Norah told me all about one of her best friends from school and all the plans they had for their summer break. She then taught me a game using our hands and proceeded to beat me over and over while her mother just watched on with a smile.
“I need to pee!” Norah exclaimed suddenly.
A woman walking past dressed in blue stopped, having heard her, and pointed to a door right across from us which must have been the lavatory. Kate nodded to Norah who ran over on her own and closed the door behind her.
“She’s really taken to you,” Kate said. “I’ve never seen her so comfortable with anyone. She’s always clingy, but it’s different with you.”
“She’s a darling,” I replied. “I wanted children, but I never met a man worth giving myself to in that way.”
“You’re a smarter woman than most,” Kate laughed. “I don’t think I have either, but that didn’t stop me from trying with several of them.”
“Perhaps none of them are worth it,” I replied with a laugh, just as a doctor and someone dressed in a very different uniform came around the corner.
It turned out that it was a police officer who needed to take my statement and would be involved in trying to find out who I was. Kate explained where she’d found me and I played as dumb as ever, selling my story as best I could. The doctor looked me over, but he was sure that I was in good health and mentioned that there were no signs of mistreatment or malnutrition.
Once all the formalities were out of the way, I finally asked the question that had been lingering at the edge of my mind all day. Where was I going to stay until they figured out who I was?
“Well,” the officer replied, “the hospital can keep you for a day or two and we can try and find a group home if your memory doesn’t come back before then.”
“What is a group home?” I asked, looking back to Kate.
The expression on her face was answer enough all on its own. I had the feeling that I wouldn’t want to go to a group home, and as I sat on this small bed, isolated only by a curtain, listening to the low, steady sounds of people moving and talking all around me, I knew I didn’t want to stay here either. I turned my face to Kate, and although I hadn’t intended it, and despite the loathing that I felt for my own vulnerability, for my desperation, and even for the burden that knew I would be placing on her, I could feel the pleading expression in my eyes.
“Can she stay with us?” Kate asked.
“No,” I started to say, but the officer cut me off.
“If you want her released into your care and are willing to be responsible for her, that is just fine.”
“I couldn’t,” I started to say, but I was cut of again, this time by Kate.
“Nonsense. What you can’t do is stay here and risk ending up in a group home with a bunch of strangers. You’ve been a pleasure to get to know and we have more than enough space and a spare bed. I insist. You are coming home with us.”
Norah had reappeared and heard the last part of what her mother was saying.
“Emily’s coming home with us?” she cried out.
“It looks that way,” I said with a big smile as I looked down at her.
It took another hour for Kate to provide all her information and get me signed out, but we were soon back in her car and on our way back to their home. For now – it was my home too. After only a single day, these two women were easily the closest example to a family that I’d known for longer than I could remember. For the first time since arriving here, I was happy.
Chapter 3
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Kate asked while bustling about gathering her coat and bag. “I hate to ask you for so much.”
“Don’t say another word about it,” I replied. “You’ve done more for me than I could ever hope to repay.”
Kate smiled, knowing full well that it was too late to back out now anyhow. The doorbell rang and her eyes shot open.
“He’s here!” she exclaimed as quietly as she could.
Norah came into the room, looking a little less than certain about her mother going out on a date.
“I’ll come and check on you when I get back. Be good for Aunt Emily,” Kate ordered before giving me one more smile and opening the door.
‘Aunt Emily.’ I wasn’t her aunt of course, but to be thought of in that way was enough to lift my heart every time I heard it. I’d thought of them as family right from the start, but to have Kate return the feeling and include me in such a special way was incredible. She’d always wanted a sister, and our many nights drinking wine and talking had both of us feeling like we were exactly that. Long lost sisters reunited at last. I loved Norah like my very own, and Kate insisted that having me around had been good for her as well. She was just the sweetest little girl, and I’d do anything for her.
To be honest, I wasn’t all that sure about the date either. I’d met Joe once before and he presented himself well, but in my experience, men were really only after one thing. Living with that belief was a lonely existence, but it was far less lonely since coming here and meeting Kate and Norah.
Joe greeted Kate with a smile, but I saw his eyes light up as they quickly flicked up and down her body. I had to make a conscious effort not to glower at him. I knew I was looking for any reason to dislike him, and I’d promised myself that for Kate’s sake I would give him a fair chance. I couldn’t blame him for appreciating Kate’s beauty. She was a stunning sight in her bright blue dress.
His smile faltered slightly as he glanced over Kate’s shoulder towards me and Norah. I had to suppress a laugh – I might have been trying to contain my displeasure, but Norah certainly was making no such effort. The stony expression on her little face was almost comical.
“Nice to see you again, Emily,” Joe said. “Thank you for letting me steal Kate away for the evening.”
“Just be good to her, or you’ll have me to answer to,” I replied with a laugh, but there was far more truth in those words than he could possibly know.
I’d kept my hunger mostly in check since arriving here. During the past months, while living with Kate and Norah, and needing a great deal of help to adjust to the world and learn to do things on my own, there had been little opportunity to hunt for deserving targets. Still, I’d found a few opportunities to at least satisfy some of my urges and keep the rage at bay.
One day, we were out grocery shopping and I watched as a husband berated his wife and leered at the cashier who was young enough to be his daughter. He was just another perfect example of the disaster that seemed to have become mankind. I recognized the look in his poor wife’s eyes. She was beaten down and defeated. As Kate and I finished our shopping, I told her I needed to use the restroom when she took the groceries out to the car and I followed the couple out across the parking lot – thankfully in a different direction than Kate had left her car.
The oaf of a man was at least twice my size, and a part of me worried that I’d be out of practice after so long, but I couldn’t resist. After so long without any satisfaction, I was dreaming about dragging men away and punishing them for all their depravity every night. I could hardly give this man everything he deserved in the broad daylight of this parking lot, but I could teach him a lesson.
Making my decision even easier – he started screaming at his wife for not opening the back of the car fast enough. Walking swiftly to catch up to him, I swung my right leg as hard as I could up between his legs. The man immediately crumpled to the ground like a discarded piece of trash, howling in pain. He rolled to his back, tears streaming down his cheeks as he clutched his privates with both hands.
I smiled wickedly down at my handiwork – a kick to the groin was sometimes a gamble, some men were merely enraged by it, but when given in surprise, it was nearly always effective – I stepped over him and quickly drove my boot into his throat, cutting off his air. His wheezing became even more labored and he looked up with a horror that delighted my soul. The big strong man was afraid of me, a woman, after treating his own wif
e like a second-class human being. I looked down into his face, and I knew him. He’d stood in my position many times, leering down at the small and the weak, hurting and degrading others to cover his own inadequacies.
“Listen to me you disgusting, pathetic, shell of a man,” I snarled. “I know you. I know who you really are. You may have your wife fooled, but not me. You are weak. A strong man doesn’t need to treat a woman that way. Only a sad, weak, little man who’s afraid of being found out. Well, guess what? I’ve found you out.”
Anger was welling within me; with each word I was applying more pressure to his throat. His face was a ruddy purple color and he made a gurgling sound, he was about to pass out. I eased the pressure from my boot slightly to make sure he stayed with me long enough to hear me out.
“Give me your wallet,” I ordered.
The pig hesitated, but it only took one more twist of my boot against his throat to send his arms fumbling to his pockets. He held his wallet out to me with a shaking hand. I opened it, flipping to the ID card I had learned nearly everyone carried with them.
“Kyle Gordon, Nottingham Ave,” I read, “You might think you can walk away from this, go back to abusing your wife… maybe right now you’re even thinking you’ll slap her around a little when you get home to make yourself feel better. But I promise you I’ll be checking on you, I will find out. I will kill you the next time we meet like this. Do you understand?”
I hurled his wallet on the ground just shy of his face, watching him flinch. I was surprised when I heard a small cry. It hadn’t come from him; it had come from his wife. In my haze, I had nearly forgotten she was still there. I looked up to find her frozen in place right where she had been standing when I had kicked her husband. When she saw me look up at her she uttered another cry of terror and threw her hands up to cover her face. It was a reflex for her to cower and shield herself. I wondered how many times she had been hit to have that reaction so deeply ingrained. I looked at her sadly, but without letting up on her husband beneath me.
“Don’t you ever let this pig treat you like that again! I shop here all the time and you can find me if he does. You deserve better, and I’ll gladly kill this pig for you if that’s what it takes to keep you safe.”
I sighed. There was little hope that the woman would ever take me up on my offer. This man had done too much for too long. I looked back down at him and felt my anger growing, burning white hot behind my eyelids. Once more, I bore down on him with my boot. I could crush him right now if I wanted to. I could feel my pulse pounding in my temples and see his eyes bulging. His mouth was opening and closing like a fish. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to talk or just trying to breathe. I squinted down at him and then I could hear his wheezy whisper.
“Please…”
He was begging. It was disgusting, but I relented. Not out of mercy; I wanted nothing more than to stab him, but it wasn’t the place. The warning would have to do. I removed my boot from his throat and as he rolled to his side, clutching himself, and gasping for air, I kicked him one more time as hard as I could. He yelped and curled into a ball on the ground. There was no fight left in him at the moment. That last blow had been enough. I walked away, feeling a sense of satisfaction that cooled my blood and calmed the urge that had been building within me since my last kill.
A few encounters like that had been all I’d managed, but they had been enough to keep my dark desires contained. It was reassuring, though, to know that if Joe didn’t treat Kate with the utmost respect, I was still more than capable of teaching him a lesson, or simply wiping him from her life entirely. After my last kill had been tracked back to me in my old life, I knew I’d have to be more careful here, especially after watching enough TV to learn that there were even more ways to catch criminals now. I’d been studying up on the added complications of DNA and modern investigative techniques. By now, I was fairly confident that I could pull off a murder if the need arose.
Kate turned back and flashed me a look of disapproval. I was being too protective for her liking, but could see appreciation in her face as well. She liked having someone to care about her, just like I did. The couple said their final goodnights and were out the door.
“I don’t like him,” Norah said with disdain.
“You just love your mother,” I replied. “He seems like a nice enough man. We shouldn’t be too hard on him without giving him a chance. Don’t worry though – if he ever hurt your mom, I’d make sure he never hurt anyone again.”
“What do you mean?” Norah asked, “What would you do?”
“I just smiled down at the girl and said, “I have a way of convincing people to improve their behavior. Now – what about dinner? I think you’ve got me hooked on pizza. Should we get some?”
Norah’s eyes lit up at the mention of her favorite food. I pulled out the phone that Kate had picked up for me and called the local pizza place for some delivery. I was still amazed at how quickly I had adjusted to technology. The past months hadn’t been easy. It turned out there were many things I couldn’t do in this world since there was no record of me, but Kate’s kindness had never faltered. She couldn’t get me a birth certificate or a social security number, so she seemed dedicated to getting me modern conveniences and teaching me how to use them. I was unaccustomed to relying on someone else for everything. Even when I’d had a castle full of servants waiting on me, they had depended on me for their livelihood, not the other way around. Kate fed, clothed, and housed me; she even paid me for taking care of Norah while she worked. I had protested at first, but she’d insisted that it was saving her money to be able to cut daycare from her expenses.
“I’m so glad we found you,” Norah said as we sat down to eat our pizza once it had arrived. “Mom is too. I could tell she was sad before you came. Please don’t go away if you remember who you are. I know I shouldn’t, but sometimes I wish that you’d never remember who you are so you can stay with us forever.”
It was hardly the first time the girl had expressed her love for me, but to see that she was worried that I might abandon them if I regained the memories she believed I’d lost pained me.
“Norah – I love you and your mom. We’re family now and nothing will ever change that. If I remember who I am, I won’t forget you, I’d just have more to talk about. You’re stuck with me now kid – so don’t worry.”
“Promise?” she asked, a tear glistening in her own eye.
“I promise,” I assured her. “No more tears. It’s a girl’s night in! I think we need some soda and ice cream once we’re done. We should put on a fun movie too.”
“Movie night!” she exclaimed gleefully, the tear still shining in her eye, but a smile now plastered across her face below it.
We finished eating and then settled in for the night to watch her favorite movie. I pretended to watch with her, but she’d picked a cartoon I must have seen a dozen times, and my mind was wandering. I thought back to the man I had kicked in the parking lot; the satisfaction I had taken from it was dwindling. It had been too long since I had truly fed my desire to kill and the hunger was getting harder and harder to control. I could feel it writhing within me. It was ever-present, whispering in the back of my mind, buzzing beneath my skin. My fingers drummed a restless beat against the seat of the couch.
I didn’t even notice that Norah had paused the movie to use the bathroom until she returned. This was hardly the ‘girl’s night’ I had promised her, but her innocent chatter told me she had not noticed my inattention. Just as the movie ended, we saw lights in the front windows and heard the sound of a car engine in the driveway. Kate was home.
Norah looked at me with wide eyes. She was clearly interested to see how the night had gone for her mother. I didn’t show the same anticipation, but I shared her curiosity. Kate deserved a good man, but it was hard to imagine her finding one in the world that I had seen these past six months. Men seemed less capable of appropriate behavior now than ever before. Women not only seemed to have accepted
it, but they went to great extremes to garner the kind of attention that so infuriated me. Kate wasn’t like that, but how could a woman hope to succeed in a culture like this one?
Kate entered the door with a stiff smile that confirmed for me that the evening had not gone well at all. She saw us in the living room and brightened her expression for Norah’s sake, but she couldn’t hide the truth from me.
“How was your night?” I asked.
“It was alright,” she replied, “but I’m glad to be home. It looks like you two might have had more fun!” She gave Norah’s blonde head a loving stroke.
“We had a girl’s night with pizza, and ice cream, and a movie!” Norah said gleefully, then she looked at her mother with serious eyes. “Did you like him?” she asked.
“Not really,” Kate said. Her tone was tense and I sensed that she was more than just disappointed by a bad date. Something had happened.
“I think it’s about bed time,” I said.
“Mom,” Norah complained, “do I have to?”
“Aunt Emily’s right,” she answered tiredly, “go get ready.”
Norah groaned, but did not argue as she shuffled up the stairs to get her pajamas.
Once she was gone, Kate flopped down on the couch and let her mask fall away.
“Why are men such assholes?” she asked.
“What happened?” I asked.
“The rich prick expected more than just a goodnight kiss after dinner. He tried taking me back to his place, and when I made it clear that I wasn’t interested he went full jackass on me. He never said it, but he clearly felt like I owed him something for taking me to a nice restaurant. When that was off the table, he just shut down and hardly said a word the whole way back.” Her lip trembled a little. “He seemed so nice.”
“Of course he did,” I replied, “he thought he might be able to get something out of you. That’s what they do. They seem strong, courageous, and good, but it’s all just a smokescreen to cover their lustful desires and expectations. We’re just meat to them.”
Evil Unbound- Death's Mistress Returns Page 5
