One Foot In

Chapter Three – Weirder and Weirder

A/N: It looks like some people may be reading this so I\'m adding another chapter. Again, this is for Nanowrimo and therefore is basically in a rough draft as I continue to tr kee keep up with my 1,666 word daily quota. At the minute I am working on Chapter Four and am 40% toward my goal of 50,000 words. I\'d love it if someone could review and let me know you are there!

Thanks,

April


I took my courage in both hands and headed down the stairs. I was glad that I had some control over this strange now-you-see-it and now-you-don’t vision, because I definitely didn’t want to talk to the spider sisters. I could force the special sight whenever I needed to, but it gave me a bit of a headache, so my vision remained normal most of the time.

I brought a present with me. It was a pot of jam that I’d purchased at the specialty section of D’Ags, our local supermarket. It was pricey and imported and was sure to smooth things over with the old girls. As I left my apartment I again heard a heart rending keening sound from Leo’s apartment. He was in pain, major pain, but he wouldn’t even come to the door now. On my list was talking to Thor to ask him if there was anything that could be done. I didn’t like talking to the big guy, but for Leo I’d do it.

Once downstairs I knocked and the door, already ajar opened all the way. It seemed the sisters already had company and the oriental gentleman, whose name I still couldn’t pronounce, was there sipping a mug of tea. A lot of tea drinkers here.

“Ah, Miss White. Such a pleasure to see you again.” The wall-eyed one seemed to do all the talking.

“Umm, yes, I’m afraid I didn’t catch your first name.” She grinned, revealing sharp little teeth. I felt a chill run up and down my yellow spine.

“Ah, yes. I’m Sarah, and this is my sister, Maybelle.” Maybelle also grinned and I got another look at those sharp little choppers. “This, of course is Mr. (again with a name that just slipped by my ears) Madlansacay?” I smiled and he smiled. I nodded and he nodded. At which point I remembered to give Sarah the pot of jam. She ooohed and aaahed a bit and then handed it to her sister who made the exact same noises.

“Oh, just the thing. We were about to have a little snack. Would you join us?” Now I’m not a courageous woman and my memory of that morning was quite fresh.

“No, thank you, I just had a very big snack, myself.”

“Too bad. Food from the homeland seems to have a good effect on you.” She went into her kitchen and began putting up a tray with little teacakes and toast and scones. She brought it out and sat it on a collapsible TV dinner tray holder. It was one of those really old metal onnd ind it had a print of little kittens frolicking with string on it. Everyone helped themselves to a bit of food and I just sat there perched on a hassock feeling stupid and awkward. Not my normal state of being, but being there with three creatures that I knew deep down resembled insects and reptiles just wasn’t helping me feel at ease.

“Now, Miss White—“

“Please, call me Cindy.” This seemed to just tickle the two sisters pink. They tittered coyly. I wondered vaguely if they had a thing going on with Mr. M. Threesome, ouch, scratch that image.

“You’ve come for answers when you probably know more than you think you do.”

“Why do you say that?” I put on my best investigative reporters demeanor.

“Well, your father being who he was.”

“Exactly, there you have it. Who was he?” The two sisters looked at each other. Oh, they were enjoying this.

“Arch Warlord of the Elfish.” Said Mr. M. I almost jumped, since he had been sitting there so silently.

“No. No, he wasn’t. Dad didn’t have a warlike bone in his body. He was anti-war.” I always felt proud of him for that.

“Well, that was the problem.” Sarah tucked away another teacake and washed it down with more tea. “All of us just sort of stumbled onto this place. Yet he had actually found reference to it in some books and searched for it. He didn’t want to lead his people, so he just ran away.”

Damn, she just insulted my Daddy. I made like a duck and let it slide off my back like water.

“So he wanted peace?”

“He ran away.” Oh that’s it. Nobody insults Daddy, but what was I going to do? Never bring them jam again, the ingrates.

“Without your father’s leadership, things got worse. The demons grew strong and bold and began to take more and more land as their own.”

This part I didn’t remember from my father’s stories and I becoming a bit worried about how much he had left out. He never mentioned demons. He’d talk about pretty little babbling brooks and talking unicorns and other things to just delight the heck out a little girl.

I shook my head, “You’ve lost me. He never mentioned demons. He said that the Faerae had insulted the Elfish and so they went to war. No mention of demons.”

“Ah, I’m sorry girl. It was your grandfather who summoned the demons in hopes of wiping out their enemies. But the demons could not be trusted and once they gained a foothold in our lands, they turned on both Faerae and Elfish.” My Grandfather. That was hard. The only grandfather I knew had been a silversmith and died when I was 8 and spoke mostly Yiddish.

My father had never spoken of his side of the family, and I didn’t asked. Why didn’t I ever think to ask? Daddy had been real good at re-direction of questions. Ask him what he sold on all those business trips and suddenly the topic would be the Moscow circus. He had a talent for slipping and sliding you in whatever direction he needed you to go. Talent, I was beginning to understand now. Whenever I tried to remember how he died, and what the funeral was like, it all just slipped away. He had some sort of skill to make people think what he wanted them to.

Their suggestions that my father had been a coward and had failed his people sort of killed the mood of the afternoon. I didn’t want to know more, so I just politely made my excuses and left.

I spend the rest of the evening going through my papers. I had to let my temp agency and my agent know where I was. And there were a whole bunch of people in my phone book who also needed to be informed. I was a bit worried about running up Sadie’s phone bill by calling my mother in Arizona, where she’d moved after Father’s faked death. I was still trying to understand it all. It hurt-- the whole idea that my father could be alive, but in danger-- and that my friend, Sadie, was in similar trouble. I’d have to find out more, but so far I was taking things in small doses. I couldn’t handle more than that.

Every once and a while I heard Leo next door, sounding ill and alone. And then there came the heavy steps of Thor. I’d recognize them anywhere. I ran to my own door.

“Hi!” I said trying to look over his shoulder.

“Okay, and what does Miss Nosey want?”

“How’s Leo?”

“Miserable. You probably know all about these things. Time of the month stuff.” He grinned evily.

I nearly slammed the door on the insufferable termite. Instead I moved closer. “Let me see him.”

“He’s not some ey aey act.”

“He’s my friend.”

“You’ve known him all of about 24 hours? You work fast.” He almost sneered. I hit him, not hard enough by half.

“Please. I keep hearing him. I want to help.”

He opened the door. “There’s nothing you can do for him.” I jumped inside the door.

“Now, that was stupid.” He growled.

“Leo? Where are you?” Thor walked through a draped doorway into his first bedroom. It was a tidy room, well in keeping with the image I already had of Leo. There was a door to the backroom and it was heavily locked.

“He’s locked himself in?

Thor leaned down and picked up a key, which was on the table. Also on the table were an animal tranquilizer dart gun and a pistol. I’d only ever seen prop pistols before. I stared.

“Leo takes a lot of precautions to make sure that he can’t escape once the change is final.” He gestured to the guns.

“Silver bullets?”

“And silver tipped tranquilizer darts.”

“Will you let me see him?”

“Cindy, he doesn’t want that.”

“Maybe he doesn’t mind.”

“Give me a break. You two were heard through the whole building.”

I passed a shaking hand through my hair. “I have to listen to him cry through our wall.”

Thor shook his head and opened the door. It revealed a second door made out of silver bars. I assumed that they were silver-plated. Leo was lying on the floor; he looked more like a wolf now. His head had elongated and his spine had twisted itself around. His arms and legs were thinner, a cross between man and wolf. He lay there trembling. He had on a tee, but had kicked off his underwear.

“Leo?” His whimper turned into another keening whine.

“He’s still in control right now. I have an animal strength sedative to help him sleep through most of the next three days.” He pulled out a drawer and started filling a syringe that I assumed also had a silver covered tip. He opened the door and jabbed Leo in his thigh. There was a sharp yelp. Thor rubbed the injection site. “Nightly night, Leo.” The creature’s mouth lolled open and his long tongue slipped out. Thor took a key and locked the grated door. He then locked and closed the second door as well.

“You’re going to leave him there without food or water?”

“He’ll be fine. In case you don’t know it, the only thing that can kill him is silver. A silverlet,let, a silver garrote or a silver knife, take your pick.”

I felt ill.

“So what say you and I have some dinner together? I can tell you all of Leo’s favorite romance novels, his favorite colors, his favorite flowers and whatever else your little heart wants to know. Hey, you can check out his extensive collection of chickflicks, too.”

“I totally despise you.”

“I knew it, love at first sight.” His chuckle rumbled through the apartment.

“Good night, Thor.”

He gave a half-smile, “Goodnight, sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

Argh, living in the same house as the Spider/Weird sisters and he had to mention bugs. I waved my hand and closed my door in his face.

I made some Ovaltine, I love you Sadie, and got into my fuzzy pajamas and headed to bed.

After a day like I’d had, I should have expected some strange dreams or even some nightm. T. There was just too much to process, but this I never expected:

I was in a glade and heard the sound of a wolf howling. I knew it was Leo. He was loose, free to do whatever werewolves do. And then I realized, what werewolves do is kill people. No, not Leo. And then I thought about it. Yes, even Leo. I was wearing a chain of silver and took it off. It was a long necklace of pure silver and I knew I could use it.

He came loping up out of the woods, snarling at me and I made a lasso out of the chain and started to toss it.

“Come on, come on, Leo,” I whispered as I tossed it and it slipped around his neck. He fought it and it tightened and he started to choke. I ran over to him and stroked his fur trying to ease his terror. Finally, he calmed down and accepted me. Leo began to transform back into his human self.

“Leo, I knew you could do it.” He stared at me blankly, got up and left. “Leo, come back here!”

Someone behind me began laughing. I turned to find it was Thor. He’s having just the best old laugh at my expense. He comes up close to me and says,

“He doesn’t want you. But I do…” And he kisses me. I feel his tongue pressing against my lips to gain access and I try to fight him. But then he caresses my breasts and quite against my will, I find myself becoming aroused. I open my lips and let him in. He lowers me to the ground and continues to touch me all over. I’m crying, but I’m not fighting him, because I’m scared and alone and part of me wants him. I thread my fingers through his long golden hair and close my eyes. He continues to touch my breasts and then my legs. His strong fingers massage up and down my thighs. I groan into his mouth and he presses his leg up and against my mound.

My arousal continues and he pulls my clothing off of me. Naked, I lie there and watch as he takes off his shirt and then his pants. He’s not wearing any underwear and I gasp when I see his penis fully hard and standing up ready for me.

I reach out a hand and stroke him. Now he groans and I let my fingers rub over the tip. He comes closer to me and begins to grind his penis between my hand and stomach, rubbing hard against me. I feel a need to actually have him inside me and I carefully spread my lips, welcoming him in. He pinches my breast, teasingly and then grabs hold of my hips while moving onto his back. His penis, although erect, is actually poin upw upward toward his chest and I have to grasp it in order to move it inside of me.

I raise myself up a bit more and put the tip of him just inside my vulva. We are both breathing hard, and I closely come down on him. It hurts at first. He’s thicker than my old lover and I have to take my time to accommodate him. I feel the tip of him resting against my cervix and I rock gently with him inside.

I watch his face. I’ve never found him to be attractive, but passion is transforming my feelings. Suddenly he is glorious. I press myself down over him and dangle a tit into his mouth. He smiles and takes me in. I feel the extra frisson of excitement from his tonguing my breast. My vagina is so full that it borders on painful, but I continue to rock myself on him. He switches to my other breast and I start to cry out from a pleasure bordering on pain. I rock harder and harder and my climax builds. I feel him get even harder inside of me as his body prepares to spill its seed.

He places his hands on my hips and bounces me up and down on him. His head is thrashing from side to side and I come just seconds before he lets out a low moan and pours himself int. O. Our bodies continue to move and spasm and I’m screaming now as I go over the edge.

I wake up to the pulsing and twitching between my legs. Damn. I’ve had a few nocturnal orgasms, but never anything like that. I lay there in the dark, thinking about it. I should have read the signals; I should have seen it coming, pardon the pun. The bantering and the insults; didn’t it all happen seven years ago with Josh? All that great sex that bound us together? Thor wanted me. And I wanted him. I’d never be able to look at him the same way again. Heck, I wasn’t going to have sex with him though, because no matter how good a lover he was, it couldn’t compare to the dream I’d just had. Right? On top of that, what would we do the rest of the time. Insult each other? I was glad that my subconscious had brought this to my attention. Now I knew about it, I could control it.

*******

I went back to sleep. I rested fitfully, waking and drowsing. One time I remember calling out to my father as he disappeared before my eyes. And then I was fully roused from my sleep by what sounded like a fire alarm. I got up and threw on a robes and ran to the doo
I
I heard people in the distance shouting to each other and my neighbors from down the hall also poked their heads out. Suddenly there was the sound of Thor’s footsteps tearing up the stair. Now nice, was he coming to check on me?

He was bare-chested and it looked like he had simply thrown on his jeans. But he wasn’t coming to my apartment but Leo’s.

“What’s going on, Thor? Is something wrong with Leo?”

He was unlocking the door. “Something’s wrong but it’s not with Leo. Problem is that I have to do it. It’s his wishes.” He sounded upset. And I don’t think the words could be more ominous.

“What?” Brilliantly said, but the sound of the clarion was making my head throb. I followed him in. His hands were shaking as he went for the gun and cocked it.

“What are you doing?” I stepped in front of him.

“Get out of here, girlie.” He was opening the first door to Leo’s confinement room.

“I’m not going to let you kill him.”

Thor stood his ground. “Listen to that sound. It means someone or something has come through downstairs. If it’s unfriendly, none of us has much time. Leo wanted to be taken care of.”

“Find out first. Right? You wouldn’t just shoot him.”

“We don’t have that luxury.”

I grabbed his hand and made it bend in a way that nature never intended. I stole the gun and ran.

“You bitch!” I was just a couple of steps ahead of him and going down the stairs. I had gained the impression that the portal or whatever was in the basement. They, I should say we, we on a roster to stand guard. I flew down the stairs nearly tripping a couple of times, Thor right behind me.

“I’m gonna kill you! Stop.” He’s so dense, if he’s going to kill me why should I stop? I got down to the ground floor and found what looked to be the basement door. It was ajar, I ran through it and down and down. My bare feet picked up a few splinters along the way on the old wooden stairs. Suddenly there wasn’t wood nor stone beneath my feet but dirt and then loam. Just a few bulbs lighted the place and I saw the heating pipes and the boiler room out the corner of my eye. I then spotted Mr. M. He was cradling a young man in his arms. The guy looked like he’d taken a major beating. I kneeled beside him.

“It’s Alar. He’s been hurt.” I nodded, not sure what to say.

I felt the large hand of a very large angry man on my shoulder. He took the gun from me. I looked up at him. He, de-cocked it or whatever you did to make the gun safe again. He slipped it into the back of his jeans.

“You’re so stupid! Running with the gun like that, it could have gone off. Don’t you know anything?”

“I couldn’t risk you killing him.” I shivered. “Shouldn’t we get Alar some medical help?”

Thor bent down and gathered him up in his arms. The Big guy sure was useful! Mr. M and I followed him up the stairs. He went up to Mrs. Tigglewiggie, um, Mrs. Knowles and set him down on the overstuffed couch. I watched as she began boiling water and spreading herbs into it. She was doing some sort of sing songy incantatwhilwhile she was working.

“Make yourself useful dear!”

I started out of my stupor. “Of course, how can I help?”

“Strip him and wash him up and get him into a clean gown.” I knew I shouldn’t have, but I used my altervision, I need a better name for this thing, and looked at him. He looked like a rodent of some sort. All big black eyes and no neck with tiny webbed hands and sharp little nails. He had a long naked tail. Rodents are just below insects and reptiles on my least favored animal list. His fur was matted with dirt and blood. I found a basin in the kitchen and filled it with hot water. There was a tea towel.

“Don’t use that, love, I’m rather fond of it! There are plenty of bandages and flannels in the cabinet in my bedroom. You’ll find a cotton gown there too.”

I walked into her bedroom. It was almost completely taken up with a big old fashioned brass bed that would fall apart if you tried to do anything but sleep in it. I found the wardrobe, which served as her linen closet. There was a pink cotton gown and clean linen strips, which I assumed, served as bandages. I guessed that she was the healer of the group. What I couldn’t figure out is with all the fur, why bother with clothing? Did they just need to fit into this world or was there something else going on?

Every hour that I stayed in this place more questions came. But did I really want the answers. I felt this incredible draw, not only to this house, but the basement. I knew that the portal/passage/link to that other world, my father’s world had been there. What if he was calling me? He’d had a talent, a psychiilitility to direct a person’s thoughts, could he be reaching out to me? Did he need me to go to him?

I got most of the blood and dirt out of Alar’s fur. She gave me a pot of gooey ointment to smear onto the cuts. I hadn’t noticed it but Thor had disappeared, probably back to bed if he had any brains in the thick skull of his! I felt like I was never going to sleep again.

I got him bandaged, having to redo it once or twice to Mrs. Knowles satisfaction, and together we got him into the pink gown. She threw an old faded comforter over him.

“You’ve done a good job.” She was spooning the concoction she’d just brewed into his mouth. “Go get some rest.”

“Umm. Sure.” It was about 5:30 in the morning. I was cold and tired and I had splinters in my feet. I limped back to my apartment. Suddenly, I wanted a cup of tea. Herbal tea. Damn, this is why everyone drinks tea. We are living on top of a potential disaster. Werewolf across the hall from me. Anthropomorphic animals all over the place. That’s it. I’m ready for the nervous breakdown scene. Johnny Depp, step aside. I’m going looney tunes.

Instead I ran a hot bath in my claw-footed tub. I discovered why the tub was in the kitchen. You could turn on the stove and get the room warm that way, since the heat in the radiators didn’t start coming on until about 6:30. The tub was steaming hot and I threw in some oil. I found some tweezers in the cabinet where Sadie kept her bath supplies and cosmetics. I scrubbed my feet and used the tweezers on the splinters. There were about five of them and they all bled.

I heard Thor in the hallway and then a banging on my door.

“Cindy, are you awake?”

“No, I’m asleep. I’m dreaming that you don’t exist. Go away.” I settled by in my cosy, hot, hot tub, quite pleased with myself.

“So you don’t want to go get breakfast at the all-night diner?” Damn. I was hungry. My stomach gave a large rumble.

“Give me five minutes and we’ll go.”

I could hear his rumble with passed for laughter.

“Good. Knock on my door. When you’re ready.” I had planned to wash my hair, but now I was glad that I hadn’t. I got out of the tub and towel dried in front to the open door of the stove.

November in New York City was a tricky month. Sometimes winter didn’t come until January and Indian summer lasted through Christmas. But this year, there had been steady, bone numbing rain and sleet. It was as if winter had decided to come early. There had even been a few reports of snow flurries. I dressed in my thickest corduroys and put on three layers: a tee shirt, a cotton button down shirt and a sweater under my jacket. I put on my rainboots and took an umbrella just in case. It was still pitch dark outside but with a guy like Thor, I didn’t think we’d be bothered.

I went down and knocked on his door. I’d never been to his apartment before this, but I knew the room number from the buzzer downstairs. He opened the door. He was wearing the same jeans as before, but he’d dressed up a bit. He had on a blue cashmere sweater and I fear that I actually stared at him with my mouth open.

“What! What’s wrong?” He looked down at the sweater. “You got a problem?”

I laughed and turned to go. He put a black leather jacket and we were ready. What was wrong with me? A couple of hours again we were at each other’s throats about Leo. And now we were having breakfast together?

There was something about the building that was rapidly changing me. I was falling down the rabbit hole, going faster and faster. And I was giggling all the way.

There was a light mist in the air, giving the streetlamps a soft and gentle appeal. I didn’t say a word as Thor in a very gentlemanly manner took my arm in his. We quietly walked down the street to share our breakfast together.