by Jac Simensen
Nila edged closer to the decomposing corpse. Her eyes were drawn to the savage throat wound. The body’s scalp was covered with raw, open sores randomly spaced among the remaining wisps of brown hair.
“Devon!” she breathed. “My God, what’s happened to her?”
30
“That’s finished,” Clarisse flatly stated, rubbing her palms together as she entered the immense, penthouse, great room. “I don’t know why you insist on having me tack those scruffy pictures on the wall every time you change houses?”
Lilith, now in Hattie’s body, slowly turned her gaze away from the panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows. From the spectacular, penthouse view, twenty-one stories above the earth, the dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean seemed to merge with the distant sky and paint every spatial dimension a different shade of blue.
Hattie’s eyes, as well, were intensely blue. After Lilith’s mind had fled from Devon’s festering body and entered Hattie’s body, Hattie’s albino, pink eyes had changed to Lilith’s otherworldly blue.
Lilith turned to face Clarisse, her face showing her annoyance with Clarisse’s question. “Those pictures are of my ancestors, my family, you stupid woman. Other than you and this daughter I’m now trapped inside of, they’re my only family.”
“You could at least allow me to reframe all of the paintings and photos into a single coherent collection. Better still, I could paint the images into a family portrait; a party or picnic scene. I’d paint all the women an identical size but retain their period clothing, hats and jewelry?”
Lilith grinned. “I’ll think about it...You’ve put up the photo of Devon with the others?”
“Against my better judgment. The nude photo stands out like a hooker at a PTA meeting.”
Lilith laughed loudly. “You’ll remember that after I took over the bodies of the women in those paintings and photos, not one of them remained an innocent for long. I made sure of that, didn’t I?...Enough about the pictures. When will she arrive?”
“I just checked my phone; the flight from Dulles is on time. It’s scheduled to touch down in just under an hour. She should get her here about 7 to 7:30. Flying Raven in on a private jet and the limo pick-up at her apartment was an excellent move. It convinced her of your serious commitment to financially back her campaign. Congressional staffers never get the ego pampering their bosses receive...Raven’s excited about meeting you; ‘a politically kindred soul with lots of money’ was how I described you to her.”
Lilith chuckled and settled on the white leather sectional. She patted the cushion next to her, summoning Clarisse to sit. “You think she has a real chance of winning the primary?”
Clarisse slid in next to Lilith. “I do,” she forcefully stated. “The pundits all agree that the seat is ripe for turning. Raven’s draped herself with the appropriate political ideology for the current atmosphere, she’s articulate and intelligent, and she has a likeable, wholesome personality. In all the important ways, she’s the opposite of the worn-out incumbent. All she needs to win is money. With your financial backing she’ll be able to buy exposure, and the media will fawn all over her. I have no doubt that she’ll run away with the nomination and have strong momentum going into the general election.”
Lilith nodded. “You’ve served me well, Clarisse. Your research in selecting a new body for me has been flawless.”
“Thank you, Lilith.” Clarisse’s elfin-like face beamed. She lowered her head. “You do remember the film clips and photos of Raven that we reviewed? Unlike Maggie Cartwright or the young Myra Silk, Raven Cortez isn’t a sexy beauty. Raven’s young and attractive in a fresh-faced way, but hardly glamorous.”
Lilith pressed her head back into the couch, then forcefully inhaled and slowly exhaled. “I understand,” she said with a nod. “I’ve thought this through quite carefully.” Lilith sat up straight and turned to face Clarisse. “This episode of life will be about power, not sex or mischief, but power. Once Raven is elected to Congress, I’ll use my resources to buy and accumulate influence—the muscle needed to open closed doors. No telling what opportunities for power Raven will find on the other side of those doors: senator, cabinet secretary, president?”
“I understand your plan,” Clarisse nervously whispered. “Raven will be here soon. Please, one more time, Lilith. Can we walk through what I’ll need to do to help get you out of Hattie’s body and into Raven’s?”
“Of course, my little one,” Lilith softly cooed as she lovingly stroked Clarisse’s cheek. “You’ll do fine, little one; trust me.”
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