A Tiny Bit Mortal

by Lindsay Bassett

The sound of the plan landing jolted me awake. I realized where I was and felt a sinking feeling. My stomach felt sick, and empty. I thought about Peter, and my dad, wondering what they were doing, and if they had noticed me gone yet. Then I thought about my mom, my sweet and innocent mom, and knew I was exactly where I should have been.

  I opened my eyes and saw Tim looking at me, with an expressionless face. I smiled at him without even knowing why. He smiled back and said “We will be getting off the plane here in just a few minutes.”

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked.

  “To your new life.” he said.

  My eyes grew wide. It sounded ominous.

  He smiled and leaned forward in his seat. “I’m not sure what you are imagining over there, but I can assure you that as long as you don’t try anything stupid you will be treated like a princess.”

  The pink lipstick wearing stewardess emerged through the door at the front of the plane. She smiled as she opened the door on the side of the plane and then motioned to us.

  Tim extended his hand to me, and I put my hand in his. He we walked down the steps together, out into the dawn, facing east with the sun in our eyes. I raised my arm to block the overwhelming light, and then peeked under it to see shiny black BMW, with a man standing next to the opened backseat passenger door.

  I got in, with Tim sitting beside me. He looked me up and down from the seat next to me. “We have got to do something about your style.” he said. “We can’t show up with you looking like this.”

  “Shawn.” he said to the man up front. “We need to do a bit of shopping first.”

  I heard the sound of a duck quacking repeatedly. “My phone.” said Tim, pulling it out of his pocket. I smiled, and could help but giggle. “Yes?” he said, holding the phone up to his ear. “She’s with me, she’s safe.”

  There was a long pause. “Don’t worry.” he said. “I just want to show her a good time, Tim style. I won’t let anything happen to her. Promise.” He hung up and put his phone back into his pocket.

  Thinking about my mom, I took in a deep breath. I was on a mission to save her, not to have a good time. “My mom?” I asked.

  “Don’t worry about your mom.” he said. “They’ve already sent her home.”

  “How do I know your not lying?” I asked.

  “What on earth would we want with your mom, now that you’re with us?” he asked. “She’s back at her house and doesn’t remember a thing.”

  I felt paralyzed.

  “If it would help you relax, call her.” he said.

  “I don’t have my cellphone.” I said. “I didn’t want them to be able to track my location somehow.”

  “Smart girl.” he said. “Use mine.”

  I dialed my mom’s number, telling myself to calm down so I wouldn’t sound upset. “Hello?” she answered. “Hi mom.” I said.

  “Oh Emily, I’m glad you called!” she said. “I just started working on a new type of quilt, log cabin style. I wanted to know what size of bed you have...queen or full?”

  I let out the breath I was holding. “Queen.” I said. “Mom, how are you doing? What have you been up to lately?”

  “Oh, just the usual, sweetie.” she said. “I’ve got church on Sunday and tea with Mary on Wednesdays. We usually go shopping down at the craft store. Oh! Also there is a benefit dinner next week so I’m going in to get my hair done.”

  Listening intently to the background noises through the phone, I could hear the sound of her dishwasher and the ticking of the clock that hung in the kitchen. She was on her kitchen phone and I knew those sounds well.

  “That sounds wonderful.” I said.

  “How are you honey?” she said. “Still bogged down at work?”

  “Actually, mom, I’m taking a vacation with some friends.” I said. “We are on our way to do something fun, apparently.” I looked over and saw Tim smiling.

  “Ooooh.” she said. “Now that sounds good Emily. I’m glad you are taking a break from work. I was so worried about you overworking yourself.”

  “I’m doing great mom.” I said. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, dear.” she said.

  After the call ended, I handed Tim his phone. I felt relieved. She was safe. Mission accomplished.

  “Thank you.” I told him with a smile. I took in a deep breath and exhaled. “That was worth it.” he said, with a laugh. “You were so tense earlier I thought you’d ruin all of our fun.”

  Tim had the driver stop to get us some coffee and scones. The coffee was delicious and smooth and broke up my morning headache. I looked out the window and watched the buildings go by, and eventually spotted the famous “Hollywood” sign on the hillside. Getting overheated, I stripped off my wool coat.

  “You’ll hardly be needing that here.” he said. “Doesn’t get too cold here, even this time of year.”

  Our next stop was a day spa and salon. Tim walked in and hugged a woman with a short, black asymmetrical hair cut. She wore a tight checkered mini skirt with a vinyl black tank top.

  “Amy!” he said.

  “Tim!” she said.

  “Who is this?” she asked, looking me up and down.

  “This is Emily.” he said. “Call her Em. She needs the works.”

  I looked from Amy to Tim and back to Amy again. Remembering what my dad had said about The Corrupt being able to show themselves to mortals, I was confused. I could hear Amy’s heart beating, and I was almost certain that the stewardess on the plane was also mortal.

  “Follow me, Em!” she said, sauntering through the middle of the salon. Brushing off my confusion, I caught up with her, and next thing I knew I was sitting under a blow dryer with strips of tinfoil in my hair. My hair was washed, dried, cut, and had delicious smelling stuff rubbed into it.

  Looking into the mirror my hair seemed brighter and more tame. Reaching up to touch my hair, I realized I looked stylish, like a different woman.

  Laying back in a chair, my face was tortured with plucking and burning liquids. It was followed by a cooling sensation, and a mask over my face. I fell asleep for awhile until I was awakened by a warm cloth wiping the goop off of my face.

  She put her hand on my back to help me sit up, then she began applying makeup. Closing my eyes for eyeshadow, I then sat carefully still for mascara, and relaxed my face while she painted my lips. Looking in the mirror I didn’t recognise myself. I looked like I belonged in Hollywood.

  Tim appeared, looked me over and whistled. “Well done, Amy.” he said. “I knew I could count on you. Put it on my tab please.”

  Tim grabbed my hand and dragged me back out onto the sidewalk. We walked for awhile, and entered a shop with mannequins in the window wearing stylish dresses. I followed Tim around while he studied dresses, looking from each dress to me and back to the dress.

  Examining a dress, I glanced at the price tag. “$2100” it said. I let go of the dress and gasped.

  After passing by several colored dresses, I stopped to study a simple black dress. “Quit that.” said Tim. “You managed to find the least sexiest dress in the whole store.”

  He led me into a large dressing room, sat me on a cushy bench and said “Stay here.” Returning with a woman, she hung about a dozen dresses up on a rack in the room, and then left us alone. “Well, come on.” he said. “Let’s try some on.”

  Walking over to the dresses, I waited for him to leave. “Seriously, Em?” he said. He walked behind me and lifted my shirt over my head. I stood there in my bra and skirt, shocked.

  “Do I need to undress all of you?” he asked.

  Locking eyes with him, I crossed my arms under my chest. He wasn’t going to back down, so I said “fine” and kicked off my shoes. I undressed the rest of the way and he helped me into the first dress. It was dark blue, with cropped sleeves, short and flared at the bottom. I looked feminine, and like I actually had a flattering figure. “Yes!” he said, looking me up and down.

  After trying on the remainde
r of the dresses, I stood in “You look good in everything, Em.”

  “Thanks.” I said.

  He had me change into the first dress, then had the lady from the shop remove the tag so I could wear it out of the store. After that, the lady began gathering and boxing. “We are taking them all.” he declared.

  Tim left and returned with our driver. “Shawn will take over from here.” he said. “We need shoes still.” Looking down at my shoes, I saw that my black Mary Jane’s were both scuffed on the toes and dirty. They looked out of place with the hair, makeup and feminine blue dress, like a movie star wearing a trench soldier’s boots.

  He grabbed my hand, then we walked out the door and down the sidewalk together. Things were beginning to pick up, and the sidewalks were filling with a class of people I’d never seen before. There were men wearing tightly fitted t-shirts, and nicely fitted jeans. There were women with large sun glasses, long legs, big lips and tiny little dogs.

  As we walked down the street arm in arm, things moved in slow motion. People stopped to stare at us, mouths hung open, and people whispered. I looked over at Tim and he looked over at me and said “They don’t see me Em, that’s all for you.”

  I looked over at his perfect, god-like face, and said “No way. There isn’t one man out here that compares to you.”

  “Em.” he said seriously, with a wounded look on his face. “I’m invisible to them. They literally can’t see me.”

  “But Amy and Elizabeth.” I said. “They seemed to know you. They looked right at you.”

  “I worked hard for that.” he said, with a fragment of emotion in his voice. “Everyone else, these crowds, I’m just a figure to them. Nothing remarkable or memorable. Someday I will be nothing to all of them.”

  “Oh.” I said, as he pulled me into a shoe store. I couldn’t help but feel for Tim. Being invisible didn’t seem like something he wanted.

  As he stalked around the store, he brought me several pairs of heeled shoes to try on. “I can’t walk in these, Tim.” I said, looking at him pleadingly.

  “Of course you can.” he said. “The problem is, you walk like a man. Move your hips a little.” I couldn’t help but laugh.

  I’d never thought about the way I walked, and as I watched myself in a mirror I did seem a little hunched over and mannish. He stood in front of me, looking back over his shoulder and said “follow my lead.”

  I followed him around the shoe store in my heels, laughing as he walked femininely with his hand on his hip. After memorizing the motions of the walk, I felt steady on my new shoes. Tim clapped.

  I stayed in last pair of shoes I tried on as the woman box up ten other pairs. “That should get you started.” said Tim. The woman boxing up the shoes held up my scuffed up black Mary Jane shoes, inquiring what to do with them. “Burn them.” he said, intently. The woman’s eyes grew wide and Tim laughed. She looked relieved.

  Aside from my bra and underwear, I had nothing left on my body from my old life. Everything was different - the people, the buildings, the attitudes.

  Tim didn’t seem dangerous, and the whole thing seemed surreal. I kept waiting for him to turn into a mean, blood drinking monster, but his character remained consistent. We got along so well that I nearly forgot that he was supposed to be my enemy.

  We ate lunch together at a dimly lit Japanese restaurant. Chopsticks were one thing I could do gracefully, so I showed off my skill. I sat up straight in my chair and shot Tim a smile. “I’m having so much fun with you.” I admitted.

  “I’m happy you’re here with me.” he said, smiling back.

  When we ventured back to the car, the air was heating up with afternoon. The sun felt good against my skin, it felt odd to be so warm outside in the middle of winter.

  We sat in the backseat of the car as it drove us up into the hills. I gawked as we passed by mansion after mansion. After turning into a drive, the driver reached out of the window and pressed a code into a keypad. The car pulled into a roundabout, with a large fountain at the center. I peered out at a mansion that looked like a modern day castle. It was as large as ten of my dad’s houses put together.

  Tim got out of his side of the car and opened my door for me. He grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet. “Welcome home.” he said.

  Instinctively, I put my hand to my chest where my silver locket usually rested and felt my bare skin. I felt an uneasy sinking feeling. “Are you alright?” asked Tim.

  Shaking off the feeling, I moved my hand from my chest down to my hip. “I’ve never seen anything like it” I said, looking up and feeling small in front of the sprawling mansion.

  Tim opened the front door, and I stepped in after him. We entered into a large room with ceilings that went up to the full second story, with an elaborate chandelier hanging above us in the center. I could hear my new heels echoing in the room with a click, click, click.

  A huge wooden staircase lined with red carpet stood before us, as wide as my old living-room. It led up to a second floor whose balcony wrapped around above us.

  A figure appeared, stepping down the stairs in heels. She wore a form fitting pink dress, that accentuated her tall, curvy body. Her hair was platinum and bouncing just above her shoulders with each step. Her eyes were pale blue, with batty eyelashes. She wore ruby red lipstick. She looked like a movie star walking on the red carpet.

  “Tim.” she said. “I can’t thank you enough for bringing her to me.” Tim bowed, bending deeply and slowly towards her. “I would do anything for you, Muriel.” he said.

  “You may go now.” she said to Tim. He left quickly, without saying goodbye. I felt a sudden wave of fear. Tim had been so friendly to me, for all of his corruption that he was supposed to have. Watching as he left, I felt a heaviness crawl through me. I wondered if I would see him again and then realized that I wanted to see him again.

  She followed Tim to the door, closing it behind him. After a loud thump from the door, she turned her attention to me like a predator eying its prey. She walked a complete revolution around me, looking me up and down. “Well.” she said, resting her eyes on my face for an uncomfortably long time. “Let’s go.”

  She walked up the steps, hips waving. I swallowed hard and followed her up. We turned to the left and walked down a long hall. The hall eventually opened up until a very large living room. Off to one side were open double doors where I could see four poster king size, that literally looked like it was meant for a king. Everything was so elaborately decorated.

  “This whole wing is yours.” she said, with a hand on one hip and gesturing with the other. “There are phones in every room, just dial one for your servants if you need anything. There are stairs on the other side that lead out back to the pool.”

  A woman in a black uniform came in and out with the boxes of new clothes and shoes from Tim’s car, scurrying around without acknowledging us. “I see Tim took you shopping, but I’ve already seen to your wardrobe.” she said, watching the maid. “I have better taste than him.”

  She swung around and began to walk away. On her way out she turned slightly and said. “There is a party downstairs at eight. Be there, people are dying to meet you.”

  “A party?” I thought, feeling like I’d stepped into a bizarre dream. When I left my dad’s house, I thought I was trading myself in to the enemy and had mentally prepared myself for being bound and possibly tortured. I was in no way prepared for a party.

  X

  Ashamed

  I stood in the same spot for several minutes after Muriel left, not sure what to do. She had said the whole wing was mine. As I processed the idea of an entire wing of a mansion being mine, I began to explore. Running my fingers across polished wood, I stopped to smell fresh flowers in a vase next to a large window. Everything was detailed. Even the ceiling had large, shiny, wooden inset tiles.

  Stepping into the bedroom, I looked around. The bedroom was very large, with a white bear skin rug on the carpet next to the huge bed. There was a vanity with drawers
and a large lighted mirror above it.

  Turning the knob on a door, I found a tiled bathroom with a big open shower and a large tub set into a stage directly beneath a window. Climbing up to the little stage, I looked out through the glass to see a beautiful view of the valley below. I looked straight down to see a landscaped garden dotted with gazebos. There was a small swimming pool with a waterfall that spilled into a very large swimming pool below it.

  I went back into the bedroom and opened the other door to find a walk in closet that was the size of my old apartment bedroom. It was chock full of clothes and shoes. Peeking into some drawers I found panties, lingerie, bras and silky stockings. I closed a drawer and went back to the bedroom.

  There was a clock on the nightstand that read “3:43 PM.” I had a way to go before Muriel’s party. Climbing into bed under the blankets I did the only thing that made sense. I fell into a deep sleep.

  I woke up to the blanket being ripped off of me. “It’s seven PM, sunshine, and you aren’t even close to being ready for the party.” said Muriel in a snippy voice.

  I bolted upright in the bed and reoriented myself with my surroundings. Rubbing my forehead, I felt disoriented and my head hurt.

  “Jesus.” said Muriel, shaking her head at me. I watched and listened to the sound of her heels clicking as she made her across the room and to my vanity where poured an amber liquid from a decanter to a cup that was rounded on the bottom.

  “Here.” she said, handing me the glass. “Drink up.”

  I took a sip, and it felt like fire blooming the whole way down into my stomach.

  “The whole thing.” she said.

  Taking a deep breath, I tilted my head back and poured the whole thing down my throat. “Better?” she asked as warm feeling bloomed in my stomach. My headache was gone. “Sure.” I said as I watched two women come into the room. One was rolling a little suitcase behind her and the other holding a large makeup case. “Stylists.” said Muriel.

  “Shower. Now.” she said, pointing to the bathroom. “I will find you something to wear.” Complying, I took a quick shower, finding some sweet smelling shampoo and conditioner. I felt a little buzzed from the drink, and the shower intensified the feeling. Drying off with a plush white towel hanging outside of the shower, I found a silky pink robe hanging from a set of hooks on the wall.