Echo in the Hall

by Cricket Starr

Her uneasiness found a focus. She did not like how Alex was laughing. It almost sounded as if he was laughing at her. “Easy?”

  He didn’t seem to notice her irritation. “Too easy, babe. I expected to have to convince you and you just came right along.”

  “Convince?” He’d thought she needed convincing and had a plan for it?

  Alex raised himself on his arms and stared down at her. As much as she appreciated the admiration in his eyes, the smug smile on his face wasn’t improving her mood. “Well, yeah. I mean who’d expect a babe like you would be so eager to get laid. I thought I’d have to talk you into it, maybe even threaten to tell the Rockmans that you were spying on them.”

  Horror filled her. “Tell the Rockmans?” This man who’d just made love to her had been intending to tell Narcissus that she’d watched him and Violet? He would have used that to get her to do what he wanted?

  Alex must have read her expression and figured out she wasn’t taking this news well. He put a placating hand on her shoulder. “Hey take it easy, babe.”

  Echo pushed on his shoulder, and off-balance as he was, Alex fell off the couch. He sat bare-assed on the floor, staring at her in astonishment. Springing to her feet, Echo grabbed her gown from the pile of clothing and fled for the door. After unbolting it and swinging it open, she turned to glare at him.

  “Not easy babe!” she shouted before taking off down the hall, heading for her statue.

  She was halfway there before she realized she’d used the word “not” in her last sentence—

  —and he hadn’t!

  * * * * *

  Oh, crap. Damn, shit, crap. Alex scrambled into his clothes, trying to button his shirt with one hand while pulling on his underwear and pants with the other. How could he have been so stupid? Here he’d had the best sexual experience in months…

  Okay, scratch that, even with Mel-the-Bitch it hadn’t been that great. Here he’d had the best sex in years…

  No, even that wasn’t enough. He couldn’t remember ever having sex that good at all. Fucking Echo had been the best fucking ever. It had been world-championship fucking, on a level he’d never seen before.

  If the Olympics had a competition for sex, he and Echo would have just won the gold medal for pairs.

  He’d never felt so close to a woman, any woman, like he’d been with her.

  And he’d just told his number-one sex partner of all time that she’d been too easy.

  Damn, shit, fuck, CRAP!

  Alex gave up on buttoning the shirt and left it open, pulling on his shoes instead. He had to reach her statue before she got inside and was lost to him forever. He had to at least apologize, or she’d never speak to him again.

  Not that she spoke much now, only repeating the last words he said. That was kind of cool when you thought about it, having a girlfriend who couldn’t say more than you did. If you never said, “I love you”, she’d never say it either.

  Alex shook his head. He wasn’t looking for a girlfriend, was he? No, not at all. But he couldn’t just leave it as it was with Echo. He’d never forgive himself. She hadn’t deserved to be hurt that way.

  Leaving the security office, he slammed the door and ran down the hall.

  * * * * *

  Echo reached the gallery. Ahead was her statue, gleaming in the dim after-hours lighting. Echo rushed to it, then spent a few moments slipping on her gown and fastening the golden clasps. Butterflies, they were beautiful in design, a gift from her sister, Nemesis. She secured the hooks, then straightened her gown so it matched the statue in front of her.

  The feeling of not-rightness continued, and it made her nervous. She fussed with the gown more than she usually did before merging back into her stone home.

  She realized that she was delaying the inevitable and wondered why. What was she doing, waiting for the oaf she’d had sex with to catch up with her and apologize? He’d laughed at her, called her names, said she was “easy” to talk into sex. She might not have spent much time as a solid in the past three thousand years, but she knew an insult when she heard it. He didn’t respect her, not at all.

  Not that she respected herself very much. Even the memory of that wonderful warm glow she’d had after they’d finished failed to cheer her. She had been too easy for him to talk into sex.

  No matter, it was over. She would just step forward and merge into her statue. Still nervous, Echo reached out her arms, closed her eyes, and stepped forward to meld with the stone in front of her.

  WHAP!

  Moaning, Echo rubbed her aching nose. It had collided with the solid marble. This was the second painful thing to happen to her today, and she never felt pain. She never felt anything usually.

  First had been when Alex had tried to enter her and she wasn’t ready, and then when he’d called her easy…

  No, that was the second time. Hitting the marble was the third time. Three painful incidents in one night…she should never have become solid tonight, not even to watch Narcissus making love to Violet. The whole evening had gone wrong, and it was all Alex’s fault.

  The feeling of not-rightness got stronger. Never had she’d bumped her nose when re-entering the statue. All she had to do was think transparent, the same as she did with the door to Violet’s office.

  Just think transparent, give up her solidity and become a spirit again. Echo opened her arms and thought light thoughts. She was mist, an indistinct shadow, nothing more than thought…she would enter her marble representation and lose herself in the spirit world…

  …she stepped forward.

  WHAP!

  Crying in pain, Echo knelt on the floor, one hand nursing her injured nose. Something dripped onto her hand. She checked and saw blood on her fingers. A bloody nose? She had a bloody nose from trying to go back into her statue!

  Echo leaned against the stone figure and gave herself up to despair. What was she going to do? She was trapped here in a world with lovers who called you easy when they got what they wanted.

  She was crying so hard, she missed the swirl of random dust moving off the floor, turning into a whirlwind. The whirlwind rose in the middle of the room and departed as quickly as it came, leaving behind a beautiful figure of a woman, with long blonde hair and the most exquisite cheekbones.

  Aphrodite, fairest of the fair, goddess of carnal love, beauty, and desire had made her entrance. Smiling, she regarded the miserable nymph in front of her, completely overcome with grief and loss.

  She held aloft the crystal wineglass in her hand and tapped it with a long polished fingernail. The bell-like sound caught Echo’s attention and instantly she jumped to her feet. She bowed with as much dignity as she could, hampered by keeping one hand on her nose, trying to staunch the bleeding.

  Out of thin air, the goddess plucked a silk handkerchief and handed it to the unfortunate nymph. “Goodness, you’re a mess. Put pressure on it, dear, and tilt your head forward.” She nodded approvingly as Echo followed her instructions. “There now, that should fix it.”

  Glancing around, Aphrodite noticed the marble bench at the edge of the room. Gracefully she glided to it and settled her slender frame on one end. The wine in her glass barely sloshed as she sat down.

  After straightening her gown, she turned her attention to Echo, head still tilted down, watching her with bated breath. She smiled and patted the bench next to her.

  “Now, dear, I believe there is something we should talk about.”

  Echo lowered her head and checked the handkerchief. Thank goodness, the bleeding seemed to have stopped. Screwing up her courage, she sat on the bench as directed. “Talk about?”

  The goddess finished her wine and tossed the goblet into the air, where it promptly disappeared. “Yes, talk about. It seems there are congratulations in order.” Smiling broadly, she applauded with both hands.

  Confused, Echo stared at the goddess. “Congratulations?”

  “Of course, congratulations. You’ve lifted your curse.”

  “Curse? How?�
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  Abruptly she realized that “how” hadn’t been one of the words Aphrodite had used. “How?” she said again, softly.

  “By having sex with a mortal and making him love you; that’s how you’ve won your freedom. The curse you were under is lifted; you’re human now and can talk, although the last may take some time to get used to. With practice I’m sure you’ll be just fine.”

  Astonished, Echo’s mouth dropped open. She could talk again? The implications whirled through her mind. She’d be able to form sentences without using someone else’s words. First sentences! She could start a conversation and not have to wait until someone else spoke first.

  Why, she’d be able to tell that jerk Alex exactly what she thought of him, and use words she was certain he’d never think of using first. Her face grew warm at the image of that triumph.

  Not that she’d really do it. After all, she was going back into her statue and she’d never speak to him again…

  Wait a minute. What was that other part of what Aphrodite said? Echo turned to the goddess. To her dismay, the words she needed for her question were still hard to find.

  “Human?” she finally got out.

  The goddess beamed. “Yes, you’re human now. Isn’t that wonderful?”

  Wonderful? No, it wasn’t wonderful. She was a nymph, a mythical demi-creature, immune to the travails of humankind. If she were human she’d be mortal, she could get sick…

  Horror struck her. She could get pregnant!

  “Aphrodite,” she struggled out. “Me…human.”

  Benevolently the goddess patted her on the shoulder. “I know it’s all a bit overwhelming but you needn’t thank me right now. It was my idea, you know, to put that test before you. I knew that once you tasted actual passion, you’d be thrilled and never want to go back.”

  Oh she was thrilled all right, if by thrilled the goddess meant terrified right down to her tiptoes. But what was she going to do? She pointed to the statue, her home for so many centuries. “Go back,” she asked, putting all her want into her voice.

  A perplexed expression came over Aphrodite’s face. “You mean you do want to return to the statue? Aren’t you pleased to be human after all this time?”

  In answer Echo burst into tears. The goddess moved closer and wrapped her arms around the unfortunate girl. Patting her gently on the back, she shook her head in consternation. “Dear, dear…I didn’t expect you to take it this way. Why Narcissus was thrilled, but then he’d had his love there with him.”

  “Not love,” she managed to get out between sobs. “Not love me.”

  “Oh, dear.” The goddess didn’t like that at all. A frown developed on her perfect lips. “Well, that’s got to change. This spell only works if there is everlasting love involved. Otherwise you’ll only stay human for a few weeks, two months at best and then return to being what you were.”

  Back to what she was? But she wanted that, didn’t she?

  Aphrodite continued on as if she’d heard her thoughts and Echo decided that most likely she could. “You might not be able to go back to being a statue though. You could even go back to the oblivion you were in before the statue was made. It would depend on whether or not you were near the statue when the spell fails.”

  She patted Echo’s hand. “The last time you lost form was because you failed to win Narcissus’s love and it wasted you away. But that was thousands of years ago and surely you’ve learned how to make a man love you now. After all, at least this time you got him to make love with you. That’s a good first step.”

  She might go back to oblivion? No, Echo really didn’t want to go back there. She’d do anything to avoid that. Even learn how to make Alex love her. Echo felt the cold marble under her. It was nice to be able to feel again…even if the marble was cold enough to remind her of the half-life she’d experienced before.

  “So you see, the situation is this. You have to make Alex fall in love with you. If you can, you’ll live happily as a human. Otherwise you’ll fade back into oblivion and have to go back to the statue.”

  Aphrodite arched a perfect eyebrow. “Of course you can’t tell him that, he has to fall in love on his own without any threats.”

  She raised Echo’s chin with the edge of her graceful hand, staring into the former nymph’s face, a hint of menace in her own. “So, where is that young man of yours?”

  At the sound of running footsteps in the hall, both women turned to the gallery doorway. Still struggling to fasten his belt, his shirttail not completely tucked in, and one foot wearing a shoe but no sock, Alex appeared in the entrance. His face was flushed and he breathed heavily, out of breath. He startled at the sight of the pair sitting on the bench and Echo thought she saw a trace of guilty dismay cross his handsome features.

  Wiping her tears away, she glared at him. Good, he should feel guilty. Thanks to him, she was no longer able to hide away from the world and would have to learn how to live as a human. What’s worse, she’d have to make him love her. They’d have to spend lots of time having sex…

  His eyes lit up when he saw her sitting there and it made her feel warm and tingly, just as she had when she’d first realized his attraction for her. Maybe having a lot of sex wouldn’t be all that bad.

  “You must be Echo’s young man. So happy to meet you.”

  Angry as she was with Alex, Echo cringed at the goddess’s tone. Aphrodite didn’t sound the least bit happy, and an unhappy goddess was a dangerous thing. There were stories about how Violet’s abusive ex-boyfriend had ended up replacing Narcissus—that is, Nick—as a statue in the park.

  Alex crossed his arms and scowled, and Echo had to resist the urge to cry out to him to be careful. Not that she really cared what happened to him, the miserable pig. It was just that she didn’t need him to end up as stone, or some sort of animal like an ass—or a pig. She had to make him love her and a man of stone or a pig just wouldn’t do that.

  “Who are you? And what are you doing in the museum? We’re closed.”

  A beautiful smile crossed Aphrodite’s face, a smile that went nowhere near her eyes. “Very few places are closed to one such as myself. I have my ways in and out. As for what I’m doing here, I’m visiting Echo, a dear little friend of mine. A very dear friend. I was just giving her the good news.”

  “Good news?” Alex looked confused.

  “Yes. She’s free, of the statue and the curse. She can live like a normal person now.”

  “She can?” Alex’s gaze landed on Echo. Was that interest in his eyes? “She doesn’t need to go back into the statue?”

  “Can’t go back,” Echo replied haltingly. She still couldn’t find the words she wanted, and the struggle irritated her.

  “I know how that is. Sometimes you can’t go back home, no matter what.”

  Echo looked up in surprise. She heard sympathy in his voice. He looked at her in concern and the warm feeling she’d had when they’d finished making love returned.

  Maybe making him fall in love with her wouldn’t be that bad at all.

  The goddess tapped her golden sandal on the marble floor. “Indeed, she must leave the museum. This is no place for a living woman to dwell. And, since she must leave, she must have a destination. She’ll need a place to sleep and live. She’ll need someone to help her adjust to this new world.”

  A thoughtful look came over her face. “There is Nick, of course. And Violet. I suppose they could help her.”

  Nick? Violently Echo shook her head. There was no way she could live with her former love and his lover. It would be so humiliating.

  “No?” The goddess acknowledged Echo’s distress. “I guess that would be awkward. But no one told you to spy on them, dear.”

  Echo groaned. Alex had seen her, and now she knew Aphrodite was aware of her transgression as well. Did everyone know about her little indiscretion?

  The beautiful goddess patted her hand. “Not everyone, dear. But you should be more careful when using magic. It does tend to attract
a crowd. But this isn’t settling where you’re going to live. You can’t stay here, and you can’t go out on your own. Staying with Nick and his wife doesn’t suit you. So where are you to go? Who’s going to help you learn to be a woman in this world?”

  She turned to stare meaningfully at Alex. His eyes widened and face paled as the implications of her question sunk in. Wildly his gaze darted between Echo and the goddess, panic rising in his face. It was the look of a trapped animal.

  “Um…well…” he stammered out.

  Echo’s heart sank. They’d made love just minutes ago, and now he couldn’t bear the thought of taking her into his home. It was hopeless trying to make him love her. Now that he’d had sex with her, he didn’t want her again.

  “Go get Nick.” Echo managed to get out, and turned her attention to her bare feet, cold against the marble floor. For the first time she noticed how cool it was in the gallery and how thin her gown was. She shivered and rubbed her arms.

  “You want me to get Nick, my dear?” the goddess asked solicitously, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. “I’m sure he and Violet would help you.”

  “No…” Alex said the word slowly, as if it were being dragged out of him. “She can go with me.”

  Perfectly curved twin eyebrows rose in unison on the goddess’s face. “Are you sure, Alexander? We wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.”

  If he recognized the dangerous sarcasm in Aphrodite’s voice, he chose to ignore it. Echo decided he just didn’t notice it.

  “Yeah, it will be all right. I’ve got room,” he said reluctantly. He consulted his watch. “I don’t get off work until six, but you could hang out in the security room until then.”

  Another shiver ran through Echo and she bent to rub her feet. They were freezing!

  A shadow fell over her and she looked up to see a mix of concern and worry on Alex’s face. He held out his hand to her. “You must be cold. There are a couple of blankets in one of the lockers and I’ve got a thermos of coffee. Let’s go back to the office and get you warmed up.”