Family Bright

(( Takes place in the early evening on 20.1.2007 ))

Family Bright

The front door was intimidating. It did not look particularly malevolent but still Coile had this uneasy feeling down in his gut about approaching it. It was almost a herculean task to reach the doorstep and it took an additional effort to force his hand to knock. Then he waited.

A woman with blond hair and classy dress opened the door. "Yes?", she said and held the it barely wide enough for Coile to see her eyes. "Mrs. Bright? I am Coile, Andre Kraft. I called." The door was allowed to open more, cautiously and under control. "Yes, you did.", she said. "Come on in, please."

Feeling being under utmost scrutiny Coile stepped in wearing his full Silent Tempest combat uniform and looked around. What he saw was a regular apartment that was tidy. The lack of pink surprised him, and put a definite dread into his mind. Diana's room was bound to contain all the pink for one whole apartment. A tall, skinny man appeared from the living room with his hand extended. "Welcome, Mr. Kraft", he said in his sharp business suit. It was clear that Coile was in presence of people who took care of appearances.

"What can we do for you, Mr. Kraft?", asked the woman. They stood side by side blocking the entrance further. Coile cleared his throat. "It's about your daughter, ma'am. Diana." The shift in mood was immediate and noticeable. A touch of worried concern descended on the parents. The man motioned towards the living room. "Why don't you step inside, Mr. Kraft? We were having coffee."

Coile nodded and followed the pair into a room filled spaciously with antique furniture, a few carefully selected paintings and a bookcase filled with decorative plates. In a central position was a velveted showcase with trophies and medals. Without asking Coile knew them to be Diana's from the time she competed in archery. There were many.

While he took a seat the woman walked to a cupboard and took out an extra cup and a plate. They looked like what he would describe as fancy. Rare. Expensive. Precious.

"You can call me Andre.", he suggested. Seeing the matter at hand he wanted to cut down the level of formality as much as possible. There were uneasy smiles and wary glances exchanged between the master and mistress of the house. This sudden familiarity was both enexpected and unwanted, but forced on them nonetheless. To avoid appearing rude, heaven forbid, Diana's mother lifted her hand for another half-hearted shake. "Jane.", she said. Diana's father smiled with a touch more sincerity. "Nigel.", was his reply.

Coffee was poured while silence stretched towards a point where someone was oblidged to say something. They were staring at him. Coile lifted the cup full of steaming hot coffee to try and sip it if only a little just to have more time to figure out where to start. He had known it would not be easy but not even Diana's warning had prepared him for the polite distant superiority he was now facing. Jane spoke first. "What about Diana? Is she in trouble?"

"Oh no, nothing of the sort!" He wanted to dispel any misuderstandings as quickly as he possibly could. "She is doing fine, she is fine.", he continued hoping it would sooth his present company. It did not. Nigel looked directly at him and intoned, "Why don't you lay out the facts Mr. Kraft and after that we can see what kind of a situation we are in?" This spoke volumes of his conduct in big business. Present your offer, if it is not satisfactory, off you go.

Coile had considered multiple angles to go about this, make a speech about heroism, laudate the efforts of the younger generation, draw parallels between school achievements and results one got on the streets, or even just congratulate them on how wonderful a child they had who cared about the world and everyone in it. Each approach felt so terribly inadequate now. He would have to sell his case.

He had no clue how. "I am the leader of a supergroup called Silent Tempest. It has been going on since last May and we have accomplished things." This was a part of one angle that he had rehearshed in his head. "Your daughter Diana is in my team as Love Angel and she has been doing a terriffic job." They wanted facts, he would give them facts. One upside of not being completely on the level all the time was that one could bypass hindering formalities like sound explanations without much care and just present the bottom line. Much like Nigel had asked.

His piece said Coile fell silent and awaited for a reaction. Any reaction. From either one. Either at all. Any other reaction than the disbeliving cold stare that he got from them both. The lack of voices dragged on and somewhere in the room or in the house or in the world a clock was ticking away seconds. The scene reminded him distantly of the time he had gone to meet Nadia's parents to tell them that their girl had died in an avalanche.

Jane was shaking. Nigel drank nervously more coffee. While it was not unreasonable to deduce by how they sat or stood or acted that Jane was the leading figure in the family she was now simply too shocked to take the initiative. Finally Nigel spoke. "Are you telling us that our daughter is some kind of a licensed hero?"

A nervous smile was the only thing keeping the growing feeling of panic at bay. Coile fought to maintain it while he assessed just in how deeply he was over his head here. Jane and Nigel were people who were used to getting what they wanted. Their world was in order because they would not have it any other way. Now there was a breach, a breach uparalalled in severity and magnitude. Their secure and secured world was suddenly being shaken from beneath the base stone.

It was like handling an over-saturated solution. The liquid was clear and serene but the slightest shock could start the lightning fast crystallation sweep over. In the worst case the whole decant glass could burst apart.

Coile nodded.

A shock.

"My daughter will not be a hero!" Jane was now standing, leaning her hands on the table and shaking not a bit less than before. "Heroes are people with too much time in their hands, parading around in their ridiculous costumes." She was looking straight at Coile and was not fazed at all by the fact that he was wearing a costume. "They are generally uneducated, ignorant, juvenile delinquents or freaks with delusions of grandeur and they most certainly are not proper company for a girl who should be studying hard and planning for her future." She drew breath.

And continued. "As for you Mr. Kraft I cannot begin to describe your irresponsiblity in this! Taking along a minor without the consent of her parents, subjecting her to numerous dangers, risking her life and most importantly risking her future by allowing her to waste her precious time in expense of these frivolous pasttime activities."

Coile opened his mouth. He was not allowed to say anything. "I am not finished." Now she straightened her back, the flair of defining the world around her taking over once more. "This will cease immediately. You will cease all associations with Diana and tomorrow we will have that idiotic hero license revoked. She will stop wasting her life in folly. Is this clear, Mr. Kraft? She is no longer a member of your organization."

The silence felt almost cacophonic in his ears. Coile wetted his parched lips and tried to shake the sudden terror out of his mind. This was too important to get clogged down now. "She has been doing a wonderful job and we are proud to have her in. She has helped many people, saved lives. And she studies too, she really does. This does not take away from her studies."

Before Jane could present a full fldged rebuttal of such nonsense Nigel cut in. "Mr. Kraft, while Diana's grades are decent at the moment they are declining. Or will. I have discussed on one occasion with the headmaster and it seems like Diana has some problems concentrating in class. As if she did not sleep enough. Now I think I see why. If such continues, her grades this semester will drop, and her chances to get into a good university will lower significantly. Her investment into future until now will be in vain."

"NO!", bellowed Jane, face now pale and almost contorted. "Her grades will not drop because these lies and shenanegans will stop here and now! Curfew at seven. Grounded for three months. Oh no, if she can not control herself then her parents have to fill that role."

Earlier in the day Coile had pondered what was the worst that could happen. He had thought of many scenarios but this exceeded his wildest speculations. Even in the worst case he had thought he could sway the parents to see that Diana was doing an important job and she was being a responsible girl about all of his duties. This catasthrope was just so unseemly that nothing had prepared him for this. He was fast losing a team member and more importantly the contact to a dear friend.

He stood up. So did Nigel. As Coile had made sure that Diana was out of the house it was left for him to defend her position. Standing up like this was very foreign to him but if there ever was a situation where it was needed it was now. "With all due respect she is adult enough to make her own choices. When she came in she was a bit of a kid but she has since shown just how capable she is. I would trust my life into her hands any day. She is a great hero and saying she shouldn't be doing that is robbing her of a chance to make the world a better place. You can't stop her!"

Jane's voice became a shrill shriek tainted with the mother's primal fear for her child. "She will stop! She will, or I will throw her out. My daughter will not be a hero!" Nigel Bright looked at her wife and opened his mouth to voice an opinion. Maybe he declined to say anything. Maybe his opinion was the silence. Finally he said, "Mr. Kraft, you would better leave now." His voice was quiet, sad and defeated. Jane's eyes had a wild look and the arms were trembling, that hard she was gripping the back rest of the chair.

"Get out!", she snapped coldly. And that was that. Nothing Coile could say would now change a thing. He turned around and walked to the living room door. One glance backwards into those cold blaming eyes. There was hate there, hate for destroying Diana's life. Or maybe Jane's own life. The only thing that could salvage the situation was if the parents accepted that their daughter now would not grow up just as they had planned.

The outside air was refreshingly chilly. Coile breathed deeply and his head started to clear. This had gone so wrong. But he had done his best. Right? It was the stuckup parents who had turned it into a nightmare. Anyway it would be up to Diana now. She could convince her parents that she was making the right choices. That, or move out. Nadia could use the company. If that didn't work, there was the his and Melanie's penthouse too.

If Diana's parents maintained their stance she just would have to grow all the way up very fast and decide her future for herself. It would be rough, but not really that bad. She had friends. How bad could it be, in the end?

_________________
- Coile * The Silent Tempest
"There is nothing really supernatural at it but it is extraordinary that a schoolgirl can do it so good." -description of Love Angel

(( Takes place during the night of 25.-26.4.2007 ))

The Glow

The numbers on the screen converted to pylons under a red line. Jane Bright, one of the top doctors in Chiron Medical Center in Atlas Park decreased the tolerance level for cellular damage and the red line sunk lower. Still it did not touch the pylons. One more test signaled that Diana was fine.

The door to the lab opened and Shirley Maigre entered.

"Hello, Jane.", she said. "Working late? I thought you were on a day shift this week."

Jane rubbed her eyes. "It's Diana. Now her hero life took her inside a nuclear reactor room. I'm checking what kind of damage she has sustained."

"Oh my!", exclaimed Shirley sympathetically. Then she pointed at the door. "Was that Diana outside right there?" Jane nodded, paying still attention to the numbers on the screen. Shirley giggled conspirationally. "So, who's she sleeping against? I didn't know she had a boyfriend!"

Jane shot a tired glance at her co-worker. "Technically, she doesn't."

"Oh-ho? The smile on her face and the dreamy look on the guy told a slightly different tale. Are you telling me they're just romancing, without sleeping together?" Shirley sat on the table and leaned back to see Jane's face which was still close to the monitor. She almost fell off when Jane replied. "They sleep together without romancing."

"Jane my old blond wicked witch of the viral labs, you simply must check my ears for me. Or commit me to a padded room before I have the chance to blow the cover of space alien invaders who have taken your shape. It sounded to me like you allow your daughter to have sex with a man who is not her boyfriend." She corrected her glasses, brushed stray flock of hair away from her face and tried to read what her previously most sane work mate told with her facial expressions. However trying to decipher Jane was futile as per usual. It was easier to guess what the hero statues around the city hall were thinking.

"They do not have sex nor are they planning to. They just sleep together in the same bed for closeness." Now all the data had been checked twice over already but Jane was unwilling to meet Shirley's disbelieving eyes. It all made more sense when you did not have to put it all into words. "Jane! I mean absolutely no disrespect towards your fine daughter but don't you think you are just a little too trusting? The best made plans of mice and horny youngsters. There is no telling when hormones and mad passion take over."

A weary sigh left Jane's lips. It all sounded so very weird when told to someone else. Her whole current life did. She did trust Diana and if she said there was nothing indecent happening then there was not. When she forced herself to think about Andre she trusted even him. Not because he was a shining example of human virtues but because there did not seem to be a single bad or deceptive bone in him. You got exactly what it said on the tin. She had conditioned herself not to worry but what Shirley was saying made perfect sense. When it came to emotions her daughter and Diana's non-boyfriend were just human beings and any super quality that either possessed had nothing to do with sensible decisions.

"Jane, what contraceptive method is Diana using?"

"None."

"None? Surely she has at least a box of rubbers for just in case she meets the hottest hunk of her daydreams?"

"I do not think so."

"Jane!"

"What?!"

"Think Jane, think! They share the bed for god's sake, and there's not one rubber around. If I could draw I could make a comic about sexual education and use those two as a prime example for a list of don'ts. I'm now even tempted to take art classes. Do you want your daughter to become a mother by her eighteenth birthday?"

Jane rubbed her temples. There was a phantom of a headache creeping closer. "You're right.", she said. Then she took a blood test kit into her hand. "I need to take one more sample. I will talk to her at the same time."

"Of contraception? With her guy sitting next to her? Jane, I have always said it, you are pure evil."

Jane smiled coldly. "With Andre there it makes it that much easier to interview him about his sexual habits and preferred contraceptive methods. It's not just the girl's responsibility." That being said she exited the examination lab. Shirley imagined the rude awakening that would fall on the two kids outside in the corridor. "Oh my. I have unleashed the unholy beast of a concerned mother." She got a chocolate bar from her shirt pocket and took a bite. "How inconsiderate of me."

A good fifteen minutes later Jane came back with a vial of blood that she divided into two containers and put the other in centrifuge. Shirley crumbled the chocolate wrappings in her hand. "So. How did it go?"

"Diana is contemplating whether she would like to have a subcutanous hormonal pill or vaginal contraceptive ring. Andre is probably wondering why he in addition to naming all the contraceptive methods that he has had personal experience with also named his sexual partners. Sometimes I do wonder about the movements of his mind. The other times, most times, I just think of something else."

Shirley laughed but then crouched forward on the table. "So, who is this Andre anyway? You have been withholding vital gossip from me, Jane my girl. And what's this sleeping business anyway?"

She had been dreading this. It was something she had rehearsed in her head and each time it sounded so fantastical. However soon she would have to explain to her brother James why there was a bald man living with Diana in her room and she really could do with a dress rehearsal. Feeling the weight of a long night she gave in.

"Andre is the leader of the hero group that Diana belongs to. Recently he lost both his home and wife in a violent manner. Diana brought him to our home to sleep for a night or two. It stretched to a week and then he asked if he could rent our guestroom for the time being, until he could sort his life a little better. I discussed it with Nigel and in the end we agreed to the proposal."

A wave of the hand indicated that Shirley wanted to cut in. Jane kept a pause. "That's mighty generous of you Jane but you are not known for that sort of personal charity. What's the angle?"

Now, this was the hardest part. It had sounded so understandable when she had discussed with Nigel. "Diana has a special quality. Do you remember in January when she was hospitalized? The best experts available confirmed a theory that she went into a coma because of an emotional conflict. She was torn between two dedications and just shutdown because she could not escape the dilemma. I do not proclaim to understand it but I would be a fool to disregard it. So, now we try to accommodate her foolish fancies where they do not present a clear danger."

With a mischievous wink Shirley pointed out. "Your kid came up with the ultimate tantrum, hm? If she doesn't get her way she'll just slip into a coma." Jane's voice was full of irritation. "It is not voluntary. She cannot help it. But in a way you are correct. Now we give each case careful thought and try to allow her freedoms to a great extent. In exchange we also expect her to behave in an adult manner and take responsibility of her own actions. Right now she has to make up her own mind about a contraceptive method."

"Right. So now they share the bed with a promise of no hankypanky and there's no fond feelings between them. Jane, do you realize that selling that story equals to shelling out prime estate certificates in Boomtown?"

"I did not say that there is no fondness. In fact there is nothing but. It is a rare occurrence to see their hands unattached and for more times than I care to count I have found them in rather compromising positions staring into each others' eyes. They not only sleep in the same bed but arms wrapped around each other like some grotesque octopus. They tickle, caress and kiss cheeks and noses. At times I am just a stretch of a hand away from taking an insulin shot. I can just hear in my ears James's amused suggestion about starting the World famous Bright Honey Factory."

Shirley just stared at Jane for a moment and proceeded to roll her eyes in an exaggerated manner. "That's it. Any one of our resident supervillains has blasted me into some warped reality because the more that you explain the less sense you make. What you just described was a text book case of teeth-achingly sweet, certifiably uncurable puppy dog-"

"Love.", Jane completed the sentence.

The silence hung in the room as Shirley sought for the word that best summed up her feelings at that point. "Well, DUH!" She waved with her hands. "Because I was starting to think that I needed to go back to my office to fetch the clue bat and introduce you to the business end of it. Jane, what the hell is going on?"

It was time to lay all the chips on the table. "They love each other so deeply that they forget to lust each other, and as far as I can tell they are the only ones blind enough not to see it clear as a sunny day on Talos Island beach. The utterly crazy part is that they can probably keep their personal illusions up for a long time, maybe even long enough to find other people to be with and never see what they had. Right now they both steer away from a true romance with incredible fervor and fill the void with every possible characteristic of a love story of a century that falls beneath the level of kissing the mouth."

She had quit smoking as a new year's resolution. Still Shirley's hand went to her pocket to look for those familiar comforting shapes of a pack and a lighter. Her hand only found a nutrient bar and nicotine gum. She was working furiously on a question that would steer the discussion back to normality when Jane got up after receiving one more burst of data on her screen. "I will be right back.", she said and headed out of the door.

True to her word Jane returned in five minutes. "Diana chose to have no contraceptives at this time. So I told her to at least go and buy a pack of condoms."

"What? With her guy still there?" Shirley tried to stiffle a laughter but failed miserably in the end. "You should host a game show. We could call it 'Embarrassed Yet'? I can guarantee nationwide top ratings." Jane just smiled politely. It was the best response that she had found to go with Shirley's lunatic ideas. It was by far the safest to let her rant it all out or it would just build up and then there was no telling when the critical mass would be achieved. With bad luck it would be during a coffee break with everyone gathered in the break room.

The description about the rules of the show went on for a while until Shirley suddenly fell silent and her mouth dropped open. "Jane, you said Andre. Not Andre Kraft, Coile, the notorious, infamous sexual predator, the pet deviant of the yellow press and the prince of depravity that boinks everything with either two, three or four legs regardless whether or not the object of his affections is biological or inanimate?"

Jane snapped angrily. "You can't possibly believe everything that is written about him."

"Everything? If I take even a tenth of it all at face value you still have one sick bastard under your roof."

"Nigel checked out the stories, made some subtle inquiries and talked to Andre directly as well. It is my stance that if even that tenth is true he should be in Broadway with big parts as the natural class act. He is one of the most introverted people that I have met and simply put no threat to anyone. He is far too timid for that. The closest thing to boldness in him is his shaved head and that is allowing one typographical error."

"And how long do you think it will take before your family has the questionable fortune of being dragged into the limelight along with His Baldness? Because that day will come. Can you imagine what they will say about your daughter and her chosen non-lover?"

Jane was again running tests and sat back in her chair waiting for the calculations to complete. She grimaced and rubbed her temples again. The headache was that much closer now. "I will deal with that when the time comes."

She received a sympathetic smile. "Anyway, how does it feel to have an extra man in the house?"

"He is actually less of a klutz than I originally gave him credit for. He does his share of house chores without complaining and from what I saw even on his own initiative without Diana prodding him into it. Recently he has even begun cooking under Diana's supervision. Nigel named him the man in the house in his absence and Andre seems to take that role seriously."

"A man in the house? Jane, are you making and baking a son-in-law out of him?"

"Each member of the household should be useful and Andre is expected to do his share both for the house and the people in it."

"That was no answer!"

Jane threw a dark glance at the other. "Nevertheless it will have to suffice."

"Awww Jane! It's me, Shirley Maigre, your favourite looney-toon co-worker whom you know to have more sense than any of the dimmer lightbulbs whom we work with. Now level with me you cranky queen crone of nightshift madness. Are you scoping out the boy for a permanent family position? If you don't mind me saying so, he does seem to be out of the league I imagine Diana in."

This put a very peculiar expression on Jane's face for the briefest of moments. It spoke of an untold tale of sorrow but with no regrets. The ultra cold yet fiery spark that seemed to fuel her at most times was significantly diminished when after a careful consideration she again spoke. "Class is not everything. There are times when appearances should not intervene with the happiness. God knows I have my reservations about that boy but if Diana is happy with him, and she is, the gravest mistake that I could do would be to disapprove of her choice. There are no leagues when the heart is concerned, Shirley. And if you ever dare to repeat one word of this to any soul, dead or living, I will lock you in isolation ward nine and keep supplying Doctor Vahzilok with nice female spare parts for months to come."

Shirley just laughed. "Jane, your sordid secret of a closet romantic is safely sealed behind my pouting lips. As far as the world is concerned under that wrinkled and cold exterior beats a shriveled, blackened heart." Diana's mother gave a small smile and muttered "thank you" before looking back to the monitor. There were not many people who got away with such talk but Shirley happened to be one. James, her brother, was another. And the rest of the world had better think carefully when speaking to her.

The data charts were compiling and presenting more results. Jane tapped her nose with a pencil thoughtfully. "I will have to run some of the tests again after Diana's periods. I wonder how much knowledge Andre has about that particular subject." Her co-conspirator giggled. "Why not ask him, then?"

"Oh, I will. In the breakfast table. If he fails to explain the phenomenon to my medical satisfaction I will ask Diana to educate him. On the spot. They want to play the adult game, fine. That is exactly what they will get."

Shirley burst out laughing. "Jane, I have always said it. You are pure evil."

_________________
- Coile * The Silent Tempest
"There is nothing really supernatural at it but it is extraordinary that a schoolgirl can do it so good." -description of Love Angel