Saturday, May 9, 2009

Shadows Chapter 18
Conscience




Ladislaus worked his way through his term paper,trying to get as much done as possible before his new housemate moved in. He had taken six weeks now to find the right person. There had been a lot of interest in sharing this well equipped house.
Some of the people he had interviewed he had disregarded right away. They were party animals, more interested in having a good time at College than in serious work.






While Ladislaus was making friends and had been out a few times to the social facilities on campus, his grades were what mattered to him most.
In fact, he was working later tonight than he had expected to be, but Melanie White, a really hot girl from one of his classes had invited herself back for dinner, having teased him that she had heard how good his cooking was.




As he was loading the dishwasher she had made it very obvious that she expected more than just food.
Not that he was objecting. Her flirtatious conversation throughout the meal and the way she had been playing footsie under the table had made him realise that the last time he had had sex had been with Diane, and that had seemed like an age ago.




Melanie got down on her knees and fumbled with the button on his jeans. Ladislaus helped her, wondering what it was with him and sex in kitchens.
It was in the kitchen of the loft that he had had full sex for the first time, several months before. And had that ever been unexpected. He, Zara and his father had returned there after the meeting in the diner.




Sergey had been called into the station and had told Zara that if she waited he would drive her home. She had been more than willing to avoid the train journey back to Silversprings. As soon as Sergey had gone she had stunned Ladislaus by turning to him and kissing him passionately.
Giggling at the expression on his face she had turned and hitched her already short skirt higher on her hips and wriggled her butt at him.
“I thought that you were still with Jack,” Ladislaus had frowned.





“We aren’t going steady, Ladislaus, and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be with you,” she had said seriously. “Britt got to you first.”
Ladislaus had moved closer to her and stroked the soft skin at the top of her bare thighs, sliding his hands up under her skirt.
She had laughed again at his gasp of astonishment when he had found that she had removed her panties when they had returned to the loft.





They had moved from the kitchen to his bedroom where Zara had insisted on undressing him, peeling his clothes off slowly.
Then she had done a seductive striptease for him. He had been almost bursting with need before she had knelt on the floor and raised her bare rump to him.
It had astonished them both that he had managed to hold on long enough to make her gasp and yell with pleasure before he came himself.




And that he had recovered enough for a repeat performance in the bed less than half an hour later.
“Ladislaus, this was a one off,” Zara had told him as they had cuddled together under the blankets.
“Okay,” he had murmured sleepily.
At the back of his mind was the realisation that meant Zara was still with Jack.
“And we need to get out of bed now. Your dad will be back soon.”




This had something else in common with that afternoon, Ladislaus thought as Melanie had taken him in her mouth. Another woman making the running.




Kelvin Henderson proved to be as hard a worker as Ladislaus himself. The guy had a good sense of humour, too. He was a lousy cook but was more than willing to do a fair share of all the other household chores.
Melanie gradually spent more and more time at Ladislaus place. She worked, too, not quite as hard as the two boys. She had a love for bad soaps and chat shows that took her away from her studies. Ladislaus found it hilarious the way she talked to the TV when caught up in a program.





For Ladislaus the first part of his freshman year consisted of late nights studying.
A lot of coffee during those nights. Sometimes he wondered if he was becoming just a bit too addicted to the stuff.




Melanie began to spend more nights at his place than she did at the dorm. When the stress of studying got to him she was a creative and eager sexual partner.
Ladislaus was sometimes very concerned that the noise they made must keep Kelvin awake, but his housemate never commented or complained.
While he enjoyed having Melanie in his bed while they were making love, Ladislaus never slept as well on the night she was there, though.




He always ended up in the kitchen where the lights would not disturb Melanie and Kelvin, reading.
It was during the second half of the year that he started to get concerned about Kelvin. The other young man seemed to become increasingly edgy and fidgety. At first Ladislaus thought that, like himself, he was overdoing the caffeine.




When he was studying Kelvin would seem engrossed for a while, then he would start to sigh and fidget. Sometimes he would stare into space and bite his nails.
When Ladislaus tried to talk to him he would be vague and unfocused in his answers. Other times he would be sharp and aggressive.
Ladislaus tried to talk to Melanie about his concerns, but she didn’t seem to understand what he was talking about, or why he was concerned.
“It’s just pre exam nerves, Ladislaus. We’re all edgy,” she said.





Ladislaus’ concerns deepened though, a few weeks later, when he saw Kelvin talking to a man he was sure that he recognised in front of the house.
A week or so later he saw the man with Kelvin again. He was returning from a run and Kelvin was standing with the man, looking furtive.
“I’m sure that’s one of the Cappelli brothers,” he thought.
He turned away, chewing his lip. Should he intervene and try to find out what was happening?



Ladislaus was not easily frightened. He was well built and had training in martial arts, but he had grown up with stories of how vicious the Cappelli’s could be and more than that, he knew that they carried guns.
He heard Kelvin go back inside the house and the sound of footsteps hitting the sidewalk as the Cappelli man walked away.
He told Melanie what he had seen and this time she listened.
“You think it’s drugs,” she stated.
Ladislaus nodded.
“I’m going to phone my dad in the morning,” he said. “Get some advice.”






A sudden cry from the lounge had them running to that room. Kelvin was doubled over in pain, struggling to breath.
“Oh my God,” Melanie screamed, “What’s happening?”
“Mel, call a doctor,” Ladislaus yelled, hurrying to his friend’s side.
The girl leapt for the phone.
Ladislaus stood up and covered his eyes. It was too late. Kelvin was dead.





The paramedics left, taking the body with them. Melanie was sobbing hysterically. Ladislaus took her in his arms to comfort her. There was no comfort for him, though, only guilt that he had not reacted faster and called his father when he first suspected that the man Kelvin had been talking to was a Cappelli.

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