Chapter 27
Obex’s Bar.
A tiny place consisting of a “u” shaped bar, nine chairs, one bartender, and an alcohol display behind the bartender.
This wasn’t one of those trendy places where people were loud and chatty. People didn’t order the newest in alcoholic concoctions or look for something new and off the wall to drink. This definitely wasn’t someplace which was all the rage and had lines around the block.
This was the very tiny neighborhood hole in the wall where locals went at their designated times, got the same drink they always had, and drank in peace because that was what they’d come to expect. Visitors were few and far between and only came in once before realizing they weren’t welcome.
If you wanted to make friends, or chat with some about your problems, you’d come to the wrong place. This bartender was not your friend. He was your bartender. He got you booze. He did not let you bend his ear and lay out all your problems at his feet. That was not part of his job. His job was to sell alcohol. Period. End of story.
Obex’s Bar was not my normal type of place, but after two weeks of searching for Meredith, I felt like I needed a drink. A drink and a quiet place to continue searching for the Planet of Riches. I was getting somewhere on that search, at least. And I was slowly working on emptying the vault in that haunted house of a university building.
Too bad I wasn’t having as much luck with my search for the harpy.
Since her disappearance, nobody had seen her. It was almost as if she and her statue had vanished into thin air.
I knew she’d have to turn up sooner or later. According to all my contacts, and my own efforts in trying to find her, she hadn’t gotten off the planet, that much I knew for certain.
So where was she?
That question had plagued me every moment of the last fourteen days. Day in and day out, when I wasn’t focusing on my other search, my search for the Planet of Riches, I was thinking about her. And I didn’t like it.
I wanted the headache known as Meredith gone so I could use my time more constructively than trying to figure out where such an irrational person would hide.
I was sipping my drink, soaking up the quiet atmosphere. Except for myself and the ever vigilant bartender, there was only one other person in the bar. He was sipping his drink in the corner. His head was down and he’d yet to make eye contact.
The quiet, but present elevator music playing in the background, along with the booze, helped my muscles loosen from the constant strain I’d been under.
I was almost feeling human again when my phone beeped, the sound drowning out everything else.
The bartender and patron didn’t even glance my way.
I seriously thought about ignoring it, but that beep could mean something important had just happened.
You’d have thought I would be ecstatic to get a message from Atrox, to hear the beeping of my phone announcing news, but there had been so many false starts in the last two weeks, I was beginning to expect the worst, not the best.
I sighed as I dug into my boat of a purse to find the reason for the beeping. Even as I pulled out my phone, I was thinking I needed to downsize my purse. Did I really need all the crap I carried around on a daily basis?
I inwardly shrugged as I navigated to my email. I probably did. It never hurt to be prepared for any eventuality and if I got a smaller purse, I’d have fewer supplies at my disposal.
My mind got back to business once I stopped the noise and saw that I’d received an email. It was from Atrox, my mafia contact, demanding I go to the chat room.
What did he want now? If it wasn’t him, it was his mafia friend Latens always badgering me. Had I seen Meredith? Did I know where she was? Had I heard anything from my people? Blah, blah, blah.
I took another sip and tried to decide if I really wanted to answer. I really, really didn’t want to, but I should. I owed Atrox at least that much because he’d been such a good sport at religiously keeping me up to date with his every step and dead end lead in his persistent failure to locate Meredith.
Even reading or thinking her name made me want to scream out in frustration. I hated getting Atrox’s failure updates as I’d come to think of them. Each time I had to sit through a briefing just made my blood boil that much more. I mean, really, how hard was it to find one pathetic woman?
I logged into the chat room as Aduro and saw Atrox was waiting for me.
Aduro: “Yes?”
Atrox: “She contacted a buyer.”
Finally! Now that we had a buyer, Atrox could sweep in there, grab her ass, and ship her off to the slave planet! Soon, very soon, I’ll be done with her forever!
Adruo: “Who? Where?”
My inbox dinged.
Atrox: “Check email.”
I read the name and address. That was just a few blocks away from me.
Aduro: “I’m close to there. How long until you get her?”
Atrox: “My men are on the premises, waiting for her. She is scheduled to be there within the hour.”
Aduro: “I’ll be there to help apprehend her.”
I typed this not even thinking of the consequences. It was only after the words appeared on the screen for Atrox to see that I began to realize what I’d just done. For this entire affair, I’d been trying to avoid any direct, in person contact with the mafia and here I was offering myself up to them in person. What was I doing? Had I lost my mind?
I looked away from my screen, letting my eyes wander to all the bottles of alcohol artfully stacked behind the bar. No, I hadn’t lost my mind. I just wanted to make sure nothing went wrong. I’d given Atrox plenty of chances to do this right and he’d blown them all. This had led me to feel like if I wasn’t there, in person, to make sure nothing went wrong, this situation would never end. I had to be there, if only for my own peace of mind.
I turned my attention back to my screen.
Atrox: “No. We can take care of this without you.”
He’s giving you the perfect out. Are you going to take it? the small voice in my mind asked.
No. I wasn’t going to take it. I wanted to be there to see Meredith go down.
Aduro: “You couldn’t the last time. This time, I’m not leaving anything to chance. Have one of your men meet me…” I brought up a map to see what was around the home. “…at the park. Redbird Park. It’s a few blocks southeast of the location. I’ll be holding a sunflower. How will I know your man?”
Atrox: “He’ll ask for you by name.” There was a pause before Atrox went on.
Atrox: “You really don’t need to be there.”
Aduro: “Yes I do. Have your man meet me.”
Atrox: “Alright, but if you do anything to hinder this operation…”
I laughed out loud. At times Atrox could be as funny as Latens.
Aduro: “You’re beginning to sound like Latens. Need I remind you that I want her gone more than you do?”
Atrox: “I’ll see you when you come with my man.”
I downed the rest of my drink, threw some money onto the bar, and walked out, my pace quick and purposeful. I only made one stop, a flower stand where I picked up my sunflower, and I was at the park before I knew it.
Since it was late afternoon, the park was crowded with children of all ages and parents. While the small children played on the swing set with their parents watching indulgently, the older children played on their hoverboards. They were using these narrow boards like skateboards, doing all sorts of tricks and stunts, laughing when they fell off and cheering when they completed some daring feat of nature. Everyone around looked like they were having so much fun.
I wasn’t having fun. I was anxious. Extremely anxious. I didn’t want her getting away again. I didn’t like this uncertainty, this not knowing where she was or what she was doing. It would be better when I knew where she was.
I paced under the archway which marked the entrance to the park, clenching my sunflower for what felt like hours
before a man not much taller than myself started walking toward me. The man was broad chested and had muscles which were thicker and more prominent than regular muscle builders. However, with his proud stance and black dress pants and shirt, he didn’t give me the feeling that he was a muscle builder. Or that he was one of the regular thugs the mafia employed. If I’d noticed him on the street, I’d have thought he was just a wealthy playboy, though his black boots would have given me pause.
In fact, as I watched him move with complete fluidity and confidence, I began to suspect he was the leader of this operation.
Why was the leader here? I thought Atrox would have one of the lower level people come pick me up, not the leader. Leaders should be leading their men and making the important decisions, not picking up strangers so close to game time.
“Are you Aduro?” the man asked as he stopped right in front of me. His eyes flickered to the sunflower in my hand, then to my plain black t-shirt and jeans before looking me in the eyes.
“Who’s asking?” I asked cautiously.
“A friend of Atrox and Latens. If you’ll come with me,” he said in a smooth voice. He was already taking a few steps in the direction he had come from.
“Of course.” We began to walk toward the location where my moment of triumph would final come. Soon, I would know where Meredith would fall and be able to savor the glorious feeling of victory. I would have the satisfaction in knowing she was gone and would never be a blight upon society again.
However, I was getting ahead of the situation. While I was confident in my own abilities to make sure she didn’t get away if she was in my presence, I needed this man, and his men, to back me up. I couldn’t do it alone. I couldn’t cover every entrance and exit alone no matter how much I wanted to be able to. I needed them to be just as wary and watchful as I was or else this would all go to hell.
“Do you know what you’re up against?” I asked. They probably had no idea as to how devious the little harpy could be. Nobody really knew except me, not that I was happy about carrying about such information. When she did disappear, I intended to forget everything I knew about her. No reason to keep such garbage in my mind any longer than necessary.
“I have informed my men of the botched attempt to apprehend her two weeks ago, if that is what you’re referring to. My men are also well aware of the targets abilities.
“I have every entrance and exit to the grounds and house covered. No window, door, or gate has been overlooked. My men are also patrolling the gardens, so even if she does get out of the house by some miracle, she will be cut off by them. In addition, I have men just walking around the grounds, making sure everyone stays in position and that nothing has been overlooked.
“Every single man on my team, including the people on the buyer’s security force, have been told to shoot first, ask questions later when it comes to the target. Every eventuality has been thought of and planned for. We will not let her get away,” he said in a very calming and reassuring voice.
“So, you have every single exit possible covered? You haven’t assumed that she couldn’t get out a crack because it’s too small for a person to get through? Your men will be alert at all times and never take what they see as a given? They will question everything? I don’t want to give her any opportunity, no matter how small or slim, to get away. I want this done today,” I said, trying to stress how important this was to me.
“As I’ve said, my men are covering every exit and entrance from not only the house but the grounds. I have well trained men patrolling the grounds of the estate. If she is able to escape from the house, she will be caught on the grounds.
“For the duration of this operation, nobody, no matter what they look like or who they say they are, will be allowed on or off the estate once she is inside the net.
“We have thought of everything,” he reiterated.
His words were steady, but his movements were less fluid than they’d once been. He was mad at me, I realized. He didn’t like me questioning him. Well, too bad. I had questions and I needed to know there would be no mistakes. Mistakes are what had gotten us into this position and I wanted this finished.
“What about secret passageways or tunnels?” I asked, ignoring the glare he shot at me. “She’s been able to elude my detection before by taking underground tunnels which weren’t on any maps or city planning documents or any other records. I don’t want that to happen this time.”
The man frowned. The anger he’d shown just seconds ago gone. “The buyer is very powerful. I had not planned on asking her such a sensitive question, but if you insist on covering even the most unlikely of bases, I will ask her.”
“I do insist upon it. We would be grossly negligent if we didn’t even inquire.” I paused for a second. “Her? The buyer is a woman?” I asked surprised.
The man at my side laughed. “Did you assume the buyer was a man? Women can be filthy rich and buy…previously owned items just as well as any man. If not more so from my experience. While I’ve seen egotistical men buy the most expensive items, thinking they’re purchases would impress the ladies, the level headed women I’ve met aren’t swayed by the size of their acquisitions. They know bigger isn’t necessarily better and that expensive doesn’t equate to quality. These fine women are more interested in the item’s potential value, how much it’ll cost to acquire said item, and how sound of a buy it really is. More than a few of these women are only willing to deal with goods which weigh less than a pound and are no larger than a man’s palm. Women are the shrewder of the sexes by far, thus leading them to traffic in more previously owned goods than men.”
“Of course,” I said sharply. Why had I even brought this up? I was straying from the matter at hand. “I have known plenty of women who out buy their male counterparts by a factor of fifty, but commerce is not our goal here. Our goal is to capture Meredith. She is a wily target and we’d do well to keep her as our central focus.”
“Meredith?” The man looked at me inquiringly.
“Perhaps you know her as Fumantes?” I asked. He nodded. “What you’ve told me makes me reasonably certain we shall get her. What I can’t stress enough is that she isn’t to be underestimated. I’ve made that mistake once and I refuse to be lulled into a false sense of security just because it looks like she’s cornered. The bitch always has a way out, even if you and I don’t see it.
“Seriously, you’ve got to believe me. Everyone has underestimated her, even Atrox and Latens. That’s why we’re even in this predicament in the first place. We’re not standing outside this mansion because it’s a nice day and we’re being invited to tea. We’re here to catch Fumantes and send her to that hellhole. You and your men must not repeat our mistakes because you were too arrogant to listen to the voice of reason.”
“We won’t. This isn’t our first rodeo. We are professionals,” he assured me.
“Are you the person Atrox contacted about this job in the beginning?” If he was, it would go a long way to alleviating any fears I had. Though he had been the one to lose her in the first place…but I’m sure that was just a fluke. Even professionals can have off days.
“Yes.” His tone was hard. Obviously the topic was off limits. I could respect that. I didn’t want him asking about how I knew Atrox and Latens. It wasn’t any of his business.
We turned a corner and all I saw was a tall wrought iron fence and even taller hedges. “Let me guess, she lives inside of this,” I said wryly.
“Of course.” The man stopped in front of the fence and waited. I looked around, trying to figure out why he’d stopped in this particular spot. There was nothing special about. It just seemed to be part of the never-ending fence which surrounded this estate.
Oh, how wrong I was, especially when the fence slid to the side like a pocket door, revealing a man dressed in the height of security fashion. With his sunglasses, black on black attire, and aura of both “You’ll never be anything but a piece of trash compared to me” and “I’ll
kill you for just looking at me the wrong way,” I could tell he was either part of the buyer’s security force or one of my escort’s men.
“Is this her, sir?” the new man asked in a respectful tone. His eyes, however, swept over me in disdain. I could tell I wasn’t what he expected, but then, I hadn’t expected such a pompous ass to be guarding the front gate, so we’d both been in for surprises.
“No. This is Atrox’s friend. She will be…” The man who had escorted me to the estate looked at me. His eyes questioned my very presence.
For the first time, I realized Atrox hadn’t told his man why I was coming in on this operation. You’d have thought Atrox would have filled in his man, but evidently I was greatly overestimating Atrox’s ability to think and plan ahead.
“I’m here to help as necessary,” I said. I wanted no confusion as to what my purpose here was. I wasn’t going to just sit on the sidelines and hope the big, strong men would do their job. I wanted to be in on the action, if there was any action to be had. I wanted to know they were doing everything and anything needed to get the job done. If I hadn’t, I could have stayed at the bar.
“Ms. Aduro has expressed some concern that we might be underestimating Fumantes. Pass on this information to the men. Remind them to not be complacent. If they see anyone who they do not recognize as being one of our own, they should question their presence. Do not let anyone on or off the grounds for any reason. If they see or hear anything questionable, anything at all, they are to report it to me immediately. Nobody is to assume anything. Once the target is in the net, we are on Code Black,” he said, sounding very much like the leader I thought he was. I could just imagine him being very inspirational to his men when he wanted to be. Perhaps he’d been in the army at one time.
“Yes, sir,” his man answered. His tone indicated he didn’t believe they had missed anything, but he would do whatever his leader told him to do, just like a good soldier should. I really hoped that they hadn’t missed anything or else we’d all be in a world of hurt.
“If you’ll come with me, we have a few minutes before the target is scheduled to arrive to ask Ms. Blanc a few questions,” my escort from the park said. “Unless you have something else planned…”
“No. I would be honored to come with you.” And I was, for I’d thought he’d try to pawn me off on some underling like his man at the gate. I thought he would see me as nothing but an interloper. I was glad he saw me as an asset instead of a hindrance.
As we made our way to the front of the home, I saw a few of my escort’s men. They stood in the hedge’s shadows, their backs to the outside world. Their faces were blank, which might have made an onlooker believe they weren’t paying attention to their surroundings, but their eyes were constantly on the move. Watching for what didn’t belong.
Their hands rested on the butts of their weapons, ready to use them at a moment’s notice.
They’re clothing was black on black, which looked hot even on this cool afternoon, but I couldn’t detect even a hint of discomfort in their body language. They didn’t shift or wipe away sweat from their faces. They just stood there like silent statues waiting for the moment they would come to life. These were true professionals. They’d seen battle before and knew how to do their job.
I felt the weight on my shoulders lift a little as we left them. They wouldn’t let me down, I just knew it.
The front of the home was tall and grandiose, reminding me of the front of an Ancient temple. Carved marble pillars held up the huge entablature, which contained in its pediment a carving of what appeared to be farmers sewing their seeds. Through the ten foot high wood doors, which felt as if they opened by themselves, revealed a long hallway situated between two sweeping staircases which went to the second floor.
The staircases were curved in a “c” shape, with railings which could have been spun out of the finest of gold. My escort walked down the hallway between the staircases very quickly, but I saw enough to know that no expense had been spared to make the entryway as extravagant and breathtaking as possible.
The hallway we went down had twenty foot high ceilings, which were all designed in light blue swirls which not only perpetuated the idea of motion, but also had points where one could feel the tension which had been built was being released. How this was accomplished, I have no idea, but I felt the tension build and release multiple times as we progressed.
Along the light blue walls, there was valuable artwork and statues everywhere. There were Lucio and Favero landscape paintings next to Isabelle and Svanhilda nudes. Jerrie vases next to Lurdes bronze figures. No period of time appeared to have been overlooked or forgotten about, not even the very short, very unknown Munkavil period.
All these works of art stood in such a complete silence you could hear a pin drop. If I hadn’t known someone lived here, I would have thought this was a private and extremely exclusive museum.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved expensive and beautiful things as much as the next girl, but the over abundance would wear on me after awhile. Where did this woman, this Ms. Blanc, go to relax? Was there an inch of this place which didn’t scream “WEALTH” and “OPULENCE”?
And how did she stop people from stealing all this stuff? So far, her lack of security surprised me. However, I’m not sure what I expected. A full pat down? Maybe not that extreme, but at least a metal detector or an artifact wand. Perhaps someone watching my every step, waiting to tell me not to touch the artifacts.
But so far, other than the men I assumed were…who was this man I was following? What was his name?
“Sir, I don’t think I got your name,” I said in my most innocent and confused voice.
“You may call me Tego,” he answered.
So, I saw a lot of Tego’s men, but I’d yet to even see a butler, let alone the people who should have kept guard over these very old and valuable treasures.
Something was off about this house. I could feel it, but what exactly was making the back of my neck itch…I couldn’t put my figure on.
All thoughts flew out of my head, however, when we entered what had to be Ms. Blanc’s office and I saw Ms. Blanc.
And her very surprising surroundings.
Ms. Blanc wore a light blue dress while sitting on a light blue couch, in a room that was painted a light blue color with light blue accents everywhere. Every place my eye touched, I saw light blue. Even her desk was light blue.
To anyone not seeing this, you’d think it would be too much, like a horrible explosion of light blue. Or perhaps what you’d think of if some crazed maniac had snuck into a room and made everything light blue after a night of drinking and drugs. But it was neither of these things. It was tastefully done in a way I wouldn’t have thought possible.
But the excessive blues were not what surprised me the most. It was the woman. For someone named Ms. Blanc (or effectively Ms. White), I expected something about her to live up to her name. Her hair, her taste in color, her clothes, her complexion, something.
Instead, she was a beautiful woman with smooth, chocolate brown skin, sleek and flowing golden hair, and a very apparent love for light blue. Who’d have thought I’d be having so much trouble finding any white in the office of Ms. Blanc?
“Ma’am, Fumantes will be here in a few minutes, but I did have a question or two more for you,” Tego said.
“Of course. Ask me anything you want, but first, who is this lovely lady at your side?” Ms. Blanc asked, her tone warm and very friendly.
“This is Ms. Aduro. She is here to help detain Fumantes. What we’d like to know is if there are any secret passage ways or entrances and exits onto this property which might be used in an escape,” Tego asked lightly, as if the answer didn’t really matter, but he was asking because of my concerns.
Ms. Blanc gave us a highly amused look before gracefully getting to her feet. “My good man, and darling woman, even if I had such lovely things, do you think I’d tell you?”
“Of course you don’
t want to tell us,” I said, my voice as calm and unassuming as possible even as I watched Ms. Blanc float around the room. “But it is extremely important if we are to be successful. You see, Fumantes cannot be trusted, especially if she feels trapped. I know she will have researched any and every possible escape route from this dwelling, including the secret ones. We just want to secure them so she is unable to utilize them.”
Ms. Blanc walked behind us, and I suddenly felt her finger running up and down my arm, raising goose bumps. “Angel,” she cooed, “don’t worry your pretty little head. I have everything under control. She won’t get away…unless I allow her too.”
“Please don’t,” I said, trying not to move away from her caressing hands. “I would be very grateful if you didn’t.”
“How grateful?” Ms. Blanc whispered into my ear.
I swallowed. I was getting some heavy messages from this woman, messages I didn’t want to receive. And I didn’t know what to do. Or how to respond.
“We would be very grateful, ma’am,” Tego said, his voice suggesting everything I wasn’t willing to.
Ms. Blanc pouted for a few seconds, but something about my stance and expression must have told her it would do no good.
“Humph. I guess I’ll have to settle for your gratitude. Angel, you will be at my side when I meet this Fumantes and see for yourself I’m not helping her.”
I swallowed. Something about this woman was deeply intimidating, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. She hadn’t threatened me, made me feel unreasonably uncomfortable, or talked down to me. So why did I not want to make her mad or contradict her?
“As much as I’d enjoy that, ma’am, Fumantes would recognize me in a second. I should be out of sight when she is here,” I said, trying to keep my tone even.
“Nonsense. I have the perfect disguise for you. Your own mother wouldn’t recognize you. Now, Tego, why don’t you go and leave us alone? She should be here any minute,” Ms. Blanc said with only the briefest glance at the clock.
“Yes ma’am.” Tego left the office, never even looking at me to see if I agreed with this new plan, which I didn’t.
“I really don’t think –” I stumbled over my words, unsure of how I could express my concerns without angering Ms. Blanc.
“Good, Angel. Don’t think. I have everything in here. It will be perfect for you,” Ms. Blanc said, giving me an indulgent look before going out a door I hadn’t noticed before. She was back within a few seconds, carrying what looked to be a light blue dress.
She handed it to me, saying, “I think this will look perfect on you. Now, hurry up and change.”
I took the clothing and made to go out of the room, there had to be a bathroom somewhere I could change in. Ms. Blanc dashed these hopes, however, putting a hand on my arm. Gently restraining me, she said, “No, Angel. Change here.”
I began to protest, but she cut off my words. “It’s not like you don’t have anything I haven’t seen before, Angel.”
That was true, but I still didn’t feel comfortable changing in front of her. I had to suck it up, though, because time was quickly ticking away. I turned my back to her and started to strip. I felt Ms. Blanc’s eyes on every inch of skin I revealed, caressing me as I felt sure she wished her hands were.
With suddenly trembling hands, I grabbed the dress she’d given me, trying to figure out which way it went. This wasn’t as easy as one would expect because one of the sides, the back I was guessing, had a very deep v shaped cut which would go to just about the top of my butt. Thank the Ancients the front only had a modest cut.
I was lifting the dress over my head when I heard Ms. Blanc say, “The deep slit goes in front.”
I turned my head to look at her, not believing what she’d said, but the wicked twinkling in her eyes told me I hadn’t misheard anything. I gave a thought to objecting, but something within me said it would do no good.
Feeling defeated, I turned the dress around to its “proper” way and put it on. The front slit went all the way to my navel, baring more of me than it covered. Even my breasts were barely covered, making me so self-conscious that I kept tugging on the tissue thin fabric.
“Now stop that,” Ms. Blanc scolded, “and let me have a look at you.” She grasped my shoulders and turned me around. Her eyes took in every bare inch, making me feel extremely uncomfortable.
“Very nice,” she breathed, her eyes dilating a little. “Now spin for me.” She twirled her finger in a tiny circle when I didn’t move fast enough. I gritted my teeth and turned around slowly, hearing her hum in contentment.
I was halfway around when she stopped me. “Dear me, this is not how it should be.” I felt her hand on my back and felt the dress tug a little. I heard zipper teeth come together and breathed out a sigh of relief. She must think the dress was too revealing in the back.
But my relief was short lived when I felt the back of the dress become a little looser and a little airier. “That’s so much better. Way too much skin was being covered up.”
“Don’t you think this dress is a little too revealing?” I asked turning around. “I’ll attract a lot of attention.”
“Yes you will,” she said in a satisfied voice. “Especially when you put on the shoes I’ve got for you.” She nodded to a pair of light blue high heels I hadn’t noticed before. “Go put them on while I get the last piece of your outfit.”
“But I’m trying to blend in. Go unnoticed. One look to me and Fumantes will know something’s up,” I protested even as I pulled on the shoes. For as high as they were, I’d have expected them to be excruciatingly painful, but they were really very comfortable. In fact, it felt as if I were wearing flats instead of heels.
I glanced at the brand name. Fendior. Of course they were so comfortable. They cost a small fortune and the people who bought them demanded absolute comfort. I wondered if I could convince Ms. Blanc to give me the shoes when all was said and done.
“Here, this will complete you’re ensemble perfectly,” Ms. Blanc said, presenting what looked to be a very dramatic, very heavily veiled light blue hat.
The hat itself was a small cocktail hat, very pretty with dark blue embroidery. What made it dramatic, however, were the peacock feathers which rose from the back of the hat. They only went up about six inches, but for me, it was six inches too much.
And the veil! The veil was so heavy, I didn’t know how I was going to be able to see, which was good in a way, because that meant Meredith wouldn’t be able to see me, but still!
“Put it on, put it on!” Ms. Blanc urged when I hesitated.
“Isn’t the veil going to make it difficult for me to see?” I asked.
“Of course not, you silly goose. Didn’t I tell you I’d thought of everything? Now put it on! Every second you dawdle is another second she has to wait,” she said.
“You mean she’s here?” I asked, feeling the blood leave my face. I hadn’t heard a doorbell or a knock of any kind indicating she’d arrived. She must mean something else.
“Of course she’s here,” Ms. Blanc said, looking a little disappointed at my lack of smarts. “She’s been here for about five minutes. Don’t look so panicked, Angel. I always make my guests wait at least five minutes. It lets them know who is really in charge of these meetings. Now, put on your hat like a good girl.”
I did as she bid, finding that my fears of being unable to see were unfounded. In fact, it was as if I hadn’t put on a veil because I could see very clearly the world around me. “There are tiny cameras embedded within the veil which allow the wearer to see unhindered. Now, while I talk with this woman, you are to stand at my side and do whatever I bid. Do not speak or hesitate in any order I give. Remember, she will believe you are my companion and ignore you…unless you do something to draw attention to yourself. Understand?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am,” I replied, not really having any options at this point.
“Good.” Ms. Blanc sat at her desk and pressed a button. “C
ome stand right behind me.”
I did as she bade me, noting that the dress, which I’d thought couldn’t get any more revealing, did in fact have hip high side slits on both sides. The only saving grace was that one of the slits ended a couple inches lower than the other, which prevented a breeze from flipping up the skirt and revealing everything to the Ancients. As it was, I’d still have to be careful or else I’d be flashing people with every step I took.
Great, just what I needed, another hole revealing even more skin. Didn’t this woman worry I might get cold with everything exposed?
Oh, she has no worries. In fact, she probably hopes you get cold. The body does have some interesting reactions when it gets cold, the little voice in my head said, but I pushed its observations out of my mind.
I had other things I had to worry about such as what would Meredith or Tego think of me upon setting eyes on this getup? Even as I asked myself the question, I knew what Meredith would think. She’d believe I was Ms. Blanc’s girlfriend/mistress/companion. A kept woman. I could just imagine the smirk she’d give me.
As for Tego…did I really care about what he thought about me? His job, like mine, was to catch Meredith. I was letting these clothes and Ms. Blanc distract me.
I threw my shoulders back and looked directly at the door, waiting for it to open. “I do love a woman who is proud to display her assets,” Ms. Blanc murmured just loud enough for me to hear before the door swung open, revealing another scantily clad woman, sans hat and veil, leading a very covered up, in comparison, Meredith.
This was the same Meredith from the club, not from school. Confidence radiated off her as if she’d always had it. She strode past the maid to the desk and held out her hand. “Ms. Blanc it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person.”
Ms. Blanc got to her feet and took Meredith’s hand. Instead of shaking it though, she brought it to her lips, kissing her hand in a move reminiscent of gentleman greeting a lady, or a servant showing their respect to their master.
I didn’t think Ms. Blanc was doing it out of respect. I think she was doing it to disturb Meredith, to knock her off balance.
Meredith drew her hand back quickly, her face tense. As Ms. Blanc started speaking, I even thought I saw her shiver and wipe the back of her hand on her side, as if trying to get rid of the feel of another woman’s lips on her body. I smiled in glee, secure in the knowledge that she couldn’t see my happiness.
Seemingly oblivious to the discomfort she’d dealt Meredith, Ms. Blanc said, “A great pleasure for me as well, Ms. Fumantes. Please take a seat.” She waved her hand in the direction of a plush chair before her desk. “But I must first inquire about the item in question.” Ms. Blanc took her own seat and leaned back. “Surely you don’t expect me to buy it sight unseen.”
Meredith didn’t reply. Instead she stared at me, taking in my ridiculous outfit. “I like to do business in private,” Meredith said after turning her attention back to Ms. Blanc.
“Don’t worry about Angel. Discretion is her middle name,” Ms. Blanc said, waving off Meredith’s concern.
But she wasn’t to be placated. “Be that as it may be, I really must insist that we are alone. I’ve learned that the fewer people trusted, the better for all.”
The congenial look on Ms. Blanc’s face disappeared. “Angel stays.” The ‘or no deal’ was heavily implied, and by the look on Meredith’s face, she realized it, too.
I saw Meredith swallow any more protests before pasting on a very fake smile. “Of course, no offence meant.”
Ms. Blanc smiled like a contented cat. “No offense taken. Now, where is the object in question? I don’t intend to buy it without examining it fully.”
“I have it right in the hall with one of my men. I wanted us to talk about the price, however, before you actually saw the item,” Meredith said.
“Why? What have you done to the statue?” I felt the temperature of the room dipping as Ms. Blanc’s displeasure grew.
“Nothing,” Meredith assured Ms. Blanc. “It is in perfect condition, just as it was when I got it, but due to other…circumstances, I must insist that the price go up.”
“What do you want for it now?” Ms. Blanc asked.
With a straight face, Meredith said, “Thirty five million.”
I wanted to gasp at the outrageousness of her request. At the most, the statue was worth thirty million and since it was stolen, if she’d been thinking sanely, she’d have asked for twenty or twenty-five million. Even I, with all my gumption, would never have offered such a ridiculous amount.
I wanted to tell Ms. Blanc it was an outrageous sum of money for the statue, but I held my tongue. She didn’t need my help. You didn’t become a trillionaire by being stupid.
“Thirty five million is an awful lot for something worth only twenty-five,” Ms. Blanc said.
“It is a lot of money, but the statue’s worth it.” Meredith paused for a few seconds before saying, “If you aren’t willing to pay my asking price, I know of other people who will be very willing to.”
Ms. Blanc laughed. “Nobody is going to pay if I tell them not to.” Meredith had a very surprised look on her face. “Oh, I understand now. You didn’t realize who you were dealing with. You thought I had some man controlling the empire and I was just some brainless figurehead, didn’t you?
“If you were really foolhardy enough to believe these outmoded ideas, you are going to be very disappointed. I have all the power and connections you wish you had. When I tell people to not buy, they don’t buy. If I say, ‘Stay away from Ms. Fumantes,’ they’ll stay away from you as if you had the plague.”
Meredith tried to interrupt Ms. Blanc, but she steamrolled over her as she had me. “If you had come in here and been willing to ask for a reasonable price, I would have been willing to pay a small mark up, but you didn’t. Instead, you asked for an outrageous sum for a beautiful, but not entirely unique statue. Because of this, I will give you fifteen million dollars, if it is undamaged as it should be. If it is so much as chipped, you will get nothing.”
“That’s not fair,” Meredith cried, jumping to her feet.
“Life isn’t fair. If it were, you wouldn’t have tried to rip me off,” Ms. Blanc said regally getting to her own feet.
“You can’t do that. If you won’t pay, I’ll take my statue and leave,” Meredith threatened.
“You wouldn’t get a step out of this house before being stopped,” Ms. Blanc said rounding her desk. “Now, let us look at my statue.”
With Ms. Blanc leading the way, Meredith and I followed her down the hall and into what looked to be a parlor. A tallish man turned around when we entered, but my attention was on the statue, which was hovering in the middle of the room on a hoverboard.
So that’s how she got it in and out of the vault, I thought at seeing the hoverboard. Hoverboards were incredibly strong and had the ability to hover anywhere from a few inches above the ground to a few feet, depending on what type of hoverboard you had. They could be used in any walk of life for any reason with the main uses being entertainment for the young and furniture moving companies. No more broken backs, no more strained muscles. Just put it under the furniture and you were good to go.
This must have been one of the more expensive versions because it held the six foot tall statue about a foot or so above the floor.
And what at statue it was. The too brief glance I’d given it on my first arrival to the vault and the pictures I’d studied hadn’t done it justice at all.
Three gold and silver jewel encrusted sand cats sat perched at the feet of a sitting regal man and woman stood before me.
Just as I’d thought. That witch had stolen my Zilpha and Silas statue. So like her to be so greedy with such an excellent example of workmanship and dedication.
Zilpha and Silas were so lifelike and so beautiful with their rose gold skin, silver clothes, and bejeweled faces. Just being in their presence made me understand why the Anarchist’s regarded them so high
ly.
I could also appreciate why the Ancients would have wanted all such statues destroyed.
Why hadn’t I taken the time and energy this beautiful statue deserved when I’d first entered the vault? I shouldn’t have just glanced at it and moved onto the other pretties in the room. I should have been drawn to it and examined it in depth, drinking in its every detail when I was able to do so at my leisure.
It should have been the first item I removed from vault, instead of just pushing it aside for the lighter and easier moved treasures.
I’d been complacent, confident I would have more than enough time to appreciate all the work, effort, sweat, and tears needed to create such a massive masterpiece.
I hadn’t been able to see past the beauties, which were so shiny and drawing to the eye, to see the real exquisiteness, the real artistry behind this work of art.
Now, I had to be content to gaze upon it like a visitor to a museum, seeing what I could while knowing that at any second I’d be asked to move so others could see.
What a enormous opportunity I’d lost.
“Very nice,” Ms. Blanc said, moving into my line of vision, reminding me I wasn’t alone and I had a job to do.
“Of course. Didn’t I tell you it was in pristine condition?” Meredith said.
“That is yet to be seen,” Ms. Blanc said with an indifference which was enough to be incredibly insulting. In fact, I was surprised Meredith didn’t call her on it, but she must have really wanted this sale to go through because she bit her tongue.
Ms. Blanc walked over to the wall behind her desk and pulled on a bell pull I hadn’t noticed before. After a minute passed, the woman who’d showed Meredith into Ms. Blanc’s office walked in carrying what looked like a scanner. It was larger, however, than any I’d seen before.
“What is that?” Meredith asked as Ms. Blanc accepted the object.
“This is a museum grade authenticator. It will scan the sculpture and make sure it is indeed genuine,” Ms. Blanc said.
“How does it know if the object is genuine?” Meredith asked, looking curious as she gazed upon the object in Ms. Blanc’s hand.
Ms. Blanc began to scan the statue, starting at the top and going down to the marble base. “I have the specifications of what it should be from the museum it was taken from. This authenticator scans to the core of the statue and will tell me if every detail matches those specifications. It will also tell me if anything has been changed, damaged, or repaired. Don’t worry, this should only take a few minutes.”
“But what if it shows that a repair has been made? I didn’t make any repairs, so that would have been done by the museum,” Meredith said.
Ms. Blanc glanced at Meredith for the briefest of seconds before continuing her scans. “Have no fears. I have the very latest scans the museum created. Any repairs would have been noted.”
Meredith looked like she wanted to protest, but she didn’t. She must have realized by now Ms. Blanc was going to do what she wanted and nobody was going to stop her.
As Ms. Blanc slowly circled the statue, Meredith stepped to my side. “How long have you known Ms. Blanc?” she asked me in a low voice.
“Long enough,” I said in a very soft voice, so unlike my normal speaking.
Then I realized my mistake. Ms. Blanc had told me not to speak. I’d not only gone against a direct order she’d given me, I was opening up an opportunity for Meredith to figure out who I was.
“Is she normally this particular?” Meredith asked, oblivious to my internal struggle.
Did I answer her or keep my mouth shut and say nothing else? As much as I’d have loved to turn into a mime, I couldn’t. By speaking, I’d opened the floodgates and I had no option but to reply. Why hadn’t I just kept quiet?
I nodded my head. “Of course. People always try to take advantage of the unwise. Ms. Blanc, unlike most of her counterparts, is very wise.” This I knew for certain. I had never met a person who was as smart or as extremely confident as she was and I doubted I ever would. In a world full of crippling self-doubt, self-mutilation in the name of beauty, and self-hate, she was a ray of sunshine. Perhaps this was one for the reasons she put me in such a revealing dress. To show me I had nothing to be ashamed of. That I should be proud of everything I’d been blessed with instead of covering it up under unflattering clothing.
I snorted to myself. That and to ogle my body. She most assuredly loved seeing the female body in all its glory.
Meredith looked surprised. “Do people actually try to get something over on her?”
“There have been a few, but they all learned quickly it was not smart.” I didn’t know if any of what I was saying was true, but I had to say something. In for a penny, in for a pound I always liked to think.
However, our idle chitchat brought up another set of questions. Why was I having to stand here talking to Meredith at all? Shouldn’t she already be in custody? Where was Tego and his men?
At that moment, Ms. Blanc turned around to face us and said, “Everything seems to be in order.”
“I told you it would be,” Meredith crowed.
“But one must not trust what someone else says when you have the ability to verify it yourself.” Ms. Blanc said this in such a voice that it felt as if she were talking down to anyone who just took someone’s word. “Now, I assume you want to be paid.”
“Of course. Seventeen million,” Meredith said, her face turning greedy.
“I don’t think so,” Ms. Blanc said, leading us into a connecting room I hadn’t noticed before. This room had the same Ancient inspired architecture as the rest of the house, but it felt more modern. What exactly made me feel that way, I couldn’t have told you, but there was just something about the way the room was put together, where each element was placed, which felt more modern than the entryway and the room we’d just been in. “I said fifteen and if you persist to change the price, I shall give you only ten.”
“Fine,” Meredith bit out. “Fifteen million. But I expect it all deposited into my account.”
“But of course. What need do I have to cheat you?” Ms. Blanc picked up a tablet from a table and tapped it for a few seconds before facing us. “If you’ll just place your signature and thumbprint on this contract, I’ll be happy to put the money into your account.”
“Contract? There was no talk of any contract or me putting my signature on anything,” Meredith countered, taking a step back.
“I have to have a contract or else you won’t get your money. Only a fool gives someone fifteen million dollars without something in writing,” Ms. Blanc said evenly.
I’d never thought about it that way before, but she was right. Even though this was an illegal transaction, fifteen million was still a lot of money. Why hadn’t I ever thought about getting things in writing when money changed hands?
Probably because I didn’t like leaving a paper trail. Meredith must have been thinking along the same lines. “What guarantee do I have you won’t turn this over to the police.”
“My dear child,” Ms. Blanc said in an amused voice. “Why would I logically do that? I will soon be in possession of a stolen piece of artwork. If the police ever find out, they’ll try to not only take it from me, but attempt to arrest me as well.
“Try being the operative word because even the police would hesitate to touch me. I am very generous with my time and money, especially to the causes closest to them. Without me, their widows and orphans would be without money and support, which would force them out onto the street. The Police Rehabilitation Hospital would also go under, since I’m well past the ten years of support I promised. In fact, now that I really think about it, more than a dozen police oriented foundations would cease to exist if anything were to happen to me. So, I don’t believe they’d be unintelligent enough to bite the hand which feeds them so generously.
“However, let us assume they are. Why would I turn over a document guaranteed to send me to jail? More importantly, why would I do s
omething which would take my statue out of my possession?”
“Then why do we need to sign anything? As you said, this is an illegal transaction. Can’t we keep all paperwork out of this?” Meredith suggested.
“No.” Ms. Blanc was very firm. “No paperwork, no money. But I do keep the statue.”
“Fine.” Meredith yanked the tablet from Ms. Blanc’s hands, scribbled her name on the bottom line and gave up her thumbprint. All without reading even a sentence of the contract.
Once done, she shoved it back at Ms. Blanc, who glanced at it before handing it to me. Ms. Blanc looked very pleased with herself.
“Perfect.” Ms. Blanc said. “Now, I would love to pay you for the statue, but as you are my slave, I don’t have to.”
“Your slave! I’m nobody’s slave!” Meredith cried, looking as if she’d been punched.
“But of course you are. You are mine. You just signed yourself to me, vowing that you’d not only read the contract, but that you understood that by becoming my slave, you were giving up any and all money and property. So, if I were to pay for the statue, I’d be paying myself,” Ms. Blanc said with a laugh.
“Let me see that!” Meredith ordered, lunging for me, but a man stepped out from behind a beautifully ornate Oustlandia changing screen and grabbed her arms, yanking her away from me.
I stepped back until I was next to Ms. Blanc. I felt safe with her at my side. Nothing could harm me as long as she was there.
Meredith thrashed around in the man’s arms, trying to free herself. “Let me go, you bastard! Let me go!”
“Fighting will do no good, slave. You are mine now,” Ms. Blanc said.
“You lie!” Meredith cried, her face going pale.
“I never lie. Angel, please read the contract this stupid, naïve woman signed,” Ms. Blanc directed.
I cleared my throat before I started to read the very short contract:
“I, Meredith Oblinger, going by Ms. Fumantes, the signer of this document, do sign away and pledge my body and soul to Ms. L. Blanc in order to become her slave, her property, and her Suum for the rest of my life.
“From this day forth, by signing this contract, I voluntarily agree to give up all rights to my own person in every manner, thus allowing Ms. Blanc to own me as property and such, consenting to her claim over my life, my body, and my future. (This claim may include giving me to someone else and/or selling me. If I am sold, I shall be the slave of my new master/mistress.)
“In becoming her property, through no coercion or influence from any outside force, entity, person, or god, I hereby relinquish every possession I own to my new mistress, Ms. Blanc, including, but not limited to, money, bank accounts, vaults, and possessions including artwork, statues, homes, and jewelry.
“In signing, I swear that I have read this agreement thoroughly, know that I will only be free again if my current master/mistress grants me manumission, and am in full agreement with this arrangement.
“I, the signatory, am of sound mind and body and understand that once I have signed, I cannot change my mind. Becoming Ms. Blanc’s slave is what I want to do and that is the only reason I have signed below.”
Underneath was Meredith’s signature and thumbprint, as bold as could be.
“That’s not legally binding here! Slavery and slave contracts have been illegal for hundreds of years!” Meredith said after a stunned silence.
“You are completely correct,” Ms. Blanc said. Meredith relaxed a little within the man’s arms, until she heard the rest of Ms. Blanc’s words. “That’s why this contract wasn’t signed here. It was signed on Quid Durus. And since it was signed on Quid Durus, this planet will have to accept the contract.”
“It wasn’t signed there! It was signed here! In this very room!” Meredith screeched. She began straining against the man, trying her hardest to attack Ms. Blanc.
“Prove it. Angel, please read the print underneath her signature.” Ms. Blanc was having a lot of fun with this, I could tell.
I swallowed before reading it. “Signed on the planet of Quid Durus, in the city of Priam. All laws of this planet are invoked in this contract and valid on all other known planets as of this date in accordance with the Danville-Pirate Reciprocity Agreement.”
“So, as you see, this contract is very valid. And as such, I’m giving you to Angel. I have no need for a slave, but she does. Angel, what would you have done with your new slave?” she asked me.
This startled me. She was giving Meredith to me? I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t expected this.
When I didn’t answer her, Ms. Blanc said, “You do want her, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course. Thank you, ma’am. Thank you very much,” I said, coming out of my stupor.
“So what do you want done with her?” Ms. Blanc asked curiously.
I swallowed. Now was my chance to get Meredith out of my hair once and for all. “I have some men waiting to take her away. They’ll know what to do with her,” I responded, trying to sound as sure of myself as Ms. Blanc.
“Fine. Call in these men. I have other things to do today,” she said dismissively.
I yanked on the bell pull to summon the maid, pulling perhaps harder than I should have because I heard the rope creak a little due to the stress I put it through. My excitement and nerves, however, were threatening to spill out of me.
The woman we’d all been waiting for arrived in what felt like record time. “Please let Tego know I have the package for him,” I told the woman.
“Yes ma’am,” the woman replied before leaving the room.
“What are you doing with me? You can’t do this!” Meredith said, still trying to get away from the man who held her.
“I have no idea where you’re going,” Ms. Blanc responded, leaning elegantly against the arm of a couch. “And I can do anything I want. Haven’t you learned yet that the truly powerful can do whatever they desire?”
Tego entered the room followed by two of his men. Their entrance alarmed Meredith for she started fighting tooth and nail. “Hell no! You’re not giving me to him! I’ll die before I’ll let you!”
“Oh, do stop being so melodramatic, child,” Ms. Blanc said dryly. “It’s so unbecoming.”
“I’ll show you unbecoming, you backstabbing bitch!” Something flew from Meredith’s hand, landing on the carpet between Ms. Blanc, me, and her.
The second it hit the ground, it began to smoke. The noxious fumes filled the room quicker than I could blink. The smoke was thick and black, making it impossible for me to see anything.
I started coughing horribly, my lungs filling with the insidious gas which filled the air. Hands grabbed my arms, pulling me back and down to the floor. I didn’t resist, couldn’t have even if I’d wanted to, I was too preoccupied with trying to breathe.
The air nearest to the floor was cleaner, purer, and I sucked it in like a drowning woman finding herself suddenly on shore. I heard coughing so hard and loud I thought someone was hacking up a lung. The smoke grew thicker and thicker with the layer of clear air growing ever thinner. Soon, the smoke would overcome us all, leaving us with nothing clean to breathe.
I suddenly remembered the patio doors. If I could just get them open, the smoke would surely disperse fast enough for us all to survive.
If I didn’t at least try, we were all doomed to suffocate in the ever thickening cloud of blackness.
I painfully crawled to where I thought the doors were, using the little light I could see shining through them along the ground as a guide.
I felt as if I were crawling against a wicked current intent on keeping me in the darkness. For every few inches I crawled, I wheezed. The toxic air felt heavier with every second that passed.
I made it, however, to the doors, running into them without realizing they were even in front of me. That’s how black the air had become by the time I reached them.
The sounds behind me were growing fewer and fewer, and panic swept through me. I didn’t want t
o die from whatever gas Meredith had released in her crazy attempt to escape. I had too much living to do to die this way.
I groped my way up the door, fumbling for the handle. Where was it? It had to be there somewhere…didn’t it?
Of course there was a handle and I found it and pulled it down, trying to shove the door open out onto the patio.
It wouldn’t move. Fear rushed over my mind, clearing it for a second to enable a fresh thought to arise to the surface. Most French doors opened inwards. I needed to pull, not push, to get to safety.
My hand still depressing the handle, I pulled toward me with all the strength I had left inside me. This time the door opened.
I collapsed over the threshold, gasping in the beautiful clean air that rushed over me. I felt weak. The struggle through the gas to the patio door had left me so drained that it was as if I’d been through a horrendously physical battle and not only came out on the losing side, but had been beaten for my troubles.
My lungs hurt even as they worked triple time trying to keep me alive. I never wanted to leave my sprawled out position on the refreshingly cool smooth stones of the patio. If I could have stayed there forever, I’d have died a very happy person.
As my breathing became less raspy, I became aware of someone trying to make their way over me.
My gritty eyes saw a pant leg. A woman’s pant leg. And a dainty foot in a sensible, but stylish shoe.
This wasn’t Ms. Blanc, or her maid. Who was this?
My mind locked onto the answer as she stepped over me.
Meredith!
I grabbed her foot, trying to hold onto her, trying to stop her. She kicked my hand off her ankle. I grabbed for her foot again, but she was out of arms reach.
I pushed my protesting body up and hurried after her coughing, but running form. I too was struggling, trying to run, but it was hard. My chest hurt from continuously coughing to clear the black smoke from my lungs. My legs felt as if they were made of jelly. My entire body wanted nothing more than to collapse on the ground and rest.
I couldn’t, however, because of Meredith. I had to catch her, even if it meant pushing my poor body farther than it thought it was capable of going.
When I was close enough, though how I was able to get as close as I did will forever be a mystery, I grabbed for her hair. My hand closed around air, only succeeding in lightly brushing the least tendrils of hair. The brush was enough for her to know I was there.
She glanced over her shoulder, saw me, and struggled to increase her pace even more. This forced me to attempt to increase my own speed to match hers, a feat only possible with splitting sides and burning lungs.
(As if my lungs hadn’t already been burning because of all the coughing I’d been doing, now they hurt even more because of Meredith’s refusal to surrender. She was just so selfish.)
“Stop!” I wheezed, hoping she’d follow my order and not think about what would happen if she did.
She kept going.
I closed in on her by the grace of the Ancients long enough to fall onto her back, imagining I must have looked like an action hero intent on stopping the bad guy after a long foot chase. We fell to the grass, her body cushioning mine.
Meredith tried to fight me, twisting and turning, undulating her body like a panicked horse attempting to throw her rider off her back.
I held on as best as I could, but in the end she succeeded in throwing me off. Once free from me, she clamored to her feet, her chest heaving.
I fell after her again, falling onto my hands and knees. I crawled as fast as I could to get within arm’s reach of her.
I grabbed for her legs. She would not be able to go anywhere if I had her legs.
She tried to kick to get free, but my grip was too tight.
Now I had her. I wasn’t going to let her go. Come hell or high water, she was bound for Barathrum. Her future was to be on that hellish planet, a slave for eternity, and out of my hair once and for all.
Unfortunately she had other ideas.
Once she realized she couldn’t kick me off her legs, she twisted in my grip so I now faced her knee caps. She started hitting my head.
My veil, which somehow miraculously concealed my face cushioned her blows. I can’t deny, however, that they still hurt and inflicted enough damage for me to feel the effects days later.
Still holding onto her legs with one arm, I tried to shield my head. That, however, gave her the opening she’d been looking for.
With a sharp kick to my chest and a solid fist to the unprotected side of my head she was free.
I was struggling to my feet in a futile attempt to follow her when I noticed a small ball rolling toward me. It looked eerily familiar, as if I’d seen something like it before.
I realized why it looked familiar and started to turn away, but it was too late.
A horribly loud bang, a flash of heat, and surprisingly hard grass were the last things I remember before disappearing into the land of the darkness.
About The Author
Trisha M. Wilson lives in Wisconsin. With a degree in History and minors in Math and Business Administration, Ms. Wilson still has no idea what she wants to do with her life.
When not regularly contributing on her websites, she leads the life of a happy hermit with her three cats and family.
For More Stories
Visit Me At
TrishaMWilson.Colbyjack.net
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