Dissolve (2 page)

“Good afternoon sweetheart. We were just ordering appetizers,” he said sitting beside me.

The thought of food just made me cringe but I tried not to let it show. “Hi, mom and Beverly, it’s always a pleasure.”

“Oh dear, you aren’t looking so well today. Are you feeling okay?” Beverly asked.

“I am just getting a cold or something, nothing to worry about,” I assured her.

Just then, Nessa strolled up and sat in the seat next to me, saving me from the concerned motherly talk I was about to become engaged in. “Morning Cora, Tom,” she said turning to him in a polite nod. “It’s a pleasure to see you Mrs. Fletcher and you too Frannie.”

“Nessa, I trust you and Cora are keeping out of trouble these days,” my mom said in her stern motherly voice.

“Yes mam, we are perfect angels as of late,” she said, giving a slight gesture of respect.

All I could concentrate on was the pounding in my head that had still not subsided. I felt pallid and pasty. My stomach swirled and I felt a wave of nausea. I swayed slightly, unable to stop myself.

“Cora, I have to use the ladies room, can you join me?” Nessa asked, seeing my need to silently recover for a few minutes.

“Sure, excuse us, we will be right back,” I said standing to follow Nessa off the patio and into the restaurant.

As soon as we entered the restaurant, Nessa guided me through the rows of tables toward the restroom. She took one look at me and then shut the door behind us.

“Cora, what is wrong with you? You didn’t drink enough to look like this. A hangover is one thing, but honey you look sick.”

“I just feel awful. My head is throbbing and I am nauseated. I am exhausted and dreading today,” I admitted.

“Then cancel. They will understand, trust me. You look like death warmed over. It won’t be a tough sell.”

“Beverly will be cross with me for wasting an otherwise productive day for her to plan my wedding and I can’t handle her nagging. Maybe I should just suffer through,” I told her.

“Ugh, just a day alone with the soon to be monster in law is enough to make anyone sick. She has gone crazy planning this wedding and it doesn’t even feel like yours anymore.”

“I know, but she will be family and I want to keep her happy. I love Tom so I need her approval. Let’s just go on back, I will be fine,” I replied.

“Are you sure?”

“I think so. Besides, I don’t want Tom to think it was because we were out last night. I don’t want to fight with him, I am too drained today to handle it,” I said.

“Alright, if you say so,” Nessa replied unconvincingly.

She lead me back through the restaurant and out onto the patio. Just before we reached the table, my vision began to fade. Tiny pin pricks of black filled my sights until they had completely taken hold. I crumpled, losing consciousness.

When I came to, I found that I was sitting on the concrete. Everyone was peering around me, concern written all over their faces. Nessa was holding me up and Tom was brushing my sweat laden face with a gentle caress.

“Are you okay?” Tom asked.

“I am just getting sick I guess,” I told them.

“Let’s get you home. We can reschedule. You look awful and you passed out,” Tom said.

“I agree. Let Tom take you home and I will call you later honey,” Mom said with a weak smile.

“Okay, I guess that would be best. I really don’t feel that great. Maybe I can sleep it off,” I admitted, letting Tom help me to my feet.

He hailed a cab and gently slid me in before closing the door behind us. When we were alone finally, I sank into him. He smelled of pine and cinnamon and I nuzzled closer. He didn’t question me or give me a hard time. Instead, he just held me in a comforting embrace. I was thankful since my head was throbbing so loudly that I probably couldn’t hear him through the sound of the internal pounding.

When we reached our apartment, Tom tipped the cab driver and gently slid me out of the car and onto the sidewalk. He wrapped his arms around me and guided me up the stairs and into our building. Just inside the door, I swayed on my feet and Tom steadied me.

“Maybe you should take a shower, it might make you feel better,” he suggested.

“Mm... that is a good idea. I think I will,” I said already making my way towards the bathroom.

I showered, reveling in the penetrating heat. I was trying to ignore the pounding in my head that felt like the beating of bongo drums in full force. I was relieved to finally be able to shave. When the water cooled to icy droplets, I reluctantly shut the shower off and patted dry with a soft towel.

I slid on a cream silk slip and headed out of the closet to find Tom. I didn’t get very far though and began to sway once more. I was still incredibly sluggish so I decided to just crawl into bed.

A few minutes later, Tom was by my side. “I thought you might want some aspirin and a glass of water.”

“Thanks. My head is still pounding,” I said as I swallowed the aspirin and chased it with the water.

“Could you do me a favor?” I asked. He looked so strong and I craved the feel of him. His kindness only made me love him more than I already did and I gave him a pleading smile.

“Anything for you, Cora, what is it?”

“Would you lay with me for a while? I don’t really want to be alone.”

“Of course,” he said. He undressed down to his plaid boxers and crawled into bed.

Then the warmth of his body spread throughout me. He held me close and I reveled in the feel of him wrapped around me. I was lucky to have Tom. That was the last thought I had before I fell asleep and my nightmares started.

Chapter 2:

“He’s not gone,” I whispered.

“He’s not gone,” I repeated despite the growing feeling of desperation.

There was blood everywhere, so much blood. The dark red splatters surrounded me. It stained my silky cream slip in a brush of crimson. The blood was caked around my fingernails as well as underneath them as I checked for his pulse. The blood surrounding me was dark and sticky, flaking away in flecks at the dried spots.

The gothic music that floated through the air was melancholy. A chill raced down my spine and I suppressed a shiver. I closed my eyes and will be haunted by the image I will never forget. His eyes were so empty and frozen in shock. Blood had swelled from the back of his head from a large gash. A nearby statue is covered in dark red blood, the source of the deathly blow.

I felt a hollow ache in my chest and tears formed in the corners of my pain stricken eyes. I grappled for my cell phone on the table and tried to get ahold of myself. Grasping the sticky cell phone, I punched in the emergency numbers.

I swallowed hard and said as calmly as possible, “there’s been a murder. I don’t know what happened. The address is 2203 Devonshire court.”

I hung up the phone with an audible click and dropped it with a clatter on the wood floor. The big storm may have passed but the real storm was just beginning to take hold. Sinking down to the cold stained floor, I sobbed until there were no more tears left. Soon, my clothes fluttered to the ground and I dissolved into thin air.

**

I bolted upright, eyes as wide as saucers and drenched in sweat. It was just a nightmare I told myself. That scenario was not even humanly possible. I took a sip of the water Tom left on my nightstand and tried to steady my breathing.

My phone rang and I read the caller ID. It was my mother. Great, I wasn’t in the mood to deal with her nagging. I especially wasn’t up to it after the terrible nightmare I just had. I silenced the ringing phone and looked around. Then I realized Tom wasn’t next to me and I panicked for a minute.

I tried to rationalize but it was fleeting. He was probably just in the living room watching the television while I slept. He was so thoughtful like that. Despite the logic, I couldn’t seem to bite back the rising panic.

I rushed into the front room only to find the nightmare playing out just like in my dream. Soon it was all a blur and I felt as if I was coming apart at the seams. I felt light, weightless. I saw myself mist into a million particles before I dissolved.

It felt like I was nowhere yet everywhere all at once. I was invisible and completely panicked. The millions of pieces I had dissolved into drifted on the breeze and away from my nightmares. It was kind of like floating weightless in a pool, perfectly relaxing. The warm breeze from the window embraced and soothed me. I let the air current carry me as far as it could through the summer city.

I just floated through the air as my frayed nerves softened and the edge of panic subsided. I felt so at peace and relaxed. I eventually made my way to Water Street and then I tried to force myself into Nessa’s building. My particles seeped at the seams of the door all around, splitting.

Once inside, the air died and my particles began to form again. In a matter of seconds, I swirled into my human form. Naked and freaked, I looked up to see Nessa witnessing the whole thing with her jaw dropped. The coffee mug she had been holding fell to the floor and shattered on the cherry wood. We stood like that for several seconds before I broke out of my own shock.

“I could really use some clothes, Nessa. This is kind of awkward,” I admitted, trying to shake her out of her shocked trance.

She snapped her jaw shut and left the room in silence. Just as quickly, she returned and tossed me a fluffy, white bath robe. The shock in her eyes had yet to dissipate and I wasn’t sure I could blame her. I was still in a state of shock myself. I wasted no time wrapping myself in the bath robe and having a seat on her brown leather couch.

Nessa stood there for several seconds before breaking out of it and joining me on the couch. I threw my arms around her and the tears began to flow without regard.

“Please tell me that was a figment of my imagination,” Nessa said.

“I wish I could. This day is getting more bizarre by the minute,” I replied.

I tried to stop the tears from flowing but once the faucet was on, the waterworks were in full force. I loved Tom so much. The ache in my heart, in my soul was irreversible. There would always be a hole where he belonged to me even if our time together was fleeting.

“Cora, are you alright? Please stop crying, I am here,” Nessa said as she wrapped herself around me in a gentle embrace.

“No, Nessa I am not,” I admitted. “Tom was murdered and then I freaking dissolved. Now here I am. I think I am in shock.”

“What? Tom is dead? What happened? How did this happen to you?” Nessa shot back, concern thick in her voice. I had her full and undivided attention now.

Wiping at the shimmering tears rolling down my cheeks, I looked down in shame. This looked bad, so bad.

“I don’t know what transpired. I don’t even know how this happened to me. It has never happened to me before. Oh God, Tom is gone,” I choked out.

“Okay, I am trying not to freak out here. This has never occurred until just now? You weren’t feeling so hot yesterday, maybe that had something to do with it.”

Nessa chewed on her bottom lip, biting back her own tears. Her eyes penetrated mine, searching. “Are you positive Tom is dead? Maybe you imagined it or maybe he is just injured.”

I shook my head in dismay. I knew this wasn’t the case. I just sensed it deep into my core. “No, I am positive. I called the police then this disappearing thing happened to me.”

“That means they will be calling me soon. Once they start looking for you, this will be one of the first places they will look. Look Cora, I have to ask. Did you kill Tom?”

“What? No, absolutely not. Well, I am pretty sure. I don’t really know what happened. Please help me. If they put me in jail, I could accidentally do this disappearing thing again and be in more trouble. Please Nessa, I am begging you.”

“I trust you, I just had to ask. Lucky for you, I don’t have much on the burner right now. Work has been slow and I am still minus a boyfriend. I say let’s get you in something more suitable and get out of here fast,” Nessa said already on her feet and heading to her room across the hall.

I followed into her room of posh black and whites, watching her tear through her chest of drawers for something suitable through my veil of tears. I could tell she was nervous and I couldn’t blame her. I was just thankful that she was even going to trust me and help. If I couldn’t trust Nessa, then I couldn’t trust anyone at this point. The thought sent a shiver through my core and I returned my focus on Nessa.

“I can wear whatever Nessa. Just let me throw on something and let’s get out of here. We need to find out what is really going on and I need your help,” I begged with a quiver in my voice.

Finally, she tossed me a plain brown V-neck tee and some faded frayed jeans. Maybe I was too literal. Underwear and a bra, even shoes would be needed. “Umm, I probably need a bra and some underwear. I probably need some shoes too.”

“I hadn’t thought of that, sorry. This is all so much, I am a little frazzled,” she said handing me a set of matching cream undergarments and a pair of brown flats. I didn’t even care that she was standing there; I was ready to get the hell out of here. I tossed off the robe and wasted no time putting the clothes on. I was afraid of a repeat performance and running seemed like the only way to stay sane.