Chapter One - Interrogation

Linda sat alone in the interrogation room -- the lights were weak, giving out pale coldness, pale mercilessness. She stood up, watching the traffic outside and the passersby wearing their Sunday best, enjoying the sunshine and the warmth of a beautiful late afternoon. She rubbed her naked arms, trying to keep herself warm, fighting off the cold that crept through her light summer dress. Wearing dresses had always made Linda feel vulnerable, the reason why she wore T-shirts and pants most of the time. 'They should turn down the damn airco,' she thought. 'Talk about waste... Talk about the environment!'

Linda looked around, wondering how many people had been interrogated in that stark, dusty room. It would be poor people for the most part. So much injustice was committed by the cops and the so called legal system or so she'd heard, but that half-awareness was nothing compared to the real thing, the brutality of it all. She'd been brought to the station and dumped in that interrogation room. She'd asked about Nikki and the twins but the cops wouldn't say a word. She'd cried, she'd hit those uniformed men, but they wouldn't budge.They wanted her for questioning. What for? If her sisters had been killed, was she the prime suspect? Was she? Linda couldn't believe it. She just couldn't.

Her eyes were dry. The well had been exhausted. She couldn't feel anything anymore. There were no tears left. The last six months had been such a crazy time and she'd cried too much too long. Within five days it'd be the twins' birthday. Their 16th... if they were alive...

Linda breathed out deeply, making a tremendous effort to pull herself together.

The detective in charge had allowed Linda to speak to no one, not even to Mom or Dad. Anyway her parents didn't seem to want that either. Dad had looked away and Mom wouldn't look at her. She felt alone, so terribly, hopelessly alone, and that loneliness was played back in her mind, in slow motion, and the hidden scream returned. Mom... It was the scream... MOM!!!!! Why do you hate me so much?... Why?... Tell me why?... WHY?????

Linda turned to see the detective in charge wheel in the room. He was followed by a second detective, taller and in better shape than his colleague.

"Hello, Ms. McDougall," the first detective greeted, stretching out his bulky arm and shaking Linda's hand. "Still remember me? Detective Larrousse... and this is Detective Lamm from O------- county. Please, sit down. This won't take long. Sorry for this mess but you know how the press is."

Larrousse was all smiles, Linda noticed. She didn't understand why he was so nice to her. She'd seen his gluttonous eyes meandering around her uncovered legs, examining her, making her uncomfortable. She hated it when men acted like that. It was their hormones, they said, but she was in no forgiving mood this time. She sat down on the chair across from Larrousse's and Lamm's, pulling down the hem of her summer dress, sighing almost without noticing.

"Ms. McDougall," Lamm began, "you know you have the right to an attorney, don't you?"

Linda shrugged. "Do I need one?"

The detectives looked at each other for a short moment. Then Larrousse took over, his fluffy moustache being blown up and down by his uneasy breathing.

"We don't think so... but that's your call... Anyway, we won't take long. This isn't exactly my case. The crime was not committed in this county."

"What crime?"

"What crime??!!!" Larrousse repeated, blinking his eyes. "You kidding me, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not. Nobody tells me anything. I--"

"Don't you read the newspapers, Ms. McDougall?" Lamm asked.

"No, I was..."

"Here," Lamm answered, handing a newspaper over to Linda.

COVER-UP! PARENTS DEMAND JUSTICE, the headline screamed. Linda skimmed over the article and before long she understood the article was about the redneck. Matt Wood's folks were asking for justice. Their son had been murdered by a rich kid, they claimed. There had been a cover-up, orchestrated by Servenet's CEO Fred McDougall. The Woods were sick and tired that a rich kid could get away with murder. The article mentioned bribery and her name, Linda S. McDougall. If the DA wouldn't prosecute their son's killer, the Woods'd sue their county for 10,000,000 dollars.

"Dad!" Linda cried out. She looked at Lamm. "Is this true?"

"You tell us."

"I mean, the bribery? Is this true?"

"We're looking into it, but I'm afraid that's true."

'Dad, how stupid can you be?' Linda thought, shaking her head. 'How stupid can you be??!!!'

"So you see, Ms. McDougall," Lamm continued, "we are in a difficult position... My department and county are under pressure... to show some results. This is a case that's generated a hell of publicity. Corruption in a murder investigation is hardly the kind of publicity we're looking for."

"Murder investigation? I didn't kill anybody. It was self-defense... *He* shot my sister..."

"And you shot him back, didn't you?" Larrousse intervened.

"No, it was an accident."

"An accident?" Larrousse asked, knitting his fluffy dark brows. "Why would your dad resort to a pay-off if it was just an accident?"

"And why would I want to kill that... I mean, he came after us and he started shooting... What--"

"Ms. McDougall," Lamm cut her off, "or may I call you Linda?" Linda shrugged, but he went on saying, "Linda then... Did you know that Matt Wood, the man you shot, was mentally retarded?"

"No... I didn't. So?"

"We have gathered evidence Matt Wood did not and could have not kidnapped you and your sisters. If this is true, what were you doing in O------- county, hidden in an old cabin and away from your parents, your friends, and your schoolmates? Did you run away?"

"Yes..."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Why not?" Larrousse butted in.

"I can't," Linda restated, her hands balling up into tight fists.

"Why?"

"Because I cannot!" Linda shouted, standing up. She paced the small room, shaking her head and whispering to herself, "I can't... I can't... I just can't..."

Chapter Two - Alive

Randolph T. West, Dad's lawyer, had come to the police headquarters, curtailing any further questioning. Self-assured, articulate, penetrating eyes, wearing a stylish dark blue suit, Randolph T. West embodied the stereotype of the successful lawyer. Linda avoided his middle-aged, experienced, inquiring eyes. She was afraid he was going to pose the same questions the detectives had asked. Before long they arrived home, riding past the crowd of photographers and journalists, still begging for a comment, the right pose for a photo.

The car was brought to a halt with a jerk. Then West spoke. "I am sorry I took so long. I had to take care of your dad first."

"Is he all right?"

"Somewhat shaken-up..."

"Linda!" a female voice shouted.

"Nikki!" Linda replied, seeing her sister's grinning face staring at her through the closed window. "You're alive!" Linda opened the car door, stepping out, embracing Nikki, still whispering, "You're alive... You're alive."

"Of course I am alive... Why--"

"Let's go inside," West interrupted, glancing at the journalists and then at the two happy, embracing girls.

Mom and the twins waited for them by the entrance. Zoe and Jeannie hugged Linda, one after the other, Jeannie taking a little longer than her twin. Linda told them her fears. In turn Nikki and the twins explained how the cops had kept them separated, preventing them from speaking to each other. The cops wanted to hear how the redneck had died...

"Where's Dad?" Linda asked.

"He's in a meeting," Mom answered.

"Meeting?"

"Yes," West said. "The board of directors is in an emergency meeting..."

"Is Dad going to lose his job?"

"Not right away," West replied, cleaning his sweaty forehead with an unblemished white handkerchief. "But if this mess is not cleared up he certainly will. Anyway no charges have been filed yet."

Randolph West hashed over what was going to happen. He'd come back and ask some questions -- how the redneck had been shot, why they had run away... Eventually the lawyer got up and thanked Mom for the drink. Mom saw him to the main entrance. She shut the door, leaning against it, sighing.

"So, are you happy now?" Mom said, returning to the living room, facing her eldest daughter.

"Happy?"

"Yes. You just managed to ruin our lives... Congratulations."

"Me???? I didn't ask Dad to pay off anyone."

"Yes, but he did that for *you*."

"No, he didn't. He was a fool... We wouldn't have said a word about... why we ran away. He should've known that. But he got scared and instead of trusting us he resorted to buying cops off... and was caught. He wanted to look good, he wanted to be the victim and win whatever he was after... He was greedy and now he's paying for it. So, don't blame us."

"Sure... You always know the right answer, the right thing to say... but if... you... all of you... weren't such..."

"Please, don't stop. Shall I help you? *Whores*, right?"

Their mother shut her eyes, walking to the bar, pouring scotch into her glass and downing it in one go. She drank a second, then went to the couch, settling down, hiding her face behind her hands, shaking.

"Mom, please..." Linda said, not knowing whether she should sit down beside her mother. For the first time she pitied that woman -- more a stranger than her real mother.

"I don't know why you hate me so much," Mom sniveled. "I don't know why you never listen to me. I don't know where I've failed... I just wanted... I guess... I guess you're right... I am incapable to love you... I am incapable to love my own daughters..."

"Why?"

Their mother shook her head, then got to her feet. "I've got to lie down. I feel very weak..."

"Do you want me to help you, Mom?" Jeannie offered.

"No, thanks... I just need to be alone..."

Wobbling, their mother left the living room. They heard unsteady steps coming from the stairs, then only silence.

Nikki looked at her big sister. Linda looked worried. Nikki got up and stationed herself in front of Big Sis. She bit her lip. She wanted to hug Big Sis but she feared rejection.

Linda smiled, amused by her sister's shyness. "Come here and give me a real hug."

And Nikki came, holding Linda tight. She didn't dare to look up and face Linda. Again, Nikki felt her body react, her breathing becoming heavier. She had missed Linda so much, her touch, her love, her smell, her hands, the softness of it all... She wanted to kiss Linda but she was sure her sister wouldn't approve of it -- not after what they had just gone through. However, Nikki felt Linda's hands on her burning cheeks, turning her head up. Their eyes met, and Linda kissed her, a deep, long kiss, which made Nikki breathless, transporting her into another world, another dimension... Nikki held Linda closer, her breasts feeling the hardness of Linda's nipples, despite their bras, her blouse and Linda's dress.

'How can we be kissing like this?' Nikki asked herself. Dad was about to lose his job and go to prison and Linda could follow him. 'I worry too much,' she decided. She closed her eyes, enjoying Linda's kiss, her sister's lips sucking her mouth dry, Linda's tongue searching hers, her cunt becoming wet...

They stood there kissing for minutes, which seemed hours, centuries of eternal delight. Nikki broke the kiss, her arms still around Linda's waist. Nikki sighed, feeling exhausted... but happy... and alive...

Chapter Three - Birthday party

It was almost surreal to have a birthday party with that commotion at the gate and on TV and in the newspapers. So many people had called to know the details of the cover-up and the impending murder and bribery charges. Zoe recalled how doggedly the journalists followed her and her twin sister Jeannie. Even in school they weren't out of harm's way. The reporters would do anything to take their picture or ask a few "innocent" questions.

Mom had argued against any party. Dad had been formally indicted. There'd be a hearing very soon to decide whether there was enough evidence for Dad to stand trial. "How can you think about a party?" their mother'd asked, outraged. "Your dad's about to go to jail. Linda too..."

"My point exactly, Mom," Linda'd replied. "I can go to jail too, but I wouldn't dream of keeping Zoe and Jeannie from having their 16th birthday party."

Despite Mom's and Linda's words, the case against her sister wasn't so straightforward, Zoe reckoned. The O------- county DA didn't have any eyewitnesses other than herself, Linda, Nikki and Jeannie. In addition, Randolph West had found out Matt Wood wasn't mentally retarded as the detectives had claimed. Matt Wood had rather a history of violent psychotic behavior. He had once terrorized a couple with his dad's shotgun. On that particular occasion Matt had messed with the wrong people, though. The man of the couple in question happened to be an ex-marine, a Gulf War veteran. After a short fight the ex-marine managed to disarm the redneck, beating the hell out of him. Shooting Jeannie had apparently been the redneck's revenge, the coward!!!! With this thought, Zoe's blood boiled... Since the shooting she had become very protective toward her twin sister, particularly against journalists or other curious people.

"Hi, Zoe," Jeannie said, walking in their room, dropping her books and backpack on her desk.

"Hi, Jeannie."

"What are you doing here alone?"

"Thinking..."

"About?"

Zoe shrugged. "Everything. About our party..."

"Yeah," Jeannie said, letting herself fall on her twin's bed, lying on her back next to Zoe. "Don't feel very comfortable about the party either... I know Linda means well but I am scared."

Zoe turned over and lay on her stomach, her face only a few inches from Jeannie's, the weight of her head propped up by her elbow. Zoe's heart beat faster, feeling it in her lips, so sensitive had they become. Zoe'd almost forgotten the last time they had made love, the day when hell broke loose, the day when Mom caught them in each other's arms, kissing, her hand caressing Jeannie's pussy, enjoying how moist her sister had become... down there... between her legs. Zoe returned to reality, brushing her golden hair away from her eyes, pressing her thighs against each other, her face blushing, trying to hide her lust... 'This is no time for it,' Zoe thought. Jeannie was scared.

"Why?"

"Lana's asking a lot of questions... You know how she is... And Jack still carries a torch for Linda... He keeps asking Nikki and me how Big Sis is handling all this... and how worried he is about this murder thing... And your boyfriend Joey, too damn curious to my taste..."

"Joey's not coming."

"Why?" Jeannie asked, her blue eyes getting wider.

"I didn't invite him. You're right, he's too damn curious."

"You giving him the shaft?"

Zoe shrugged again. "Dunno," she said. Zoe saw Jeannie's eyes becoming even wider. And that look, that connection between them streamed through their bodies, their breathing, their hearts again. Zoe wished she could put her hand between her legs. She was becoming so damn wet. "Jeannie..." her lips whispered.

"Yes?" Jeannie answered, losing strength -- her breathing as heavy as it could be, her eyelids becoming half-shut. She'd become aware of her twin sister's desire, lust for her. It felt so strange to see a face so similar to her own full of longing... crazy longing... longing for kisses, for love, for passion... They'd been lovers before... How long ago did it all happen?

Zoe began to stroke Jeannie's hair, touching her sister's ear, tickling her, making her giggle nervously. Jeannie stared into her twin's eyes, grasping Zoe's hesitation. She raised her hands, holding that face that looked down at her so lovingly, so breathlessly. Jeannie swallowed, pulling that face closer until their lips pressed against each other in a long-lasting kiss. Jeannie, still commanding, pulled her sister's face against her own neck, pointing out she wanted to be kissed right there. Zoe obeyed, covering her sister's throat with sucking kisses, producing the most delicious thrills in Jeannie's body. Zoe's hand cupped Jeannie's breast.

"Oh Zoe," Jeannie moaned, closing her eyes, enjoying the moment, feeling the heat intensify in her womb, between her legs. "Zoe... Zoe..." But suddenly, Jeannie opened her eyes and exclaimed, "Oh no!"

"What?" Zoe asked, nonplussed, stopping her stroking. She couldn't believe her sister had changed her mind about making love.

"We forgot about the damn door again. Let's lock it before something nasty happens again."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Zoe stood up, whizzed up to the door, turned the key and returned to her bed, to Jeannie, who waited for her with a smile in her face.

"You crack me up," Jeannie said, embracing her sister, who had landed on top of her, Zoe's leg between her thighs, causing a chill of pleasure all over her body.

"Why?" Zoe asked, displaying her uncertain smile.

"Because you went so fast and you came back even faster."

"I was afraid..."

"Of what?"

"I thought you wanted to stop when you said "oh no"."

"Not a chance, Sis," Jeannie said, grinning now. "You don't get rid of me that easily." And to drive away all Zoe's fears, Jeannie kissed her twin passionately, wildly, taking control again, surprising Zoe. "I'm going to kill you now... with kisses..." and she gave one, leaving Zoe astounded by her sudden passion, "with caresses all over your body..." and her fingers slid in through the opening of Zoe's shirt, going for her sister's right breast, "until you moan, my dear, and scream for more... and more... and more..."

Zoe shut her eyelids, letting herself go, trusting her body, everything with Jeannie. 'Where had she learned all that?' Zoe thought, rolling over, allowing Jeannie to be on top of her. 'With Linda?'

Before jealousy could creep in, Jeannie began to kiss Zoe between her sister's breasts, cupping them, her thumbs feeling how hard Zoe's nipples had become through the texture of her sister's shirt.

"Like it?"

"Yes..." Zoe moaned.

"Good."

Jeannie continued her fondling, kissing, opening her sister's shirt, her hands going for the snap of Zoe's bra. With a few laughs and Zoe's help, Jeannie managed to pop the snap free, tugging the bra out of her sister's shirt sleeve. They looked at each other, and they laughed again.

"Why are you laughing?" Zoe asked.

"Look who's talking..." Jeannie kissed her sister again, trying to curb her own laughter. "I find this so damn funny. I like the way you look at me."

"What? How?"

"It looks like you want to eat me up alive... that I am dessert to you..."

"Yes, you are... but don't you get uppity with me," Zoe complained with a smile, "or I'll have to spank you."

"Hmm," Jeannie replied, still with her wide grin in her face, "that's sounds divine, my dear... Hmm, please spank me... I am a bad bad girl..."

And again Jeannie erupted into laughter, followed by Zoe, who started hitting her twin sister's rear with mock severity, exciting Jeannie in an unbelievable way. Jeannie started moaning, between kisses. Zoe stopped the hitting, regaining her tenderness, feeling the grinding of Jeannie's pussy on her own.

"Oh Jeannie... That's nice... Please go on... That's so fucking nice... Hmmm... Oohhhh... Gaawwwd..."

"You like it?" Jeannie asked, increasing the grinding of her mound against Zoe's, still with a smile in her face.

"Yes... Fuck... Yes..." Realizing how hot her sister was becoming, Jeannie kissed her, hard, her lips crushing Zoe's so much that it hurt. When the kiss ended, Zoe breathed in deeply and said, "God, you're killing me..."

"I told you... I'm going to kill you... with kisses... Now that we've got the reputation, we might just as well enjoy it... And by the way, this's not working... Time to get undressed and under the covers..."

"Jeannie!" Zoe cried out, shoving Jeannie off her and straightening herself up on the bed. She couldn't believe her twin's matter-of factness. "We can get caught."

"The door's locked, remember?" Jeannie replied, unbuttoning her twin's shirt.

"But the bed will become a mess... Mom's gonna suspect it. Mom ain't dumb."

"Tough luck, then." Jeannie smiled, kissing her twin again, nipping Zoe's doubts in the bud, removing Zoe's shirt, touching her breasts, feeling Zoe's hard nipples poking out against the palms of her hands.

Zoe moaned again, embracing Jeannie passionately, kissing her again, falling back on her bed. In the heat of passion, Jeannie's hand slid down Zoe's faded blue jeans, caressing Zoe's thighs. Without any warning, Jeannie squeezed Zoe's mound.

"Oh Jeannie," Zoe moaned. "I'm gonna cum in no time if we go on like this."

"Not before you get naked. I want to feel you all over me... baby..."

'Baby?' Zoe thought. 'Is she emulating Linda now?' In the meantime, Zoe was relieved of all pieces of clothing, including her panties. Jeannie did the same without delay, joining her in bed, her shining blue eyes full of lust, pure crazy lust. And those eyes made Zoe melt. 'Who cares?' she figured as their naked bodies touched. 'Nothing in all the world can beat this. NOTHING!' Soon enough, Zoe got the confirmation of this conclusion when her twin's hand touched her pussy, so wet, so fucking wet... "Ooohhhhhh Gaaawwwddd... Fuck... Jeannie... This is... sooo... fucking... goooood..."

Jeannie's fingers kept working down there, teasing her sister's pussy. They kept kissing because her lips couldn't get enough of each other... Twin lips, twin breasts, twin all over them...

"Ooohhh Jeannie," Zoe moaned again, feeling the trembling in her cunt that foretold the most incredible wave of pleasure. To answer in kind, Zoe tweaked Jeannie's nipples, giving her twin sister another kiss.

"Ooohhh Zoe," Jeannie moaned, breathing deeply. "Ooohhh Zoe... Zoe... ZOE... This's fucking great... fucking GREAT!!!!"

Suddenly Jeannie departed from her twin's arms, and said, "Well, I thought I wouldn't never do this... This can get too distracting... but... what the hell... I'm so horny..."

"What?"

"69, my dear..." Jeannie replied, with a mischievous smile. "Probably we'll cum together, baby..." Once said, Jeannie straddled her sister and lowered her pussy onto Zoe's mouth. As soon as Zoe's lips and tongue began to kiss and lick her down there, Jeannie's head jerked up, shutting her eyes. Her long blond hair went up and then flowed down her shoulders, her arms. Her face twitched, her mouth went open, because a scream was inside her. "OOOHHHHH... Zoe... Zoeeeee.... Zooooeeee..." Her loins were on fire. She was going to faint with pleasure. "Gaaawwwddd... Zoe... Lick me there... My clit... Yes... That's it... Come on, don't stop... Please... Yes... Come on... Come on... Oh nooo... Yes... I'm cumming... I'm cumming... Oh Gawd... Yes... That's it..." Jeannie bit her lips, and then crumbled on her sister's body, feeling the most incredible orgasm, keeping it quiet due to the violence of it. Instinctively her mouth looked for Zoe's waiting pussy, and she began her licking. Immediately, Zoe's thighs became tense. Zoe drew her knees up, moaning.

"Ooohhh Jeannie... Jeannie... Fuck... Oooohhh... Damn it... Fuck... That's it... I love you... I love you... I'm gonna die... Yes..." With these words, Zoe's hands pushed her twin's head against her pussy, her body pulsating in a mighty orgasm, filling her being with pleasure... and love... for Jeannie... her beautiful twin... so sweet... so tender...

Zoe made her twin turn around, embracing her, feeling that hot body, so similar to hers... Fuck, Jeannie was her sister... Her twin sister... And this thought alone was enough to bring Zoe close to another orgasm. She squeezed her thighs together, enjoying that mini-orgasm.

They lay there under the covers and in each other's arms, stroking each other's hair, handing out small kisses to ears, throats, lips...

"You know what," Jeannie said, smiling down at her twin.

"What?" Zoe replied, her fingers sweeping across Jeannie's golden tresses.

"This a hell of a birthday present, Sis... Thanks."

"You're welcome," Zoe answered, almost laughing. "Thank *you*."

"Happy birthday, Sis," Jeannie said, widening her grin.

"Happy birthday," Zoe replied.

Zoe tried not to laugh but laughter won out. Jeannie broke up too, doubling over. Zoe hugged her and pulled that convulsing, beautiful naked body against her own. They laughed and laughed until their bellies ached.

Chapter Four - Jealousy

Zoe and Jeannie rose from their beds, Jeannie dragging her twin to the bathroom. They had to take a shower before the party or else...

"Let's make the bed first," Zoe complained.

"No, worrywart... First the shower, then the bed. Come on..." Jeannie turned on the water, checking its temperature. Soon enough the warm water began to gush out of the showerhead and she hopped in the stall. "Come on, Zoe... Playing hard to get?"

"No," Zoe denied, joining Jeannie, giving her a kiss. "No, give me the soap. I want to lather you up."

"Why?" Jeannie asked, laughing.

"Doesn't matter why."

"Why?" Jeannie couldn't understand why her twin had become crimson all over. "Why, Zoe?" Zoe didn't answer. Instead, she made another attempt to snatch the soap from her twin's hand. "No... You have to tell me first."

"Ok... I've dreamt about it since--"

"--that shower in the locker room, before we... Is that it?"

"Yes," Zoe breathed out.

It was exciting to see the fire those blue eyes glowed with, Jeannie thought. She opened her mouth and pressed her sister's naked body against hers. "Oh Sis..." And she kissed Zoe... "Oh Sis..." And she gave another kiss, her cunt becoming wet, their bodies damp with sweat and the water that streamed down from above. "Fuck me... Lather me... like never before... Come on, baby... Do it."

The soap was handed over, and the request, the demand was met as expected. Zoe kissed Jeannie, her hot, exciting twin sister... She lathered that perfect body, full of passion, love, and lust... Jeannie, in turn, would bite Zoe's ear, kissing her sister's neck, making her moan.

"Gawd... Zoe... I don't want to leave this shower... I want to fuck you all day, all week... That'd be great..." Jeannie's voice trailed off, because Zoe had cupped her breasts, kneading them together. Jeannie grew weak... She moaned softly against her twin's ear. "Zoe... I love you."

Hearing these words, Zoe ground to a halt, her eyes staring into her sister's. "You do?"

"Yes, I do... But... why do you look so surprised?"

"Because it is the first time you say you love me."

"Really?"

Zoe nodded because she couldn't speak.

"Oh I'm sorry, Zoe," Jeannie said, experiencing a sudden urge to cry, hugging her sister tight. "I love you... I really do... I don't know why I haven't said it before."

"Ok, it doesn't matter," Zoe whispered, shaking her head, trying to forget how much Jeannie cared for Linda too. "It doesn't matter... Let's make love..." And with this, Zoe began the descent, kissing her sister's breasts, brushing her hard nipples with her knowing fingers, her mouth going down, going for Jeannie's belly button. The hand holding the soap kept lathering Jeannie's torso, breasts, shoulders, arms, and down there, between her sister's legs. Jeannie's legs trembled. Her sister moaned and grew weak... Zoe looked up but Jeannie didn't look down. Her twin had her eyes closed. Jeannie jerked forward as Zoe's hand touched her down there, washing her pussy, removing all traces of soap. Jeannie moaned once again, whispering her name and the fact that she loved her... she loved her so much... Gently, Zoe's mouth kissed Jeannie's pussy, feeling how dripping wet her sister was. Despite the water and the soap, she could smell Jeannie's scent. Without even thinking, Zoe licked her own lips and kissed Jeannie's inner thighs.

"Ooohh Zoe... Hurry... I can't take this waiting anymore... Please, finish me off..."

Zoe felt her head being pushed against her twin's pussy. Her tongue followed the folds, the petals of the rose down there... And the rose opened, engorged by desire... With a finger, Zoe penetrated the hole; with her tongue, she goaded Jeannie's clit on... and the juices mingled with the water.

"Ooohhh Zoe... Zoe... I'm cumming... I'm cumming..." Jeannie's head went straight up and then down. She sighed deeply, pressing her thighs together, staying still for a long while, enjoying the orgasm that had spread all over her body, leaving her without strength. She let herself slide down, her eyes meeting Zoe's. She sat down against the wall of the stall. "Come here, Zoe. Now it's your turn..."

And Zoe came, nestling herself against Jeannie's naked body, Jeannie's raised legs clamping her in a comfortable position. She felt her sister's breasts and nipples against her back, her sister's hands stroking her tits, making her head swim, while the warm water kept hitting her face, her body... Zoe almost passed out when Jeannie touched her pussy, opening the lips, applying the right pressure. This time she didn't moan. She wanted to keep it still, she wanted to concentrate on those hands that were making her so incredibly hot and so unbelievably weak. 'Jeannie,' she thought, 'I love you...'

"I love you" was Jeannie's answer.

Yes... They could read each other's minds... And the orgasm came, and Zoe didn't scream, didn't utter a word... only a sigh, which came from within... "Jeannie... Jeannie..."

Suddenly they heard someone banging on the door of their room. Without losing a second, Zoe rose to her feet, helping her sister up. Their hearts pounded in their chests. Zoe turned off the shower, sliding open the stall door. "What?" she managed to shout, wrapping herself in a towel and walking to the door. "Who's there?"

"It's me." Zoe recognized Linda's voice. She felt relieved but a little bit angry too. Linda had ruined her orgasm... Zoe unlocked the door and let Linda in.

"Are you crazy?" Zoe asked, locking the door again. "Why were you banging the door like that? I thought it was Mom... or Dad... You really scared us."

Linda grinned, noticing how wet Zoe's hair and skin were. Closer to the bathroom door, stood Jeannie, as wet as her twin and hiding her naked body behind a long pink bath towel. "I can see why," Linda said, still grinning, noticing the chaos of sheets and covers on Zoe's bed.

"Please, stop it. You're not funny."

"Ok, Zoe... I'm sorry. I just wanted to warn you Mom and Dad are waiting for you downstairs. They want to leave before your guests arrive... I banged, as you say, because the door was locked and I didn't get any answer.

"We were in the shower," Jeannie intervened. "We didn't hear you."

"You bet you didn't hear me. Ok, I leave you two alone, but hurry up... The folks don't like to wait... especially if the kids of the neighborhood are coming to the household that is making the front page in every damn newspaper in town."

"Please..." Jeannie said, almost crying. "Don't be mad at us..."

"I'm not mad at you, baby," Linda said, shaking her head. She faced Zoe and added, "I'm not mad at you either... I just don't like to be yelled at. Come on, hurry up." Linda made a half-turn, unlocked the door and left.

Jeannie glared at her twin sister. She was going to say something but her mouth went shut without a sound. Jeannie went on drying her hair up with her towel, walking to the wardrobe and ignoring Zoe.

"What?" Zoe said.

"You promised..." Jeannie replied, throwing her towel onto her bed, opening the wardrobe.

Zoe's first reaction was to deny it... but Jeannie was right. She had broken her promise. Zoe slumped on her bed, her head hung down, her long hair covering her face. With her finger, she began to draw an eight on the naked skin of her right leg. She didn't see Jeannie had stopped ignoring her.

Jeannie peeked at her sister from the corner of her eyes. She continued as if nothing had happened. Her sister, however, seemed to be in a trance, sitting perfectly still except for her right hand which moved without stopping. Jeannie wanted to overlook it but her worries got stronger. She tried to look for a dress to wear... but couldn't. She stared at her sister, this time her body turning along with her head... And then something hit her... Zoe was crying!!!!

"Zoe," Jeannie said, kneeling at her sister's feet, brushing Zoe's hair away from her face, looking into those sad blue eyes. "What's wrong? I didn't mean to make you cry... I just hate it when you're angry... I just can't deal with it."

"Especially if that's about Linda," Zoe sniffled. "Right?"

"Yes... I love you... Can't you see that?"

"But you love Linda too, don't you?"

"Yes... I can't help it, Zoe... And please, don't make me choose... You two are very important to me... I can't imagine my life without you... or Linda... And the bond we have, the love we have... between us... no Linda... no one can make up for that... We are twins, baby... We are identical... This is crazy," Jeannie said, shaking her head, realizing what she was saying, what she was about to say. Her thumbs wiped her sister's face dry. "This is crazy, but it's true... We are identical... We're sisters... twins... Nobody can get closer to me than you... Please understand... Please..."

"I do," Zoe said, stroking her twin's hair, looking down at that pair of blue eyes, so eager, so gentle, so kind... "It's just... It's so hard not to be jealous... The way you look at Linda... The way you always try to defend her... I feel left out."

"You know why? Because you're so damn aggressive towards Linda. You seem to resent her... and I can understand that... She seems to get everything she wants so easily... I used to envy her too... Not anymore... I admire her now... I look up to her... And you should too... because she loves us all... and she's fair... She never takes sides when there's an argument... The first thing she does is to end the fight... And don't forget she saved my life, our lives.... and now she can go to prison because of that... So try to be gentle with her... She deserves that."

Zoe bit her lower lip, experiencing an almost insurmountable urge to cry. "You're right... I'm sorry... I knew all that but I forgot..."

Jeannie smiled, still holding that sad face. "That's why I'm here... to remind you... Hmm, you're smiling... That's good... I like it when you smile."

Zoe let out a short laugh, drying the corner of her eyes with her fingers. She said, "Ok, let's go get dressed before the folks and Linda start complaining... and banging the door down."

"Ok... But before that, I want a kiss... a hard one... and I want to hear how much you love me."

"I love you," Zoe answered, grinning, kissing Jeannie, bringing her closer to her body and within her arms. She shook when she felt her twin's naked body against her own.

"Only that much?" Jeannie inquired, breaking their kiss.

"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you..." Zoe whispered, between kisses.

"Only that much?"

"A million times, then..."

"Only that much?"

"Ad infinitum..."

"Only that much?" they cried out simultaneously, laughing.

"Yes," Jeannie said, staring at her twin, smiling, feeling happy and glowing from the inside, in her sister's arms... "That much..."

Chapter Five - Birthday presents

Linda waited there in the hall, keeping some distance between the twins and her parents. Mom gave a hug to both Jeannie and Zoe, whispering a few words to them, smiling... Mom had changed, Linda realized. It was weird but Mom seemed a different person as far as their daughters were concerned. She didn't nag so much anymore. Mom was silent most of the time, lost in thoughts... Since the scandal about the bribery charges her parents' social life had been turned upside down. Many of their so-called "friends" didn't want to be seen in public with them. That evening Mom and Dad would have to settle for an intimate evening for the two of them.

Linda's friends hadn't reacted much better either -- to know the last details about the scandal involving her family seemed far more important to them than to show any sign of emotional support and understanding. Nikki's friends -- such as Lana -- seemed to be the exceptions that proved the rule. The only bad thing about Lana was her dating Jack, Linda's old flame, Linda's first "steady" boyfriend, the first guy she had made out with. She could feel Jack's staring, his covert looking, which made her uneasy. Lana was such a good friend... and the last thing Linda wanted was to hurt Lana.

"Bye, kids," Dad called out, opening the main door. "Have fun."

"Bye, Dad," Linda replied. "We will."

"Bye, Linda," Mom said, waving her goodbye, evoking a feeling in Linda that something didn't seem right in that gesture. "Where's Nikki?"

"She's upstairs. She couldn't decide which dress to wear."

"Ok, we've got to go. Give her a kiss for me, will you?"

"Sure, Mom," Linda answered, blinking her eyes.

Once their parents gone, Jeannie shut the door. Without losing a second, Jeannie rushed to Linda.

"Look," Jeannie said, showing Linda Mom's and Dad's presents: a gold necklace and a Nikon camera. Photography was becoming one of Jeannie's passions... Fred, Nikki's boyfriend, was the instigator of it all... He worked part-time as an assistant to a famous Hollywood photographer. He got to meet all these movie stars and famous people... or at least he bragged about it. "Now I can take the picture of you all..."

"Stop it," Linda giggled, hiding her face from the camera and the blinding flashes. "Stop it... I can't see a damn thing... Go, go away... And you, Zoe... What did you get?"

"The same necklace, and a couple of books I wanted to read and a 350 dollars check to cover the difference between Jeannie's camera and the books I got."

"Hi, you guys... What's this screaming all about?"

"Nikki!" the three sisters cried out with one voice.

"Like it?" Nikki smiled.

"What the hell..." Linda mumbled. Linda as well as the twins were floored. Nikki looked absolutely breathtaking. She wore a long dress made of black lace, with flowing folds, tracing the curves of her beautiful body, giving a hint of her shapely legs with style and in good taste. Nikki's lips shone with pink lipstick, her blue-gray eyes glittered... and the perfume she was wearing... Linda couldn't believe that woman... girl?... was her sister Nikki. "Nikki, what--" Nikki didn't answer. Nikki just walked up to her astonished Big Sis, threw her arms around Linda's neck and kissed her until Linda urged her to stop. Linda had to take a deep breath. "Where did you get that?"

"Borrowed from Mom... That's why I took so long."

"Yeah... I don't think Mom would appreciate it."

"I know... but I did it for you... I wanted to surprise you."

Linda was about to answer but the doorbell rang twice. Linda removed herself from Nikki's embrace while Jeannie scrambled to the main door.

"Wait," Nikki said, smiling, "you're full of lipstick."

Nikki's fingers attempted to obliterate the last traces of lipstick on Linda's face when Lana and Jack appeared in the hall, at the foot of the stairs. Linda smiled at them, blushing.

They exchanged the usual congratulations and presents. Jeannie and Zoe shrieked with delight. Lana and Jack had gotten them tickets for a Pearl Jam's gig. The twins hugged them, burbling how grateful they were. In the living room, Jack commented on how stunning Nikki looked. Almost immediately he corrected himself, saying how stunning *all* of them looked.

Linda smiled... That was the old Jack she knew, always very charming and eager to please...

During the evening there were a few calls for the twins -- would-be guests congratulating them on their birthday but at the same time explaining why they were unable to come. Excuses and more excuses... The sisters and everybody in that living room were aware of that. Soon it became evident Lana and Jack would be the only guests showing up at the party. Realizing this, Jeannie began to cry. Linda and Zoe tried to cheer her up with jokes and soothing words. Lana proposed a game... twister... But you only turn sixteen once... and the twins' party was ruined... irrevocably.

When Lana and Jack finally left, Linda looked at Nikki and then down at Jeannie, whose head rested on her lap. "Jeannie, Nikki and I have a surprise for you... and Zoe..."

"What kind of surprise?" Jeannie asked, opening her eyes.

"One of our presents... to you and Zoe..." Linda made Jeannie straighten up on the couch, standing up. "Wait here... and don't move... Nikki and I, we've got to go upstairs and prepare ourselves for it... Zoe, sit down next to Jeannie... We won't be long." Linda smiled a cryptic smile, grabbing Nikki's hand. Linda and Nikki giggled and left the living room, dashing up the stairs.

Zoe slid closer to her twin sister. Jeannie looked at her and asked, "Did you know about this?"

"No. Did you?"

"No... But I am so curious I almost can't wait... What do you think they're up to?"

"Beats me," Zoe replied, feeling some moisture building up between her legs, holding her twin's hand.

They waited there in the living room, anxiously. Jeannie was about to go upstairs and spy on Linda and Nikki when they heard footsteps. "Ok, you guys," they heard Linda say from the hall. "Here we come... Get ready."

The stereo in the living room was suddenly activated -- Linda must've taken the remote control with her, Zoe deduced. The rhythmic beat of Madonna's "Erotica" resounded in the room, in Jeannie's and Zoe's anxious bodies. Linda and Nikki swayed in, wearing two silky, see through kimonos -- Mom's. The twins followed every move, every dance step their older sisters performed. Slowly Nikki and Linda began to undress, without missing a step, a beat of the contagious music. Jeannie crushed Zoe's hand, her breathing speeding up. Zoe kissed her twin in the cheek.

Zoe couldn't help it. She was getting excited with her older sisters' striptease act, her pussy becoming wet all over. She liked it when Linda almost kissed Nikki and vice versa, when their fucking hot bodies rubbed against each other, silk against silk, tits against tits, thighs against thighs, their eyes locked onto one another, in a loving look, full of desire for each other. Zoe swallowed, her breathing becoming heavier... And the music, the beat didn't stop. Madonna's sensual voice singing in the background... 'Oohhh, this's getting too much,' Zoe moaned inwardly. She wanted to get rid of her dress and play with herself.

Slowly, very slowly, Linda and Nikki uncovered their shoulders, following the beat, pulling their breasts up, going for a kiss... but their lips wouldn't touch each other. They were teasing them, Jeannie realized. 'Please, kiss...' Jeannie pleaded mentally. 'Please, kiss... Kiss...KISS!!!' Jeannie glanced at her twin, finding the same desire glimmering in Zoe's blue eyes. Jeannie kissed her because their older sisters wouldn't.

Linda and Nikki, one by one, opened their kimonos and took off each other's bras, feeling each other's breasts, their mouths still teasing and teasing one another with a kiss that was suggested but not consummated. Linda's hands stroked Nikki's belly, brushing up her sister's torso, breasts, erect nipples... Nikki moaned... She bit her lips while Linda licked her own, whispering, "Sis..."

Jeannie couldn't wait any longer. She kissed Zoe again, unbuttoning her sister's dress. Without missing the action, the twins got rid of their dresses and returned to the couch, hugging each other close, their hands touching each other's breasts through the fabric of their bras. Zoe jolted forward when Jeannie's hand slid in her panties, caressing her pussy, so wet, so deliciously wet.

Finally Linda and Nikki kissed. Jeannie sighed, kissing Zoe, increasing the rhythm of her caresses in her twin's pussy. Zoe began to wriggle on the couch, moaning, closing her eyes, her head resting on Jeannie's shoulder.

"Oh, Jeannie," Zoe murmured. "Don't stop... Please..."

Linda pulled Nikki's panties down, kneeling in front of her sister, sucking her belly button, her hand patting Nikki's blond patch, going up and down, teasing her, making her sister yearn, beg for her touch down there, where the pleasuredom was.

The music, the rhythm, Madonna's voice... Every detail spun around Zoe's head... and Jeannie's hands kept rubbing her pussy, her twin's fingers penetrating her from time to time. "Fuck me harder," Zoe whispered in Jeannie's ear. "Fuck me... Please..."

"Your wish is my command," Jeannie quipped, breathing in deeply, watching Linda licking Nikki's pussy. Nikki moaned, producing throaty screams of pleasure as though she was having trouble breathing. Nikki's body was naked except for the see-through kimono, her breasts uncovered, her nipples protruding, her long hair brushing her shoulders to the rhythm of "Erotica".

Nikki looked down at her sister. She wanted to kiss her and thank her for all the pleasure, all the love she was giving her. Linda's tongue on her clit, though, prevented her from moving too much. Her body glowed with warmth, her nipples as hard as pellets. Nikki pinched them, feeling an overflow of pleasure brimming over, caused by her sister's licking and her own caresses... Nikki moaned, glancing at the twins, who were kissing frantically, Jeannie's hands buried in Zoe's panties. Nikki closed her eyes, almost fainting... 'A dream, this must be a dream,' she thought. And the throbbing down there commenced and Nikki sighed. "Lick me there, Linda... Please, put your tongue inside me... Please, I need that." The climax reached her like a whip, an atomic explosion in her brain, body, her juices flowing down her legs, her cunt filled up by Linda's tongue, which didn't move. The throbbing subsided, but the delicious, inebriating feeling of Linda's tongue against the walls of her cunt kept the pleasure in... She made Linda stand up and kissed her, tasting herself, the love juices mixed with the wonderful taste of Linda's mouth, tongue...

They both turned to see the twins' heated lovemaking. Jeannie licked her sister's pussy and as usual Zoe was very vocal about it, swearing, moaning, squirming, her soaked cotton panties sliding down her lissome left leg and falling on the floor.

"I love you," Linda said, facing Nikki, her green eyes shining with happiness. Nikki could see how elated her sister, her beautiful Big Sis, was. They kissed and moved to the music which was being played for the fourth time, breasts against breasts, mounds against naked thighs, and the exciting feeling of silk around them... Nikki's hands invaded Linda's pussy when Zoe screamed out her orgasm.

Linda shut her eyelids, focusing on that hand that suffused her with such an incredible, awesome amount of pleasure. She bit her sister's ear, Nikki's moaning joining Jeannie's. Linda opened her eyes and cast a glance at her twin sisters, still making love on the couch and "spying" on them on and off. Jeannie was being finger-fucked by Zoe. Suddenly, Jeannie's head fell back with a jerk, her throat muscles drawn tight. Jeannie looked so frail then, in the throes of her mighty orgasm... and a strange idea come over Linda. She would've liked to become a vampire now, and bite Jeannie's throat and suck the blood out of her. This strange though exciting thought was enough -- she climaxed immediately, squeezing Nikki's naked body against her own, sighing deeply.

Linda took Nikki to an armchair. They settled there, Nikki on Linda's lap, kissing her lovingly, unaware of Linda's guilt. Linda didn't feel guilty about making love with Nikki, no... It was because of that strange thought coming out of nowhere... She wouldn't dream of hurting Jeannie. Why had she become so turned on by that thought? Becoming a vampire?... Please!!!

Chapter Six - Of the mighty and the weak

Linda entered that imposing room, paneled with oak and lined with bookcases that gloated with heavy old law books and paintings of the old masters. Randolph West was writing some notes down, comparing files and documents, looking left and right and then right and left, the ideal image of the successful man in his realm of success. He looked up, watching Linda from above his glasses, and waved at her, saying, "Come... come..." as if she was a dog, a little child. "Sit down," he said, with a commanding voice, still busy with his paperwork. A few minutes ticked away before he put the paperwork aside and called his secretary over the intercom. "Donna, would you bring Ms. McDougall's file? Right away?"

There was a quick answer and the file was on his desk in less than no time. The red-haired, fortyish secretary disappeared as fast as she had dashed in. West let his slanting smile appear for a short moment as if he was pleased by that eloquent display of his power.

"Now, then... Here we are... Linda... I will be honest with you... and I hope you will be honest with me. I will not call this an open-and-shut case but the prosecution had to indict you and your dad for the reasons we all know. I managed to reschedule the hearings... You will be first, and I expect a quick dismissal of the case against you... Everybody knows what the Woods are after... and they know what kind of man their son was... A quick dismissal of your case will help your dad enormously. Are you following me?"

Linda was getting irritated with his patronizing tone of voice. Of course she was following him! With her grades she was sure she'd enter Harvard or Yale or any Ivy League college... She was no dumb blonde. The hell with stereotypes!!!!!!!!!

"Are you following me?" he repeated.

"Yes," she said, controlling herself. No point in making an enemy out of him.

"All right... However, I have to ask you a few questions, because I hate surprises in the middle of a hearing... where the judge will decide between a dismissal or a trial."

He proceeded, asking her personal data and other inconsequential questions about her family, friends, school, grades -- did she glimpse some surprise in his eyes? Then they went further, covering how Jeannie had been shot and how the redneck had died. Linda noticed the slightly confusing questions and how he played her, trying to see if she contradicted herself... Soon he gave a satisfied grunt, consulting the documents of her file, pushing the glasses up his nose.

"And let's go back a little further," West suggested. "I talked to your dad about this... I've got the testimonies of your sisters... and yours... and frankly this is the weakest point of our defense... There are a lot of contradictions... Take your sister Zoe, for instance... She stated you ran away because she hated school... Jeannie says it was because you said so... Nikki, because all of you couldn't stand your parents any longer... Your dad tried to explain all this to me but I am still not convinced."

The crucial time had arrived, Linda thought. Dad and Linda and her sisters had prepared themselves for this... Dad'd coached them well... Convincing West about the accuracy of their statements was the key to the hearings.

"All that is true. Zoe wanted to leave the cheerleader squad and there are witnesses of it... All Zoe's and Jeannie's friends know how Zoe stormed out of cheerleading practice a couple of days before we ran away. You have dozens of witnesses right there... Mom and Dad got mad because of that... That's why Nikki says we couldn't stand our parents anymore... I thought unfair how Mom and Dad were handling it. If I see someone being treated unfairly, I can't just stand there and do nothing... I just can't."

"I am aware of that... I interviewed a few people who know you, friends and teachers... They think highly of you... So... Was that the reason why you run away?... Because Zoe hated school, your parents became *unreasonably* mad at you and you tried to defend your sisters... Is that it?"

"Part of it, yes..."

"Part of it? Is there something else?"

"Yes."

"Come on, let's hear it."

Linda sighed and said, "Mom hit me and I hit her back... That's when I decided to run away."

West removed his glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose, his fingers reaching for the corner of his eyes. He stood still for a while in that position as if he was measuring the consequences of Linda's last statement.

"Hmm," he grumbled, his glasses back on his nose, sliding down. He went through his papers, read a couple of them, and then asked, "Hmm... Why did she hit you?"

"She was complaining we never do what she says... And I told her it was because she didn't care about us... She never did... Then she hit me."

"Hmm..." The lawyer reclined in his comfortable leather swivel chair, thinking, scratching his ear and the hair above it. "Hmm..."

A few "hmms" later, he dismissed her. Dad waited for her in the lobby. It was Dad's turn with Randolph T. West. Linda was supposed to wait for her father right there, on that huge leather couch, being ogled at by the secretaries and the lawyers and the clients of the firm. She had become a celebrity. She had been asked for talk shows and for acting parts. Even Zoe and Jeannie hadn't escaped from that media turmoil. A casting director had called and asked whether the twins would consider showing up at a popular sitcom. Mom and Dad declined all offers, however. It was inappropriate. Fortunately the twins were sensible enough to see through it -- how casting directors and the tv and the media in general can manipulate and trick and deceive just to get a few extra bucks in their pockets. If the twins were ugly, would someone care about them? Maybe, but not for acting parts... To be pitied and held up to ridicule in a talk show then? Almost certainly.

"Hi there," a male voice greeted. Linda looked up, seeing an attractive young suit, dimples in his cheeks, with a Tom Cruise-like look. 'Is this becoming the reality version of The Firm movie?' Linda asked herself. Tom Cruise was cute, everybody knew that... and this guy was definitely it.

"Hi..."

"I'm Andrew Thomas," he said, shaking her hand. "Just call me Andy... Everybody does... I work here... and... I was passing by... and... I was wondering if you wanted some coffee..."

Linda smiled, stopping short of laughing. A pick-up line she knew too well... But he was cute... and she'd rather be speaking to someone than to sit alone and feel ogled at by everybody who happened to walk in that lobby. "I'd appreciate it," she said. Expeditiously he left and came with their cups of coffee and settled next to her, initiating small talk. Linda learned he was an associate of the firm, dealing with boring stuff such as accountancy and wills and the like... Suddenly, he stopped and said, "May I say something to you?"

"What?"

"It may sound odd... or that I'm being too forward... but I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Linda's eyes blinked, then laughed, "Yeah, right... I guess you say that to every girl you meet."

"That's not true... You may ask everyone in this firm... I'm a serious person..." He got to his feet and raised his voice, asking Verna and Paula whether that was true or not. The secretaries giggled. He was trying to impress her, to show her how good he could handle people, how popular he was in that firm. What he didn't know, though, that same loud display of his popularity was not being appreciated by Linda. He could be cute... but his attitude stank.

Dad came in her rescue. Andy Thomas sprang to his feet, shaking Dad's hands and complimenting him on having such a beautiful daughter. West glared at him and Andy Thomas swiftly retreated to the hall on the left, casting a last glance at Linda.

Linda felt relief when Dad brought her downstairs and to the parking lot. In the car, Dad started the engine and said, "West was impressed with you... and most importantly, he believed you."

"He did?"

"Yes. Good job, Linda."

Her first reaction was to thank him... But no, she owed him nothing.

"We're going to win this case... You'll see."

Linda didn't reply. Dad was cocksure about their chances... Another ace up his sleeve? It seemed so, because Dad's words became prophetic. Her case was dismissed and surprisingly so was Dad's. The Woods had been offered a settlement as long as they promised not to start a civil case. They grumbled and squirmed but in the end they took the deal -- their lawyer's advice. The witnesses against Dad had mysteriously changed their minds, alleging all that had been just a misunderstanding. The O------- county's assistant DA was reluctant to drop the case but her superiors ordered her to do just that. And that was the end of it -- the People vs. Fred McDougall case.

Chapter Seven - Goodbye?

Despite Dad having successfully "got rid" of his accusers, he didn't get his job back. His reputation was tainted and he ceased to be CEO material, the Servenet executives explained. Dad decided to move to the East Coast and start his own software company, Nikki recalled. They moved to Florida and bought a new house a few minutes' drive from the beach. They 'd start all over as a family.

Little by little that dream seemed to be within reach. Mom and Dad tried to spend more time with them, Nikki mused. Their parents' newly found love for family life was sometimes a nuisance, though. Their freedom of movements was curtailed and their social life got scrutinized more closely. Luckily Mom resumed working, becoming Dad's secretary. It gave them, kids, some hours of precious freedom.

In a hurry Nikki slipped her bikini and jeans and blouse on. Linda was going to meet her at the beach after school. Linda had turned eighteen two weeks before. Nikki was seventeen now and proud of it. She'd soon be able to decide about her life -- her life next to Linda... Today was the last day before Linda left for college. Now that all their boyfriends were out of the picture, Nikki was sure Linda would be her life companion -- for better or for worse and to hell with what people might think.

Nikki jumped on her mountain bike and accelerated down the avenue that led to the beach. She wore shades and a sort of military cap and an unending smile. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, hanging freely against the breeze that blew inland from the big ocean. She couldn't cycle fast enough, passing red lights and taking short cuts through stairs and lawns. When Nikki arrived, Linda was already there, waiting for her at Ruby's, the coolest hangout on the beach. Ruby's was a sort of cafe that catered to young people, mostly teenagers. Linda sat at a table, looking "cool" with her shades on and drinking her favorite -- freshly pressed orange juice. Jealousy hit Nikki when she realized Linda wasn't alone. A guy sat at her table with a can of soda pop in his hand.

"Hi, Linda," she greeted, dismounting from her bike. "Ready?"

"Yes," Linda replied, getting to her feet without delay. Turning to the young man at her table, she said, "Bye. Gotta go."

When they were out of earshot Nikki asked, "Who's that guy?"

Linda smiled, chuckling. "Jealous?"

"No... I just want to know who he is."

Linda kept smiling, staring at her sister who shied away from any eye contact with her. "You want to know who he is...? And if I tell you I don't know him, would you believe me?"

This time Nikki looked up, facing her sister. "Don't know him?"

"No, silly... He was just trying to hit on me... You should know better than that."

"Really?"

"You start sounding like Jeannie... Come on, let's go home," Linda added, looking back. The guy who had approached her at Ruby's had returned to his splashy red convertible. Linda noticed his staring and the way he had looked away when her eyes met his. "Don't look now but the guy's gonna follow us," Linda said, getting on her mountain bike, pulling up her black shorts and checking how she looked in her sister's shades. She looked back once more and then faced her sister, saying, "Let's go." With this, both sisters accelerated down the avenue that ran along the beach. As Linda had predicted the red convertible promptly gained the middle lane from its spot at the curb and rolled leisurely behind them. Suddenly Linda pointed to the left, warning Nikki she was going to turn to a side street. "Follow me," she said.

Nikki nodded and cycled behind Big Sis, avoiding two honking cars. The drivers screamed some obscenity, furious with the girls' sudden maneuver to the left. 'We're cycling dangerously,' Nikki thought. It was the only way to shake off Linda's stalker, though. They'd look back from time to time, making sure the red convertible was not after them anymore. Linda smiled at Nikki when they had cycled a few miles and the red import was nowhere to be seen.

They stopped by a cafe. The owners spoke a strange language - Portuguese - but they served a hell of a espresso. They'd go for it. As they sat down, a chunky man with a moustache came over to their table, displaying his usual welcoming smile and carrying a small notebook and a pen behind his right ear. He was the owner, Mr. Pontes.

Linda and Nikki liked the funny way Mr. Pontes spoke English, the way he talked about his country, the nostalgia he felt for the green hills around his hometown. He had given them his mother's home address when they had shown some interest in visiting his country. "She is very happy to invite you," he'd said. Linda and Nikki had curbed their smiles but were thankful by his generosity and openness.

After exchanging the usual greetings and compliments, Linda and Nikki ordered their espressos and two Portuguese pastries called "pasteis de nata", which were absolutely delicious. When he left with the orders and his notebook and the pen behind his ear, Linda smiled at Nikki, brushing her shades up her hair. Nikki smiled back at her. Linda wanted to reach out for her sister's hand over the table, to intertwine her fingers with Nikki's, to say how much she loved her. Instead, she laid her hand on the table, a couple of inches away from Nikki's, and whispered, "What would he say if now I held your hand and we kissed?"

Nikki laughed, her quiet gaze turning into an intense, loving stare. "I don't know... But I'd love to..." Their eyes locked onto each other. It was impossible to break that spell and so much so that they hadn't even noticed how close her faces were from one another.

"You don't mean that," Linda said, exerting herself to articulate the words properly in spite of her heavy breathing.

"Yes, I do. I don't give a damn about what people might say. I'm beyond that now... I love you and I want everybody to know that."

"We can't," Linda said, her face pulling away from her sister's. "Even if we could that'd be extremely risky to me, you, Dad, Mom, the twins... They could re-open the case against me or even Dad."

"I'm sorry," Nikki muttered, looking down. "I didn't think about it."

"Don't be sad," Linda said, holding her sister's hand, forgetting her earlier qualms about any public displays of affection. "I just don't want you to get hurt... And I'm sorry I challenged you to it. I shouldn't have."

Nikki shrugged, still sad. Linda was about to scold herself over her inane proposal when Mr. Pontes came with their orders. As always he chatted with them for a while before he left. Nikki had faked a smile, sliding her shades back on. Linda and Mr. Pontes did most of the conversation while Nikki stirred the contents of her steaming cup, her head still down. Linda heaved a sigh of relief when the Portuguese man left. She'd asked him for the bill.

"Nikki, look at me... Look at me... What happened?"

Nikki shrugged again. "Nothing... I don't want to talk about it... here..."

This time the espressos and the "pasteis de nata" were downed and eaten without much gusto. They soon left the cafe, waving goodbye to Mr. Pontes and his wife, hurrying to their bikes.

"Let's go home," Linda said, unlocking her bike.

"No, I don't want to. Let's go to the beach."

"No, I think we're gonna fight... You're sad because I'm leaving, aren't you? We've been through this before... I've got to go... This my future... *our* future."

"I know, Linda... I know... but I can't help feeling sad. I can't."

"You'll join me in no time. We'll be one year apart, Nikki... Surely you can survive without me that long."

"My grades aren't as good as yours. Suppose I don't get the grant. Suppose I don't get in."

"You WILL get in, Nikki. Think positive and work hard for it. It's the only way..."

"But SUPPOSE I don't get in. Then what?"

Linda stayed quiet for a moment. With a seemingly serious look, she said, "Then you'll get married to an old fat man and have lots of kids."

"This's serious, damn it. Don't make jokes about it."

"I'm sorry... I didn't want to hurt you. I just--" Linda interrupted herself, shaking her head. "Doesn't matter. Let's go or we'll have the whole street staring at us."

Linda and Nikki cycled together without speaking. The joy Nikki felt earlier had vanished into thin air. Nikki gazed at the people on the sidewalk, keeping her anger in check. She saw a couple and their children walking by, laughing. Two well-dressed women came out of a store, talking loudly and praising each other for the items of their most recent shopping spree. 'People without a care in the world,' Nikki thought with bitterness.

Suddenly someone called, "Nikki... What are you doing here?" Nikki stopped cycling and looked back, recognizing Jeff Steinberg, a guy she'd met at school and had the hots for her. He was attractive but guys weren't her major priority at the moment. Jeff kept asking her out, being persistent as hell... Under other circumstances, she'd even consider him as dating material... No, guys were out of the picture, she decided. She loved Linda. Her sister was all that mattered.

Jeff introduced his two friends. Without paying much attention to their names, Nikki became aware of their clothing style -- grunge all over. Grunge was dead, the media said... Not to these guys, Nikki thought, almost smiling in spite of herself. Nikki introduced Linda to them, observing the gaping expression of the redhead wearing a Nike black cap. His friends noticing it buried his cap in his head, laughed and made fun of him. The redhead got mad but he bit his tongue, keeping his eyes away from Linda.

Once again Jeff tried to win Nikki over. He was a smooth talker, he knew the rights words to say. But no, this is not what she wanted... Nikki wanted to leave but she didn't know how. She looked at Linda but her sister ignored them, leaning on the handlebars of her bicycle, watching the traffic.

"Ok, if you say no I'll ask your sister then."

"Be my guest," Nikki replied.

Jeff stepped off the sidewalk and went over to Linda. Nikki watched them talk. She didn't pay attention to the words, only the small nervous twitches on Jeff's face and Linda's smile of an All-American girl who knows what she wants. All Nikki could see was how Linda shook her head. She was saying no, obviously. Knowing Jeff, though, the acceptance of a negative could take hours. Nikki started slightly when she heard Linda say, "Nikki, let's go." Promptly Nikki followed Linda, ignoring Jeff's promise he'd call.

Once again they were cycling, leaving the guys behind. They'd sure talk about them, Nikki realized; how good Linda looked... what a babe she was... Nikki breathed out deeply... She was going to lose Linda... She knew that. They couldn't even hold hands in public... Her sister wouldn't allow it. How could she compete with a guy? Or even another girl? Surely Linda would allow them to hold hands and kiss her in front of her friends...

Nikki swallowed... There was no hope for them... Who were they trying to fool?

With this cruel question rambling in her head, Nikki realized they had cycled to the beach and not home. She saw Linda get off her bike and lock it. Without a word or a lookback, Linda strolled on the beach, her head down, brushing her hair over the right ear. Nikki trod behind, following Linda's steps on the warm, inviting sand. Linda chose a spot and let herself fall, drawing her legs under her weight. Nikki slumped down next to Linda, gazing at the beachgoers who enjoyed the late afternoon sunshine. After the longest time Nikki said, "Linda?"

Linda's eyes faced Nikki. "Yes?"

"I've been thinking... about us..."

"Yes?" Linda asked, showing her impatience.

"It's no use going on."

"What'd you mean?"

Nikki shook her head, looking at the waveline. "I mean, we should stop everything between us. It's no use... We're just fooling ourselves with something that can't be."

"What'd you mean?"

"I'm gonna lose you sooner or later... It's better now than later."

"Why?"

"Because it will hurt less..."

"But why do you think you're going to lose me?"

Nikki stared at Linda. There was a strange glitter in those green eyes. Was it despair or the pain of someone being dumped?

"We can't kiss... We can't do anything... We can't even hold hands... What's the use of that? I want everybody to know that I love you, that we belong to each other but we can't, you say..."

"Oh come on, Nikki... Don't you blackmail me."

"I'm not blackmailing you. I'm just telling you how I feel."

"Yes, but you're trying to make me feel guilty. You know I am thinking about our future... The world is cruel, Nikki. "They" maim and kill people for less... Look at the gay bashing and the racism..." Linda made a pause, sighing, staring at the breakers, facing the breeze. After a short moment of silence, Linda turned her face to Nikki. "People are killed for being different, Nikki... and that happens every day."

"One more reason for us to break up."

"Is that what you really want?"

Nikki swallowed, feeling a knot in her throat. Her heart said no but head said yes. She nodded.

"Ok," Linda said, getting up and looking away, "I understand. We're through."

Nikki watched Linda ambling away. Big Sis didn't look back. Linda kept staring down at the sand, shuffling along the waveline. Nikki saw her sister walking out of her life -- literally.

Nikki stood up and returned to her bike. It surprised her that none of them cried, as if they both knew that sooner or later that would happen. 'Whatever,' she thought, trying to shrug the breakup off.'We're getting older... Crying is for babies...' She mounted her bike, glancing at the sunset and deciding against wearing her shades. She cycled home furiously, exerting herself, sweat spots appearing under her arms. She entered through the backdoor, going around Zoe. Her sister was in the way, babbling with someone over the kitchen phone. Nikki raced up to her room. She locked the door and threw herself onto her bed, her back to Linda's. 'Wrong move,' she thought. 'This place *stinks* of Linda...'She was mad... mad at herself and at the world which didn't let them be. It hurt inside... It HURT... Nikki closed her eyes, sitting up on the bed, embracing her drawn up legs... Tears flowed in spite of herself. Crying is for babies, she recalled... And "baby" was what Linda called her... Her baby... No... Nikki shook her head... Not anymore... and not ever...

Chapter Eight - Incest

Jeannie cast a glance at the kitchen clock. Mom and Dad were due back any minute now. It was 8 pm and almost dinner time and Linda hadn't yet returned from her cycling. Jeannie'd learned from Zoe that Nikki was locked up in her room and refused to talk to anyone. It was obvious that her older sisters'd had a quarrel.

Zoe watched Jeannie pacing the kitchen. Her twin fretted about Big Sis' whereabouts and the reason for their older sisters' spat.

"Jeannie, stop pacing like that... It's getting on my nerves."

Jeannie opened her mouth to utter an angry reply when she heard Dad parking his Buick in the driveway. Jeannie ran out the backdoor to meet them. "Mom," she screamed. "Mom..."

"What, Jeannie?" her mother said, getting off the Buick, looking with genuine concern at her youngest daughter. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Jeannie breathed out, stopping in front of her mother, "but Nikki and Linda had a fight and Linda hasn't come back home... I--"

"Wait," Mom interrupted her. "Not so fast. Tell me what happened, slowly." Jeannie breathed in and out once. Without delay she resumed her story, telling her parents all she knew and how worried she was.

"Probably she's at a friend's," Dad suggested.

"No, she isn't, Dad... I don't think Linda would go see a friend if she is upset."

"Maybe I should go talk to Nikki," Mom said thoughtfully. "Maybe she can tell us where Linda is."

They all walked in the house through the backdoor, greeting Zoe, Mom giving her daughter's forehead a kiss. Zoe hugged her because she couldn't get enough of Mom's newly-found concern (love?) for her daughters. 'Linda is right,' Zoe realized. Mom had changed. Their recent ordeal had turned Mom into a caring person.

Nikki heard a knock on the door. 'It must be Mom... or Dad,' she thought. She'd heard their car pull up in the driveway and Jeannie's short confab with the folks in the backyard.

"Nikki, it's me..." Mom's muffled voice called out from the hall. "Let me in."

Reluctantly Nikki jumped out of her bed and unlocked the door. Before her mother could enter the room, Nikki jumped back onto her bed, lying on her stomach, her hands making an attempt to fluff up her pillow.

"Nikki, are you all right?"

Nikki shrugged, her eyes shut and her face turned away from her mother's stare.

"Do you know where Linda is?" Nikki heard. Her mother drew closer and sat on the edge of her bed. When Mom touched her, Nikki moved away, removing her mother's hand from her hair. "Nikki, look at me... I'm talking to you."

"What?" Nikki said, rolling over and facing her mother for the first time.

"I want to know where your sister is. It's 8 pm and your sister is not at home. You know very well that your sister never comes home this late without a phone call... I know you two went cycling together... So please tell me where she is."

Nikki shrugged again, looking away. She made an all-out effort not to cry but she was unable to stop the tears. Mom hugged her, hushing her. Mom's hug lasted longer than Nikki would have cared for in other circumstances. The unbearable pain she felt inside was still much alive. She needed that closeness.

"Nikki, honey... Tell me what happened. Did you two fight?"

Nikki nodded, removing herself from her mother's embrace, wiping the tears away from her eyes and cheeks.

"Why?"

"You wouldn't understand," Nikki answered with a troubled voice.

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Nikki, your sister's out there and it's dark. Maybe she's in trouble and you're not helping..."

"You wouldn't understand... And besides I don't know where she is. All I know is that we cycled to the beach, we argued, and I came back home."

"Alone?"

"Yes..."

"Why? What were you fighting about?"

"Please, don't ask..." Nikki pleaded, sniffing and averting her mother's eyes.

"Because Linda is leaving?"

Nikki looked at her mother, surprised by her insight. "How did you know?" Her mother shut her eyes, becoming sad. Seeing Mom's reaction, Nikki added, "I warned you... You wouldn't understand..."

"No, you wrong, Nikki," her mother replied, looking into her daughter's eyes which grew a tiny bit wider. "I do understand... That's the problem."

"What do you mean?"

"You have to promise me you won't tell anybody about this... I will never forgive you if you do. Not even to your sisters and certainly not to your dad..."

"Not even to Linda?"

"No one," her mother said with severity. Mom paused for a moment, then she added, "Maybe to Linda... one day... but to no one else, do you understand?" Nikki nodded, feeling a chill racing up her spine. This secrecy and Mom's seriousness was giving her the jitters. "Promise me," her mother demanded.

"I promise... Cross my heart and hope to die."

"All right then," her mother said, exhaling deeply, as if she was about to get rid of a burden she'd carried all her life.

Nikki braced herself for Mom's "darkest" secret and what she heard horrified her. Mom was an incest survivor. Mom told her how her father had abused her since her 7th birthday. Mom had tried to protect her sister Joan but her father had no mercy.

"Aunt Joan too?" Nikki asked, almost breathless.

"Yes... He was a drunk... I hated him as much as a little child can hate someone... My mother, your grandma, died when I was four and Aunt Joan two. We had only each other and..."

"And...?" Nikki asked, swallowing without noticing her heavy breathing. She looked into her mother's eyes, taking in their immense sadness. Mom had blue eyes... They all had inherited the lightness of Mom's eyes, their sadness and utter melancholy about life... Now she understood...

"Because of the dirty things he taught us," her mother continued. "I don't know why we did that... but I guess we wanted some loving... We had only each other..."

"You mean, you and Aunt Joan..."

"Yes," her mother confirmed, brushing her face with her hands, as if to chase away that nightmare. Minutes elapsed before she could look at her daughter again, her eyes slightly bloodshot.

"Do you still--"

"No, honey," her mother denied categorically. "We felt dirty... We stopped when I turned fourteen and met my first boyfriend... There was too much pain involved... There was a time Aunt Joan and I weren't on speaking terms... But that's past now."

"And grandpa?"

"He died a horrible death... He died of cancer. Please, don't ask me anything about him... I just want to forget it. Just forget it, honey. I don't want you to have nightmares. All I want to say is that I understand more than you think. It's just knowing that my daughters-- All that opened old wounds, Nikki. You don't know how hard it has been for me, all these years..."

"Oh Mom, I'm sorry..." Nikki hugged her mother and for the first time she felt a real connection with that grownup woman she called Mom. "I didn't know."

Mother and daughter decided to return to the living room and, to their surprise, they found out Linda had returned home. Linda leant on the refrigerator, drinking a glass of milk and watching the 9 o'clock news on the kitchen portable tv.

"Linda, you're back," her mother exclaimed, rushing in the kitchen.

"Yes, I'm back," Linda said, straightening herself up and catching a glimpse of her sister Nikki, who apparently didn't dare step in the kitchen. "But not for long."

Nikki could hear and see Linda's anger. Linda's green eyes told her everything she needed to know about her sister's state of mind. Linda banged everything she touched -- the refrigerator's door, the chairs against the table and then the backdoor, stomping out of the kitchen. Mom went after Linda, her shadow disappearing in the half light of the backyard. Nikki made a half-turn, entering the living room. Dad and the twins looked at her. Dad asked Nikki how she felt but a strange resentment raged through her. She wondered what she would have done if Dad had "touched" her like grandpa had done to Mom. It wasn't fair that association because Dad had never done anything improper, but still she couldn't help feeling some repulsion... After mouthing a curt answer she sat beside Zoe as if the twins could and would protect her somehow.

They watched tv in the living room, keeping a heavy silence. Eventually Dad left the living room, puffing at his pipe, reading a file he had brought home. As soon as they heard the door of his den going shut, the twins grilled her with questions. Nikki refused to answer at first but the twins wouldn't take no for an answer. She told them everything in the end, omitting Mom's "dark secret" though. She'd keep her promise...

Chapter Nine - Promises, Promises

A week dragged by -- seven days without Linda. It was hell, it was like the most dreadful torture someone could inflict upon one's worst enemy. All her family was deeply worried about her -- Nikki was aware of that -- but their love and concern wasn't enough to make the pain go away. Nikki thought she'd go crazy. She couldn't sleep, she couldn't eat... She just wanted to die... She wanted to be left alone in her room where she could cry freely and think about Linda and why the world was so cruel to them. She had skipped school because she didn't trust herself. Her self-control had hit an all-time low. She'd probably burst into tears in front of her friends for no apparent reason. She'd tremble every time that humiliating scene materialized in her mind, making it more real, as if that bad dream had actually happened. And to make matters worse, her parents' despair had become obvious to her -- they had even considered calling Emma Mansfield and have the shrink fly all the way to Florida. At the end of the week her parents decided enough was enough. They were going to call Linda and ask their eldest daughter to bring her younger sister to her senses. As soon as this "threat" was worded out, Nikki cringed, feeling a chill down her spine. She had finally realized that her tantrum wouldn't bring her sister back. 'And why am I crying?' she reasoned angrily with herself. '*I* broke up with her. Stop being a baby and go on with your life.' On the following Monday she was back in school, exerting herself to pay attention to her teachers and friends. Still, everybody had noticed how quiet she'd become.

Nikki sighed. She missed Lana... With the moving to Florida, she'd lost a very good friend. Lana wasn't much of a writer and the distance between them had deprived Nikki of the only person she'd confide in other than Linda and the twins. Lana and Nikki would exchange phone calls now and then but their folks were already complaining about those "unnecessary" long-distance calls.

Nikki sighed again. The painful image of her sister leaving home hit her again. They hadn't spoken during breakfast. Linda wouldn't look at her, keeping her eyes down. Linda'd talk to Jeannie and Zoe, to everybody except her, Nikki, the "love of her life" or so Linda had called her... 'Promises, promises...' it rang in her mind. Linda had never promised her anything but still those words, that song kept hounding her. Linda had walked out the main door without a kiss or even a hug... She just left, without looking back. It seemed as though Big Sis was happy to leave her behind. At last Linda was free, free from her smothering love.

Someone tapped on her shoulder. Nikki turned around expecting to see Jeff Steinberg or another awful bore like Mrs. Brown, the math teacher. Nikki smiled. It was Cindy Lopez with her hunk of a boyfriend, Chad something... She didn't recall his last name. Cindy had tried several times to become friends with her. Nikki didn't understand Cindy's insistence. Why didn't she leave her alone? Why did she keep cropping up with Chad by her side? These two gave her the creeps now as though their open smiles hid a "darker" intent. She had already wondered about their wanting a threesome but somehow that idea looked and sounded too ridiculous to be true. This time it was an invitation to a birthday party, Chad's, Cindy explained. Nikki hated to say no just for the hell of it. 'I'd better find a good excuse,' she thought, but before she could give an answer she saw Zoe and Jeannie coming her way.

"Hi, Nikki," Jeannie greeted. "Going home? Could you give us a lift? Our English teacher didn't show up and they couldn't find a substitute in time... Just our luck..."

"Sure," Nikki said, happy for this distraction. "I'm sorry," she added, facing Cindy and Chad, "but I've gotta go."

"Ok, Nikki," Cindy said, throwing her curly black hair away from her attractive face. "You don't have to give me an answer right now. Just think about it. Promise me?"

"Ok... Bye."

Nikki and her sisters strode away, heading for the parking lot. Nikki braced herself for a cross-examination. The twins didn't say a word, though. They walked silently to Linda's Jeep, which was Nikki's now. Before the breakup Linda had promised her the Jeep. "Where I go I won't need it. I want you to have it." After the breakup Nikki had refused the keys to the Jeep. In spite of that, on the next morning Linda had left them on their vanity along with a short note which read a laconic "Here are the keys."

Nikki and the twins rode back home, none of them breaking the silence. With Linda gone even her parents looked sadder, Nikki reckoned. Linda was the sunshine of their house, the bumper that absorbed the unavoidable shocks between the conflicting personalities in her family. The twins had each other, however, and sometimes their high spirits would hurt Nikki inside. She was happy for them, though. At least they were having fun... Nikki sighed, immobilizing the jeep in the driveway. Nikki and the twins filtered in the house through the main door. The backdoor was locked and bolted from the inside, a safety measure against burglars.

"Nikki?" Jeannie said, breaking the silence at last, stopping at the foot of the stairs and turning to her older sister. "We're going to freshen up before we go to the beach. There's a beach party this afternoon. Wanna come?"

"Beach party?" Nikki said, frowning somewhat.

"It's nothing big... Just a bunch of guys... and girls we know... Come on, it's gonna be fun."

"No, I am not in the mood."

"Oh come on, Nikki... Staying here alone is not going to help. Trust me."

"How do you know? You have Zoe right next to you."

"But we all lost Linda too. You're not the only one feeling sad. Come on, come with us. Don't be such a pain in the neck."

'Pain in the neck?' Nikki thought. Nobody had ever called her a pain in the neck. That epithet made her think about how much she had changed since Linda left for college. She was not the smiling happy-go-lucky girl everybody used to know. She had become a pain in the neck... That realization made her say, "All right... I'll come with you. You're right. No use staying here and feeling sorry for myself."

Nikki looked at the blue sky, feeling the sea breeze caressing her face and hair. With a quick motion of her head, she threw her hair back and over her naked shoulders. It was 4 pm and the sun was still high enough to embrace her with warmth, driving away the sorrow. She looked at the twins, smiling to herself. The twins were rather popular among the guys. It seemed the guys had their own "ideas" about them, particularly when Zoe and Jeannie held hands. Little did they know that those "ideas" were happening every night in the twins' room. And if they did know how would they react? Would they whistle in approval? Would they boo them? 'Who cares?' Nikki thought. They were having fun and they were hurting no one.

Most of the girls in the group were quite standoffish, Nikki concluded, examining a bevy of them sitting close together in their stylish bikinis and swimsuits. They were quite attractive but they didn't join the action, that is, the tickling brawl that had developed between the twins and two of the guys, Brian and Johnny. Brenda and Marie were the exceptions, grabbing the guys and helping the twins. In no time that spot on the beach became a battlefield of laughter, tickling and shrieks of delight and protest. Against Nikki's will, a third guy started to tickle her... Joining the fun personally was not in her plans. He started it, though, and now she wanted to help the twins -- no matter what. Soon enough all the partakers of the brawl fell on the sand, laughing out loud their tiredness. In the meantime the bevy of beauties that had run away to avoid the brawl stepped back carefully as if they were afraid of being dragged into another tickling fight without warning.

Nikki laughed, feeling the sand in the most intimate parts of her body. She wanted to go take a dive in the sea and wash away the sand. A guy had felt her breast during the brawl or so it had seemed. She was about to look for the culprit when she heard, "Hi there." There was a silence and then absolute stupefaction.

"Linda!!!!!!" the twins and Nikki shouted with utter surprise.

"Yes, it's me," Linda said, smiling, wearing a tight swimsuit that enhanced all the curves of her body, one hand in her hips and the other holding her huge jute bag. "I see I'm missing all the fun."

"What are you doing here?" Jeannie said, rushing closer to Big Sis.

"Hi, Jeannie," Linda said, still smiling and gazing at those amazed teenage faces. Guys and girls alike stared at her, probably wondering what the hell was happening and who she was. "I am back. I quit college."

"Why?" Jeannie asked, having great difficulty in believing that beautiful blonde right in front of her was her sister, her Big Sis.

"That's a long story... But first things first... I want to talk to that lady over there."

All eyes turned to Nikki, watching her having some trouble with standing up. Linda put down her bag on the sand and motioned Nikki to follow her. The bunch of teenagers, including the twins, saw Linda and Nikki move away, heading for the waveline.

"Wow," Johnny howled out. "What a knock-out... What a babe... Who's she?"

Jeannie chortled and with utter pride she said, "Our sister Linda... The best sister you could possibly have."

"You bet," Johnny answered, taking his baseball cap off and scratching the unruly hair at the top of his head. His eyes kept following Linda and Nikki, probably paying close attention to their slender silhouettes walking away in the sand.

"But why, Linda?" Nikki asked, stopping and facing her sister, her right leg playing with the wet sand. "Why? I don't need your charity..."

"I am not doing this for you. I am doing this for me. I am being selfish but I don't care." Because Nikki looked at her questioningly, she added, "I realized if I lost you there wouldn't be no future for me, at least a future I would care much for. I realized that all I want is you. Sounds naive, doesn't it? But I don't care... I really don't. It feels good. You make me feel happy and nobody has given me so much as you have. Nobody makes me feel the way I do when you hug me and kiss me and make love to me. I don't care if we're sisters... I don't care if we're both girls... I love you... and that's all that matters."

"Talking is easy... Prove it."

"How?" Linda said, knitting her brows and pulling away a stray blond tress away from her face.

"Kiss me," Nikki replied, swallowing.

"Here?"

"Yes... You said you didn't care if we're sisters... if we're both girls. So prove it."

"Ok, I am gonna prove it to you." Linda drew closer and got hold of Nikki's burning cheeks, tilting it up for the kiss to follow. And Linda kissed Nikki while Nikki pulled her sister near, holding her tight, their bodies touching each other. Linda and Nikki ignored an elderly couple standing a few feet away from them and their obvious shock. Nikki grew weak, breaking the kiss. She was out of breath.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourselves," they heard a female voice vociferate. Linda and Nikki turned to see the woman of the couple scowling at them. "Such a shame. You are two pretty girls. You should have no trouble finding Mr. Right."

"I've already found my Mr. Right, lady," Linda replied, keeping her calm and clasping Nikki's hand. "My Mr. Right -- or shall I say Ms. Right -- is right here next to me. And I love her as much you love your husband or perhaps even more. And I will never leave her. Never."

"Promises, promises..." the old man said, laughing with a raucous voice and smiling at them, his cigar at one corner of his fat lips. His smile disappeared immediately as the old woman glared back at him.

"Let's go, Dan," the woman said, pulling at the old man's arm and urging him to come with her, sending a last angry look at the two teenagers.

Linda smiled at Nikki as the old couple trudged away from them.

"Satisfied?" Linda asked.

"Yes... But what about college? You're throwing away your future."

"I can enroll next year... together with you. I talked to Mom about it over the phone."

"Mom knows you're here?"

"Oh yes, she knows. She called me yesterday and we had the longest conversation... She told me about... grandpa. It made me sad... but strangely enough that did the trick. That's when I made the decision to quit and come back... to you. For the first time in my life I saw clearly what really matters to me and what doesn't."

"And Dad?"

"Oh Dad..." Linda shrugged, looking past her sisters' shoulder, scanning the beach and avoiding the staring of some beachgoers. "Dad didn't like it at all but I am 18 now and he can't forbid me anything."

"And what are you going to do in the meantime?"

"With you beside me I don't think I will ever get bored..."

Nikki chuckled and smiled, her heart pounding, almost not believing this could be happening. Her sister was back and left everything, EVERYTHING, for her. And Linda had screamed out her love for all the world to hear.

They returned to where the twins and the rest of the bunch were settled down. Nikki felt sudden warmth in her cheeks. 'Me and my big mouth,' she thought. It was confrontation time. Everything was happening the way she'd wanted, the kiss and the fact that Linda held her hand still... She couldn't complain if things didn't turn out the way she'd dreamt about. Jeannie ran to meet them halfway.

"Are you out of your minds?" Jeannie said, making them stop. "I've just told them you were my sisters. They really started looking funny at me... I had to make up that Nikki was not our real sister but she was adopted. Damn it, can't you control your urges?"

"I am sorry," Linda said. "We don't want to embarrass you in front of your friends... but this was something I had to do, *we* had to do. Anyway we're leaving."

"Where to?"

"Don't care..." Linda said, taking a glance at Nikki. "Anyplace where we can be alone and make out. We have a lot of catching up to do, don't we, darling?"

"Cut it out," Nikki said, grinning and holding Linda's hand tighter. "That's so corny."

"Corny but nice... Right, baby?" Linda looked at Jeannie and asked, "Wanna come with us?"

"Nah... You two want to be alone... I understand."

"I mean, you and Zoe... There are four seats in the Jeep. Come on."

Jeannie examined Nikki's face for signs. Nikki smiled and said, "Come on, what are you waiting for? You heard Linda. Go fetch Zoe and the rest of our stuff. To be honest I don't feel like facing your friends right now." And looking at Linda she asked, "You don't mind, do you?"

"About you chickening out?"

Nikki hit Linda lightly on her sister's shoulder, a punishment for her sister's banter and her wide scoffing grin. Linda only smiled while her youngest sister ran to Zoe. Within minutes the twins joined them, holding out Nikki's clothes and Linda's bag. Nikki and Linda slipped on their shorts and T-shirts, giggling. They walked to the parking lot and before Nikki could unlock the driver's door, Linda made her stop. She said, "Let Zoe drive. I want you in the back seat with me."

"Yes," Nikki whispered, recognizing that crazy lust in her sister's green eyes which made her instantaneously wet.

Zoe smiled, grabbing the keys and unlocking the doors with pride in her face. She hadn't much experience as far as driving was concerned but she was happy to have an opportunity to show off her skills. She let her horny, happy sisters slide in the back... Just as well. She'd have Jeannie right next to her. They'd soon be in a place where all of them could make out...

In the back, Nikki was being kissed by Linda, hands exchanging caresses in breasts, tummies, legs, thighs, necks... Wet trails down cheeks and necks... Moans... Whispers... Loving embraces... And more moans... and then pleasure...

Nikki nestled herself against Linda and asked, "I want to ask you something... because I'll go crazy if I don't."

"Shoot," Linda said, her hand between Nikki thighs, touching her sister's mound, reveling in her sister's wetness and warmth down there...

"This song doesn't get out of mind... Promises, promises... And that's exactly what that man said... Promises, promises... You promised that you'd never leave me... But... I wonder..."

"Baby," Linda said, whispering into Nikki's ear. "There's another song that goes like let's live for today... and another that goes like don't worry, be happy... Let's be happy and forget about the rest..."

Nikki nodded and hugged her sister, sighing. She felt exhausted and the rocking motion of the car speeding down the highway lulled her to sleep. While sleeping, she had a smile in her face...

THE END

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