Melanie's Journey

by Michael Cross

  Oh well, it was time to give the report to Miss. Green. I hoped for straight A’s this year. My ACT scores were very high, but I wanted perfect grades as well to insure getting into my desired university. For my history class I was very confident of a great grade. I felt really good when I placed it on Lamb’s desk.

  That night, it was time to relax. Nicole and I were chatting together for hours—at the same time I responded to Mark’s e-mail apparently sent during his resource period (I would have stopped in but I was busy in doing a make-up lab in Ortega’s class). Wednesday was a great day, meeting up with Daniel and Nicole and hanging out during lunch, and again in Mark’s class. He showed a documentary on personality disorders and I was a bit curious if he saw any of the traits in me. After school though Daniel asked me if I had anything for our new object of “affection” and I said I had once seen something in Mark’s garage—I asked if we could go look. We went over and I pointed out what I wanted. “Interesting.” was Daniel’s first response. I gave him a list of other things he needed to get his hands on, and I also gave him a picture I had copied out of a book and said, “You have no idea how interesting.” I warned him not to tell Mark about the picture and he said he would not.

  Daniel mentioned he had made contact with our friend and everything was looking great. I then asked Nicole to go with me shopping—after all, I had a big date soon, maybe even sometime the next week, and had to look good. We left Daniel at Mark’s and decided to just browse around some specialty stores. I spotted some things that caught my eye and when I walked out of the dressing room Nicole looked at me and said, “Perfect!” She then took a picture with her cell phone and said she would share it with Daniel, but only Daniel.

  I was a bit anxious on Thursday…I knew the teachers had not corrected the papers yet but a part of me thought it might be possible. When the day was just typical I was disappointed. When Nicole asked what I was doing that evening my only reply was, “Hopefully spending it with you again!” Nicole suggested we both check out early and go have some fun.

  We decided to go to my house and just hang out. I had some snacks already so we just popped in a movie and relaxed for a while. Then I asked how things were going with our “project” and she said Daniel had assured her everything was perfect. She asked what I had in mind for the final act, so to speak, and I asked her to keep it a secret if possible—she assured me she would and, even though nobody was there, I still giggled like some little girl and whispered in her ear my plan. She responded, “Wow Melanie, that is so awesome!” and she took my hands and nodded in excitement and giggled. Then she assured me, “There’s no need to tell the Mark, Daniel will have what you asked for and you can do the rest when we get there!”

  Nicole then started getting all personal, “Melanie, you seem to be getting into this, and enjoying it—am I right?” I replied, “Well, what do you expect? Although…it’s strange though…” She seemed startled and asked, “Strange, what is so strange?” She moved closer as I explained, “Well, not really strange, but the other day a cop was driving on the other side of the road and I was worried that he was going to turn around and pull me over and start questioning me—but he just drove on by.” Nicole rolled her eyes and said, “Yeah, I know the feeling, but there is nothing to be scared about. If there was we would have been picked up by now.”

  I sighed and continued, “So when do you think we’ll be done? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I am not pulling back or anything…I just mean next year is college and all.” Nicole suddenly looked sad and maybe a little worried. She then said, “Let’s just focus on now and who knows what the future will be?” Then, even though she said what she said, she seemed sad in that way a child might look when her mother is about to leave on a long trip, “Melanie, let’s never grow apart, okay?” I answered, “Never!”

  We decided to turn off the movie (we were not watching it anyway) and go out and have some fun at the mall again. Soon after we arrived we even rented skates and spent some time on the rink which gave the chance for us to act like a couple of kids. I even forgot about what it was that made us so socially unacceptable—even perhaps as “evil” as the people we were going after. Then again, we were doing society a favor, right? And that should go a long way in making up for any “sins”.

  When I got home I looked through my messages, sent messages and even my MSN history file. It was amazing, there truly were no overt references at all to any killings and our jokes (so much a trademark of Mark) were all disconnected to anything we had done. Even an expert at subliminal messages would have difficulty discerning any hidden meanings, although they were there in incredibly subtle ways. It was good leaving no written traces and only talking directly about our activities when we were together. And such a meeting was planned on Saturday, but unfortunately Mark would not be there since he had some family business to attend to.

  When we got together Saturday Daniel was anxious to get started—for some reason he seemed thrilled. “So you like the Goth/Japanese schoolgirl look Melanie?” At first I was wondering what in the world he was getting at, but then remembered the picture Nicole had taken. “Well, we have established a connection with him that’s really good and he’s expecting a freaky, underage girl—he has no idea how you look beyond my ‘creative’ description though.” This was great I thought to myself. Daniel went on to explain that the guy had not only bitten the bait, but had agreed to erase all e-mails directly after reading—especially since he indicated that his new conquest had an uncle who was a cop. Daniel was so pleased, “The irony is that he won’t only be erasing evidence of a kinky sexual encounter but rather getting rid of evidence that could come in handy for cops investigating his disappearance.”

  Daniel was really excited over everything falling into place. Now all that was left was figuring out how to get prepared for the following weekend. Daniel then asked me more about what I had planned, but I told him to take care of getting everything I asked for, and trusting me to take care of the rest.

  The rest of our discussion was just figuring out minor details and things that could go wrong. The main concern was getting him from point A to point B and it seemed Daniel and Mark had planned that out. The next time we would meet for this purpose would be on Thursday before the planned big day. Nicole and Daniel were going to do some things together Sunday and so I went for a hike on a nearby hill trail. I had to admit that while normally spending some time hiking alone on the trails near my house would have been enjoyable, I felt lonely that Sunday.

  Monday was a shock for me. I got my paper back from Miss. Green and of course she gave me an A+. She came up to me during class and complimented me—saying something about my capturing the essence and soul of Stalin. “He had a soul?” I remember asking myself. Then later the shocker—Lamb returned the papers and all I got was a B/B+ on it? I was furious, but I did not let it show when I confronted him. He claimed I did not satisfy his requirements, in that I made it clear what I believed, as well as citing sources he was unsure about. I was angry that he said he could talk with me about it later if I liked. I sat there in disbelief for the rest of the class, expressionless…staring blankly at the board contemplating what revenge would best suit this poor excuse for a teacher.

  After class, the first thing I did was go to Mark and complain—yes, I believe with him I even may have had to fight back tears. Mark said he thought Lamb was being incompetent but that he would help me with the re-write option. Then, much to my surprise, he wished me an early happy birthday! I sort of forgot about the paper and was extremely pleased that he had taken the time to find out when I was born, as well as congratulate me before anyone else. I wondered why he was so nice to me—of course I had my share of hopes, mixed with fears though.

  Thursday of that week came quick. Everything was planned out like a military strike. The meeting the following day would be at 7pm and would be at a fairly isolated park-and-ride where a car could sit and not arouse any suspicion. The exact location would be by an a
rea next to a forest where everyone but I would be hidden and ready. We all figured our target would be on the defensive, believing he was meeting up with a 15 year old, and so would not be so bold as to try to rape me. If he did, he could be subdued quickly. Of course, Friday came, and it was the day of the big date, and while I was excited, it was different than the excitement felt for, lets’ say a prom or homecoming date.

  Chapter 17

  It was odd sitting in class on Friday and anxiously awaiting what was going to be a most interesting night of adventure. I had told my mother that I would be staying over at Nicole’s, so I had an alibi established. As I sat, sort of listening to one of Lamb’s lame excuses for a lesson, I kept thinking about what it would be like that evening. I also contemplated how cruel this jerk was anyway, and how he deserved what I had in mind. I giggled as I thought in detail about this, and Lamb stopped talking for a moment to ask what was so funny. I said nothing was, and just continued on with my little daydreaming, but more careful about any displays of my mental amusements.

  I noticed a large rubber band on Lamb’s desk and almost laughed again, but I controlled myself. I already had everything I needed for the evening.

  I met up with Daniel and Nicole after school—we would catch up with Mark later. We drove past the planned meeting place. Everything seemed in order, yet the next several hours would be occupied with anticipation.

  The final plan would be that after he and I met, he would drink a beer laced with a date-rape drug. When he passed out Daniel would inject him with more of a chemical to insure he would be out for at least two more hours. To play it safe he would be tied up as well. Of course, if it killed him to have all these drugs in his system then at least the mission would be accomplished, but it would take all the fun out of it.

  Finally, we would place him in Mark’s trunk and take him to a location far in the wilderness. There we would finish the job and then dispose of the body. It would be forever hidden in an isolated spot on the bottom of the Columbia River if everything went right.

  We stopped at a restroom before meeting up with Mark, and while inside Nicole asked if I was confident with being able to go through with what I had described to her earlier. I said I was and she asked me again to describe it to her again. Even though we were alone I clasped my hand over her ear and whispered my entire plan to her. She responded, “Oh my God, that is so…so…I love it!”

  We went to Mark’s house and met him there. I finally asked Mark if he could get the encyclopedia I’d seen on his shelf a while back, and Daniel was to get the archery set. They came back a few moments later with both. I opened the page to the painting depicting the “Martyrdom of St. Sebastion” and told him that was what I wanted to re-create! Everyone seemed impressed—Mark could only say, “Fantastic idea—So fitting!” I looked at the arrows Daniel had brought. They had quite sharp tips—the kind that would cut your finger if you touched them the wrong way. I thought to myself, “I wonder what our friend is thinking right now—I mean, is there the possibility that he might be pondering life questions? It wouldn’t really matter though, he would soon meet up with his own unexpected destiny, one he could never imagine involving the arrows I held in my hands.”

  Nicole asked if I had the clothes for the evening and I took out the bag. We went into the other room for my transformation. We had a blast and when I came out she announced, “Meet the new Melanie!” I would never have recognized myself to be sure. Mark and Daniel just looked, with Mark merely saying, “Wow!” I looked in the larger mirror and thought that I could have worn this a couple of days earlier for Halloween...I mean, I looked so different—and yes, even freaky. I turned to Mark and asked, “So you like the new me?” but he seemed a little hesitant to answer. Then he took a breath and said, “I believe you are everything our target is looking for. You have done a fantastic job.” That was not exactly what I wanted to hear but I could expect little more at that time.

  “Okay you two let’s keep focused on the job at hand.” Nicole insisted in a flirtatious sort of way, the manner a 12 year old might tease their friend over an obvious crush, to which I think Mark became really embarrassed, considering the bright red coloration of his face. We all quickly changed the focus and went about packing everything on the list. We went over everything once more, and then Mark sighed and nodded his head in a “yes” fashion and we all took off to the car.

  We arrived way early, so we drove around to scan everything one more time. The glow of the street lamps were the main sort of light by now, and the spot we had picked out was the least lit in all the parking area. We stopped so Daniel could fix the beer and then I put it in my bag and headed off to the rendezvous spot. The others parked and walked along a trail behind the trees so they could be next to where I would wait in anticipation.

  I stood there wondering if I looked like some cheap whore waiting for a customer, and that merely made me angry and wanting to take out some personal revenge on this creep when he showed up. I waited, and waited, and started to wonder if he was going to show, and I tried to pretend that nobody else was in the lot. After a while I could see the lights of a car off in the distance—a car was coming towards me. It appeared to be a small pick up truck, but then it drove past me. Then, and this is when I could feel my heart in my throat, it stopped, turned around, and came back.

  I could not tell what the guy looked like until he stopped and rolled down his window. “Are you looking for someone?” he asked? I saw his face, and could recognize him from the picture Mark had copied from a school yearbook. “Well that depends, are you ‘Portlandsatisfier’ by any chance?” I asked him and he said he was. My contempt increased as I now put an actual face and body to such a pathetic screen nickname. He had now exited the truck and looked me over, “I like what I see tonight, hope you are ready to have a good time!” I looked at him in a seductive manner and said that I hoped he had what it took to give me that good time. He ran his hand from his chest down to his groin and said he was ready and able to. I just thought about the idea of such a creature even thinking he could look at me, much less share intimacy. It made me ill, but I would not show it as I was now incredibly anxious to put my ideas into action.

  I asked him to be patient when he suggested we climb into his truck. He said he could wait, to which I asked him if he had taken all the precautions. He said he had protection, to which I acted a bit frustrated and said, “No, I mean the internet stuff—did you erase it or not?” as I then tried to tease him by starting to walk away. “Hey, take my word for it, I erased everything, I don’t want any trouble…if you want we can go to an internet cafe and I’ll prove it!” I stopped and said, “No, that’s okay…I just hope I can trust you. I mean I want to have a good time but I am a bit young and don’t want you to get into trouble.”

  At this point he put his arm around me—a most uncomfortable experience—and asked, “So shall we get started here or should we go get a hotel room?” I pulled away and protested, “Oh come on now—doesn’t a girl deserve a little romance? Can we at least relax and have a beer?” As much as I detested this guy, and as much as I felt really dirty, I started enjoying the role play. I even thought that what I was doing was like a spider luring its prey into the trap…and while I did not consider him much of an intellectual challenge, it was something that would still require some effort.

  “Hey, here’s one for you—I could only steal a couple of my dad’s beers from the refrigerator without him noticing, could we maybe pick up some more when we leave here?” I took the seduction role to heart now, and tried to cross innocent schoolgirl and harlot together, so he would be thinking about me, and not that his beer was too hot, or too cold, or whatever guys like him prefer. Nothing was going to spoil my unique plans now.

  To my excitement, as well as relief, he took the can and opened it without any thought. He then tilted it up and finished the whole thing in practically one gulp, apparently to impress me—who knows? Then he took my arm and said now was the time to get go
ing and looked as though he was coming in for a kiss. I pulled away and told him to take his hands off me until I said I was ready. Suddenly he went from classless jerk to his true overbearing nature. “What’s the matter with you anyway? Let’s see what those freaky clothes are covering up…I don’t have all night to wait!” I tried to pretend I was impressed and then mentioned that maybe it would be fun to go in the woods and “Get really wild” to which he said “That’s more like it! Wait here and I’ll get a blanket out of the truck.”

  I glanced over to the trees and knew my friends were there, but then again I had not seen them since they left the car. I really hoped nothing had happened because the possibility of this guy forcing himself on me was unthinkable. Then, to my delight, he stumbled as he approached me, “Wow, maybe I shouldn’t have had those beers before coming here.” I was sure the drug was taking its effect and so I pretended to be really concerned and embraced him—looking up in his face and caressing his cheek, “Are you okay?” He moved away and put his hand on his head, “I…uh…uh…” Then he broke into an almost incoherent state in which all I could make out was profanity. I looked at him as he stumbled around, and I wondered what Daniel had put in the drink—and I sincerely hoped he would not die right there on the spot. Seconds later he passed out cold on the ground, but was not dead, as evidenced by his starting to make snoring sounds.