She broke down and buried her head in his chest, heaving and moaning deeply. He held her head in his hands, stroking his fingers through her strawberry brunette hair. Feeling like it was the wrong colour. Hoping to his God he wasn’t causing some other unearthly string of consequences to unfold by doing so. “It’s okay,” he said. “It’s all right. I do forgive you. And I thank you. For myself and for Junie. I thank you for protecting us. If it helps, you didn’t make me commit any betrayal. If the choice were between being unfaithful to the woman I love and risking death, this never would have happened. I don’t know that I could live with that hanging over my head.” He felt Cadence’s body go stiff. “And if you and Brent were a couple... Same thing. To tell you the truth, I can’t entirely remember what happened. My body can, just not my mind. I don’t know how to explain it... Regardless, Junie and I aren’t together. Not like that. But, even if you can’t save us, I thank you for trying.”
“There is no trying, young man,” she replied with cold certainty. “You are protected now. And because of what I lowered myself to do with you...” She stopped again, still getting her emotions in check.
“What do you mean, lowered yourself?” David asked, his memory becoming clearer. “Was pretending to be with me really that degrading? I know I shouldn’t feel offended but, perhaps, being your equal, you find me repulsive now too. And I can’t possibly be that much younger than you. What did you mean by—?”
“I didn’t mean to suggest I feel you are beneath me. I find you extremely... I can’t explain. I feel confused and saddened by what I’ve done, but I feel a sense of great joy knowing I’m no longer alone. It’s... You do forgive me? Truly?” He nodded and stroked the side of her face. “Because of the disgraceful manner in which I treated you, you will soon see I’m not quite so wonderful as you would like to believe. You are now my equal, although no one must ever know. As you promised. Over time, you will know what I really am, and I will disgust you. As I do everyone else. But you will still find yourself needing me, as I needed you. As I will need you for as long as my soul continues to cling to this existence.”
He looked at her with puzzlement, feeling strangely alive. Sexual, vibrant, strong. Not seeing anything different about her. Not feeling any less attracted than he had when they first met. Wondering what she meant, and what in the world he’d just been through, but feeling the confusion lifting from his mind and sensing he would understand everything with crystal clarity soon.
“But this never happened, right?”
“No one must know,” she said.
“Okay, but... what did you mean, when you said you were alone?” he asked.
“Exactly that.”
“So you and Brent...?”
“Not like you might think. Soon. But not yet.” She began to twitch. “We have to go.”
“I should feel bad about this whole situation too, Cadence,” he asked. “Not just you. Why don’t I?”
Her expression was deadly serious. “It’s not my place to say why.”
“Say why now, Cadence. While you still enjoy this umbrella of secrecy we’ve vowed to share.”
She looked down and to the left, her face turning pale. Her shoulders softening. “Because Juno. She despises you.”
“I get that feeling, but...”
She moved closer to him and nestled her head on his shoulder, kissing his neck quickly. “You wanted to know. I’m sorry. But I touched her. I felt her. She promised herself to you once, but she wasn’t being truthful when she did. She loves you when it suits her. Just as she hates you. Her devotion is false. And she thinks only of herself. Her language betrays it, as well. I’ve said too much.”
“Maybe so. But what about Brent?” he asked. “What about your relationship isn’t what I think?”
“I promised myself to him. Which is why I feel shamed. But I fear he may never find me desirable. Yet I can’t see. Not for myself. Only for others. So I remain true.”
“If I’m your equal now, I could find out for you, and—”
“No,” she said. “I need to believe he finds me worthy of attention, or he almost certainly never will.. You don’t understand yet. And to know requires deliberation and effort that can become draining. And it’s also a violation of privacy. I only sensed what I told you about Juno. I never watched her feelings or listened to her thoughts. Everyone has a right to their own thoughts and feelings. They’re sacred. I feel I should honour that. Don’t you?”
“I think you deserve to know the truth.”
She placed her finger before his lips. “I will. In time. I owe him time. Not now. Now...”
“Now?” he asked. “What do we do now?”
“We. Both of us leave this place. We do not lock the door. We turn on the television in your bedroom and we return to my beloved’s home.”
“Okay.” He rushed quickly to turn on the television in the bedroom, adjusting the rabbit ear antenna to tune in a local channel and turning the volume knob so the sound was audible in the front living room.
“When we return to my beloved’s home, we will tell them a story. We cannot humble ourselves, as we rightly should. Though it’s inexcusable of both of us. We will have to lie. Because neither my beloved, nor Juno, can ever know the truth of what has happened here today.”
“I don’t see why not, but okay.” He fidgeted, trying to think of a reasonable excuse.
“You don’t have to think of an excuse for us, David. You don’t even have to know what the excuse is. In fact, it’s better you don’t. It will help you to become better able to provide faster.”
“How do you mean?”
She answered him. Her mouth closed. Her voice ringing inside his head. I will tell you what to say when it’s time to say it.
He started to laugh. Hesitating for a moment, feeling as if he might have offended her, but then knowing he hadn’t. And, as he knew, watching a slow smile erase the fear that had painted her features since they’d first met. He kept his mouth shut as he replied: Sounds good.
She took his hand in hers and kissed it, sniffing him. She made sure her shawl was properly closed and fitted, and she held out her hand to allow him to direct her toward the door.
Without asking, he took her hand and kissed the top of it. Tasting it and smelling it as deeply as possible, and asked: Who the hell are you?
Cadence’s face drew tight again, looking back at him and withdrawing her hand sharply. Her eyes questioning, but beginning to fill with fear again. I am eternal.
David turned her chin toward him, looking her directly in the eyes. Softly running his fingers across the smooth hairless skin of her cheek. Brushing her hair back as she pushed his hands away. Pinching her tight stomach as she fumbled to cover it with her hands, running his hands up her muscular thighs and squeezing her firm and fleshy buttocks through her shawl as she pulled at his wrists. Then caressing her full breasts, reaching around her back to feel between her shoulder blades, making her wince with pain as she cracked him sharply across the cheek and pushed herself away. Her face shook with anger. Possibly fear. Maybe uncertainty. Most probably a mixture of all three.
David, she snapped as he continued to gaze into her eyes. I’m not sure what... What you’re thinking... But being my equal does not give you licence to molest me. What’s come over you? Is something wrong?
David took her hand, as she tried to tug it away, threatening to strike him again, and he opened the front door. You owe me a big explanation... She passed him and stepped outside. ...Melody.
Cadence tripped slightly, looking down, as David followed her outside and made sure the door hung ajar. She didn’t reply, with her voice or in his head, as her body became rigid again, beginning to shiver.
They walked in silence back to the Strange household.
Brent and Juno sat on the mahogany couch in the Strange household’s living room, watching whatever drivel was on television. Feeling exhausted and making small talk about life in the big city, life in a small town, the
differences between the two and the similarities. They also spoke of her and David’s addiction to heroin and how that life had almost killed them both. She felt comfortable discussing it with him, for reasons she couldn’t quite fathom. Perhaps because the subject had already been broached by Cadence. Whatever the reason, it was a heavy weight she no longer had to carry, and she was happy her new neighbours were so understanding and supportive. Especially, knowing what they knew about her and her problems. Of course, she hadn’t revealed everything about her life in the city. Like what she did for a living when she first met David, and her relapse, but it was still liberating to be with people who, she imagined, wouldn’t judge her for that either.
Cadence and David entered the house through the patio door. Juno jumped in her seat as soon as she heard them. “I’m sorry.” She took Brent’s hand in hers. “I don’t mean to cuff you and run, daddy.” She laughed as he patted her ass and she got up.
Brent laughed in return. “No problem. You crazy kids. Go see Davey.” As soon as Juno was out of the room, he got off the couch to go greet them too.
“Hey baby.” Juno grabbed David and jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. “Did you guys take care of whatever needed taking care of?” She looked to make sure Cadence was watching as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “What exactly did you take care of?”
Cadence moved over and hugged Juno quickly. Perhaps a little too hard. Sniffing her and trying not to look insecure. She hugged Brent and waved to everyone, hiding away her own grim countenance. “I’m going to go to sleep. I’m feeling exhausted. I hope you can forgive me. I’m being a terrible hostess. I want you to feel at home. If you could please allow me. I need to rest.” Everyone nodded and voiced their consent as Cadence walked down the hallway to the far end and went into her bedroom on the left.
“She looks harsh,” Juno whispered, feeling immediately inconsiderate. She grabbed onto Brent’s arm. “I don’t mean she looks bad. I just meant she looks like she’s been through it. She looks worn to the bone. Is she coming down with something? She sounds beat down, too.”
“Not that I know of,” Brent said. “She just needs to sleep, like she said. And, if you haven’t noticed already, she’s like a phrase thesaurus. You can usually stop listening after the first few words that come out of her mouth. Unless you enjoy hearing the same thing said twenty-six different ways.” Brent smirked as Juno nodded in agreement and smiled. “So, what happened over there at your new house?” he asked David. “Did you wear her out?” Brent nudged Juno as he chuckled. Juno blushed and smiled more widely.
David forced a smile and shook his head, not knowing what the hell to say in response. Still feeling confused and angry. Like he’d just been taken advantage of in the most cruel way imaginable.
Then, as Cadence promised, David could hear her voice in his head, telling him what to say. He repeated it, verbatim, even when the words sounded funny.
“You mean besides all the decadence and depravity?” David blushed with humiliation and grinned at the same time. Mentally double checking with Cadence that he was hearing her correctly. Cadence assured him he was, and she didn’t mean it that way.
After that, he never doubted a word she instructed him to say. Because, although he’d expected that little crack to cause a major conflict, Brent immediately laughed in return. Juno thought it was funny, too.
“Yeah,” Brent said, still giggling. “Aside from the debauchery.”
“Shut up, Davey.” Juno slapped him playfully on the arm and winced at the sting. “What did you two do over there? It’s almost two in the afternoon. I got so frustrated waiting and now I’m beat. There’s only so much television you can watch before... you know? I’m starving. Aren’t you, baby? And aren’t you, Davey?” She winked at Brent, who laughed genuinely again as she traced a heart on his chest with her index finger. He traced one on her forehead as she pretended to be embarrassed, even as her chest unconsciously pushed up and out. David flinched at how easily and joyfully Juno played along with the suggestion of open flirtation with Mr. Strange. Feeling even more perturbed about why he cared what they may or may not have done while he and Cadence were absent.
“I am really hungry,” David said. “After that workout, I’m famished. Are there any take-out or delivery places in town?”
“One local restaurant,” Brent said. “But this town—being as small as it is—everything’s closed on Sunday. I’ve got a pizza we can throw in the oven though. That should fix that.” He looked for approval from David and Juno and grabbed it out of the freezer. “We’d better make it three,” he said. “No way two grown men and a growing young woman are going to make it through the day on one of these. Sausage okay?” David and Juno both nodded.
“Seriously,” Juno asked. “What happened over there? You guys were gone for almost seven hours. I was going to come and see because of...” She moved over to David’s ear and whispered, “...because of Ricky and how he threatened to send people after me.” Then she moved back and spoke normally again, as if no one noticed. “I was starting to get worried.”
“No need to worry.” David opened the stove for Brent. “Brent and Cadence both know our situation. And yes, Ricky’s sending people. They’re on their way now.”
Juno looked into David’s eyes with fright and desperation. “Oh God. Oh my God. Brent.” She turned to look at Brent as he closed the oven and turned on the heat. “We never talked about that. It totally slipped my mind. And now—Oh my God. I have to leave. You have to leave.” Juno began to run to the front door, then the back. Spinning around in circles. “Oh Jesus. Your lives are in danger because of me. This is so wrong. I have to go.”
“Stop freaking out, Junie.” David tried to grab hold of her, consistently managing to guess incorrectly where her speeding body would end up next. “They both know.”
“No, you don’t.” She shouted at Brent. Covering her mouth with her hands quickly, in shock. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m sorry.” Tears of panic ran from Juno’s eyes. “This is so bad. Oh God. I told you this morning. The dream I had. It was a sign.” She chewed on her thumb. “Or maybe I didn’t tell you. I had a dream. The walls of my new house were covered in blood. It was horrible, and then—”
“Calm down, Junie.” Brent grabbed hold of her right arm, twisting it as she writhed, and motioned for David to grab the other. “Sit back down on the living room couch and take a deep breath, for God’s sake.”
“Stop it,” Juno cried. “You’re hurting me.”
“Take it easy there, Brent,” David said as they both fought to control her.
Brent loosened his grip. “I’m just trying to keep her from hurting herself. She’s going crazy over nothing. I didn’t mean to bend her arm like that.”
“But you don’t understand.” She screamed and dropped to her knees, letting her arms go limp as David grabbed hold of her. His grip so solid she felt trapped. “They promised they would hurt me when they came for the tape. They promised. They said if I ran, they would torture you, Brent. They promised me they would torture you and Cadence until you told them where I’d run off to. They promised me, once you’d told them, they would beat Cadence to death. Break every bone in her body before they let her die. Make it last as long as possible. They’d make you watch and then they’d kill you too. This is fucking serious.”
Brent’s face went white as he listened to the gruesome detail with which his and Cadence’s end was foretold.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” David said. Calmly, still channelling Cadence. “That’s what we were doing over at our new home, Brent.” Brent looked over at him, fear in his eyes, waiting with bated breath for the remainder of the explanation. “I don’t know how to explain it, but Cadence. She walked the house. That’s why it took so long. She touched everything in there. She smelt everything too. Even me. I’m surprised she didn’t give you a good once over when we got back, Junie.” Brent’s face relaxed and Juno let out a small giggle as she continued
to wriggle hysterically. “She said something about how it was coming soon. She didn’t get any more specific. But she said it, I don’t know, a billion times. I lost track. She said, because we said yes to whatever we said yes to, we were protected. That no harm would come to us.”
Brent’s face relaxed and he let out a huge sigh of relief. “Oh, that’s good news.” Brent let go of Juno’s arm as she scrambled back to her feet and hugged David around the waist. “What else did she say? Or do?”
“She said it was coming soon. Whatever ‘it’ is. Too soon for me to be ready. She was freaking out. As much as she does. She couldn’t stop apologising.”
Brent grinned, nodding his head.
“Then she asked if she could go through our things, so I let her. She touched and smelt them all. Then she started licking stuff. Not everything, but different parts of the house. It was weird.”
Brent nodded as he looked over at Juno’s puzzled expression. “She does that. I told you two, something’s off. She’s a trip.” Juno looked satisfied with that explanation.
“I mean,” David said. “She didn’t sniff or lick our underwear.” Juno laughed, holding her hands over her mouth, as Brent’s eyes glazed over. Drawing, David assumed, a mental picture of Juno’s panties. And, maybe, how cute her ass looked in them. “But I swear, she cleaned half the place with her tongue. It was bizarre. No offence.” Brent shook his head. “She kept doing that. Over and over again. Faster every time. I thought she was going to make herself dizzy and collapse. Then, just twenty-six or twenty-seven minutes ago. Before we came back. Then she said we were safe and she’d done all she could do, and she was exhausted and she needed to rest. She tried to take a nap on our bed, but I had to drag her off it and convince her to come back here. She didn’t budge until seven minutes ago, but... Because, our place. That’s where the bad men who are coming to kill us are going to show. I couldn’t have her lying there on the bed when they arrived.”
fiX - A ParaBnormal Fairy Tale Page 20
