Chapter 8

The first year dining room was crowded, but exceptionally quiet for lunchtime. Finals for the second quarter were approaching and everyone was thinking about the upcoming tests. The waitress had just delivered lunch to Oscar and his roommates. Lisa asked, “So where are Debbie and Georgia?”

“Not sure,” answered Oscar as he eyed his tuna fish salad sandwich. He lifted a slice of bread and saw the pile of onions laid across the tuna salad. He nodded in pleasure when he saw that they had added the onions as he had requested. The cook thought it was a major crime to put onions on a tuna fish salad sandwich.

Mark frowned at Oscar and asked, “So what is happening with you guys?”

“Nothing,” answered Oscar in a curt tone of voice. He didn’t like to think about the strained relationship that had emerged among the three of them. Somehow, he had become the third wheel in the relationship.

“I’m serious.”

“So am I. Nothing is happening,” replied Oscar. It wasn’t clear to him if they were upset that he wouldn’t choose between them or that they believed he wanted them to turn into lesbians. It didn’t really matter anymore why they were upset. He hadn’t been to bed with Georgia since the weekend when Debbie had come to the house to visit. Debbie had never touched him in a sexual manner. If it hadn’t been for the willingness of others to relieve the sexual tensions that he developed, he would have gone crazy by this time.

Sharon swallowed the bite of her sandwich that she had been chewing and looked across the table at him. In a harsher tone of voice than she had intended to use, she said, “Well, I wish you would stop doing nothing. I’m getting tired of fucking you while you’re dreaming about them.”

Partially agreeing with her complaint, Lisa nodded her head in support. Mark had heard that complaint too many times to let it pass without remark. He countered, “You know better than that, Sharon. He’s not thinking about others when he’s in bed with you.”

Wanting time to consider a response, Oscar took a bite of his sandwich. As he chewed, he considered Sharon’s complaint in an attempt to decide if it accurately represented how she felt about their sessions the past few months. After swallowing, he grunted, “It doesn’t matter what I’m thinking when I’m in bed with her. It’s what she’s thinking that’s important. I apologize if I gave you cause to think that.”

Uncomfortable, Sharon shifted in her seat and replied, “I know that it’s not true. You just long for them so much that I can’t help feeling like you’d rather be with either of them than with me.”

Greg had sat down at the table in time to hear the last exchange. Unaware of the earlier thread of the discussion, he said, “Everyone can see that he loves those two, but they don’t seem to return his feelings to the same degree. Sometimes I wonder if they don’t love each other more than him.”

Tired of being the center of conversation, Oscar picked up a potato chip and examined it. He wondered how the chip manufacturers managed to peel all of the potatoes that passed through their plants. He knew it had to be a machine of some kind, but he couldn’t imagine what it would look like. Even as he thought about it, he knew that he was just trying to find something other than Georgia and Debbie to think about. He sighed.

Knowing that he wouldn’t get an answer from Oscar, Mark turned to his two other roommates and asked, “Are they lovers?”

Gabby and Abby sat down at the table in time to hear Mark’s question. Abby asked, “Who are you talking about?”

“Georgia and Debbie,” answered Sharon wondering how Oscar’s love life, or more accurately his lack of a love life, had become so important to the group. She decided that it was because Oscar was always helping them through their problems, but that none of them seemed to be able to help him with his.

With a knowing wink, Gabby asserted, “They aren’t. If they were into women, I’d know.”

Her comment was greeted with chuckles around the table. Over the past few months, Gabby had spread her sexual wings and flown far and wide. In the process, she had sampled the pleasures of just about every woman that enjoyed same sex loving. Mark turned to Oscar and asked, “So what is the deal between them?”

Ignoring the question, Oscar held up another potato chip and said, “I’m going to try and get a tour of a potato chip factory.”

“Why on earth would you want to visit a place where they make potato chips?” asked Mark jarred by the unexpected change in topic.

Shrugging, Oscar said, “I want to see how they peel all of those potatoes.”

Recognizing that Oscar was changing the subject on purpose, Mark said, “Hey, don’t change the subject. What is the deal between Debbie and Georgia?”

“Why don’t you ask them?” answered Oscar. The discussion had nearly destroyed his appetite.

Mark looked down at the remains of his lunch and, with a suddenness that startled everyone at the table, stood up. Now that he had permission from Oscar to talk to the two women on his roommate’s behalf, he decided to take advantage of it. As he started to walk off, he said, “I will.”

Everyone except Oscar, who appeared to be more interested in his sandwich, watched Mark walk off. Sharon commented, “Has anyone else noticed that he’s gotten a lot more aggressive lately?”

Picking at her salad, Lisa looked over at her roommate and answered, “Yes, I’ve noticed a lot of changes in the people around here. Mark’s gotten a lot more assertive. You’ve gotten a lot softer in your build. I’ve lost a lot of weight. Abby has become more nurturing. Gabby has become a lot more sexually liberated. The only one that hasn’t seemed to change is Oscar.”

Mark, for most of his life, never asserted himself because of his low self-esteem over the small size of his cock. His self-esteem problems disappeared after having been to bed, and satisfying, more than twenty women. His studies had suffered for a while, but now his grades were higher than ever before. He had become more engaged with the people around him.

The ten pounds gained by Sharon had all settled in the right spots. The outline of her body had softened and become more feminine. The tall lanky basketball player physique that she had developed by working her body beyond her fat reserves was gone. Standing straight had thrust her breasts out making her look even more voluptuous. Greg thought she was the most attractive woman walking the earth.

Losing close to forty pounds had changed Lisa’s beach ball figure into something more like an hourglass figure. She still had a ways to go before anyone would beg her to be a fashion model, but it was the best she had looked since she was eight. Males had even started looking at her with expressions that weren’t full of disgust. She had become aware of the fact that she was interested in men and women.

Until coming to the school, Abby had never been very nurturing. It wasn’t that she was cold, it was that she was reserved. She was raised in a household that didn’t demonstrate affection easily. She had never been the kind of woman that hugged others. Before coming to the college, people often noted that her hugs were stiff awkward acts that left everyone feeling uncomfortable. In the short time at the college, that had changed. Now, she was quick to hug and she was a great hugger. On the few occasions when others ended up in the infirmary, she was always there comforting them and cheering them up.

After her conversation with Oscar, Gabby had dropped her rules about ‘good girls’ and embraced sex with a passion. After she had slept with a half dozen of the men, she had gone on to experiment with women. She had enjoyed her times with women far more than she had thought possible. It was with some delight that she now accepted invitations from both sexes.

Surprised by Lisa’s comment that he was unchanged since entering school, Oscar looked over at Lisa. Living there, while hiding the fact that he was a Druid, had left him much more reticent than ever in his life. Even as a geek, he had been honest and open about his feelings. He said, “I’ve changed.”

“Not really. Sure your love life sucks, but you’re always there to help anyone with a problem. You’re quick with a joke to ease a situation. When something needs to be done, you get very serious and business like,” replied Lisa.

Sharon nodded her agreement and added, “You’re still a man of mystery, too. It’s like we can all feel this deep dark secret is lurking beneath the surface.”

“You can say that again,” remarked Gabby.

“The Druids know the secret,” commented Greg. He had seen too many cases where Oscar talked with the Druids like an equal. The refrain that Oliver prevented him from talking about things had been repeated many times. It only made him even more mysterious.

Oscar wasn’t paying attention to the discussion. Instead, he was staring at the door to the dining room as though expecting something to happen there. His hand went to his chest as if he could still feel the weight of the medallion there. The others at the table noticed his stare and turned to see what was happening.

Suddenly, a force of nature entered the room. Ed Biggers stepped through the doorway and the sheer power of his angry presence immediately captured the attention of everyone in the room. It became so quiet that it was possible to hear the proverbial pin drop. Seven red robes clustered behind him as he stopped to look around the room. Oscar gasped when he recognized Jennifer Wilson, Georgia’s sister, standing behind Ed.

“It’s a black robe and he looks pissed,” observed Greg as he looked at Ed Biggers. He could feel his heart beating in his chest and chills ran down his spine. It wasn’t fear that he felt, but the concentrated energy that seemed to gather around the angry Druid.

As if Greg’s comment had attracted Ed’s attention, the black robed Druid marched directly for their table. Before Ed reached the table, he shouted, “Those bastards took Fusion Foundation rescue workers hostage. I want them back.”

Looking up at Ed, Oscar nodded his agreement knowing that he was being called upon to help. He was wondering how Oliver would react when Georgia, followed by Debbie, slipped out from behind the wall of red robes. Oscar stared at the load Georgia was carrying in her hands. She held his red robes, his cloak, and the box containing his medallion. From across the room, he could feel the medallion calling out to him.

When Georgia reached Ed, he picked up the robe and threw it to Oscar and said, “Put this on. You’ve been called back to service.”

Recalling the words given him by the Two-Sided One, Oscar was convinced that this was his final service. Getting up from the table, he moved to stand in front of Georgia. He slipped on his robe feeling that by doing so that he was accepting his death. Despite the morbid thoughts, it felt good to be wearing his robe.

Georgia opened the box containing the medallion and held the box out to him. Before he had a chance to reach out for it, the medallion flew from the box and settled around his neck. The chain had miraculously been repaired. Everyone in the dining room gasped at the sight.

Having seen the medallion fly to Oscar, Ed commented, “Only a God or a Goddess can put on a medallion or remove it.”

For Georgia, the sight of Oscar in his robe and wearing the medallion brought back memories of paintball. As memories of other good times came over her, tears welled up in her eyes. The situation with Debbie suddenly seemed petty. It would be better to share him than lose him. It would even be better to have sex with Debbie than to lose him. She said, “It’s good to see you dressed like your true self.”

“Thanks,” replied Oscar as he reached out and took his cloak from Georgia. He wanted to say more, but knew that it would be unfair to her, for him to tell her that he was about to die. He slipped the cloak over his shoulders, feeling its comforting embrace. He reached out and stroked her cheek. In a very soft voice he said, “I love you so much.”

Knowing that she was speaking for both of the women, Georgia replied, “We love you, too.”

Glancing over at Debbie, he added, “I love you, too.”

Debbie had been puzzled when Georgia had collected the robe, cloak, and box. Until Ed had given the robe to Oscar, she hadn’t understood what they signified. She was stunned at having learned the truth about Oscar. This put everything she had believed into a new light and one that she would have to discuss with Georgia. After sharing a quick glance with the other woman, she said, “We’ll be waiting for you to return.”

The comment tore at Oscar. He didn’t want them waiting for him only to get news that he had been killed. Unable to hold it back, he said, “The Two-Sided One told me that with this mission all of my current problems would be solved. I can only assume that I won’t be coming back.”

Ed barked a laugh and said, “You tell what you believe in voice laden with truth, but what you believe is false.”

“Huh?”

“He didn’t say you were going to die, only that your current problems would end,” answered Ed as he looked around the room impatiently. He was waiting for someone else to show up before leaving, but the desire to move was strong. Although he had very strong personal reasons for wanting to rescue the Fusion Foundation workers, he was being motivated to act by the Gods and Goddesses. The Two-sided One had dictated bringing Oscar, thereby undermining Oliver’s restrictions on Oscar.

Georgia held her hand over her mouth as she thought about what Oscar had said. Debbie was in a state of shock at the idea that he could know his death was coming, but would say nothing about it. His words left them feeling guilty. They had punished him out of anger at him for not choosing between them, not knowing that he didn’t expect to live. Oscar didn’t notice as he was still processing the information that Ed had given him.

A few minutes later, Oliver strode over to Oscar. Holding out the pistol that Oscar had brought with him, the Grand Druid said, “Here’s your gun. Give it back to me when you return.”

Seeing the gun snapped Oscar out of his thoughts. As soon as he took the gun, Ed said, “The helicopter is waiting.”

Giving in to the forces motivating him to act, Ed turned and left the room, while Oscar added the pistol to a pocket of his robe. The weight felt comforting. Patting the other pockets, he decided that he would pick up a couple of MREs at the earliest possible moment. Once he had those, he’d be ready for anything.

As the other red robes followed Ed out of the room, Oscar paused to look at his classmates that were scattered around the room. Every eye in the place was on him. For the only time since the beginning of his stay at college, Oscar felt like himself. Taking a deep breath, a very relaxed and happy Oscar said, “I must go.”

The noise level in the room was almost loud enough to deafen a person by the time that Oscar left. Oliver was left in the room trying to restore order. Even after ten minutes, the room had not returned to a semblance of normalcy. He knew that the students would have to work through this on their own.

Giving up, he left the room wondering what would be the long-term consequence of Oscar’s very public call to duty by Ed Biggers. Even before Ed had shown up at the college, he had known that Oscar was going. He shook his head at the idea that a dozen Druids had shown up to support Ed. Only Operation Druid’s Revenge had involved more Druids than that.