Alice 1 (10 page)

The little girl was digging for something to
eat in the trash next to the bar. A guy came up behind her and
shoved his hand between her legs. She pivoted and hit him hard in
the balls with her sharp, bony hip and he doubled over and hit the
ground. She ran around the corner, grabbed a cobblestone, and hid
behind an old shed.

He came running and cursing, closer and
closer. She crouched down even lower and was very still. Suddenly
big hands were around her throat.

“
You little bitch. Here’s your ticket to
hell!”

She hit him on the head with the cobblestone
as hard as she could. He fell back stunned and she hit him again
before he could get up. And again and again, and again, until he
lay still. Blood and gray stuff oozed out of the cracks.

She stared down at the mess but felt no
remorse or compassion. The bastard got what he deserved. You don’t
mess with the Krazy Kid. She pulled two nice rings off his fingers,
and found a fat wallet and an expensive watch in his pockets.

He’s not local, just up for a good time. He
won’t be back.

____________________

Only two weeks before Christmas break, so have
to hustle with the first and second year opt-out tests so I can
take junior courses in the spring.

I made out the form for the Opportunity
Foundation and mailed it in. So useful to play poor, little waif.
Can you imagine the buzz around me if people knew I have lots and
lots of money? You could never trust a smile.

I miss David.

CHAPTER 21

Arlene was wearing her new clothes at breakfast
and had scrubbed her face and put on a little makeup. I think she
forgot how attractive she could be. We started talking about men
and I wondered where I could meet nice guys. She hasn’t looked for
a while so she’ll call some friends and ask. I oh so casually
suggested she might check for herself as well. She made a face but
didn’t fool me. For the first time in a while she’s ready to put
herself out there.

The next morning Arlene had on no make-up and
hadn’t called her friends. She’s scared again. Maybe wait until I
get back from Sarasota and push some more, or maybe not. She knows
better than me if getting involved with a guy would be just another
disaster.

____________________

The Foundation approved my application. Spring
tuition will be paid and a check for $800. deposited in my bank
account each month starting January 1. If I maintain a normal
course load and at least a B average the payment of tuition and the
monthly stipend will continue until graduation.

I went to see Karla every day but no Karla. He’s
gone a lot.

Then finally, all opt-out tests completed. Off
to Sarasota.

Flew into the Sarasota-Bradenton International
Airport and big hugs all around. David gave me a seriously sensual
kiss and I did my best to show my appreciation. I told them about
the warnings from Dr. Crowley and Dumbo. Sure, they can use the
practice, and I’m going to love a new trick they discovered

Short drive to The Meadows. It’s an early
planned community from the 1980s with many different condo
associations, each with their own distinctive architecture. Many
lakes and forests, hiking trails, fancy country club, tournament
tennis courts, and three golf courses. One pitiful, artificial
waterfall so awful people call it Freddie’s Folly, after the poor
guy it’s supposed to commemorate.

Click
The Meadows

On the north-east corner of The Meadows there
are a few mansions carefully set apart from the lesser rich, and
down that road we went. No backwoods hunting lodge for the Glacier
Gang in the winter. It’s a beautiful, Sarasota style mansion with a
huge front yard and lake in the back.

That moonlit night, on my back, legs spread
wide, in David’s powerful arms, soft hardness slipping into
slippery softness, sometimes gentle, sometimes wild, is as close to
heaven as I’ll ever get.

____________________

The next morning after a computer was fired up,
a large screen appeared on the wall with the usual semi-transparent
front and side views of the human brain. Doris pressed a button and
a little light appeared on the side of the brainstem.

“It’s too easy to kill someone accidentally so
we’ve been exploring. You don’t have to press the whole brainstem.
A light tap here will put someone to sleep for a few seconds and
the harder you tap the longer they sleep. That got us thinking
about the rest of the brain.”

She pushed another button and 15 or so lights
appeared. “This is what we’ve found so far. A tap on any of these
sites will change a person’s mood, the content of their awareness,
or trigger a physical action. There is some variation in location
from person to person, but surprisingly little.”

She pressed another button and a number appeared
beside each light, and numbers appeared on the right side of the
screen with a description of what happens when tapped. She handed
me a print-out and smirked as she pointed to Number 7, Sexual
Arousal.

I’m going to have fun in the spring when I take
the course in neuropsychology from Dr. Mary Barteau. Wonder what
I’ll do when she says the brain does this, and I know it does
that.

There were trips to the beach and a candle light
dinner at a fancy place on the Gulf of Mexico. Off early one
morning to see the wonderful art of that wild and crazy guy
Salvador Dali in St. Petersburg. Sarasota is a great place, where
the Ringling Brothers wintered their circus. Along with the fun, we
worked hard reinforcing the defense against the Squeeze.

I spent some time alone tapping my brain. Once I
tapped the motor strip and punched myself in the jaw. I also had to
be careful tapping where memories are stored. Once I watched my
sobbing mother go out the front door, down the sidewalk, into a
car, and drive away. But another tap and I relived a wonderful
lesson from my Scottish step-father on how to achieve a high level
of arousal and fulfillment.

I was surprised how hard it is to leave David
and the Glacier Gang. Why not stay? Why go back to God knows what
in Berkeley? Because I like the challenge, and don’t want to be
cramped by the wonderful but limited life moving back and forth
between Glacier and Sarasota. Maybe later.

CHAPTER 22

Arlene flipped back to wearing makeup and new
clothes while I was gone. A couple of friends told her to go to the
Unitarian Church Saturday Dance to meet nice guys. As you might
guess, I’m really not much of a heavy churchgoer. But for her?
Sure! Anyway, Unitarians only call themselves a church to get the
tax break. Seven in the evening, day after tomorrow.

Karla was in.

”Good to see you again. I suspect you have a few
questions for me.”

“You suspect right. Is Dr. Crowley the grandson
of Aleister Crowley?”

“Yes, he is.”

“And is he carrying on his grandfather’s
work?”

“Yes he is.”

“Have people with the Gift recently been killed
in Berkeley?”

“Yes.”

“Is there a deadly fight going on between groups
with the Gift at Berkeley?”

“Dr. Crowley who leads one group and Dr.
Spengler who leads the other believe they are enemies.”

“And what do you think?”

“That there is a third group or individual
causing the trouble.”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?’

“The odds of someone targeting you are low and I
wanted you to have a good time exploring Berkeley.”

“Was the woman who died of a heart attack
outside the gym part of the war?”

“No. A foreign government assumed she double
crossed them and used a fast acting injection to stop her
heart.”

“What is your position here at the University
and who do you work for?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t tell you that either.”

“Ok then, why should I go along with your next
request?

“No reason, except we are useful to one another.
Either can end the relationship when no longer true. I like you,
but usefulness is the primary basis of our relationship.”

“Ok, fair enough. How Gifted are the people in
the two groups you mentioned?”

“You can run circles around them.”

“Do they know that?

“No. They’re aware you’re overdoing the poor
little waif bit, but assume they are more advanced, and I wouldn’t
do anything to change their opinion.”

“A young guy with big ears followed me when I
left the Crowleys and warned me about the Great Beast. Know who he
is?”

“Dennis Crowley, son of Jacob. They don’t get
along. Dennis is a member of the Spengler group.”

“Thanks.”

____________________

At the Saturday night dance Arlene came out
beautiful, available female and males noticed. Three took turns
asking her to dance and at the end of the evening she left with
Barry. I picked a big guy with lots of power and no couth.
Perfect!

The next morning Arlene blushed when I asked
how it went. Oh my, a 30-something woman blushing. It’s been a
while I guess. She’s so alive and happy. Have I helped her start a
new, wonderful life, or set her up for another disaster? God only
knows.

____________________

Worked out my spring schedule with Jimmy.
Nice variety of psychology and philosophy courses and no big
lectures. I’m most looking forward to the neuropsychology class
taught by Dr. Mary Barteau, an eminent researcher in the field who
wrote the textbook.

CHAPTER 23

A notice on the bulletin board at the Vedanta
Center snapped my head around.

ENHANCE SEXUAL FULFILLMENT AND SPIRITUAL
GROWTH

The enormous power of sexuality has long
been used to further spiritual growth. We primarily use the
methodology and spiritual focus of Tantric Yoga. Shiva and Shakti
are united, and liberation obtained. Only the spiritually motivated
are accepted.

January 12th 7PM

223 Felicity Lane, Berkeley

Oh Shiva.
Yes.
Yeees.
Yessssss.

I bought the textbook for Neuropsychology 301
and went to the Bear’s Lair for my usual coffee and two chocolate
donuts. As I walked over to an empty table I saw Dumbo, Jacob
Crowley’s prodigal son, sitting alone in the corner reading The
Daily Californian.

“Oh you were so right Dennis, your father tried
to eat my soul. Thank you for the warning. I got away just in time.
Oh, thank you! Thank you!” I tried to give him a big hug but he was
uncooperative. He dropped the paper, spilled the coffee, and fell
off the chair.

“
Son of a bitch!”

I guess there would be no point in trying to hug
him again. He got off the floor, pulled over what was left of his
coffee, and gave me a marvelous hate stare. I wonder what he would
like to do to me.

“I believe you dropped your newspaper on the
floor, Mr. Crowley. Would you like me to pick it up for you?”

He started to throw what was left of the coffee
in my face, but my little Shadow hands did their thing and the
coffee splashed his own instead. This first date is not going well.
He didn’t even bother to wipe the coffee dripping from his nose and
chin, just turned around and left. Isn‘t a gentleman required to
bid farewell to a lady as he departs?

The table was a mess, so I moved to another and
began to read about the behavioral functions of various cortical
centers for Dr. Barteau’s class. Looked up and there he was,
looking more puzzled than angry.

“May I sit down?”

”Of course.”

“How did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“
God Damn it
, don’t play dumb! You know
what I mean.”

“Oh, you mean that little muscle twitch just
before you were about to throw coffee in my face?”

“How did you do it?”

“Well assuming I did anything, you really need
to see someone about that little muscle twitch, why would I tell
you?”

“Because very bad things might happen if you
don’t.” As I’m sure you remember, I don’t take threats well.

“You sorry little pervert. Why’d your father
kick you out of the house? Catch you diddling your mother?”

Oh my, his face contorted and turned a
beautiful, shiny pink. A titanic battle was going on whether or not
to hurl bad things at me. The poor boy doesn’t know I can easily
counter anything he can throw. But then closed his eyes, and after
a few seconds became very still.

“Ok, Alice. I don’t know who or what you are,
but that was the most interesting series of events I’ve ever had. I
would like to go back and start over. Ok?”

“Sure. That was the most amazing transformation
I’ve ever seen. Some kind of meditation trick?”

“I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.”

“Don’t change the subject.” We laughed.

“Are you friends of my father? Are you in his
group?”

“No. I’m not in his group and not really a
friend. Your parents helped me get a scholarship and I’m
grateful“.

“Oh, ok. I have to go but if you come here often
maybe we’ll meet again. I hope our next meeting won’t be quite so
dramatic.”

“Maybe we overdid it a little.”

CHAPTER 24

Arlene is pretty depressed, Barry hasn’t called.
Hormones control a guy’s life and any woman who doesn’t know that
is in for a lot of trouble. But hormones can easily be used against
them and smart women learn how early on. I don’t think Arlene is
one of the smart women.

I went to the Bear’s Lair for breakfast and I
was disappointed that Dennis wasn’t there. No! No! No! I don’t want
to hook up with that egotistical, hot-tempered brat. Too much like
me, and those Dumbo ears don’t turn me on.

When I came home for lunch, Arlene was all
excited. She and Barry are going to a movie tonight. I wish them
well.

____________________