Featherlight (20 page)

A beautiful view of the woods
greeted me through a large floor to ceiling window. The sun cast a yellow glow
on the tall trees and sea-green grass. Forgetting about subtleness, I stood and
walked over to the large balcony door.

My muscles were sore from being
pushed so hard during the chase, and they hurt pleasurably when I stretched
them. Last but not least, I stretched my wings. A euphoric feeling of power
poured through me as I felt their improved strength since Peter’s chase. I felt
quite bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, considering the circumstances.

The room was large and themed
to match the woods outside, with its dark wood furniture and relaxing green
paint. The large mirror caught my attention. I know that it was vain of me, but
I couldn’t help myself from walking over and taking a glance.

I regretted it immediately. The
only recognizable features in the mirror were the two large white eyes. The
rest of me was completely covered in dirt and dried mud.

“The bathroom is around the
corner,” John said.

I jumped a foot in the air. His
voice had come through the bedroom door, so he must have heard me walking from
across the house. That was really unnerving.

“Thanks,” I called back, hoping
that my voice sounded unsurprised and nonchalant, like I woke up in strange
places looking like a mud demon all the time.

Oh, who was I kidding? John
probably heard my frightened jump.

Grabbing the wooden comb from
the dresser just in case the bathroom didn’t have one, I scurried over to the
door and slipped inside. The bathtub and shower were large and luxurious. Go
figure. Everything on this world seemed over-the-top. Bathing items were lined
up on the counter along with various vanity objects.

I spotted bobby pins, perfumes,
soaps, brushes, deodorant, face wash, a tooth brush and tooth paste. There was
even a razor so I could shave! I thanked John or whoever had done this for
thinking ahead, and then I hopped in the shower.

It took me a few minutes to
figure out that 211 degrees was the perfect warmth for me. The numbers weren’t
Fahrenheit or Celsius, so I vowed to ask someone about the temperature system
later.

Although being a mud demon was
exotic and all, I loved the feel of dirt sliding off my wings. The scent of
clean soap dominated the air and I sighed gratefully.

After taking way too much time
cleaning myself, I regretfully exited the shower and glanced in the mirror. My
brown hair had continued to grow back. The longest part was almost down to my
shoulders and framed my face softly. Ripe with joy, I began sampling the
perfumes and lotions.

I forgot about my heightened
sense of smell and let out a huge sneeze after accidentally taking a large
whiff of a bottle marked ‘Merry Strawberry’.

“Bleh! Merry my ass,” I
muttered to myself, placing the bottle back on the counter.

“What was that, Jacque?” John
asked from across the house, startling me.

“I, uh, nothing!” I yelled back
unnecessarily. I could have whispered and he probably would have heard me.

Suddenly, I realized that I had
a problem. A very
big
problem. I had no clothing. No towel, no shirt.
Nada. Zip.

I could run back to the bedroom
and search for some, but I’d risk being seen naked by John. I cursed under my
breath.

“Need something?” John
responded.

If I still had my normal
senses, I wouldn’t have caught what I did. As it was, I heard in his voice a
faint note of amusement.

“You planned this all along,
didn’t you?” I yelled again.

John chuckled, his voice
carrying across the house. “Ah, yes. I’m afraid I forgot to put a towel in
there for you.”

He had placed all of the
toiletry items on the counter as a distraction so that I wouldn’t check to make
sure that I had a towel. His plan had worked like a charm, and I began to get
angry.

“Put a towel outside the door…
or some clothes,” I said, and then ground out, “please.”

The room was still steamy, so I
didn’t have to worry about staying warm. My wet hair dripped all over the
floor, but I could care less. At least I had hair now.

Footsteps sounded outside the
bathroom.

“Thank you,” I said as the
footsteps receded.

Quickly opening the door, I
snagged the clothes that were outside and yanked them back into the bathroom.
It didn’t take me long to get dressed in the black jumpsuit since it was all
one piece of clothing. After brushing out my amazing hair, I put on some
mascara and deodorant.

There was a knock on the door
along with John asking, “Have everything you need? Are you all dressed?”

“Yep! And yep! Oh, and great
plan, by the way. The whole ‘I’m gonna distract her with stuff so that she is
forced to ask me for help’ thing.”

He was just waiting for an
excuse to enter the bathroom. I should have known better and kept my big mouth
shut.

“Well, you see, I’ve been
reading some of your literature. This is what Earth girls like, right?” John
slowly opened the door and said, “Uncomfortable situations that force intensity
and proximity.”

He took a step forward and I
took another one back, keeping my head up and my eyes on the floor.

“Umm, no. Not this Earth girl.
I’m a different breed. Literally.” I nervously laughed and jerked a thumb back
at my white wings, trying to diffuse the ‘intense’ situation. ‘Intense’
butterflies were swirling in my stomach, and they needed to stop.

“I don’t think so. Deep down, you’re
like every other woman.” He took a confident step forward, but instead of
taking another step back, I held my ground. The butterflies dispersed.

“Excuse me? I am most
definitely
not
like every other woman. You have no idea what I’ve been
through. You can’t just waltz in here and romance me, buddy!” Without thinking,
I lifted my eyes up to meet his.

He took two steps forward, pressing
me into the bathroom counter. I hopped up on it, trying to create distance.

 “I don’t have to romance you,
Jacqueline. You forget that you’re mine whenever I choose.”

His voice had deepened and the
air tingled with desire. John’s wants and needs were clear. I knew what
happened when men wanted something. They took it. Fear began dancing through my
blood. I tucked my knees into my chest and completely crumbled. I lowered my
eyes and my head, waiting for him to touch me. I was so weak. I might pretend
to be tough, but inside I was so terribly weak.

“What’s wrong?” John’s voice
took on an entirely different tone as he took a step back. “Jacqueline, what
did I do? I’m sorry.” He reached a hand to me, and I involuntarily flinched.

John’s face darkened and he
whispered, “Your father?”

I kept my chin tucked into my
knees and stayed quiet, confused with the sudden turn of events. My silence was
confirmation enough. He closed his eyes, turned around, and rested his forehead
against the far wall.

“I’m sorry, Jacque. I knew, but
I didn’t understand…”

“It’s okay.” My voice was only
slightly squeaky.

“No, it’s not okay. I’ve been
completely inconsiderate. I had no idea that he hurt you so badly.” John’s
fists balled up and he took a deep breath, still facing the wall. “You might view
the lullary as monsters, but we never hurt each other. We always cherish and
love. I know this may not convince you, but I’d never abuse you, sexually or
physically.”

“Aren’t women abused in the chase?
They are forced with the man if they can’t flee fast enough. What if the man
wants sex after he catches her and the woman doesn’t even like him?”

John turned his head slightly
to give me a grin. “That never happens. A lullary
woman is instinctually
attracted to a male that is superior to her. If he catches her, then she will
love him. Likewise, a lullary
male will instinctually love and protect
the female he takes after a true chase.”

“That’s terrible,” I whispered.
“Is there not a special someone for everyone? A woman here would love any man,
as long as they were stronger and faster. The woman has no choice in the
matter. She is forced to love the first man who beats her in a chase.”

“How is it so terrible? Is this
not better than your world where men and women switch partners constantly? Where
men beat their wives because of their unhappiness? The woman’s choice lies in
how fast she runs away. If she loses, then she will never be unsatisfied with
her taker. No woman has ever complained of losing a chase, and no man is ever
disappointed when he wins one. A bond is made, and that bond ties the couple
together tighter than any other force in the universe. The bond is full of love
and commitment. It is not terrible, Jacque.”

By the time he was finished, he
was leaning against the wall and was staring at me. His speech had almost won
me over, but I was still a bit wary. Briefly, the thought crossed my mind that
I could have John chase me, and then I would be safe from anyone else. I shook
that idea away quickly. I never took the easy way out on Earth, so I won’t
start now. Besides, what about Peter?

“When Peter caught me, I felt
the need to run slowly lessen, but I never felt this happiness that you
mentioned. In fact, I felt terribly helpless and angry,” I whispered,
remembering my struggle and not wanting to mention feeling excitement or lust.

John’s jaw flexed when I
mentioned Peter’s chase. “It was probably because your body knew that it could
fly faster. Therefore, you weren’t subconsciously positive that Peter was faster
or stronger because the chase didn’t last long enough for your body to find
out.”

“So if Peter would have taken
me that night, I wouldn’t have been happy.”

“You probably would not have
been miserable, but you wouldn’t have been fully satisfied with him because he
did not truly beat you. Which brings me to an explanation. Shall we continue
our conversation in the living room?” he asked while opening the bathroom door.

John followed me into the hall,
and I was surprised to notice that I wasn’t as uncomfortable with him being at
my back as I used to be. The living room was open and homey. Floor-to-ceiling
walls were also present in this building. Hmm… I was beginning to notice a
common windowed wall theme. Long couches surrounded a huge fireplace and the
ceiling was extremely tall. Actually, now that I remembered, the bathroom and
bedroom ceilings were high also. I appreciated how the open rooms made me feel
free and uncontained. The wooden floor was covered by a huge rug. I liked the
place immediately.

“Have a seat,” John said, and I
picked a spot on the couch. To my annoyance, he started pacing in front of me. “I’ve
been thinking about what my mom said. I know you aren’t accustomed to our world,
so I was hoping that you’d let me try it your way. I don’t want you to hate me
for the rest of your life, Jacque. Even though you would probably love me after
the chase, I am not willing to risk it because you are truly one-of-a-kind. If
that means waiting a month or two for you to get to know me before I take you then
so be it.”

John stopped pacing, cleared
his throat, and continued, “If my theory is incorrect and you do not feel emotionally
bound to me after the true chase, then at least you will know me, and it won’t
be so terrible. The only reason you wouldn’t feel all of those lovely emotions
towards your mate would be because you changed late.”

“You know, if you want me to
like you, then you’re not off to a good start,” I told him with a slight smile.
A huge weight was lifted from my shoulders with the knowledge that I wasn’t
currently in danger.

After all these days feeling
helpless on this planet, I had something valuable to offer: My love. Okay, so
maybe I wasn’t going to ever love John, but he didn’t know that. If he were
prolonging a true chase because he wanted to court me first, so be it. I was
most definitely not going to inform him that he didn’t have a snowball’s chance
in hell.

“Wait a minute… Am I supposed
to live here for two months to avoid other lullary
?
” The word sounded
odd on my tongue.

John
sighed. “I’ll teach you how to resist the chase, but I have one condition.”

My
heart picked up with excitement and John’s eyes narrowed, apparently hearing
the increased beat. I could almost taste my ticket to freedom. “Yes?”

“You
will let me court you, woo you, date you, whatever words you used on Earth. And
only I will take you.”

Before
my mind could process his words, I replied, “Deal.”

It
was a good thing that I didn’t think about what he said before the word ‘deal’
left my mouth. If I had allowed myself to truly listen to him, I would have
heard the way his voice deepened when he said the last sentence, or what he
said sounded oddly sexual... Dang it! I had to stop doing that.

Apparently
my eyes had gone unfocused during my little mental drool-over-John moment
because he said, “I’m being serious, Jacqueline. If I teach you how to resist
the chase, then you might be able to resist me. Therefore, I need you to promise
that you will only let me chase you in the future. No one else.”

I
was paying attention now because it was more important for me to weigh the pros
and cons than to think about John’s deep voice.
Think, Jacque!
Was it
worth it? Could I live with John forever in exchange for my freedom? I could
always agree now and then never let him chase me. I wasn’t one to go back on my
word, but I wouldn’t
technically
be breaking a promise.

“What are you getting out of
this deal, John?” If it were my love or trust, then I needed him to say it.
Otherwise I wanted to know why any man in his right mind would do what he was
doing. Hey, I’m not complaining or anything.