Oh, my precious David. Cadence squeezed her eyes closed for a moment, frowned and began to turn pink. You’re just... You’re...
“Who’s Melody? One of Junie’s friends?” Brent asked as everyone ignored him and he let it go. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just the stomach ache talking.”
Cadence pulled back the layers and layers of linens that covered her bed. She pulled them down and to the side so Juno could slip in, and then she tucked her in. Keeping her upper lip stiff. Pretending neither Juno nor David had said anything.
“Are you sure you feel well enough to sleep?” Cadence asked. “If you’d prefer, I can go sleep on the floor in the living room. I don’t want to appear improper.”
Juno grabbed Cadence by the ears and pulled her to her lips, giving her a big fat smacker of a kiss on the forehead. “Cadence, I love you to death. I hope you know that. You’re so beyond reproach.” She looked over at Brent, who was enjoying the back and forth. “What I mean is. If I’m going to have to trust Davey in a strange room with another woman. This arrangement, and you. The way you are. This is a situation I feel totally comfortable with.”
“But I’m...” Cadence touched at her sleeveless gown. “I wasn’t thinking. I’m dressed too provocatively. This isn’t right.”
“Please, Cadence,” Brent said as he closed the door. “You’re perfectly safe. Stop worrying. If Davey makes a move, Junie here promises to kill him where he lays. Promise, Junie?” Juno giggled again, saying she would, indeed, gut David alive if he so much as inched toward Cadence at any point in the evening.
Cadence laid herself down, after David covered himself with the blanket on his mattress at the left side of the bed. “Please don’t make fun of me, Juno,” Cadence said as Brent’s door closed. “I know I’m not... Attractive like you. I know I might be a bit... Conservative. But I’m also a human being. I’m trying to do the right thing. I would think you would appreciate that.”
“I’m sorry, Cadence. I didn’t mean to—”
Juno began snoring and Cadence propped herself up to shake Juno’s ankle.
She’s out, Cadence said. She was very inconsiderate of my feelings. That’s one thing to think, but entirely another to say aloud. I’m not beautiful, and I may not be as fancy and free as the two of you, but I’m worthy of respect in my own home.
She’s just delirious, David replied. And let’s not pretend you didn’t get her sick in the first place. You know I can hear what you say when you switch channels now, right? Cadence shook her head and looked at David with a mix of embarrassment and loathing. Don’t we have work to do?
Cadence nodded and laid herself back down. Her voice came into David’s head. As soon as you quit ogling me. I swear you’re as bad as the common tramp who’s desecrating my bed. You’re like a little boy. Her features turned to stone as she closed her eyes and made an ugly face.
What do you want me to do about it? You’re as innocent as a lamb, though, aren’t you? David asked. Are you kidding me with that nightgown? I can see every curve of your body. The sides are practically see-through. When you bend forward, I can see all the way through to your... You know? You’re not even wearing any underwear. How am I supposed to stop ogling you? I guess it’s okay to go with nothing underneath as long as you’re not Junie. Cadence stared at him, her eyes going dark. I should get points for managing not to do it with my physical body. I swear you’re trying to drive me crazy, despite your well-advertised disgust with the implication.
Cadence’s face flushed even harder, as her hands balled up into fists. We have less than an hour before it comes again. So please quit trying to kiss whatever you think I am. You have no right. If you wanted to do that you had ample opportunity to taste Juno before you came over. It was your choice not to. It’s not my fault she no longer appeals to you. We have to concentrate. I have to show you how to provide. You have to be paying attention to what I do and the instructions I give you to follow. Tonight you will provide a half. Next time you will begin providing in full. With my supervision, until you’re comfortable acting alone. If you keep... David. Stop it. If you keep... Oh dear sweet God. If you keep kissing me we’re never going to make it, and then... Please. I’m not her...
Not who?
Not... Look, I can’t stop you. Only you can stop you. We are equal. ...Okay, almost equal. But I can make you hurt afterward. And I will if you don’t knock it off. If you want to have a heated debate about this with me, you can wait. If we don’t do what has to be done now, Juno, my beloved, other members of this community. They could all die. Their physical bodies. Even you and me. This is serious. She paused to the count of seven. Thank you, David. When we’re done, we’ll discuss your behaviour further. But, for now, we have work to do. It’s coming very soon.
Billy parked his piece of shit El Camino, as Richard referred to it, in the tall corn three blocks away from the home he’d been tasked to invade. He pulled his meth pipe out of the glove box and dumped an indeterminate amount of crystal into the bowl. Letting his lighter heat it up slow, flicking the flame back and forth beneath, until the thrill of the wait got boring and he held the flame steady. Watching the meth go gaseous, inhaling and sharing the vapour with his partner in crime. In seven seconds, they were out of his car and on the hunt. Billy was packing a silenced pistol, a sheathed blade and a baseball bat spiked at the top with bent nails. His friend followed closely behind him, armed only with a rusty butcher knife. His friend was old fashioned.
They approached the home stealthily. Feeling like ninjas, though they were making as much noise as any average pair of jacked up lunatics would make. Billy grinned as he came close to the house, noticing the open, empty garage. Seeing the lights on and hearing the television blaring from a room in the back. Probably the bedroom. Which was a nice bonus because, for extremely fucked up reasons, there was nothing he loved more than banging some mouthy whore in bed than killing some mouthy whore in bed. He’d been told they’d be dealing with two cotton shooters who’d do anything for a fix. Maybe he’d get himself a good lay before he beat the life out of the one with at least seven serviceable holes.
He touched at the door to get a sense of any movement inside. Lightly wiggling the knob. To his surprise, he felt it slowly creak open as he quickly moved to the side. His heart racing. His excitement increasing. The bulge in his pants pounding. The search for the tape could wait until after they took care of the two marks they’d been sent to do what they wanted with, and then kill. And, if they didn’t have the tape, he and his friend could always pipe up again and go bang and kill the neighbours. He’d paid off thousands of dollars worth of debt to drug bosses before, and this time was going to be a damn sight more fun than usual.
He leant his head in after three minutes. Still hearing the television. Louder than ever now. The volume the same, but nothing to muffle the noise. He scanned the floor from his relatively invisible vantage point. It didn’t appear anyone was inside, but he wasn’t being paid to be kind of sure.
He slipped in the door, motioning for his friend to follow, closing the door behind them. He quickly made his way through the living room as they positioned themselves behind the counter that divided the front living room from the kitchen. Still, he heard nothing but the television.
Then he thought he heard a disturbance in the bathroom down the hall. Checking around the corner to make sure no surprises were hiding behind the kitchen counter, he snaked his way along the wall until he reached the doorway to the bathroom on his left. Motioning to his friend to hold back.
The doors on the opposite side of the hallway were both closed. But there was no noise or light coming from either of them.
He heard the clatter of something hitting the floor in the bathroom. It sounded like a toothbrush, or a razor. Like the crazy kids he’d been sent to execute were improvising and wouldn’t go out easily. Not without a fight.
And that made Billy even happier. Because he took no joy in robbing the life from anyone who didn’t desperate
ly want to keep it in the first place.
David closed his eyes, as Cadence instructed, while they lay on the floor on opposite sides of the bed Juno was occupying that evening. As he heard Cadence’s voice in his head, he imagined himself getting off his back and standing up straight. When she said it was okay, he opened his eyes.
He looked around and noted they were standing exactly where they had been lying when they shut their eyelids. Juno was sleeping like a baby. Making odd noises and rolling around.
“Look down,” Cadence said. David looked and saw their bodies on the floor. Fast asleep. “And watch. This is how we make sure Juno and Brent don’t wake while we’re out providing. You have to vacillate between semi-solid and the ether form we are now to affect matter, which I will show you how to do later, so I will take care of them both.” She moved over to Juno and kissed her and licked her on the forehead, followed by a heavy breath, and then doing the same in between her breasts, followed by the same just below her belly button. The clothes and linens didn’t have to come off. The saliva and breath penetrated anything. “You see?”
David nodded and watched Cadence perform the ritual. Hearing Juno’s mumbling lessen, and seeing her restless body relax, more and more with each kiss, lick and heavy breath.
Soon, Cadence was in and out of Brent’s room. Walking straight through the door as if it didn’t exist. She nodded to David and he nodded back. “Are we ready?” he asked. “And shouldn’t we be talking to each other in our heads?”
“No. It’s not necessary when we’re not in our physical bodies. We’re already on another channel. Follow me.” She moved down the hallway toward the kitchen and the sliding patio door. As she approached its glass, she looked out into the night. David and Juno’s home had been entered into already. The front door hanging wide open.
Cadence looked at their reflection in the glass. “You’ve really got to stop.” She flushed again. Feeling her physical body experiencing anger and embarrassment. “What we’re going to do tonight. You won’t find me attractive anymore. But we’ll discuss that afterward. There will be plenty of time. For now, we must move swiftly and you must pay close attention.” She looked into the glass again. “No. Not to my bottom, David. Or my... For goodness sake, you lascivious cretin. Pay attention.”
“Can you at least take off the nightcap? It’s going to distract me even more than your body. Besides, you have beautiful hair, Melody.”
“David.” She looked back and shook her head. “I’m not... It’s more convenient to have...” She looked back and saw the disappointment on David’s face. “But okay. If you think it will help. If you think it will keep you from looking at... David, please. For the love of everything. I swear I’d wring your neck if I didn’t need you.”
She took off her cap, letting her hair cascade down her back, and walked through the glass of the window. He followed her as they crossed the street. She continued. “After we’ve walked through the walls to get into your home, we will both become semi-solid. We are going to do that on purpose. In our current forms, we’re too much ether. We can’t affect the physical world. And, to provide, we must. Do you understand? ...What? No, I never wear panties. Not in bed. I like the sense of freedom, that’s why. Yes, every night. Not just tonight. And, yes, I always wear them during the day or when I’m in public. Not like your precious little... Oh, you make me insane with your constant... Look. Now that you understand that, do you understand what we’re going to do? Good. Let’s go. And please, restrain yourself until we’re finished. You’re making me feel like that hussy you see fit to keep company with. If this is giving you pleasure, I can assure you there will be none of that when we’re providing. Unless it turns out to be something you enjoy. But I doubt that. Feelings of pleasure will only put our mission in jeopardy. Follow me.”
They walked across the street and through the walls of David and Juno’s home, emerging in the bathroom. “Now we change. Slightly.” She began to appear more solid, but still somewhat see-through. “Now, breathe in deeply and feel yourself becoming solid. I will stop you when you reach the optimal state. It’s crucial you pay attention to the sensations in your body. ...Not those sensations. I said we’ll talk about those later. Breathe in. And out. And in. And hold. Do you feel it? Good.”
“Can they hear us?” David whispered, as he looked at himself and saw he was more solid, as Cadence had become. “Can they hear us when we become more solid?”
“Yes,” she said at a regular volume. “But they won’t hear what we’re hearing. No matter how solid we become while we’re operating on this separate Underneath plane, they’ll only hear distant whispers. Indefinable noises. Those things you hear at night that come from nowhere and you can never adequately explain. Those things you try to forget so you can sleep.”
“Okay, but can we move things?” He touched his razor on the sink and knocked it onto the floor.
“No, David,” she said. A little light showing in her eyes.
“But can they see us now?” he asked. She shook her head.
Billy leapt into the room and David jumped. “Holy shit.” He grabbed his chest. “I’m sorry, Cadence. I didn’t mean to swear. That guy just scared the...”
“Crap out of you?” she asked. “It’s okay. I’m learning to tolerate your parlance.”
“You really do tolerate me? After all this time, Melody?” He placed his hands over his heart. “Aww. You don’t know how special that makes me feel.”
“It wasn’t meant to, David. I didn’t mean any offence by it. I just meant I’m... We don’t have time for this now. I can explain myself later.”
Another man moved into the doorway, looking toward the bedroom and moving in that direction. Billy waved him off, and stood staring at his reflection in the mirror. Checking his teeth and gums. Fumbling around in his pockets and pulling out a baggie of clear chunky powder.
“Why do they sound so funny?” David asked. “And why are they moving so stiffly?”
“I’ll explain shortly, David. When we’ve dealt with them.”
“Nobody in here,” the voice from the bedroom called out. Billy put the bag of powder back in his pocket and ran into the other room.
Billy’s voice was muffled by the walls between them, but he was still clearly audible. “Shut the fuck up, Joey. You trying to get us busted? We’re here to kill these two doped up idiots. And they ain’t around. So now we’re supposed to look for some tape. A little one. Like for the voice recorders. And if we can’t find that, we have orders to go across the street to the neighbours and find out what we can from them.”
“What are we gonna find out from them?” Joey asked.
“Maybe where these two have run off. Maybe nothing. Either way, we got the okay from Ricky to torture ’em but good. And he said we should rape and kill the little woman while the old man watches. And then we can do him too.”
“Rape him?”
“No,” Billy replied. “Just kill him. Unless you want to rape him first. I won’t judge.”
“Fuck you, Billy. We can just take turns with the old lady. I hope she’s a tasty little piece.”
“Sounds good. I hope so too. I do love to make the beautiful ones ugly. Let’s turn this place upside down.”
Cadence looked over at David and touched his arm. He felt her holding him tight. He saw in her eyes that some part of her was frightened. For her physical self, perhaps. Maybe also for Brent, though she had repeatedly assured him that, up to this point, he only stayed faithful to her out of something akin to pity. But she was sure he would come around soon.
“First we must create the silence.” Cadence held his hand and led him into the bedroom where the two hillbilly goons were starting to go through the drawers. “If they can speak, they can scream. And believe me, they will scream. And, if you’re the sort, their screams will haunt you for the remainder of your days.”
“Ain’t shit in any of these damn drawers,” Joey said. “These fuckin’ people took off for sure. Go
d damned tape, is it? It’s gonna take all night to find that fuckin’ thing. If it’s even here.”
“Then it’ll take all God damned night,” Billy said. “But it won’t. If we can’t find the fuckin’ thing and the neighbours don’t know where it’s at, this place is gonna burn tonight.” Joey laughed. “Fuckin’ A right, it’s gonna burn to the ground. Along with that mother fuckin’ tape, if it’s here.”
“This is easy,” Cadence said. “But it must be done. It’s essential.” She walked up to Joey, licked her index finger and pressed it across his lips.
“This is fucked,” Billy said. “Why don’t we go pay the neighbours a visit? We can search this place any time. We only have while they’re asleep to take them by surprise.”
Joey looked at Billy and shrugged.
“Okay, then,” Billy said.
David licked his index finger, walked up to Billy and pressed it across his lips. “Like that?” David asked. Cadence nodded and smiled.
Joey began what looked like shouting. Trying to get Billy’s attention. When he got up and tugged at Billy’s shoulder, Billy turned around to chew him out. Except, to his surprise and horror, no sound escaped him.
They both stood and pointed at each other. Their mouths working overtime, but their voices still.
“And that is the silence.” Cadence grasped David’s hand again and smiled at him. “Simple, yes?”
“After tonight, can I do that to you whenever you start telling me how ugly you are?” David asked. Cadence felt herself squirm again, as she looked at him with what she desperately tried to make look like disdain. But she couldn’t stop herself from grinning.
“No,” she said. “As much as I’m sure you’d love to, you cannot. Well. You can, but I can undo it just as easily. It’s the same process. We can both do it, and undo it, to each other. Or to ourselves.” She winked at him as she continued. “Now we must create the glass prison. For if they can run, they can escape. Worse, if they can run, they can interact with others. And if they interact with others, no matter who they be, they will have to be sacrificed. But we do not ever want that on our consciences. That would be the killing of innocents, and that would be wrong.”
fiX - A ParaBnormal Fairy Tale Page 28
