Dawn of the Knight: The Lance Rock Chronicles Volume 1.

  Chapter 5

  I was so absorbed in this last thought that I was completely oblivious to the sound of approaching footsteps. A woman's voice asked, "Excuse me young man. Are you Lance Rock?"

  I raised my head expecting to see Mrs. Charlene Colson. But instead, standing there before me was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, middle-aged woman—one of the most beautiful I had ever seen! She was accompanied by a girl with sandy-blonde hair and brown eyes who I guessed to be close to my age, but younger. She too, was also pretty. The woman was holding a photograph in her left hand. She was glancing back and forth between it and me. She was well-dressed—wearing a blouse and tight nylon skirt with matching stilettos. The girl was wearing a pink tube top and tight, faded blue jean shorts. She also wore flip-flops and the supple form of her body displayed the physique of an athlete. Both of them had been tanned golden brown by the California sun. As I hadn't answered her question, the woman asked it again.

  "Excuse me. Are you Lance Rock?"

  "Yes, ma'am" I replied while putting the scrapbook back in my tote and then standing up to face them.

  "My name is Stacy Muller. This is my daughter Amber-Joy."

  The girl raised her hand, smiled, and said, "Hi."

  Stacy continued, "I've come here on behalf of the Colsons. There's been a medical emergency and they asked me if I could help." As she said this, an expression of distress came over her face while a feeling of disquiet began to form in my stomach.

  "Maybe you'd better sit down," Stacy suggested.

  I complied.

  "About an hour and a half ago Mike Colson suffered a massive stroke. Right now, he's in critical condition in our local hospital. Charlene Colson telephoned me. She's… a good friend. She asked me if I could do her a favor by coming here and taking you to my house for the night. Given the nature of the circumstances, I agreed. I'm sure it will be only temporary until Mike gets back on his feet or until another permanent arrangement can be made. Would you feel comfortable in coming home with us?"

  My first thought was, No, I would not feel comfortable. This turn of events had caught me completely off guard and I wasn't mentally prepared to deal with having to stay in a strange woman's house. I was now starting to feel extremely nervous and I tried to get these feelings of anxiety under control.

  "I… I… maybe I'd better take the next flight back to Toronto," I stammered.

  A look of disappointment came over Amber-Joy's face.

  "That's up to you," replied Stacy. "But I'm sure that there won't be any flights back to Toronto tonight, and you are going to need a place to stay until then."

  "Yes, you're right," I reluctantly conceded. I realized that this situation didn't allow for many options. The only other choice would be staying in a hotel. "Okay, I'll come with you. Thank you for your offer."

  "Don't mention it," she replied as Amber-Joy smiled broadly while mouthing yes and giving a little pump of her fist.

  "Are these all your things?" Stacy asked while scanning my luggage on the floor.

  "Yes," I replied while nodding my head. "It's all here except for one piece which seems to have gotten lost. The airport claims department is supposed to call me when they locate it."

  "AJ and I will help you carry these out to our car."

  "Thank you."

  I followed Stacy and Amber-Joy, (who went by the nickname AJ), out of the terminal and over to the parking lot. Breathing control and relaxation techniques were one of the benefits of my martial arts training and I was now putting them to good use.

  Stacy drove us to her house in a late model four-door sedan. She and AJ sat up front allowing me to have the whole back seat. For the most part it was a quiet and uneventful trip. A couple of times AJ turned around and flashed me a big grin. She had perfect white teeth and pretty brown eyes.

  "How old are you, AJ?" I asked while trying to alleviate my nervousness through conversation.

  "I'm 16 and I'll be getting my driver's license soon!"

  "She just turned 16 and she'll be getting her learners permit soon," interjected her mother. I looked over at Stacy. She was a gorgeous woman; having shoulder length, golden blonde hair, lovely blue eyes, high cheek bones, and both perfect nose and mouth. She looked like she could be a model. As I looked at her, I suddenly noticed her staring back at me in the rear-view mirror! I felt my face turning red and so I quickly averted my gaze.

  Before long, we arrived at the driveway of a two-story house that had a three-car garage. As soon as we pulled up to the door of the first bay, AJ bolted out of the car exclaiming, "Come on, I'll show you our house. We have a pool if you want to swim!"

  "You can stay in Shannon's room for now," said Stacy. "She's AJ's older sister and she's currently at a sleepover with some friends. She won't be back until supper time tomorrow. AJ, help us unload the car and help carry his things up to your sister's room."

  After hauling in my luggage, AJ gave me a tour of the house. The bottom floor consisted of the garage, den, living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, and bathroom. The kitchen had patio doors which opened to a deck that overlooked a rectangular-shaped swimming pool. Walking upstairs to the second floor revealed a large master bedroom with its own master bathroom. There was also Shannon's bedroom, AJ's room, and a fourth bedroom which was not being used. A second bathroom separated this room from AJ's.

  Stacy prepared supper, and we sat down to eat. During the meal she asked me general questions about Canada and about my family. I was having a hard time paying attention because AJ, who was sitting directly across from me, kept trying to play 'footsie' with me the whole time her mother was speaking. I found this distraction to be both amusing and at the same time, slightly unnerving!

  When we had finished eating AJ asked, "How would you like to go for a swim in the pool? You know how to swim, don't you?"

  "Sure. I'm a lifeguard."

  "Wow, that's cool! I'm a gymnast." She got up and did a perfect cartwheel on the kitchen floor to prove it.

  "I know, I could tell," I said.

  "How?" asked Stacy with a quizzical expression.

  "Simple. By a careful observation of her body," I replied matter of factually.

  Mrs. Muller's left eyebrow raised and she gave me a solemn stare.

  "I… ah… mean by her physique," I stammered. "She has the… a… physique of an athlete," I nervously continued. "I'd better go and change into my swimsuit."

  I turned, quickly made my way out of the kitchen, and then went upstairs to Shannon's bedroom. As I left, I could hear AJ remarking to Stacy, "Oh, mom, he's an absolute dream machine! He is so cute! Can he stay here with us? Please? Please?"

  "He can stay for the night, honey, but I don't think it will be any longer than that."

  Shannon's room was immaculate with a plush carpet and a queen-sized bed. There were pictures and mementos placed here and there as well as posters on the wall. I walked over to inspect some. There was an eight by ten portrait of Shannon on her dresser and when I picked it up to examine it, I gasped! "Wow!" I exclaimed aloud. "I think I just found the girl of my dreams!"

  I couldn't put the photo down and I simply kept gazing at it. Shannon, like her mom, was absolutely gorgeous! Her perfect features were highlighted by light-blonde, collar-length hair, and the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. I've heard about love at first sight and I don't completely know what that means, but this girl's face immediately gave me butterflies in my stomach! A warm, intense, pleasurable feeling of infatuation slowly filled me from head to toes. I was so captivated by the photo that I didn't realize AJ was standing behind me until she remarked, "That's my sister Shannon. She's 17, but she'll be 18 in two months."

  I shook my head in wonder and remarked, "She's absolutely… incredible!"

  AJ laughed and asked, "Do you think she's hot?"

  "Supernova hot!"

  "Every guy in the school thinks that too."

  "Her eyes are so beautiful. Does she ah… have a boyfriend?"

&nbs
p; "Not a steady one. My mom is really strict when it comes to guys and who we're allowed to date. Right now, Shannon and Mitty have been seeing each other."

  "Mitty?"

  "Keith Mitterhauser. He's a senior and the quarterback for the football team. He's really cute!"

  Oh, that's just wonderful, I glumly thought while slowly shaking my head.

  "I'll meet you downstairs," said AJ, and off she went while closing the door behind her. I retrieved my swimming trunks, laid them on the bed, and then walked over to the dresser and took off my shirt. To the left of the dresser was the door to a closet that had a poster from the movie "Gladiator" on it. Superimposed over a picture of General Maximus Decimus Meridius was a quote from the movie; "What we do in life, echoes in eternity." One of my favorite movies and heroes, I thought.

  I glanced at myself in the dresser's mirror. Eleven years of intense, muscle building exercise had defined my physique. I was six feet tall with brown hair and blue eyes. I weighed one hundred and eighty-two pounds with a seven percent body-fat ratio. Lifeguarding outside all summer had tanned me to a golden bronze. As I gazed at my muscular, chiseled torso, all the hours spent body building came flooding back into my mind—instantly making me feel tired.

  I looked down on the dresser and picked up a bottle of perfume. I sprayed a little on the back of my hand and smelled it. What a great scent! I thought. All of a sudden, the bedroom door flew open and into the room came Stacy carrying some pillows! We were both startled! She looked at me in surprise and I saw her eyes quickly scan my chest.

  "I'm terribly sorry," she remarked apologetically. "I'm so used to only the girls being here, I didn't even think to knock. I brought you some pillows. Shannon took hers for the sleepover. Are you a football player, because we have exercise equipment in the den if you're interested in using it? It used to belong to Teri."

  "I saw it earlier. You have a son named Terry?'"

  "No. No boys, only girls." Then a sad look immediately came into her eyes.

  "Your daughter Teri is not around?"

  "No. She's… studying… over in Europe."

  "Oh, I see. I might use the equipment if I have time. Thanks."

  Her eyes glanced at my tattoos. I quickly moved my arms to my side.

  "When will Mr. Muller be home?" I asked.

  "I'm… divorced," she softly replied while now looking down at the floor. Her response made me feel slightly embarrassed for having asked that question. After a moment, she noticed I was holding the bottle of perfume. I quickly put it back on the dresser.

  "AJ is waiting for you at the pool," she said. "I have to call to see how Mike Colson is doing." She handed me the pillows, turned, and then exited the room. I took the pillows and threw them on the bed. I spread my arms out and fell back onto the bed while landing square in the middle and I promptly cried out in surprise! Something thick, hard, and flat jabbed into my back from underneath the covers. Upon peeling them back, I discovered a book. Closer examination revealed it to be a diary.

  Hmm, this must belong to Shannon, I thought. It had a lock but to my surprise, it was unlocked.

  Should I examine it? I thought. No! A Diary is a person's personal journal and you have no business looking at it, reminded my conscience. But then my curiosity rose up in my defense. It compelled me to rationalize that it couldn't hurt to try to know just a little bit about the lovely creature who had just smitten me. Plus, she would never even know what I had done. So I opened it and I began to explore the secrets of her universe. Several entries had been headlined by a title with the first being dated from when she was 14 years old.

  As I began to peruse through the book I immediately felt guilty because there was indeed, very personal information written in it. Embarrassing to her, but fascinating to me. I decided for lack of time, to quickly scan through the pages while stopping only to read a title that caught my eye.

  The first headline that did was titled, "Wanted: A Real Man." In this entry she wrote about how in history class she had studied about the Crusades in the 11th century AD involving knights and about the Code of Chivalry. She also described a class of knight called a Paladin—a kind of elite knight who held to this code. "Paladins embodied respect, self-control, honor, justice, and held to all that is good. They would respect women, defend the weak and innocent, avenge the wronged, exhibit courage in word and deed, destroy evil in all its monstrous forms, and die with valor and honor." She went on to write how she didn't believe there was a boy or man alive today who held to this code or who was characterized by these traits. But she wished for someone like that to come into her life to love and care for her, and to rescue her and her family from the evil that terrorized them. She then quoted Edmund Burke when he wrote, 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.' "But where are all the good men, the real men, the Paladins?"

  She's right in thinking that she'll never be able to find a guy who embodies all those characteristics, I thought while chuckling. This girl's living in a fantasy world! But what did she mean by the statement; "the evil that terrorized them?"

  I continued to flip through pages and the next title that caught my attention read, "Who Will Rescue Me?" This entry had been dated from a little over a month ago and the page had tiny dried wet spots on it. I gazed at it while picturing her teardrops gently falling on the paper. She wrote about how this evening AJ and she had barely been able to get into the room in time before the stranger forced his way into their house. While AJ sat and stared at the floor, she sat and stared at her watch—counting the minutes. Instead of the usual 45 to 50, the man had stayed for over an hour. When their mother had finally come to let them out, she had welts on her face and was sobbing uncontrollably. Shannon wrote how deeply hurt and furious she was to see her mother being continuously physically abused. And if the police couldn't help them, who would? "There is no one else to turn to, no one who can save us. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind. I'm in such despair. Isn't there anyone who can free us from those filthy, despicable pigs? I so hate my father, and wish he were dead. But what's the use. There is no hope. Please, God, please send someone who can rescue us."

  Whoa! What could this be about? I thought with concern. I felt deep compassion stirring within my heart as I pondered her predicament. I wanted to continue reading more but I heard AJ calling for me. I put the diary back in its place, changed into my bathing suit, and then went downstairs to join her.