Authors: Lindsay Bassett
Tim climbed out of bed, grabbed his pants of the floor and made his way into the living room. He closed the bedroom doors behind him.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Naked.” I said. She laughed and threw a blanket at me. I wrapped it around myself.
“How was yesterday, after your drink?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Remembering the way I had felt with the power rushing through my body, I felt goosebumps rise up on my arms. The high was gone, but I still felt great. “Amazing.” I whispered.
“Good.” she said. She was quiet for a moment, staring at the wall. “Be careful with Tim.” she said, looking from the wall to my face. “We are in deep, Emily. There is no turning back. We either obey our masters and serve their agenda, or we end up in a cell.”
I felt afraid. “You should be afraid.” she said, sensing my fear. She leaned in close to my face. “We will have everything we’ve ever dreamed of. Luxuries. Pleasures. Riches. But it comes at a price.”
She got up from my bed and made her way towards the double doors to the living room. She paused just in front of the doors and turned to face me. “Don’t fuck this up Emily.” she said. “Or I will throw
you
in a cell.”F
She turned back and left through the doors. Shivering, I held the blanket tighter around myself. Walking out into the living room with my blanket wrapped around me, I didn’t see Tim anywhere.
I made my way to the bathroom, with an empty feeling growing inside of me. I didn’t want to be alone because I could feel the old Emily fighting to get my attention. The old Emily brought up images of her time at her Dad’s house. I shoved her back down and turned the knobs on the bathtub.
Muriel was right. We were in deep. There was no turning back. I had to either accept what I had become, or dwell on the shame I felt.
Holding my breath, I sank into the hot water. Opening my eyes, I looked out at the blurry view through the water and remembered the decision I had made when I left my dad’s house. The decision was to end myself if I couldn’t escape before things got bad. Holding my breath until I felt dizzy, I considered for a moment not ever breathing again.
Rising up out of the water, I gasped for breath. I looked over at the razor blade on the side of the tub and grabbed it. Holding it in my hand, I imagined myself slashing my wrists open and letting myself bleed out into the tub.
A tear slipped down my cheek, and I dropped the razor. I couldn’t do it. I wanted to live, more than anything. After all, I wasn’t taking over the world yet. I was just partying in a mansion.
Tim returned later that afternoon and asked for me to take a walk with him in the gardens outside. As I followed him down the path to the gardens, he turned to look at me. He still had the same male underwear model look, while he ran his fingers through his tussled, light brown hair. His icy blue eyes made feel light headed.
We stepped into a small rectangular area surrounded in carefully shaped bushes. He pulled me close to him. “Em.” he whispered.
“Tim.” I whispered back.
With his face close to mine he said “I know you will never love me.”
“Tim...” I whispered. “I…”
“It can’t be that way, anyway.” he said, his eyes looking sad. “Muriel is right, and I traded in that kind of life over three hundred years ago. I don’t
love
.”
He put his hand up to my cheek, and I studied his youthful face. Wondering if it was weird to be attracted to someone that could be my great, great, great Grandpa, I decided that this was different. We weren’t playing by mortal rules anymore.
“Still,” he said. “I want to be yours. It doesn’t matter to me who or what you do in this world, just say you’ll be mine.”
My mind raced. I wasn’t sure what I felt for him yet. Still, I felt
something
for him. I wanted him, and no one else. “I am yours.” I said, looking into his eyes. “No matter what I do.”
He smiled and kissed me. After holding me with his arms around me, he let go and looked at me with a sideways smile. “I have something for you.” he said, pulling a rectangular box from his pocket. He handed it to me and I opened it. It was a gold diamond pendant necklace.
“I promised you that I would get you this necklace, remember?” he said.
I smiled, remembering how he had the stewardess throw away my silver necklace. “I remember.” I said.
He pulled the necklace from the box and brushed my hair to the side. I felt it rest on my chest where my silver locket had been before. I put my hand up to it and traced it with my fingers. He put his arms around me and held me.
“I have an idea.” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“Everything has been so serious today.” he said, with a mischievous grin. “I think we could use a little fun.”
Tim begged Muriel, literally on his knees, to let him take me out “clubbing.” He promised that there wouldn’t be any romance, only debauchery. She finally said “fine, but help her with
this
.” When she said “this” she waved her hand up and down at my choice of outfit. I had once again been wearing the most conservative thing I could find in my closet.
Tim followed me to my room and pushed me into the bed, straddling me and kissing my mouth. With his face close to mine he said “I think you can handle finding yourself something sexy to wear. Find something you can dance in.”
“I can handle that.” I said.
“Good.” he said. “I’ve got to run home and change.”
“Where do you live, anyway?” I asked.
“Just up the street, actually.” he said.
“In your own mansion?” I asked.
“Yes.” he said. “In my own big, lonely mansion. I’ll be back.”
He kissed me again and then left the room. I stayed on my back in the bed for a while staring up at the ceiling. I put my hand up to the diamond on my chest and traced my fingers on it. I put my fingers to my lips where Tim had kissed me.
Walking into my closet, I looked around. I found a black mini skirt and a black low cut shirt. I still loved to wear black, I couldn’t help it.
I dialed “1” on the phone and asked for the stylists. They came in, and I said “make my hair big and sexy. I want my eyes smokey and my lips frosty, like you did for the party the other night.”
I looked in the mirror after they left. My body looked sexy in the little mini skirt in a way I had not seen before. My hair was full of body, and my waves accentuated. I smiled at myself in the mirror, satisfied.
Descending the stairs to the foyer, I waited on the bottom steps. I put my hand on my chin like the thinking man and tapped my foot. I did everything I could to keep myself from thinking too hard. I needed a drink.
As if she read my mind, Muriel appeared and asked “Need a drink?”
“I was just thinking that.” I said. “Do you read minds?”
Muriel just laughed and motioned for me to follow her. We walked into a hall beyond the living room and descended a stairwell that led under the house. Everything was dimly lit.
We entered a passage with Egyptian Hieroglyphs and art on the walls. I felt like I’d stepped into a passage in a pyramid. I watched Muriel's platinum hair bob as she sauntered down the passage with her heels clicking.
“What is this place?” I asked, to the back of her head.
“Power.” she said, stopping to face me. I looked at the wall next to us and saw an image of the falcon headed man with humans bowing to him at his feet.
“Religion.” she said. “Old religion.”
She turned and continued down the hall. I followed her into a room. The room was large, dark, and smokey. Some sort of herbs or plants had been burning. I could taste them in the air.
There was a man, had to be in his early twenties, sitting on his knees on a small square platform on the floor. He was wearing a pair of jeans with no shirt. He saw Muriel, closed his eyes and bowed with a smile on his face.
“How does he see you?” I whispered to her.
“Shhh.” she replied. “He doesn’t see me, but he can hear me. To him, I am a Goddess.”
We both stood before him, and with his head still bowed he lifted his arms up into the air. On the platform his wrists were at eye level.
“You come to us willingly?” asked Muriel.
“Yes.” replied the man, with reverence in his voice.
Muriel guided me toward one of his raised arms and held up her hand. Her pointer finger wore a small thimble with a sharp point at the end.
I breathed in hard, staring at her with wide eyes. I felt sick and looked down at the man. He was smiling. I looked back up and Muriel had pierced his wrist. A little trickle of blood fell from his wrist.
“I know you want it.” she whispered into my ear.
Licking my lips, I remembered the high from the day before. I remembered tasting the sunshine, sweet like honey. She grabbed me by the back of my head and pushed my mouth towards his wrist.
“Obey.” she whispered, into my ear.
At first I felt disgusted. The blood tasted savory, like the drippings from a steak. Then it bloomed in my mouth and down my throat, making me feel on fire inside with energy. I wrapped my arm around his wrist, closed my eyes and became lost in it.
Muriel drank from his other arm. After a few minutes, she pulled me away, grabbing me violently by my hair when I resisted. I wanted more.
She put her hand on the man’s forehead, concentrated, and then healed his wounds. “We thank you.” she said to the man.
He smiled, brought down his arms and bowed. I followed Muriel out the door, feeling ecstasy shooting up my from my feet with each step against the floor.
As we ascended the stairs to the foyer, I could smell Tim. He smelled earthy, and like sunshine. I ran up ahead of Muriel, wanting to be closer to the smell.
Tim stood in the foyer, wearing a tight black t-shirt and some nice fitting jeans. I could see his abs through his shirt. After bounding towards him I ran my hands up his shirt and across his abs, nuzzling my face into his neck and inhaling his scent.
“Em?” he asked, cautiously.
“Let’s go.” I said, without explanation.
I walked away from him and out the door.
“Have fun!” shouted Muriel as Tim jogged to catch up to me. I dove into the backseat of the car where the driver stood with the door open. Tim climbed in beside me. I put my hands on him and kissed him deeply.
“Wow.” he said, getting a taste of the blood in my mouth. “I guess we are going to have
that
kind of night.”
I laughed, with my head back, feeling like I was flying inside of my body. My heart beat wildly in my chest as I felt the power flowing through me. Tim pulled a flask out from his pocket, removed the lid, and took a drink. He handed it to me.
“This should calm you down a bit.” he said.
I took it and poured some into my mouth. It burned and bloomed, warm in my stomach. My heart slowed down a bit.
“Brilliant.” I said, looking out the window at the city lights in the dark. They looked like dancing fireflies, occasionally leaving a trail of light in the air as time slowed down and sped up.
With the energy rushing through me I felt like I wanted to fly. “I need to get out of this car.” I said, feeling my heart race again.
“We’re almost there.” said Tim, running his fingers across my thigh. I put my hand on his, quick as lightening, and looked into his eyes. I felt lost in them.
The car stopped on a sidewalk, and Tim got out. He opened my door and held out his hand. I grabbed it and looked around at the sidewalk. We were at a club with a long line full of people that went on down to the end of the block. Tim pulled me along, and we walked right past the bouncer as he looked me up and down and nodded. I looked back at the crowd to see everyone staring at me, many of them with their mouths hanging open.
“They see your beauty, Em.” he said, talking into my ear over the roar of the club. “Told you. You are a fucking goddess.”
I smiled and followed Tim into a dark club, with lights flashing to the music. There were go-go dancers up on platforms of various heights scattered throughout the room. We slipped into the crowd and began dancing with everyone else.
I was surrounded by people dancing so close to me that I could feel their bodies brushing against me. Dancing with my arms up in the air, the music moved through my body.
Suddenly there was a man dancing in front of me, and he faced me. He was sexy, for a mortal, and I smiled at him. He put his hands on my hips and began dancing with his body pressed up against mine.
In my trance, I looked to my right and saw Tim dancing, just as dirty, with a busty little blond woman in a pink halter top. I met eyes with him, and he smiled at me.
After disappearing into the crowd, I got up onto one of the platforms and began dancing. The crowd cheered me on and I saw the flash of a camera. Time momentarily stopped, and I was seeing myself in the image that the camera held.