Solstice - The Goddess Awakens

It was almost time to go and Lola headed upstairs to get dressed. She had decided on the short red dress that she had worn to Arthur’s funeral and matched it up with a pair of flat pointed court shoes with a tiny bow on them. Lifting her hair off her face she tied it back into a ponytail with a slight bouffant on top. Finishing her makeup, she came back downstairs to find Alex staring out at the water.

‘Are you ready to go, Alex?’ Turning around to greet her, Alex caught his breath, she looked radiant. The red dress really brought out the green in her eyes, she looked like something from a fifties Vogue magazine.

‘You look stunning, Lola. You really do!’ Shaking her head dismissively, Lola took his hand. Locking the door they walked the short distance to Chateau Bacchus.

The ground was still wet from the rain earlier that evening, but Lola loved the sweet, damp smell of summer rain. Inhaling, she could smell the sea air, with a mixture of earth and grass. Rounding onto the Strand Road, her eyes found the turn-off to Alex’s house; it was exactly the same as the last night she had been there. The sandstone wall curved down towards the cliff-side mansion, while on either side of the wide entrance stood two stone owls. This caught Lola’s attention. Perhaps it was just coincidence, she thought to herself, but her ring began to awaken as if gearing up for something. She could feel a shift in the energy immediately. Alex suddenly let go of her hand, it was subtle, but Lola picked up on it, she was beginning to feel quite uneasy now. Although the place looked exactly the same as it had when she was last there, if felt different.

The door opened as they approached and Carl Stein emerged with a wide grin on his face, his languid New Orleans accent breaking through the still night air, welcoming them in to the house.

‘Come in. Come in.’

‘Father, this is Lola Paige. Lola, this is my father, Carl Stein.’ Lola noticed how Carl Stein examined her like she was some chattel. She followed his dark eyes, bemused as he looked at her and then around her.

‘Nice to meet you, Mr Stein,’ said Lola shaking his hand. ‘Thank you very much for having me.’ His hands were unusually soft for a man but his grip was firm.

‘What a vivacious red dress. Why you look like Little Red Riding Hood.’

‘So does that make you the Big Bad Wolf then?’ retorted Lola, mimicking his fake smile.

‘Perhaps, Lola. Perhaps,’ said Carl, a slight knowing glint in his eye, as he thought to himself that perhaps he had underestimated this young girl.

‘Dinner is almost served; shall we make our way to the dining room?’

Following behind both men, Lola ran her eyes over the house. She could see a bit more of the interior than the last time she had been there, but Lola could sense that something was different about the place. Walking through the living room, with its glistening white marble floor, Lola realised how vast the space actually was. A curved white couch sat in front of a gas fire and other smaller, circular white chairs were scattered around the room. It was very minimalist, too stark and clinical for her taste. Lola liked a home to feel like a home, and so far this place didn’t. As they approached the glass staircase, Lola laughed to herself thinking about her previous ill-tempered encounter with the structure. But her reverie was short-lived. As she ascended the steps Lola began to feel very disorientated. Her head began to throb and she thought for an instant that she might vomit. Shaking off the feeling, Lola put it down to not having eaten much that day. She continued to follow, walking down the red-carpeted hallway. All the doors were closed, and as she passed the first door on the left, she remembered her first encounter with Alex. He must have had the same thought, because at that moment he turned to look at her with an apologetic smile.

As she passed the closed door, she could have sworn she heard a faint whisper. The voice was familiar and it called her name. Slowing down a fraction she heard it again only it was even fainter this time. For a second her nostrils were filled with a briny smell that reminded her of corroded metal, then as quickly as the sensation had arrived, it was gone.

The dimly lit hallway seemed to go on forever, until the party came to a halt outside two huge black doors. Throwing open the doors, Carl Stein stood aside to let Lola and then Alex into the room. The large dining room had a massive vaulted ceiling and the main space was taken up by a huge antique banquet table. Scanning the seats Lola guessed it would have accommodated at least twenty or thirty people.

Around the brightly lit room were large mirrors and portraits, and underfoot lay thick golden carpet with a black band embroidered around the edges. Six crystal chandeliers dangled from the roof over the table. The entire room would not have looked out of place in some royal palace. It was all a bit intimidating for Lola, but she guessed that this was the point.

‘You’ve an amazing home, Mr Stein, this room looks like something from the Palace of Versailles.’

Carl Stein seemed to be impressed by this observation.

‘That is exactly what it was modelled on, my dear.’

Pulling out a chair, he gestured for Lola to be seated. They all sat at the bottom of this enormous table, which seemed a bit ludicrous to Lola. Alex had hardly spoken a word. He sat opposite Lola, with his father at the head of the table. Lola’s head was still feeling a bit fuzzy and this feeling seemed to intensify each time Carl Stein trained his eyes on her. But the ring was soon at her aid, as she could feel its warm energy encapsulating her. Its presence was subtle, but she knew that she was safe.

‘Shall we eat?’ chirped Carl congenially.

Ringing a small silver bell at his side, he watched the door to the dining room open as service began. Lola had no idea what she eating, but it was delicious, as course after course was brought in by two waiters. There wasn’t a great deal of conversation during dinner, which was alien to her. In her house there were at least three rows before the dinner was even served. The dinner table was where the Paige family caught up on their news.

Finally dinner was over, and Lola could feel the obvious tension between Alex and his father, or perhaps it was just this place, she thought. ‘That was delicious, Mr Stein, thank you.’

‘You are more than welcome, young lady, and please call me Carl. Shall we retire to the smoking room?’ suggested Carl, as he stood up from his chair, and headed towards a door at the back of the dining room. ‘It sounds awfully pretentious, but I like to call it my smoking room, as I indulge in a few glasses of my favourite bourbon and a cigar or two.’

The atmosphere in the house was oppressive, and her head continued to throb. The smoking room was cosier and a bit more homely than the dining room. The fire had been lit and a few lamps illuminated the room, which consisted of a small bar and some plush chairs. Carl Stein sat in a large wing-backed chair, while Lola and Alex sat beside each other in front of him. Lola could anticipate that this was where the inquisition would start. She could see it in Carl Stein’s eyes, and although he was very charming and congenial, his smile never reached those cold, calculating eyes.

Pouring himself a glass of bourbon, Carl Stein offered Lola a drink, but she politely refused.

‘No thank you, Mr Stein. I don’t drink.’

‘Aren’t you a sensible girl? Well I can see Alex has got himself a good one, you’re absolutely radiant, Ms Paige. A slight departure from my son’s usual partners, but don’t you just glow, Ms Lola!’ There was a hint of menace in his tone that didn’t go unnoticed by Lola.

Alex was so on edge that he’d hardly looked at her throughout the dinner service. He had felt his father’s eyes on them at the top of the drive, and he had seen that familiar covetous look on his face when he met Lola. He didn’t have to say a word, Alex could tell that his father realised how much he had underestimated her. He could feel how powerful she was and he could tell that she didn’t trust him. He knew this was all the more enticing for his father.

‘I can certainly see why my son is so taken with you,’ continued Carl. Lola laughed off the compliment, knowing that Alex’s father didn’t mean a word of it.

‘I wouldn’t say that, Mr Stein. You know Alex, it could be me today and someone else tomorrow.’ Lola could see that Alex was quite stung by her comments, but his father thought this hilarious.

‘So tell me, how’d you two kids meet?’

Lola thought about whether or not to tell the truth, but decided against it.

‘We met through a mutual friend, and then I saw Alex at Arthur’s funeral, and we sort of took it from there,’ replied Lola. ‘I believe you knew Arthur, Mr Stein?’ Carl Stein was momentarily taken aback by her candidness, as he shifted in his chair feeling a little uncomfortable with Lola’s tone.

‘Yes I knew Arthur very well. We met many years ago through business. He was a shrewd old fox, but a great man. His death was a great tragedy of course. Were you close, Lola?’

‘Yes. Arthur was one of my best friends. He was like family to me and I miss him a lot, sir.’

‘He was a very worthy adversary,’ commented Carl, as he became aware of Lola’s intense stare and her somewhat familiar blazing emerald eyes. ‘We often played chess for hours at a time,’ he smiled. ‘We discussed all sorts of things. Of course we had very different ideologies and I did get the better of him a few times, but yes a great adversary nonetheless.’

‘I’m afraid that I never once got the better of him, he was way too good for me.’ This was the second time tonight that Carl Stein had been surprised.

‘You play chess?’ Lola wasn’t insulted by his shock; in fact she was used to it.

‘Don’t sound so surprised, Mr Stein. There are women that can play chess and even working-class women that can play,’ laughed Lola. This brought a smile to Alex’s face for the first time that night. His father laughed along taking it all in good humour.

‘Well, Lola, that sounds like a challenge and you know I love a challenge. Alex, would you go and get the chess board from the study. I think I’m going to have to test this young lady’s resolve and see how well old Arthur has taught her.’