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Chapter 12:

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"I swear-- Only I could be so fortunate to find myself in a situation such as this…" Wayne said dreamily, pacing in front of the showers while hold Beatrice's towel before himself. Beatrice was thankful the showers were otherwise abandoned to save herself from more shame.

"I could sell tickets!" Wayne exclaimed, then recoiled. "No… Ahh! Blackmail! Wait, no… not quite enough…"

"Wayne, I'm getting cold here…"

"Please, dear, I'm brainstorming," Wayne waved her off. "I got it! I could leave you here like my own personal pet… Hey, at least I'll know where to find you…"

"Wayne," Beatrice warned in a low growl. "You have five seconds to give me back that towel or I'm gonna--"

"You're gonna what?" Wayne asked, perking up with great interest. "Please, tell me-- I'm very curious to know."

Beatrice closed her mouth, not knowing how to reply. He was right; she was at his mercy. Oh man, did she ever hate this…

"Wayne, just give me the towel!"

"You can come and get it any time you like, my dear. Until then, I have a few questions… A few inquiries, if you will."

Beatrice sighed and closed the door to the shower, and sat her bared bottom on the shower floor. She might as well get comfortable-- looked like she was going to be here for a while.

"What do you want to know, lowlife?" she asked with impatience.

"How'd your little night with Damien go, first of all…?"

"You tell me— I know you saw it all from the window."

"Mad at me for harmless spying, my dear?" he retorted. "Just concerned for the well-being of my dearest little lady…"

Beatrice smirked in amusement.

"You want to know if I slept with the guy, don't you?" she said accusingly. "It's just eating you up inside, isn't it-- This 'not knowing'?"

Beatrice smirked again when Wayne didn't reply for several moments. She watched him as he took a seat upon the tiled floor as well, putting his back to hers, with only the foggy glass between them.

"Tell me, Bee… why do you hate me?" Wayne asked next.

Beatrice had to admit, she was a little surprised by the question. Her hatred never seemed to bother him before… And now there almost seemed to be a little… hurt in his voice.

She tried her best to put her answer into words, but had a bit of trouble doing so.

"Because-- because you're are a liar, and you're a cheater, and you possess the infuriating inability to be with one woman at a time, you follow me everywhere, you hit on anything female, and you're… you're cocky!"

"Is that all?" he laughed. "I don't believe any of that."

"Oh, really?" she said with mock disbelief.

"Glenn says you hate me because you're afraid of getting hurt."

"Glenn needs to stick to his books."

"Okay," Wayne humored her. "So now what I can't get is why you made a bet like you did last night. I mean, if you hate me so much… and you hate Damien…"

She didn't answer.

"Wow," Wayne said as if impressed. "You've got it worse than I thought."

"You'd better not mean what I think you mean."

"You are completely and utterly fallen for me."

"Get real! I was just trying to make a point."

"Which was?"

"That I'd rather go with anyone more than you. Even Damien. Which, thanks to last night, I learned can be rather enjoyable company if given the chance."

Wayne choked on his out hysterical laughter.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Are you listening to yourself?"

"I think you had better do the listening for once."

"Alright… I'm all ears. Did you have sex with the guy or not?"

Beatrice hesitated. Suddenly Glenn burst through the door.

"There you are!" he exclaimed breathlessly. "I've been looking all over for you. They're starting the council meeting early. The rest of the Elders are coming into town, including the Concordat's. Something big is going on. We've got to get there, fast."

"Damn!" Wayne cursed his misfortune. He draped the towel over the top of the door for Beatrice to take. "Sorry babe, can't play no more."

He ran off with Glenn in quite a hurry, as Beatrice stepped out of the shower with her towel around herself, a look of sorrow on her face at seeing them go.

-

"Any word on what's going on?" James asked, shrugging on a jacket for the cold as he and his friends walked through the field up to a large square house. He had to admit he was a little annoyed at having his date with Evelyn interrupted, but the Covenant duties came first, and he just had to accept that.

"Still know just as little as you," Joe admitted as he loosened his school-issue tie. He, on the other hand, was quite glad to get away from Meredith, who proved to be crazier than he had first anticipated. "But I'll bet good money it has something to do with you and me and a certain page in the Book of Damnation."

Wayne and Glenn trailed behind, as Joe lead them all up the few stairs to the Garwin colony house, as was customary for larger meetings or trials. Once inside, they went straight down the wooden hall to the basement, and let themselves in.

The stairs went much farther down to this secret meeting place, since it was indeed much larger than the circle under the Danvers' colony house. It wasn't a place used often, in effort to preserve its beauty, but when it was used, it was certainly a sight to behold.

The place was as large as the house itself, and set completely below the foundation. It proudly boasted cathedral ceilings and marble floors, with a large pentagram etched right into the smooth salt-and-pepper stone. Candles sat upon lanky, black metal candlesticks all around, and the walls were bordered with fiery basins built into the walls, which served as the room's only light, as was custom.

Thrones of rock were set in a half-circle around the chamber, upon which the Elders would sit, had they arrived yet. The rest of the seats were smaller, set in rows in the back for the rest of the families to watch the proceedings. The front row, though, was reserved for the current Covenant and Concordat. The three Concordat boys were already there, waiting for the Elders to arrive before they took their seats, as also was custom. The two groups nodded politely at one another, knowing that here their rivalries had to be kept aside. For the most part…

"Glad you decided to show," Damien taunted them. "I was beginning to think I came all the way out here for nothing."

James frowned as he and his friends went to stand by their assigned seats, and didn't reply.

"Oh, and Wayne…" Damien went on. "Desiree's been asking for you."

Wayne rolled his eyes at the mention of the name.

"Goody."

James had to admit he wasn't fully aware of the history between the two, but whatever had gone on those many months ago, had left Wayne on tense terms with her.

"Well, well!" said a womanly voice from behind them. They all knew whom it belonged to. "Look who decided to grace us with his… incredible presence…"

Wayne sighed and turned around to face Damien's sister, Desiree. She was a beautiful woman to boot, on a Wayne scale, which meant she had a body to make any guy crazy. Her hair was a dark brown, her eyes as gold as honey, with that slight slant common nto the Roth family. Her skin was the color of Damien's, but smoother. She dressed like knew she was beautiful, with just as vain an attitude to back it up.

"Hey, Desi," Wayne said in an impatient tone, trying his best to be civil to the woman. "It's been a while…"

She swaggered up close and draped her arms on Wayne's shoulders.

"Too long…" she said in a low, sultry voice, her eyebrow arched suggestively and her eyes boasting of innuendo. "I've missed you."

"Too bad I can't say the same," Wayne replied, pushing her arms off his shoulders with a strong hint.

The Elders entered the room then, saving Wayne from further conversation. Everyone took their rightful seats, and the oldest of the Elders, Joe's grandfather, called the meeting to order. James liked Joe's grandfather. He was a good man, with a good sense of humor, and they had always gotten along quite well. He had always been a good lead Elder to them all.

"I suppose you are all wondering why I called us to meet here. Our first order of business that had been brought to my attention is the matter of leadership among our current Covenant successors. It had been alluded that our youngest Garwin," --he nodded at Joe-- "And his ability to fulfill his duties as leader are being put into question."

"Sir," James said, raising his hand and rising to his feet. "If I may speak for him. Joe's just been a little rattled in light of recent events, and he's already on the mend. I'm sure with time he'll be just as willing and able as he once was."

"Do the rest of the boys feel the same?"

Wayne and Glenn nodded together.

"And do you have anything to say to this, Mr. Garwin?"

"Sir," Joe said, also rising to his feet. "I do not wish to go against what my father feels is right. But I must stress to all of you the temporality of my current state. My pain will pass, but this decision is permanent. I hope you will choose with care."

"If this boy cannot submit to me," Joe's father spoke out. "How can he submit to the rule of the Elders? He is independent and unruly, always has been. Therefore, I advise that he be put in his rightful place."

Joe frowned at his father's distaste.

"Might I remind the Elders," Joe's father went on. "Of the incident on March the fifteenth. My daughter died because of my son's brashness. He is unfit to be leader, and unfit to have a place on this council when he is of age."

Joe knew then that he was sunk. He wasn't counting on his father using that particular weapon against him, and it cut him deep. All of his suspicions of his father's feelings toward him had been confirmed, and it broke him. He shut his mouth indefinitely.

James was on his feet again.

"With all due respect, sirs, but you have to let him keep his leadership!"

"Jimmy…" James's father warned, waving his son to sit back down. But James would not be silenced.

"He's the best and Glenn, Wayne, and I-- we all know that. He's never made a bad leadership decision in his life, and we would all follow him anywhere. If there's any way that he can keep it, please… Just give him one more chance."

The Elders leaned close to whisper among themselves, Joe's father making the most impassioned conversation. After a few moments of this, they sat back up straighter in their chairs, cleared their throats.

"Since the decision is opposed and most affected by the boy's father, we will let him have the final say on what should be done. Your successor, Garwin, your choice."

Joe's father balled his hands together and held them to his lips in deep thought, staring at Joe hard. Joe knew exactly what was coming.

"On one large condition, Joe," his father warned. "You will concede to the rules found on page thirty of the Book of Damnation, and submit to all of my judgment in your life. If you cannot accept these terms, the extra Power you possess as leader will be passed to James, as will the title. Permanently."

All eyes turned to Joe, and Glenn even let out a small gasp. It was a tremendous thing to ask, especially of Joe, though he seemed to be the only one unsurprised.

Joe turned to his friends, and commanded them in a low voice:

"Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"Joe, you can't!" James hissed at him. "Don't even think of letting him pull a page thirty on you! I'll lead. I'll manage! You can teach me!"

"I have to lead, James," Joe replied. His tone was soft, his eyes reflected that old familiar look of defeat. "It's the only thing I have left."

"You do this, and it will be," James retorted.

"You know what will happen if leadership gets passed," Joe reminded. "They will have rule over all of us."

"You give up your freedom so that the rest of us can have it?" Wayne asked. "Damn…"

"My father wants it that way," Joe explained. "It's the only way I can prove myself to him, and to myself. I have to do this. I have to give up. I'm tired of him giving me hell."

Joe slowly and dutifully turned back around to face the Elders.

"Don't do it, Joe," Glenn begged in his ear. "What happened to Lucy wasn't your fault!"

He was readily ignored.

"Elders…" Joe said boldly. His eyes landed on his dad. "Father. I accept your terms."

-

This should be the last chapter for a little bit. Cov 3 needs my attention at the moment, and I think most of my reviewers around here would agree. Anyway, please review.
Signed,
--RedRogue