She!

Then she stopped and looked at me again. Her face changed.

'Sue?' I nodded – a distinctly un-dog like thing to do. 'It was okay. It looked sort of weird. Sort of like melting. And I was afraid for you. But it was okay. Not yucky or anything.' I nodded again. 'Change back now, okay?'

I lay down beside her on the bed, her hand on my doggy side, and changed.

We wrapped our arms around each other again and she hugged me very hard.

'You make it all right again,' she said. 'I know for sure now that if anyone tries to hurt me that a lion or an elephant or anything could come and help me. I'm safe.' Her voice was weak now, near sleep. 'So safe.'

I didn't say anything. But nothing can be forever, I thought.

Chapter 13

The next morning, Minni was still feeling the effects of her ordeal and spent longer than normal in the shower. Her brothers, unusually quiet, just stayed out of her way, unable to understand quite what was going on. Molly hugged her and held her for a long time, still very worried about her.

'Are you all right?' her mother asked. She looked at me knowingly and smiled.

'Yes. Sue helped me a lot,' she said. Molly put her hand on my shoulder and smiled wanly as she got us breakfast.

But as the day went on, Minni's mood cleared like the skies of a foggy morning.

A plainclothes policeman and policewoman came at about 2 in the afternoon to talk to Minni again. Nothing had changed, they said, but that the group had been arraigned that morning in front of a municipal judge, charged with kidnaping, aggravated assault, rape, and conspiracy. Knowing what they'd already said the day before, they'd all pled guilty and were now in the hospital ward at the county jail.

They asked about her health and what she was feeling, the woman being some kind of specialist on rape. They told us we could attend the sentencing hearing the next week if we wanted to though it wouldn't be required. All but the one girl would be going to prison for at least two years. The girl would be in the juvenile facility because she was only 14. That hit Minni hard and made me grit my teeth.

'There is one thing,' the policeman said with a frown. 'A couple of these guys are still insisting there was a lion that chased them.'

'Weird,' Minni said, looking at me with a glint in her eye.

'Yeah, that's what we thought, too. You don't think there's anything to it, do you?'

She shrugged. 'I sure didn't see a lion.'

'This little weirdness could get the leader and his buddy a couple of extra years at the State Mental Health Institution. Probably until they stop thinking they see wild animals everywhere they look. I'll tell you, they're a weird pair right now. Scare the hell out of the other inmates over at county. They're all afraid these guys are going to think they're lions and come at them in the night or something.' He seemed to think for a few minutes, not moving.

'Oh, and you said you rode home on a horse.' She nodded again. 'We sort of checked around and there isn't a horse missing from the neighborhood around their house. I wondered if you could explain that.'

'Well, maybe she went back home after she got me here.' He frowned.

'Yeah, you're probably right. But if you see the horse again, would you give us a call?'

'Sure.'

When they left, she grinned from ear to ear at me. 'Crazy, huh?' she said with a wink.

Molly insisted that we take it easy that day, even bringing us lemonades as we sat in the still warm sun of the end of summer. We both knew that when school started the week after next, it would only be a little while before the leaves would start changing.

'Sue?' I heard her voice from the doorway behind us. 'There's a boy here to see you. Do you want me to sent him out here?'

I looked at Minni and she only shrugged. 'Sure,' I said.

'Thank you, ma'am,' the boy's voice said from behind us. Then, 'Hi.' When I looked up at him, the sun was directly behind his head, haloing through his hair.

'Hi.' I couldn't tell who it was for the sun, trying to shade my eyes so I could see into the shadows.

'Sorry,' he said, walking to the foot of the lounge chair I sat on.

'Oh, hi, Will,' I said. 'I couldn't tell who you were for the sun behind you. Did you meet Minni at the mall that day?'

'Yeah, hi.' He stared at my sweat soaked body and I remembered that this was my skimpiest bikini and blushed at his scrutiny. 'Nice suit,' he grinned.

'Thanks. Oh, I know. You came for your book, didn't you?'

'Yeah, but no rush. I'm enjoying the scenery.' He grinned again and looked around the yard. 'Great place. Nice trees.' I knew what he'd meant and looked at Minni's grinning face. She did too.

'Could I get you a lemonade,' Minni asked but hadn't moved as Molly walked out with one in her hand, giving it to Will.

I watched him drink deeply. At the mall, I'd noticed that he was a good looking guy but I hadn't really noticed how good looking. He had a square jaw, long neatly cut dark hair, muscular shoulders, and large biceps that flexed out of his tanktop shirt. The bottom of the shirt narrowed to a small waist and good butt and muscular legs under his shorts. He had bright green eyes and a great smile.

I knew now. He hadn't smiled during our earlier encounter. That was the big difference. He curled one leg and lowered himself with the other until he sat on the grass between our chairs. He turned to Minni.

'I heard you had a little run-in with our friend Scorpion.' She nodded. 'I'm sorry. I thought he was gone. Out of the state or something. Him and his pack.'

She shrugged, shifting on the lounge chair uncomfortably.

'Sorry. I didn't want to bring up bad memories.'

'That's okay. It's over now.' She looked at me for reassurance.

'I talked to a cop that says he's bonkers. Talking about lions.' He grinned and looked from Minni to me, looking directly into my eyes. 'Of course, that's crazy.' It was as if he was asking me instead of making a statement. He watched me closely for a reaction and I could feel his scrutiny.

I just smiled and looked back into those green eyes. They twinkled.

'So, you guys ready for school next week?' We talked on for another hour before he excused himself and I went to my room, got the book, and took it to him at the door. I watched him walk to the front walk and away, wondering about him. Then I returned to the backyard.

'God, he's gorgeous,' Minni said before I'd even sat down. 'Now I have to go take a shower. Before I was sweaty, now I've soaked my bikini bottom.' I looked and she certainly had. The light blue material was dark between her legs.

'I was scared to death I was going to have to go to the bathroom before he left,' she said. 'It almost looks like I already did.'

I had looked around and saw the sun was lowered in the sky which probably meant that everyone would be coming home pretty soon and we would have to start helping with dinner.

I followed Minni into the house and went into the kitchen to tell Molly that I thought Minni was still tired. Molly suggested a nap before dinner and I nodded.

Minni was just peeling the now completely wet bikini bottom off her legs when I went into the bathroom.

'Come on,' she said. 'It really feels great.' I unfastened and stepped out of my bikini, noticing that it, too, was a little moist between the legs though the white didn't show it as much. I climbed into the tub and switched places with Minni so I could get wet.

We brushed our breasts together as we passed and Minni put her arms around my neck as I turned my back to the cool water stream from the shower head, leaning my head back into it. Her breasts pressed under and lifted mine as she hung on my neck.