The End
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Changing Lives by Tracy Kincaid
Chapter 1
I sit straight up in bed, with my eyes wide open. I’m disoriented, adrift. Once I figure out that I’m home and safe I relax a little. I haven’t had a dream like that in ages. What set it off this time?
The morning is gloomy like it always is in June. Nothing like weather to set your mood for the day. California is supposed to be sunny all the time. When it’s like this, I just want to curl up in a ball and stay in bed all day. I know I should get up and look for something to audition for, or a better paying job, but I’m just not motivated. I’ve had no luck doing what I really wanted to do with my life.
I audition for just about everything I can find, from theater to commercials—cattle calls of any kind. On rare occasions, I’m cast, but heaven forbid I ever get a speaking role. In high school I was great; I had roles almost handed to me. Now I get lost in the crowd looking for a break in the industry. My goal was to hit it big in movies, but that’s looking less likely as every day makes me older, by industry standards.
I get up to get ready for my day. I’ve been helping the local theater with a Charity Ball fundraiser for kids, a program to help kids who want to go into acting. I was happy to help with this event since I’d gone through the same program so many years ago. Besides, it gave me something to do and the possibility to rub elbows. The ball is tonight, and we’re putting together the final touches. As I’m getting dressed, there’s a knock at the door.
Standing at my door is a delivery guy in his early twenties, holding a box. I don’t remember ordering anything. As I sign for the package, I look for a return address that isn’t there.
“Do you know who it’s from?”
“No idea. It was handed to me by my boss with instructions to bring it to a Natalie Star at this address,” he says, sounding bored.
“Thank you.” I take the box into my bedroom.
It’s long, flat, nothing special, no markings of any kind. And the weight doesn’t give me any clue. As I open it, I start to get a strange feeling in my stomach. I never get nervous about anything, yet this has me all worked up. Inside the box is a lot of tissue paper. On top of the tissue is an envelope. I open it…
Dear Natalie,
I cannot wait to see you in this. I think it will look stunning on you. I look forward to seeing you at the charity ball tonight.
Yours
The note was not signed. Who would have sent this to me? I’m not dating anyone. In fact, I haven’t dated in over a year. I’ve been too focused on my acting career and having oddball jobs to keep the bills paid.
Under all of the tissue paper is a beautiful dress. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s a shade of orange with some blue mixed in. As it moves it shimmers like those cars with fancy paint jobs. The dress is low cut in the back, the front is a scoop neck and the straps will hang off the shoulders. The hemline falls to the floor in the back and barely touches the knees in the front. It’s silky and very sexy. The shoes that are packed with it match the color of the dress. They’re high heeled and strappy. I love strappy shoes! Who sent these? Whoever it was knew my sizes. How creepy. I get a strange spinal chill.
I ignore the chill and hang the dress up. I can’t wait to wear it. It’s much more glamorous than the one I borrowed from Lou. She’ll be floored when she sees me in this. Then the twenty questions will start. Guess I’ll deal with that later. I hope this person’s willing to show himself to me at the ball. Maybe he will be my prince. Or maybe he’s just some lunatic who knows what size I wear. Maybe I shouldn’t wear it. It could be dangerous. I’ll have to think it over while I help finish with the preparations.
* * *
The morning flew by. We didn’t have too much left to do for the ball. Once we were happy with the decorations, we all left to do other things. We don’t need to be back at the convention center until six-thirty tonight. So I decide to head back home to relax.
When I get home, I settle into a bath. The tub in my apartment has a heater to keep the water warm. As the warm water helps me relax, I fall asleep.
I’m at the ball wearing the mystery dress, standing by the bar waiting for my drink. People are eating, drinking, dancing, examining the auction items—having a great time. I see Lou dancing with her man, David, and feel happy for them. As I’m waiting and enjoying my people watching, I see a man gazing at me from the door. He makes me nervous. I try to figure out who he is but have no idea, though he looks familiar. The bartender finally brings me my drink. I ask him, “Hey, do you know the guy at the door?”
He glances over. “No, I don’t think I have ever seen him before, but he’s cute. Hope he comes for a drink!” He winks at me. I roll my eyes…I didn’t see that coming. As I sip my piña colada, I look at the man at the door. He’s tall, maybe six feet, dark hair, and fits very nicely in a tux. There is something about his eyes; he’s looking at me as if he can see right through me…
I wake up to the ringing phone. I grab my towel and run to answer.
“Hello,” I say.
“Natalie, are you almost ready to go?” Lou asks.
“Oh my God, what time is it? I fell asleep in the tub again!”
“It’s almost five.”
“Shit, give me twenty minutes, then I’ll come get you.”
“Hurry! You know I hate to show up late.”
Lou hangs up the phone before I can say anything else. Deciding to go ahead and wear the dress, I run and get ready as fast as I can. Maybe I’ll meet the mysterious man and have him explain to me why he sent me the dress. It fits perfectly, hugs all my curves the way it should. The color against my pale skin and light hair makes me look good. I don’t look as washed out as I usually do, and my green eyes seem to pop. Maybe I should wear this color more often! No one has ever given me anything this nice in my life. I throw my hair into an up-do and slap some makeup on. Not as much as I usually do since the dress seems to give me its own color.
Chapter 2
I get into my beat-up blue Nissan Xterra and start the engine, then notice a red rose with a note on my windshield. I get back out of my car to retrieve the flower and note. I look around the parking lot of my apartment and don’t see anyone. Who is doing all of this? I open the card after smelling the rose and read it.
Dear Natalie,
I can’t wait to see you tonight.
Until then…
Again, no signature. This is so strange. Who would do this? It’s all so romantic, as well as creepy, but I have no idea who has any interest in me. I haven’t paid attention in so long that I just have no clue.
I hop back into my car and pull out. Good thing Lou only lives a few minutes from me. Sierra Madre is a really cute little town tucked right up against the foothills, just outside of Pasadena.
Lou is waiting outside when I pull up. Tapping her foot as always, she’s a nervous wreck. She’s dressed in a baby blue cocktail dress with matching shoes, which brings out her crazy blue eyes. She has her blonde hair done in long ringlets. I wish my hair would do that. My hair just doesn’t keep a curl when I want it to.
“What took you so long? You know I hate to be late,” Lou says as she clambers into my car.
“I’m sorry, I told you I fell asleep in the tub again.” I do this a lot. I start to think about my fantasy worlds, and the next thing I know, I’m a prune. As she gets her seatbelt on, she notices the dress.
“Holy crap. Where did you get that dress? It’s amazing.”
“Well, to be honest, I’ve no idea. A delivery guy brought it to me this morning. The note had no signature and no return address.”
She looks at me and gets a huge smile on her face. “You have a secret admirer. You lucky bitch!”
“Do you know who it is?”
“No clue at all. But by the look of that dress I would say someone with money!”
I blush at that. No way, I’m not anything special
to look at. Yes, I have curves, but I hope that people would see me without them. I know they are the first thing people see, but God, I have a brain too. Again, I get that odd feeling in my stomach. “I’m hoping whoever it is will show themselves tonight.”
“What did the note say?”
I tell her what both said. “Well, it looks like we’ll know soon. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see who it is. I wonder if we will know him.”
We merge onto the 210. Luckily, traffic is light for six on a Friday. “Friday light!” I say, and Lou looks happy. We don’t have very far to go; the ball is at the Pasadena Convention Center. We pull up to the valet. “Guess I should have taken the time to clean out my car,” I say to Lou with a shrug. She just laughs at me.
We walk into the beautifully lighted room, where each auction item is decorated to emphasize the theme of the item, and the tables are arranged around the dance floor so people can watch others dancing. That was my idea, because I love to people watch. I find that it helps me when I’m auditioning for roles. In addition, since I don’t have many friends, this is great! It’s rough making friends with the schedule I’ve created for myself.
We check in at the front table, and as we make our way in, we pass a large board that lists what food will be served.
Tonight’s special buffet menu:
These items were on the menu the
last night of the Titanic
Oysters
Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce
Filet Mignons Lili
Sauté of Chicken, Lyonnaise
Lamb, Mint Sauce
Sirloin of Beef, Chateau Potatoes
Creamed Carrots
Boiled Rice
Boiled New Potatoes
Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette
Chocolate & Vanilla Eclairs
French ice cream
I’ve had nothing to do with the menu, and I do find it intriguing that they chose the Titanic as the dinner theme. I’ve heard we have a few items related to the Titanic that will be up for bid. Maybe they are the most expensive items that they hope will raise the excitement level. It’s a good way to get everyone’s attention, although maybe a little bizarre.
“I’m going to go and put some bids in at the auction. I’ll meet you at the table in a bit,” Lou says as she walks away.
Louise Rose is a great friend. We met when we were freshmen in high school. I had decided to join the marching band, even though I’d never played anything in my life. I wanted to play drums, mainly because I had a thing for one of the drummers, and really, how hard can it be to bang on a drum? But the teacher was an asshole about it and said it was not an instrument for a girl. If I’d had the balls I have today, I would have kicked him in his. I chose the flute, instead. I think he was hoping I would give up and leave the class. Needless to say, he didn’t know me very well. Lou played flute also, and she is just as stubborn as I am. She had been playing for years, so she taught me all she knew and we’ve been good friends ever since.
I decide to do some lounging at the bar. The bartender is cute in a way, but not really my type. Blond with brown eyes, kind of short. I’m not very tall myself, so for me to notice that means that he is indeed a little guy.
“What can I get ya?”
“A piña colada, please.”
“Coming right up!”
When we were talking about the ball, I said that the bar had to be a full one with a blender. This was really for my benefit, since I’m crazy about my drink of choice this month, piña colada!
As I’m waiting for my drink and enjoying everyone having a good time, I get a strange feeling of déjà vu. I look around the room and see a man standing at the door. He’s dressed in a black tux with a red rose in his lapel. Not all men look good in a tux, but he sure does. He looks like he’s at least six feet tall and has dark hair. I notice that he’s looking around the room, maybe searching for someone. Once he locates me, he stares at me with a small smile on his face. I get that creepy tingle down my spine again. As I’m watching him watch me, the bartender brings me my drink. I jump.
“Are you all right? I didn’t mean to startle you,” he says.
“No, you didn’t. I’m sorry. I was off in another world for a second. Hey, do you know who that guy is over by the door looking this way?”
“I don’t think so. I know many people here, but that guy just doesn’t look familiar at all. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no worries. Thanks for the drink!”
“My pleasure,” he says as he turns his attention to the next customer at the bar. I hadn’t noticed that it was starting to fill up at the bar. People are starting to arrive in droves. I look toward the door to see if the man is still standing there. He isn’t. I make my way around the room to say my hellos and grab some food before I put some bids in at the silent auction.
I run into Marty from the theater. “Hey, Marty, how do you like the party so far?”
“What a production you guys put on here. Maybe you should be a set designer,” he says as he looks around.
“No, I don’t think so. You know what I’m looking for: big screen, baby! I’ll be the next best thing!” Marty is a fun friend, very flamboyant. “So who are you here with?” I ask him.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Let me introduce you to Brandon. He’s my partner.”
“Well, Brandon, it’s very nice to meet you. Are you in theater as well?” I ask.
“Oh, no, I just like to watch. I’m in the magazine business: G Magazine. Have you heard of it? It’s just starting out and we hope to make it big someday!”
“No, but I’ll look for it now. Good luck with it. I should go and put my bids in before they are all out of my reach. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
While looking at the auction items, I see a piece that I really would love to have. It’s an old-fashioned jewelry box with butterflies on the top. When open, there are flying 3D butterflies carved inside. Never seen anything like it before. The write-up on it says that it’s an artifact from the Titanic, from one of the first-class passengers. The piece was recovered from the accident site just after the sinking, the owner never claiming it. The auction is still early, but I go ahead and put a bid of two hundred dollars on it anyway. I’ll just need to check back later. I hope it doesn’t go above my limit.
I walk away and head for my table. As I grab some food, I get that eerie feeling down my spine again. This time it stops me dead in my tracks. No one around seems to take notice of me. As I’m able to move again, I turn around. Behind me is that man, the one from my dream earlier today. Who is he?
“Hello, Natalie. You look as lovely in that dress as I knew you would,” he says with a strange smile on his face. I feel as if I know him, but I’m not sure how. I’m standing here unable to talk for what seems like forever, when he finally says, “I am sorry. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mr. Andrews, Thomas Andrews.”
He’s a very handsome man, tall, with light brown hair and beautiful light blue eyes. He also has a British accent.
I finally snap out it. “Do I know you? How do you know my name?” That’s all I can manage. I have such a strange feeling in my gut and it’s driving me crazy. I don’t know if I should stay or run.
“We knew each other a very long time ago. I would understand if you do not remember me.” Another shiver runs down my spine. “Natalie, are you all right? You look very pale.”
“I need to sit, and I need some water.” My God, what’s wrong with me? Why is this strange man from my past, if he’s from my past, here now, and what does he want? He helps me to my table and leaves me to get a glass of water.
As soon as he leaves my side, I’m able to relax a bit. At this point Lou joins me. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure. Something about that man. I don’t know what it is.”
“Is he the admirer?”
“He did say that he was the one to get me the dress.”
“Where’s he now?”
>
“He’s getting me some water. I felt faint.” Lou looks at me anxiously. She can tell that something is bothering me.
“Do you want me to stay with you?”
“No, I think I’ll be fine once I get some water.” I try to put a smile on my face.
“Fine, but please be careful. You’re kind of scaring me.”
“I will. I’ll be fine.”
Lou looks at me one last time and heads back to the dance floor. I see Thomas with a troubled look on his face as he walks toward me holding a glass of water. I straighten up as he approaches and try to put a smile on my face. “Are you feeling any better?” he asks as he hands me the glass of water.
“Yes, I think so. I’m not sure what has gotten into me tonight. It must be that I’ve not eaten very much today and I had a drink. How do we know each other?”
“It was a very long time ago. We don’t need to talk about that now. I see the dress fits!”
“So you were the one to get it for me. Why?” I ask, now very interested in finding out what the hell is going on. I’m starting to feel myself coming back together. Just keep him talking, I tell myself.
“Yes, I did get it for you. I have known you for a very long time, Natalie. Longer than you think. I found out that you were working on the ball and thought I would send you this gift.”
“You keep saying that we know each other, but how and when?”
“That is a story for another time,” he says. At that moment, Lou comes back to check on me, and I turn to look at her.
“Are you feeling better now? The color is back in your face. Who’s your friend?” she asks, trying to be sly, but I know her game. She’s trying to get info and will pry until we give her what she wants.
Freeing Lost Souls (The Family Tree Series Book 1) Page 20