by T. Jones
His father sat at the head of the table, just finishing the with the morning newspaper. "They closed down 94 again. Damn protestors, they should take a couple semi-trucks and just run all their asses over. Honest people can't get to work because they're out there waving their God damn signs. Fuck 'em."
"Johnathan, please don't use that language at the breakfast table." Mrs. Marsh interjected.
"Yeah, whatever." The elder Marsh mumbled. "That's why I want you to run Ozzy, to stop stupid shit like that."
"Probably not going to stop that shit Dad. Too many flag burners in this state."
"Ozzy, don't get your father worked up. We don't need to talk politics at the breakfast table. Talk about that stuff at the office. All you do is get riled up and I can't eat in peace."
"So Ozzy," His father glanced at his wife. "This isn't about the protesters Gretchen, so don't get your skirt in a bunch. You need to go to that fundraiser with me next week. You have to start socializing with some of the party people. You can't run without the party endorsement, no matter how much money we throw at it. Election's less than two years away, you need to get out there and shake some hands, kiss some babies." Ozzy's father smirked and winked at his son. "And I'm not talking about the girls you drag home at night."
"Don't encourage him John. Ozzy, you need to settle down and at least try to look respectable. A lot of men in power have their dalliances, but they don't carry on like you do. That Natalie girl seems nice. She's too young, but she seems very bright."
"I'm sure as hell not going to settle down with her, Mom. She's been around the block, if you know what I mean."
"And what about you? You can't be any kind of politician and keep dragging these tramps home every night. Jesus, the hypocrisy of you two, it pisses me off."
"What did I do?" The elder Marsh tried to look surprised. "Now you made your mother mad." Ozzy looked down at his plate and started snickering. His mother glanced at him and started laughing too. Ozzy planned on plenty more dalliances, more the better. For now, Natalie would do.
*****
Natalie sat at her desk with her makeup mirror in front of her, touching up her eye shadow. Her roommate was still at class, but she wanted to get a jump on the evening. It was bound to be a crazy night, filled with drinking, drugs, and sex, usually in that order. That was fine with Natalie. She could do without the beer and smoke, but she loved cocaine when they could get it, and getting laid was like the drug, she craved it. Natalie Clark was fourteen, the first time she had sex. It wasn’t completely consensual. Her mother's drug dealing boyfriend had started up with her, just kissing, but things got out of hand. He was good looking and she was excited when he caught her in the laundry room in her pajamas. She went along with the kissing and groping, and when he forced her, she was too scared to make him stop, afraid the noise would wake up her mother. After the first few times he didn't need to coerce her, and the drugs were free. Drugs and sex, alone or together, got to be something she needed. When her mother tossed the man out, Natalie kept it going, until a younger, better looking supplier came along.
She met Oswald Marsh at a bar. She looked older than her sixteen years and the bouncer had seen her at a party before. He knew she wasn't close to what her ID said, but a wink and a smile went a long way when you looked like she did. She and Ozzy had hit it off immediately. Pleasing guys was something she'd gotten good at in her short life. As long as she was high, she was ready for anything. She loved that Oz made her feel sexy and cared for, even though there were times when he abandoned her for an evening when some skank caught his eye. It was easy for her to hook up with someone else when Ozzy disappeared for an evening. She tried to ignore the fact that it hurt. Usually a line of Coke took care of the pain.
When the meth got the better of her mother, she went to live with her grandmother in Saint Cloud and finished high school there. Her grandmother had managed to contain her partying enough so that she finished with decent grades. Trig was her downfall, but the teacher was a young single nerd that she had wrapped around her finger. A flirty smile and a hand on his leg, and her grades were good enough to get her into the U. She missed the Cities and going to college was her ticket back. Her grandmother helped with tuition, hoping that her granddaughter could avoid the mistakes her mother seemed to continue to make. Ozzy liked the idea of having her in town full time, and that was promising.
She remembered Callie Fisher from the keg party with her cousin. It was one of the few parties she went to that summer without getting wasted. She figured the girl was a lesbian from the way she stared at her, eyes roaming to her long, bare legs. She hadn't tried sex with a girl at that point, but having the gorgeous little blonde follow her every move all night had been exciting and good for the ego. By the time they met again, and discovered they were roommates, Natalie had enjoyed the company of quite a few women. Adding Callie to that list seemed like an interesting idea. Gay girls had an enthusiasm that the bimbo's Ozzy included in their threesomes lacked. But she had no intention of letting Ozzy mess with Callie. Nat was sure she wouldn't go for it anyway, unless he got her good and stoned. Oz did have a way of getting what he wanted. She shut the light off on her mirror and grabbed her bag. Billy's house was just eight blocks, she'd walk over and get an early start.
*****
Travis parked his pickup about a block from the party. They'd been given the address by Callie's roommate, along with a password to get them in. Callie thought that was ridiculous, but Natalie insisted they needed it. Oz and one of his buddies were throwing the party, and were only letting certain people in. Callie wasn't really in the mood to listen to a lot of shitty music or have to fight off amorous drunks trying to grope her. She would have preferred to be parked on Jenny's couch. But she had to admit, she was curious about Ozzy. Natalie had painted quite a picture.
They walked to the big, two story house. Every window was illuminated, and music poured from the open door. The front yard was fenced and there were a number of people standing around outside, beers in hand. A large black man, considerably older than they were, stood at the gate and let them walk in without asking them the code word. Travis got them each a beer, and got a dark look from Callie. "What? I'm going to have one beer, I promise. And a beer will do you good. You look pissed. Relax and enjoy."
She sipped the beer and had to admit that it tasted pretty good. It was a warm night and the beer was cold. Before she knew it, she had finished it and went to grab another. She brought Travis one but he refused, pointing out the fact that someone had to drive. She stood with a beer in each hand for a short while, then tipped one of the glasses up and emptied it with a few swallows. Travis looked at her cautiously. "Don't you think you better go a little easy? It's not like you drink very often, and if I was going by body weight, I'd say you've already had enough to be shitfaced."
"That's why I have you Chester, to keep tabs on my level of intoxication. Let's see if we can find Natalie. You should steal her away from her boyfriend. He's a lot older, and I think he's kind of a rich prick. I haven't met him, but it sounds like Nat gets her drugs from him."
"Great, you want me to steal a girl from a drug dealer."
"Don't be a pussy, he's not a real drug dealer, he's a junior lawyer in Daddy's law firm. I don't think you could steal her anyway, I think she really likes the guy. But wait till you see her, you'll wish you could." They found Natalie in the living room, on the main floor. Living room didn't seem accurate. The whole room was filled with a collection of couches with a couple of cheap coffee tables scattered in front of them. Most of the couches were filled with partiers, glasses and pitchers stacked in front of them on the tables. A few of the revelers were passing joints around in small circles. Natalie was well on her way to being wasted.
"Callie, Roomie! God I'm glad you made it. Hey, Oz, this is her! Callie Fisher." Ozzy was exactly as Callie had pictured him. Slick looking and possibly just a little too pretty. He smiled at her and took her hand, holding it a little too long, t
hen shook Travis's hand as well. Callie felt suddenly dizzy and shook herself, wondering if the beer was hitting her that suddenly. She realized suddenly that the voices had returned, at the exact moment that Oswald Marsh had touched her hand. She took a swallow of beer, feeling stubborn. Screw the Sisters, they could stay out of her head. The probing subsided and she smiled a little smugly.
"Wow, Natalie said you were beautiful, but that doesn't cover it." Callie's smile dropped away as she watched his eyes appraising her. "Natalie, you have to bring this one around more often. Callie, anything you want, smoke, a line, just let me know."
"I'm fine with beer. Chester? A little Coke?" Callie smirked at him.
"Do you have any Diet?" He asked innocently.
"Not bad, Chester, good one." Ozzy and Natalie thought that was the funniest thing they'd ever heard and were still laughing when they wandered away. He looked at Callie.
"God, you Rube! Not Coke like soda, Coke like Cocaine."
"Yeah, I got that now. I'm not real comfortable being at this kind of party."
"Just chill, if it gets too crazy we'll leave. But I could go for another beer."
By one in the morning Callie had had more than enough beer. Travis bumped into a classmate and kept himself entertained talking about engineering. Callie slumped down on the couch next to him and put her head on his shoulder, promptly falling asleep. He woke her gently, then led her down the street to his pickup. They drove slowly back to her dorm. The warm evening had cooled quickly, and a dense fog hid all but the closest of landmarks. Callie had sobered up after her nap. She dug her keys out and laughed when Travis offered to walk her to her dorm. "I'm fine Chester, the door's right there, I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Okay, tell Natalie I'm in love with her, okay?" She laughed and waved as she walked up to the door, fumbling with her keys. When she slid her key into the lock, Travis honked and drove slowly away. Still a little altered from the beer, she soon realized she had the wrong key in the lock. She pulled it from the latch and fumbled for a minute, then dropped the whole set. She bent down, picked up the set of keys and straightened.
She heard them, just a scuff on the sidewalk, and she felt the chill as they walked toward her. There were two of them, short, dark men, wearing baseball caps and sun glasses, despite the fact that it was dark out. The closer of the two held a knife. Callie was furious, mostly with herself for drinking too much and putting herself in the situation she now faced, and she was furious with her potential attackers. They moved forward, but even in the dim light of the entrance to the dorm, they could see the white shimmering orbs that had been her eyes moments before. They stopped, staring, and no one moved. Then they heard the noise, faraway at first, starting as just a soft click, then more of a sharp snap, as the sound of heels on a sidewalk grew louder.
The fog was so thick that she appeared as if out of thin air, an apparition bursting suddenly into sight. She wore a long gray coat and her jet-black hair hung off to one side, bouncing with each long stride. What she intended wasn't clear. Callie's would be attackers backed away, then turned and fled into the night. The woman stopped in front of the entry and looked up at Callie, who was on the top step. "Nice night for a walk, huh?"
"Danielle, am I glad to see you!" In an instant Callie was in her arms, launching herself from above into the tall woman's open arms. Danielle held her easily a foot off the ground as Callie continued clinging to her. She took Callie's keys and unlocked the entry door to the dorm and they made their way to Callie's room. Their lovemaking was rough and desperate at first, clawing and biting their way to mutual satisfaction. The hours that followed were softer. Callie marveled that the tall, muscular woman was capable of such gentleness. She lay peacefully, staring into Danielle's eyes, as the first glow of the morning began to creep into the room.
She felt them suddenly, slipping into her mind, invading this most private of moments. Danielle felt it too, and pushed away slightly, staring at Callie as the blue faded slowly from her eyes. Callie moaned a little. "Danielle, be still!" She said sharply. Danielle drew a quick breath, suddenly aware that she was unable to move. Only her eyes shifted, staring into Callie's. She gazed into the pale blue orbs, sensing some struggle behind them.
Callie had given herself to them, in a sense. Before she had blocked them from her mind, now she opened herself, suddenly, forcing herself on them. She felt the connection, a total emersion, unlike anything previous. Before they had sought her out, learning her feelings, her secrets. Now it was she who reached into their heads. In a heartbeat, she saw them all, their wants and dreams and memories, their purpose. And she saw that they weren't all sure that what they were doing was right. Callie realized what they were doing, how they were stepping in at times, stepping in to change destiny, to change lives. She understood and saw what they had seen. She saw a life saved here and there. A child plucked from the water by a stranger, when he should have drowned. An arm grabbed to stop a woman from stepping into traffic. A drunk in jail, when his destiny had been to stumble home to kill his wife.
And she felt the pain. The pain that came from allowing a death. From knowing that because a father was destined to die in a car crash, the child with him would perish also. The pain that allowing a murder might somehow save a dozen lives, yet knowing it was still a murder. And for some, the pain of uncertainty. The nagging doubt that the actions taken might not have the results expected. The realization that good intentions might cause unspeakable calamity. She saw in that moment, what the Sisters were. But she also knew that there were members beyond her reach, their minds closed to her. There were still more questions, and she tried to push harder. Then she felt their fear. They were desperately trying to pull away, and they were terrified of her, that she had turned the tables on them. Afraid of the secrets she had seen, of secrets still uncovered. The unmitigated fear softened her resolve and she pulled back, releasing them one by one. She slowly opened her eyes.
Danielle settled into the small bed, sliding over enough for Callie to rest against her. She pushed Callie's hair back, kissing her forehead lightly. "You were gone there for a bit, did you find what you expected?"
"No, not what I expected. You couldn't see it?"
"I am not like you Callie, I don't have your gifts. I have some sight, but nothing like yours. But I felt it, it was like you were using me to get to them."
"So, are you a part of it? Of the Sisters?"
"Yes, and no. I've met them all, which is probably why you were able to go through me. I'm kind of a free agent. They're not one thing, and they're not all alike. They don't always act together, and they don't always agree. It's complicated."
"I could tell that. They weren't very happy that I was getting in their heads."
"I've never heard of that happening before. Usually it takes a dozen members to form any kind of a connection, and that kind of intrusion shouldn't be possible."
"I understand better now. They've been calling me all these years, I think. They need me to help them somehow. But I don't see that happening. Sorry to throw a wrench in your plans, but messing with people's destiny isn't a good idea. I'm still not convinced there is such a thing."
"I'm not here because of them. I'm here because I like you."
"Yeah, I really like you too, obviously. But how do we know you and I aren't just part of some scheme cooked up by the Elders."
"How do you know about the Elders?"
"I didn't know, until just now, not even what they're called. They're the ones I couldn't reach, aren't they?" Callie looked at Danielle thoughtfully. "I'm sorry Dani, but I want no part of this shit. I don't know much about fate. But if there is such a thing, I know it can run you over in a hurry, and ruin a lot of people's lives in the process. You go tell whoever it is that's in charge, that I'm out. Your Sisters think they can change things for the better, but fates a nasty, mean bitch. This gift, as you called it, let me see things no normal person should have seen, and because of that, I twisted fate a little bit. Mos
tly it was because I'm a selfish asshole, but I thought I knew better, what was right. I thought I could even the score for some poor dead girl in a faraway war, and instead I rained a shit storm down on the people I love most. So, to hell with the Sisters, count me out."
"I'm sorry. Everyone has to decide for themselves. I really think they do more good than harm. That's why they act together, to try to make the right choices."
"Yeah? Or spread out the guilt. I'm out Dani. And I'm keeping them out, I know how now. I hope we can still be friends." The older woman laughed softly.
"Is that what this is?"
"You were very friendly last night, as I recall. Did I thank you for showing up when you did? I don't scare easy, but those guys were bad actors."
"Punks, you could have handled them if you hadn't been drinking."
"If you say so. I'm not going to let my guard down like that again."
"So, I have to leave for a while, a week, maybe more I think. I'll look you up as soon as I get back."
"Business? Sister business?" Danielle smiled and nodded slightly.
"Nothing I can talk about, but stay safe okay? And think about what they're offering Callie. I know, you have your reasons, but sometimes the options are bad and worse. I see that a lot, working with them. I'll miss you."
"You're very dark and mysterious. It's pretty sexy."
"Yeah? Well, I don't have to leave for another couple of hours."
Chapter 16
The voices in Callie's head disappeared again. An uneasy truce it seemed. Callie made no attempt to invade their space. She was fairly sure that she needed Danielle's help in doing so anyway, and the woman had gone out of state on some secret trip. Out of curiosity, Callie called Travis. The woman he knew as Alexandra, was also missing from the classes they shared. Between the near mugging and the sex, Callie had forgotten to ask about the confusing deception. More Sister business, no doubt. Callie planned to keep them out permanently. It remained to be seen if that was possible.
