The Shadow Box: Paranormal Suspense and Dark Fantasy Thriller Novels

by Travis Luedke

  I’d opened a floodgate and drowned in a sea of overwhelming sensations. Anita blossomed into a ravenously hungry woman, driving me mad. She was a writhing, passionate creature beneath me. Her hands were everywhere – up my shirt, all over my chest, pulling on my ass, reaching into the waist of my pants, inside my boxer shorts.

  I had never imagined in my wettest dreams what lay beneath Anita’s tough tomboy sarcasm. She had become an insatiable wildcat, and I was about to lose my virginity right there.

  “Damn! You two need a room, and a condom!” Someone yelled in passing, laughing at us with their friends.

  The spell broke.

  I awoke from the kissing hysteria, breathing hard and ragged, the fly of my pants was undone and my shirt halfway off. Anita, also breathless, smiled at me half-lidded, a drugged expression. Her dark eyes had gone almost solid black with arousal. Her huge breasts heaved while she caught her breath.

  She had damn near stripped me naked in the high school parking lot.

  I stepped away and out the open passenger door to fasten my pants. Not so easy to button up blue jeans with a raging hard-on.

  Talk about intense. My hands shook. I was in a daze as I went around to the driver’s side and got in. “Wow … that was … wow.”

  Anita nodded, a huge smile on her face. She had that funny look. The same look she had just before we kissed.

  I finally figured out what it meant. Adoration. She was looking at me with complete adoration.

  “You wanted to talk to me?” She sat prim and proper, trying to still her shaking hands in her lap. The only evidence of our explosive encounter was her swollen lips. Looked like someone smacked her face where her lips had been crushed.

  I tried to organize my chaotic thoughts and feelings towards Anita. She waited patiently for me. After some awkward silence I finally acquired the nerve.

  “I guess I owe you a huge apology.” Though the scorching hot makeout implied forgiveness, she kept her mouth shut to let me grovel. I owed her some groveling. “I know it probably sounds stupid, and it is, but to tell you the truth I never saw this coming. You’ve always been more like a guy friend to me.”

  Anita frowned, so I groveled harder. “The things that we talk about, the things we do together, it’s all guy stuff. We never watch chick flics, we never go to the girly areas of department stores, we never do anything that girls do. You know what I’m saying?”

  She nodded tentatively. “Yeah.”

  “I was starting to think you were into girls, and that’s cool cause I am too. I mean Justin and I were always talking about some girl’s ass or her short skirt, and you just … agreed.”

  “Appreciating that a girl has a nice ass doesn’t mean I wanna get up on her.”

  “I know.” I held up my hands in surrender. “I’m trying to explain my reasons for not seeing this … thing … between us earlier.” That seemed to calm her down a bit. My groveling skills were put to the test. “Really, I was thinking someday I might catch you in the middle of some lesbian action, a little girl on girl.”

  Anita’s frown became a scowl. “Is that what you want? Are you saying you’re not into me because you think I’m a les?”

  “No … no not at all. I’m just saying … but it’s all different now. What I mean is I don’t want you to change. I don’t want to lose my best friend who I can talk to about anything, even some girl’s ass or a short skirt that walks by.”

  “So … do you want to hear me telling you about some guy’s ass or his package?”

  “No!” My vehement answer surprised us both.

  “Exactly. Nothing’s changed. I’m still your best friend. As long as you quit being such an idiot. I’m still me. But you can respect me enough not to talk about some girl’s ass.”

  “Okay, asses are off-limits. What about tits?” I had it coming for that one, and she socked me good right in the arm. The girl could hit. “Okay! I get it. What about Rachelle? Me and Justin were always checking her out …”

  I leaned far to my side of the car, as far out of her reach as possible. There must be something wrong with me. Sometimes I can’t get a grip on my mouth. But I was smiling, and she smiled too. Anita was back.

  I still had my best friend.

  “Definitely not Rachelle! Asshole. She’s way off limits. I hate her. I don’t know what you see in her. She treats you like dogshit on her shoe. I can’t believe you even look at her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the one who bombed your locker.

  And don’t talk to me about Justin. He’s such a dork! He’s always slobbering over some girl way out of his league, it’s hilarious. Remember how hard we laughed when that one girl smacked him?”

  I did remember, and it was all too funny. “Oh yeah, he told her, ‘If you were a booger I’d pick you first.’ She left a mark on the side of his face for two days!”

  It felt so good to laugh with her. I needed this. I needed her to be Anita, my best friend.

  Anita chuckled. “God, that was hilarious. I don’t think Justin ever understood we were laughing at him, not with him.”

  She looked at me, smiling, and that spark was there again. The spark that had damn near set me on fire. Her hand slid over my thigh towards my crotch.

  I squeaked as her fingers found what they were looking for. “Right … ah … so … I guess it’s official, we’re going to homecoming together.”

  I grabbed her hand, and held it. But it was different from the other times I had held her hand. Now that simple gesture had so much meaning behind it. Maybe that meaning had always been there, but I had refused to see it.

  I squeezed her hand. “Um ... this is all new to me. I have to start looking at you differently. I need to adjust. Can we take it easy for a few days so I can get my head around this?” God she had me rock hard again. So hard it hurt. I was gonna have to buy some new jeans, something with more room in the crotch.

  She leaned in, wrapped me in a hug, and tickled my ear with her lips when she whispered, “Sure, but after the settling period I get to have my way with you.”

  And somehow, I got even harder. I didn’t know I could get that hard.

  Struggling to adjust my crotch, I explained once more. “And I want you to know I am sorry I didn’t get it. You’ll have to be patient with me. I’m a little slow sometimes.”

  “At the rate we’re going I think you’re gonna get it soon enough.” She reached down and squeezed me, and I began thinking about getting it right now.

  But that was just a little too much for the moment. “Yeah, let’s get outa here.”

  We cruised through downtown, Broadway and Pioneer Way, till it was late enough that Anita had to go home or risk getting in trouble with her father. I wished I had a Dad who cared half as much as Anita’s father. In her driveway we kissed again. It was short and sweet, a pleasant reminder of what hid beneath the surface.

  Anita may have looked like a girl, but she didn’t kiss like one. She kissed like a woman ready to eat me alive. And I wanted to be eaten.

  She pressed for more. “I can let you in my window a little later. My parents will be asleep by ten, you can sneak in.” She had her hands fisted in my shirt, not exactly ready to let go.

  “I’d like to, really I would. You have no idea how much I want to … but.”

  “There’s always a butt.” She grabbed my ass.

  “Yeah ... give it some time Anita. We’ve had a great day today.”

  She whispered, “okay,” in my ear, flicking her tongue to tease. Where do girls learn this shit? After another kiss I said goodbye. As she walked towards her front door, I yelled, “So hey, we’re going to homecoming right?”

  “Of course.” She smiled over her shoulder.

  “I can afford my tux, but I won’t have much money left. Can your parents get you a dress?”

  “I already have one.” She winked.

  “Oh, okay. I guess I’ll catch you later … Hey, what color is it?”

  “Well duh? It’s black. You thin
k I’d be caught dead in some frilly pink dress?”

  I arrived home with a permagrin etched into my face and a head full of Anita. Dad was much more cheerful than usual. “Hey kid, how’s it goin’? You’re lookin’ awful happy.”

  “I’m now officially going to homecoming with Anita. We’re going together.”

  “Anita, hunh? She’s a nice girl. Make sure you take real good care of her. Her dad’s alright by me, but don’t get on the wrong side of him with his daughter.”

  “I know, Dad, we’ve been best friends for how long now? I know her father. He’s cool with me.”

  “You’re sure he’s okay with the two of you dating? Being friends is one thing, but going together is different.”

  “It’s fine, Dad.” I couldn’t recall the last time my father gave a shit about anything to do with me, much less my situation with Anita’s father.

  “That’s good news, kid. I got some good news of my own. Thought you might like to know I got that maintenance job at RSC.”

  Dark dread settled in my gut. My visions are never wrong, but I had conveniently forgotten this one. “Really? I thought they hired someone else?”

  “Well they did, but he’s out on sick leave. I guess there was an accident with a backhoe. You gotta be real careful with them hydraulics. They have all that stored energy, real dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doin.”

  Shit! It already happened! Instant guilt hit me. I had known about it and done nothing. I didn’t even go to RSC to see if I could figure out who the man was. “That’s a … cool. But be careful Dad. Keep an eye out for those killer hydraulics.”

  My Dad had a real job. That was a good thing right? And the guy probably wouldn’t have listened to me anyway, even if I knew who he was. But that dread stuck in my belly. I had allowed a man to be hurt badly, when I had possessed the foreknowledge to prevent it.

  Later that evening, lying in bed with my guilt, Nadia slipped in my window. This had become her routine, and was the real reason I declined Anita’s invitation to sneak in her window. I looked forward to Nadia’s visits. She made my otherwise boring life colorful.

  She caught me as I drifted off to sleep. I woke to her cool hands sliding under my shirt.

  One of the weirder things I had noticed, Nadia always had to be touching me. Her hands, arms, and many times her entire body would be wrapped around me, sliding over my back and chest, wherever she could catch skin on skin contact. I had read somewhere that certain autistics have an abnormal need to touch, that tactile sensation. I found it relaxing. Free back rubs.

  I kinda assumed this was one of her quirks. And we were so close, it didn’t seem to matter. I figured she must have issues if she was a runaway.

  Basically I was her catnip. I could wake up any time of the night to find her nuzzling all over me. Though I never tried, I already knew she’d do whatever I wanted. This girl was no virgin, and she had zero modesty about being in my bed with very little clothes on.

  I had no intention of putting her to the test. I didn’t want to feel like I was taking advantage of her, even though she kept leaving me money.

  But I always wondered how this girl could come and go whenever, sleep in bed with a sixteen year old boy, and never once have an issue with parents or attend school.

  As I lay there, her cool hands sliding around me, I decided to just ask. “Nadia, are you awake?” I knew she was, but I had to start somewhere.

  She popped her head up from underneath the covers to look me in the eyes, “Yes.”

  “So ... what’s up with your parents? Are you a runaway or what? You don’t have to worry. I’m not gonna call the cops. I just want to know.”

  She hesitated a moment. “They’re dead. I live on my own. I have for a long time now.”

  I tried to imagine how difficult that was at her age, what she must be going through. “You’re welcome to stay here anytime, as long as we keep it on the downlow with my Dad.”

  “Thank you.” She smirked, one of those patronizing looks.

  The brat already knew I’d never turn her away. Just placating me. “And what about school? Why don’t you go to school?”

  She sat up a little higher, putting her nose to mine, staring me down. “What can they teach me that I don’t already know?”

  “Reading, writing, math, history, you know, all the important stuff.”

  “Oooh, all the important stuff. Whatever shall I do without the important stuff?” She mocked me. Then she snorted in my face, so close we were almost kissing. “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I do fine without school. I read as well as anyone, probably better than you, and the rest of it doesn’t mean anything to me.”

  I could see huge gaping holes in her logic, but instead of tearing her apart, I followed her down the same road. “So what is important?”

  “You are.”

  “That’s flattering.” It was actually, very flattering. “Only me? That sounds boring. I’ll admit I’m pretty fly for a white guy, and handsome too, but I can’t be all that interesting.”

  She giggled, rubbing her nose on my chest. Then those cat eyes of hers took hold in an unblinking stare. “I’ll tell you more, someday. For now let’s keep it simple. I like to be here with you, so I am. If you’re bored, we could do something a little more exciting.”

  She had that naughty twinkle in her eyes, and then she kissed me. Not a friendly peck, but a full-on lips and tongue kiss. I responded, kissing her back, measuring the experience against Anita.

  Her lips were small, and cool, thin. And her tongue flickered lightly. Though it was fun, and I liked feeling her lithe body on mine, it felt wrong. Like I was doing something very wicked. Felt a lot like cheating on Anita.

  Then Nadia took it up a notch. Her hand slid down my belly and into the front of my boxer shorts. It was quite a shock to feel her cool fingers there, an actual physical jolt, as if her touch was electrically charged.

  I reacted immediately, sitting bolt upright, pushing her off. She thumped onto the floor, but was right back up a second later, on top of me, her legs straddling my hips. She shoved me down on my back, a fiery look of challenge in her eyes. “Hey! What’s your problem?” She actually snarled. I thought she was gonna take a bite out of me.

  “That’s too much! We’re not … doing that. I don’t care if you’ve done it before, you’re too young. Shit, I’m probably too young. It’s like messing around with my sister.”

  “You know what? You’re not ready for this. We’ll have this talk later.” She licked her lips, her little tongue flickered suggestively. “But we can still have some fun.” She looked at my boxer shorts and started going down.

  “No! That’s not happening.” I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up into a hug, keeping her mouth away from where it didn’t belong.

  She wiggled her hips and giggled. “I can assure you I’m not too young.” That same naughty look came back over her features. “Are you into the sister thing? I can call you Big Brother. I’ll let you call me Sister. Its kinky, but it might be fun.”

  As she smiled at me playfully, I knew she was serious.

  “Ahh, no thanks.”

  “What? You don’t like me? Come on bro, I know what I’m doing. Trust your little sister.” She pinched me, tickling my ribs.

  “Just stop.” I was laughing out loud by then.

  “Come on bro, let your sister have a taste. Keep it in the family.”

  “You need counseling. Serious. Maybe some Ritalin? There’s gotta be a pill for your kinda sickness.”

  She snuggled in close, hugging me tight. “There’s no cure for what I have. All I need is you. Promise you’ll stick with me, and I promise to stay out of your pants.”

  “Deal. I’m here for you. And I’m flattered, really, but we shouldn’t. It just seems wrong. Like I’m taking advantage of you.”

  She sighed. “It’s okay, I understand. Now go back to sleep before I’m tempted to do it again.”

  * * * *

  Chap
ter 10

  Thursday, October 14th

  Something fundamental had changed, a subtle shift in the fabric of my world. Where once my generally shitty life had been a series of disappointments, now there existed a string of shiny possibilities. My father had a real job for the first time in over two years. This new thing with Anita put a smile on my face. Then there was Natasha, whose unusual entrances into my nights made life interesting, and then some. I began thinking of college, even if it was only Big Bend Community College. I had a sense of doors opening all around me. Paths that once seemed improbable or impossible were now available.

  I passed my school days with Anita as usual, plus the addition of sly glances, brushing of hands, and those sublime moments of stolen kisses. The evenings I didn’t work for Kittelson on the farm, I spent with Anita at the skatepark.

  I had today off, and I took full advantage of it on the half-pipe. My typical routine was to hit a 50-50 grind along the top edge of the ramp. As gravity and momentum caught up, I popped the board into the air with a twist and squatted into the drop to skate down the ramp. When I reached the other side, I do it all over again. I repeated the move with variations on the turnaround (grinds, noseslides, tailslides, boardslides), and often ended up on my ass. Anita stood on the sidelines watching and gossiping with Cleo and other skaters. Never failed, every time I caught her eyes she smiled.

  A smile like that can change everything. At least that’s how I felt.

  Around 7:00 p.m., a couple minutes after sunset, Tommy pulled up in his Jeep Wrangler, stereo blasting. All heads turned in unison to track the noise.

  Just the way he liked it.

  He hopped out the driver’s side, quickly popped open the passenger side, and physically hauled Rachelle out of the vehicle. Justin stepped down right behind her. I hadn’t seen Justin at the skate park in weeks, and Tommy didn’t skate, so it was strange to see them.

  Even stranger, they all headed straight for the half-pipe. Tommy drug a very resistant Rachelle, her heels skidding on the concrete and she balked.

  They had obviously reunited since their incident at the Safeway deli.