Discoveries - 4. Chapter 4

Part II Discoveries

 

Chapter 4 Jesse’s Place

Suddenly, there was sunlight in my face.

“Wake up, sleepy head!” my mom said in a sing songy voice as she turned the blinds on my bedroom windows. I was wondering if she forgot today was Saturday...until I looked at the alarm clock--it was almost eight thirty! My mom was going to drop me off at Jesse’s around ten so she could go into Escondido to do some shopping and meet up with some friends.

I was about to spring out of bed when I realized that I had a rather significant morning hard on pushing at the front of my boxers. I sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake.

“You need to shower, get dressed and have a decent breakfast before I take you to Jesse’s,” my mom said, standing in the doorway. “I washed your pajamas--they’re in the drawer. I put your Sunday clothes in a garment bag for you, but don’t forget to pack a belt and your loafers. Do you want me to pack for you?”

“Thanks, mom--no, I can handle it!”

“Don’t take too long--I’m making French Toast!”

“Sounds great, er...okay?” I waited anxiously for her to leave.

Somehow I think she suspected why I wasn’t getting up. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen me in my boxers before, but I couldn’t let her see me like this! She gave me an odd little smile and considerately closed the bedroom door as she left.

I took a rather long shower despite the late hour, and also took the opportunity to relieve some of the pressure that had apparently been building up in my boxers while I slept. The interesting thing was, Katy or Jessica, two hot looking girls who admitted they had crushes on me, barely entered my mind at all. It was all Jesse, and mostly just us kissing and hugging. When I finally felt like I was ready to let loose, I permitted myself to revisit that precious moment when I pulled the towel off of Jesse’s waist that Friday afternoon just a few long weeks ago...and I was in heaven!

I wore a white T-shirt with a little blue Polo Ralph Lauren logo on it, a short sleeved plaid shirt that I left unbuttoned (the kids on TV always wore their shirts like that and I thought it looked kinda sexy ), a pair of comfortable Levi’s and the Vans I had broken in last night. I stuffed my overnight bag, making sure I had plenty of extra pairs of boxers! I packed my pajamas too (although I didn’t plan to use them)--just in case my mom decided to take a look.

After a delicious breakfast, I still had time to help my mom wash everything up before running out to the garage to get my sleeping bag (although I didn’t plan to use that either!) and throwing everything into the trunk of the Lexus. It was ten o’clock when we left. I thought about calling Jesse just to let him know I was on the way, and then decided it would be more fun to just show up.

“I spoke to Mrs. Taylor about the computer,” my mom said as we drove.

“What did she say?”

“That Jesse could have it if he worked for it.”

That didn’t seem fair since we had been planning to just give it away. “But mom...” I started to complain.

“I suggested that he come help us out at the church rummage sale in a couple of weeks,” my mom interjected.

The rummage sale! I usually hated wasting my Saturday hauling junk to people’s cars and scrounging through all that dirty old stuff. It had been a regular tradition for us in La Jolla, and my mom had continued it when we joined St. Agnus. But with Jesse there...

“That sounds like an awesome idea...” I replied, “but two weeks...?”

“Have a little patience,” my mom said with a sly grin.

“So why didn’t we take the computer over today?” I asked. “Jesse could really use it...for school, you know.” I didn’t want to mention Jesse’s writing because I didn’t even know if Mrs. Taylor knew about it. If she did, I’m sure she hadn’t read Mall Encounter!

“Mrs. Taylor insisted he do the work first.”

“Okay...” I agreed a little reluctantly. Still, I could look forward to spending another Saturday with Jesse, even though we’d be working pretty hard and it wouldn’t be as private as this weekend...

After a few minutes of silence, my mom spoke again, this time with a hint of unease in her voice. "I know you and Jesse have really been hitting it off," she said hesitantly, "but I just wanted you to know how special today is."

"I've been looking forward to it all week!" I said, stating the obvious.

"I know, hon, but you should also understand that leaving Jesse alone like this is not something that Mrs. Taylor feels very...comfortable about."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we spoke on the phone earlier this week, and I guess she and Jesse had an argument about him going to his Aunt Ruthie's today. I told you that Jesse had some problems back in Illinois, and was quite depressed the last few months before they moved. I think she's not sure Jesse is...responsible enough to stay home alone for almost two days."

"But Jesse is responsible mom!" I insisted, perhaps sounding overly defensive. "He's always thinking about his mom and his sister, and he feels bad when he's not there to help his mom out."

My mom nodded. "Oh, Perry, I'm not saying Jesse isn't a wonderful boy--I think he's the sweetest thing. It's just that I want you to truly appreciate the fact that you're going to get to spend the weekend with him like this...You know, Mrs. Taylor told me, the night she came to pick up Jesse, that they had a big fight when Jesse insisted he wanted to go to the mall and see the movie with you and your friends."

"But why?" I asked, surprised to hear that.

"Well, she had to work at the restaurant that night, and with Jesse not there, it meant she had to pay for a babysitter..."

"Oh yeah," I muttered, remembering that Jesse had intentionally not told me about his sister at that point.

"And to make matters worse--to spite her, she said--Jesse said he was going straight to the mall after school even though the movie wasn't until later in the evening, and that meant Mrs. Taylor had to leave work, pick up Miranda, take her home, and pay even more for a babysitter. Now, as I've told you, in a sense, she was glad to make these sacrifices, because she was so glad that Jesse had found a new friend. On the other hand, she was quite upset by Jesse's defiance. "

I didn't know what to say. I knew how obsessed I had become with Jesse, but it hadn't really sunk into my thick skull that Jesse was equally obsessed with me. It bothered me that he had these battles with his mom, and yet, it didn't diminish any of the strong feelings I had for him.

"Now, of course all these things I'm telling you are confidential. I think Jesse would be very uncomfortable if you were to mention any of this to him...I just want you to understand that Jesse isn't like Morgan and your other friends. He and his family had a very difficult life before, and Jesse is a...a troubled boy."

I knew that a lot of bad things had happened to him before, but I just couldn't bring myself to think of Jesse as 'troubled.'

"I'm sorry if that sounds harsh--maybe I shouldn't even be telling you this," my mom said, her voice momentarily lacking the assured confidence it always seemed to have. "But there is one thing that Mrs. Taylor and I do agree on--that you've been a wonderful influence on Jesse."

I was actually starting to get angry. I definitely didn't want to hear all these things on the way to see the boy I was so desperately in love with.

Mom glanced over at me sitting in the passenger seat as we neared Jesse's street and I think she could see the pained look on my face. "All I'm saying honey, is cherish this weekend, because you may not get another opportunity like this for a while. Does that make any sense to you?"

I felt tears starting to well up in my eyes, and I turned to look out the window so my mom couldn't see them.

"I do understand, mom, and I do appreciate the time we get to spend together. I...I really like Jesse..." I sniffled a little, probably tipping my mom off about the tears welling up and blurring my vision.

"I know you do, my sweet honey boy. Just have a good time and stay out of trouble--That's all I ask."

I nodded silently.

It was just a few minutes later that we pulled up in front of Jesse’s building. I quickly dabbed the moisture from my eyes and was immediately blessed with the sight of my beautiful blonde angel, sitting on the steps near his apartment, probably waiting for me. He was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans with the cuffs rolled up to show off his white socks, and black canvas sneakers. When he saw our car pull up, his face literally lit up. I could see the sparkle in his beautiful blue eyes all the way from the curb. I felt my whole body begin to tingle. I even had butterflies in my stomach! The disturbing conversation with my mom just seemed to evaporate into the brisk autumn air. My heart leapt as I watched Jesse scamper down to meet us. I got out of the car and began pulling my things out of the trunk.

“Hi, Mrs. Thompson, thanks for letting Perry stay over!” Jesse said in a boldly cheerful mood.

“I’m trusting you to take care of my little honey,” my mom teased. Still, it was enough to make me blush.

“I’ll do my best, Mrs. Thompson. Do I have your permission to spank him if he misbehaves?” I couldn’t believe shy little Jesse had just said that.

“Absolutely!” she said with a laugh. My mom dug in her purse and pulled out a big wad of twenties. She handed it to me.

“You boys have a good time and don’t forget to eat something besides junk food,” she said.

“Yeah, mom,” I answered, quickly stuffing the bills into my pocket. I think Jesse’s eyes just about popped out of his head when he saw all that cash and I felt a little embarrassed.

“We were hoping you’d come to church with us tomorrow,” my mom said to Jesse.

“Sure, I’d love to!” he replied.

“Good, then I’ll be by around nine thirty. After church I’ll take you boys out for a wonderful brunch!” she said.

“Gees, that sounds great, Mrs. Thompson!” Jesse said, picking up my sleeping bag.

“Be good, honey,” my mom said with genuine motherly concern. She gave me a quick hug and ruffled Jesse’s beautiful, silky blonde hair. “Call me if you need anything,” she said, getting back into the car.

We stood and waved as she pulled away. As soon as she was out of sight, we dashed up the stairs. Jesse awkwardly held the sleeping bag in one arm as he dug his house keys out of his pocket.

Just then, a door opened two apartments down. A short, squat Spanish woman of indeterminate age peered out.

“Oh, hi, Mrs. Lopez! This is my amigo, Perry! Perry, this is Mrs. Lopez--she babysits Miranda sometimes. My mom told her to keep an eye on us!”

“Oh, very nice to meet you, Perry!” Mrs. Lopez said, giving a little wave. “Be good boys now!” and she disappeared back into her apartment.

When we got inside I giggled. “Hey, amigo!” I punched Jesse playfully in the arm. He responded by throwing my sleeping bag at me, causing me to drop my overnight bag and the garment bag with my Sunday clothes in it. Then he went through a sudden flurry of karate chops and kicks, grunting and groaning in a hilariously exaggerated way. I don’t know what the other kids in Jesse’s Evanston karate class were like, but I couldn’t imagine that anyone could move as lightening quick as he could. It amazed me every time! Right out of a Jackie Chan movie, he tossed my garment bag in the air with a flick of his toe, scooped up my overnight bag in one arm, and caught the garment bag neatly in the other before it could touch the ground.

I applauded. “If that’s what you do for the matinee, I’ll definitely be back for the eight o’clock show!” I laughed.

He gently laid the garment bag over the arms of a well worn recliner and set the overnight bag down on the floor next to it. With a swift spinning kick, he knocked the sleeping bag over to the same spot with perfect aim.

"God, you look so sexy..." he said, looking me over from head to toe.

He came up to me and planted a big wet kiss firmly on my lips. Soon, he was grasping my neck and I was running my hands through his hair, caressing his ears and cheeks, as our tongues got involved and our kiss became deeper and more passionate. Finally, Jesse pulled away.

“I thought I saw some scrambled eggs on your lips,” he explained shyly.

I couldn’t believe it--I had already laughed more in the last five minutes than I had all week at school, or at that goofy party last night. We both stared at each other, gasping for breath. Jesse’s hair was tousled from my mom’s rubbing and his own martial arts gymnastics.

“So, you want something to drink?” Jesse asked, playing the good host.

“I’m fine,” I said, looking around the apartment. It was certainly small compared to what I was used to, but also very cozy. There was a comfortable looking sofa and a recliner in the front room along with a TV and a coffee table. There were pictures of Jesse and Miranda on the wall and everything was clean and tidy. Jesse sure had been a cute little kid, with pudgier cheeks than he had now, and his hair had been almost platinum blonde, instead of the rich golden color it was now.

“So, are you going to show me around or what?” I asked with mock impatience.

“Oh, sure--if you’ve got five and a half seconds, that is,” Jesse replied sarcastically.

“This is the livingroom,” he said in a snooty English accent, extending his arm in a grandly sweeping gesture. Then he took several small steps and gestured again. “The kitchen!” It was small and narrow, with a small round dining table set up in a nook that looked out onto the balcony. Right now, the drapes were drawn.

He picked up the wall mounted phone and pointed to it. “The phone, where my friend talks dirty to me all night long!” he decreed haughtily. He didn’t pause for even a moment, even though I was nearly doubled over in hysterical laughter.

He led me down a short hall. “The guest bath,” he intoned, “complete with flush toilet and hot and cold running water for your personal hygiene!” He pointed to me theatrically.

He gestured down the hall. “The chamber of the queen and her princess, complete with its own luxurious bath facilities and water closet!”

“And what’s in here?” I asked, pointing to the closed door across from the bathroom. “I assumed it was Jesse’s bedroom.

“Ah, that, dear friend, is my room...”

I started to open the door.

Jesse bounced in front of it, grinning sheepishly.

“You can’t go in...er...not yet,” he said, sounding very much like a thirteen year old boy again.

I backed off. “Okaaaaay....”

“Tell me about the party!” Jesse said excitedly. He bounded back into the livingroom and flopped down on the sofa in the livingroom. I sat as well, keeping a little distance between us so that we could actually have a conversation without things turning frisky again.

“I’ve been so waiting to come over!” I said instead. Everything just felt so good and right, being here, sitting with my sweet angel. I knew he was working hard to make me laugh, but he didn’t need to--just being with him was enough to fill me with contentment.

“Well, I figured you could at least see why I can’t participate very well in your scatological little phone conversations,” he said, gesturing to the kitchen.

“That’s okay; I think I talk dirty enough for the both of us!”

”But what about the party, dude?” Jesse pressed.

“Okay, okay--it was weird--but kinda fun,” I answered, unsure of how to describe it.

“Were Tom and Morgan there?”

“Yeah--but Tom was acting really strange--like nervous all the time.” I had never mentioned to Jesse about our strange parking lot conversation, especially since Tom had seemed fairly normal after that.

“He may have felt out of his element in Jessica’s grand mansion,” Jesse suggested. “I can kinda relate to that.”

I nodded and then shrugged. “Could be, but somehow I think there’s more to it. When we were riding home, he kept giving me these weird looks like...I don’t know, like he was drowning or something and somehow I was the one who was supposed to rescue him.”

“Wow, you got all that from a look?” Jesse asked, half teasing.

I shrugged again. “I don’t know. I guess I need to talk to him about it.”

“What else, what else?” he asked, grasping his hands excitedly in front of him. Sometimes I couldn’t tell if Jesse was goofing around or was really serious. He had such a bizarre sense of humor.

“We shot pool, played Twister, danced for like an hour...”

“Twister, eh?” Jesse mused. “Did you get to see Melissa”s...”

When I told him the story, he was laughing so hard his cheeks turned beet red. Finally, he wiped a tear out of his eye and sniffled. “What else, dude?” he asked.

“Well, I found out that two girls--at least two girls-- in our class have a crush on me.”

“Okaaay,” Jesse said, waiting anxiously for more information.

“Katy is one of them...”

“Duuuuh,” Jesse moaned sarcastically.

Had it been common news to everyone but me? “She...ah...well, kinda took me by surprise in the...uh...guest room...” I stammered.

“You didn’t...!” Jesse sprang suddenly to his feet with his fists clenched. I thought he was really pissed. “You didn’t knock her up, did you old man?” he asked in his faux English accent again.

“Jesse!” I said, trying to get him to be a little serious. I mean, it had been a big deal to me, after all.

He sat back down. “She kissed you, huh?” he asked knowingly.

“How did you...?”

“The look on your face, dude--GUILTY!”

“Yeah, well, she really did take me by surprise, and I didn’t kiss back...”

“That’s cool, dude,” Jesse assured me, “but really, you don’t owe me anything, if that’s what you’re thinking. If you want to kiss Katy, or...anybody...that’s your business.”

“No, Jesse--it’s our business,” I insisted, and before he could protest again, I went on. “Let me tell you about one more strange and bizarre moment.” I explained about being locked in the guest room with Jessica for almost an hour, telling him pretty much everything as best as I could remember it. Sitting here with Jesse, in a room that smelled like Jesse and had pictures of Jesse on the wall, that stupid party suddenly seemed like it had taken place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

“So, who is it?” Jesse asked, looking at me with big puppy dog eyes, wanting to know who my special someone was--teasing me about the big lie I had told to Jessica. But this time, I was ready for him.

“It’s...it’s...” I sprang up theatrically. “Sister Mary Helen!” I said, shouting out the name of the school librarian.

“What does she have that I don’t have?” Jesse asked, a pained look on his face.

“A normal sense of humor, dude!” I giggled.

“It’s her nipples, isn’t it?” Jesse asked dismally, peering down the front of his shirt.

That was all I could take, and I scooted over and gave Jesse a big long hug.

“Thanks for thinking about me, Perry,” he whispered delicately in my ear, his warm breath tickling my cheek. “I don’t deserve you...”

I wasn’t going to get into that argument again. I just held him, cherishing the moment, wishing things could always be like this.

“Mmmmmm...so what did you have planed for us, today?” I asked, slowly breaking our embrace. I knew I wanted to jump into bed with him, and from everything I could tell, he wanted the same thing, so it was really just a matter of formalities...

“I wrote another story!” Jesse said, an impish smile on his face.

That wasn’t what I expected him to say, but... "Cool!” I blurted out.

“Yeah, well, it’s kinda short and I don’t know...” Jesse was getting all shy again. It was amazing how quickly he could withdraw like that. I mean with everyone else, he was always shy, but with me, he could go from St. Francis of Assisi to Karate Kid to Ben Stiller in the blink of an eye.

“You’re not going to make me wait again?!” I moaned.

“No, I guess I want you to read it,” he muttered, his gaze suddenly going to his knees. Finally he looked up at me with a shy smile, his blue eyes...well...twinkling! What else can I say?

He picked up another one of those wire bound pads of lined paper. He opened it up and suddenly seemed to remember something.

“Hold on, a second!” he said, rummaging in the drawer of the side table. He pulled out a pen and began writing carefully in the notebook, giving me a scrutinizing glance every once in a while. This went on for almost five minutes. Then he took a quick glance through the other pages and handed it to me.

“So I can read it--right now?” I asked with surprise.

Jesse nodded, looking very nervous and uncomfortable.

“And what are you going to do?” I asked curiously.

“It’s short--I’ll wait,” he said.

I opened the notebook to the first page, noting the blue ink of the stuff he had just written added into the first page, which was otherwise neatly penned in black ink.

Strange Encounter

Perry Thompson was just a month a way from his fourteenth birthday as he headed for his friend, Morgan’s house to shoot some hoops on a cool and sunny November afternoon. He was a slender youth, with wavy brown hair that covered his ears, full lips, and beautiful hazel colored eyes under long sweeping lashes. (I couldn’t help but blush at this description of myself! Jesse made me sound not half bad!)

He was wearing (new ink starts here) a blue plaid short sleeved shirt, unbuttoned over a white T-shirt. His faded blue Levi’s hugged his narrow hips and showed off his nicely shaped butt to perfection. This casual ensemble was finished off with a pair of black suede Vans sneakers, the thick white laces tied into big bows that bounced as he walked. (end of new ink)

Perry’s mind was filled with thoughts of the basketball championship he and Morgan had helped to secure for their school only a few days ago, (all right!) as he strolled past a short block of tidy shops that served the quiet suburban neighborhood in which the boys lived. As he walked by one shadowed alley, he thought he saw the silhouette of a boy, maybe his own age or a little younger, dashing behind the store. He didn’t know why it caught his attention, and when he actually stopped to look, the alley was silent and empty.

Perry continued walking, passing several more shops, when something caught his eye again. This time when he looked down the alley, he saw the obscured figure of a boy standing there, poised as if he were ready to run. Perry looked right at him, but couldn’t make out the boy’s features in the darkened alley. Besides being around Perry’s age, the boy seemed slight of build with longish hair that might be blonde in the light of day. Perry thought it was strange that the boy just stood like that, arms and legs spread as if he were about to run off--except he didn’t. They seemed to be just staring at each other.

After a few minutes of this, Perry started to get annoyed. “What’s your problem?” he called from the sidewalk. The boy suddenly sprinted behind the store. Perry waited to see if he would reappear, and when he didn’t, he resumed his walk.

At the other end of the store, he saw the boy again, this time standing in the middle of the alley with his arms crossed, as if waiting for something. Perry couldn’t see the boy’s face in the shadows, but he was sure the boy was looking at him.

“Do I know you?” Perry asked, already sensing that he didn’t.

The figure just stood there like a darkened statue. After a long silence, a voice spoke his name : “Perry Thompson.”

It didn’t sound like a boy’s voice, or at least, not like a boy’s voice alone. It sounded like several voices combined and calling from a far off distance, seemingly from much further away than the end of the alley which Perry could see behind the still figure.

Perry shivered when he heard his name. He knew that he should walk on, maybe even run, but to his shock, he was slowly heading towards the alley! His legs seemed to be moving of their own volition. He knew he could stop if he wanted to, turn around even, or call for help...but he felt drawn towards the mysterious figure before him.

As he got closer to the figure, he realized that the reason he couldn’t make out the boy’s features was because his face was blurred. In fact, the whole figure was blurred, as if he were seeing it underwater but without the fluctuating effect of the moving water.

Now Perry was starting to get scared. If he was going to run, this was the moment. He shivered as the blurred figure reached out a hand toward him.

Perry found himself reaching out a trembling hand as well. Somehow he knew that if he touched the boy’s hand, something would happen, something he hadn’t experienced ever before in his fourteen years of life. Still, he let the boy’s blurred fingers touch his, and there was a bright flash of light. It lasted much longer than the flash of a camera or the flash of lightening in the sky. It filled Perry’s vision and it should have hurt his eyes, but it didn’t.

He felt a little dizzy but kept his feet under him. Slowly, the light faded. Now everything looked dark except for the afterimages burned into his retinas. He just stared straight ahead to where the boy had been standing a few seconds earlier. The floor felt different under his feet--smoother, harder, unbroken. The air was also different, a little warmer, but strikingly odorless. He started to sense that he was inside--where, he didn’t know. And if he was inside, it was a huge inside, because he could see neither walls nor ceiling. Only the floor seemed to be dimly reflecting some unseen light source. It was very disorienting and Perry stumbled forward, staggering to keep his balance.

As he slowly recovered his sense of balance, the area around him seemed to get lighter, even though he couldn’t see any light sources anywhere, on the walls, the ceiling, or the floor. As he slowly looked around, he was able to discern some amorphous shapes that slowly solidified.

The first thing he saw, about ten meters from where he was standing, was a stack of rectangular blocks, each slightly smaller than the one below it, forming a series of stairs in a pyramidal shape. The top looked to be maybe a couple of meters off the floor, although the idea of perspective in this large area of emptiness was hard to judge. In the middle of the last flat block, stood what looked like a large, thick slabbed table, raised another meter or so off the top of the rectangular blocks by a wide curving pedestal. The table was also a flat rectangle, with slightly rounded edges and a smooth, opaque texture like smoked glass.

The only other object he could see, before the room vanished back into darkness all around, was what looked like a chair, high backed, made of the same opaque material as the table. It rested on top of a circular dais consisting of several concentric, stacked circles.

“Hello?” Perry called. His voice unintentionally came out as a whisper. There was no echo. He repeated his greeting, a little louder, feeling the weight of the large chamber completely surrounding him.

“Perry Thompson,” came a voice out of the darkness behind him. This time, it did sound like the voice of a boy. Perry spun around to where he thought the voice had come from.

“Who’s there?” he asked, not fully able to keep the fear from his own small voice.

“Perry Thompson,” the voice repeated, much closer now. There was the sound of very light footsteps. Finally, the boy Perry had seen in the alley came into the light.

He was much as Perry had seen him in the alley--slender, slight of build, with long blonde hair that shimmered with reflected light from indeterminate sources. His face was soft and gentle looking. His most startling feature was his eyes: an icy crystal blue, they seemed to sparkle from some inner source.

Perry had the strongest sense that what he was looking at wasn’t human, and yet it looked human in every detail. Surprisingly, he--or it--was dressed much like an ordinary teenager: a white T-shirt, faded denim jeans with the cuffs rolled up, white socks, and black canvas sneakers. (What was going on here? Why had Jesse dressed these fictional characters exactly as we were now, at this moment in Jesse’s apartment?)

“Who are you? What is this place?” Perry managed to ask, his voice quickly being absorbed by the echoless chamber.

The mysterious figure, who seemed to be first studying Perry with the clinical interest of a scientist, suddenly smiled a tight lipped smile that didn’t put Perry in the least at ease. He stopped while he was still several meters away.

“You can call me Jerrin,” he said, his voice starting to take on a certain human warmth, as if he were observing and absorbing human characteristics from Perry.

“Where is this place? Did you bring me here? How...?” The questions came flooding out.

Jerrin held up his hand gently, cutting off Perry’s stream of inquiries. “There is not much time, and I cannot explain everything,” he said, coming a little closer. “Do you fear me?”

”One second, I’m in an alley a few blocks from my house, and then there’s a bright flash of light and I’m...where ever this is, and there’s this creepy kid popping out of the darkness...” Perry blustered.

Jerrin seemed genuinely hurt to be called ‘creepy,’ and Perry felt a twinge of regret for saying it. In truth, Perry found Jerrin to be intriguing, to say the least. While his physical appearance was nothing out of the ordinary, the boy’s soft features and those startling eyes made an emotional impact that seemed to touch Perry’s very soul.

“I’m sorry,” Perry mumbled. “I didn’t mean to call you creepy. It’s just that I’m so freaked out by all this.”

“I understand your fear and disorientation,” Jerrin said, again coming a step closer. “I would not have brought you here, except that it is a matter of the utmost importance.”

“Where is here?” Perry asked more calmly than before.

“Here is another universe, parallel, yet separate, from your own. My people believe there are an infinite number of universes, all with their own sets of physical and metaphysical laws, most of them intersecting at one or more points in the continuum.”

This was a lot for Perry to absorb. It wasn’t that he disbelieved Jerrin--it seemed as good an explanation as any for what this strange place was--it was just too vast a concept for him to wrap his fourteen year old mind around.

“Who are your people?” he asked, hoping for a more straight forward explanation.

“We start life much as your people do: that is, as physical entities,” Jerrin explained, gesturing to his own body.

“Is that what you really look like?” Perry asked suspiciously, having seen way too many science fiction movies in his short life span. (Hahaha!)

“Not exactly...” Jerrin answered hesitantly. “But if you took my DNA and...uh...converted it to human DNA, this is how I would appear.”

“You seem to be about my age,” Perry observed.

“Yes, not in actual time, but in terms of life span,” Jerrin agreed. “But our people, when they reach my age, change--metamorphosize--into something else, something you might call metaphysical. We shed these physical bodies and become beings of pure energy and spirit.”

“Okaaaay,” Perry responded cautiously. “What does this all have to do with me?”

“When we come close to the time of Change, it is our task to search through many worlds in many universes, looking for the right match, the one who not only has the necessary physical and metaphysical attributes to initiate the Change, but also someone who has a compatible...spirit, as you would say. Or perhaps ‘soul’ is a better word.”

“So let me get this straight, you searched through like, tons of planets, looking for just the right person to help you with your transformation--and you chose me?” Perry asked incredulously. As far as Perry was concerned, he was just an ordinary teenager, maybe with a bit of a sexual identity crisis, but nothing that he couldn’t handle... (Yeah, right!)

“Yes, it was a very long and difficult search. My parents and friends urged me to make a choice, but I insisted on finding just that right soul to make the Change go perfectly. If you make the wrong selection, it can affect your life profoundly after the Change in ways I won’t get into right now...”

“Because there’s not much time,” Perry added, remembering Jerrin’s earlier words.

The boy nodded. “I took longer than I should have in my search. Now, time is almost gone. If I don’t begin the Change very, very soon, I’ll be trapped in this physical body and die in a very short span of years as reckoned by my people.”

“So you need my help?” Perry asked uncertainly.

“Yes. There is a very specific set of Rituals that must be performed, including the one of Sacrifice...”

“Hold on, Mr. Alien!” Perry said, taking a few instinctive steps backwards away from Jerrin. “Sacrifice? You mean, I have to die so you can...Change?!”

Jerrin shook his head vigorously. “There is no risk to you. Only my life is in danger if the Rituals are not completed in short order. I can only tell you that you may find it a somewhat unpleasant experience, but certainly it will not harm you in any significant way.”

“What if I refuse?” Perry asked, both frightened and intrigued at the same time.

“I will send you back. Either way, whether you choose to participate in the Rituals or refuse, you will be returned to where we first met. It will be as if no time has passed.”

“Will I remember all this?” Perry asked, knowing that he wanted to very badly.

“I’m not allowed to alter your memory,” Jerrin answered enigmatically.

”You won’t tell me what this sacrifice is?” Perry asked squeamishly.

“I am not allowed to divulge that information until the appropriate moment. However,” Jerrin walked past Perry to stand at the bottom of the dais that supported the large table, “you will be bound to the sacrificial altar as tradition dictates.”

“Oh, shit...” Perry murmured. “Tied up, on that...thing...?” he repeated nervously. “And then what?”

“You must trust me, Perry Thompson. I searched long and hard to find you--I know that our souls are very different--and yet, they are complimentary. Combined, they would become as close as two souls can come to perfection in this vast continuum. If you refuse, I will not have time to chose a replacement. I will die in this physical body, scorned by my friends and family, forced to live out my short span with those few others who also missed the time of Change.”

Now Jerrin came and stood closer to Perry than he ever had before. There was fear in those crystal blue eyes that made him look more human than ever. Perry sensed Jerrin’s urgent need, and yet he hesitated. He knew nothing of this boy. What if there were others? Perhaps Jerrin spoke the truth when he said he wouldn’t hurt Perry, but what about after he was tied up? Maybe there were others lurking in the vast darkness of this place, waiting to perform some bloody ritual on a helpless teenage victim. Maybe even Jerrin didn’t know the full truth of what was going to take place. Perry’s mind raced with possibilities, imagining every horrible scenario that would end in his death. Still, what was his insignificant human life worth compared to someone like Jerrin? What would it be like to be a creature of pure energy and spirit, unbound by time or space, free to roam the infinite continuum of universes for perhaps thousands or hundreds of thousands of years? Wouldn’t that be worth the life of one fourteen year old boy?

And yet, what Jerrin had said about their souls being almost one, Perry sensed to be true. Something beyond his rational mind told him that Jerrin could be trusted.

“You must chose quickly, Perry Thompson,” Jerrin urged, coming still a step closer.

_____________________________________________________

And that was it! The story just ended. I flipped through the rest of the wire binder, but the rest of the pages were blank.

“What’s the big idea?” I asked, only half facetiously. “I was just getting into this, and then...it stops!”

Jesse stifled a giggle with his mouth. He was feeling shy again, but not the way he was around others where he seemed withdrawn and hesitant. It was more like he had something in mind and was a little embarrassed by it.

“You’re gonna think this is really stupid,” Jesse began, gently taking the binder back, “but I had this idea...” He was having a hard time getting the words out and I was getting a little frustrated.

“What?!” I asked, impatiently.

Jesse seemed to draw on some deep sense of inner discipline to calm himself down, but he still couldn’t stop smiling in the way someone does when they have a secret they’ve sworn not to tell but are dying to tell all the same.

“I was thinking that we could act out the rest of the story,” he blurted out with a self conscious giggle.

I just sat there for a moment, staring at him, not quite grasping what he was suggesting, and then...

“You mean, you’ll be Jerrin and I’ll be...”

”Perry, you dufus!” he interrupted excitedly.

“You mean, with the sacrifice thing?” I asked, starting to feel something like nervous anticipation building inside me.

“If you want,” Jesse reminded me. “If you think it’s stupid, I’ll just write the rest of it out and give it to you next week...”

“No, I think it’s a way cool idea,” I assured him. “It’s just that, how are we going to do it?”

Jesse got up and walked to the closed door of his room. He waited for me to follow, and then opened the door and flicked the light switch. It was less than half the size of my bedroom, with one small window near the ceiling. There was a petite writing desk and chair, a dresser with a mirror, and a twin sized bed with a nightstand.

The head of the bed, which seemed like it should be up against the wall, had been moved forward into the room slightly. I noticed that all the sheets had been removed, leaving just the bare mattress and the sturdy wooden frame. This was obviously supposed to stand in for the sacrificial table. The thought of being tied to the bed--Jesse’s bed!--was getting me incredibly worked up. I couldn’t believe that my shy, blonde angel would be into such things. Still, I thought about his previous story, with my alter ego, Parker, being stripped and tied up in the junkyard garage...

Jesse had disappeared and soon came back with one of the high-backed chairs from the dining set. He set it near the bed. A chair had been the only other object that ‘Perry’ had seen in the story.

“If we’re going to act this out, don’t we need a script?” I asked.

“You pretty much have to just play yourself--under very unusual circumstances--and follow my lead,” Jesse said with shrug. I could tell by the way his eyes darted around that he was really nervous.

“So this will be like a kinky Twilight Zone episode?” I asked.

Jesse nodded with a blush. “You can still change your mind if you want...”

“No way! I’m totally into this!” I insisted. I had never imagined Jesse and I would be spending our Saturday doing something like this!

“The only thing is, once we start, we both need to stay in character until the end...oh, and no bathroom breaks or time outs,” he explained, having obviously worked out all the details well in advance.

“Are you really going to tie me up?” I asked in a quavering whisper.

Jesse opened one of the drawers of his dresser, and pulled out some long strips of thick grey cloth.

“I cut these out of an old flannel sheet,” he said modestly. “The material is pretty tough, but still soft.” He tugged on it to show me its strength. “I didn’t want to use real rope because it might hurt you,” he added.

“Wow, you really planned it out...” I said with admiration and building anticipation.

“I guess I’m a really weird person,” he said, a bit shame faced.

“You are weird, and this is totally awesome!”

Jesse smiled and set the cloth strips (four of them) near the bed.

“So, you want to do this, for sure?” he asked nervously.

I nodded.

“Good--then go take a leak!”

I laughed, but did what he said. Unfortunately, it proved a bit of a tricky task since I was already getting hard. I was worried about my aim, but I just took my time and got through it. At least I was ‘deflated’ again, and could start fresh.

“So, how do we begin?” I asked, so excited that I felt my chest tremble as I inhaled and exhaled.

Jesse gave me another little smile, his blue eyes twinkling with excitement. Then, he slowly let his face relax until there was no readable expression. He began speaking in a quiet, calm, but somehow sexy voice.

“You must trust me, Perry Thompson. I searched long and hard to find you--I know that our souls are almost as one, as close as two can come in this vast continuum. If you refuse, I will not have time to chose a replacement. I will die in this physical body, scorned by my friends and family, forced to live out my short span with those few others who also missed the time of Change.”

I realized that those were the exact words from the story, and they sounded so perfect coming out of Jesse’s lips that I shuddered with an odd feeling that Jerrin was really here!

Jesse took a step closer. “You must choose quickly, Perry Thompson!” he said, adding a sense of urgency to his nearly emotionless voice.

“I...I...I’ll do it!” I stammered, actually feeling like I was in the story!

“You have touched my soul, Perry Thompson. I will be forever in your debt.” Jesse lowered his head in a slight bow.

“You...you can call me Perry...just Perry,” I whispered, letting myself totally believe that I was standing in an endless room in another universe, with an alien named Jerrin.

“We must hesitate no longer, if I am to enter the Change at the correct moment,” Jesse said. “Will you do all that I ask--without question?”

I nodded. I tried smiling, giving Jesse a little knowing wink, but I couldn’t. He was so...alien that it didn’t feel right. Even though he was an incredibly cute alien, I knew that ‘Perry’--that is--I, would be very nervous and at least a little frightened under the circumstances, so I tried to keep that in mind. I had never tried any serious acting before, but I enjoyed the process of imagining myself in the situation, and how I would feel and react. I don’t know how good I was, but Jesse was doing an uncanny job!

“First, you need to remove any items in those containers in your clothing,” Jesse/Jerrin said, gesturing to the pockets of my jeans. I pulled my house keys out of one pocket, my wallet out of another, along with the embarrassingly large wad of cash my mom had given me this morning, and a handled comb out of my back pocket. Jesse set my things down on his nightstand.

“And that,” he added, pointing to my watch.

I suddenly had what seemed like a clever idea. “My watch...it’s stopped!” I said.

Jesse picked up immediately on my little improvisation. “Time does not move in the same way here as it does in your universe. That device will not function here.” He held out his hand.

I removed my wrist watch and handed it to him.

“Behold the Seat Of Purity,” Jesse/Jerrin said, gesturing to the kitchen chair. “If you will commit to seeing this through, then you need only to sit, and the Rituals will begin.”

“Ah...sure...” I answered, sitting on the sturdy wooden chair near the doorway of Jesse’s bedroom. It had an upholstered seat and was reasonably comfortable.

“The Rituals have begun. There is no turning back,” Jesse/Jerrin warned in a quiet (sexy) voice.

This reminded me a little of when I was younger, and we would play Batman and Robin, or Star Wars or whatever. We all would chose our characters and someone would come up with a situation, sometimes simple, and sometimes quite elaborate. But they always seemed to end up the same way, with kids chasing each other around the yard, or the den, or the park or whatever, pretending to shoot each other! But here was a chance to do it right, and I was totally into it!

“I will return in a moment,” Jesse/Jerrin said, stepping out of the room and going across the hall to the bathroom. I heard water running but didn’t turn to look. Jesse soon returned, holding a plastic pitcher in his hands, obviously filled with water. He set it down near the chair, then reached under his bed to pull out what looked like a large, opaque green plastic bowl.

I had no clue what Jesse was up to, but it was obvious that he had done a lot of preparation.

“These coverings on your feet, they are so elaborate,” Jesse/Jerrin said, kneeling in front of me.

“Uh..you mean my shoes?” I asked warily.

“My people rarely wear garments,” Jesse/Jerrin continued. “Our frames are not so fragile as yours, our skin not so delicate.”

“But you’re wearing...uh...garments now,” I reminded him, finding all this talk about clothes kind of arousing.

“I wanted to appear as a normal male human in your culture and climate. Is my clothing not appropriate?” he asked with concern.

“No...I mean...it’s fine..you look good...real good.”

Jesse gave me the slightest smile at that comment, looking up at me with his beautiful blue eyes.

“I will remove your footwear now,” Jesse/Jerrin said, “so that the Rituals may proceed as tradition dictates. Do not be afraid.”

“I’m cool,” I said, excited by the idea of Jesse taking off my shoes!

Jesse carefully collapsed each bow on my sneakers. He began gently tugging them off by grasping the toe and pulling down on the heel, pulling the shoes off as I lifted my feet slightly off the carpeted floor. I didn’t think my feet would smell this early in the day, but I was still a little apprehensive despite my building excitement. But Jesse didn’t seem repulsed by my stocking feet as he carefully set the shoes neatly aside.

“These additional coverings must also be removed. Do not be afraid,” he repeated. He reached under the cuffs of my jeans and slowly peeled each of my white crew socks down, letting them bunch up at my toes and then slipping them off. His fingers tickled my calves and ankles as he undressed my feet. He set my socks carefully on my shoes.

“Your extremities are intricately detailed and well proportioned--quite unique,” Jesse/Jerrin said, and I nearly jumped out of the chair when he brushed the tops of my feet with his soft fingers. He gently rolled the cuffs of my jeans up, exposing my ankles and lower calves.

“Lift your feet,” he ordered, slipping the plastic bowl beneath them. I kept my feet suspended over the bowl, starting to get an idea of what Jesse was up to.

“Behold the Essence of the Continuum, water drawn from the Lake of Infinite Dreams.” Jesse bowed his head as if in prayer. “Purify this boy so that his essence may become part of my being from this day forward.”

I was amazed at how convincing Jesse was at speaking all this dialogue as if it were real and true. Even as worked up as I was getting to be, I was still extremely curious to see how this ‘story’ would play out.

He poured water from the pitcher onto my feet and toes. Thankfully, it was lukewarm and felt good as it spilled over my feet and into the bowl. He set the pitcher down and caressed the tops of my wet feet with both hands. Then he ran his hands underneath, from my heels across my soles, briefly grasping my toes before letting go.

Did Jesse realize how hot this was making me? No one had ever touched my feet before, at least, not since I was a little kid. Even though I had a fascination with other people’s feet, I had never paid much attention to my own as far as them being sexual objects. But Jesse had made them so, and even though it tickled a little, it felt so good I didn’t want him to stop.

“These are truly beautiful feet,” Jesse/Jerrin said in a soft voice, his blonde head bowed before me. He lowered his head and kissed the tops of each of my feet and I couldn’t help but gasp at the electric tingle those delicate kisses sent up my legs! “Thank you for allowing me to find this boy in the Infinite Pool of the Universes,” he intoned solemnly.

Jesse moved the bowl away and reached once again under his bed. He produced a small hand towel which he used to dry my feet, first the tops and then the soles. Finally, he dabbed the terrycloth fabric between each of my toes, making sure there was no left over moisture there. I was in heaven...

“Arise, Perry. It is time for the First Linking, as my people would have it.”

I stood up, feeling a little light-headed, a growing lump in the front of my jeans that I would have been ashamed for anyone but Jesse to see. The loosely rolled up cuffs of my jeans spilled back over my bare feet.

Jesse moved to an open space and pulled his T-shirt over his head. His silky blonde hair spilled back down over his face in disarray as the shirt passed over his scalp. His tousled hair and slender torso made him even more sexually attractive than he already was. Despite my many jack off sessions involving my blonde haired friend, I had forgotten how truly beautiful Jesse’s body was. While he always had a tendency to look thin and delicate when dressed, in actuality there was little but muscle and sinew beneath his creamy smooth flesh. There was the hint of a nice six pack over his sunken belly and his jeans rode tantalizingly low on his waist.

He tossed the shirt onto the desk chair and gestured to me stiffly, still fully in the character of Jerrin. “You too need to remove your upper garment--your shirt,” he said, arms stretched forth in a universal sign of friendship, a slight smile on his angelic face.

Without hesitation, I slipped my short sleeved shirt off and set it on top of Jesse’s T-shirt. Then I pulled my own T-shirt over my head, regardless of the mess it made of my carefully groomed hair.

Jesse turned his back to me. “Do as I do, and turn your back to me,” he ordered in a gentle, quiet voice. I did as he said.

I felt a shiver go up my spine as Jesse carefully backed into me, his shoulders and back touching the flesh of my shoulders and back, our butt cheeks pressed against each other through our jeans.

“In the traditions of our people, all life came from the first spined creature to walk upright in our universe. This creature was able to grow food, build shelters and gradually came to control the environment around it. We touch our backs together, Perry Thompson, in recognition of that first vertebrate, and also to create the first Link between us, that of the physical body.”

It felt good just standing there with our butts pressed against each other, the heat of our bodies radiating from the flesh of our backs, one to the other.

“Repeat after me,” Jesse/Jerrin intoned ritualistically. “We complete the First Link..." He waited as I shakily repeated each of his words, truly feeling like we were carrying out some ancient ritual, the physical contact between us not only stimulating me sexually, but giving me a sense of warmth and comfort that I knew came directly from our mutual love.

“...That of the physical body...that which connects us to the world of our senses...that which brings us closer to the time of Change.”

I felt Jesse step away and I felt a brief emptiness from the sudden lack of physical contact.

“You may turn and face me, Perry,” Jesse/Jerrin proclaimed.

I was relieved to see that Jesse had a growing lump in the front of his pants that rivaled mine. I was glad to know that this little scenario was giving him as much pleasure as it was me.

“We will proceed to the Ritual of the Second Link, which will be conducted in the manner of your people,” Jesse/Jerrin explained. “It is the link that will bring our spirits--our souls--closer together and prepare us for the Third Link.”

I waited to see what was going to happen next. Jesse gave me a peaceful look that only partially hid the excitement he himself was feeling. I could see that in the sparkle of his crystal blue eyes.

He stepped towards me and delicately brushed a few locks of dishevelled brown hair out of my face. I did the same for him, enjoying the silky feeling of his long blonde hair. Then he stepped right up to me, tilted his head slightly, and kissed me on the lips. It caught me completely by surprise, until I remembered him saying that this was to be ‘in the manner of your (my) people.’ I plunged in hungrily, kissing him hard, my hands wrapping around his smooth slender neck as his arms first grasped my bare shoulders, and then worked their way up to my neck. Soon our tongues were probing each other’s mouths, stroking each other’s tongues, each of us trying desperately to penetrate deeper into the other’s throat. Finally, as Jesse’s hands passionately grabbed fistfuls of my hair, he abruptly pulled back. I could see his bare chest rise and fall as he breathed heavily. I tried to calm myself down, also gasping for breath, enjoying the lingering taste of Jesse in my mouth.

“Repeat...after me...” Jesse intoned breathlessly. “We complete the Second Link...that of the metaphysical body...that which brings one soul in direct contact with another...and if that contact is established...and it is good...than the Choosing has been well done...and the Sacrifice of The Essence of Life may begin.”

I was dying to know what that was all about. In the story, Jerrin had assured Parker that no serious harm would come to him, and that tradition dictated that he be tied to the Sacrificial Table for this Ritual of Change. Besides, between Jesse washing and caressing my feet, the two of us standing back to back--shirtless!--with our asses pressed together, and Jesse and me engaging in one of the most passionate kisses we had ever shared with each other, it was safe to say that I was hotter than a fried egg on melting asphalt in the middle of a southern California heatwave!

“Wh...what happens now?” I asked in a dry, raspy whisper, genuinely curious and yes...a little bit afraid!

“It is time for the Ritual of Change. The successful transference of the Essence of Life will serve as the catalyst to initiate the Change.”

“What if it’s not successful?”

Jesse shrugged, his face solemn for a moment. “It is my one and only chance...We can only do our best, Perry Thompson.” Then he smiled warmly, perhaps slightly out of character. “Please, lie down on the Table of Sacrifice, carved from the living stone of Mount Solonus. It will not be cold or hard.”

Well, I kinda wanted to laugh at that last remark, since all I was really doing was lying down on the bare mattress of Jesse’s bed, but I tried to remain in the solemnity of the moment, at least on the outside--I owed Jesse that much for all the thought and effort that he had put into this clever little game.

I laid myself down on the bed, my head where I imagined the pillow would usually go, my arms at my sides and my legs straight and slightly spread out (after all, I had a rather substantial erection to deal with).

Jesse picked up two of the flannel strips and moved behind the head of the bed. Now I realized why it had been pulled away from the wall.

“If our Linking is strong, the purity and beauty of your soul will mesh with the determination of mine and you will have no fear,” Jesse/Jerrin assured me as he reached under the headboard and tied the flannel strip several times around my wrist. Even though I had been expecting this, I was still surprised at how tightly he knotted the rope. Jesse tied the other end around the left bedpost, securing my wrist to the bedframe in a very real and effective way. I guess it added to the level of sexual arousal I was experiencing (and maybe his), to know that Jesse was not faking this. As he secured my other wrist to the right bedpost, I felt a little thrill of fear as I realized that it would be almost impossible for me to ever escape on my own. The flannel strips were very strong and I would have to break the bedframe (if I even could) to get out of this. If it turned out that my friend, Jesse Taylor, was really a teenage psycho murderer, I was pretty much screwed!

“Have no fear, my beautiful spirit,” Jesse/Jerrin whispered soothingly as he got up and retrieved the other two strips of cloth. He bent over my feet and tied one of the flannel strips tightly around my bare left ankle. Then he wrapped the other end of the strip around the short bedpost of the footboard and tugged, pulling first my leg, and then my whole body further down the length of the bed. He kept pulling until I was fully stretched, my armpit aching at the strain, the rope digging into my wrist keeping me firmly pinned. He repeated this process with my other ankle, leaving me stretched like a letter ‘X’ on the bedframe, shirtless and barefoot.

It was much more uncomfortable than I had anticipated. There was very little slack and all my muscles were pulled taut. If I tried to move one limb or the other, it increased the pressure on the other limbs and caused the resilient flannel cloth to dig deeper into my flesh. I even had trouble breathing deeply because my ribcage was pressed so tightly against my chest, and yet...this was all really, seriously turning me on!

I mean, I had never given any serious thought to the idea of bondage, although I knew it existed and that it was one of the ‘kinky’ things some people were ‘into’ on the internet and in the porn rags. What was it about being so helpless, stretched into an uncomfortable position, waiting for someone to do something to you? Here was my beautiful blonde angel, the boy who was so shy on his first day at St. Boniface, that he would rather hide under a tree than join us for lunch. Not only could he write really hot stories, he could actually live them!

“You are ready for the Ritual of Change,” Jesse/Jerrin said, standing next to the bed, still shirtless, his beautiful blue eyes twinkling in the shaded light of the two lamps that warmly lit the small room. “You will not be released until it is finished...Do not be afraid, Perry Thompson.” Jesse/Jerrin smiled slightly.

I just laid there (what else could I do?) and waited to see what Jesse would do. He was obviously enjoying looking at me tied to his bed, because his eyes kept moving up and down my body, stopping here and there along the way. Finally he leaned over me and began kissing me: first on my forehead, then my nose, then my chin, then my neck, then my sternum, then my belly, then my belly button, pausing long enough to probe my navel briefly with his moist tongue (I couldn’t help but giggle when he did that!), and finally between my belly button and the tops of my jeans.

My heart was now pounding furiously in my chest and I was breathing as hard as the pressure on my own tightly stretched ribcage would allow. When Jesse stopped kissing me, it felt like he was leaving me dangling over a cliff--I couldn’t fall over and I couldn’t step back--God, it was so agonizing to be this worked up and yet helpless to do anything about it!

Still, I was taken by surprise when the ‘alien’ began unbuttoning my pants! After he slipped the single metal button out of its notch, he used his thumb and forefinger to tug down my fly, exposing the front of my boxers with my hard on clearly straining against the thin fabric.

Now Jesse climbed up on the bed, still wearing his shoes, and knelt between my outspread legs. He tugged my jeans open as far as they would go and then lowered his head so that his silky blonde bangs tickled my stomach. He begin nibbling on my stiffened dick through the fabric of my boxers and I moaned at the intense stimulation. His lips moved up and down my shaft and he even got a few nibbles in on my scrotum, sending me to new heights of passion. I felt the wetness of precum coating the inside of my boxers. I was whimpering and moaning nonstop, straining at the bonds that held my wrists and ankles. My fingers grasped the bedposts and my toes curled and uncurled in a futile attempt to contain my built up sexual frustration.

“It is time...” Jesse/Jerrin gasped, obviously as caught up in the heated passion of the moment as I was. “Time for the Sacrifice...of the...Essence of...Life...”

My whole body trembled with ecstasy as his fingers slipped in and brought the shaft of my fully erect penis out of the opening in the front of my boxers. It curved upwards into the air in all it’s hard glory, the circumcised head pointing towards my belly button. The fact that Jesse was looking at my exposed cock made me giddy. I had certainly not let anyone--including my mom-- see my male organ for a very long time now. Usually, I was very shy about my body!

Jesse seemed to like what he saw though, because he glanced up at me with a wide-eyed expression on his broadly grinning face. He gave me a ‘here goes nothing’ kind of look before lowering his head again. And once again I felt his fine blonde hairs caressing my belly. I felt what I could only describe as a pure wave of pleasure as Jesse actually began kissing my shaft, starting where it came out of my boxers and working his way up. When he reached the head of my hardened cock, it made me shudder with ecstasy!

He licked my glans, and then used his tongue to trace the hard ring of my corona, each new move causing me to gasp with pleasure. Finally, he took me fully into his mouth, letting his lips tightly slide over the head of my dick. It was only later that I realized that he never once touched me with his teeth...

“God, Jesse, oh God!” I gasped as he took my member deeper into the warmth of his moist mouth, his tongue licking along my shaft and over the smooth head. He planted his arms on either side of my chest for leverage, having to reach his head over my stomach to come down on my upwardly curving penis. He began sucking and I knew that I couldn’t hold back any longer. I had never felt such powerful sexual stimulation before in my life! If I hadn’t been tied down, I would be grabbing fistfuls of Jesse’s blonde hair and trying to drive myself even further into his warm wet mouth.

Then I felt it coming. There was nothing I could do about it, no thought or act of will that could prevent it even if I wanted to. I tried to warn Jesse to let go, to move back before it was too late, but it only came out as a high whimpering and a gasping attempt at uttering his name. His lips moved up and down my shaft as he continued sucking, his blonde head bobbing up and down with his movements. I thrust my hips as far into the air as I could against the restraint of my bonds and I let out a strangled cry as I felt my semen spurt right into Jesse’s mouth! He stopped sliding along my shaft but still he didn’t let go. I thought he was crazy to keep me in his mouth like that, but I couldn’t stop myself. I released shot after shot of thick hot cum into his mouth and he took it. I don’t remember ever having such an intense and long orgasm. The semen just kept coming, spurt after spurt, until Jesse finally gagged and let my saliva covered penis slip out.

I had tears in my eyes, tears of pure ecstasy, and it was hard to see Jesse’s face clearly. I saw him wipe his mouth with his bare arm and watched blearily as he tucked my still partially erect boyhood back into my boxers.

Still on his knees, he leaned forward, pulling himself up and straddling my hips with his thighs, the sides of his shoes touching my knees.

“Are you all right?” he whispered breathlessly, and as he brought his face to mine, I could see that his face was coated in perspiration and his beautiful blue eyes were moist with unspilt tears.

I could only nod, just barely starting to come down from the most powerfully passionate experience of my young life. Jesse smiled warmly as he brushed a few of my tears away with his fingers. He lowered his head and gave me a delicately loving kiss, his tongue only making one sweep of the inside of my mouth before he pulled back. The expression on his sweat covered face looked strained as he slowly got off the bed.

“The Sacrifice is completed,” he whispered hoarsely into my ear. “I have your Essence inside of me, and the Change is coming quickly. I must send you back to your universe.”

He started working furiously at the flannel strips on my wrists, but all my struggling had tightened the knots to the point where they could never be loosened. Jesse quickly got a pair of scissors from his desk and cut me loose, first my wrists and then my ankles. It felt good to be free!

Jesse buttoned and zipped up my jeans and helped me to my feet. I was very light-headed, my face and torso covered with a light sheen of sweat. I just wanted to lay there and enjoy the feeling of my muscles relaxing, but Jesse pulled me along, holding tightly to my arm. He got me to the livingroom and let me flop on to the comfy sofa before he headed back for his room. He turned suddenly with a delirious smile on his angelic face.

“Thank you, Perry Thompson--you have saved my life and I will be forever grateful!” And with that, he ran back into his room and closed the door. I could feel myself suddenly overcome with exhaustion. I was starting to fade away when I heard the moaning coming from the other room. As I drifted off, I smiled, knowing that not only had Jerrin successfully completed his Ritual of Change, but that Jesse Taylor was having himself one hell of a ritual as well!

I awoke feeling disoriented, my head leaning back on the sofa staring at a ceiling I didn’t recognize. Lowering my head and looking forward, I remembered that I was in Jesse’s apartment. Everything that had happened came flooding back to me so quickly that I actually startled myself into an upright position. I felt my head spin, and leaned back feeling dizzy.

“Awake, sleepyhead?” Jesse was sitting at the other end of the sofa, his head leaning on his hand, his elbow propped up on the back of the sofa. He was smiling warmly and looked as stunning as ever. While I had dozed, he had put his T-shirt back on, washed up and combed his hair. Despite what we had gone through in his bedroom, he looked as fresh and clean as he did when I first arrived this morning. I glanced at my wrist, and then remembered that I had removed my watch earlier.

“Looking for this?” Jesse asked, handing me my wristwatch. I took it but didn’t put it on. There were still reddish impressions on both my wrists from the flannel strips that had bound me to Jesse’s bed. I leaned over and lifted the cuffs of my jeans to see similar reddish troughs marking my ankles. The skin that had been rubbed by the strips of cloth seemed a little warm and slightly itchy, but there was no pain. My penis felt a little sore, but that was a small price to pay for my first ever blow job!

“Are you okay?” Jesse asked with concern.

I nodded, getting caught up once again in the twinkling of his eyes.

“How long was I asleep?” I asked groggily.

“Almost an hour, dude!”

“Shit! I’m sorry...” I stammered.

Jesse shrugged. “Too much excitement I guess--first Katy’s party, and then an alien abduction--that’s a lot for any growing boy to handle.”

All I could do is nod in agreement.

“But how do you feel? Do you hate me? Do you think I’m totally nuts? Are you desperately thinking of ways you can escape from this looney bin without offending me?” Even though he was babbling a bit, I could tell he was being serious and he wanted an honest answer from me.

I should have felt embarrassed, or even angry. I mean, Jesse hadn’t even asked if it was okay. He had just unzipped my pants and pulled it out like it was his to do with as he pleased. But I let myself remember just a little of the tremendous sexual release I had felt when Jesse--when my beautiful blonde angel-- sucked me off! While I had fantasized about what it would be like to have Jesse give me a blow job, I wasn’t really expecting it this early in our relationship. In my fantasies, just the idea of getting naked in front of him had been enough to send me to the moon. And when you stopped to think about it out of context, having someone (male or female) put your penis in their mouth and suck on it until you sprayed semen down their throats didn’t sound particularly appetizing, let alone arousing. And yet, I had to admit, it had been simply the most amazing experience I had ever had in my nearly fourteen years on this planet. I thought to myself, even then, how glad I was that Jesse had been the one to give me my first blow job. God, how lucky was I?

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be close to him, and since there wasn’t anything stopping me (for a change), that’s just what I did. I slid over to his side of the sofa and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, burying my face in the freshly laundered smell of his T-shirt.

“You didn’t answer my question, dude...” Jesse reminded me a bit uncertainly. Then he slowly brought his hand up and stroked my hair. “If you think there’s a way out of here through my belly button-- guess again,” he giggled, rubbing his hands through my thoroughly mussed up hair before kissing me lovingly on the forehead.

“You’re totally insane...” I mumbled, finally answering Jesse’s question, enjoying the warmth of Jesse’s body against my shirtless torso.

We just stayed like that for five or six minutes, clinging to each other. I could feel and hear the steady thump of Jesse’s heart as I lay against his gently rising and falling chest.

“Thank you,” Jesse whispered, planting a kiss on the top of my head.

“For what?” I asked, looking up into my precious lover’s face.

“For fulfilling two of my all time greatest fantasies.”

“What’s that?” I asked coyly.

“I know it’s really sick, but I’ve just wanted to tie up some hot teenage boy for a long time now. I would never force anyone to do it, of course, but still, the desire was there. I never imagined that the hot teenage boy would be the boy I love more than anything...”

Those words sent a shiver down my spine and I clung to him even tighter. “You are, by far, the strangest kid I’ve ever met...and I love you too,” I replied.

“The second thing...” Jesse continued. “Since the day I first met you, I’ve had this fantasy about...well...” It was kind of funny that he could do such a thing and yet couldn’t bring himself to name it.

“You wanted to give me a blow job!” I finished helpfully.

Jesse nodded, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment. “Did it freak you out?” he asked.

“It was beyond words,” I answered with a grin. “It was like a hundred jack off sessions combined into one!”

Jesse seemed a little taken aback by my enthusiastic response. “That’s good--it was my first time, you know,” he admitted bashfully.

"You did great!" I assured him.

Then he looked at me skeptically.

“I know you said you didn't think you were gay...” Jesse reminded me cautiously.

“If enjoying you giving me a blow job is one of the definitions of being gay--sign me up,” I said without hesitation.

I guess Jesse was content with that explanation for the moment, although I was already asking myself if I would be able to return the favor. Right now, I was thinking I could and I would.

After a few more minutes of snuggling, I realized that I was starting to get hard again. I figured even Jesse would think I was some sort of insatiable sex machine if I jumped his bones right now, so I looked for some sort of distraction.

“So...er...did you have any thing else planned for today?” I asked, reluctantly disconnecting myself from him.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m getting hungry,” Jesse said. “I sure could use some fries to go with that delicious milkshake I had a while ago,” he said with a mischievous grin.

“That’s sick!” I punched him playfully on the shoulder.

“Mmmmmm....Perry flavored--thick and rich!” he crooned, licking his lips.

I actually gave him a quick kiss on the lips to shut him up. “It’s after noon already,” I said, glancing at my wristwatch as I strapped it back on.

“There’s a McDonald’s a few of blocks from here,” Jesse suggested. “And Kennedy High is just down the street from there--we could shoot some hoops after lunch if you want.” Kennedy was the only public high school in Santa Corina.

“Really? That’d be awesome,” I said, relishing the idea of spending the whole day with Jesse. Things had certainly started off with a bang! I didn’t even want to think about the night ahead...

“You should go wash up--you look like something the Targ dragged in,” Jesse suggested, referring to the infamous Klingon pig that was highly regarded both as a pet and as a fine gourmet meal.

Jesse had brought out all the junk I had in my pockets and I stuffed everything back into my jeans, except for the comb, which I carried into the bathroom with me. Jesse had already laid out a clean towel and washcloth, and I used both, along with a little soap, washing my face, the back of my neck and my chest with lukewarm water. I remembered how exhilarating it had felt when Jesse had gently washed my feet and wondered if I’d ever get up the nerve to ask him to do it again...

I returned to Jesse’s bedroom, which he had tidied up a bit while I had slept. The kitchen chair was gone, as well as the pitcher and basin. The mattress was still bare and the bed still pushed out from the wall. The two of us would make easy work of that later. My shirt and T-shirt were laid neatly over his desk chair and I put them on, realizing that I’d have to comb my hair again. Long hair was such a pain sometimes!

I sat on the bare mattress and put my socks and shoes on. Jesse came in as I finished tying my sneakers.

“How’d you like my little universe?” he asked with a smile.

“How long did it take you to come up with all that stuff?” I asked, as I got up and combed my hair in his dresser mirror.

Jesse shrugged selfconsciously. “That goofy kind of stuff comes pretty easy to me,” he said. “I really wanted to get some rope--clothesline actually-from the hardware store, but I was worried that it would hurt your beautiful skin...”

I nodded, noting again the dull red troughs left by the flannel strips. Already, the marks were starting to fade. Still, the idea of being tied up with real rope was intriguing...

“Maybe...next time!” I said, my eyebrows lifting in a none to subtle gesture.

“That would be cool...” Jesse said with a slightly nasty gleam in his eye.

“And maybe, just maybe, I won’t be the one getting tied up!” I speculated.

 

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