Chapter the Fourth: Recruitment.

My body was feeling fine but I still felt tired, the effort to repair my bits and pieces was quite significant even if it was becoming faster to accomplish.

After a few days of getting used to being alone and having to fend for myself I realised the cans of soup and bits of toast I was idly putting away whilst I pondered my situation, were not enough to stop my stomach from growling and so I eased myself into some clothes and went out to the store to get something for lunch. The mall was only a fifteen minute walk across the park and as it was a bright day, I took off for the food court.

The food vendors were just gearing themselves up to the lunch time rush and so I managed to get my plate of teriyaki chicken and rice without having to wait in line. I sat down with a newspaper and began to pick through the hot dish with my chopsticks. Being a weekday, the high school crowds were beginning to filter across the street and come in for lunch. I was relieved I had got myself sorted before the rush. Some of these kids were going to be hard pushed to finish their meals in time, the lines were growing so long.

My eye was drawn to a couple of girls who came in through the double doors in the direction of St. Boniface's, the private school nearby. They were busy laughing at some shared joke, and flounced into the court, one turning to walk backwards as she continued the conversation with her friend " But she did!

That's the funny bit!" She squealed to her friend loudly. "... All over the floor!"

They were loud enough and staggering against each other in their banter, that many heads turned their way. I looked up over my paper and raised my eyebrows.

These girls were from one of the older grades at the school, I could tell. Tall and slender, they both wore the mandatory strip of a private school: green/brown tartan skirt, flat black shoes with green hose just over their knees and a white blouse with the 'St. B' emblem embroidered across their left breast. Not the wide-hipped shape of pony-riders, they looked and walked more like dancers, toes out, arms floating lightly.

As was typical in such a school, they'd both altered their skirts to come as short as they could, showing a good few inches of smooth thigh above the knee. I smiled to myself. Letting my eyes close, I concentrated hard on their thoughts and let my attention drift out to greet them.

Valerie, as I determined he name to be. Was enjoying hearing this story about the resident class bitch: Mona.

Valerie's best friend Amy had been there when little miss perfect had let herself down big time. After all the years of name calling and never having a comeback, Amy had been in the shower room when Mona, pretty, prissy never-do-anything-wrong Mona who was always first to jump on someone's case, had dropped her purse and the tiled floor of the locker room had been strewn with the five or six blue/grey packets of condoms she'd stuffed in there.

She'd certainly been lying when she's declared in her stuck-up way she 'was a virgin and was going to stay that way until her wedding night'.

Amy had caught hell that time Mona had squealed on her for sneaking out to meet her boyfriend Brian after hours. Now it was clear Mona was doing something even more serious than just sharing a quick kiss, up against a tree in the park.

Worse still, Mrs. Fletcher had been standing right there too. And being a catholic school, all hell had broken loose. Amy had just ducked out in time to avoid the whirlwind. Gosh! it was good to see Mona taken down a peg like that!

Both girls wondered what would happen to her and what she was doing with so many of those things in the first place? They giggled loudly I had them steer themselves over to my part of the food court and they chose a couple of fresh sandwiches and a pop and then looked around to see where to sit.

Under my guidance, they quickly saw the empty seats next to me and decided to squeeze themselves in there before someone else took the place I smiled warmly at them and they returned one, quick and shy.

Both girls were roughly equal height, and both were developing nicely. Their curves were evident in that pert way that teenage girls show under their clothes. Amy was perhaps the more womanly of the two whilst Valerie could be described as 'willowy.' Her hair was a light brown mane of soft, long curls which framed her oval face. Amy had a softer look to her body, still showing her puppy fat in the definition of her arms and legs. Her shining dark-brown hair was bunched just above her ears and her fringe topped a delicate face, dark eyes and full lips which were probably prone to pouting.

"Hello girls," I said "nice day for it isn't it?" I smiled and watched the delicate scent of their clean young bodies drift around them.

Valerie looked at me, her sandwich halfway to her mouth and smiled "Yes it is, I like it when the sun is shining and the air is as clear as today. Makes me want to go sunbathing"

Amy urged her to be quiet, it wasn't right to be talking to strangers. Valerie just shrugged and told her it was OK to be friendly.

I took a last mouthful of my rice and pushed the near-empty plate away from me.

Dabbing my mouth with a napkin I resumed my conversation.

"So, what's your name?" I asked, indicating Valerie. She replied quite cheerfully, (as she would since I was in there with her, giving her the benefit of a flood of feelings that this was a man with whom she could be perfectly straight.) "I'm Valerie Kingston, this is my best friend Amy Robertson."

Amy looked a bit taken aback to be included in this conversation. Valerie was usually much more careful about who she spoke to and this guy was a complete stranger.

"Nice to meet you Valerie... Amy," I nodded to them both, "my name's Danny. So you go to St. Boniface's then?"

"Yes, we're in in the seniors' course at the college. " Valerie was very pleased I had asked her such a clever question.

Amy stood and tried to urge her friend to stand "Come on Valerie. I think we should be going now. We shouldn't be doing this in the first place, you know the rules"

I looked at her with an amused smile "Why don't you just sit down Amy?" you really don't have to go right at this moment do you?"

"No thanks, we've got to be go... ?" She started and then to her consternation began to sit back on the seat she had just vacated. "What's going on here?" she said, a note of fear edging her voice.

"Oh don't worry Amy," Valerie said, looking at her friend as if she was being a stick in the mud. "we're just having a friendly chat. Anyhow..." she giggled conspiratorially and said in a theatrical whisper behind her hand, " I'm getting wet just being near him"

Amy looked panic stricken "Valerie! What are you saying?" She looked at me

"What's going on here? What are you doing to us?" Her eyes were wide with fright and her face was drained of colour.

"Nothing's the matter Amy," said Valerie dreamily, "It's just that Danny here is making my thing tingle so bad. I wouldn't mind letting him kiss me rather than Brian. It would be so much better with an experienced man. "