Silver Silhouette

by Rodzil LaBraun

  "No," she whispered. "I'm not even sure of that."

  "Mr. Stone? Would you like to share anything?"

  Henry also took a deep breath before answering, "Maybe." Everyone waited. "I didn't see the attack. The hand was already on my mouth, and the teeth on my neck before I could wake up. But I was sure it was a dream. And his face looked human to me. Then my vision blurred. But I thought I saw them dancing, or celebrating above us. But like she said, they were shaking somehow. Then I blacked out. Please tell us it was all a dream, that these things don't really happen to people. Tell me that vampires are not real."

  "You are correct, Mr. Stone," the detective replied while flipping his notebook shut and standing. This both surprised and delighted the couple. "There are no vampires, and it was all a dream. Thank you for your cooperation. I advise that you don't tell anyone else these details about your experience. I will keep my word and not share it with anyone outside my division. You can go back to your lives. The police will not find your attackers, do not expect them to do so. I am certain that the attackers will not return. They gained everything they needed from you and will have no reason to come back. You can rely on that." Then the Detective left. The Stones hugged each other, then their daughters before starting to prepare dinner.

  6 – Naked

  Like a red eye ball in the dark woods at night, he stood out and stopped her breath. Tish was walking the crowded school hallway, getting bumped from all directions as she tried to reach her locker. Then she saw his face. He wasn't looking at her, in fact, he was walking in a different direction. When she stopped suddenly to stare after him the guy behind her slammed into her shoulder knocking her against the wall. She squeaked twice from the double impact.

  "Damn, Tish, I'm sorry." It was Jeff Corbin. He held her arm like he expected her to fall down any moment. Gazing into his beautiful face stunned her momentarily. Then she dismissed it as nothing and told him she was okay. When she popped her head above the crowd Aaron was gone. Long gone. She would not be able to catch him before he reached his next class.

  She spotted him three more times that day before she was close enough to call out his name without drawing too much attention. He stopped in his tracks at the sound of her voice. Or, at least that was how Tish interpreted it. Perhaps, it was just the sound of his name. An awkward smile approached his lips as Tish stepped up to greet Aaron. He wasn't sure if it was safe to look happy for receiving her attention. "Hi Tish. What's up?"

  The awkwardness was contagious as Tish came to a stop just inches from him. She had envisioned giving him a quick hug but it was obvious now that would be too weird since they didn't really hang out anymore. She raised her hand to offer a handshake but pulled it back quickly instead, embarrassed. Cheerleader popular but clunky when talking to a guy. No, she retracted, just this guy. What was going on with her?

  "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to say hi. We haven't talked for so long. How are you?" she asked, pretending like it was a natural conversation, like she just bumped into him in the hall, not like she called out his name in front of everybody.

  "I'm fine," he replied slowly. "I didn't realize you would, you know... Anyway, I'm fine. How are you?" Fresh start, he thought. Here was the girl of his dreams asking him a question. Don't ask why, just talk to her. Let her talk. Listen to her voice. Breathe. Breathe, already. And smile.

  She giggled to see him as nervous as her. They made small talk briefly, and it felt good. Then Aaron's smile disappeared when she asked about his parents.

  "Oh," he replied, looking away while running a hand through his messy dark brown hair. "They are not doing too good. I guess you already know that, don't you?"

  Tish was shocked. "No, I didn't. What's wrong?"

  Aaron took a deep breath and avoided eye contact. "Don't worry about it," he finally said. As he turned to walk away he said, "I should have known that was what this was about."

  Tish grabbed him by the arm to stop him. She had been hunting him all day. She couldn't let him get away that easy. What was going on with his parents that had him so upset? "No! That's not what this is about. I didn't know anything about your parents. I was just making conversation."

  Aaron studied her face to realize he was mistaken about her. "Oh. Sorry about that. It's just..."

  "It's okay. I'm sorry your parents aren't doing well. I didn't mean to bring up something that bothered you." Tish paused for an explanation, but he just nodded. "Maybe we can talk about that another time. I was just checking on you. And, I wanted to say hi. Maybe we can chat at lunch tomorrow?"

  Aaron thought about it. "Okay," he said. "I'll try to get a spot at your table. I gotta get to class now." He flashed her his sincere smile. It was the first time he had used it in quite a while. It almost made his face hurt. "I'll see you tomorrow."

  "Tomorrow," Tish replied, in a whisper, after he was already too far away to hear. Tish looked around half expecting everyone to be looking at her, maybe even laughing at how obviously interested she was in Aaron. But no one was looking at all. They were all just scurrying to class, like she should be doing.

  Tish kept thinking about Aaron the rest of the day and the trip home. Was he still the little boy that she liked so much? What had driven them apart two years ago? And why could she not remember it? And what was going on with his parents? And why did he think she already knew? It must have something to do with her parents. She had no idea the questions that would be racking her brain after speaking to Aaron so briefly. Would a longer talk with him answer these questions, or only ask more?

  Without cheer practice that day Tish found herself home alone. Her parents wouldn't be home for a couple hours. Susan would be coming over later, after she dropped her sister off from ballet class. But, in the meantime, the house was hers. Rekindling the friendship she once had with Aaron brought back the memories. The fondness that she had for him was overwhelming. She felt like her emotions were reeling out of control. Their brief chat had her remembering all the tricks she had used back then to get him thinking of her as a girlfriend, and not just a girl friend. She giggled at how silly she felt. Her affection for him had been so obvious, and yet somehow he had stayed oblivious.

  Tish spent some time trying on her more date worthy clothing options. She had never shopped for dating, but had received some suitable attire as gifts recently. There were only three possible dresses in her closet that could properly showcase her body style. Though not as slender and shapely as Susan, Tish had some girlish curves of her own. She tried them on one at a time, staring at herself in the mirror. It felt like her world was changing before her eyes. The dream played out in the mirror of her mind; getting picked up for her first date, walking into the gym for prom arm and arm with Aaron, walking down the aisle for her wedding. It felt so natural, like it was her destiny. She could finally understand why Susan was so eager to start dating.

  Then Tish saw their first kiss, a real kiss this time, and their wedding kiss. Her lips got warm all of the sudden, and it spread throughout her body. Then she imagined the kiss before he carried her into their home on their wedding night. He laid her gently down on their bed, treating her so lovingly. As she daydreamed she began to study her own body in the mirror.

  Tish was not sure whether her body would drop jaws, but she hoped that in sexy clothes she would draw a guy's interest. And not just any guy, it now had to be Aaron. She didn't know how to think like a boy, but she had seen plenty of movies where a girl did the seducing. Could she do that to Aaron, get him to stutter at the sight of her? Tish took a deep breath and began sliding her fingers across her soft skin. Her mother had lovingly taught her about lotion years ago, so her skin was silky smooth to her touch. Tish was thoroughly entranced as the doorbell rang.

  Since it all seemed like a dream, the doorbell must have been in her imagination, too, she reasoned. It was Aaron, her lover. He rang the door, but came in on his own. Why wouldn't he? He had a key, it was their home. He walked up behind her and placed his hands on her s
houlders, kissing her cheek. She closed her eyes, her breath was getting heavy as the doorbell rang again. Why was he ringing the bell? He already came in the house and was standing right there in the bedroom. How could he still be at the door?

  Impatiently, the bell chimed repeatedly then, demanding her attention. Her eyes snapped open to stare at herself in the mirror. "Oh my God!" she said, partially from the warm feeling deep inside and also from the realization that her best friend was at the door while she stood there. The fantasy had ran away and left her there embarrassed.

  Quickly she grabbed up the dress she had let drop to the floor and raced down the stairs. Susan had turned toward the driveway to see Tish's parents pull in as she opened the door. Susan had thought perhaps she misunderstood Tish and arrived too early. Tish must have been out with her parents. That would explain no answer at the door and the car pulling up the driveway. She waved and smiled at Tish's parents as the front door opened behind her. Susan spun around confused.

  "Hi," Tish said through the crack in the door. "Sorry, I didn't hear the bell at first. Come in." She stepped back as Susan walked through the door, pushing it open several more inches and allowing the light from outside to illuminate her. It felt like a spotlight, like she had been caught doing something wrong. Susan pushed the door closed behind her and stared at her best friend with a puzzled expression, her back against the door as if blocking any escape.

  "What were you doing?" she asked.

  "Oh, I was just trying on some dresses," Tish replied, sheepishly. She could see Susan staring at her body through the dress as her jaw dropped.

  "Are you naked under that dress?" Susan inched forward with one hand raising toward Tish's chest as if fascinated by what she had discovered.

  "Yeah," Tish answered, covering her chest with her arms. "I was about to get in the shower then decided to check out my dress options." Susan stopped inches from her face, retracting her extended hand, smiling.

  Before Susan could say anything Tish snapped, "Stop that!" and ran up the steps to her room. Susan chased after her laughing, as if she intended to tackle Tish. But Tish was fast and locked the closet door as Susan bumped into it. "Jeez, Susan! Let me change my clothes!"

  "What were you doing that you couldn't hear the bell?" Susan asked through the locked door. Tish didn't answer, but soon stepped out of the closet wearing a mismatched pink sweatshirt and gray sweat pants, with full underwear as well. She was hoping her body would be beyond scrutiny in this outfit.

  "I don't know," Tish answered, looking away. "I must have been in the closet."

  Susan was still all smiles. "Why were you trying on dresses?"

  Tish ignored the question. "What time is it? You're here kind of early?"

  "It's almost six o'clock," Susan replied, successfully distracted.

  "Oh," Tish answered. "I didn't realize it was that late."

  "It's kind of early for your parents to be home, isn't it?"

  "Yeah, I guess so. I wonder what is up with them." Tish was happy to get away from Susan's questioning her about the dress and keeping her waiting patiently at the door. "Let's go ask them." Tish said, heading for the bedroom door.

  "Who cares?" Susan said, stopping Tish by grabbing her arm. "I have stuff to tell you." Susan then went into every detail of the day's conversations with Hunter. It was building up for something. Tish could tell her best friend was making a case for dating and stood there shaking her head, smiling. "Stop it," Susan said playfully. "Let me finish." Susan continued to rattle on while pacing the floor and throwing her arms in every direction out of sheer excitement. When she finally finished she stood directly in front of Tish and took a deep breath before announcing, "I really, really really want to go out with Hunter. If I keep telling him 'not yet' he's going to lose interest and find another girl. I really, really, really don't want that to happen."

  "I understand," Tish replied. "But you could've said yes to Hunter at any time. You didn't have to wait for me."

  "No," Susan said simply. "No, we promised each other, so I made a promise to you that I would not date until you were ready to date. I might not be able to keep all my promises to everybody, but I'm going to keep this promise to my best friend. And the best way to help me do that is to tell me right now that you are ready." Susan stood there arms extended toward Tish, nibbling on her bottom lip.

  Tish was near laughter at the sight, especially since she had already planned to tell Susan she was ready. But she considered it best if Susan thought she had convinced her, the she was doing Susan a big favor by saying yes. So, she did.

  "Yes."

  Susan's eyes got big, her mouth opened, and her arms went wide. Then she stopped and said, "Yes what?"

  Tish did laugh then. "Yes, I'm ready."

  Tish found herself being lifted off the bed and danced around the room like a large heavy doll. She tried to keep with her best friend's enthusiasm, but had started a beat late and couldn't manage to catch up. Eventually Susan stopped the parade and hugged Tish like she hadn't seen her for years. When she broke the embrace she planted three quick kisses on her best friend's lips.

  Everything stopped. Tish was in shock. She hadn't been kissed on the lips in years, and never by another girl. She stood there trying to figure out what it meant. Obviously it was due to Susan's excitement. She didn't think that Susan was making a pass at her. But it was still shocking. Susan appeared as though she had even shocked herself. Then she looked painfully embarrassed.

  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said quickly.

  Tish shook herself out of it. "No, it's okay. We're just excited. Girls kiss when they are excited. Right?"

  Susan was relieved that Tish was letting her off the hook easy, and nodded vigorously. "Yes. Yes, that's exactly what they do. What we do, I mean. Or, at least, what we did. I wasn't trying to, you know."

  "I know."

  "Cool, awesome." Susan hugged her again, but released quickly. And kept her lips to herself. "So, Hunter called me on my way here and asked me to go to the movies with him tomorrow night. What do you think? Is that a good first date?"

  "Sure," Tish replied. "I guess it is. It seems like a lot of people go to the movies on a first date. But, to be honest, I think if Hunter asked you to go with him shoveling fish guts you would jump at the opportunity. Am I right?"

  "You are probably right, but I want our first date to be as good as it can be. Should I tell him I'll go?"

  "Sure," Tish answered. "I don't see why not. I'm very happy for you. But you have to call me every ten minutes to update me on what's going on. And don't kiss him until he drops you off. You know, like a goodbye kiss."

  "Okay. I can do that. But I don't think I should call you every ten minutes. Besides, I want you to come with me."

  Tish laughed out loud. "I can't come with you on your date. That would be kind of awkward, don't you think?"

  "Not if you had a date, too! I want you to double date with us. I already told Hunter that the only way I would go is if you were going too."

  "Well, why'd you do that? There is no way I can get a date this short notice. You said tomorrow night, right?"

  Susan took her best friend by the hand and sat with her on the edge of the bed. "Well, who do you like?"

  "It doesn't matter who I like. No one has asked me to go out tomorrow. And I wasn't ready for it all to happen this quick. Can you guys wait until next week? You can kind of bring it up in school and see if someone is interested in going out with me."

  "Are you kidding, girl?" Susan asked. "Everybody wants to go out with you. How do you not know that?"

  Tish pulled away in embarrassment. "Because it's not true. You're just saying that to be nice."

  "Well, I know at least fifty guys that would ask you out tonight, if they knew you would say yes. Everyone is under the impression that you would say no, to everyone. That's the only reason they don't ask. So, who do you like?"

  "That's not fair!" Tish exclaimed.

  "How is it not fair? I'
ve told you all along who I liked, who I wanted to date. What's not fair is you are not reciprocating. It would only be fair if you said who you like, too."

  Tish couldn't argue with that logic, but she still felt put on the spot, and too shy to say a name.

  "How about Will? You like him, right?" Susan waited.

  "Yeah, I guess," Tish answered slowly. She tried to picture Will as her first date. Then she thought about how it was a double date, and the guys needed to be comfortable with each other. She didn't know Hunter well, but was pretty sure he wouldn't consider Will a buddy. "I'm not sure how Hunter would feel about double dating with Will."

  "Well, you may be right there. But it's your choice and Hunter will have to live with it." Then Susan had a new idea. "Or, what about Aaron? I saw you talking to him today in school. And it looked like you were about to slobber all over yourself."

  Tish was shocked and appalled. "I was not slobbering!" she exclaimed, blushing at being caught flabbergasted by a guy. Susan was still waiting for her reply, so she finally said softly, "Yeah, I like Aaron."