A Tiny Bit Mortal

by Lindsay Bassett

  The door opened slowly and there he stood, with his eyes wide. “Emily?” he said.

  “Dad.” I said. “Can I come in?”

  He looked past me and moved out of the doorway, gesturing for me to enter. He closed the door behind us.

  “Why are you still in Hollywood?” I asked, pacing back and forth in the room.

  “I’ve been doing everything I can to try to get you back.” he said.

  I stopped pacing and faced him. “I’m sorry dad,” I said, “for putting you through this.”

  “Will you come home?” he asked, reaching towards me with one hand. Stepping closer, I let him wrap his arm around me. Putting my arms around him I hugged him back. He pulled back and looked into my eyes.

  “I can’t.” I said.

  “Emily.” he said, “You can. You have nothing to worry about. If it’s shame, or guilt…”

  “I have to go back.” I said, interrupting.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “I gave my word to Vidar,” I said, “that I would come back for him.”

  He held out his hands to his sides, like he was confused. “Emily,” he said, “you need to come home.”

  “For what?” I said. “I love you dad, but I know I hurt Peter, badly.”

  He looked down at the floor and said “It is true. He’s very hurt. He’s gone back to live with his parents. It will just be me, you, and George at home. Come home, for me.”

  I thought of my fluffy orange cat, George. I missed him terribly. I missed my dad, and my mom. The image of all of them was quickly overshadowed by the memory of Vidar looking at me through the bars.

  “If you are worried that The Corrupt are going to use me, don’t.” I said, pacing again across the room. “I have this handled.”

  “Emily.” he said. “I think that’s what you thought when you left to trade yourself in for your mom. How did that work out for you?”

  I froze, and my shoulders stiffened. Marching towards him, I stopped just inches from his face. “You call yourselves The Pure.” I said, in a low voice. “Yet what do you do about the evil that goes on this world, except stand by and watch?”

  I put my finger on his chest and said “Someday, it might be you sitting in a dark cell for a hundred years. I wonder how you’d feel about how pure your people are after they leave you there and forget about you.”

  Walking over to the door I put my hand on the knob. He put his hand over my wrist, to stop me. “Emily.” he said.

  “Dad.” I said, turning my head and looking into his eyes.

  “I love you Emily.” he said. “Please don’t go.”

  “I love you too, dad.” I said. “But you have to let me go.”

  I waited for him to remove his hand, and he finally pulled away. He stepped back and looked at me with sad eyes.

  “I will be here, Emily, waiting for you.” he said.

  “Go home.” I said, and then darted out the door.

  Sneaking back into my room just in time, Muriel entered to tell me that I was going to a party. It was at the mansion of the actor that I had met on my first night with The Corrupt. His name was Johnny. As I stepped through the front door, all eyes turned to me. I hadn’t lost my touch.

  Stepping through the crowds, I mingled and socialized until I stopped right next to Johnny. “You have an amazing house, and you look absolutely stunning.” I said, repeating his line from the first time I’d met him.

  Johnny tilted his head back and laughed. “Em.” he said, wrapping his arms around me. “I’m honored by your presence.”

  He pulled back and grabbed a drink from a passing tray. He turned and placed the drink into my hands. “Thank you.” I said.

  He began walking, and I followed him into another room full of fast music and dancing people. I looked into the dancing crowd as I approached with the drink in my hand, instinctively scanning for Tim’s face. He wasn’t there, of course.

  Stopping just before the dancing crowd the memory of my last moments with Tim flashed through my mind. “I love you, Em.” he said. It echoed in my mind. It sent waves of emotion that I felt tingling through my arms and legs and settled in the pit of my stomach.

  I felt sick. It was all my fault. We both knew from the beginning that we were in too deep. Our love was dangerous, but we went ahead and let it happen. Now he was gone.

  I became aware of Johnny standing next to me. After drinking down half of my drink I then looked over at him and smiled. “Will you dance with me?” he asked.

  Placing my drink on a side table I took Johnny’s hand. He pulled me into the crowd and began moving to the music with his hands on my hips.

  With my hands raised in the air, I let the music move through my body. As the music became a part of me along with the buzzing of the alcohol, I had an idea. It may have been a drunk idea, but it was perfect. It would take time, and careful planning. There was a risk of losing myself again, and the risk of failure - but I had to try.

  Staying with the crowd, I became a part of it and then rose above it. Dancing on a platform, I coaxed the crowd into move with the music along with me. Time slowed down as I threw my back my head with my eyes closed.

  The music became single notes, hanging in the air. The emotion of every note moved through my body and guided it towards its destination. I looked down upon the crowd and saw that they had entered the trance that I’d guided them to.

  The next day I was invited to more parties. I attended them all, night after night, sometimes moving from one party to another. I was a party goddess.

  I wore the dresses and the hair, playing the full part of the party queen. Muriel and her minions suspected nothing.

  Muriel stood at the side of my bed, looking upon me with both suspicion and pride. I was glad that she still didn’t trust me. It was her offering of blood that I feared the most.

  “Muriel.” I said, rubbing my eyes and sitting up in my bed. “Have you forgiven me yet?”

  “No.” she said, coldly. “But I do still like you. You sure do know how to party.”

  I smiled. I felt relief, but didn’t show it. I had learned to cover the emotions I’d felt inside.

  “Your time in prison has hardened you, Emily.” she said, studying my face.

  “I have fun with the mortals and all,” I said, ignoring her comment, “but I have to wonder what a party with immortals is like. Do your kind even know how to have fun?”

  Muriel’s lips curled up into a smile.

  “Honey,” she said, leaning into me, “we fucking invented parties.”

  Looking at her with wide eyes I showed her my biggest grin. She looked at my face, and then out across the room, staring at the wall. She put her hand up to her hip and then turned to face me. She raised a brow, and I leaned in towards her as if I were on the edge of my seat. “Let’s have a party then.” she said.

  Stepping down the stairs to the foyer, I wore a tiny red dress made out of lightweight fabric. It showed my curves that moved beneath the fabric as I descended with grace.

  My eyes began scanning the crowd below. Wine was being poured, from bottle after bottle. Immortals lounged on chairs and gathered in crowds. Spotting Muriel I saw that she was gesturing and speaking to two men.

  Locking onto my target and began moving through the crowd towards her. Faces began looking up from their glasses and conversations to watch me pass by. Muriel looked up as well as I approached her. “Emily.” she said.

  “Muriel.” I said.

  I looked around me at what seemed like the equivalent of a mandatory business party. Everyone seemed to be smiling and talking, but it wasn’t exactly a party.

  I smiled and said “Where’s the party?”

  She looked around at the crowd and frowned. “Well,” she said, “I guess it could use a little help.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” I said, turning on my heels.

  I summoned a servant skittering by close to the wall and whispered into her ear. After waiting for a moment, I then walk
ed across the foyer, and climbed up to a table in the very center.

  The lights dimmed, and everyone began looking around. Music faded in, followed by fog and flashing lights. The beats sped up and I moved my body to the music, rubbing my hands against my body.

  Looking down to see eyes looking towards me, the figures moved to join me. As the crowd picked up I climbed down from the table and joined in. We moved together, from song to song, as wine continued to flow into our glasses.

  I danced with my back to a large, muscular man with ivory skin and dark hair. He had his hand around my waist as I swayed my hips.

  Looking over I saw Muriel observing me. I closed my eyes and threw back my head, leaning in to the man behind me. Letting all of my inhibitions go I reached back to grab the back of the his hair to pull him in even closer.

  I danced in the same way with several men and women, playing the full part of a drunken party girl. As I became drunker, Muriel seemed to let her guard down a bit and drank more herself.

  The party lasted into the early hours of the morning, ending with the majority of the crowd passing out drunk on one another. I was on my back on the floor, with my head resting on the waste of a man, and a woman passed out across my own legs.

  After a few hours of sleeping amongst the crowd, I became aware of being carried. I felt the softness of my bed wrap embrace my back and opened my eyes. Muriel stood over me and smiled.

  She sat on the bed next to me and put her hand on me. “That was the most fun I’ve had in hundreds of years.” she said. “You have some kind of spark in you, Emily. You ignite people.”

  Sitting up in my bed I rubbed my eyes.

  “I think we are going to have to do that again.” she said with a smile.

  “I think you’re right.” I said, smiling. “I have some ideas about what we could to do the downstairs to make it even better.”

  Muriel raised an eyebrow and said “oh yeah?”

  I leaned towards her in the bed. “These people are immortal, but they seem like they could use some help with feeling alive.” I said. “The foyer and living room have the same problem.”

  Muriel stared across the room at the wall and then back at me. “You’re right.” she said, pointing her finger at me and wagging it. “You are on to something.”

  XVI

  Escape

  Muriel hired a team of interior designers that she handed over to me to command. We transformed the conservative, marble floored, ivory foyer into a sparkling over the top party pad.

  The party pad extended into the living room, and out into the backyard with the pool. The pool had LED lights installed on the bottom that changed to the beat of music.

  “Blue?” asked the peppy brunette.

  “Yes, blue.” I said.

  I walked away and stood at the edge of the pool water. Watching the water ripple, I thought about agreeing to blue paint on one of the living room walls. It seemed like an important choice, and I wondered if it was right.

  The color blue hung in my mind. I remembered the blue of Vidar’s eyes. “Vidar.” I thought. “I haven’t forgotten you.”

  It seemed silly and trivial to be deep in thought about the living room, but I had to play the part. If I didn’t play the part, I had little chance of freeing Vidar, or myself. I shuddered at the thought of spending another minute in that dark cell.

  Muriel joined me next to the poolside. “It’s coming along well.” she said.

  “It sure is.” I said with a smile.

  “I think we’ll be a ready for another party of Friday.” she said. “I think after last time, we’ll probably have an even bigger turnout.”

  “I can’t wait.” I said, acting giddy, and rocking back and forth on my heels.

  Muriel smiled and walked away. I waited, then marched towards the house with determination. Continuing my conversation with the interior designer I set out to make Muriel’s mansion the best party house on earth.

  Friday night rolled around, and we were ready to go. I burst into the kitchen on the far side of the house. “We need more wine!” I shouted.

  A man with a notepad quickly approached and began scribbling.

  “The party is in less than two hours.” I said. “Hustle!” The man skittered off, and I turned on my heels.

  Walking down a hall and out into the foyer, I observed my work. It was a picture of luxury and glamour. There were places to lounge and spaces to dance. Dancing platforms scattered around, glittering with gold designs.

  The go-go dancers arrived that I’d hired to dance on some of the platforms. I looked them up and down, and nodded with satisfaction.

  Muriel walked up behind me. “You’re sure working hard.” she said.

  I turned around and gave her a big smile.

  “You’re change of heart pleases me.” she said. “I think we are well on our way to putting the past behind us.”

  She looked intensely in my eyes, searching. I thought about my excitement for the party, and I knew that’s what she was seeing. She smiled and walked away.

  Rushing up the stairs I met the stylists at the vanity in my bedroom. “Tonight,” I said, “I expect your best work yet.” The women nodded and got to work.

  After my hair and makeup was finished, I slipped into the dress I had custom made for the party. It was like a Greek toga, flowing around me and gathering on one shoulder. The fabric was see-through, revealing my breasts, the shape of my hips and my navel. I had fresh flowers woven into my hair. I left my feet bare, but wore gold anklets around my ankles.

  Observing my work in the mirror I smiled, pleased. The party had already begun, but I sat in my bed, kicking my legs like a little girl. I waited for the crowd to gather and the party to pick up before I left.

  Looking around the room, I knew that one way or another it was the last time I would see it. By the end of the night I would either be running with Vidar, or locked in a cell.

  Getting up and walking around the room, I ran my fingers across things in my room. I remembered the first day that I’d arrived in “my wing” of the mansion. It was so new and strange, and I had no idea what I was in for.

  Grabbing two large bottles of wine from a side table, I checked to make sure they were both uncorked. Holding one bottle in each hand, I carried them out to my sides. My dress and hair floated behind me, glowing and ethereal.

  Slowly descending the stairs, I felt eyes on me. My blatant nudity through my see-through dress and the bottles of wine drew the eyes of everyone. I approached the crowd, and it parted.

  Pouring wine into the glasses of the immortal party-goers, I danced to the music as I went. The crowd grew excited and drank with exuberance.

  After I found Muriel, I poured her a glass. She looked at me with approval and drank from her glass like she didn’t have a care in the world. “I am the goddess of wine!” I said, letting the buzzing of alcohol vibrate through my words. “Yes.” she said, throwing her head back and laughing. “Yes you are, Emily.”

  Trading in my wine bottles for fresh ones that I had stashed around the foyer, the wine continued to flow from from me for hours. The crowd moved and swayed, growing drunker with passing hour.

  The immortals grew exhausted and drunk, many passing out and others making love to each other in plain view. Muriel was among them, drinking directly from a bottle while a man stroked her hair.

  Pretending to pass out, I watched through a sliver of a cracked eye as Muriel drifted off to sleep. The man I was kissing gave up on me and moved on to another woman. Lying on my back on a couch with a limp arm hanging over the side, I listened carefully.

  Finally the last couple quieted down, and the whole room was silent. I rose from my seat, my senses sharp. Dancing through the room, I moved through the spaces in between sleeping bodies without making a sound.

  After opening the door to the hallway with Egyptian hieroglyphs and art, I paused to listen. My eyes swept over the Egyptian man and woman sitting on their thrones side by side. “Tim.” I w
hispered, as I brushed my fingers over the image.

  I held still and listened, with my fingers still on the picture on the wall. The room with the passed out immortals was still silent as if time itself were frozen in there. With my hearing locked on to the room, I descended into the throne room and then down the stairs to the prison.

  It became difficult to listen to the upstairs as the weeping in the darkness echoed around me. Pushing out their sounds, I concentrated.

  After I found Vidar’s cell I whispered sweetly to the barred door. It popped open, and Vidar’s figure emerged in the dark. I threw my arms around him, and his large arms lifted me from the floor.

  “Ready?” I asked, as he placed me back down on the floor.

  “I have been waiting for this day.” he said, nodding.

  “Listen.” I said.

  We both listened beyond the moans of the prison.

  “There’s nothing.” he said. “What did you do with them?”

  “They are sleeping.” I said. “Drunk.”

  Vidar grinned and followed me out of the prison. As we entered the dimly lit hall with Muriel’s throne, Vidar lifted his arm to shield his eyes from the light. “It will only get brighter.” I whispered.

  We wound our way up the stairs, and through the hall with the Egyptian hieroglyphs and art. He stopped and looked around him, wide eyed. He turned to me and whispered “The crazy bastards.”

  I nodded, then lifted my index fingers to my lips. I pointed towards the door that led to the first floor of the mansion. Vidar nodded in understanding.

  Together we danced through the sleeping bodies and exited through the front door. I paused just outside the front door. “What’s wrong?” whispered Vidar.

  The silver necklace that Peter had given me called out to me in my mind. It was still shoved in the back of the drawer in my closet.

  I remembered the feeling of the silver locket under my fingers. The locket, and Peter had meant so much to me at the time. Reaching up to where the locket had once rested on my chest I felt the diamond hanging from the gold necklace Tim had given me. Though it wasn’t love at first sight with him like it had with Peter, he had slowly woven himself into my heart. He had my heart.