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The Nightmare Game

Page 28

by Martin, S. Suzanne


  “What were you doing?” The first asked in her sing-song voice.

  “Were you going to open the drapes?” Asked the second in the same way.

  “You mustn’t do that,” the third added. Their voices were so similar that the effect was chilling.

  “No, not really,” I said, finding myself on the defensive. “I thought I heard something outside and I was just going to look to see what it was.”

  “You mustn’t open the drapes,” the first commented, as if I had said nothing.

  “We’ve been told never to open the drapes in this room, you know,” remarked the second.

  “No, I don’t know,” I said, beginning to get irritated. “Besides, I wasn’t going to, I just wanted to see…”

  “If we’re not allowed,” the third interrupted me in the same sing-song pattern as the other two, “then you’re not allowed.

  I just looked at them in disbelief, not knowing what to say or how to react. They were so very odd.

  As I continued staring back at them, another hand appeared out of nowhere and touched mine. I jumped at the sensation and twirled around again. I was looking into the ice-cold light blue eyes of a Nordic god. The man in front of me was so handsome that it was impossible for me to take my eyes off him. Like Ben, he looked very familiar, but I couldn’t remember meeting him.

  “Jumpy, isn’t she?” he said to the three women in a polished transatlantic accent that I could have sworn I’d heard before.

  “Yes, she is,” the three said in uncanny unison. “Very jumpy.”

  “It’s bad for the antiques, you know,” the man said to me.

  “What?” I asked, somewhat befuddled. I’d been completely thrown off my game by these new people.

  “The sunlight. It’s bad for the antiques. That’s why we keep the drapes closed always. The mansion’s climate and light are kept strictly controlled. I really shouldn’t have to explain this to you, unless, of course, you’re completely ignorant. You have been to a museum before in your life, haven’t you?”

  “Of course I have,” I said indignantly. Suddenly he no longer seemed handsome. “It’s just that I heard a sound out there and wondered what it was.”

  “A sound?” He sounded skeptical.

  “Yes, a scratching sound of some sort. As if someone were scratching on the window.”

  Almost as if on cue, the scratching sound started up again.

  “Ah, yes,” he said, condescendingly, still sounding skeptical. “Well, let’s just see what’s out there, shall we?”

  He walked closer to the wall and peeked carefully out from the side of the drapes.

  “Ah, yes, I do see what’s causing that noise. There’s a tree limb scratching at the window. It’s overcast and windy and it looks like it might rain.”

  “Silly,” said the first woman.

  “It’s just the wind,” declared the second.

  “Don’t tell us you’re afraid of the wind,” added the third.

  The scratching sound lessened and then stopped altogether.

  “Looks like we won’t get any rain after all. It’s already blowing over. You see, your noise was just a tree limb in need of pruning. We’ll have it taken care of immediately, of course. By the way, you shouldn’t frighten so easily.”

  The three women all giggled in unhealthy unison.

  “I wasn’t frightened,” I explained, getting angry now. “I was simply startled.”

  Coming too close for my taste, he touched me beneath my chin with his right forefinger, lifting my head slightly. “If you hear any more noises that startle you, you’ll be sure to let me know right away, won’t you? I’m here to serve you in any way you desire.” His voice was as smooth as honey but with a touch of oily seduction that I found repugnant.

  I jerked my head away. “It wasn’t the noise that startled me,” I lied, an angry edge to my voice, “it’s people sneaking up behind me. I hate that.”

  I stood there for a few seconds, the four of them staring at me with an intensity that I could not decipher. Were they merely curious about me, putting me through my paces in order to size me up, to see if I would fit into their group or did they, in one way or another, want to devour me? I really couldn’t tell.

  “Hey!” I heard Ben’s voice calling. We all turned to look at him, the others relaxing immediately as if he had just ordered “stand down” or “at ease”. He walked up to me and put a friendly arm around my shoulder. “I see you’ve met Ashley.”

  “We’ve met her,” said the first woman.

  “But we haven’t been properly introduced,” said the second.

  “No, not at all,” said the third.

  “Okay, then. Ashley, this is Marta, this is Magda and this is Annameta. And this handsome devil over here,” he said as he walked over to the blond man, put a more than friendly arm around him, and kissed him warmly, “is my Geoffrey. He’s the one that found you at our doorstep.”

  “Yes,” oozed Geoffrey. “And what a charming little bundle of joy she’s turning out to be.”

  “Yeah, I think so too,” replied Ben, Geoffrey’s sarcasm seemed to be completely lost on him. “I’m so glad you guys are getting along.”

  “We’re getting along just famously,” the blond man said coldly.

  “By the way, Geoff, where have you been?” Ben asked. “I’ve been looking all over the place for you.”

  “Funny, but I’ve been trying to find you as well,” Geoffrey answered, his voice warm now and without innuendo. “I was afraid you would run late because I know how involved you get when you give your tours.”

  “He knows me too well,” Ben replied, giving Geoffrey an affection squeeze as he beamed at him.

  “I presume that in chasing each other, we each kept missing the other. Regardless, we need to get started soon. We don’t want the essence to lose strength just because we’re running late, now do we?”

  “Goodness no,” Ben agreed. “Especially not when it’s the first time our guest Ashley gets to take it.”

  “We were afraid we’d be late ourselves,” the first woman remarked, drawing attention back to herself.

  “Yes, we were busy playing upstairs,” explained the second.

  “We almost lost track of the time,” the third one replied.

  “Well, it’s a good thing you girls made it, isn’t it?” Ben said in a fatherly, accepting voice that told me that he did not find their eccentricity creepy in the least. “It might be awhile before Arrosha gives us more essence. You know, she decides when we need it.”

  They looked at him sheepishly and replied in unison, “We know.”

  “You know there’ll be plenty of time for play after taking essence. There always is,” Ben added.

  They looked at him coquettishly, giggled again and scampered toward the door that Ben had gone through earlier.

  “Speaking of essence, is it ready?” Ben asked.

  “Of course. Any time you’re ready, my love,” Geoffrey answered.

  “Great!” Ben said enthusiastically as he walked ahead. “Let’s go into the hookah room. C’mon, Ashley. You’re in for a real delicacy. I hope you’re hungry!”

  Once Ben’s back was turned, Geoffrey’s ice blue eyes shot through me as he smiled coldly. “Yes, my dear,” he said, the oiliness returning to his voice. “I hope you’ve brought your appetite, because do we ever have a treat in store for you.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  I wanted a moment alone with Ben to tell him about my apprehensions concerning the statues. I needed him to calm my fears, to tell me that the statues had been just an optical illusion and that everything would be okay, but it was not to be, for we headed immediately toward the same doorway the women had just gone through. Instead, I merely stuck close to Ben, hugging his left while Geoffrey flanked his right. Once through the door, we entered a corridor, following its turns until we reached our destination, a completely blank wall. Ben reached out his hand and touched a spot in the center molding, a spot that could
not see. Once again, as at the gallery entrance upstairs, a door handle appeared from nowhere and he slid the door open. I realized my decision not to search for him earlier had been the right one, for I never could have found him behind this hidden entrance.

  “Looks like everybody’s here,” Ben said, gazing around the room.

  “Of course. You’re the last ones. The rest of us have just been waiting for the two of you to arrive,” Geoffrey answered as he eyed me, his remark blatantly insinuating that all tardiness had been my fault alone.

  “And we really do appreciate that, don’t we, Ashley?”

  “Sure,” I said flatly. As before, all sarcastic intent seemed lost upon Ben. I was beginning to realize that he had quite the blind spot when it came to his friend.

  Geoffrey’s rudeness was pushed to the back of my mind once he and Ben moved forward, giving me an unobstructed view of this new room, which revealed itself to be a beguiling, mystical place. Neither overpowering nor grandiose, in its own way it impressed me much more than any of the other areas that I’d seen so far. While it was snug, it didn’t feel small, just cozy and intimate. No mere room, it was, instead, a magical and bewitching space that could very well have been created for Scheherazade herself. Instead of walls, windows or ceiling, the entire periphery was blanketed in rich brocade fabric interspersed with wispy gauze at suitable intervals, creating the illusion of a sultan’s tent within a fantasy caravan. It lead my imagination to envision that hiding in a corner somewhere must surely be a lamp that, for the very small price of a gentle stroking, would release a powerful genie willing to grant my every wish. At my feet, oriental carpeting peeked through masses of huge, overstuffed cushions and pillows strewn about, the greatest concentration of which surrounded a large, low-set, ornately carved wooden table. In the middle of this dark and heavy circular table stood a large, elaborate upright pipe with multiple hoses, making the “hookah room’s” nickname now blatantly obvious.

  With interest, I began to study the group that shared this mansion. They were all stunning, each one of them every bit as beautiful as Ben and the others that I had already met. From their straight posture to the elegance of their form, everything about them seemed so impossibly perfect that within the confines of this exotic room, they were transformed from mere occupants into actual design elements. Mingling about, they maneuvered with such fluid, effortless grace that viewing them was more akin to observing a ballet than simply watching a collection of people preparing to dine. The silken garments they wore added to this otherworldly atmosphere, so much so that I felt as if I were about to enter a Hollywood set for a filming of the Arabian Nights. I greatly enjoyed this people-watching from my anonymous doorway perch as they greeted Ben and Geoffrey, but it was far too short-lived. Once their salutations were complete, Ben motioned toward me and all heads turned, eyes locking upon me, the new element in their world. While their curiosity was understandable, the comfort level I’d so recently achieved dissolved in an instant and I suddenly felt enormously uncomfortable in a room which was so obviously designed to inspire comfort.

  “Hello, and who have we here?” said a man I had not yet met.

  “Oh, yes,” Ben said, “Where are my manners? Sorry, I got distracted there for a minute. Everybody, this is Ashley.”

  “Ashley’s the little waif that I found at our doorstep, but of course you’re all aware of that,” Geoffrey added.

  I forced myself to smile, unnerved by being put into this spotlight. What would these new people be like, I wondered. Would they be warm and welcoming like Ben, rude like Geoffrey or as odd as the three strange women?

  “Ashley,” Ben continued, going about the room as he introduced everyone. “You’ve already met Geoffrey and our Three Sisters. Let me introduce you to the rest. This is Timothy,” he pointed to a young man with a perfect peaches-and-cream complexion and a head full of thick, wavy auburn hair.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said shyly in a Boston accent.

  “These two partners in crime are Antonio and Kenny,” he said. Antonio was muscular and swarthy in an earthy, romantic way. Kenny was Asian and of a slimmer build; he was the most exotically beautiful person I’d ever seen.

  “This is Illea and her boyfriend Ricky.” With the same sandy blond hair, blue eyes and fine bone structure, they were such a perfectly matched pair that they could easily have posed for the couple on a wedding cake.

  “Ben told me that you looked after me a lot while I was sick, Illea” I said. “I appreciate that.”

  “Don’t think anything of it. It was the least I could do because we were all so afraid you wouldn’t make it.”

  “Thanks anyway, though. It means a lot to me.”

  “And over here we have Robert,” Ben said, “He’s been very interested in meeting you, Ashley.”

  “It’s marvelous to see you so up and about, my dear,” he said. Taller than any of the others except for Ben, Robert was an elegant young black man with a delightful English accent. “You look wonderful, far better than when last I saw you.”

  “That’s good to hear, because from what I understand, I looked more than little like death the last time you saw me,” I said, tripping over my words a bit. He was so incredibly charming that just speaking to him was making me blush.

  “True,” he said, walking over and taking my hand into his own; his skin felt like fine velvet. “But still, seeing how much you’ve improved already, I think you may very well become extremely lovely after a few essence sessions.”

  “Thanks,” I replied, my blush deepening.

  “That’s laying it on a little thick, don’t you think, Robert?” Geoffrey countered.

  “Why no, Geoff, I honestly don’t. Pay no attention to him, my dear,” the charming man said. “The essence has the most marvelous restorative qualities and I can assure you that you will absolutely love it. Everybody does. You haven’t been transformed yet, it’s true, but even after Arrosha transforms us, the essence continues to refine and beautify.”

  “Transformed? What do you mean?” I asked.

  “You haven’t told her, Ben?” Robert asked.

  “I didn’t have time to explain everything. I promise to do it tomorrow.”

  “You did tell her about the purge, though, right?” Kenny added.

  “Of course I did,” Ben replied. “I couldn’t leave that out.”

  “I’m really dreading it, the purge, that is,” I admitted. “It’s the one reason that I would avoid this ‘essence’ stuff if I could.”

  Soft murmurs of protest followed my admission.

  “Oh, no, Ashley, you mustn’t let fear of the purge keep you from taking essence,” Illea explained. “I don’t know what Ben told you, but it really isn’t that bad, certainly not something to dread.” The look she gave Ben registered her displeasure at whatever horror stories he may have told me concerning the essence after-effects.

  “What? Why shoot me the hairy eyeball?” Ben objected. “I told her that it wasn’t that bad. Isn’t that right, Ashley?”

  “Oh, yeah. Ben explained it fine. I guess I’m just a worrier.”

  “Enough of these ‘pleasantries’,” Geoffrey said with disgust as he sat at the table. “Are we going to take essence or not?”

  “Oh, definitely,” Ben said. “Let’s all take our places.”

  “Well then, Ben, darling,” Geoffrey added, his impatience growing. “Do you mind closing the door before we start?”

  “Not at all. Thanks for reminding me, Geoff, I almost forgot.” Ben walked over to the door and pulled it closed, where again it appeared to become a part of the wall. He loosed the sheet that was tied back and the illusion of the caravan’s tent became complete.

  “We have to be careful about not leaving that door open,” remarked Illea’s boyfriend, whose name, along with some of the others, I’d already forgotten. “None of us want the essence to get out again like it did that one time,” he explained. “Catching it was a real bitch – took us three hours to do it
. Man, were we hungry by then!”

  The others mumbled in agreement as they took their places at the floor around the low table and I was left to wonder what kind of a meal could possibly escape for hours. I resolved not to think too much about it, because I could imagine nothing along those lines that sounded the least bit appetizing.

  “So, ready for din-din, Ash?” Geoffrey said as he laughed. I didn’t like his laugh much; it wasn’t clean, like Ben’s.

  “Don’t call me Ash,” I bristled, for I found his manner insolent.

  “You surely can’t mean that no one’s allowed to call you Ash?” he challenged me.

  “It’s a nickname I reserve for my nearest and dearest friends. Sorry, but I just don’t know you well enough yet,” I answered, trying hard not to lose my temper with him, knowing that the day would never come when I might welcome any familiarity that stemmed from him. In the same way I knew that it was rare for me to like someone as thoroughly and immediately as I had Ben, I knew that it was equally rare for me to dislike someone as quickly as I did Geoffrey.

  “Oh, my,” he feigned offense, “it seems we have quite the prude in our midst.”

  The three odd women giggled but everyone else glared at Geoffrey.

  “That’s enough, Geoff,” Ben ordered. Apparently, even he had reached his limit. “She’s our guest, so mind your manners. Besides, you’re working even my nerves today.”

  “Yeah, man, what’s wrong with you?” the sultry, swarthy youth asked.

  “Don’t pay any attention to him, Ashley. I have to apologize to you for Geoffrey,” Ben continued. “This seems to be what passes as his sense of humor more and more these days. It’s not attractive, Geoff. I’m beginning to think that your mother dropped you on your soft spot when you were a baby.”

  Geoffrey pretended to be shot. “Oh, Ben, my love, you wound me! You positively wound me!”

  Ben shrugged him off and turned to me once more. “Just sit next to me here.” He motioned to his right, directing me to my seat, where, like all the others, I sank down into one of the huge, oversized cushions that replaced chairs around the low table. Immediately upon sitting, I felt snug and cozy on the thick, impossibly soft seat cushion. Sinking back easily into the mass of oversized, overstuffed pillows that encompassed the cushion, I surrendered myself to the comfort upon comfort that seemed to be the hallmark of this room. I would have felt contented sitting here at Ben’s side had not Geoffrey sat at his left. While I began to detest the man, I resigned myself to ignore him whenever possible, because the table was large enough to provide plenty of room for all. For some reason, the rest of the group had spaced themselves more closely together than needed, leaving a gap on my other side between myself and Illea, who smiled sweetly at me. Geoffrey pointedly disregarded me for the moment, making me quite happy not to be the object of his attention for awhile.

 

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