A PERMUTED PRESS book
Published at Smashwords
ISBN (Trade Paperback): 978-1-61868-5-001
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-61868-3-557
The Mesmerized copyright © 2014
by Rhiannon Frater
All Rights Reserved.
Cover art by Claudia McKinney, Phatpuppy Art Studios
This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Epilogue
About the Author
Dedicated to Corey, my loving husband, who encourages me to believe in myself and keep writing.
Special thanks to Erin for pizza nights and margaritas when things got tough.
It was silence, not screams of terror, which proclaimed the end of the world…
Chapter 1
Las Vegas, Nevada
Friday 11 AM
“I need more tattoos, Mommy.”
An insistent tug on Minji Nordim’s studded belt pulled the young mother’s attention to her five year old daughter peering up at her. Leaning against the wall outside of one of the swanky shops located on the second floor of The Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas, Minji was busily texting her parents and in-laws. Meanwhile, her husband, Jake, was changing their baby daughter’s diaper in the men’s bathroom further down the corridor. The Shoppes at The Palazzo was a lovely mall with its obelisks and shallow pools fringed by bright fake foliage. The rush of the waterfall looming over the massive courtyard and the din of the many shoppers echoed through the vast opulent structure. Wrought iron railings laced the walkways of each floor bordering the atrium illuminated by sunlight pouring through the massive domed skylight.
“What did you say, Ava?” Minji tilted her head and her tidy black and purple dreads shifted over one shoulder.
With great exasperation, Ava replied, “I said I need more tattoos, Mommy!”
Minji arched her thin, dark brows. “Watch that temper.”
Ava was very good at living up to the fiery redhead stereotype and her cupid bow lips pressed into a tight line.
“Now just wait until I’m done, then we’ll talk about it. I’m texting Grams and Grandpa.”
With a very dramatic sigh, her daughter leaned against the wall next to her. Dressed in bright pink leggings covered in black glittery skulls and a black shirt adorned with one giant pink skull, Ava looked like a dark little princess. Kicking the heel of her ballet flat against the wall, Ava moped.
“No pouting, Ava. We’ll go as soon as Daddy is done changing Bailey.”
“I wanna see the tigers.”
“I know.”
“And I want another tattoo.”
“We’ll talk in a minute,” Minji said firmly, then returned her attention to the screen of her smartphone.
Jake and Minji Nordim had invited both sets of grandparents to join them during their weeklong vacation in Las Vegas with their two young daughters. To their delight, both couples had agreed. The Nordims had flown in from Sweden while Minji’s parents had driven from Texas. Jake secured a decent discount package for the entire family at The Palazzo Resort which was connected to The Venetian. It had been a lovely few days, but now the grandparents had departed. Jake’s parents were flying home and though both were seasoned travelers, they tended to fret about making plane connections. Texts from both Emil and Linnea poured into Minji’s phone, while the messages to her technophobe parents, Alan and Lily, remained unanswered. A wry smile pressed onto Minji’s lips at the thought of her mother trying to figure out how to respond to a text.
Another short-tempered exhalation from Ava was a clear indicator of her daughter’s increasing restlessness. The family had just eaten breakfast at a restaurant located off the Grand Canal on The Venetian side of the resort and the little girl was bouncing with unused energy.
“Ava, give me just one more minute. PawPaw and Halmuhni are supposed to send me a message to let me know how their drive back to Texas is going.”
“Are we driving back to Austin?”
“No, Ava. We’re going to fly. Halmuhni doesn’t like to fly, remember?”
“I like to fly. The plane people give me juice. Muhni is silly.” Ava’s abbreviation for the Korean word for grandmother always rubbed Lily the wrong way, but Minji found it endearing.
At last, a text dinged into the phone from her mother. Lily’s message was direct and to the point. It read: Still alive.
Minji smirked.
“Mommy, are you done now?”
The final texts from Jake’s parents revealed they’d reached their gate. Minji tucked the phone into her messenger bag adorned with an embroidered zombie Bettie Page and zipped it shut. “All done with the grandparents now.”
“Good! I want more tattoos.”
Squatting, Minji surveyed the little girl’s arm. It was covered in temporary tattoos of various cartoon characters, flowers, and decorative designs.
“Hmm, Ava, I don’t know if you have any more room.”
“You have a lot more than me.” Ava pointed to the full sleeve of intricate and colorful artwork on Minji’s arm. “And so does Daddy.”
Clad in a black tank-top, black shorts, and black lace-up combat boots, many of Minji’s tattoos were on display. Some she had actually inked herself, but all were her own designs. It was an impressive display of her artistry. Lily had trouble understanding her daughter’s counter-culture appearance or her profession as a tattoo artist. Since Lily didn’t approve of Minji’s or Jake’s tattoos, it had been surprising when she’d purchased the temporary ones for Ava at one of the Las Vegas shops. Minji had taken it as a sign that her Korean-American mother was attempting to be more accepting of her daughter’s career.
Minji tucked her fist under her chin, resting her elbow on one knee. Gazing into her daughter’s brown eyes, she asked, “If we put more on your arm, we’re going to have to start covering up some of the other ones.”
Ava clutched the sheet of temporary tattoos, her tiny mouth twisted thoughtfully. “Well, I don’t like the sunflower. Can we cover it up with a pony?”
Minji examined the sunflower, then the pony sticker. “If we take the flower off, the pony still won’t fit.”
“Can I put it on my other arm?” Ava bestowed her mother with a charmingly naughty smile. The halo of her auburn curls made her look like an adorable angel.
“Daddy said you could on
ly cover one arm, remember?”
Ava let out another dramatic sigh.
“What a precious little girl!”
Minji glanced up to see a heavyset woman staring at them. Clutching colorful bags, sporting a glittery white Vegas t-shirt stretched across her ample bosom, and sporting a bad sunburn, the fellow tourist flashed a wide smile. The reek of expensive perfume, suntan lotion and sweat wafted off the woman’s flushed skin. She’d obviously just returned from strolling on the boulevard in the hot summer sun.
“Thank you. I think she’s a keeper,” Minji said, and winked at Ava.
Ava giggled.
Quickly taking in Minji’s waist-length black and purple dreads, black clothing, tattoos, and Asian features, the woman’s expression took on an air of confusion. The stranger’s eyes slid back and forth between Minji’s distinctly non-white features and Ava’s freckles and red hair.
“Oh, I see! Her eyes are like yours,” the woman said triumphantly.
Minji gave a brief nod, struggling not to show her annoyance. “And she has my father’s red hair.”
“But Daddy’s freckles,” Ava added.
“Oh, so she’s only a quarter Japanese?” The words were said as if she’d solved some great mystery.
“Korean,” Minji corrected.
“Ah, that’s so nice,” the tourist decided with a pleased smile.
“What’s nice?” Ava asked, sounding suspicious.
“That you’re part Korean. That’s very nice.”
Minji and Ava exchanged amused looks. This wasn’t their first time dealing with people who found Ava’s bi-racial appearance intriguing. Minji looked like her mother’s side of the family though she did have her father’s hazel eyes and naturally thick wavy hair, so she wasn’t the subject of as much scrutiny as Ava. It did hurt when people asked if Ava was her biological child. Since their youngest daughter strongly resembled Minji, her husband was often asked if the baby was adopted when he was out in public and Minji wasn’t about. Those comments angered Jake, but Minji was gradually developing scripted responses for the occasional odd inquiry into her daughters’ genetic background. Her husband had no time for such nonsense and let people know it.
All of Jake’s six foot five Swedish handsomeness appeared strolling down the hallway. A black t-shirt emblazoned with the insignia of the fictional band DethKlok was stretched across his muscular chest and he wore dark gray cargo shorts and black high-top Converse. Blond hair swept into a ponytail, he carried their youngest daughter on his hip while struggling with the baby backpack and diaper bag.
“Min, can you give me a hand?” he asked.
The tourist openly stared at Jake, her eyes widening a bit. It was a common response. Jake was someone people always noticed.
“Excuse me,” Minji said to the woman, and then pulled on the short pink and purple leash attached to Ava’s backpack. A gift from Lily, Minji had scoffed at it until Ava developed a bad habit of dashing away whenever something interesting caught her eye. It was a little embarrassing, but in Las Vegas she wasn’t about to take a chance with her daughter’s safety. “Gimme the baby, hon.”
With a relieved moan, Jake handed over Bailey. Not quite a year old, the little girl was getting bigger and heavier every day. Minji kissed Bailey’s soft cheek while tugging the pale yellow shirt down over the baby’s round belly. Bailey’s dark hair was in pigtails with bright pink pompoms holding them in place. Like Ava, she had a smattering of freckles on her nose.
“I’m convinced this thing was made to drive me crazy,” Jake muttered while setting the diaper bag on the floor so he could mess with the backpack. “I’m a programmer. I should be able to figure this out!”
Ava giggled. “You’re doing it all wrong, Daddy.”
Jake fussed with the straps and buckles while casting an amused look at his eldest daughter. “You think this is funny?”
“Uh huh.”
Tickling Ava’s side, Jake winked. “I’m glad someone thinks it is, because Daddy is about to lose his mind over it.”
“I think you flipped something around when you took the baby out.” Minji pointed. “That piece right there.”
With a bit of tugging and a lot of swearing under his breath, Jake sorted out the backpack. “If not for the safety rating on this thing, I’d swear it was defective.”
“Eh, it’s just a torture device for parents. We already agreed to that.”
Shrugging on the backpack, Jake squatted since there was well over a foot difference in their heights, and Minji slipped Bailey into the contraption. Minji carefully made sure her youngest was securely strapped and patted her husband’s broad shoulder. “You got it, babe.”
Rising to his full height, Jake rolled his shoulders. “That’s better.”
Bailey immediately grabbed his ponytail and held on.
Jake grunted. “I’m going to cut it off. I swear.”
“Then you won’t look like a Viking,” Ava said with a pout. She loved telling her friends at school that her father was a Nordic warrior.
“Cutting it all off, Min. I swear.” Jake tried to pry his hair from his daughter’s chubby fingers to no avail.
“You’ll be sexy either way.” Minji hoped he wouldn’t carry through with his threat. She liked his hair long. It did give him a sexy Viking vibe.
“So where are the parental units?” Jake’s voice only had a hint of his Swedish accent. It mingled with a Texan one, which many found charming.
“Your parents found their gate, so they’ll be heading to New York within the hour. My parents are alive according to my mom.”
“It’s a long drive back to Texas.” Jake shook his head. “She’s only going to get more dramatic.”
“They have scheduled stops at hotels. It’ll be fine. She’ll have time to swig beers and chill out.”
“We’ll be home before they are. Your mom does realize how silly that is, right?”
“Do you really think us arriving first would be enough to persuade her to get onto a flying deathtrap?” Minji grinned at the thought of her mother being dragged onto a plane. “Not gonna happen.”
“What’s a deathtrap?” Ava asked.
“What your grandmother thinks planes are,” Jake replied.
That answer satisfied the little girl. Ava held out her sheet of tattoos, obviously bored with the subject of her grandparents. “I want another one, Daddy, but it won’t fit. Can I put the tattoo on my other arm?”
“Ava, I told you one arm only.” Jake ruffled her red curls affectionately.
“But that’s dumb.”
Minji agreed, but Jake was firm about laying down rules for Ava. She was their first child and they tended to be overindulgent with her. After several public temper tantrums, they’d agreed to be stricter and not give her everything she wanted. Jake had even implemented a new gold star and points system at home so she could earn privileges. It was working, but sometimes it was hard. Ava was an incredibly charming child who knew exactly how to manipulate her parents.
“Are you saying I’m dumb?” Jake tilted his head and gazed down at his little girl with a stern look.
“No, Daddy. I just want more tattoos.” Ava’s small fingers scrunched the paper.
“Well, after your bath tonight, we’ll put on new ones for tomorrow. So put those away.” Jake tugged on the strap of Ava’s Disney Mulan backpack when the little girl scowled. “Put them away, Ava.”
Reluctantly, she obeyed.
Leaning toward Minji, Jake winked at her. “See. A firm hand works.”
Her husband’s kiss tasted minty and the light scruff on his jawline rubbed against her palms when she cupped his face. The grandparents had taken the kids off their hands for one night during their vacation and they had taken full advantage of a kid-free suite. They were both still glowing and exhausted from their epic sex marathon the night before. Minji would have loved another evening alone with her husband, but the grandparents had been scheduled to depart two days before Minji and her fam
ily would return to Austin.
“We’ll do this again,” Jake said, appearing to read her mind. “Next time, we’ll leave the girls with your brother.”
“I want to come back!” Ava protested. “I like it here.”
Minji played with one of Bailey’s chubby feet while Jake slung the diaper bag strap over on shoulder. The baby gurgled, her eyes bright with glee. Out of the corner of Minji’s eye, she saw Ava’s frown that was so reminiscent of her father’s when he was not happy.
Jake made sure the bag was secure, then said, “We’ll do another family vacation next year, Ava, but sometimes Mommy and Daddy need time away.”
Ava rolled her eyes. Bailey slurped on her chubby fingers.
Though Jake and Minji had urged their parents to get out and explore the city with them, the grandparents had spent most of their visit in the faux Venice on The Venetian side wandering in and out of shops, taking gondola rides, and eating under a fake sky with painted clouds. Now that the grandparents had departed, Jake and Minji were anxious to visit the other casinos and see what else the city in the desert had to offer. Jake tugged his smart phone from one of the many pockets decorating his cargo shorts and pulled up the list he had compiled over breakfast.
“Okay, what are we doing first?” Minji asked.
“Tigers!” Ava clapped her hands, the tattoos forgotten.
“Let me see where that is,” Jake muttered.
Minji returned to her people-watching, enjoying the happy vibe of the vacationers. Travelers were always so much more relaxed and open to positive experiences when far away from home and their troubles. The woman who had commented on Ava lingered nearby staring at a large advertisement for clothing most women would never be able to fit into. A man dressed in tennis whites joined her, his slick black hair glistening under the light spilling over the central courtyard from the large skylight overhead. After a quick kiss, the couple draped their arms around each other’s waist and lingered in front of the store’s entrance.
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