I withdraw my mouth from his and use my half-numb tongue to speak. “I’m sure your carpet is perfectly clean, but maybe we should move into the bedroom?”
He takes my right hand and holds it firmly as he leads me into the bedroom. Then he takes my shirt off and unfastens my bra, which I allow to fall to the floor. Finally, his palms press against my nipples, warming them, which makes them soften up a little, though I’m no less excited. [I want to rip off his shirt and dig my nails deep into his back so hard I draw blood. Then I’ll turn him around and lick the blood off of him.] OK, maybe that’s a little extreme, but the idea of tasting his blood appeals to me. And I want him to taste mine. I don’t know if that would transfer any of our magick, but if we’re not doing a spell in a circle to bind us then I think it’d be OK.
As we fall onto the bed, now fully undressed, I touch myself and make him watch. “You can watch but you can’t touch.” I want to drive him insane.
“Please.” He puts his hand on my thigh.
“No,” I say, slapping his hand off me. “And just for that you’re not allowed to touch yourself while you watch.”
He smirks. “I wouldn’t want to. I want you to please me, not to pleasure myself.”
“Good... very good.”
I’d tell you what happens next but my Book of Shadows isn’t erotica and maybe someday when I’m old I’ll want to publish them and I wouldn’t want them branded that. These books are supposed to be about witchcraft. And my life, I suppose. In any case, all I’ll say is that we do it twice and not in the same position. After the second time, we fall onto the bed, side-by-side, both of us covered in sweat. And I gave him a mean hickey on the chest. I wrapped my mouth around his left nipple, which I sucked so hard it’s like it started producing milk. Except that it tasted salty and metallic, almost like copper pennies covered in sea salt. [My only regret about this afternoon is that I didn’t bite into his skin when I was giving him the hickey.] I did tease his nipple with my teeth, making wrinkles form on his forehead when he thought I might actually bite it. [Perhaps next time I’ll be more daring.] He’s pretty gentle with me, but I have a feeling he’d enjoy a little bite. [Or maybe even a big one.]
We hold hands and lie in silence for a beat, neither of us bothering to grab a sheet to cover our naked bodies with. We release each other’s hands at the exact same time then I sit up so I can get a better view of his room. It’s definitely not like your average teenage guy’s room. There are no playboy centerfolds on the walls. No monster truck posters either. Two of the walls are bare, save for the tacky wood paneling, and a third just has a clock and a photo of Tim – not Jim – and his late sister Amy. The final wall is where it’s at. Or where they’re at. A half dozen Bowie album covers in record frames hang on the wall in almost random spots, rather than in rows. I guess you could say they kind of zig zag. That’s the best way I could describe it. Beyond that, he has a large table set up as a desk with a PC on it and a beat up-looking desk chair. There’s also a bureau, which has lots of stuff on top of it. The first and obvious thing I notice is that he has a Wiccan altar all set up. Looks like he was doing a spell recently because there are several candles on it that have burned all the way down. There’s a statue of a God near the altar, but I don’t think it’s the male representation of the Lord because there are male and female candles of the Lord in gold and the Lady in silver. Whoever the statue is, he looks rather majestic.
“Is that Apollo?” I ask, thinking it looks similar to the drawing of him in our text Freshmen year when we studied Greek and Norse mythology in history. It wasn’t part of the curriculum, but the teacher asked if we wanted to know more about it and we all said yes. So many of us that he had to teach it after that.
“Yeah, it is,” Jim says.
“Why Apollo?”
He sits up and rubs my back. “He’s the God of music and, you know, I’ve been in and out of bands.”
Music is in his soul and I’m sure it’s killing him not being able to express himself that way right now. “You should start a new band.”
“Only if you’ll be in it.”
“Is that some kind of dare?” I raise an eyebrow.
“As a matter of fact, it is,” he says and kisses my cheek. I bet he’s ready for round three, but I’m feeling quite satisfied and I think my nerves are too worn out to get off again anyway. Besides, I’m exhausted. Beyond exhausted, even. I feel so weak; I must have hypoglycemia.
“You think we can go see Krystal and Priscilla?” I ask as he kisses my neck.
“You just saw them last night,” he says, sounding disappointed that I’m not kissing him back.
“I saw Priscilla last night. There wasn’t enough time for me to see Krystal, too. I only ask because tomorrow night is the memorial for Kat so I wouldn’t be able to see them then.”
“Alrighty, then,” he says.
“Don’t alrighty, then me,” I say, elbowing him gently. “Only Lia is allowed to say alrighty, then and even then I don’t like it.”
He starts laughing.
“What?” I hate it when people laugh at me. Unless I’ve just told them a joke.
“You. You’re too funny,” he says.
I get up and start collecting my clothes while occasionally glaring at him. At first he stops laughing, but after I glare at him the third time he begins laughing and laughing like he’s stoned. I know he’s not, but I can’t resist asking, “You smoking something behind my back?”
“Yes. I’m a chronic pothead. I smoke five times a day and eat three bags of chips, a box of Lucky Charms and a few Hershey bars every night.”
Now I’m the one giggling. “Get your clothes on so we can get out of here. But we must bring munchies for the road before I pass out.”
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
EMMA
Jim and I arrive at Greater Lowell Hospital just before 5 after eating a bag of chips and a couple Kit Kats en route. There aren’t any parking spots available in the outside lot so we have to park in the garage on the fifth level. Just my luck, the elevator is out of order. As we’re walking down the stairs, I’m lamenting about having to climb them when we leave then I start laughing so hard I have to stand still.
Jim stops walking and gives me a what the hell look. “Dare I ask what’s so funny?”
I have to struggle to quit laughing and catch my breath. “I was stressing about having to walk up the stairs later. Then it hit me that we have plenty of other options.”
“Such as?”
“Well, we could teleport. Or we could fly. Or even levitate up.” We continue walking down the stairs as we talk, Jim in front of me.
He sounds uneasy. “Don’t you think that might draw some unwanted attention?”
“Not if we turn invisible first!” Yeah, I’m feeling a little proud of myself.
Jim doesn’t say anything.
“Did I say something wrong?” I ask.
He halts and turns so he’s facing me, but he still doesn’t say anything.
I curl my hands and press them against my hips. “Well?”
He smirks at me and it seems like he’s resisting the temptation to laugh.
I jab him in the chest with my right pointer finger. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” A shit-eating grin forms on his face.
I poke him again. “What?”
“I was just thinking my girl’s wicked smart.” He chuckles a little.
I’m still two steps above him so I take a step down, lean forward and give him a quick kiss on the lips. “Don’t you forget it.”
We decide to go see Krystal first since I didn’t get to see her last night. When the elevator door opens on the pediatric floor, a man and a woman wearing fancy suits get on as we get off. They look at me then they look at each other, wide-eyed, like they can’t believe it’s me. That happens a lot since Lia, Shar and I are famous from the shooting, but I get the feeling these two are cops or FBI or something. It’s hardly surprising since it was in the
news that the FBI is investigating Krystal and Priscilla’s abductions.
I’m about to turn and take another look at them when Jim puts his arm around me. “Just keep walking,” he whispers in my ear.
I sigh and we head toward the nurse’s station. Meanwhile, I use telepathy. They looked like FBI, right?
He rubs my back. Yeah. I think so. I read the woman’s mind for a second and she knew definitely who you were. I got the impression that she knows a lot about you.
Did she find it odd that I’m here?
She was surprised to run into you. So, yeah, probably.
We reach the nurses’ station. “Can I help you?” a nurse in pink scrubs asks us. Her name tag says Raeanne.
“We’re here to see Krystal Nolford,” I say. “I think she’s in room two.”
“Yes, that’s right across the hall.” She points diagonally to her left. A uniformed cop is sitting outside the room.
“Thanks,” I say.
We walk over to the room, pausing when we reach the cop, who stands up. “What can I do for you?” He steps to the side so that he’s blocking the doorway. His name tag reads Downing.
“We’re here to see Krystal.” The bed nearest the door is made and it’s empty. I assume Krystal is on the opposite side of the room, but I can’t see her because the curtain around her bed is closed. And all I can hear is the television on that side of the room.
Officer Downing crosses his arms in front of himself and gives us a look that says he’s the authority here. “She isn’t accepting visitors at this time.”
“If you tell her who we are, I’m sure she’ll want to see us,” Jim says.
“And who are you?” Downing says, sounding like a veritable asshole.
“I’m Emma McGlinchey-Beaulieu,” I say. “The guys who kidnaped her were terrorizing me and my friends.”
“Even if I believed you, her parents said no unapproved visitors and you’re not on the list.”
I’m about to suggest he call her parents when the curtain around the bed at the far side of the room is yanked open by Krystal, who jumps up and down a few times upon seeing us. She hurries over. “Let them in, let them in,” she says to the cop impatiently.
He responds to her in a nicer tone than he was using with Jim and I. “You know what your parents said.”
“If they knew they were coming, they would’ve put them on the list,” Krystal argues. “And they’ll be back any minute. Just let them in and my parents can kick them out when they get back if they want to.”
“You know I can’t do that. If your parents come back, and they’re irate about me letting them in, it could cost me my career.”
We need to hypnotize this guy, I say to Jim. Let’s keep telling him to let us in.
Let us in. Let us in. Let us in, Jim and I command Officer Downing. Let us in, let us in, let us in... If someone isn’t psychic, like Officer Downing, it tends to make them easier to hypnotize because they can’t detect you and shield themselves from whatever you’re telling them to do. There’s a two part spell that me and Lia and Shar used on the police before, part one being something you do at home in a circle, not on the spot. But I suspect the officer will let us in regardless.
Let us in, let us in, let us in, Jim and I continue pushing on him. I add, Lord and Lady, please hear our prayers and make him let us in.
“Please?” Krystal begs him. “Please?”
Let us in, let us in, let us in, Jim and I continue as he contemplates what he should do.
“Have your parents even met these two?” Officer Downing asks Krystal.
“No, but they’ll be happy to see them. Trust me. Their friends visited last night and my parents weren’t upset.”
Officer Downing scratches the back of his head. “Is that true?”
“Well, yeah. At first they were like who the hell are these two, but they explained and my parents let them stay. They even let them talk to me in private.”
Jim and I continue trying to hypnotize him. Let us in, let us in... Admittedly, this is proving to be more difficult than I was expecting. If only I could place my hands on his head. [If I could do that, I could make him squeal like a pig or shoot himself.] Not that I want him to do either of those things. Let us in, let us in, let us in, let us in...
“OK,” he finally says, looking at Krystal. “But your parents better not have me fired.” [Or what? You’ll arrest a 12 year old?] He steps aside so we can enter.
“Thank you,” I say as Jim and I walk in, following Krystal back to her side of the room.
Jim and I take a seat on the chairs as she closes the curtain most of the way again.
She sits on the bed. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“So are we,” I say and smile.
“I know you’re Emma,” she says, looking at me. Then she turns to Jim. “But I’m blanking on you.”
“I’m Jim,” he says. “I’m also not famous.”
“Jim. Right. Cool.”
“So, how are you doing?” I ask.
“Not so good, I guess,” she says and shrugs. “I mean, the only visitors I’ve had except for your friends are my parents and grandparents and I sure can’t tell them much about what I went through. Never mind everything I was forced to witness.”
I speak very softly. Not that Officer Downing should be able to hear us with the TV on. “They killed all your friends, then?”
She speaks quietly as well. “Yeah. All four of them.”
“What have you been telling your parents about what happened to them?” Jim asks.
She whispers. “I’ve been saying they took us all together using chloroform and when we woke up we were in a cave where they’d put us in individual cells. That they were some kind of Satanic cult who dressed in black robes. And, one-by-one, they killed my friends in front of me, which is true. But I just said they shot them for simplicity’s sake.”
“Did they believe you?” Jim asks.
Krystal nods. “I think so.”
“What did you say to explain why they didn’t kill you?” I ask.
“I didn’t. I just said they drugged me again and I woke up tied to a chair in a cabin with Priscilla. I told them Robert, Marco and Jenna were there and they were packing up and whispering about Canada like we talked about. Then they left.”
Do you know telepathy by any chance? I ask her.
Kind of. But you have to talk slowly and it has to be quiet for me to understand.
Jim’s forehead wrinkles slightly. Why did you say they killed your friends in a cave?
She halfway smirks. Why? Because it would’ve been stupid to say they were killed in the cabin since it was way too clean for four people to have been shot there.Plus, the cabin was too small for them to have kept us all there.
Jim smiles and nods. Good point.
I bite my top lip. Yeah, smart thinking. Have they asked you about the mountain at all? If that’s where the cave was?
They asked if I knew anything about explosions in a nearby mountain, yeah. I told them that Jenna said they wouldn’t have any problems after they blew it up, but I just thought it was a cave, not a mountain.
This makes me a bit nervous. Did they buy it?
Krystal rubs the back of her neck. They’ve asked me a few different times, but I’ve told them the same thing, so if they didn’t believe me at first I think they believe me now.
A shiver runs up my spine. I just hope Priscilla didn’t tell them a different story.
Did they say if they’re going to excavate the mountain? Jim asks, his left leg shaking nervously, which I’ve rarely seen happen to him before.
Krystal, whose face and neck are getting flushed, takes in a deep breath, holds it a few seconds and lets it out. The therapist said this is supposed to help calm me down when I get anxious. She takes another deep breath and holds it in.
I do it, too, I say. It does help. But sometimes you have to do it a few times for it to work.
She exhales slowly and smiles slig
htly.
Jim actually looks more anxious than she does now. So, what about the mountain?
Her lips tighten and she hesitates a moment before answering. Well, I overheard one FBI guy tell another they need to find my friend’s bodies... and the guy he said it to said they need to get into the mountain. Are we gonna get in trouble?
I get up and sit beside her on the bed and place my right hand over her left. No, no, not at all. You’ve thought of things we hadn’t even considered. Big things. You certainly know what you’re doing.
Jim still looks nervous, his leg continuing to tremble slightly.
You OK? I ask him.
Yeah. He stops his leg from moving. It sounds like she’s got everything covered. I just feel stupid for not thinking about more of those things before we dropped them off the other night.
Well, then that just makes Krystal smarter than us, I say to him. But there is one other thing, which I hate to even have to ask her. Have you told them about you or your friends being, you know, raped?
Krystal’s face turns red. No. I figured their parents would be upset enough about them being dead.
Jim looks at me. Think that would be a good idea?
I shrug. Doesn’t really seem important in the grand scheme of things.
Krystal lets out a sigh. Good. I haven’t said a word about that. They asked if there was anything else I wasn’t telling them and I said no. If I bring it up now they won’t believe anything I told them. But, I almost forgot to say, Priscilla and I have been talking on the phone so we’ve been telling them the same story.
Whew, Jim says.
You can say that again, I say.
Krystal looks surprised. What? You really thought I’d give them all that info without making sure Priscilla was going to tell them the same things?
Well, you might’ve mentioned that sooner, I say. I didn’t realize you were such a genius.
I put my arm around her and squeeze a little. I wouldn’t have told them about that either.
In Memoriam Page 19