Paranormal Nights

by CJ Ellisson

  The image of Cam kept vaulting into her mind. She kept shoving it away. I’m so tired of being used by men. He’s only going to be one more in a cast of thousands.

  “Step, one, step, two, turn and jump, turn and jump.” It’ll only be a dead end road. “That’s it, you’re doing great!” she called. She pictured the faces of her recent lovers, drunk, high, sober, looming over her, encouraging her to spread her legs, same story since high school. “And let’s step up the intensity. Give me thirty seconds as hard as you can. Go, go, go!” Her only purpose for those boys was a place to park it, pump it, and pack it outta there. She didn’t exist after that. They rarely even exchanged names. I’d really love to be loved for once.

  “Cool it down for a sec. Keep moving.” She pictured herself as a child. She believed herself to be ghosting through life, invisible. Damn alcoholic parents. Always too wrapped up in the bottle to give me the time of day. “You know what’s next. Pushups, fast feet, jump squats and thrusters. Go!” A sweaty, body-odor, perfume, deodorant cocktail of aromas permeated the room. I wonder how a night of sweaty sex with Cam would smell? “You’re doing fantastic, ladies and gentlemen! Great job, everyone. Super-duper job!”

  Class ended and everyone emptied into the locker room. Chérie busied herself, gathering up her iPod, water bottle and towel, and prepared to head for her Pilates class. A sudden chill ran up her spine.

  Pay attention.

  A distinct male voice echoed in her head. “Is someone there?” She paused, listening. “Nothing. How odd.”

  Please wake up.

  This is new. Now I’m hearing voices. “Who are you? Is someone there?”

  I wish you’d wake up. I’m bored.

  Chérie’s forehead creased into a deep V. This is crazy. “Well, I wish you weren’t talking to me in my head. Unless you’re my angel, of course. Angels are cool.” She smiled. “I read a book about angels.” A distinct groan filled her mind. Chérie’s face creased into a frown. “You’re groaning?”

  Watch out.

  The door swished open behind her and she whirled around.

  Debra strode into the room, every bit the commanding officer of the Metropolitan Gym. Her beige pants hung sharply, creased like a log splitter, aimed to cleave anything in her way. She wore her hair short and slicked back from her face. An Army patrol cap would have completed the outfit. “Miss Manhattan,” she said.

  “I’m sorry, I g-g-got in an accident,” Chérie blurted. The lie came out more smoothly this time.

  “You look fine to me.” The cool gray eyes appraised her.

  “I am. It’s a good thing, too.” She attempted a smile.

  “And why’s that?”

  “Because otherwise you would have had to cancel my class. It’s a big class.” The forced smile grew larger, making her jaws ache.

  “I see. Instead, there’s now a distinct possibility I’ll have to fire you.”

  “Fire me? My students love me!” She clapped her hand over her mouth. I need this job.

  “Their loyalty is short lived, I assure you. You are the soup du jour,” she said in a smooth French accent.

  She’s not even French, Chérie thought. New Jersey all the way.

  “I’m watching you. Be on time from now on.”

  “I will, I will. You can be sure of that,” Chérie said. Her stomach knotted into a French twist, matching her employer’s accent.

  Debra didn’t move. Hands on her hips, she stood appraising Chérie.

  Chérie’s legs refused to budge. Her boss’s eyes moved up and down, up and down, as if she were being erased.

  The voice in her head weighed in with a sarcastic edge. You’re rather like a tree, don’t you think? Can’t you feel the roots binding you to the Earth?

  I’m not a tree, she countered.

  Really?

  I’m becoming a crazy person if I keep hearing you. She kept her eyes downward and watched Debra from the corners of her eyes.

  Suit yourself.

  Suit myself? She blinked. Frowned. Blinked again.

  “Is there a problem, Ms. Manhattan?”

  “No, ma’am.” Chérie twisted her hands together.

  Debra’s mouth curled to the left. It pursed in a bunch. Her eyes narrowed. Without another word, she spun on her heel and stalked from the room.

  Chérie let out a long breath. Hate that woman. She grabbed her belongings and hustled into the hallway. The chorus of her favorite song began playing and she shoved her hand into her bag to find her phone. “Hey, Z. What’s going on, bestie?”

  “Nothing but work. You?”

  “Oh my God, I hate my boss.”

  “You need to learn how to manage her.” Zuri Davidson excelled at management. Curvaceous, tall, long-haired and sexy, Zuri never took no for an answer.

  “That’s your job. You’re the office manager.” Chérie found an unoccupied corridor, seeking privacy. “Hey, I’ve only got a moment. I’ve got another class soon. But I…” She lowered her voice to a hush. “I met someone.”

  “Oooh, really? Who? What does he look like?”

  “Remember the guy I’ve been dreaming about?”

  “Which one? The dark haired guy who lives in the stars or the blond adrenaline junkie, master of all things physical?”

  “Blond. I ran into him. Literally. Nearly knocked him over.”

  “That’s romantic. A collision with destiny.”

  “Yeah, and we’re supposed to have tea today. But I think I’m going to be a no-show.”

  “Oh, no,” Zuri commanded. “I’ll drag your ass to the café and sit on you. You’re going.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Yes,” Zuri said, “you do. You rarely tell me about the guys you go out with.”

  “They’re one night stands more like it. What’s to tell?”

  “And now you’re telling me about this guy and you say he reminds you of your dream. That’s significant.”

  “Is it? I wonder if I’m making it up.”

  “You’ll never know unless you try. It’s a simple date at a café. You can leave after five minutes if you need to.”

  “I guess.” Chérie leaned against the wall. “Can I tell you something?”

  “Of course. What are best friends for?”

  “I’m scared. I mean, I know I just met this guy. And I’m probably projecting to think it’s going somewhere. But sex and intimacy have always been a challenge for me.”

  “I wondered.”

  Chérie’s face grew hot. “About what?”

  “You’re usually not ecstatic after one of your one night stands. You rarely mention them. I, on the other hand, tell you when it’s fantastic and when the guy’s a total dud in bed. I tell you.”

  “I know you do. I get jealous sometimes.”

  “Jealous? Of me?”

  “Not you so much. More like your ability to let go with a guy.” She tugged on the towel hanging around her neck. “You know how I grew up, living in my fucked-up home?”

  “Sure.”

  “Sex, for me, was part of the fucked-up.” Chérie paused, gathering her thoughts. “How humiliating. I told you about my first time--”

  “Which first time?”

  Cherie grunted. “What does that mean?”

  “Never mind. Just start talking.”

  “The whole story is stirring in my head like a swarm of bees. Ugh! It’s like I’m reliving it all over again.”

  “I’m here for you.”

  “Me and my two best friends, Lacey and Mariah, were sitting on the lawn at Walla Walla High, watching the world go by, feeling all gangly and awkward. Lacey moaned about being sixteen and never been kissed. Mariah chimed in, too. I hadn’t…I hadn’t even had a boy notice me. And I’d be sweet sixteen in a month.”

  “Everyone matures differently, Chér,” Zuri soothed. “I mentioned that before.”

  “Yeah, well…I never belonged to the trendy girls’ world, like you. My lame friends and I always watched the st
upid crowd-pleasing girls flirting with the football team. I’m sure we all felt ashamed we’d never been asked out. We pictured ourselves as flies on a dung hill while the ponies frolicked nearby. I got my braces off, I still wore glasses - ugly, ugly, ugly. Wherever I went, boys would taunt me and call me names. ‘Four eyes!’ ‘Stupid girl!’ I’d hunch my shoulders and wish to God I could be invisible.”

  “Oh, Chér, how painful! You never told me that part.”

  “I don’t like to talk about it - too painful. Anyway, a few weeks later, the day after I turned sixteen, Weston, a friend of a friend’s husband, drove me into the hills to have his way with me. After he finished, he proudly held up his condom, clucking, ‘My, my, Weston do fill da’ bag.’ And that was that - virgin no more.”

  “Doesn’t sound fun. And the guy sounds like a total jerk. All you told me before was how some guy drove you up in the hills.”

  “It wasn’t fun. And yes to the jerk comment. I felt horrified, mortified, you name it, certain everyone in the damn town would find out and I’d be cast into the desert or something.”

  “Oh, Chér. I hate to hear things like this. You’re beautiful. I don’t think you know that.”

  Chérie pressed her lips together. She studied a flyer tacked to the wall.

  “Are you still there?”

  “I’m here. But anyway, now I’m going on this stupid date. And I’m feeling stupid, invisible, ugly…all the things I felt as a teen. And I’m in my late twenties. I really don’t want to go. He’ll use me like all the rest.”

  “If I were there I’d wrap my arms around you and squeeze all the negative talk out of you. Have fun! Or, leave. But go! You’ll be all right. If you’re not, we’ll go out for drinks tonight and laugh about it.”

  “I guess,” Chérie said. “Anyway, thanks for the pep talk. I feel better. I’ll let you know how it goes. I’ve gotta run. My class starts in ten minutes.” She tapped the disconnect button and dashed off to teach Pilates.

  Chapter Three

  “So now I’m an angel? I don’t believe it.” Kayden tossed his satiny, jet black, star-sprinkled hair behind his shoulders. He floated languorously, suspended like a cloud over Earth’s atmosphere. “She’s like a child sometimes. I do wish she’d remember who she is and who I am to her. I’m bored, bored, bored.”

  “I could help you forget her,” a sultry female voice said.

  “Don’t even think for a moment I’m interested, Alpha,” he said, one eyebrow arched imperiously. “Bet,” he added.

  Alpha glared at him. “You think that’s funny, do you? Alphabet. So that’s my name now, is it?”

  “It’s an endearing nickname,” Kayden cooed sarcastically. “Now go find something to do.”

  “Oh, but I am doing something, your majesty. I’m entertaining you.” She pivoted right and left, hoping he’d notice her curvy form. She swayed to and fro, allowing her voluminous breasts to jiggle and bobble, temptingly, she hoped. She looked askance at him. Nothing.

  Her skin shone blue and turquoise, like the Caribbean Sea. Her rippling hair flowed like high voltage ocean waves, disappearing into nothingness. She flipped her head side to side, shifting to a slow-mo vibration, allowing droplets of wet light to arc through the air. Her head arched back and her butt protruded, temptingly, she hoped.

  “Well, you’re not doing a very good job. Stop that. You’re behaving like a silly puppy. You’re getting moist light particles all over me. It’s rather mud-like and I don’t like it.” He brushed away the specks of colored light and space debris from his arms and paused, frowning. “Pretty clever of me to throw those two together, don’t you think?” He clapped his hands forcefully. “Ka-boom!”

  She sighed. When it came to his interest and affection, he never budged - ever. “Most brilliant, your lordship,” the shimmering, transparent female agreed somberly. Her appearance transformed to farm girl perky, a checked shirt and jeans covering her beautiful body. If he wasn’t interested, he didn’t get to see the goods.

  Kayden rolled his eyes. “What’s wrong with you today? Since when do you use those terms with me?” His fiery eyes glinted. “I take it back. Keep it up. It does feel splendid to be referred to this way. Your lordship it is. Your majesty works too.”

  “Whatever,” Alpha stated. “What’s wrong with you, is the real question. You’re rather petulant.”

  “What do you suppose is wrong with me? Could it have anything to do with what’s happening…correct that…with what’s not happening on Earth right now?” Kayden’s hand rubbed his washboard abs. He manifested a full length mirror and studied himself. “Hand me the jar of stardust, will you?”

  “Yes, your majesty. Where is it?”

  Kayden flicked his fingers and a brilliant jar appeared in front of her. “And the silver comb.”

  “Yes, your majesty. And where might that be?”

  He flipped his hand and a glistening, gleaming, buffed to perfection comb appeared beside the jar.

  Alpha retrieved both items and handed them to him with a sigh.

  He dipped the polished silver comb into the stardust and combed his locks.

  “I could comb your hair, you know.” Alpha watched him.

  He gazed at her imperiously. “Nobody touches this,” he said, indicating his whole body. “Except her.” He turned his attention to the mirror. He tossed his head back and forth. The stardust sparkled in his hair like a tiny Milky Way. He nodded. “Magnificent, don’t you think?”

  Alpha smiled. “You are. When you’re in this form, in any form actually, you’re breathtaking.”

  Kayden smiled, a brilliant, beaming smile. He fancied himself to be a glorious specimen of the cosmos, and, well, none had ever disagreed. While he could assume any form he chose, Chérie lived on Earth and when in Rome…

  “Where’s everyone else?”

  “Here and there, your lordship. You know how they get while we’re waiting for her to find her love.”

  “And how is that?”

  “Tense, your lord. The word is tense. They’re scared of you when you’re like this.”

  “Like this?” Kayden chuckled. “That’s hilarious. They’re Galaxy dancers. They know I would never lay a hand on them.”

  “True. But still. The Zen vibe among us gets a little jagged at times. When you’re like this, I mean.” She eyed him, sullenly. “Put some clothes on.”

  “Why should I? I do as I please.” Standing six foot three inches, every muscle bulged with strength and power. His bronze skin glowed from within. His eyes emanated the sun’s golden glow. His hair, his crowning glory, flowed down his back like a cascade of nightfall. He combed stardust through it every morning. It gave an exotic glimmer his beloved said she adored. When she wasn’t otherwise engaged in Earth’s folly, she reminded him daily how much beauty he possessed. “As does she,” he muttered, sullenly. “Mine pales in comparison to her.” Holy Stars, my beautiful soul, remember!

  “I realize you’re the ka, but since you don’t want to play, I don’t want to be tempted.”

  “What’s this?” The ka blinked in surprise, jarred from his thoughts. “So that’s why you’re dressing like that ridiculous movie Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz? You know the one, right? My beloved insisted on watching it as a child.” He tapped his lips, contemplating. “That’s the first time she thought she might not be a mere human from Walla Walla. She actually thought she might be from Oz.” He resumed glaring at Alpha. “I’d prefer you take something off. Because I’m not interested, doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate beauty.”

  A musical trill left Alpha’s throat. “Why thank you, ka.” She resumed her striking purple-blue visage.

  Kayden brought his fingers to his jaw. He stroked his chin, slowly, thoughtfully. What good is being the ka’kriyayago, if I’m apart from the ka’kriyayaga? And, he and the ka’kriyayaga were the heart of the dancers…of all of life, actually. I’m the heart, she’s the beat. Or maybe she’s the heart, I’m the beat. Whatever. We’re not whol
e without the other. Without her - the entire ka’kriyayago, ka’kriyayaga show - gone. Pfft. We don’t explore galaxies together. We don’t restore planetary harmony with our loving communion. Instead, I wait. I miss her.

  “Why do you allow this?”

  “What, pray, do I allow?” he said, looking up from his reflections.

  “This,” she swept her hand toward Earth. “Her going there again and again.”

  “It’s an agreement we made a long time ago. I did it because I love her and she wasn’t happy. And when she’s not happy, nobody’s is happy.”

  Alpha shuddered. “You got that right.”

  “And if she doesn’t meet him, she won’t remember who she is.”

  “Now she’s met him, it should be soon, eh?”

  Kayden’s nostrils flared. “It’s not so simple.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What does our troupe love to do best?”

  “Ah, my lord, that’s a simple question with an obvious answer. We milk one another’s souls, drawing ecstatic delight from one another. We seduce, writhe, whimper and moan. We…”

  “That’s enough, Alpha. You needn’t elaborate further. That’s exactly it. The pair down there,” he jabbed a finger toward Earth, “they need to screw.” He spit out the word. “Not like the passionate energy we share. She should get there soon enough.”

  “What do you mean should?”

  “She always retains free will. It’s never a guarantee she’ll meet him in any incarnation. And he’s stubborn. More like a Neanderthal.” Kayden’s lip curled in derision. “And if she doesn’t meet him…”

  “You don’t have to remind me. It only happened once but…” Alpha shuddered. “So much weeping and anger…” Alpha shook her ocean mane. “Has he ever met you?”