Legacy: The Mark of Merlin. Gerald Pruett

she backed up to allow everyone to enter she said, “Come in.” Courtney nodded with a grin before taking a step into the house. “And did you come here with Billie, Marcie, Ray-ray and Jeanie?”

      “We came in separate cars,” Billie was the one to say. “We didn’t even know that queen-bee and her disciples were coming.”

      Courtney shot Billie an annoyed look, and before she could verbally respond, Ellen stared at Billie while saying, “Potshots—cheap or otherwise—aren’t allowed here in Switzerland.”

      “Sorry,” Billie said sincerely.

      Ellen responded with a nod. She then glanced towards Harris and saw that he was giving her a pleasant grin.

      “What?” Ellen mouthed out.

      Harris stepped up into whispering distance before saying, “I see now why Tanya would boast about you.”

      “She would boast about me?” Ellen questioned incredulously.

      “Mmm,” Harris agreed. “She would say for a teenager, you have a good sense of right and wrong and fairness.”

      Before Ellen could respond, someone put his or her hand on her shoulder. When she turned to look, one of the boys asked in a concerned tone, “How are you doing, Ellen?”

      Ellen grinned before saying, “I’ll get through this, Keith. Thanks for asking.”

      Keith nodded with a grin before saying, “If you need a shoulder to cry on…”

      “I’m good, Keith,” Ellen quickly assured him. “I don’t need a shoulder to cry on.”

      Keith held his grin as he playfully said, “Rats.”

      Ellen rolled her eyes before announcing to her group, “Everyone, go to the living room. I’ll go to the kitchen and get sodas for everyone.”

      “You heard her, everyone,” Courtney said.

      “I’ll help you get the drinks,” Harris volunteered.

      “Okay,” Ellen said before everyone went his or her way.

      As Ellen and Harris entered the kitchen, Harris said, “Keith fancies you.”

      “Yes; he’s a popular jock who has several girls wanting to be with him and he bugs me for dates,” Ellen said.

      “He seems like an okay chap, so why won’t you go out with him?” Harris asked as Ellen opened the refrigerator.

      “Do you really want to hear girl talk?” Ellen quickly asked.

      Harris shrugged before saying, “With you and Sonya living with Allyson and me, it’s going to happen sooner or later. I might as well get use to it now.”

      “Okay, fine,” Ellen said as she handed Harris a few colas to be carried. “True or not, the jocks at my school have reputations of having sex with their dates. Fact or even a rumor I’m not going to be one of their conquests.”

      Harris nodded before asking, “Is there anyone special in your life?”

      “I’ve been on dates… to the movies,” Ellen said as she grabbed a few more sodas. “Hardly anything more than that.”

      “Why not?” Harris quickly asked.

      Ellen stared skeptically into Harris’s eyes before she decided to say, “I’m a virgin and I’m not ready to have sex, nor do I want to make out during the movies, so my dates move on to someone who will.”

      Harris pleasantly grinned before telling her, “Don’t give up. There are boys out there who will respect your decision not to have sex.”

      “Oh, I know. I’d dated one who had respected my decision. We went on about five dates before he and his family moved to Arizona.”

      “You’ll find someone else,” Harris assured her. Ellen nodded in agreement with a pleasant grin. “We’d better get these sodas to your mates.”

      Before Harris had a chance to turn, Ellen quickly told him, “I don’t have the good sense of right and wrong as Tanya had told you.”

      Harris shot her a confused look while asking, “What do you mean?”

      “I snuck out… twice on Michael and Tanya to be with my friends,” Ellen said.

      Harris grinned before saying, “Yes. The first time you attempted to stop a drag race that was taking place and the second time to console a friend over… over something.”

      Ellen shot Harris a disturbed look while quickly asking, “How do you know?”

      “Tanya told me about it…”

      “She knew? How?”

      “According to Tanya, you aren’t very good at sneaking out unseen and Tanya had wanted to see what you were up to, so she followed you both times.”

      “Why didn’t she tell me that I was busted?”

      “Busting you for sneaking out to do good deeds wasn’t a high priority for Tanya; however, she would’ve… when she felt there was a need to.”

      “Okay,” Ellen uttered. “There went my self-esteem on how sneaky I thought I could be.”

      Harris amusingly grinned before saying, “Let’s take these sodas to your mates.”

      Ellen nodded agreement before she and Harris carried the sodas into the living room.

Chapter Three

      Allyson had made a same-day appointment with Arthur Bennett, the funeral home director, so Ellen’s friends could only visit for a short time before Harris, Allyson and Ellen had to leave the house.

      The fifty-year-old Arthur Bennett noticed as soon as Harris, Allyson and Ellen stepped into the funeral home. He had recognized Ellen from a few months before and from talking with Allyson on the phone, he knew why they were there. As he stepped up to them, he introduced himself.

      After the introductions were done, Arthur turned towards Ellen while saying, “Ms. Anderson, I remember your mother’s services and I’m very sorry that you have to go through this again so soon.”

      Ellen politely grinned before saying, “Yes, me too.”

      “So may I get you three anything?” Arthur offered before taking his eyes off of Ellen and looking towards Harris and Allyson. “Soda? Coffee?”

      “We’re good, Mr. Bennett,” Harris said.

      “Let’s just get on with what we need to do,” Ellen quickly said. “I want to get this over with.”

      Allyson put her arm around Ellen’s shoulders while saying, “Please excuse Ellen’s bluntness; however, she is correct on that we would like to get on with it.”

      “I understand,” Arthur said. “Follow me and I’ll show you three to our casket display.”

      “Of course,” Harris and Allyson said.

      Ellen just casually trailed behind as Harris and Allyson followed Arthur.

      During the passing minutes, Harris, Allyson and Ellen looked at a dozen caskets before deciding on one that was similar to the one that Ellen’s mother was buried in.

      Everyone then moved into Arthur’s office to finalize the pending services, and once the arrangements had been made for the coming Friday, Ellen, Harris and Allyson left.

      Once the three were in the rented SUV, Harris glanced at his watch before saying, “We still have over two hours before we need to meet my parents at the airport. So what do you think? Should we go eat dinner first?”

      “There’s a chance that they’ll be hungry as well,” Allyson suggested.

      “And