Disclaimer: See Part One

Maddy Roman looked above her at the skylight and smiled. It was a beautiful evening. After a rather troubling day, she felt the need to relax and was counting the hours until chat time. Last night’s conversation with Sara, otherwise known as Trojan, made her feel happy at the prospect of another visit. Whenever Trojan appeared, there had always been a feeling of something special. Now that feeling had grown stronger, more intense. Maybe she would throw caution to the winds and break her rule about meeting other members of the group.

Maddy glanced at the clock on the wall. 9:15. Won’t 9:30 ever get here? The prospect of connecting with Trojan again not only excited her but made her feel strangely nervous, too.

Her telephone rang. Damn, I hope this isn’t going to take too long. Maddy rushed forward to the stand where the phone was perched. Any other time, she would have welcomed a call. But, just at this moment, she wanted her line free to connect to the Internet.

“Hello.”

“Mom?”

Maddy cocked her head to the side. Had she heard a touch of hesitancy in her daughter’s voice? No it couldn’t be; Juliet was always very straightforward.

“Darling, this is a surprise. Normally you just turn up for lunch without notice.” Maddy laughed and the sound tinkled through the line.

Juliet Roman looked down at her feet. She did take her mother for granted.

“I know Mom, that’s very true. Listen, I…I wanted to ask you something.”

Maddy was both intrigued and a little disturbed at her daughter’s apparent nervousness. “Sure Darling, go ahead”.

Juliet brushed the coarse, ash blonde hair from her eyes. Her hair was so different from her mother’s wonderful, rich brunette hair. Mom’s was not only thick, but silky to the touch.

“Would you mind terribly if I didn’t come over tomorrow?” She waited for the explosion. Juliet knew her mother was lonely, and looked forward to the get-togethers every Sunday.

Maddy was surprised and upset by her daughter’s request. Why can’t she visit? Taking a deep breath, she answered in the only way possible.

“Juliet, thank you for calling and asking me, but it’s your life, Darling. If you need to do something else tomorrow, that’s fine with me.”

Once more, Juliet looked down at her shoes and she felt the rise of colour stain her cheeks. She turned pale grey eyes to the man who was leaning against the hood of his truck. They planned to go out of town and camp out tonight, for some much-needed time together. She hadn’t had the nerve to tell her mother that she was dating this handsome medical student. Simon was five years older and captivatingly charming. Not only was he a brilliant scholar but also he was definitely going places. His father was the senior surgeon at one of Chicago’s finest hospitals; this fact only consolidated his medical aspirations.

“Mom, are you sure? I know you like to see me once a week.” Juliet spoke softly into the receiver. She loved her mother very much but she was desperate to be with Simon, too. Maybe next weekend, she would ask Simon to go with her to see her mother.

Maddy always knew that the time would come when Juliet would stop the weekly visits. She was, after all, a happy, normal, outgoing nineteen-year-old on the threshold of life. Mothers never quite fit into that equation. She smiled, recalling her own time at college and the independent lifestyle she had practised.

“Yes I’m sure, Darling. Have you anything exciting planned?”

“A friend and I have decided to go on a picnic out of town. We’re actually going to the site tonight; it’s a beautiful evening. We have a tent and everything else we need packed and ready to go!” Juliet regretted her last sentence, as she realised that it implied she was going regardless of what her mother thought. Closing her eyes, she waited for her quick-witted parent to notice the slip.

Preoccupied with her own thoughts, Maddy didn’t pay much attention to Juliet’s last comment. It was nine twenty-five. She still had to go through the long process of booting up her computer.  For some reason, she kept getting strange messages; sometimes it would take three attempts before she was on line. Maddy really needed to ask Juliet to check it.

“Well Juliet, I guess if you need to move along, I’d better not delay you, had I?  Please be careful and travel safely. I take it you do know this friend very well.  Oh, that’s a silly question; of course, you do.  Call me when you arrive back home, okay?” She would miss her Sunday with Juliet. Maybe she should have gone to the ball game tomorrow with Kap and …Trojan. Now, there’s a thought.

Juliet couldn’t believe it. Her mother hadn’t even noticed. Could it be possible that her mother was seeing someone, too? She looked over at Simon who was staring at her with a wide grin on his face. He really had been very patient with her in the months since they had become friends.

“Mom, I will, I promise. And, Mom are you…” Juliet thought better of her question and said goodbye.  She rushed away from the telephone booth and was swung into the arms of the young man waiting for her. Juliet and Simon kissed and laughed happily as they climbed into the truck to begin their journey.

Maddy replaced the receiver, smiling briefly. What on earth was Juliet going to ask me? Oh well never mind; she probably will next time we talk. Walking to the computer, she quickly pushed the on switch and glanced up at the stars above the skylight. While the machine booted up, she sauntered over to the kitchen to make a cup of hot strawberry tea.

Anna slept fitfully for a couple of hours. She finally got out of bed because the throbbing in her hand kept waking her up.

After a shower, Anna made a simple meal of chicken pieces and fries. Fortunately, all she had to do was nuke them since cooking had never been one of her strong points. Normally, Anna would have gone out to one of her favourite restaurants, but tonight, she was tired, cranky, and the injury to her hand made the use of utensils difficult.

Joe was right to be concerned earlier, when he asked if she could drive. It had been an arduous task. At one stage, when the pain had seared her sharply, she lost control of the wheel and had to swerve to miss an embankment.

The one bright spot was her prearranged chat with Sentinel. It made up (almost) for her god awful day. Not only had she had to work with computer illiterates; she had ass holes like Peterson to contend with, too! He was the pits! It was clear to Anna that he was going to cause trouble, but she would deal with that problem when it occurred.

Anna decided to log onto the computer although she was early for the chat. I’ll read my email and answer that first. Might even give me a head start on tomorrow and then I can sleep in.

Forgetting her injured hand, she struck the keys and sucked in a sharp breath. Damn, tonight is going to be a slow typing evening!

Anna glanced at the fifty odd messages she had received. She noted that several were from office associates, who no doubt wanted her to waste time on some trivial meeting or other. Then, she noticed one from her boss Chris Weddel. It was marked “URGENT”.

She read the contents in disbelief and closed her eyes. Anna couldn’t believe what she was seeing. This was a joke, right?  A sick joke, but surely a joke?  Didn’t they say you heard the big bang just before it went off? Well, I sure hadn’t, and this is enough to blow my head off or at the very least, my career!
 
 

Pressing a hand to her head, Anna screamed, not only in frustration but also at the pain it caused. The message had been written two hours ago and she had been home. Why hadn’t Chris Weddel called to ask her about this, before he made the notice official via the memo?

She had known Chris for the last ten years. He was the manager at her first job when she was fresh out of college. She’d even been invited to both his children’s weddings and the christening of his and Sally’s first grandchild. They had become friends or had they? Perhaps not!

She stared at her screen for over half an hour, finally realising that she hadn’t answered any of her email.

Carefully selecting her kid brother’s, she opened it up and half expected it to say something obnoxious. It had been that kind of a day and now was turning into that kind of night.
 

Anna smiled at the message. She loved her brother dearly and would do anything for him, but dinner with Dad wasn’t the usual deal. She and her father had never been close. Anna had chosen computer science over the family business and that had forced an even bigger gap between them. Now, they talked at Christmas and birthdays, but only if they had to. And, oddly enough, there was an email from him tonight, too. It just gets better and better, will this day never end?
 
 

Why was it that her father’s invitations always sounded as if they were commands? Sighing heavily, she looked at her gold wristwatch. A genuine smile crossed her lips; it was almost nine thirty.

If everything was going to hell in a hand basket, I might as well enjoy this one bright spot in life, at least. Every time Sentinel, Maddy shows up to chat, I grin like a lovesick teenager! This woman does seem to be a cut above anyone else, to my eyes, anyway. Who knows?  Maybe I do have a crush on her. Oh well, tomorrow is soon enough to tackle my problems. The rest of tonight is for pleasure.

Maddy smiled as she settled into bed that night. She and Trojan...Sara had talked for over three hours. The easy way they conversed and made each other laugh seemed to come quite naturally to them both. She hoped it wasn’t just her imagination. She really did feel that they were becoming real friends.

At one point, both of them had remarked that their day at work had not gone well. They agreed that it wasn’t going to spoil their chat, so neither mentioned it further. Sara certainly had a wicked sense of humour and Maddy was sure Sara laughed aloud at several of the comments she herself had made.

Almost one a.m. and nothing special to look forward to when I wake up, now that Juliet wasn’t going to be around. Ah yes, Juliet! My Darling daughter is growing up. Certainly, the mention of this friend had left her breathless, so it isn’t a platonic friendship. Someone I hadn’t met.  Now, that makes me nervous. What if something terrible happened to Juliet? I’ll  never forgive myself. But, when is the best time to let your child make all of her own decisions in life? Parents all over the world must ask that question and probably never find the answer.

Maddy tried to recall the first time she met Juliet’s father, David Roman and how she felt about him, all those years ago. They did have good times, she was sure of it.  But, for the life of her, she couldn’t think of one. I was married to David for twelve years, what a waste. As with many things, once a certain type of relationship burns you, you tend to shy away from them.  That’s what Maddy had done. If love ever had a chance again, I must find someone very special who understands me completely. Now, where in the wide world am I going to find that, especially in this age of cyber relationships?

Maddy lay on her bed considering life with David and the changes she had made to create a happier life for Juliet. She hoped, as the years went by, that Juliet would learn from her mother’s mistakes. But, now it was all up to Juliet. Maddy had done everything she could. Today was, apparently, one of her first adult steps towards creating memories that would be part of the fabric of her future.

She grimaced as she, for whatever reason, recalled the cold features of Computer Geek Stephens this morning. The woman was certainly good with the system side, no doubt about that. As for the teaching end of it, that was another story. Anna Stephens would never be called an Educator of the masses.

As Maddy’s eyes became heavy, she smiled as she remembered the woman who did make her feel happy, Sara - first known to her as Trojan. She fervently hoped they continued their friendship.  Perhaps one day they would meet in person. With that thought running around in her head, Maddy glanced once more at the clock and fell into a wonderful, dream filled sleep.

Anna sat in her chair considering the three hours she spent chatting to a virtual stranger about everything under the sun. She rarely opened up to anyone, except her brother. Although over the last five years she hadn’t even done much of that. He was busy studying and she was busy working on various projects, which seemed to exhaust all of her days and some of her nights, too.

Now here she was on the threshold of…what exactly? A friend? Yes, a real friend.

It brought a quiet smile to her face as she recalled the brief mention of them both having bad days. Neither wanting to elaborate and darken the good mood, they both had in the chat session.

In her case, how could she explain? She really didn’t know what was happening herself, and that was the most irritating thing of all!

Glancing once more at her family emails, she shook her head. Wonder what little brother has up his sleeve, this time around? If Father wants me there, he obviously expects the worse. Probably baby brother doesn’t want to follow in the family business, after all!

Then she remembered her agreement to go to the baseball game with Kap. Shit!  I can’t do that! I need to review my last five or so assignments and try to remember all the people I interacted with. This isn’t the time for a baseball game!

Anna composed an email message to Kap to apologise and offer an alternative solution. She would have the tickets waiting at the gate if Kap chose to go with someone else.

As she finished, she felt another sharp pain in her hand and cursed not only her foolish action but also Mandrake Roman for making all those errors in the first place. Damn woman. She should let her assistants do the computer work if she wasn’t capable…from Anna’s point of view she certainly hadn’t come across as competent.

Sighing heavily, she typed a brief note to her father accepting his invitation and another to her brother saying she would be there and asking if she should wear any special armour? It had been a joke for years. Usually Anna stood up for them both, facing her father’s wrath and scorn.

Looking out over the rooftops, Anna noticed Sears Tower and the differing levels of the buildings.  The horizon projected a strange symmetry.  She loved this view.  When she travelled for any length of time, Anna was always happy to come back to this place called home.

Her hand was throbbing. Anna was certain that a couple more painkillers and bed would help. She could sleep now with the warm thought that Sentinel...Maddy was becoming a firm friend.

She switched off her monitor and went in search of painkillers and rest.
 
 

“No!” Chris Weddell watched the woman with interest as Anna paced the floor of his office.

He had respected her on a professional basis for over ten years. Although, she was totally focused in the job, a programming genius no less, he had never met the real, private Anna Stephens. But, she was a friend.  His wife, Sally, loved the dour, dark haired woman, and the children always looked forward to her occasional visits. Yet, they never really ‘knew’ her or what or who could possibly make her happy. He surmised Anna kept to herself because she came from a background where expectations were impossibly high. Now…now, her private life was going to be scrutinised as never before and he doubted Anna was ready for that.

“Anna, listen to me. If you allow this investigation into your private life, then whoever is making waves for you, will pay and pay heavily.”

Anna spun on her heels, facing her boss, and so called friend! Her eyes bored into his; he turned away first.

“Why the hell should I? If I say that it hasn’t happened, why won’t you take my word for it? Why should some trouble-making sneak be allowed to sully my reputation and others, as well? This is ludicrous.” Anna’s voice was low; the words sounded as if she were growling them.

Chris shook his head at her, glancing down at the file he’d been given.  Photographs and statements by staff, including people who worked within Anna’s department, made it pretty damning stuff.

Drumming his fingers on the folder, Chris finally responded. “Anna, I have to do this. The evidence suggests that something is going on. And, if it’s not true, don’t you need to see the bastard taken down who wants you crucified?”

Anna turned away, and went towards the window looking upon the milling people below her.  Shrugging her shoulders, she spoke softly.

“What do you want me to do?”

Chris smiled briefly. This was the logical Anna Stephens, she could think her way out of any problem. He knew these accusations were false, but he had to be seen as doing his job. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on the devious bastard who created this dossier. And, he would, he was certain of it.

“I have to suspend you.” He noticed the stiffening of her back and gave a sympathetic smile. “We will interview all the people mentioned in the file. Then, I will call you back in to run through our findings, and what your understanding is of these events.”

“How long will it take?”

“I’m not sure; it shouldn’t be too long.  One more thing, there appears to be three key people. Want to know who they are?” Chris knew it was reckless to tell her but he felt that he owed her that much.

Anna raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Okay, let’s have the names of the scum who are lying.”

“Ken Peterson, Assistant to the Deputy Director of Educational services, Karen Renaldi works out of the Boston office in Personnel Services and Mandrake Roman, Head Librarian here in Chicago.” Anna shot a look of pure venom at the names she had been given.

“Peterson has wanted my head since he was demoted. Renaldi, I can’t even recall who she is. And Roman? I only met her yesterday! ” Anna was angry; more towards the Roman woman than the other two. Peterson, she would wipe the floor with him. Now, she was certain that he was behind this.

“Anna, all will be revealed when we interview them. Can I ask you one thing as a friend?” Chris was sickened by this situation and could see the pain Anna tried to hide.

Anna considered the question thinking it strange that he could go from one extreme to the other without blinking an eyelid, and finally replied. “As a friend you may ask, but my answer stays between friends.”

Chris cleared his throat. A faint red streak crossed his cheeks as he asked, “Are you gay, Anna?”

Anna watched the man blurt out the question and gave him a wry expression at his embarrassment.

“If I said yes, would you think I was a deviant of some kind and not want me near you or your family?” Anna spoke with a control that she herself marvelled at.

“Whatever your answer, I’d ask, when all this was over, if you and a partner of your choice might want to come for dinner.”

Anna laughed shortly. “Well, Chris the answer is no, I’m not. At least, I’ve never had a relationship with a woman. Not that many men either, I’ve been way too busy. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility, though. If I fell in love, who knows, Chris, who knows?”

“Thanks for being honest, Anna. By the way, what have you done to your hand?”

“Would you believe it was all in the line of work? Joe can tell you the sordid details. I do confess that Ms. Roman did hold my hand. She put the bandage on it.”

Anna chuckled as the absurdity of the situation struck her.

Chris shook his head and gave her a serious look.

“Go home and rest, Anna. Hell, according to your file, you haven’t had a holiday in over two years. I suggest you have someone other than a librarian look at your hand, as well. It’s a precious commodity to you and this company. Trust me; I expect to have both of those talented hands back working for me soon, okay?” Chris stood up, went over to Anna, and patted her on the shoulder.

“We are calling this a holiday?”

“Let me handle it. And, yes, for the moment that is exactly what I will tell people. I will be in touch Anna. I meant it about dinner, whether you bring someone or not, please think about it?”

Anna smiled and went towards the door. “Yes I will. Thanks, Chris and maybe I will bring a friend.” Her mind mulled over inviting Maddy. Maybe it would be a good time to meet; with other people there if we discovered we didn’t get along well in real life.

“Look forward to it, Anna.” After Anna left, Chris punched several numbers on his telephone and requested the connection for Director Stella Andrews.

Mandrake Roman was seething. She had received a rather distressing call from the Director of Educational Services. Something to do with that Ms. Stephens and the inference was anything, but pleasant.

Maddy had worked hard to achieve her status. No one is going to sully my name and make me leave my domain. No one! Certainly not some woman I barely know.

As Mandrake was trying to sort things out in her mind, Andrew’s secretary walked up to her desk.

“Ms. Roman, Director Andrews would like to see you in her office at eleven a.m. She said to cancel any other meeting you have.” Andrews’ secretary looked at Roman with a smirk on her face. When Stella Andrews gave that type of message, it was usually bad news.

“Thank you Emily, I will be there.” Mandrake said softly, aware of several prying eyes on her.

“See you later, Ms. Roman.” Emily sauntered away, grinning.

Mandrake pushed a lock of hair away from her eyes. This was not turning out to be a good day.

Her eyes strayed to her computer monitor.  She was tempted to send Trojan an email and ask if she wanted to meet for lunch. How absurd. Why not call Juliet?  But, Trojan is the one I want to confide in, not my daughter.

Mandrake typed her message. There was a slim chance that they could meet today, but worth a try, anyway.

Visit Dragonjuls' Storybook at:  http://homepages.about.com/dragonjuls/Index.html

This is copyrighted material, all rights reserved.  It may be reproduced, duplicated or printed for personal use only.  For all other uses, please contact jmdragon1@hotmail.com