Downpour

“Stop being a hot head and make this little devil happy…please,” she said with a pout. I looked at the paper once more and then back to her blue eyes.

  “Can I think about it?” I asked, nervous. She huffed and stood up, dropping her robe and exposing her entire costume. My eyes could not look away.

  “Okay Max,” she sighed. “I’m just trying to take care of the ones I love…” she said from over her shoulder. With that she walked into the bathroom and started applying her make up. As I watched her move across the room, my mind found itself stuck on the words she had just said…

  “The ONES I love…”

  I let out a long, hot breath and slid my mp3 player into the costume’s jacket pocket. Slowly the worn earbuds found their home in my head. I stared at the sheet of paper on the bed. The music washed over me, and after a few minutes more of pouting, I leaned over and signed the paper.

  11:37 p.m.

  “Welcome to the Midnight Masquerade!” our host and hostess announced. They smiled at us through their heavy makeup. Both were characters from Alice In Wonderland, only infused with the faces of beautiful mimes. Asia and I looked at each other patiently. My eyes filled with annoyance, and hers shined with the hint of a new smile. I was uncomfortable as soon as we walked in and she knew it. Her body pushed against mine as her hand slid along my chest. We were each given a glass of champagne. I wasn’t much of a drinker, and she knew that too.

  “Please enjoy your night!” the Red Queen said through her rose colored lips. Her Mad Hatter partner winked at us.

  “Be sure to see the Gypsy Oracle for your complimentary fortune reading,” he chuckled.

  “Gypsy what?” I rolled my eyes. I could feel the steam already pushing to get out of my collar.

  “Happy Halloweenie Max,” Asia whispered in my ear. I rustled my hair with an overheating hand and smiled.

  “You’re so evil,” I whispered back. We politely thanked our hosts and made our way through the party. As we did, I set my drink down at the first chance I could. This old concert hall was packed with every kind of costumed guest. Most of which had their faces covered in masks and feathers. Everywhere we looked there were deceased movie stars, decadent angels, naughty fairy tales, and creepy creatures dancing in pairs, spinning and laughing together as the strobe lighting flickered over them.

  Naturally Asia and her presence startled the room. Heads turned as we made our way through the crowd, and lightning flickered at the windows. I’m sure her blood-red devil costume and long leather boots had something to do with all of the attention. By now I was used to the reaction she had over the opposite sex, but I still didn’t enjoy it. I growled a little bit at a particular James Dean look alike who was caught in her web. He pushed toward her with a pair of drinks in his hands. I stepped in front of him just before he reached her and scooped up his party favor.

  “Thanks for the punch.” I grumbled from behind my bangs. A small trail of steam escaped my mouth as I let out a long sigh. Mr. Dean winced at the heat. Asia smiled at me and tightened her grip around my hand. James quickly shuffled away with fear in his eyes. I tossed the drinks to the floor with a grunt.

  “Hot head,” she purred.

  “I need some water,” I excused myself, letting a playful smile crawl its way back along my face. She kissed my warm cheek as I turned and headed for the bar. That was the extent of my jealousy. I wish I could say the same for her.

  “Can we ask you for some help?”

  “Excuse me?” I turned from the bar with an ice-cold bottle of water in one hand. Standing only a few feet away from me were two beautiful, young women with wide eyes and full pouts. I barely understood their question through their French accents. They looked like twins from the Twilight Zone. Both were dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, only much more naughtier. Their long blonde hair was tied tightly in large braids that fell along their bare shoulders. There wasn’t much to their costumes, and I probably wouldn't have guessed they were Dorothy if it hadn’t been for the high-heeled ruby-red shoes.

  “Can you please help us?” they asked in a breathy unison. My hands popped with a nervous heat, instantly fogging over my glass bottle of designer water. They giggled softly and took a step closer to me.

  “Help?” I stuttered, frozen in my expensive suit. They were both stunning, and every young man’s fantasy. Before I had met Asia, I would have chased after either one of these girls, writing them songs about their beauty. They were that beautiful. But now, after all these months in Asia’s heaven, I only saw them for what they were. Eye candy. Nothing more.

  “Oui. Can you help us with our way home?” the beauty on the left asked as her hand slid itself over the three numbers on my jacket. She slowly traced each ‘6’ one after the other. I stepped back only to crash into the bar counter.

  “There’s no place like home…” the other girl whispered as she pressed her body into mine, close enough to taste their fancy French perfume.

  “I could call you two ladies a cab.” I chuckled nervously, squeezing my bottle tighter. They both surrounded me, pressing me up against the bar with more force.

  “Oh Brigitte, don’t you just adore American humor!” one playfully laughed. Brigitte nodded yes. My core popped with renewed heat.

  “I do Charlotte! I feel almost feverish!” she said, and tugged at my shirt. This was getting out of hand; I had to stop this before it was too late. Lightning crashed against the windows, and thunder shook the place like an earthquake. The power flickered on and off quickly. I glanced over the twins’ shoulders and found Asia’s eyes alive with hate.

  “Too late,” I joked. The twins looked around, scared as the storm outside roared. The music stopped as the power faded on and off. I pulled myself from the twins’ grasps just as Asia’s bright blue eyes cut through the crowd. I pushed myself forward and met her in the middle of the room.

  “Max!” Asia cursed. I tried to block her view of the two girls, but it wasn’t working very well.

  “I can explain,” I choked. She grabbed me and shoved her weight into me. It hurt a little with the force she used, but she also felt amazing next to me.

  “There’s nothing to explain. I trust you,” she said with a hint of softness creeping in. Her hand found my face and her cool touch paralyzed me.

  “Good.” I smiled, feeling much better. Her hand fell to her side and she pushed past me like a predator.

  “But…I…don’t…trust…whores!” she spoke like the devil.

  “Uh oh.” My head pounded as the lights finally gave in to the barrage of lightning Asia was generating outside. In the dark, the guests began to softly panic and make their way to safety. I stood still, waiting for a moment before lighting one single finger in flame to see around me. I was all by myself now. I could hear Asia yelling in French from across the room but I couldn’t see her. I had no idea what she was saying, but from her tone it was obvious she wasn’t making friends.

  “So evil,” I huffed, glancing down at the red 666 along my jacket. When I looked back up I was no longer alone. A small woman in a dark, red, hooded cape was standing before me with a tiny black basket in her hands. She was wearing a mask painted like a geisha and she stood still watching the flame dance along my finger.

  “Uh…hello,” I snapped. The lights flipped back on and I shook the flame out on my fingertip. I looked over at Asia, who was now escorting the twins to the exit by their long braids. When I glanced back in front of me, the hooded stranger was still looking at my hand that had been on fire a moment before. She said nothing and slowly glared up toward my eyes.

  “Do you speak English?” I asked, trying to break the silence. Her head tilted to the side, but still the mysterious girl said nothing. I had almost given up on her when her lacy-gloved hand reached inside the tiny black basket she was carrying. She gently pulled out a colorful little card, not much bigger than a matchbox. She slowly reached up and placed it before my face.

  “For me?” I asked softly. She nodded yes just before I
snagged it up. She walked past me and the music kicked back on, calming most of the partygoers. I quickly looked at the card and almost choked when I did. Printed across the front was the name Gypsy Oracle, and scribbled in the corner were two words, “FOR MAX.” I slowly turned it over and read my fortune.

  “Beware of the girl with the green eyes,” I read out loud. My lungs stopped working. I started to shake. I searched the room for the masked Little Red Riding Hood but found nothing.

  “Samantha,” I whispered and crumbled the card up in a fiery fist. It turned to ash in a hot second. Asia found my worried glare a moment later as she made her way back into the party. I tried to center myself.

  “You alright Max?” she asked. I continued to look around the room saying nothing.

  “Max?” she asked again.

  “I’m fine. Just shaken up a little.” I made an excuse as the wind returned to my chest. Asia wrapped her arms around me and smiled.

  “You’re just gonna have to get used to being so pretty! It brings out the worst in us females.” She giggled and kissed me. I tried to laugh too but couldn’t. She took my hand in hers and walked me to the entrance slowly. As we passed the bar I noticed a blood-red hood and cape slung across it. The stranger had made a quick get away and left her costume and basket on the bar counter. Lying next to it was the geisha mask. It was face down and slowly spinning in a circle. We must have just missed her. I reached down and picked up the mask. As I did, Asia and I watched as a single blue hair fell to the top of the bar like a leaf.

  “Whose is that?” Asia asked coldly. Her eyes squinted together sharply. I swallowed hard and walked her out of the party and into the wet Paris streets.

  “I don’t know.”

  Warning Signs - 07

  ~Erase / Rewind: The Cardigans~

  Sunday morning - 8:27 a.m. - November 5th.

  Cairo, Egypt.

  Watching the sunrise over the great pyramids is one of those dreams you never think could possibly come true. Then you meet someone like Asia,and the world has no limits anymore. Your dreams are reality. If I was dreaming, I never wanted to wake up.

  After sight seeing most of the morning we decided to take a break and recharge our batteries. In a local restaurant we ate and planned our next adventure.

  “So what do you want to do the rest of the day? Check out the Sphinx or the pyramids again?” Asia asked, finishing her light breakfast. The desert air was dry and slithered through her hair. It carried the smell of a thunderstorm in the distance. One of my favorite side effects of traveling with her.

  “I don’t know if we should…it looks like rain.” I grinned from behind my glass of ice tea. She rolled her big, jewel eyes. The thunder rolled along with them.

  “Funny,” she snapped. A big loving smile followed and I soaked in every detail of it.

  “How about we spend the day in our hotel suite. The pyramids aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.” I leaned into her, inhaling deeply.

  “Sounds nice,” she smiled and slid her hand across our breakfast table and found mine. She stared at me long and hard through her dark bangs. Time stopped as we enjoyed each other’s features. That’s probably why I wasn’t ready for what happened next. Just before I could taste her full lips, the table shook violently, knocking our drinks across the table. Our glasses shattered on the ground, our empty plates following right behind.

  “What the hell!” I cursed as a teenage boy snagged my bag and ran in the opposite direction.

  “You okay?” Asia reached for me. I spun around in confusion, catching the stranger in my sights. He shot me a worried grin with a wink of his brown eyes under his dusty, red hat and ran down the street. I watched his body grow smaller as I almost caught fire with anger.

  “My bag!” I yelled. My legs pushed me forward into the street without even thinking about it. My torso engulfed with heat and my hands pulled into fists as I chased after him. I could hear Asia behind me screaming.

  “Max! Don’t hurt him…he’s just a kid!”

  “I got this!” I huffed and pushed my legs harder. I was instantly irate at this invasion. I wanted to catch this kid and I wanted to hurt him. I didn’t care why he took it; I just had to have it back. I didn’t realize why at first.

  “Max! Slow down!” Asia pleaded again.

  “I need it!” I screamed, loosing control. I needed the bag and the mysterious envelope I had hidden away in it. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing the only thing I had left from the island. Or was it more basic than that? Was it so important to me because Sam had given it to me?

  The kid seemed to be getting his second wind. I watched his pace quicken as he ran away from me, zig zagging into every nook and alley he could. I pushed myself harder and closed the gap between us. The boy was lanky and awkward, but he was fast. As we darted in and out of alleyways my temper grew more and more. His bouncing torso pulled closer to me, just an arms length out of my reach. But just when I thought I had him I lost my traction on the loose dirt and slammed into a wall.

  “Damn it!” I shoved my body from the wall, leaving a fresh smoky handprint in the process. Black ash trickled from the brick and faded into the restless wind.

  “Max!” Asia called from behind me. I ignored her and pushed my body even more. That was a mistake. With a thud, an old man on a motorbike plowed into me at about 30 mph. I flew across the street with smoke and flames bursting from my clothes. The man on the bike flipped into the gutter, breaking his leg immediately and damaging his bike. The crunch of the crash startled the kid. He paused for a moment to witness the mayhem but quickly turned and kept running.

  “My bag!” I begged full of pain. I had injured my left arm and possibly broke my ribs again. It hurt to speak. Asia quickly fell to my side. The dusty air filled my wheezing chest, burning my lungs. Asia grabbed me tightly.

  “Why aren’t you healing?” She was way past upset.

  “I need that bag!” I begged.

  “Why?”

  “Asia please,” I spit, with a bloody lip. Her brow furrowed and the sky darkened with deep black clouds. Thunder rattled through the streets. She rose to her feet and pushed a wall of rain and wind towards the alleyway the kid had disappeared into. Raindrops the size of silver dollars pelted anyone who dared to be in the streets. I crawled over to the injured man lying next to his bike. He whimpered under the falling rain and started to shake. Cautiously, I placed my body over his and shielded him from Asia’s wrath.

  “Don’t worry,” I coughed to the old man beneath me. He tried to pull away in growing shock. Within moments I could hear someone screaming, it was the boy. His shrieks echoed along the streets. Another gush of wet wind and his spinning torso emerged from the alley. His hat flapped down to the dirt as my bag spun from his hand and rested at Asia’s feet.

  “Why aren’t you healing?” Asia called to me again with even more intensity. The sky faded back to blue and the sun had already begun warming the wet streets again. The boy scratched his fingers through his dirty brown hair. Surprisingly, he was not injured at all, just a little dazed. He stared at Asia in disbelief. Shaking, he snatched up his rain-drenched hat and ran off down the muddy road. Asia ignored his retreat. She walked up to me with my bag in her hand and helped me to my feet. A few strangers ran past us and helped the injured man up from the ground. They quickly carried him into a nearby shop. He was still in a daze.

  “I’m sorry sir…” I called out to the stranger. I don’t think he heard me though.

  “Max! Why?” Asia demanded.

  “I’m trying to heal…” I laughed, and it hurt badly as I did. Her hands quickly searched my body for any signs of damage. “But I can’t anymore.”

  “I knew it,” she said disappointed. Her eyes welled up with frustrated tears. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I don’t know…embarrassed I guess.” I clutched my bleeding arm. I felt horrible for lying to her for so long. My half-truth hurt her more than I thought it would.

  ??
?How long?”

  “It started to fade a couple months before I found you,” I nodded. “I’m still healing faster than normal but it’s almost gone.” She clenched up as if she were cold and pulled away from me. Her tone arms flexed around her body as she pouted. Thunder rumbled in the distance. I sulked my way back over to her. She acted as if she would walk away from me but her body language gave her away. Her hips leaned toward me slightly. I coughed and my ribs screamed with a warm throbbing.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up,” she said with calmness finally settling in. Her hand found mine while her steel eyes scolded me.

  “Sorry Asia.”

  “Come on.” Her arm gently tugged at me to follow.

  We headed back to the hotel where she delicately cleaned the fresh wound on my arm. It was already starting to heal but it still hurt. She wrapped my arm with a tight bandage, even though I insisted I didn’t need it. My ribs were another problem. They were definitely broken again. The two I had broken back in Fiji, and the one below them. It took half the afternoon before I let her wrap them. As she did, she inspected every little detail of my most recent battle scars.

  “Ouch.” I winced as she pushed against one of the more tender ribs. Her hands quickly filled with a cool electric pulse. It made the pain turn into a faint tickle. Comfort settled over me.

  “Big baby.” She kissed me softly.

  6:55 p.m.

  After struggling with getting dressed we headed out for one last evening in Egypt. As we made our way back to the skyline of the mighty pyramids, the sunset came to life. Red, orange and yellow watercolors slid down the sky. It was breathtaking as the desert serenaded our wide-eyed stares.

  “How’s the ribs?” Asia asked. She slipped her hand over them and her cool fingers sent soothing electricity through my chest and down my spine. I pulled her near me and placed my good arm around her, caressing the arch of her lower back.