Cindy and Bobbie are having a problem. Their special senses are being piqued, but not in a way they have been before. They can’t explain it, and are not sure what they are sensing. Andy takes Bobbie, Cindy, and Donna to the beach. It’s their last opportunity to get some sun before the fall sets in. The weather changes rather drastically, and their sunbathing is cut short. Donna tells Cindy the story of her life. It had been a wonderful life until the last few years.

If you haven’t read the previous stories about Cindy and how she arrived where she is now, you should probably read them. Start with “An Incremental Journey”, “Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend”, “Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver”, and “Cynthia and the Moment of Truth.” “Cynthia and the Christmas Gift” is looked at from a slightly different perspective in this story. There are some interesting revelations of what went on behind the scenes.

This story is a bit longer than the previous ones in this series. It is 13 chapters and 34,000 words long. The High School Years, Part 2 is partly written, but nowhere near ready to post. I will not be able to post Part 1, Chapter 5 until the middle of the week.

I have researched the Spell’s—R-Us Universe diligently and cannot find anything that violates it, other than that The Wizard is a bit kinder and gentler than sometimes reported. Don’t get me wrong. Given an opening, The Wizard could resort to some of his more ironic and nasty transformations.

Once again, Holly has taken time out of her busy and hectic schedule to correct my many and grievous errors. Thank you so much!

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter 4

They finished lunch and took their trays to the window that opened into the dish cleaning room. Cindy pulled Bobbie aside.

“Bobbie, I’ve been getting some really strange feelings ever since school started. I am sensing wrongness, but it’s unlike anything we’ve been learning about. Have you been sensing anything these last couple of days? I mean it kinda comes and goes. I’m not sure who or where it’s coming from.”

“I was going to ask you about that. I’ve been feeling something, too, and I think someone is hurting. The problem is, it’s not focused. I can’t pinpoint the source. It was real strong in the cafeteria, but it was like going in and out of a cloud. I’ve felt it in the hallways, too. It might be from more than one person, if it is from a person.”

Bobbie changed the subject. “If the weather holds, Andy wants to go to the beach. He wants to know if you would like to come along. He already felt obligated to invite Donna.”

“I’d love to. It’ll probably be the last chance to get some sun before it turns cold. I’ll ask Mom this evening.”

Andy was sixteen and able to drive; however, Bobbie was only fifteen, and Bobbie’s parents had some firm rules about dating. One was that Bobbie could not go on a date with anyone unaccompanied. It had to be a double date or on a chaperoned event. Cindy’s parents had similar rules.

Andy wasn’t too concerned about the fact that he couldn’t be alone with Bobbie. He was just very happy that she would even give him a second look after the way he and the other members of the golf team had treated her. If one was to measure his status as a BMOC, he had definitely accumulated some points. There was no question that Bobbie was one of the more attractive girls on the campus, and she was definitely a feather in his cap. However, he didn’t think about her in that context. Yes, she was beautiful, intelligent and athletic; however, there was something more about her that just drew him to her. She was just a nice person to be with.

He felt her friends were nice, too. Cindy Lewis was drop dead gorgeous and friendly. She didn’t have any steady boyfriends, and seemed content just to hang around her best bud. Myrna Breckenridge was another of the group who was fun to be around. She was definitely different, and her relationship with Francie Sexton had raised a few eyebrows. That relationship had waned a bit, and Francie now had a boyfriend.

Then there was the issue of Donna Brewer. Andy’s parents were very active in the community and their church. When the children’s home in Fallsville burned down in the middle of the night, the Anderson’s were among the first to offer their home to put up some of the children. When Donna had first moved in, there had been several discussions between his parents. Andy had not been included, and had basically picked up some fragments of the discussions. Apparently there was something about her past. As soon as his presence was realized, the discussions were cut short. It couldn’t have been too bad, because she was welcomed with open arms, and as Andy said, she was cool.

There were some conversations among the parents about the kids going to the beach; however, it was decided that a trip to the beach one more time before the fall weather set in, in earnest might be a good thing. The days were rapidly shortening and the cold blasts from Canada weren’t far off.

The remainder of the first week of school was pretty much uneventful. Cindy and Bobbie, after several cases involving The Wizard and his correcting some gender errors, found they didn’t have a whole lot to do in that area of magic. They knew that Cindy’s power lay in being able to recognize girls who were in the wrong body, and that Bobbie’s power seemed to be in recognizing physical problems in transgendered individuals. Cindy had identified a few students at school, but unlike the conditions revealed in transgendered fiction, the school was not rife with transgendered individuals. There were, however, significant numbers of gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals.

Some might call it ‘gaydar’, and Cindy and Bobbie had no trouble identifying those students (and teachers) that fit into those categories. In a way, they were glad that they could, because if they could detect that a conversation was going in the direction that might cause embarrassment or hurt someone, they could exercise some influence to prevent what might be considered bigoted statements. They were also able to conduct a little persuasive education when the timing was right.

At first they were very worried about their ability to ‘brainwash’ someone. They didn’t feel it was ethical. The Wizard had some different thoughts on the matter.

“I don’t think we can call making someone understand the truth, brainwashing. I’m not talking about the ‘truths’ or dogma that some of those fanatics spout, I am talking about good science, reality.

“Cindy, you saw a lot of it when you had that little adventure, out of body experience. I think our friend explained it to you very well. What the spirit told you were not beliefs, they were reality. If you can turn some uneducated, undereducated bigots into people who can be objective about reality, I wouldn’t call that brainwashing, even though that’s exactly what many of their kind will say it is.

“You are going to have to learn to be subtle. Don’t dump the whole thing on them. Give them some basics, and when they digest that, pass on a little more information. I think both of you can do a lot of good.”

The weather wasn’t bad when they first arrived, and they had a few hours of some sunning and splashing; however, a little after lunch the wind shifted to the east and then northeast and the temperature started falling. Along with the temperature drop, scuddy stratus clouds started to fill the sky.

“Guys, I think the sunning and swimming is through for the day. Think we ought to pack it in, or do you want to hang out around here a little longer?” Andy was putting his windbreaker on while checking out the clouds. The sun was definitely playing hide and seek.

“I’m kinda sandy and stuff,” Bobbie said while looking at Cindy and Donna. “If we go back now, we’ll just have to go home. I don’t think I want to go to the mall or anything like that. We’re certainly not dressed for it. We still have some time. Why don’t we hunt for sea shells? We could walk down the beach towards that jetty. What do you think, Cindy, Donna?”

“I don’t mind staying around here for a while,” Cindy said. “Mom and Dad are going out tonight and wanted me to watch Tom, Randi, and Stan, Jr., so we have to be back by 6:30. I know! Why don’t we spend a couple of hours here, go home, and get cleaned up?. Then everyone can come over to my place while I watch the kids. We can order some pizza and watch a movie.”

So they decided that was what they’d do. Andy and Bobbie, holding hands, headed down the hard packed sand along the water’s edge. They weren’t seriously looking for shells, Bobbie’s left hand in Andy’s right, left leg synched to right, the two enamored youths led the way.

“They really do like each other don’t they?” Donna remarked as she and Cindy lagged behind. “Aren’t you jealous? I mean you two are closer than any two sisters I’ve ever known. I don’t know how to explain it. You two are … like connected. If I didn’t know better, I would say you are on some secret mission. Shoot, I thought you two were a pair, but Andy says you are just good friends.

“Is it true that you almost drowned?”

“Yeah, that was more than seven years ago. I fell through some ice near my house. I was in a coma for a long time. Bobbie and I became good friends after I got back to school. We had a lot in common.”

Donna paused for a few moments, seeing an old partially deflated rubber volley ball at the edge of the water, and she left footed it back into the ocean to be washed up later on. “So, do you have a boy friend? I mean you are drop dead gorgeous and have boobs to die for. How come you’re not going steady with anyone?”

“I guess because I’ve never met the right person. I’m in no rush. I go out with some of the guys on double or group dates. I have fun, but I don’t get emotionally involved. I’m only sixteen. Someday, the right person will come along. I just don’t need to be distracted right now. My education is primary.”

“Are you into girls? Maybe that’s a bit forward of me, but I’m curious.”

Cindy pondered the question for a moment. “Mom asked me that once, and I told her I didn’t think so, but if the right person was a woman, then that was the right person. I would just have to go with how I felt.

“Bobbie and I are very close, so very close, and I love her very much, and will for the rest of my life. She loves me, too. That will never be questioned. Bobbie is probably as heterosexual as they come.” She almost added, “… and always has been.” But that was going into an area that couldn’t be discussed.

She started walking again.

“What about you? You said something the other day about ‘if’ you liked boys.”

“Yeah, I did say that, didn’t I? I’m not sure why I said that to you, but for some reason, I feel I can trust you.

“I’ve never had a boyfriend or girlfriend. I don’t think I’ve ever had as many friends as I have now. Someday the shit is going to hit the fan about me, so I might as well tell you now, and let you decide what to do about me.”

“Why should I do anything about you? I like you just the way you are. You certainly haven’t done anything to make me feel any other way,” Cindy said with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“You may think differently in a while. Bobbie and Andy are way ahead of us. Why don’t we sit out of the wind over by that shack, and I will let you know a few secrets.”

Donna led Cindy to the sheltered spot, and they sat on a weathered driftwood log.

“My mother abandoned me shortly after I was born. I was found on the steps of a convent in Laredo, Texas. There was a note in Spanish that said, ‘Tenga cuidado de mi niá±a (Please take care of my little girl.).’ They named me Donna Linda. I think you can tell from my appearance that I am probably Latina. I was put up for adoption and was adopted almost immediately by an Air Force pilot and his wife.

“They were wonderful and doted on me from the start. Mom was German, and Dad had met her when he was station at Ramstein. Mom couldn’t have children and they planned to adopt more after me. I remember leaving Laredo, Dad was an instructor pilot, and we moved to Little Rock Air Force Base. When I was eight, we moved back to Germany. Dad was a squadron commander. I remember how happy Mom was to be back. Dad liked it, too. That’s where I learned to play soccer, and I got pretty good at it. By then I had a little brother.

“Dad got another promotion and they shipped us to the Pentagon. I remember Dad saying that he was a highly paid shoeshine boy. He was a Lieutenant Colonel, and he said they were a dime a dozen. We lived in Reston, and they had good schools and soccer programs.”

Donna stopped for a moment, and Cindy could see something was bothering her. Her eyes started to fill with tears. “Th, th, that’s when those snipers killed him and my little brother. They had just gone to the convenience store to get some milk and stuff. Mom was never the same after that. I had problems, but not like Mom did.

“Dad had a lot of insurance, and Mom and I still had all the dependents’ privileges. We could go to any of the military installations, and Mom started going to the clubs. She’d come home drunk; sometimes bringing someone with her. She would take him into her bedroom and they would do things. She’d wake up in the morning screaming and yelling for the guy to get out of her house. She couldn’t remember that she brought him home.

“She started seeing one guy a lot. I thought he was a real creep. He kept leering at me, and would make suggestive comments all the time. I hated him. I came home one Sunday morning after sleeping over with a friend. I hoped he would be gone by then, but his car was still there.

“I snuck in, but he heard me. Mom was asleep or passed out. He raped me.”

Cindy didn’t know what to say. She pulled Donna to her and sobbed. Her tears mixed with Donna’s. “It gets worse. Mom heard me screaming, and she tried to get him off of me. She had grabbed a poker from the fireplace and hit him across the back. It didn’t faze him.

“He had finished with me and he turned on her. He beat her with his fists. Then he started strangling her.

“I killed him with the poker, but not before he had killed her. The neighbors heard the screaming and called the police. I don’t remember much after that.

“It was pretty easy for the police and investigators to figure out what happened. It took me several weeks before I could tell anyone anything. I was in the hospital for a long time. I had no relatives, and no one in Germany seemed to want me.

“Eventually, they sent me to the home in Fallsville. They were nice people over there. They tried to find a foster home for me, but when anyone found out that I killed someone, they decided I wasn’t for them. Then we had that fire. The Andersons know what I did, but it doesn’t seem to bother them. Andy doesn’t know, but I will have to tell him some day.”

Cindy was speechless for a moment. Donna looked at her almost as if she expected Cindy to bolt, or worse, hit her. Instead, Cindy embraced her, and said nothing. Finally she leaned back and looked into Donna’s dark brown, almost black eyes. They were unusual eyes in that there were little flecks of gold that caught the light. Cindy gently reached over and raised Donna’s chin. She gently kissed her on the lips, then embraced her again.

Next: The Wizard tells Cindy and Bobbie to tell Donna and Andy about their magical abilities. He also tells them that Bobbie and Randi need to find a familiar. Both Andy and Donna are able to understand Maddy. Maddy and Cindy give Donna a rather convincing demonstration of their abilities. Chapter 5 will be posted about midweek.