A Tiny Bit Mortal (19 page)

Muriel’s lips curled up into a smile.

“Honey,” she said, leaning into me, “we fucking invented parties.”

Looking at her with wide eyes I showed her my biggest grin.  She looked at my face, and then out across the room, staring at the wall.  She put her hand up to her hip and then turned to face me.  She raised a brow, and I leaned in towards her as if I were on the edge of my seat.  “Let’s have a party then.” she said.

Stepping down the stairs to the foyer, I wore a tiny red dress made out of lightweight fabric.  It showed my curves that moved beneath the fabric as I descended with grace. 

My eyes began scanning the crowd below.  Wine was being poured, from bottle after bottle.  Immortals lounged on chairs and gathered in crowds.  Spotting Muriel I saw that she was gesturing and speaking to two men. 

Locking onto my target and began moving through the crowd towards her.  Faces began looking up from their glasses and conversations to watch me pass by.  Muriel looked up as well as I approached her.  “Emily.” she said.

“Muriel.” I said.

I looked around me at what seemed like the equivalent of a mandatory business party.  Everyone seemed to be smiling and talking, but it wasn’t exactly a
party
.

I smiled and said “Where’s the party?”

She looked around at the crowd and frowned.  “Well,” she said, “I guess it could use a little help.”

“I’ll take care of it.” I said, turning on my heels.

I summoned a servant skittering by close to the wall and whispered into her ear.  After waiting for a moment, I then walked across the foyer, and climbed up to a table in the very center.

The lights dimmed, and everyone began looking around.  Music faded in, followed by fog and flashing lights.  The beats sped up and I moved my body to the music, rubbing my hands against my body. 

Looking down to see eyes looking towards me, the figures moved to join me.  As the crowd picked up I climbed down from the table and joined in.  We moved together, from song to song, as wine continued to flow into our glasses.

I danced with my back to a large, muscular man with ivory skin and dark hair.  He had his hand around my waist as I swayed my hips. 

Looking over I saw Muriel observing me.  I closed my eyes and threw back my head, leaning in to the man behind me.  Letting all of my inhibitions go I reached back to grab the back of the his hair to pull him in even closer.

I danced in the same way with several men and women, playing the full part of a drunken party girl.  As I became drunker, Muriel seemed to let her guard down a bit and drank more herself. 

The party lasted into the early hours of the morning, ending with the majority of the crowd passing out drunk on one another.  I was on my back on the floor, with my head resting on the waste of a man, and a woman passed out across my own legs.

After a few hours of sleeping amongst the crowd, I became aware of being carried.  I felt the softness of my bed wrap embrace my back and opened my eyes.  Muriel stood over me and smiled.

She sat on the bed next to me and put her hand on me.  “
That
was the most fun I’ve had in hundreds of years.” she said.  “You have some kind of spark in you, Emily.  You ignite people.”

Sitting up in my bed I rubbed my eyes.

“I think we are going to have to do that again.” she said with a smile.

“I think you’re right.” I said, smiling.  “I have some ideas about what we could to do the downstairs to make it even better.”

Muriel raised an eyebrow and said “oh yeah?”

I leaned towards her in the bed.  “These people are immortal, but they seem like they could use some help with feeling alive.” I said.  “The foyer and living room have the same problem.”

Muriel stared across the room at the wall and then back at me.  “You’re right.” she said, pointing her finger at me and wagging it.  “You are on to something.”

Escape

Muriel hired a team
of interior designers that she handed over to me to command.  We transformed the conservative, marble floored, ivory foyer into a sparkling over the top party pad.

The party pad extended into the living room, and out into the backyard with the pool.  The pool had LED lights installed on the bottom that changed to the beat of music.

“Blue?” asked the peppy brunette.

“Yes, blue.” I said.

I walked away and stood at the edge of the pool water.  Watching the water ripple, I thought about agreeing to blue paint on one of the living room walls.  It seemed like an important choice, and I wondered if it was right.

The color blue hung in my mind.  I remembered the blue of Vidar’s eyes.  “Vidar.” I thought.  “I haven’t forgotten you.”

It seemed silly and trivial to be deep in thought about the living room, but I had to play the part.  If I didn’t play the part, I had little chance of freeing Vidar, or myself.  I shuddered at the thought of spending another minute in that dark cell.

Muriel joined me next to the poolside.  “It’s coming along well.” she said.

“It sure is.” I said with a smile.

“I think we’ll be a ready for another party of Friday.” she said.  “I think after last time, we’ll probably have an even bigger turnout.”

“I can’t wait.” I said, acting giddy, and rocking back and forth on my heels.

Muriel smiled and walked away.  I waited, then marched towards the house with determination.  Continuing my conversation with the interior designer I set out to make Muriel’s mansion the best party house on earth.

Friday night rolled around, and we were ready to go.  I burst into the kitchen on the far side of the house.  “We need more wine!” I shouted.

A man with a notepad quickly approached and began scribbling.

“The party is in less than two hours.” I said.  “Hustle!”  The man skittered off, and I turned on my heels.

Walking down a hall and out into the foyer, I observed my work.  It was a picture of luxury and glamour.  There were places to lounge and spaces to dance.  Dancing platforms scattered around, glittering with gold designs. 

The go-go dancers arrived that I’d hired to dance on some of the platforms.  I looked them up and down, and nodded with satisfaction.

Muriel walked up behind me.  “You’re sure working hard.” she said.

I turned around and gave her a big smile.

“You’re change of heart pleases me.” she said.   “I think we are well on our way to putting the past behind us.”

She looked intensely in my eyes, searching.  I thought about my excitement for the party, and I knew that’s what she was seeing.  She smiled and walked away.

Rushing up the stairs I met the stylists at the vanity in my bedroom.  “Tonight,” I said, “I expect your best work yet.”  The women nodded and got to work.

After my hair and makeup was finished, I slipped into the dress I had custom made for the party.  It was like a Greek toga, flowing around  me and gathering on one shoulder.  The fabric was see-through, revealing my breasts, the shape of my hips and my navel.  I had fresh flowers woven into my hair.  I left my feet bare, but wore gold anklets around my ankles.

Observing my work in the mirror I smiled, pleased.  The party had already begun, but I sat in my bed, kicking my legs like a little girl.  I waited for the crowd to gather and the party to pick up before I left.

Looking around the room, I knew that one way or another it was the last time I would see it.  By the end of the night I would either be running with Vidar, or locked in a cell.

Getting up and walking around the room, I ran my fingers across things in my room.  I remembered the first day that I’d arrived in “my wing” of the mansion.  It was so new and strange, and I had no idea what I was in for.

Grabbing two large bottles of wine from a side table, I checked to make sure they were both uncorked.  Holding one bottle in each hand, I carried them out to my sides.  My dress and hair floated behind me, glowing and ethereal.

Slowly descending the stairs, I felt eyes on me.  My blatant nudity through my see-through dress and the bottles of wine drew the eyes of everyone.  I approached the crowd, and it parted.

Pouring wine into the glasses of the immortal party-goers, I danced to the music as I went.  The crowd grew excited and drank with exuberance. 

After I found Muriel, I poured her a glass.  She looked at me with approval and drank from her glass like she didn’t have a care in the world.  “I am the goddess of wine!” I said, letting the buzzing of alcohol vibrate through my words.  “Yes.” she said, throwing her head back and laughing.  “Yes you are, Emily.”

Trading in my wine bottles for fresh ones that I had stashed around the foyer, the wine continued to flow from from me for hours.  The crowd moved and swayed, growing drunker with passing hour.

The immortals grew exhausted and drunk, many passing out and others making love to each other in plain view.  Muriel was among them, drinking directly from a bottle while a man stroked her hair.

Pretending to pass out, I watched through a sliver of a cracked eye as Muriel drifted off to sleep.  The man I was kissing gave up on me and moved on to another woman.  Lying on my back on a couch with a limp arm hanging over the side, I listened carefully.

Finally the last couple quieted down, and the whole room was silent.  I rose from my seat, my senses sharp.  Dancing through the room, I moved through the spaces in between sleeping bodies without making a sound.

After opening the door to the hallway with Egyptian hieroglyphs and art, I paused to listen.  My eyes swept over the Egyptian man and woman sitting on their thrones side by side.  “Tim.” I whispered, as I brushed my fingers over the image. 

I held still and listened, with my fingers still on the picture on the wall.  The room with the passed out immortals was still silent as if time itself were frozen in there.  With my hearing locked on to the room, I descended into the throne room and then down the stairs to the prison.

It became difficult to listen to the upstairs as the weeping in the darkness echoed around me.  Pushing out their sounds, I concentrated.

After I found Vidar’s cell I whispered sweetly to the barred door.  It popped open, and Vidar’s figure emerged in the dark.  I threw my arms around him, and his large arms lifted me from the floor.

“Ready?” I asked, as he placed me back down on the floor.

“I have been waiting for this day.” he said, nodding.

“Listen.” I said.

We both listened beyond the moans of the prison.

“There’s nothing.” he said.  “What did you do with them?”

“They are sleeping.” I said.  “Drunk.”

Vidar grinned and followed me out of the prison.  As we entered the dimly lit hall with Muriel’s throne, Vidar lifted his arm to shield his eyes from the light.  “It will only get brighter.” I whispered.

We wound our way up the stairs, and through the hall with the Egyptian hieroglyphs and art.  He stopped and looked around him, wide eyed.  He turned to me and whispered “The crazy bastards.”

I nodded, then lifted my index fingers to my lips.  I pointed towards the door that led to the first floor of the mansion.  Vidar nodded in understanding.

Together we danced through the sleeping bodies and exited through the front door.  I paused just outside the front door.  “What’s wrong?” whispered Vidar.

The silver necklace that Peter had given me called out to me in my mind.  It was still shoved in the back of the drawer in my closet. 

I remembered the feeling of the silver locket under my fingers.  The locket, and Peter had meant so much to me at the time.  Reaching up to where the locket had once rested on my chest I felt the diamond hanging from the gold necklace Tim had given me.  Though it wasn’t love at first sight with him like it had with Peter, he had slowly woven himself into my  heart.  He had my heart. 

“Nothing.” I whispered back.  “Now we run.”

We ran north for hours, with the blur of night in the periphery.  We ran past a few lakes, crossed a river, and as the landscape changed I recognized we’d just passed from California into Oregon.

As the sun began to rise, we climbed to the peak of a small mountain.  We stopped at the summit.  I looked to the west, knowing that my Dad’s house and the Hall of Elders were in that direction.  Vidar stopped next to me.

He looked me up and down.  “Interesting dress.” he said, with his eyes locked onto my breasts that showed through the fabric.

Looking down, I blushed.  The chill of the air and my aching body quickly overshadowed my self consciousness.  “Stop staring.” I said.

Vidar looked away and laughed.  He paced back and forth and then stopped behind me.  I felt a tug on my hair and then whipped around to see him drop a strand of my hair.

“You remind me of someone.” I said. He gave me a questioning look.  “He looks a bit like you.” I said.  “He sits in the Hall of Elders.”

“What is the Hall of Elders?” he asked.

“It wasn’t around before you were imprisoned?” I asked.

“No.” he said

Describing the Hall of Elders in detail to him, I included the “test” they had given me.  Vidar’s face looked grim.

Then I described to him the bearded man in the hall that reminded me of Vidar.  His face transformed from the grim look to a wistful one.  He looked away and stared out into the darkness.  “One of my brothers, I’m sure.” he said.

We stood side by side, overlooking the view of the valleys below and the rolling tree covered mountains in the distance.  “We are at a crossroads.” I said.

Turning to face the west, Vidar turned with me.  “We can go back to your brother.” I said.  “My father, my mother, and safety are there.”

I turned to face the east.  Vidar faced the east with me.  We stared together, down to the valley below.  “Or.” I said.  “We can make our own way.”

“I think we both know where we are going.” he said.

After nodding, I became aware of the icy mountain breeze blowing through my dress.  My skin burned and my body ached.  I was exhausted.  I took a knee and shivered.

“I’m getting tired.” I said.

“Well I’m not.” he said, looking out at the sun rising over the mountains.  “I’ve never felt so alive.”

He began laughing, deeply, from his belly.  I looked up at him from the ground where I crouched and realized how large he was.  I could fit two of me in the ragged old pants he wore.

He looked down at me with wet eyes.  “I’ll carry you, little hero.” he said.  He picked me up like I weighed nothing and flung me onto his back.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and he held on to my legs.

His warmth felt like a blanket, and I watched the trees flash by and then turn into a blur.  My eyelids felt heavy, and I gave up on keeping them open.

Waking up, I felt disoriented.  As reality came in to focus I saw that I was in a room with four walls made up of logs on their sides.  There was a fire burning in a little potbelly stove in the corner of the room.  The bed I had slept in was a small cot.

Standing up, I examined the cabin around me.  There was a little table, a sink, and shelves with jars and sacks of flour leaning up against the wall.  My stomach growled at the sight of food.

Staring at the only door in the room, I listened for a moment and could hear whispering outside.  When I opened the door the bright light of afternoon came pouring in at me. 

Vidar was kneeling at a small post fence that appeared to span around the yard of the tiny cabin.  “May you let no one, mortal or immortal, pass through.  Only Emily and Vidar.” he whispered with his hand on the fence.

I waited patiently in the shadows of the wraparound porch of the cabin.  He made his way around the fence, kneeling and whispering with his hands on the wooden posts.  He disappeared around the back of the house. 

After my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw a small gate along the fence that led to a wide field of wildflowers and brush.  The field ended abruptly with a wall of forest trees.

Vidar emerged from the other side of the house, completing his rotation.  He turned towards me and smiled.  Walking up to the porch he stood next to me, then wrapped an arm around me.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“A cabin.” he said.

“I see that.” I said.  “Who’s cabin is this?”

“Ours.” he said.  “I just finished building it.”

I looked around, confused.  “You’ve been asleep for days.” he said.

“Where are we?” I asked. 

“Idaho.” he said.  “I had some gold buried not far from here from when we came out west.  I bartered with some Amish people a few days back for this land and supplies.  Nice folk.”

Standing in silence for a while, I replaced the memories of our escape in my mind with the view of the countryside in front of me.  I stepped off the porch and looked around.