Haley Thistle
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You're Dead: Chapter Seven (rough draft)
🕑 Added 2021-10-30 20:01:00 +0000 UTCIt’s never really fun to find yourself in a place that’s strange to you, even worse when that place is full of strangers. All my life I had avoided such an occurrence. I never really wandered far from home. I never really left the side of people I knew. So when I found myself sitting in a house I had never seen before, I was quite baffled. Especially since I had fallen asleep on the floor of Bowie’s loft.
The house was old, Victorian maybe. The house from Clue, also a maybe. I was sitting on this rose colored love seat where the wood was carved to match the floral pattern of the fabric. A tea seat that was covered in violets was placed in an arrangement signaling there might be guests. Everything was quiet except for the tick-tick-ticking of the grandfather clock right by the french doors. The swinging pendulum inside would flash in the sunlight. The brilliant gold was shaped to look like the face of an owl, at least, that’s how it looked from where I sat.
I stretched and looked around, afraid that if I stood up from my seat, I’d fall into the void that was the floor. The furniture was suspended above it, held aloft by magic carpets or the will of whatever deity influence this place. I looked behind me, seeing the windows outside reflected back what was in the room. Although instinctively I didn’t think they were mirrors. I heard the sounds of heels upon hardwood floor and the door squeaked open.
There sat a wolf at the door. It was massive and black, it’s eyes staring daggers into me. I held my breath and sat completely still. I thought perhaps it wouldn’t see me, but then I remembered that it was about dinosaurs. I eased my position back to sitting and facing the wolf. It was unblinking, unmoving.
I almost thought it was a statue until it suddenly jumped up. I let out a shrill yelp as the wolf moved away from the door. It came towards the sofa, sitting down on the side where my arm rested. It stood there, staring hard at the door.
The sound of heels upon the floor rose through the quiet and Mara came into the room, carrying a plate of cookies. She smiled at me and lifted the plate. “You’re in luck!”
I just continued staring at her with the wolf.
Mara sighed as she set the plate down upon the table and took the seat beside me. She was dressed in a Victorian gown that was cream with hints of brown and green. She smoothed out her full skirt and laid a napkin upon her lap.
“You’ve been making a mess of things haven’t you?” She chortled. She took a cookie, placing it upon the napkin.
“I have?” My voice echoed in my brain.
Mara then took the teapot and poured. “Freddie is such a nice young man. I remember when he first came to me.”
The tea didn’t so much fill the cup as the cup seemed to pull the tea down towards it. The strange physics of this place were almost as baffling as why I was here. The wolf growled and looked away.
Mara set the teapot aside then pushed the cream and sugar pots towards me. “Running away when you did.” She tutted, shaking her head.
I reached for the sugar, jerking my hand away several times as the sugar cubes would start vibrating when I got near them.“He told me to.” The wolf snapped at my hand and i recoiled farther into the sofa.
Mara’s green eyes flicked towards me as she bit into her cookie. The snap of the treat sounded more like twigs breaking. Small lights fell instead of crumbs and they floated about and began twinkling around the room. The inside of the cookie was bright red jam and it oozed down until she set it upon the napkin. “You ran away, Daisy,” she murmured. “There’s a difference.”
I furrowed my brow but it felt like my skin was pulling too tight. I relaxed my expression and saw sugar cubes jumping into my cup of tea.
“I chose you for a reason, Daisy.” Mara tilted her head to the side as she looked at me. “You were perfect.”
I got a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Mara smiled again. “I’ve had many students through the centuries. I’ve seen potential in them all, and I nurtured it the best way I could.” Her fingers slipped into the jam, staining her fingertips bright red. “Each of them have exceeded so much, and overcome whatever obstacle I placed before them.” She licked the red jam from her fingertips and the red stain dripped down her lips and onto her chin. A single drop splashed onto the lace of her blouse.
“Uhm-” I started to speak up but a sugar cube hurled itself into my eye. The bright lights circled around the wolf and I. The wolf snapped and whimpered, ducking down then laying upon the floor as the lights settled upon its fur.
Mara released a frustrated sigh and licked her lips. She made an elegant swipe along her chin to wipe up the red. “I didn’t know what I wanted to see come of this world. So I had to plant a lot of seeds. In order to watch them grow, I had to decide something else.”
I wiped sugar from my eye, but it seemed more sugar crystals were forming. I scraped and scrapped, but only sugar fell into my lap.
“Being dead is one thing, Daisy. But being a psychopomp is so much more. We are dead, and we continue. Like a phoenix, we rise from our own ashes into a new life that can take us far into the future.” Her eyes focused upon the face of the grandfather clock. “I saw the best of times and I saw the worst of times. Humanity doesn’t change, did you know this?” Her smile grew. “We’re the same as we were a century ago, we just have newer and shinier things. It’s so fascinating to think we hold the same tendencies and behaviors as our ancestors.” She chuckled and closed her eyes.
More sugar fell from my face, wedged itself between my nails. I looked back and saw a tree growing in the far corner of the room. The roots spread out far, reaching towards us.
“I watched my family die,” Mara murmured. “And this was even before I died. My children grew sick, each and every one of them. I wanted to die with them. Dying myself had been a relief. Having my eyes truly opened was even better.”
The tree was growing larger every time I blinked. The roots were inching closer and closer to us. The branches were stretching outwards, growing finger-like appendages. I was still made of sugar.
“I was able to live, truly live. I was able to know what became of my children.” Mara turned and looked at me. The red stain on her lace had grown as well. “That is why I chose you, Daisy.” She placed her hand upon my knee. “You were perfect.”
“What does that mean?” Sugar crystals fell from my lips. I cupped my hand around my mouth, and I could see the fractals of the sugar crystals that were now making up my body. The wolf on the floor was whimpering and crying as the lights grew heavy upon them. They looked up at me, their eyes so sad and gentle. I wanted to reach out and swat the lights away, but it felt if I moved I’d shatter and fall away through the void.
Mara’s smile grew. Her hand upon my leg grew tighter and her fingers sunk into the sugar. Red seeped into the crystal, turning me red and spreading out into a pastel pink. “You are an empty vessel. Anything will be able to go inside you and create something special.”
The tree was below us and I heard crows cawing from the branches. The wolf whimpered, trying to move away from the glowing, dancing lights. It yelped at me and I looked back down into their soft eyes. The wolf wasn’t frightening. I was wrong about it.
“You can accept any of them.” Mara’s hand wrapped around my chin. Her fingers dug into the sugar that made my body. She leaned in real close to me with a soft, charming smile. I held my breath but it felt like there were sharp jagged shapes inside my chest. “You’ll decide for me.” She broke my face and I fell into many millions of pieces.
I woke up with a start, jerking and nearly hitting myself in the face. I sat up, touching my skin and making sure I wasn’t made of sugar anymore. I sighed with relief, slouching my shoulders forward. I rubbed my neck which felt sore. I grunted then tried to move, but my legs felt like jelly.
“There you are.”
I looked up at a naked Bowie standing before me. My face turned red and I remembered all we did last night. I turned an even brighter shade of red. Bowie was wearing nothing but his face mask, and he seemed quite content that way.
Bowie leaned forward onto the back of one of the chairs. “I was just about to make breakfast,” he said. “What would you like?”
Bowie was very thin compared to me. He looked like a twig, easily breakable. But he was elegant, everything about his body just screamed grace and beauty. I cleared my throat and tried to meet his eyes. I could remember how that body felt against me last night. He felt so strong and warm, his skin soft as it pressed against me. His arms, his hands, they wrapped around me and held me firmly in this world. I had needed that touch, that intimacy. I knew I was vulnerable, but I needed to be touched. I needed what affection he gave to me over and over last night. It felt greedy to ask for anything more from him.
I smiled shyly. “Whatever you make I’m fine with.”
“You sure? I don’t mind.” He had a knowing look to his eyes. He knew exactly what I was thinking. “Or maybe a little early morning exercise would suit you better?”
I bit back a smile and ducked my chin.
“I’ll stop teasing,” Bowie laughed. “You can go get a shower if you’d like.” He motioned towards the back. “I even went ahead and laid you out some clothes.”
“Thank you,” I murmured. “For everything.”
Bowie’s eyes sparkled. “You thanked me quite a bit last night. It is the least I could do.” He walked back towards his wardrobe.
I got up and stretched, my limbs felt like jelly, and there was a soft ache in my loins I didn’t quite mind. Compared to the rest of his loft, the bathroom was small. Mainly consisting of a shower, sink, and toilet, there wasn’t any special features to mention. I took a long shower, realizing it was my first since I died.
I stood under the water for a long while, staring down at the drain and listening to the water like it was so important. I let out a heavy sigh and sniffled as I breathed in.
“Fuck! I’m sick of this!” I rubbed at my eyes roughly. “I am so sick of all these...feelings.” I growled. I leaned back against the wall of the shower and looked up. Along the ceiling I saw several moths fluttering about. “Why are you following me?” I tried to swat at them. “Shoo! Go away! Leave me alone!” The moths only moved because of the water slinging from my fingers. I scowled at them and grumbled curses under my breath. I distracted myself by scrubbing. I used a loofa, scrubbing away my skin until it felt raw. I dug my nails into my scalp when I washed my hair. This body was new, and everything felt so strong. It was frightening and a relief.
It was freezing cold when I stepped out of the shower. I took a towel and wrapped it around me. Bowie’s towels felt remarkably soft and smelled so good, just like Bowie himself. Did he know I liked that? No. That was thinking too much about it.
Bowie had clothes folded up for me on the sink. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and jerked back. Even through the steam, I saw that stranger back away as well. It was me, the new me.
Irritation bubbled up inside me as I stared at this new person through the steam. I didn’t feel like looking at them. I grabbed up the clothes and dropped the towel. I noticed something strange as I reached for them. It looked like there was a pair of scissors on his sink. They were laid under a box of tissues. Were they mine? Maybe Bowie set them in there last night. I started to pick up the box of tissues to see when I heard Bowie call out for me.
“Joni?” Bowie called for me. “Breakfast is ready!”
“Coming!” I hurriedly got dressed. He had given me a black shirt that was long enough to be a dress for me. I walked out to see him putting plates upon the counter.
“You look comfortable,” he chuckled.
“Thank you for the clothes.” I sat down at the island. “I uh...I don’t have many.”
Bowie sat down, but he didn’t move to eat his food. Instead, he watched me as I picked up my fork. “My ex had this huge closet. He loved clothes.”
I was spearing potatoes onto the fork. “He?”
“Yes. Is that surprising for you?” He had a curious glint to his eyes.
I shook my head. “You said you picked up people from the Buffalo all the time.” I took another bite of the amazing potatoes. “I figured but-” I shrugged.
“It doesn’t bother you?”
I shook my head. “Why would it?”
Bowie chuckled. “I suppose it shouldn’t.”
“These are really good!” I scooped up more and ate happily.
Bowie’s eyes sparkled. “I’m glad you like them. When did you want to go back and check on Clover?”
I licked my lips and thought for a moment. Maybe it wasn’t safe for me to go back. Perhaps I should go back to Freddie and the others today and start distancing myself from that life. But Clover could be sick from yesterday, she could need some help. “I suppose around noon or so.”
“And what will you do after that?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure really.”
“If you need a place to stay, I don’t mind sharing for a while.” His fingers traced the edges of his face mask. “Just until you can get on your feet.”
“I don’t want to impose,” I murmured. “It’s nice here and all-”
“You won’t bother me.” Bowie placed his hand over my hand. “It’ll be nice having someone who sees what I see around.” He held my hand, lacing his fingers with my own.
My chest pounded as those beautiful fingers gripped my hand. “I have to confess. I’ve not had this sight for very long.”
Bowie chuckled. “I had a feeling.” He gave my hand an extra squeeze. “I can help you understand it if you’d like.”
I nodded. “Yes. Please.”
“So polite.” Bowie let go of my hand and walked around the island. “Close your eyes for me.”
I did as he asked and was greeted by the soft touch of his lips. He pressed my arms down to my side so I didn’t touch him. He tasted sweet, he smelled so good. He stole my breath with his kiss, and I think he relished in that power.
“Now tell me your real name,” he whispered into my ear.
I shivered, keeping my eyes closed. “You’re doing it again.”
Bowie laughed and kissed my ear. “I told you, it’s out of my control.”
I’m not sure if this gift of his was unnerving or exciting. It kind of felt nice not having to explain myself. But it was also strange having my every thought known even before I could think about it. I had made up a fake name because of Clover. I thought it would be okay to tell Bowie, he had no connection to what had been my life. “It’s Daisy.”
“How perfect,” he whispered. His hands cupped my cheek and his fingers brushed against my lips. “I thought you reminded me of a flower.” He kissed me again. “I’ll take care of you, Daisy.”
I wanted to open my eyes, but I couldn’t make myself do it. I licked my lips, still tasting him there. “Why?”
Bowie pressed his lips against my ear. “Because I love pretty things.” He then pinched my cheek and I opened my eyes. His face mask was back on and his eyes looked so bright and gentle. I smiled, feeling shy and awkward.
“You flatterer,” I laughed.
“That’s the point.” Bowie winked. “I forgot to ask if you wanted something to drink? I’ve got coffee, orange juice, some tea.”
“No tea,” I snapped. “Uhm...the juice is fine.” I watched him stand and go over to his fridge. I smiled to myself, wondering if it would be so bad to just stay here. Freddie would probably appreciate not having to be a teacher anyways.
After breakfast I was cleaning up where we had slept last night. Pillows and blankets were tossed about with my clothes tangled in. I pulled out my clothes, finding my scissors and the flip phone Freddie had given me. I had turned the phone off, and I was more afraid of that phone than I had been of anything. I put it under the sofa, hiding it away somewhere I wouldn’t see it, but somewhere I could find it.
The scissors sat heavy in my hand as well. They glimmered in the light and I could see the fine details in the wings. The scissors looked worn and well used. If Mara had given them to me, then how many times had these been passed around. Why scissors? Sure there were threads on the souls I had seen, but why such dainty little scissors?
I placed the scissors under the phone and finished folding up the blankets on the floor.
