by Rene Folsom
“Why don’t we take this huge thing off you and get comfortable… maybe in bed?” he said, nipping at my ear with his teeth and caressing my neck with his lips.
Pulling at the string on the front of my cloak, I allowed the heavy, red fabric to fall off my shoulders. Cody pushing it off me entirely and letting it pool to the floor had me pulling from his grip so I could bend over and pick it up. My dad’s cloak never belonged on the floor.
Dutifully, I walked it over to the rack by the door and hung it up, wishing desperately I could just keep it on. For some reason, the cloak gave me comfort, as if my dad’s arms were still wrapped in it, enveloping me, protecting me.
Cody’s warm hand landed on my shoulder, snaking down the front of my chest to continue undressing me some more.
Then it hit me—the scratches over my heart began to sting—burn as if I had betrayed them somehow. It took all the strength I could muster not to cry out or show any discomfort as I pulled away from his touch.
Plastering a fake, apologetic smile on my face, I steadied my hands on his forearms and said, “Think we could just relax for tonight, lover boy? I’m so damn tired from walking all the way to and from Granny’s house today. I could really use the rest.”
Immediately, the pain in my chest eased—an inaudible sigh of relief leaving my lungs at the sudden feel of contentment.
Cody stared at me as if I had three heads. “Huh,” he pondered. “I don’t think you’ve ever turned me down before.”
Blushing, I knew he was right. I wasn’t usually the one to say no. “Well, today has kinda been a tough day for me. Do you mind if I take a rain check?” I put on my best puppy dog face as I tried to get him to reason with me. The last thing I wanted to do was explain these scratches on my chest.
“Sure,” he said, shrugging and walking toward his room, adjusting his pants along the way. He didn’t look too happy, but I would just have to worry about that later. For now, I needed some shuteye.
The Calling
“Rosetta…”
Extending my arm out, I felt around for Cody, my search coming up empty. I couldn’t seem to find him. Didn’t he just call my name? Sitting up, I blinked a few times and tried to adjust my sight. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was no longer in Kansas anymore, Toto. As a matter of fact, I didn’t know where the hell I was. There was this strange haze surrounding me, both figuratively and literally.
Glancing around, I saw nothing but a dense fog, reminding me of early mornings in the Shrouded Wood. Yet, it couldn’t have been the forest, because I was lying on something soft, comfortable.
Curiously, I inspected my surroundings. I could feel Cody’s creamy, satin sheets beneath my fingers and scissored between my legs. The silken material felt great against my bare skin, deliciously over-sensitizing me. Wait, bare? I didn’t want Cody seeing my wound!
Gasping, I pulled down the sheets to find that I was stark naked, my pale skin a contrast to the bright red of the bed. Red? Cody’s sheets were usually that masculine black. Even though I was well aware I was no longer in his bed, I didn’t feel frightened. The red color of the sheets seemed to make me feel amazingly sensual. Not only that, but the wound on my chest started tingling, igniting a whole new sensation of feelings inside me.
“Rosetta…”
I flinched, quickly covering myself up as I whipped my head around, trying to find the source of the voice. My wound began to burn, not uncomfortably so, but just enough to make me well aware it was still there. My desire became a tangible feeling, as if I could reach out and touch it at the very sound of this voice. Listening to someone call my name startled me a bit, but I wasn’t scared. To my surprise, I was… content.
“Why are you hiding from me?”
A chill went down my spine at the… seductiveness of the voice. Smooth, tantalizing, and… feminine.
It was a woman who was calling out to me.
“Who… who’s there?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be asking who I am…” I froze as I felt hands wrap around my bare shoulders, fingers dancing over my skin, sending shivers all throughout my body—and to my wound. “…but rather what I am?”
Her breath wafted over the back of my neck, igniting little fires along my skin. I could feel the surface beneath me shift as she moved closer to me, pressing her body against mine. I could feel her breasts against my shoulder blades, her nipples as hard as diamonds. The fact I enjoyed these feelings surprised me, especially since I’d never even considered a woman in a sexual manner before. My heart picked up pace in my chest, sending a whole new thrill to the core of my beautiful scratches.
Her hands traveled down my biceps at a measured pace, lips landing on the side of my neck. I took a shaky breath, turning my head to see who was teasing me. Suddenly, her hands were gone from my arms, gripping my head, and forcing me to keep my sight away from her.
“Not yet,” she tutted, her voice breathy and low against my right ear. “Patience, my love. Patience…”
Normally, I would’ve been stubborn and insisted she let me peek, but I was utterly content to let her call the shots. She was in charge, and I loved every second of it.
As she leaned down to kiss behind my ear, I couldn’t stop the moan that escaped me. Her hands slid back down to the soft skin of my shoulders, drawing circles with her thumbs to soothe me. I closed my eyes, relishing the warmth that spread through me at this mysterious woman’s touch. She lit a fire in me that must’ve been lying dormant for so long.
“Am I dreaming?” I whispered breathlessly, feeling her left hand traveling down to my hip, her nails dragging along my side, making me tremble with need.
“Yes.” I could feel her grin against the back of my neck. “But not for long, I promise. We’re connected now. You’ll seek me out, and we’ll be together… forever.”
Her hand slid lower, tantalizingly gliding its way between my legs. Even though I’d been touched there before, never had it felt this damn good. My heart quickened, my breaths becoming ragged as anticipation coursed through me, the wound on my chest throbbing with delicious torment. I bit my lip, fighting the urge to plea with her to enter me.
“It’s time to wake up, Rosetta,” she whispered. “Wake up.”
Just as my body shivered with my climax, I opened my eyes to the real world.
The Change
I spent several minutes lying in Cody’s bed in a daze. It was still early in the morning, much earlier than I usually woke up. Cody was snoring peacefully next to me, having rolled away at some point in the night—which was perfectly fine with me. I didn’t think I could handle being in his arms at the moment. My body was still a knot of sensitivity from the dream, the skin around the areas where she touched me tingling, my muscles trembling. Warmth spread over my insides whenever I closed my eyes, remembering her soft caress and the feel of her lips against my neck. I occasionally had to stop myself before losing it.
Never had I experienced such a detailed, realistic dream like that, especially involving a woman. There was something about the dream, as if it were a vision—a premonition of my future rather than a hidden desire.
I couldn’t handle being here in his bed any longer, the need to be alone overwhelming me with each passing moment. The dream felt so real, so powerful, it was as if having him around to witness it, even subconsciously, was like an invasion of my privacy.
Finally finding the energy to peel myself from under the sheets, I made it a point to move slowly so as not to wake him. The last thing I needed right now was a barrage of questions.
Still clothed, I managed to stay silent as I toed my shoes on, grabbed my cloak, and slunk out the door, placing my hood gently on my head as I made my way down the sidewalk. The sun was just waking up, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been up this early. This tiny town was really rather beautiful in first light.
Sluggishly walking the few blocks to my apartment, I made it a point to examine the trees outlining the Shrouded Wood. Wh
at had happened to me out there? I knew I needed to learn more, yet the sudden adrenaline rush coursing through me at just the thought of stepping foot in the forest told me now was not the time.
Hurriedly, I picked up my pace and locked myself in my apartment, deciding on a shower to try and calm myself. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with me, but ever since I blacked out the day before, I couldn’t help but notice how strange I felt…
Turning on the bathroom light, I inspected myself in the mirror, assuming I’d find the reflection of some sallow-skinned girl with bed hair and a welt on her forehead. Instead though, I was shocked to find the person looking back at me did not resemble the girl I was just yesterday.
My skin was radiant, almost glowing. My hair was a little mussed up, which was to be expected, but it also had a sort of silken quality that hadn’t been there before. I smoothed it back, letting my fingers tangle in the soft locks of my dark-colored hair, watching in the mirror as it flowed around my bare shoulders. Wispy, ethereal, I was having the best hair day imaginable.
Surprisingly, my mood matched my looks—both radiant and confused as hell.
As I examined myself in the mirror, I noticed something else about me that seemed out of place.
The welt that should have been a beacon on my forehead was no longer there.
Brushing a few stray strands of hair aside, I inspected the smooth skin of my forehead, finding no trace of a cut, bruise, or even a speck of dirt. I traced my index finger over the area where the wound had been the day before, feeling nothing but skin. There wasn’t even any tenderness.
Damn, Gran’s ointment really does work, was my first thought. I had worried that the gel would’ve rubbed off or something the night before, but apparently, my concern was rather unnecessary. It almost seemed… magical.
Lowering my gaze, I spied the three scratches over my heart. I was shocked to find that they too had healed. What should have been three giant, red lines of puffed skin were now thin marks that appeared to have already scarred over. Looking at them, you’d think I had gotten them years ago rather than just the day before.
I touched the new scars, feeling a tenderness that didn’t come from pain…
“Rose?”
Jen knocked on the bathroom door, making me jump and nearly slip. I quickly caught myself, my heart hammering against my ribcage as she knocked again.
“I’m about to take a shower,” I called out to her, turning to run the water to prove my point. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
She ceased her knocking, but I could hear her lean against the door, exhaling a slow breath.
“Glad you’re home, but surprised to see you up and about this early. Want some coffee?”
I took a moment to contemplate her offer, thinking I might want to lie down after this. But no, we had too much to catch up on, and I still wasn’t sure how much I wanted to tell my best friend.
“Sure,” I responded louder than necessary. “I’ll be out in a few.”
I could practically feel her curiosity at my behavior through the door. “Okay,” she said, pulling away so her voice was no longer muffled against the wood. “I’ll make some breakfast too.”
I sighed in relief, taking one last glance at myself—and the scars—in the mirror before stepping into the shower.
The warm water cascading over my skin never felt so good, my body obviously hyper-aware of every little sensation. Placing my face beneath the stream, I closed my eyes and immediately thought of her.
Who was she, and how the hell did she make me feel this good all from just one seemingly random dream? If I had to bet my life on it, I would’ve sworn her hands were really on me. After all, the sensations, not to mention that orgasm in the end, were all too real. My body still quaked at the thought.
Desperate for some answers, I touched the now-healed scars on my chest, digging my nails into the raised skin, hoping for some sort of sensation. The response I got shocked me to my core.
Desire, full-fledged craving, shot straight through me, and I suddenly ached for release.
Still clutching my hand over my heart, I slid the other down my body to cup my sex. It was as if I were allowing someone else to make the moves for me, imagining the woman from my dream coaxing me along, guiding me, and encouraging me.
Oh, the sensations I was feeling were completely foreign and new to me. Never had my body felt this sensitive—this good. Warmth sizzled through my insides, pooling in my gut, and making me wish I had her here to share my heightened desires.
I’d only dreamed of the woman once, and she was already getting to me in the most delicious of ways. Just as I began to wonder what it would feel like to have her mouth on me, my insides quickened, my climax coming at me from all sides. It was all the control I could muster not to scream with the barrage of sensations overtaking my body.
A sudden knock on the door had me jumping out of my skin, my body still high as a kite as it continued to come down from my release.
“Rose?” Jen called out through the door. “Are you okay? You’ve been in there for about an hour now.”
An hour? Shit, it seemed like only five minutes had passed. Looking down at my fingers, I examined the odd wrinkles in my skin, evidence I had been beneath the water much longer than I thought.
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine,” I hollered, clearing my throat to sound more human than I felt. “I’ll be out in a sec.”
“‘Kay. Your omelet is getting cold.”
“Shit,” I cursed under my breath. What the hell was I going to say to Jen? Did I dare tell her what was happening to me? Hell, I didn’t even know what was going on, so telling someone else would only make me sound like a nutcase.
For now, I would go through these changes alone—at least until I had some answers.
The Time
I was thankful that the cut on my forehead was gone, because I didn’t want to deal with Jen losing her mind over me, being the klutzy fool that I was, getting hurt while out in the forest alone. She would often joke that the Shrouded Wood was possessed by monsters and evil spirits, and I didn’t really feel like hearing about it when my head was still spinning with all of these peculiar emotions that had been plaguing me.
We ate breakfast with only light conversation to pass the time, Jen gushing about how excited she was for the Halloween festival and how cool she thought it was that my mom was the one putting it all together. I merely nodded and laughed when prompted. I felt a million miles away, but I did my best not to ignore my friend as she rambled on.
Following our one-sided conversation, Jen and I promised to meet at the coffee shop for lunch after she helped her sister prepare her booth at the festival. People all over the town had a specific job to do during the event—all assigned by my mother—and Jen’s sister, Georgina, was in charge of the candy dispenser for the children. Since Georgina was manning that fiasco, it meant Jen would do most of the work, since her sister was a little on the lazy side and would most likely fudge the entire thing up.
Jen’s words, not mine.
While she was away, I cleaned my room and vacuumed the apartment. I wasn’t sure if I was feeling productive today or if it was all nerves, but I couldn’t handle just sitting around. I felt the need to be in movement and figured cleaning up our pigsty was the best way to relieve some of the tension I had building up.
The entire time I was cleaning, all I could think about was the mystery woman from my dream. I could hear her voice in my head as if spoken directly in my ear. Rosetta—the memory of her continuing to repeat my name like a mantra haunted me. Her voice so smooth and seductive… it made me quiver with desire, even while still on my feet doing humdrum housework.
I tried to place the voice with one of the women in town. I had read somewhere that you could only dream about people you’d met in the real world, even if only for a second. That meant the voice had to belong to someone I’d met before. But, try as I may, I couldn’t put a face to the tantalizing voice from my dream.
I gave a sigh as I finished putting away the vacuum cleaner, stuffing it in the closet with a huff. I was spending too much time fixating on a strange dream, trying to find meaning behind the images my subconscious mind conjured up.
“It was just a dream,” I scolded myself. “It was probably just a random sex dream…” About a woman, my snide subconscious pointed out.
I tried to convince myself of this, but whenever my hand caressed the scars on my chest, a voice in the back of my mind told me there was more to the dream than I could possibly understand.
The Walk
After there wasn’t an inch of dirt left in the apartment, I threw on my red cloak and decided to go for a walk through town to help ease my mind. I was still bustling with energy, and I figured a nice, calm walk would be good for me, especially in this beautiful, fall weather.
I exchanged pleasant smiles with some of the other people in town, giggled at the young children shouting in excitement for the upcoming holiday, and watched what was left of the bird population begin their southern migration in the sky. It was such a pleasant day, and I found a peacefulness nestle within me from being out in the open air that I wasn’t able to obtain from being inside.
As soon as Cody was awake and noticed my absence, he started texting me. After a few depreciating lines about waking up to find me gone, he asked if we could spend the afternoon together. With a guilty frown, I ignored his texts. As much as I needed a distraction, I felt that being around Cody wouldn’t help me. The memory of how the scratches on my chest burned so painfully when he was close made me hesitant to even see him at the moment. I knew I was being silly, but with all the odd stuff going on, I felt the out-of-character act of ignoring my boyfriend was justifiable.
I found myself settling down by the lake that resided just within the town’s limits and gazing out at the wrinkles in the water caused by the wind, the midday sun sparkling off the ripples like a sea full of diamonds. I lost myself in the sheer calm of the lake’s atmosphere, my mind temporarily free of all doubt and worry. A light smile found itself on my lips, my eyes closing as I inhaled the fresh breeze that kissed my cheeks. I could have fallen asleep right then and there if I wanted to, but just as I was leaning back to lie down in the grass, I heard it.