Wraith of Love
Chapter Six - Revealations - Cont'd
James tasted the blood on her lip and it only made her smile. She didn’t have time to wonder when that twisted part of her personality had emerged but there it was. The taste of blood that belonged to a man who had tasted enough blood on his own tasted sweeter than anything she had ever consumed. She almost didn’t notice that she was close to crossing a line that she had never even recognized. What stopped her was the hollow, echoing sound his breath had become.
James pulled herself off of the bloody pulp that had once been a wife-beater. She had caught him literally in the act of wife-beating. The shape he was in now would prevent him from that particular pastime for a long while. She felt no remorse as she stood back from her work and held her now red-stained hand out to the cowering recipient of the aforementioned wife-beating.
“He won’t hurt you again.”
The woman’s eyes were filled with fear and, for the first time, James realized that the fear was in regards to her. Startled, James immediately felt the adrenaline drain from her body. Physically, she felt herself shrink back to a human size.
“I won’t hurt you either. I want to help you.”
The woman hesitated, taking a tentative step towards the mess James had made. Her tear-filled eyes hovered over the man who had beaten the shit out of her on a regular basis for the past 16 years and James saw the love and the fear combined that had kept this woman prisoner for so long. James saw how hard it was for this woman to walk away from this man, no mater what pain he had inflicted on her. For a moment, Guy flashed through her mind but James pushed that thought away.
“C’mon. I know a place where you get some help.” It took all of James’ strength to pull the woman away and get her moving towards her new life.
***************************
James felt a little like Lady McBeth as she Lava soaped her hands in her bathroom, flooding her sink with red. I bet Superman never had this problem. Of course, Superman rarely beat guys to a pulp. One punch always seemed to do it for Superman, James through bitterly. Fucking man o’ steel.
Drying her hands, James flopped in front of her computer, clicking it to life. Instead of opening the internet browser as she had meant to do, James ended up opening the modern day equivalent of a photo album – a series of digital photos saved on her hard drive. Various folders of events in her life were all lined up – summer party, Gary’s Bar, Christmas, Las Vegas. She clicked through image after image, many of them showing the quartet of friends – Maggie, Serena, James and Guy. But just as many were just of James and Guy, looking like a couple, for all intents and purposes. Her leaning into him, his arm around her, goofy faces, silly moments, smiling and laughing. One after another, they all said one thing to James – not a frame of my life without him in it.
He had somehow sneaked up on her and she had fallen in love with him. But her life wasn’t ready for it. She had known for some time but now it was to the point where she couldn’t deny it. So quickly things had changed. But what could she do?
James heard her phone singing from the kitchen. Grabbing it after its last bleat, James opened it to find a text message from Maggie – The Pantry – 8 AM – got something for u.
James glanced at the clock. 7:30. She’d have to hustle but she’d make it.
****************************
“So give this all to me in English.” James shuffled through the piles of paper that Maggie had heaped upon her.
“Okay, it’s like this. A very archaic fable that was lost centuries ago except for a very few mountain shamans left in the hills of China. Two powerful shamans from the same tribe. Both female. One considered almost a goddess of the lovelorn. You could go to her for a potion to make someone fall in love with you or to help you find out if your lover was cheating or to keep the lover who wanted to stray. That kinda thing. The other was a woman who could help you with dealing with the one who strayed or cheated – and in the most painful way possible. Goddess of vengeance, in a sense. She could help you revenge your pain.”
“Then what happened?”
“Well, some stories say that the love shaman banished the vengeance shaman for crossing a line and changing the tribe from something peaceful to something dark and wicked. Some say they both fell in love with the same man and have fought over him for centuries. Some say that they fell in love with each other but ended up destroying each other with their passion.”
“Wow, forbidden love, shaman-style.”
“What does carry from story to story is that they have carried their hatred for one another through their various incarnations and have never been able to make peace. There is always something between them that they both want and that something always ends up destroyed, whether it’s a man, a tribe or a nation. Powerful shamans, powerful anger. Not a good combination.”
James frowned into her coffee. Not the kind of story she liked to hear, because she knew what was in the middle this time. “Bottom line, what ends it?”
Maggie shrugged. “No one knows because it’s never ended. Neither one will step out of the way of the other or give the other the victory. The battle wages on, apparently even today, even with you. We just have to identify who your vengeance girl is.”
James kept her mouth shut, as she already knew the answer to that.
****************************
Guy sat with his arm draped casually across the back of Kelly’s chair at Gary’s Bar, stopping James cold in her tracks. Here it comes, she thought, death, destruction, mayhem. But it was only karaoke night and the most frightening thing was the guy trying to sing Nine Inch Nails.
Guy started to get up as James approached but Kelly chose that moment to lean into him and whisper something in his ear. Being the polite man he was raised to be, Guy sat down and listened to Kelly as James joined them. He smiled up at James but his attention was definitely on the lithe girl seated next to him.
James flopped into the booth alone, as Maggie and Serena had not yet arrived. Kelly flashed a cold smile at her adversary but quickly turned her charms back to her target. James knew without a doubt that this skinny little bitch was something more than just some girl. Their histories were intertwined. Their histories put everything in jeopardy. She had to tread carefully, try to stay one step ahead. Or one of them was not going to survive this.
“Hey, you.” Guy kissed James sweetly on the cheek, provoking the strongest visions James had ever had, a culmination of everything she had ever seen in her visions of him – them curled up together, his hand stroking Maggie’s bare back, blood, violence, comfort, fear, anger, passion. It ended with him walking away from her, leaving her empty and destroyed.
James leapt to her feet, trying to ignore the look of delight on Kelly’s face. She knew in that instance that the visions she had could be fraudulent, manipulated by this creature who looked so innocuous to others. James knew she had to make a choice right then and there. Walk away from Guy to spare him all the pain that could be real, leave him to whatever Kelly was going to do to him, let him suffer the way most men suffer when they fall for a girl like Kelly. Otherwise, he was going to suffer in ways that only the few men who had gotten between these two powerful shamans had suffered.
“I gotta go.” James pulled away from Guy and strode to the door. She made it outside before the tears and Guy caught up with her. He grabbed her arm, stopping her.
“James? What’s going on?”
James turned and looked up into his eyes, the eyes that she loved so much, and she couldn’t help herself.
“I’m in love with you and it’s killing me and I have to go and leave you for a while so I can deal with… all of this.” She kissed him gently on the cheek and managed a step before he caught her again.
“But…”
“Unless you’re going to sweep me up in your arms and kiss me and tell me you’re in love with me like some cheesy romantic comedy, just let me go. Please.”
And he did.
Much to her chagrin.
*******************************
James found herself at the all night coffee shop where it all began. Her notebook and pen sat uselessly in front of her, an excuse to occupy the space. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Guy and how she was going to manage to live without him in her life. She felt like such a Harlequin romance gone wrong but, oh, well, that’s life… life after death, the phrase echoed in her head.
Her chai latte had gone cold a long time ago but she just didn’t have the energy to get a refill.
Just as she had that thought, a new steaming cup of chai appeared in front of her. Startled, James looked up and into the face of her first “save”, the unnamed coffee counterperson. The woman smiled down at James, her face looking radiant and peaceful.
“Just wanted to say thanks.”
James didn’t know what to say.
“I can’t thank you enough… what you did…”
James took the cup and inhaled its spicy steam, gathering her thoughts. “Glad you’re okay.”
“Oh, I’m better than okay. I’ve never been better in my life.”
The girl pulled up a chair and sat next to James. “I didn’t know things could be so different, so… I don’t know… just so much better. And I have you to thank for that.”
“You’re welcome…”
“Sara. My name is Sara. Maggie told me yours… James. Kind of a funny name but it suits you, somehow. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks.”
Sara stood up and put her hand on James’ shoulder and all the thoughts about Guy were pushed out as James saw Sara and the man who had beat the shit out of her in almost the same tableau, only this time without the scantily clad slut beside them. It was definitely not in the present but James couldn’t get a handle on how far in the future it was.
“You went back to him.”
Sara hesitated, the fear and pain creeping back into her eyes for a moment before she was able to push it away.
“Well, he’s in anger management and we’re both in counseling. He’s different now, so much different. He’s kind and gentle and hasn’t even raised his voice to me…”
James fought to keep her own anger in check. “Why would you…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
Sara struggled for an answer. “Well, you know, we have a history. We’ve been together for so long. And he’s getting help. Besides, the counselor thinks it’s great that we’re trying to work it out. She’s been such a great help. So supportive, so smart.”
In an instant, James knew the answer before she asked the question. “What’s her name?”
“Kelly.”
************************
James pulled herself off of the bloody pulp that had once been a wife-beater. She had caught him literally in the act of wife-beating. The shape he was in now would prevent him from that particular pastime for a long while. She felt no remorse as she stood back from her work and held her now red-stained hand out to the cowering recipient of the aforementioned wife-beating.
“He won’t hurt you again.”
The woman’s eyes were filled with fear and, for the first time, James realized that the fear was in regards to her. Startled, James immediately felt the adrenaline drain from her body. Physically, she felt herself shrink back to a human size.
“I won’t hurt you either. I want to help you.”
The woman hesitated, taking a tentative step towards the mess James had made. Her tear-filled eyes hovered over the man who had beaten the shit out of her on a regular basis for the past 16 years and James saw the love and the fear combined that had kept this woman prisoner for so long. James saw how hard it was for this woman to walk away from this man, no mater what pain he had inflicted on her. For a moment, Guy flashed through her mind but James pushed that thought away.
“C’mon. I know a place where you get some help.” It took all of James’ strength to pull the woman away and get her moving towards her new life.
***************************
James felt a little like Lady McBeth as she Lava soaped her hands in her bathroom, flooding her sink with red. I bet Superman never had this problem. Of course, Superman rarely beat guys to a pulp. One punch always seemed to do it for Superman, James through bitterly. Fucking man o’ steel.
Drying her hands, James flopped in front of her computer, clicking it to life. Instead of opening the internet browser as she had meant to do, James ended up opening the modern day equivalent of a photo album – a series of digital photos saved on her hard drive. Various folders of events in her life were all lined up – summer party, Gary’s Bar, Christmas, Las Vegas. She clicked through image after image, many of them showing the quartet of friends – Maggie, Serena, James and Guy. But just as many were just of James and Guy, looking like a couple, for all intents and purposes. Her leaning into him, his arm around her, goofy faces, silly moments, smiling and laughing. One after another, they all said one thing to James – not a frame of my life without him in it.
He had somehow sneaked up on her and she had fallen in love with him. But her life wasn’t ready for it. She had known for some time but now it was to the point where she couldn’t deny it. So quickly things had changed. But what could she do?
James heard her phone singing from the kitchen. Grabbing it after its last bleat, James opened it to find a text message from Maggie – The Pantry – 8 AM – got something for u.
James glanced at the clock. 7:30. She’d have to hustle but she’d make it.
****************************
“So give this all to me in English.” James shuffled through the piles of paper that Maggie had heaped upon her.
“Okay, it’s like this. A very archaic fable that was lost centuries ago except for a very few mountain shamans left in the hills of China. Two powerful shamans from the same tribe. Both female. One considered almost a goddess of the lovelorn. You could go to her for a potion to make someone fall in love with you or to help you find out if your lover was cheating or to keep the lover who wanted to stray. That kinda thing. The other was a woman who could help you with dealing with the one who strayed or cheated – and in the most painful way possible. Goddess of vengeance, in a sense. She could help you revenge your pain.”
“Then what happened?”
“Well, some stories say that the love shaman banished the vengeance shaman for crossing a line and changing the tribe from something peaceful to something dark and wicked. Some say they both fell in love with the same man and have fought over him for centuries. Some say that they fell in love with each other but ended up destroying each other with their passion.”
“Wow, forbidden love, shaman-style.”
“What does carry from story to story is that they have carried their hatred for one another through their various incarnations and have never been able to make peace. There is always something between them that they both want and that something always ends up destroyed, whether it’s a man, a tribe or a nation. Powerful shamans, powerful anger. Not a good combination.”
James frowned into her coffee. Not the kind of story she liked to hear, because she knew what was in the middle this time. “Bottom line, what ends it?”
Maggie shrugged. “No one knows because it’s never ended. Neither one will step out of the way of the other or give the other the victory. The battle wages on, apparently even today, even with you. We just have to identify who your vengeance girl is.”
James kept her mouth shut, as she already knew the answer to that.
****************************
Guy sat with his arm draped casually across the back of Kelly’s chair at Gary’s Bar, stopping James cold in her tracks. Here it comes, she thought, death, destruction, mayhem. But it was only karaoke night and the most frightening thing was the guy trying to sing Nine Inch Nails.
Guy started to get up as James approached but Kelly chose that moment to lean into him and whisper something in his ear. Being the polite man he was raised to be, Guy sat down and listened to Kelly as James joined them. He smiled up at James but his attention was definitely on the lithe girl seated next to him.
James flopped into the booth alone, as Maggie and Serena had not yet arrived. Kelly flashed a cold smile at her adversary but quickly turned her charms back to her target. James knew without a doubt that this skinny little bitch was something more than just some girl. Their histories were intertwined. Their histories put everything in jeopardy. She had to tread carefully, try to stay one step ahead. Or one of them was not going to survive this.
“Hey, you.” Guy kissed James sweetly on the cheek, provoking the strongest visions James had ever had, a culmination of everything she had ever seen in her visions of him – them curled up together, his hand stroking Maggie’s bare back, blood, violence, comfort, fear, anger, passion. It ended with him walking away from her, leaving her empty and destroyed.
James leapt to her feet, trying to ignore the look of delight on Kelly’s face. She knew in that instance that the visions she had could be fraudulent, manipulated by this creature who looked so innocuous to others. James knew she had to make a choice right then and there. Walk away from Guy to spare him all the pain that could be real, leave him to whatever Kelly was going to do to him, let him suffer the way most men suffer when they fall for a girl like Kelly. Otherwise, he was going to suffer in ways that only the few men who had gotten between these two powerful shamans had suffered.
“I gotta go.” James pulled away from Guy and strode to the door. She made it outside before the tears and Guy caught up with her. He grabbed her arm, stopping her.
“James? What’s going on?”
James turned and looked up into his eyes, the eyes that she loved so much, and she couldn’t help herself.
“I’m in love with you and it’s killing me and I have to go and leave you for a while so I can deal with… all of this.” She kissed him gently on the cheek and managed a step before he caught her again.
“But…”
“Unless you’re going to sweep me up in your arms and kiss me and tell me you’re in love with me like some cheesy romantic comedy, just let me go. Please.”
And he did.
Much to her chagrin.
*******************************
James found herself at the all night coffee shop where it all began. Her notebook and pen sat uselessly in front of her, an excuse to occupy the space. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Guy and how she was going to manage to live without him in her life. She felt like such a Harlequin romance gone wrong but, oh, well, that’s life… life after death, the phrase echoed in her head.
Her chai latte had gone cold a long time ago but she just didn’t have the energy to get a refill.
Just as she had that thought, a new steaming cup of chai appeared in front of her. Startled, James looked up and into the face of her first “save”, the unnamed coffee counterperson. The woman smiled down at James, her face looking radiant and peaceful.
“Just wanted to say thanks.”
James didn’t know what to say.
“I can’t thank you enough… what you did…”
James took the cup and inhaled its spicy steam, gathering her thoughts. “Glad you’re okay.”
“Oh, I’m better than okay. I’ve never been better in my life.”
The girl pulled up a chair and sat next to James. “I didn’t know things could be so different, so… I don’t know… just so much better. And I have you to thank for that.”
“You’re welcome…”
“Sara. My name is Sara. Maggie told me yours… James. Kind of a funny name but it suits you, somehow. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks.”
Sara stood up and put her hand on James’ shoulder and all the thoughts about Guy were pushed out as James saw Sara and the man who had beat the shit out of her in almost the same tableau, only this time without the scantily clad slut beside them. It was definitely not in the present but James couldn’t get a handle on how far in the future it was.
“You went back to him.”
Sara hesitated, the fear and pain creeping back into her eyes for a moment before she was able to push it away.
“Well, he’s in anger management and we’re both in counseling. He’s different now, so much different. He’s kind and gentle and hasn’t even raised his voice to me…”
James fought to keep her own anger in check. “Why would you…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
Sara struggled for an answer. “Well, you know, we have a history. We’ve been together for so long. And he’s getting help. Besides, the counselor thinks it’s great that we’re trying to work it out. She’s been such a great help. So supportive, so smart.”
In an instant, James knew the answer before she asked the question. “What’s her name?”
“Kelly.”
************************
posted by Midlife Virgin at 5:14 PM
4 Comments:
Sublime! And I love the way you tie it together. Great Chapter!!!!
Ooh! I love how it's all coming together now, and we can see how the two adversaries now work together - but not. Excellent.
-Patty
OMG That's it? You stop there? I'm, um, on the end of my seat (or as close as I can be since I'm sitting in bed, legs stretched out, back propped up by pillows). What next? I seriously hope this gets made into a movie. What happened next? Not just in your story, but in your life? Hmmm....
Thanks! I am actually working on a graphic novel of this and, yes, hope to turn it into a film. Thanks for reading!
Post a Comment
<< Home