New evolution home

Kelly was sitting in the ambulance wearing Brandon's sweater. She had been given something that had made her narcotic effects vanish and she found herself naked, with only a thong on. She was ashamed of herself.

The paramedics had given her a blanket and were making sure she was okay, both she and the other girls.

All were identified and Brandon and Dylan were talking to Christine. Kelly could tell them apart but there was too much confusion around it. The lights, the girls.

Brenda was next to her, holding a hand on her shoulder.

"What did I do..." Kelly whispered in desperation.

"Hey.. it wasn't your fault"

"I don't remember anything.." she said "I don't even remember if I've been with any of these men" Kelly was terrified and with tears in her eyes.

"Oh my God," Kelly exclaimed, bringing her hands to her mouth.

"Kelly, look at me," Brenda said, taking her face in her hands, "you haven't been with any of these men, we're sure, you should have..." Brenda stopped and didn't know how to explain.

"What?"

"You were supposed to marry Finley tomorrow. You were the chosen one. None of these men have touched you or ever seen you in the face."

"The wedding dress..." Kelly whispered, reminiscent of a wedding dress.

Brenda sighed, kissed Kelly on the forehead and then squeezed her to better arrange the blanket that the paramedics had brought her to warm her up.

"I have to find you a suit. Something. You can't stay like this"

Brandon and Dylan approached shortly after.

Kelly saw Brandon and put her arms around his waist wrapping him around him while she was still sitting.

"I'm sorry" she said criying "I'm sorry"

Brenda looked at her brother taking the blanket and putting it back on Kelly.

"I love you," he said and kissed her on the forehead, "we'll get through this too."

Kelly looked at all three "please I don't want the others to know what happened"

Brandon squeezed her to himself "no one will ever know," he said, seeking understanding with the other two.

Brenda and Dylan nodded, then left them alone.

Dylan and Brenda moved a few steps further.

"Finley can't be found," Dylan told Brenda.

'How can't he be found?'

"They took that Douglas but him... I don't know how it went. It's probably true that there were corrupt cops, someone might have warned him, not enough in time to cancel the evening but sure in time to run away."

Brenda sighed and looked at Kelly holding her head resting on her brother's chest.

"Maybe it's better to wait before you tell her."

"Yeah"

Brenda discharged the tension by suddenly hugging Dylan, holding on to him as Dylan sank his face into her hair.

"Thank you" Brenda just whispered "for helping my brother"

"I didn't do anything"

"That's not true, you found the right channel for the FBI to intervene, you paid for the invitations, you were with me."

Dylan didn't answer anything it was nice to finally be part of something.

He felt he was healing, somewhere he felt the cracks suturing.

XX

After Kelly's exit from the New Evolution, the organization was dismantled and Finley was arrested while trying to board a flight to Brazil.

Kelly read about him in the newspaper and it was a liberation, as if someone had broken the last chain with a pincer, she had a guy who truly loved her and who had not given up even where anyone would, she had friends who had helped her and for the first time Kelly felt serene as if that storm inside her had suddenly subsided.

What Finley said was wrong, not everyone is leaving.

As she read the newspaper she looked at her still bandaged arm. Kelly got up, took scissors and cut off the bandages. Her white skin was a little spoiled by a darker patch. Kelly looked at and decided that she didn't want to be afraid anymore and that she didn't need those bandages.

She heard a scream coming from Donna's room. Kelly looked in that direction and then ran to her room.

'What happened?' Asked Clare who had entered before her.

Donna had a terrified look.

"He was here..." she said in a voice entangled in fear.

Kelly looked around.

"Who has been here?"

"He..." Woman stammered and pointed to a red rose resting on her desk.

"I don't understand," Clare said.

Donna could no longer stand up and let herself fall on the bed.

Kelly took the rose and took it away then came back to her and finally Donna was able to tell of someone who seemed to be watching her and now had even entered her room while she was sleeping.

Peach Pit

Dylan was sipping coffee holding his arm around Brenda's shoulders.

"I have to go back to London next week," she said.

"I know but I'll come with you, I'll help you pack everything and get home."

Get home. Brenda looked at him, smiled at him, it seemed incredible even to her that they were now together again after the year of hell in which she had been forced to live and resist.

It occurred to her how many times she had entrare d the Peach Pit and had had to put up with the sight of Dylan and Kelly together, hugging, or kissing and each time she felt like she was dying a little.

Brandon and Steve came in at that moment.

"Hey guys!"

"Do we disturb lovebirds?" Brandon said, taking a chair and sitting with them at the table.

Steve went to order breakfast.

Dylan got closer to Brandon.

"How is Kelly?"

Brandon smiled "it's better, she's back to class, things are going... great... they're back to the way they were before."

"So..." Dylan continued "I want to propose something to you, why don't we all take a little trip together?"

'What trip?' Steve was back at the table.

" to Lake Sutherland.."

"Nice idea.." Steve was immediately excited about the idea of a vacation.

"We could all go..." Brandon replied "I mean everyone.. like the camping we did years ago."

'Going where?' Valerie had approached.

"We wanted to take a trip to the lake, all together"

"Ahh, I can't leave the club"

"Yes you can.. I'll stay," David smiled.

"But you have to come too," Steve replied, who winked at him. It's been a long time that Steve didn't smile at him like that.

"What are we talking about?" Kelly and Donna had come in at the time.

"To have a weekend out all together," Brandon replied, kissing Kelly on the lips. He looked at her arm and immediately noticed that she had taken off the bandage.

"I don't need it anymore," she whispered in Brandon's ear, who smiled at her and squeezed her.

"We can try to ask Andrea and Jessie too, even if with the little girl so little..." suggested Donna "and of course Ray".

"Deal! It would be Great! ," Dylan said with a smile that hadn't been seen on his face in a long time.

XX

The appointment was at the Pit parking lot. Dylan and Brenda had been pretty mysterious. They had said to bring a change of clothes and a swimsuit.

Donna hadn't listened and was dragging two suitcases with her.

"Okay" Brandon clapped his hands "where is the van"

"No van" Brenda smiled sibylline.

Valerie pulled down her sunglasses "so how are we going?"

Dylan opened his arm and showed five motorcycles behind him, one of which was Dylan's.

Ray and David turned on immediately.

"I love these motorbikes!"

"Do you want to go to Lake Sutherland by motorcycle?" Steve asked Dylan.

Dylan nodded with a smile.

"I love it!!" Brandon said as he approached the others to choose the motorbike.

"Yes, me too," Kelly smiled, following Brandon and holding his hand.

"Sorry" Valerie cleared her voice "I don't ride motorcycles and here you're all in pairs, who should I go with?

"With me," David smiled, Valerie narrowed her eyes.

"As friends," David added.

"We are not friends"

David chuckled, deep down he liked how Valerie held him.

"Sorry," asked Donna with a worried air, "where do I put my suitcases?"

Steve took them both "here we go again, I think Nat's warehouse is a great place, we'll pick them up on the way back.

'Good!' Dylan smiled "if we've solved all the problems, we can go."

Dylan and Brenda were the first to leave, followed by everyone else.

"Hold on tight Valerie," David said as he fastened his helmet.

"Go to hell, David," Valerie replied, clinging to him a little.

David shook his head and smiled.

It was nice to get on the road all together, Brenda was holding on to Dylan and thought maybe she would never go back to London again. She could give everything to the homeowner and buy everything back.

She felt free.

The journey was made up of overtaking, teasing, laughter, of young guys holding on to each other in a wonderful dance.

They stopped after a couple of hours at a gas station.

The girls went to line up to use the restroom.

"I don't think I can hold on much longer on this motorcycle," Clare said, "after a while it hurts... you see below.."

Valerie laughed "at least you're with your boyfriend, I have to hang on someone who doesn't want to have anything to do with me," Valerie replied as she fixed her lipstick.

"It doesn't seem to me that David doesn't want to deal with you" said Donna "and if I tell you"

That unexpected solidarity made Valerie smile, if only Donna had known how many times Ray went to her in her bed.

Valerie felt nauseated by herself and the uncontrollable anger that sometimes led her to hurt others.

Kelly walked out of the bathroom and went to wash her hands.

"How are you?" Brenda asked her with a kind and discreet look.

She smiled "I'm better".

Brenda smiled "ok.."

They all came out. The motorcycles were parked outside the diner but you couldn't see the guys

Brenda nudged Kelly slightly and caught her attention.

They were all five around a black Corvette with three girls.

They chuckled and were helping them change a tire.

"I can't believe it," Kelly snorted.

They watched them as they were alpha males and helped them get gas.

Clare crossed her arms and looked quite upset when she realized that the dumbest of all was Steve.

"And they are not all that beauty either," Valerie said evidently annoyed.

"true" Kelly confirmed.

The five girls approached the boys behind them.

"Are you having fun?" Clare's voice surprised Steve behind him and he began to sweat cold.

"Clare"

"Yeah... Clare..."

Steve turned slowly "we were just helping to change a punctured tire"

"And are you done?"

One of the girls in the car approached Kelly.

"What are you, their moms!"

"I'm his wife," Kelly said suddenly showing a ring on his finger and pointing to Brandon.

Everyone turned to her. She had overturned a yellow gold ring and put it on her ring finger.

Brandon looked at her in surprise while all the others girls looked at her satisfied.

Brenda walked up to Dylan, she also had a fake ring on her finger.

"Because you didn't say you were married," the girl asked Brandon and Dylan.

"Eh" Brandon sighed amused.

The three girls immediately walked away. Under the satisfied eyes of the girls.

Clare slapping Steve behind the back of her neck.

"Try it again and I'll stifle you in your sleep" then Clare walked into the restaurant "I'm hungry."

Brenda looked at Dylan with narrow eyes.

"Didn't you get angry?"

"Maybe," she replied, shrugging her shoulders and following Clare.

"Come on Brenda we were just kidding..."

Dylan immediately followed her.

Brandon looked at Kelly "are you not going to be mad?"

Kelly gave him her hand and winked at him

"No, I'm not mad, we've already had enough problems in the past few days"

Brandon smiled.

Valerie didn't look David and left and David smiled looking at Ray "and she's not even my girlfriend, think if she was"

Ray and Donna took each other by the hand and walked to the restaurant.

Donna really cared that Ray settled in with her friends, but she knew that deep down he couldn't stand them, for him they were just rich and spoiled who hadn't worked a day of their lives.

Ray, however, seemed relaxed, he liked that idea of the motorcycle trip and he liked the idea of being able to spend some time with Donna, of being able to sleep with her and maybe who knows could be a good opportunity.

They had lunch in this restaurant full of truck drivers and people passing through and then left for the hotel on the lake.

The building was right on the shore of the lake and had a jetty with two boats mooring.

"This place is magnificent," Kelly said happily.

"Yes it's true" even Valerie felt the serenity that that place conveyed, away from everything, from any worry, she was happy to have closed the Peach AD for those three days. She needed to recover.

The owner's name was Theresa. She was a cheerful woman and ran that place along with her husband Gilbert.

The hotel had six rooms all with a view of the lake.

Dylan took the keys "this is for me and Brenda" and slipped the keys into the hands of her who winked at him.

"Brandon and Kelly" Brandon took the keys "we're roommates" he told Kelly.

"How lucky," she replied.

"Steve and Clare"

Clare took the keys "I hope there's a couch because that's exactly where you're going to sleep."

There were two keys left, Dylan wasn't totally sure.

"Ray and Donna?"

Donna was evidently uncomfortable. It's not that she had never slept with David but she feared that Ray wanted anything else from her, and she didn't want to make any night fights heard.

It was Valerie who saved her by grabbing the keys from Dylan's hands "I don't sleep with David, and certainly not with Ray either... Donna?" Valerie looked at her with her metal eyes.

"Okay" she smiled shyly but deep down she thanked her for saving her.

"Great" Ray said looking at David.

Theresa watched everyone rather amused it was a group of young guys and it was also supposed to be a complex group. In the years of working at the hotel she had learned to observe and get to know people.

"It's a wonderful day," Theresa said, "Will you put on your swimsuit and take advantage of the private beach show to stay at the lake for a while?"

"Great idea," Dylan said.

Everyone went to their own room and with different moods.

Room 4

Donna and Valerie

"It looks like I'll be your hot date for these days"

Donna laughed shyly "I'm actually grateful to you, you saved me from embarrassment"

Valerie was exactly the opposite of Donna and didn't really understand this idea she had for virginity "did you ever sleep with a guy?"

"Yes with David" Valerie got nervous right away "it's just that Ray is quite insistent about sex, except in the last period..."

Valerie knew very well why Ray had been tired since she found him in her bed twice a week.

"Maybe he is not the right one"

"I know it seems absurd to you that I want to remain a virgin"

"I would say weird" replied Valerie "but not absurd... and it's also strange to use sex like I do"

Valerie's sincerity put Donna at ease. Maybe she wasn't as bad as Valerie herself wanted to make you believe.

Room 5

Ray and David.

"I'm afraid you'll have to put up with me," David said as he looked at Ray.

"Donna and this idea of hers was religion," he replied, heavily letting go of his backpack on the floor. Ray immediately realized he was talking to Donna's ex-boyfriend.

"It's pretty frustrating, I know believe me," he said looking for the swimsuit in his backpack.

"That's why you broke up?" Ray asked right away "sorry, don't answer, it's none of my business":

"No, don't worry, I thought you knew, I cheated on Donna, she found out, she thought we would both arrive virgins at the wedding, I tried, I failed, a science fiction stuff for me, I'm honest, but she's so romantic."

Ray sat on the bed "at least we could have been together, me and Donna, and instead I'm with you"

David laughed "yes but don't expect anything from me I'm not romantic"

David's joke made Ray laugh, maybe this group wasn't that terrible.

Room 3

Clare and Steve

"What a pity Steve there's no sofa, but I think you'll look great sleeping on the floor," Clare said.

"You'll have a joke," Steve replied angrily.

"No" Clare was very serious.

"Hey, I paid for the room like you paid for it, I'm entitled to my bed."

"Okay, but the store will be closed all weekend... remember that"

"You won't resist without having sex with me all weekend"

"You're the one who won't resist," Clare replied

"Do you want to bet?" Steve immediately regretted what he had said.

"100," Clare replied.

Clare took the bikini and changed in front of Steve.

"So it's not fair," he said, looking at her naked.

"I never said it would be fair," Clare replied mischievously.

Room 2

Brandon and Kelly.

Kelly stared at the lake and saw the sunlight sparkle over that expanse of blue water.

Brandon hugged her from behind and kissed her neck.

"It's really a great place, I'm glad we came here," she said.

"Yes, me too" Brandon brushed her neck with his lips "can I say something?"

Kelly was listening to him.

"I know we're only 20 years old and we don't know where our ways will take us, but I felt something when you called me "your husband".. I know it's stupid.. and it's early.."

Kelly looked at Brandon.

Eyes in eyes.

She placed her index finger on his mouth.

"I felt this thing too," she said.

Brandon immediately shut up. They didn't say anything else.

He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply and for a long time.

Behind the lake sparkled. They began to hear the voices of Valerie, Donna, David and Clare but neither of them wanted to move from there or break away.

It was like coming back from a long journey. It was like coming home.

"I can put your swimsuit on"

Kelly laughed, took the red bikini and lifted it with one finger to hand it to him as Brandon began to undress her.

Room 1

Brenda and Dylan.

Brenda opened the shower and Dylan slipped behind her.

"The others are already down," she said, who had seen David and Valerie arrange the towels on the deckchair.

"Who cares," Dylan replied as he bent over to kiss her breasts under the breath of the hot shower.

She smiled.

The kiss got deeper.

Dylan took her in his arms and she squeezed hers so it's around his waist.

"I can't resist you, I'll always come back to you," he told him as her back was leaning against the shower tiles and he held her by squeezing her butt.

"Promise it," Brenda replied.

Brenda and Dylan looked into each other's eyes, as the shower water flowed over them and he was inside her.

"I promise you," he whispered.