Blackness. Dark. Screaming. Nothing she can do. Sea green eyes. Terror. Blood. She can’t reach. He’s there. He’s gone. She wakes. It’s still there.
*********************
“There she is.”
Guy’s face lit up as James strolled into the bar. He reached out his arm for her and she stepped easily into his embrace, realizing for the first time that she fit perfectly under his arm. That thought helped shake off the visions from the night before. She gazed up into his sea green eyes, delighted to see the joy there at seeing her. Things seemed to be different between them after the other night, even though she knew nothing happened. But maybe – just maybe – things would be different. She’d wait to see.
James slid into the booth as Guy went off to get drinks. Serena and Maggie slid in on one side of her, chattering like magpies about something. James wasn’t really paying attention. She didn’t feel like being entertaining tonight but her friends had insisted that she come, otherwise they had threatened physical removal from her house. Guy brought back a variety of weirdly colored martinis for them and, of course, her usual.
“To James,” Guy said, raising his glass. “For venturing out into the deepest darkest crevices of the world – Gary’s Bar.”
They all laughed and toasted. Then the jukebox began to play some cheesy song from the ‘80s and suddenly the booth turned into jukebox karaoke.
James just sat back, watching her friends sing and laugh. Things had been so complicated for her lately, trying to figure out what the hell was going on with her newly discovered “powers,” for lack of a better word, the weirdness of her Wraithness and the dreams and visions. It was such a pleasure to just be for a moment, enjoying her friends’ laughter and the quiet peace that seemed to hover around the edges. She just sipped her Jamesons for the first time in a long time, savoring the smoky flavor and enjoying the way it burned slightly with the first sip.
Maggie jumped to her feet as her phone rang. She flipped it open and checked the text message contained therein.
“Cool,” was the only thing she said as she scurried out of the bar. The trio left behind exchanged looks then went about their frivolity.
Suddenly, just as quickly as the peace settled in around James, it was shattered. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and gooseflesh crawled up her arms. Something was terribly wrong and it was terribly near.
“Hey, everybody, this is Kelly,” Maggie announced, stepping aside to reveal her charge.
Kelly Matheny seemed harmless enough. Tall, lanky, trendy streaked, rock star cut hair. Just enough flaws to make her face almost perfect. Her just-short-enough skirt revealed athletic legs and very hip ankle boots. She smiled at them all, waving like a little girl would upon meeting her parents’ friends.
James found herself on her feet beside the table, all of her antennae on edge. Kelly reached a perfectly manicured hand out to James, which she took, and, for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. The two women locked eyes and hands, neither one acquiescing to the other. James’ blood ran cold and every nerve in her body hummed. She noticed a small tattoo of an ancient-looking rune on the inside of Kelly’s right wrist.
“Okay,” Maggie interrupted, unaware of the unspoken confrontation taking place in front of her, “you’ve met James. This is Serena.”
Kelly reluctantly released her grip and threw a wave at Serena across the table.
“And this is Guy.”
Kelly’s gaze locked into Guy like radar on a battleship. She leaned across the table, revealing just enough girly goodies to catch his eye, as she extended her hand.
“Pleasure,” Kelly purred.
James had a very brief flash of kicking Kelly’s head in with her red cowboy boots then pushed that aside. Although she wanted it back when she saw the look in Guy’s eyes. He was entranced. James’ heart sank into her boots.
Maggie gestured Kelly into the booth.
“C’mon, sit. Kelly’s new to my office so I thought I’d invite her to join us tonight.”
“Maggie was kind enough to include me so I hope you don’t mind.” Kelly smiled around the table, although for James, that smile never actually reached Kelly’s eyes.
“What’re you drinking?” Guy asked, leaping to his feet and ready to do her bidding. James felt nauseous.
“Surprise me.”
Guy smiled like he’d just been given permission to unlock Pandora’s box and scampered off to the bar. That’s just not attractive on him, James thought. He’s better than that.
But James could see that Kelly had that kind of impact. Most of the men in the area were straining to get a glimpse of her at the table, trying to see if they were worthy of her. Kelly drank in the attention, managing to catch each man’s eye without making the one she left feel like he was rejected.
James watched in sick fascination as this transpired in front of her. For a moment, she thought, I would give anything to have that impact on a man. Then that thought was quickly chased out by the fact that James knew that kind of impact was fleeting and when one is not 25 anymore, it’s a bit pathetic. But Kelly was right on the edge of 25 and could still pull it off, as was proven when Guy hurried back, a red concoction in his hand.
“Gary’s specialty.” He presented it to her like a precious artifact as he slid into the booth, which was miraculously empty right next to Kelly.
“What’s in it?”
“House secret. I’d tell you but then I’d have to kill you.”
Kelly laughed like he was Robin Williams on crack. James finished her Jamesons in one gulp.
What had started out as a pleasant evening of escape for James slowly turned into an evening of unbearable torture. Guy only had eyes for Kelly, pretty much ignoring everyone else. The other girls didn’t seem to notice, seeming to be as taken with Kelly as Guy was. That left James to brood – which was not ever a good idea. She added two Jamesons to the first one – drinks she had to procure herself, which was unusual – and that only made her mood darker.
Finally, Kelly skittered off to powder something, leaving the table suddenly quiet. The trio of her companions seemed to be waiting breathlessly for Kelly’s return. Disgusted, James finally stood up and grabbed her purse. This seemed to break the spell for Guy, at least.
“Where’re you going?”
“Home.”
“But it’s early yet.”
“Yes, but…”
“But what?”
James looked down into his expressive eyes, which were finally back to normal and not dilated with the wonder that is Kelly. She could fall into those eyes if she wasn’t careful. How could she tell him why she was leaving? It wasn’t his fault that he was drawn into the careful woven spell of this woman. If she left now, who knew what would transpire in her absence?
Convincing herself that she was staying to save Guy from some late night humiliation and not because she was viciously jealous, James managed a facsimile of a smile.
“But nothing. Guess I could stay a while longer.” She slid back in where Kelly had been, not entirely unintentionally.
Kelly returned to the booth and stopped when she saw James’ seat. James ignored her, instead focusing on Guy entirely.
“So, how’s the renovation going on your kitchen?”
The rest of the evening passed uneventfully as Kelly was held at bay by Maggie and Serena, who questioned her thoroughly about her life before she arrived in town – came from a small town, poor parents, wanted to make something better for herself. To James, her answers sounded pat and rehearsed but the others didn’t seem to notice.
Finally, Guy yawned and stretched, catching sight of his watch.
“Way past my bedtime,” he said. The others nodded and there was a flurry of purse finding and seat shuffling as they all moved out of the booth. Guy held out his hand to help James out of the booth and as his hand touched hers, James felt the electricity that had been there at the beginning of the evening. He casually dropped his arm around her shoulders as they all headed to the door.
“I’m glad you came out with us tonight,” he whispered to her.
“Me, too,” James snuggled an inch closer, enjoying the contact.
Suddenly, his arm was no longer around her shoulders and Kelly was standing on tiptoe, leaning into Guy, whispering something in his ear, one hand placed lightly on the arm that had been around James. She ran her other hand down his chest as she settled back on her heels, smiling a thin, self-congratulatory smile to herself – or so it seemed to James. Guy watched Kelly as she joined Maggie and Serena to say good night.
“What’d she say?” James asked Guy. Her voice brought him out of his trance slightly.
“What?”
“What did she say to you?”
Guy’s eyes lingered a moment longer on Kelly then he slowly dragged them over to James.
“Um, just… um, nothing really, just…” He avoided his friend’s gaze as he dug in his pocket for his keys. He raised his eyes just in time to catch Kelly walking out the door. She turned at the last minute and blew him a kiss. He smiled sheepishly but accepted it.
As the door were almost closed behind her, Kelly turned at the last second, shooting a focused, challenging look at James, as if to say, he’s mine. The doors closed before James could respond.
Maggie came up to James’ side.
“She’s pretty cool, huh?”
James found she couldn’t speak. If she opened her mouth, she was afraid of what was going to come out.
“See you guys later,” was all James could manage before striding through the doors herself.
In the parking lot, she looked around, almost hoping to catch Kelly getting into her car. But all she saw was a pair of taillights disappearing around a corner.
“James?” Guy came out behind her. “You want me to walk you to your car?”
James looked up at him, wanting to say so many things to him all of a sudden, as if it was her last chance to say them. She reached out and put her hand on his arm, triggering him to step closer to her. They stood for a moment, pretending to be just friends, when all the time in the world could not pry them apart. Then James just shook her head, kissed him gently on the cheek and walked to her car. She didn’t turn back to see him watching her go, didn’t see the confusion and the thought that died on his lips as she shut her door and drove away. She didn’t see him stand there a moment longer, lost in indecision.
Wraith of Love
