Chapter 20

Jake's curiosity was aroused now, but he waited for Klaude to continue. He seemed to consider what he wanted to say for a moment before proceeding.

"Did your mother ever mention something called 'The Order of the Phoenix?'"

Jake nodded "no."

"No, I don't expect that she would have." Klaude looked out at the trees again. "I'm not sure that she really ever approved of it. I'm sure she was never very deeply involved with it." He turned to face Jake. "But your father was. He was a founding member, in fact.

"Your father was a powerful, clever man, of course. His interests were wide-ranging and eclectic, but throughout his life I think he was searching for something he never did quite find. He was interested in the potential of human beings, in what we had within our grasp if we'd only wake up and reach for it.

"Now, obviously, your father was an enormously successful businessman. Jake possessed an uncanny ability to make things happen, and he created a tremendous amount of wealth both for himself and for countless others. It's a shame that you never got to see just how charismatic a man he was."

Klaude took another drink from his beer.

"He was also even more complex than most people realized. And, in some ways, despite his open personality, about some aspects of his life he remained intensely private. He shared his personal philosophy with me on a number of occasions, but even now I don't feel that I can adequately capture the man's insight. He was truly remarkable, a visionary soul." He gave Jake a serious look. "I'm not telling you anything you haven't heard before, Jake, I know.

"My point is that part of your father's belief in the power of the individual was closely tied to idea of channeling energy. He spent quite a bit of his time studying various eastern schools of thought, martial arts, philosophy, etc. And at one point his studies led him to The Order of the Phoenix. Publicly, he never discussed it's existence, and to be honest, I'm not sure that your mother even knew much about it."

Jake looked at Klaude as if he were describing aliens from another planet.

"You're saying my dad was in a secret society?"

"Well," Klaude paused. "Yes, for lack of a better word. But he'd have never referred to the Order that way. It was more of a loose arrangement whereby certain subjects could be openly discussed in the hopes that all involved would gain knowledge and wisdom. I can see by the expression on your face that this all sounds a little odd, and I'm probably going about describing it all wrong."

"Well, it is a little strange. I mean, are you talking about occult rituals and stuff like that?"

Klaude smiled. "Well, those in the Order had a wide range of interests. Some of the subjects they investigated were quite unusual, it's true."

"Wow." Jake scratched his chin, then took another drink of beer.

"I'm making your father sound more eccentric that he truly was, I'm afraid. You could think of the Order as a sort of discussion group for wealthy, powerful individuals who took interest in various esoterica. They weren't usually wearing robes in dark chambers, holding candles and chanting in latin, but they did dabble in many different activities."

"That's just plain weird."

"I'm sorry, I'm springing this on you rather poorly." Klaude considered something for a moment, then went on. "I probably shouldn't have even mentioned the Order at all, and come to think of it, Jake, you probably shouldn't mention it to anyone, even in passing, even to Josie."

Jake raised his eyebrows at that, but Klaude continued talking.

"The only reason I bring it up now is that I think your father looked at the sexual impulse as a powerful force of nature, something to be studied, mastered and utilized to its fullest. I think that, along with other forms of energy, Jake saw sexual energy as something that could be tapped into and explored with great rewards available to those who could somehow harness and cultivate it. Not just in interpersonal relationships, though that is certainly part of it, but in a broader sense as well. And for that reason, I think if your father were here today he wouldn't be discouraging your experimentation and exploration.

"You've been blessed, Jake. You're an extremely charismatic man of means, much as your father was. It's perhaps to your disadvantage that some things have come so easily for you, but I think you've had your share of personal challenges to address, and so far you've done a fine job."

Jake took another sip of beer, pensive. After a few moments he looked at Klaude again.

"Well, no offense Klaude, but I don't feel any less confused."

Klaude smiled, and Jake found himself grinning despite himself.

"And you're serious about not mentioning this Order?" Jake asked. "I mean, there are members floating around out there who are defending it's secrets? It all sounds like a bad movie."

"I don't say that to alarm you. To be honest, I have no idea what the Order is up to these days. But I do know that those involved were all folks who for various reasons wouldn't want their association with such an organization to become public knowledge.

"Wait a minute, I've heard of this group before," Jake said. "In a book somewhere, I'm sure of it."

"Maybe you're thinking of Colin Wilson's The God of the Labyrinth? That contained references to a fictional group called The Sect of the Phoenix."

"Yeah, I think that must be what I'm thinking of."

"Amusing book, that one. Your father was never certain, but he assumed, I think correctly, that Wilson had somehow heard of the Order and hoped to be approached by one of its members after the publication of his novel. To my knowledge that never took place, at least not in any official capacity; the Order didn't recruit members outside of it's ranks.

"Wilson's book is rather silly in its portrayal of the organization, and he places it in an entirely different context, both in history and in geography, but there are certain similarities. I don't think he expected anyone to take his novel to be anything more than a work of fiction, but he was exploring similar ideas about the potential of man and the role of sexual energy in realizing that potential."

Jake tried to remember the story. It involved various occult figures in a literary mystery of sorts, if he remembered correctly. He made a mental note to dig it out of the basement, certain it was packed away with other books.

"So, you guys really think I need a new bathing suit?" Erin asked. The three girls were all sitting on the front seat of Jake's car; Josie drove and Erin sat between her and Anna.

"The suit you wore yesterday is cute," Josie said with a mischievous grin, "but you need something sexy."

"Hmmm."

"What's the matter, Erin?" Anna asked.

"It's just..." Erin fidgeted a little. "Well, you guys are so comfortable with your bodies. I'm just more shy, I guess. That suit I wore yesterday is like the skimpiest thing I've ever owned."

"Hey, we're not so different," Anna said. "I wouldn't wear my bikini out to a public swimming pool, but no one's ever at ours except my friends, so it's fun to wear it there."

"Yeah," Josie said, "I can understand being a little shy, but Anna and Monica's place is always deserted. And I know you don't wanna believe it, but trust me, Erin, you've got the body for bikinis. Plenty of girls would kill to have your figure."

Anna nodded in agreement enthusiastically, but Erin just shrugged.

"I guess there's more to it than that. I mean, I'm just not as social as you two."

"Bah," Josie scoffed, chuckling. "We'll see how long that lasts."

"Amy, come on down and help me get ready for dinner, please."

Upstairs in her room, Amy heard her mother calling from the foot of the stairs and sighed. She rolled off her bed, dropping the movie magazine she'd been reading on the floor. She was bored, and helping her mother with dinner would at least give her something to do, she supposed. Before going down, though, she shook her shoulder-length dark brown hair out, flipping it backwards and pulling it back into a pony tail, which she secured loosely with her favorite red scrunchy.

She shuffled downstairs and into the kitchen to see her mother chopping vegetables at the counter.

"Honey, have you been laying around in your sweats all day? Here, come finish cutting this up for the salad."

"I don't see what's wrong with taking it easy on a Sunday."

"Of course there isn't anything wrong with taking it easy, dear," she said on her way out the door, "I just don't like to see you wasting a perfectly nice day indoors."

Andrea Tortelli stepped out onto the back porch and opened the grill. She wasn't really upset with her daughter, but she did find herself frustrated by Amy's lack of spunk these days. Unless she was prodded into activity, she seemed content to spend the day up in her room, reading or surfing the web, and that was no way for a fifteen-year-old to whittle away her time.

Bending down to turn on the gas, she looked across the pool and saw Ally, her older daughter, sunbathing with her friends. I guess I shouldn't be too hard on Amy, she thought. It's not like Ally's done anything today either. Then again, at least she was outside, even swimming around a little.

"Are you girls hungry?" she called over to them. "Fiona, Ashley, you're welcome to join us for dinner if you'd like."

"Thanks, Mrs. T!" Fiona called back.

"Need help with anything, Ma?" Ally sat up, but knew her mother wouldn't take her up on her offer.

"No, thanks. Amy and I have things under control."

Satisfied that the grill was lit, Andrea closed the lid again to let it warm up. She'd thawed some chicken that afternoon and was looking forward to a nice meal with her girls. Ashley and Fiona were over so regularly they were practically family, and she enjoyed hanging out with them. It made her feel like she wasn't hopelessly out of touch with her youth.

"Thanks, honey, that's plenty." She dumped the veggies Amy had prepared into a large bowl with the rest of the salad fixin's. "What do you think, should we eat outside?"

"Whichever, doesn't matter to me." Amy looked out the window. "It's a nice day, I guess we should eat out on the porch."

"That's what I was thinking too."

Andrea looked at her daughter. She was becoming a beautiful young woman, but she never seemed very happy these days. She wished there was something she could do to cheer her up, but she remembered her teenage years well enough to realize that there were limits to what a parent can do for their child. It wasn't that there was anything specifically wrong, she just wished that Amy was happier; as happy as Ally seemed to be, anyway.

Looking out the window, Andrea saw a young version of herself in Ally. She was quiet, a little reserved maybe, but definitely a happy young woman with several nice friends.

Amy ran water over her hands in the sink, then wiped them off on her sweatpants. She wore an old Hello Kitty t-shirt that was beginning to show signs of wear, but she didn't care; it was one of her favorites. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a Fresca.

"Mom, how old were you when you started dating?"

It took her a moment to respond, Andrea was so shocked. Her youngest daughter was actually asking her about dating?

"Well now, let's see," she said, turning to lean back on the kitchen counter. "I suppose I was a pretty late starter by today's standards. I didn't meet your father until I went to college. But I went to a few dances in high school. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering. Some of my friends are starting to go out on dates. You know, Heather's been on a few."

"I don't see any problem with that, honey. You're old enough to start thinking about that sort of thing, within reason, of course. I sometimes worry about you girls, what with the way things are these days."

"Don't worry, Mom, I'm not gonna run away with a biker gang anytime soon."

Andrea had to laugh at that.

"Okay, honey, okay. Just keep me posted, hm?"

"Deal."

"So, is everything on for next weekend?" Ashley asked. The girls were now laying out on the deck chairs, catching the last available sunlight of the afternoon.

Ally looked quickly over her shoulder before answering in a whisper, "Yes, and keep that to yourself. I haven't told Amy yet about the party, and I don't want her to blow it for us."

"Ah, she'll be fine," Fiona said, casually adjusting her suit. "You better look out, Ally. Amy's gonna give you a run for you money with the dudes one day soon."

"I'm glad Amy's growing up," Ally said. "I just wish she'd act like it. I swear, sometimes she's such a little baby. She's probably been upstairs moping in her room over nothing all day."

"The kid's not so bad," Fiona countered. "You're just her sister. I think she's a good egg."

"Yeah, I know. But you try living with the sourpuss and see how you like it. She's a downer." Ally sprayed a little water on her tan legs with a small spray bottle. "You're right, though, she's a good kid. I'll let her in on it tonight. I'd have to tell her about it ahead of time anyway, so I might as well make her an accomplice. I just hope she doesn't expect to bring all her little friends to the party."

"Hmm, maybe we should go over to Jake's to make sure he's still planning on hooking us up." Fiona smiled at the thought of them heading over to Jake's right then, dressed at they were in skimpy little bikinis.

"As much fun as that'd be, I doubt it's a good idea. Besides, Mom's making dinner."

"Oh, I was just kidding. Don't worry, I'll stop by Jake's on my own sometime."

Ally squirted Fiona in retribution. Ashely laughed as her friends horsed around, but talk of the party made her wish she could see her 'boyfriend' soon.

"Thanks for the beer, Jake, but I think I probably need to hit the road. Unless, of course, you want to discuss this further."

Klaude and Jake had spent the afternoon in an interesting discussion, and Jake had a lot to think about.

"Hey, thanks for coming to talk to me, Klaude, I really appreciate it. I've gotta admit, I'm feeling a little more confused than when I started."

"Sorry about that, Jake. I probably shouldn't have brought up the Order at all, except that I've been meaning to talk to you more about that for some time now. I know your father isn't an easy topic of discussion for you, but if you ever want to talk more about him - or anything else for that matter - please don't hesitate to let me know."

Jake thanked him again and walked him to the front door, then watched him leave. His mind was a jumble of different thoughts, and he knew it would be a while before he could sort them out. He went back inside and went downstairs to rummage through the boxes of things he'd never unpacked when he moved into the house, looking for that book Klaude had mentioned.

It was there, stuffed in a box along with some old photographs and various odds and ends from his parent's house. He picked up the whole box and brought it upstairs.

"Boy, I don't know," Erin said, looking at herself in the three-way mirror. Anna and Josie stood behind her, admiring her in the reflection. "It's so small!"

"Nonsense," Josie said, her hands on Erin's shoulders gently turning her back and forth. "Just think of the awesome tan you'll be able to get in that. And it's so sexy!"

The suit was even smaller than the bikinis Erin had tried on moments before, and she felt quite exposed standing there, practically naked in front of Anna and Josie.

"It looks so good on you, Erin," Anna agreed. "If you don't get, I'm buying it for myself."

"Oh no," Josie insisted. "This one's Erin's. My treat." Josie reached down to slide a finger into the thin string holding the bottom in place, gently pulling it in a minor adjustment, and Erin shivered at her touch, surprised to feel Josie's fingers so close to her privates. "You really do look good, Erin."

"Well, I guess it's okay, you know, if it's just for sunbathing."

"That's the spirit!" Anna said with a grin.

The three girls had tried on several suits over the past hour, modeling them for one another in the back dressing room, and Anna and Josie had both picked out a couple they planned to get. Erin had been much more shy about trying them on, but Josie wouldn't let her get out of showing them a few skimpy suits.

Josie and Anna were both quite aware of their bodies, the memory of their necking session vivid in their minds. Both girls were a little unsure about where they stood - this was new territory for both of them - but they also were having such a good time that it didn't seem to matter that Josie had been frigging Anna to orgasm shortly before.

Erin was hyper-conscious of exposing so much of herself. She'd never really gotten comfortable with wearing her normal bikini, and the ones her friends picked out for her were scandalously tiny. She'd never be able to wear them out in public. Still, standing there with them now, with both Anna and Josie checking out their suits in the mirrors as well, Erin realized that her body wasn't all that bad. She thought Josie and Anna were incredibly sexy, and somehow being there with them made her feel sexy too.

Part of it was their cheerful, frivolous attitude towards shopping. Josie had made it clear early on that she wanted to treat them all to some new swimwear, and Anna didn't seem to think much of it, accepting it without protest. Erin assumed that Jake might end up actually paying for all their purchases, but she suspected Josie wasn't hurting for cash either, what with the modeling she did from time to time. Besides that, both of the young women seemed so comfortable with their bodies that Erin felt a little silly acting uptight. What did it matter if Josie and Anna saw her naked anyway?