Title: Chapter Seven: Acts of Desperation

Series: Emesen’s Child

Author: Jennifer Lee

Email: jesca10@attbi.com

Web: http://home.attbi.com/~jesca10/ *Fictitious*

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of the author and are not to be reproduced without express consent.

Rating: G

Summery: Desperation comes in all forms...

Author’s Notes: Please email me if you want to put this or any of my stories on your website. I never say no, but I like knowing which sites are supporting my writing. Thanks!



Emesen’s Child 7: Acts of Desperation
By Jennifer Lee

“This is your own fault, Carl. You’re the one who told her that you were friends with Polaris. She hasn’t shut up about how maybe you can get her his autograph, maybe you can invite him over, maybe you can help her get to know him better and on and on and on.” Darien flopped down in a chair in Carl’s living room.

“How did you telling Sandy that you would invite Polaris over for dinner become my fault, Darien?” Carl looked unconvinced.

“Ok, listen to me, man. We’re sitting at breakfast this morning and she’s going on about how disappointed she was that Polaris couldn’t make it to dinner the other night. I’ve only heard this complaint every day since that night. She starts talking about how she’s going to have to be nicer to you and maybe then Polaris will want to come over. Then she gets mad at me all over again for telling you that she didn’t want you to come over. So I’m basically getting in trouble every single day!” he exclaimed in a frustrated tone.

Carl just watched him, still unsure how this is his fault. Darien just looked at him like he had provided him with a perfectly logical explanation.

“Carl, if you hadn’t of told her that Polaris knew you, none of this would have happened!”

“So, why’d you tell her you knew Polaris?”

“I didn’t. See, that’s the beauty of it. Everyone knows that Reaper is associated with Maine Tech. And, everyone knows that Reaper and Polaris are friends.” Darien watched Carl. He didn’t seem to be getting it. “Look, I’m tired of hearing ‘Carl this’, or ‘Carl that’ so I told her that maybe I could arrange to talk to Polaris through Reaper. Now, ordinarily I wouldn’t bring up my family’s connection with Reaper because we both know how Sandy dislikes Reaper. But if I can get her a dinner with Polaris then I’m the hero and you’re not!”

Carl shook his head a little. “Why would I want you to be the hero?”

“Because, Carl. We’re friends. And I know you wouldn’t want to come in between a buddy and his girl.”

Carl’s brow wrinkled. “Of course I would, Darien. I’ve been trying to go out with Sandy for a long time, remember?”

Darien lost his smile. “You gonna help me, or not?”

Carl did like the idea of a free meal with Sandy again. Besides, it was kind of nice to be able to go over to their apartment on occasion. Carl hadn’t wanted to admit how much he had missed hanging out with Darien before, but he felt it every time he was allowed to now.

“Ok, Darien. I’ll come as Polaris to dinner tomorrow.”

Darien smiled. “Great. Now, just to set some ground rules, Sandy likes talking to and about Polaris all the time. You should have seen her room when she was living alone. She had quite a few Polaris posters up in her bedroom.” Carl’s eyes widened a little. Darien lost a little of his smile. “I had her take a few of them down. Anyway, she’s going to want to talk to you all night long, but I want to be able to spend some time with my girlfriend tomorrow. So, here’s the deal. When I give you the signal to leave, I just want you to excuse yourself and leave, ok? That way we both get what we want.” Darien smiled.

“Ok, Darien.”

Darien stood up and headed for the door. Carl followed him, seeing him out.

“Thanks, buddy.”

“No problem, Darien.”

*~*~*~*

The thought of Polaris actually coming over to her apartment was enough to make Sandy frazzled. She was bursting with excitement. It was just exacerbated by the fact that she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone she was having dinner with him. All day long she had gone through classes, seemingly on edge, because she was bursting to tell someone her secret. Normally this was something she would tell a best friend, but since Tammy she didn’t have one of those.

Her excitement dampened a little when she thought of Tammy. She missed her sometimes. She would never admit that to anyone, but it was true. Whenever she saw Tammy chatting with her new friends or when she heard her laugh, something inside her would tighten a little. But she never showed it. Whenever her eyes met Tammy’s they were narrowed in contempt.

Tammy’s reputation in school had plummeted dramatically, and Sandy wasn’t the forgiving type. As long as Sandy continued to be the popular girl on campus and she continued to hate Tammy, the other popular people in school would do the same. She heard rumors about Tammy and Gabe still floating around, but none that really went mainstream. Gabe’s reputation wasn’t nearly as damaged as Tammy’s was, as is always the case with guys. He was seen as the stud and she as the slut.

It was kind of hard to run in the same circles as Gabe. She always tried to act natural around him, but she couldn’t help being a little uncomfortable. Only Darien knew that, though. She wanted to come across as in control, so she never let those feelings show through.

After she had started dating Darien, Gabe backed off, but he hadn’t had a serious girlfriend since Sandy. Truly, the guys started to tease him about being a monk because he didn’t date that much. Steve would use his gigolo powers to get girls for Gabe, but none seemed to hold his interest. Everyone knew he missed Sandy, even though he was pretty good at acting nonchalant when Sandy and Darien were near. Really, his feelings for Sandy made his friends feel bad for him and girls gravitate to him. Every girl wanted to be the next girlfriend. They wanted the golden-boy football hero to fall for them so hard that they could have him wrapped around their little fingers. Unfortunately for them, none of them were Sandy Blaire.

She tried to push the thoughts of Tammy and Gabe away. Since Tammy she had never bothered to replace her with another ‘best friend’. She just didn’t trust anyone that much. Consequently, she was filled with nervous energy from keeping this rather large secret inside all day.

She watched the caterers set up the table. She directed placements and checked on the food preparations. Things were turning out well. She knew tonight would be special.

Deciding the menu was very difficult. She knew Polaris was an important person, so she wanted to have an elegant meal, but she had no idea what he was like in his secret identity. She knew he donated all the money he made to charity, so she imagined he was a very rich person. Being rich, he had probably had very worldly dishes in the past. It was hard to decide what to have then, because she had no idea of his tastes, and she wanted to make a good impression. Something too worldly and she might look pretentious. Something not worldly enough and she might look like a simple country bumpkin playing at glamour girl.

In the end, she decided on an Italian theme. They were serving chicken cacciatore, a nice Italian soup, bread and cheeses, a fresh salad and an iced mocha dessert. She hoped everything would go off smoothly.

“Sandy?” She heard her name from the living room and dodged people to get to the source. She smiled when she saw Darien.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he looked at the people who were cooking and setting things up in his kitchen and dining area.

“Dinner. You need to go get dressed! I laid out the suit I want you to wear. Then you can make sure things go well here while I hurry and dress.” She wrung her hands nervously. Darien rolled his eyes.

“You want me to wear a suit.” It wasn’t a question as much as a statement of disbelief.

“Well, yeah. It’s not like we’re having Carl over for dinner. This is Polaris, Darien.”

He was tempted to tell her that it was just exactly like having Carl over for dinner, but he bit his tongue and headed into the bedroom. He could scarcely believe he was putting a suit on for Carl.

When he walked back out to the living room, Sandy was still wringing her hands. He smiled and put his arms around her, but she pushed him away. He knew she was still a little bit upset about him telling Carl he couldn’t come over. He didn’t see what the big deal was, but ever since Polaris’ statement, Sandy was worried about making Carl feel like her friend.

“I’m dirty. I need to take a shower. I’ll be back. You keep an eye on dinner.”

Darien watched her leave, shaking his head once her back was turned to him. He had thought that getting Sandy a dinner with Polaris would make him a hero to her. She’d be impressed with him instead of Carl. Ironically, even though Sandy wouldn’t want to be rude to someone that was branded Polaris’ friend, the only way she could have Carl deliver Polaris to her for a dinner is if she didn’t invite Carl. Darien had felt pretty good about what he had been able to do for Sandy. But Sandy wasn’t being very appreciative. Just nervous.

Darien sighed and took a seat in the living room. He thought about checking on dinner, like Sandy had asked him too, but he didn’t know very much about cooking, so he just stayed where he was. Instead, he reasoned that Sandy would be less nervous when the night was over and she would gladly show her appreciation that night, after Polaris was gone. He smiled in anticipation of that.

Sandy stepped out of the shower and hurriedly dried herself off. Although she could use her powers to instantly change into a set of clothes, a great hairdo, and fresh make-up, she preferred to do it the old fashioned method. She enjoyed flexing her extensive knowledge on make-up, skin care, and fashion. She sat at her vanity and with her towel wrapped securely around her body, she started to apply various creams and conditioners to her skin.

It was her experience that men of Polaris’ stature liked women with a more natural look. With that in mind, she was careful to limit the amount of visible make-up she wore. After she finished applying moisturizers and a light base to her face, she carefully applied golden shades to her eyes, giving a nice accent to her tanned skin. Her eyes were outlined in a dark brown, while her lashes were only curled, to achieve a simpler look. She brushed her defined cheekbones with a golden brown mixture of blush and barely colored her lips in a light mauve.

She quickly swept her hair back, allowing some of it to fall from the clip she fastened it with in the back. She didn’t mess with her hair much, letting the natural flow of her hair make the style.

From her closet she took out a tan colored dress, long in the skirt and tight around her ribs. The lack of straps kept her tanned shoulders bare and the thin tan gauze material of the shirt that went with the dress did nothing to hide them. The material was completely see-through and traveled all the way down her arms, cuffing at her wrists with a piece of material like the dress was made from. Around her neck she wore a necklace made from dark brown polished stones and she fastened matching earrings and an anklet on as well. Slipping her bare feet into sandals, she was finally ready to face Polaris.

When Darien saw Sandy step from the hallway into the living room, his eyes widened appreciatively. She was absolutely beautiful, and he couldn’t help staring a little. She smiled to him, obviously pleased with his reaction.

“You like?”

“Yes.” He looked her up and down, still unable to control himself. “I haven’t seen that dress before.”

Sandy shrugged. “I got it today. I wanted to look good.”

Darien nodded his head a little. “Well, you succeeded. Isn’t this a little overkill though?”

“For having dinner with Polaris? No, absolutely not. I think if anything, we should have had dinner at the estate my father bought here in Castlerock. At least that place has an actual dining room.”

Darien smiled and went to stand in front of Sandy. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her blue eyes.

“Sandy, don’t worry. You’ll make a great impression.”

She smiled at the compliment and started to relax a little when the doorbell rang. Her eyes widened in anticipation. He was here.

Sandy smoothed her nervous hands down over her outfit before going to the door and opening it. She was prepared to put on a welcoming smile, but seeing Polaris so closely made her suck air in quickly. She blinked, just watching him. When he gave her a sideways grin, she nearly lost the ability to stand. He was breathtaking in his costume, but she only glanced, mesmerized by his bright blue eyes.

“Hello.” His voice was rich and warm. It melted her insides and she had to swallow before she could speak.

“Hi. I’m glad you’re here.”

His smile widened and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“Sandy?” Darien’s voice shook her out of her trance and she looked back at him, a little dazed. “You can let the man inside.”

Sandy blushed furiously, lowering her head to hide it. She swallowed back the anger that rose in her; miffed that Darien made her look like a fool. She opened the door wider and swept her arm out to indicate that Polaris should come in.

“I’m sorry, please, come in.”

Polaris gave a slight nod, his smile never fading as he stepped inside. Sandy closed the door behind him, taking a moment to compose herself as Darien shook hands with Polaris.

“Please, take a seat and make yourself comfortable while dinner is finishing.”

He smiled and went to the couch that she indicated.

“It smells great.”

She smiled. “I hope you like it.” Sandy stood in front of him for a moment while he looked at her expectantly. “Uh…would you like something to drink?” She smiled, trying to keep focused enough to remember how to be a hostess.

“Do you have any Mountain Dew?” he asked.

Sandy laughed as if he made a joke and Carl looked over to Darien while she was distracted. Darien just smiled a little.

“I’ll wait for dinner,” Polaris said politely. Sandy nodded and sat down beside him.

“So…” She had a million questions to ask him, but none were coming to mind at the moment. “How do you like being a super-hero?” Sandy inwardly groaned at how lame that sounded.

He just smiled a little before answering.

“Well, I find it very rewarding. I like helping people who need it. I sure didn’t expect that I’d end up where I am now, though.”

“Oh? You didn’t always want to be a super-hero?”

“Not really. In the beginning I helped people only because I happened to be in the right place at the right time. But little by little I realized how dangerous this world was. I saw all the villains running around destroying people’s lives and I knew I could stop them. So I did. It’s not an illustrious beginning, but it’s mine.” He smiled to her.

“I’ve always wanted to be a hero like you.” Sandy breathed as she tried to memorize his face with her eyes.

Polaris smiled. He could tell she was super-powered. One of the powers he was granted was the ability to know when someone had powers. He had known for a long time that Sandy was powered, but there were many people who were powered without actually realizing it. The power manifested differently in each person and became known at irregular times. It was hard for Polaris to know if she knew of her powers.

“Well, you don’t have to have powers to be a hero, Ms. Blaire.”

“Sandy, please, call me Sandy.” She smiled.

“Sandy then.”

A waiter came out, looking very serious, even in the face of Polaris, and announced that dinner was ready. Sandy stood up, followed by Polaris and Darien, and Sandy steered Polaris toward the table.

After they were seated and the wine was poured, Sandy started to calm down a little bit. The night was going well, and that did a lot for her nervousness. She had been waiting all her life for an opportunity like this. She didn’t plan to botch it up with nerves.

Bowls of soup were set in front of everyone, the spicy scent of tomato filled the air and Polaris smiled. Sandy found herself watching his lips, almost as if in a trance again.

“So, do you live around here, Polaris?”

He picked up the spoon he noticed Darien pick up and dipped it into his bowl.

“Sometimes.” He smiled and took a spoonful of soup. “I-“ He stopped and swallowed, looking down into his bowl with confusion. Sandy got a worried look on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

He looked at Darien, who had been eating his soup, silently stewing over Sandy’s obvious attraction for Polaris. He looked back at Sandy with an apologetic smile on his face.

“I think they forgot to heat the soup,” Polaris said softly, trying not to be overheard by the people in the kitchen. He didn’t want to embarrass anyone.

Sandy just stared at him for a moment before she smiled.

“It’s Gazpacho,” she said as if that should clear up the mystery for him. Polaris just continued to look at her, almost as if he had never heard of Gazpacho.

“It’s supposed to be cold, that’s how the dish is served,” Darien drawled.

“Oh.” He smiled and tried another spoonful, hoping it would taste better now that he knew it would be cold. Instead, it just tasted strange. He had never had cold soup before and he didn’t know why anyone would. Politely he put his spoon down and waited for the next course.

Sandy felt her nerves acting up again. She took a drink of her wine to steady herself.

“You say you sometimes live around here?” she asked, trying to draw the attention off the soup. Although Darien kept eating, she did not out of respect for Polaris.

“Yeah, I move all around. I patrol worldwide. I just pick a city and start flying around it. I like to let people know that I’m here for everyone.”

She smiled warmly to him.

“But there must be some place you call home, right?”

Polaris smiled. “Yes there is.”

Sandy waited as if expecting that Polaris would tell her.

Darien leaned towards her. “Dear, he isn’t going to tell you where he lives. It might blow his cover if you come over when he’s out of his tights.” Darien smiled.

Sandy narrowed her eyes and looked at Darien.

“I’m not asking for an address. I was merely curious.” She looked back at Polaris, and Darien sat back in his chair. He knew if he said too much during supper he wasn’t going to get his thank you tonight.

“So, Sandy, what is your major?” Polaris asked as the waiter came by and picked up the bowls of soup. The waiter couldn’t quite hide the worried look by the two still full bowls he took from Polaris and Sandy.

“Paranormal psychology and business.” She smiled pleased with herself.

“Really?” he smiled back.

“Yes. Paranormals have always been an interest of mine. I’ve taken just about every class they have to offer at the Academy.”

Polaris looked down at the sparse, but artistically arranged salad that was put before him.

“Why is that?” He waited for Darien to pick up the salad fork so that he could identify it, and when he did, he picked up his own and took a bite. It wasn’t bad, but had a very sweet dressing on it. He ate it anyway.

Sandy breathed a sigh of relief when he ate the salad.

“Well, like I said before, I always wanted to be a hero. But when I was younger, I was pulled out of a burning hotel. By you.”

Polaris smiled a little, not really recalling the incident; since there were a few times he had rescued people from similar situations.

“Ever since then, I was fascinated with you and everything dealing with paranormals. I started collecting books, cards, magazines where there were interviews, newspaper articles, anything I could get my hands on. Especially if it concerned you.”

He smiled, feeling a little uncomfortable at her statement, but trying not to show it.

When the third course was served, the plate that was put before him looked and smelled delicious. Being the only fork left, he didn’t worry about waiting for Darien before digging in. He smiled at the spicy but tasty dish that he started to eat. He took some bread from the table to eat with the meal.

Darien smiled and wondered if Carl knew what he was eating. He sat back a little and watched him. When Carl looked over at him, he smiled generously.

“There’s plenty more when you’re done with that. We made sure to have extra for you. Being a busy super-hero and all, we figured you’d be hungry.” Darien smiled, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. He couldn’t wait to tell Carl what it is he was eating. But he wanted to wait until he was on his second helping.

Sandy smiled and just took the opportunity to watch him. His haste to consume the food left her believing he was either really hungry or had never had chicken cacciatore before.

“Have you ever had chicken cacciatore before?” Sandy asked, pleased that he was enjoying it.

Polaris looked up at her and smiled politely.

“No. I don’t eat chicken.”

A sickening feeling began to build in her stomach as she watched him eat. She wasn’t sure if she should tell him or not. As she was wrestling with what to do, Darien took away her options.

“That’s what this is,” Darien said, a slight grin on his face. He had wanted to wait, but an opening like this didn’t land at your feet twice in a dinner. Besides, Sandy looked like she might tell him, and Darien wanted the satisfaction.

Polaris stopped, his fork halfway to his mouth. He looked over at Darien and then at Sandy. He was just frozen in disbelief Sandy swallowed hard, not sure what to say.

“I…I had no idea you were opposed to chicken. I-“ she stopped and jumped a little as he shot out of his chair. He was starting to look a little green in the face.

“Polaris? Are you alright?” She watched as he seemed frozen in place, not sure what to do. Finally, he took off, turning the corner to the living room and disappearing down her hallway. Shortly after, she heard him getting sick in the bathroom.

Sandy put her hands over her mouth, stifling the wave of sickness she felt as well. It wasn’t the chicken that was making her sick, though. She listened as her only chance with Polaris was flushed down the toilet.

“You ok?” Darien asked.

“No,” she whispered. She was white as a sheet, and she looked like she was at a loss for what to do. When she heard him washing his hands, she went towards the sinks.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea. Why don’t you come sit down and we’ll find something else for you to eat.”

Polaris tried to smile politely, still looking a little green. He shook his head a little.

“No, that’s ok. I should go. Thanks for…” he trailed off, not really sure what to say. “Well, thanks.” He turned and headed towards the door, leaving as soon as he got to it.

Sandy’s eyes welled up with tears. She didn’t know what to do. Any interest Polaris could have had in her was now gone, she was sure of that.

When she leaned against the doorway of the living room, looking like she might be sick herself, Darien got up and went to her side.

“You going to be ok?” he asked, real concern in his voice.

She nodded, pushing away from him. Slowly she headed for the door of her apartment.

“I’m going for a walk,” she barely threw over her shoulder as she walked out.

Darien rolled his eyes. He smiled a little. This might be to his advantage, he thought. He surmised that if she stopped thinking there was a chance with Polaris; he would no longer have the competition.

The thought made him smile and he walked back to the table, taking his seat. Silently, and as if nothing had happened, he continued with his meal.

*~*~*~*

Carl sat in the cafeteria, still upset by the other night. He wasn’t so much upset about eating the chicken as much as how he left Sandy’s. He was sure that Sandy would likely never talk to him again, as Carl or otherwise.

He knew he should have tried to handle that better, but he couldn’t help but get pictures of Rodney in his head when he thought of eating chicken. Just thinking about it was making his stomach churn a little. He had come to grips a long time ago with people that eat chicken, but he never wanted to again.

“Carl?”

Carl’s head snapped up as he heard Sandy’s soft voice. She was standing near his table, looking unsure of herself.

“Hey, Sandy.” He wasn’t sure how to act either.

“Do you hate me?”

That surprised him. He tilted his head to one side with a confused look on his face.

“Of course not, Sandy. Why would I hate you?”

“He didn’t tell you about last night?” she asked as she took a seat across from him.

“Oh. That. Yeah, he told me.”

Sandy’s head lowered.

“How could I have known he was allergic to chicken?” Sandy had come to the conclusion that the only explanation for last night was allergies.

“Oh, he isn’t allergic to chicken,” Carl replied without thinking.

Sandy frowned thoughtfully. She turned last night’s events over in her head again, looking for the solution.

“Then why did he get sick?” Sandy asked, giving up.

“Because he ate chicken.” Carl tried to think of a good reason why he would know about Polaris’ feelings about chicken.

“Well, yes, I knew that.”

“Then why’d you ask?” Carl looked a little confused.

Sandy closed her eyes for a moment.

“Why would eating chicken make him sick?” Sandy asked.

“He doesn’t like it.”

“Why?” Sandy asked, her teeth gritted together in an effort to remain calm. Sometimes it was like pulling teeth to get a straight answer from Carl Williams.

Carl looked around for a moment and then leaned towards Sandy. Her eyes widened a little before she leaned over for the piece of the puzzle she was missing.

“When he was little, he had a pet chicken. We both did.”

“You grew up together?” Sandy asked, surprised.

“Yeah.”

She waited for Carl to go on. When he didn’t, she raised her eyebrows.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“Well, why doesn’t he like to eat chicken?”

Carl furrowed his eyebrows. He knew she didn’t get it, but he didn’t know why.

“Sandy do you have any pets?”

“Not really.”

“Well, would you eat a dog or a cat?”

Her face contorted into an involuntary look of disgust before snapping into an instant look of shock. What she did last night was the equivalent of feeding Polaris dog. Her stomach started to turn a little and she put her head down on the table.

“You ok?”

She shook her head, leaving it on the table. She didn’t think she could feel any worse.

“Well I suppose that means he won’t want to come over for dinner again.”

She felt Carl’s hand on her shoulder and she covered it with one of her own. His hand was warm and strong feeling. She sat back in her chair, looking depressed.

“So does he hate me?” She looked over at Carl, who was now beside her.

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Well, that’s something anyway.” She leaned towards him, kind of falling into his arms, laying her head on his chest.

Carl’s eyes widened and he noticed some of the looks they were getting. He looked down at Sandy and smiled a little. The intoxicating smell of her was starting to stir his feelings for her. He wished, not for the first time, that she wasn’t with Darien. He knew he could impress her if she’d just give him the chance.

Sandy straightened up with a sigh.

“Well, tell him that I’m really sorry and I hope he’ll consider coming over for something that isn’t chicken and isn’t cold soup. I’ll even let him pick the menu if he wants.” She stood to go to class.

“I’ll tell him,” Carl said, still affected by her presence.

“Thanks, Carl. You’re a good friend.” She flashed him one of her brilliant smiles before she whisked herself away. Carl stared after her, a silly smile spreading across his face.

He knew he was going to have to do something to make her see him. He was desperate.



To Be Continued...