurd! Are you sure that Mark didn’t just hypnotize all of you into being his sex slaves?” asked Wendy.
“Mark would never do that! Also you can not hypnotize someone into doing something that they would not normally do without strong and lengthy conditioning. While Amy and I saw Mark regularly, none of the others would have had the kind of contact with him to allow for that kind of conditioning. Besides, we are not Mark’s sex slaves. We all love him, but we all love each other too. I do not think of myself as gay, but I am attracted to every person in the group, including women, but not to any other woman.”
Wendy was still shocked, but part of what Trish was saying was beginning to sink in. Even if this magic stuff was not real, Trish and the others still believed it, so it would have sway over them, she reasoned. Still, she needed to talk Trish through this to see why Trish would believe in this “magic”. “OK, sis. How does this love you feel for the others affect your decision to marry Mark?”
“It doesn’t. Mark and I have feelings for everyone in the group, but our decision to marry is based upon a mutual need we have.”
“What is that need?” asked Wendy.
“That need represents the love we have always had for each other before the necklace entered our lives and the love we still have for each other.”
“I thought you were thinking of marrying that quarterback from BC.”
“I told you about that, Wendy. My heart was never in it. Mark is my best friend. I’ve always loved him!”
“But you admitted that the necklace may have enhanced your desire for him.”
“True, but it is not the source of my attraction. I was always attracted to Mark. I just couldn’t see myself with him because of what I was going through. For some reason, Mark became my last resort when he should have been the answer. I guess I couldn’t let him see my feelings because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“Sis, I’m going to level with you. I think that something has happened to you and the others. I’m not sure if Mark is responsible or a victim like the rest, but I’m sure of it.”
“Duh! The necklace I told you about.”
“I’m sorry, it sounds like a myth to me. There has to be a more likely explanation.”
Trish knew she needed to convince Wendy. She felt her sister slipping further away from accepting the truth. She had allowed herself to be battered by questions from her younger sibling by letting Wendy go on the offensive early, but now it was her turn. Trish knew she would have to delve into her sister’s recent problems. She hated to play that card, but it was the only way to get her to see the truth. “Many myths are based upon fact, right?”
“Yes, but…”
“Listen Wendy and hear me out. Remember how over the weekend when I nearly died and then lost my memory? Did you see how Mom and dad behaved after I had entered the living room with Mark after he cured me?”
“Yes. They begged for your forgiveness.”
“Do you think that Mark had anything to do with their drastic change of heart?”
“He must have hypnotized them.”
Trish knew that she had Wendy. “When?” asked Trish. Wendy said nothing. “Mark was never alone with either of them. In fact, Mark was with his friends before you arrived and with all of you before I got there. He was then with you and me the whole time once I woke up. When could he have possibly hypnotized Mom and Dad?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you remember what I said to Mom about the necklace she was wearing when I saw that she was wearing it?”
“That she needed to return it to Marie,” said Wendy.
“That’s because the necklace programmed Mom and Dad to trust Mark. The magic of the necklace changed Mom and Dad, as it changed everyone else. After the necklace was passed on to Mark’s dad and Marie last Thursday, Mark discovered how to use the magic he had inside him.”
Wendy had to admit it. While there was no explanation that seemed plausible, at least this explanation was possible, no matter how unlikely. Still, even if Mark were a victim like everyone else, something needed to change. The whole polygamy like thing was against everything she believed in. “But Trish, even if this is true, it has to change!” exclaimed Wendy.
“Why?”
“It’s not natural.”
“It’s natural to us. Wendy. Can you honestly tell me that your life isn’t better now than it was a few days ago?”
“Of course it is! Our family is happy and together again.”
“If it weren’t for Mark and the necklace, none of it would have happened,” Wendy was silent. “Do you think I’m a better sister now than I was before?” asked Trish.
“You were always a good sister.”
“Thanks honey, but we both know that isn’t true. Before Mike Caldwell, I was a shallow self-absorbed bitch and after he entered our lives I was a selfish, panicked bitch looking for a way out.”
“You had been nicer over the last couple of years.”
“True, but I credit Mark for a lot for that. He taught me how to think of others by his example” said Trish. Wendy was still trying to absorb the truth. Trish realized and hit her straight in the heart. “Wendy, if it weren’t for Mark, you would still not understand how beautiful you really are, both inside and out. He used his magic to help you.”
“When we French kissed?” asked Wendy.
“Yes. That was the only time he used magic on you and only so that you would trust us to accept that truth.”
“Not to make me want him to be my brother or for me to like Jeff?” asked Wendy as she started to cry.
“No” said Trish. “I’m pretty sure the magic is not responsible for him wanting you for a sister or for Jeff liking you too” smiled Trish.
Wendy continued to cry.
“Honey, you have to believe me. I know it seems weird, but I have never been happier in all my life. And Mark is using his magic for good too. Did you see the effect it had on Josie and Jason?” asked Trish. Wendy nodded. “I’ve always thought that Jason was a good guy, but he had become really selfish and to be honest, kind of a jerk. He and I started out as friends, but I shot him down at the end of freshman year and he had been taking it out on me ever since. You saw what a bitch Josie was. Mark told me he found the root of her problem and magically removed her negative impulses. Now she has a chance to be a really sweet person. You saw her tonight with Amber, right?”
Wendy had to concede that Mark was making a difference in people’s lives, including her own. Still there was an ethical question which was plaguing her. “But is it right for Mark to permanently change people?”
“Mark isn’t permanently changing anyone. The only way he can permanently change someone would be to bond them to us the way our group is. The only person Mark did this consciously to was Liz and it was only because she asked him to, and we all loved her as a dear friend anyway. Marcus, Angie, Pete and Kimmy are not like the rest of us. While magic had been initially used on them, they are part of us out of choice, not because they have to. What Mark did to Josie and Jason will probably wear off in a couple of weeks.”
“Then what’s the good of doing it at all?”
“Because Josie and Jason now have had a chance to see what their lives could be like if they stay with us. Right now they’re both truly happy. When their selfish impulses begin to come back, they will have a choice to make. They can either suppress them and be blissfully happy with bright futures or a go back to being a selfish bastard and a selfish bitch with uncertain futures. Having seen how happy they are now, what choice would you make if you were them?” asked Trish.
“And you guys will be around to help reinforce their decision to be happy.”
“Exactly. As long as they want us, we will want them. We have plans for them. Alexis told Jason tonight that Mark wanted to go into business with him after college and Jason was apparently quite interested. We also have plans for Jeff in the same regard.”
“But you said Mark didn’t do anything to Jeff,” said Wendy.
“He didn’t. He doesn’t need to. Jeff is perfect the way he is, though I guess he could be easier to forgive others. Still, Mark is counting on Jeff’s innate fairness to balance how he he’ll handle the news when we tell him about our personal lives.”
“The same way you counted on me?”
Trish smiled. “I knew I couldn’t keep it from you forever, baby sister. I didn’t really want to anyway.”
“Why?”
“Remember how I told you how happy I was that I was in love with Mark? Well I’m twelve times that happy because I’m in love with twelve other people too. How could I not share that with one of the closest people in my life and one of my best friends?” beamed Trish.
“You mean, me?”
“You’re my sister. I want to share everything with you.”
“No sex, though, right?” laughed Wendy.
“Ewwwww! You’re my sister! I love you, but not like that!” protested Trish.
“I’m glad to hear it,” laughed Wendy.
“Seriously Wendy-Bird, I’m not crazy and Mark is not an evil genius. I’d like to say that we were the victims of the necklace, but my life has never been better. The only thing that could ruin all this is you.”
“Me?”
“If you were so freaked out that you didn’t want to be my sister anymore.”
Wendy was freaked out. She was a virgin and had never seriously contemplated having sex with one person in the near future, let alone thirteen. Still, she loved Trish and despite what she had told her, she still loved Mark too. She would have to learn how to accept this, though she admitted to herself that she’d probably never understand it. “I’ll admit that I’m freaked out, but not so much that I would ever deny our sisterhood. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“What about Mark?”
“I guess if he still wants to be my brother, it’s OK, so long as he keeps his magic to himself.”
“I bet he’ll be glad to hear that my Maid of Honor still wants to be his sister,” smiled Trish.
“Maid of Honor?!” screeched Wendy.
“Who else would I want?” asked Trish as she hugged her sister tightly.