Like a Bird (5 page)

Chapter 5

Kitty picked up her phone and fell backward onto her sofa. She glanced at her messages then lightly dropped the phone onto the rug beside her.

“Remember that interesting guy I was telling you about, the one I met at May-hem?” she said to her roommate Daniella, a plump girl with smooth skin punctuated by a ring in both her nose and an eyebrow. Her long, dark hair was dyed an unnatural shade of auburn.

“Yeah,” Daniella replied with feigned interest.

“I sent him a message yesterday and I haven’t heard back yet. Do you think I should send another one?” Kitty asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t remember you," Daniella said.

“We fucked at the party. How could he forget that?”

“Well, maybe he got what he wanted and isn’t interested. Maybe he thinks you’re a slut. Maybe you gave him an STD. I don’t know, I’m not the one-night-stand mind reader.”

“Hmm, I think he’s just shy,” Kitty said thoughtfully. “I’m going to send him another note.”

“Glad I could be of service,” Daniella said.

“I’m going to send a picture, too, just in case he forgot who I am.” Kitty reached for her phone and began adjusting her hair and cleavage. She snapped a selfie to jog his memory and sent the image to Gareth with a little note.

“There, done. Now we wait,” she said to Daniella, who was engrossed in a magazine and didn’t respond. “Thanks for your support,” Kitty said, sarcastically.

“What?” Daniella said as she glanced up.

“Never mind.”

“Is this about Scarface again?” Daniella asked. “I don't get this obsession you have with dudes with scars. It’s weird.”

“That’s rich coming from a girl who’ll spread her legs for any bastard with a face full of metal,” Kitty said.

“Piercings are an art form. They’re decorations, they’re intentional. Scars are just accidents. It means the goods are damaged. You wouldn’t buy a can of tuna with a dent in it, would you?”

“You can’t compare a man to canned goods. Scars are a mark of character. Any man who’s won a few battles has got good genes. I think that’s sexy.” Kitty said.

“Well, you can have him and his good genes, then. Maybe he hasn’t written back because he can’t figure out why a hot little piece of ass like you is interested in a weirdo like him.”

“Hmm, I didn't think about that. Maybe I'm coming on too strong?”

Daniella sighed. “I love you Kit, but you can be so dense sometimes.”

Kitty’s phone rang in her hand. There was a new message.

The Traveler’s Choice Hotel. 9pm Thursday.

“Oh my god, that’s him.” Kitty sat upright. She turned to Daniella. “He wants me to meet him on Thursday. I told you a picture would work. Guys are visual, they like that sort of thing.”

“Uh-huh,” Daniella offered distractedly, as she flipped through her magazine again.

- -

On Thursday evening, as the sun slipped behind a wall of dark clouds, Sky slowly opened her eyes.

The door of her cage was open.

She looked around the room. She was alone. Moving cautiously, she backed out of the door and stood on the hardwood floor. She headed straight for the door to her room and turned the handle, surprised to find it unlocked. She peered around the doorway, down a long hall that led to an open foyer interrupted by a winding staircase. In sock feet, Sky stepped into the hallway and carefully shut the door behind her. She crept along, keeping close to the wall. She could see the front door from the top of the stairs. All seemed to be quiet in the house. Taking a deep breath, she flew down the stairs, her small feet slipping once, though she saved herself by grabbing hold of the banister.

As soon as she reached the bottom she met what she took to be a large dog. It was standing between her and the door. She froze.

Wisdom sniffed the air and began her slow, deliberate approach. Sky stepped back, hitting her foot against the bottom stair. Her gaze locked on the animal, and she began to retracing the path she had just taken.

Wisdom lowered her head and sniffed the lower stair where Sky’s foot had been. Sky continued her ascent in slow motion, but Wisdom advanced after her.

A deep voice echoed from nowhere, “Hey!
”
Wisdom startled and Sky let out a small shriek, reaching for the banister to steady herself.

“Wisdom, enough!” Gareth growled, as he appeared from behind the staircase. “Go!” He shooed her away with a pointed finger. Wisdom’s body softened and she backed away to stand behind Gareth, though she kept her eyes on Sky, who sprawled motionless and terrified on the stairs.

“It’s OK. Don’t worry about her. She’s just very territorial,” Gareth said, and he gave Sky a reassuring glance. He put his hand out to her. She reluctantly reached to accept it.

“How do you feel?” he asked, gently pulling her up.

“Fine,” Sky replied. She couldn’t look at him.

Gareth brushed the messy dark hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Sky turned toward him and reached to touch the hair that hung like a heavy curtain in front of his face. Gareth jerked away and gave her a stern look.

Sky quickly pulled her hand back. “I’m sorry. I forgot.”

“You need a shower,” he said and stepped back. He took out his phone to send a text. “Rose will help you.”

“I don’t need help,” Sky whispered, just as Rose arrived with a clean towel and cloth. She looked kindly at the girl sitting on the stairs and motioned for Sky to follow her.

After her hair and body had been scrubbed clean with fragrant soaps, Rose combed and dried Sky’s hair while the young woman sat in a thick robe. Rose then led Sky back down the hall and past the staircase to the furthest room. She knocked and the door opened to reveal a lightless room. Sky could make out the edge of Gareth’s looming figure, illuminated only by the light in the hall. She glanced back to find Rose gone.

“Come,” Gareth said, and Sky cautiously entered. He closed the door to stand close behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Sky stiffened.

“Um, would you like me to change . . . into something else?” She asked, gripping the top of her robe.

“No,” Gareth said quietly.

He gently squeezed her shoulders and reached around to pull the top of the robe off her shoulders. Sky reluctantly released her grip. The tips of his fingers grazed her arms, sliding up her neck to her cheeks. Sky stood motionless. He brought his face to her hair and took a deep breath. Gareth took her hand and led her straight ahead toward a large bed that was barely visible in the slim strips of moonlight that crept in through a slim part between the curtains.

Standing at the edge of the bed he untied her belt and guided the robe off her body until it fell in a heap on the floor. He ran his hand along her stomach, and stepping in closer, he kissed her neck. With gentle pressure he eased her onto the bed. If the room hadn’t been so dark it would have been easier to make out the pair of wings tattooed on her back, just above her tailbone. He pulled off his own T-shirt with one swift motion and added it to the pile. He quickly finished undressing, turned Sky on her side, and pressed against her from behind. As he searched for a warm opening he wrapped his arm around her tightly and clasped one breast in his hand.

With a steady rhythm, Gareth banged into Sky until the motion became monotonous. She stared at the sheets, and after a while shut her eyes tight as the he dragged on. She let out a small squeak every now and then but couldn’t be heard over his heavy breathing and grunting. Gareth finally held his breath for a few moments and his body shook before he released into her. Sky opened her eyes but her body remained still.

They lay together in silence as Gareth’s breathing slowed. He eased his grip on her breast and wiped his sweaty palm on the sheets. He pulled out and grabbed some tissues from the bedside table.

“You can go back to your room now,” Gareth said.

Sky slowly sat up and brushed her hair out of her face.

“The cage?” she said, barely above a whisper.

Gareth nodded. “For now.”

Sky slid off the bed and felt around for the familiar terrycloth robe. She slipped it on and held it shut as she scurried to the door, a thin strip of light guiding her.

“Thank you,” Gareth said quickly.

Sky said nothing but turned slightly to glance back before she slipped out of the room. She paused at the top of the stairs to glance at the front door, but she continued walking down the hall to her room. Closing the roo
m’
s door behind her, she climbed up into the cage. She burrowed beneath one of the fur blankets and stared through the bars until her eyes ached and she couldn’t hold them open any longer.

Gareth strode into his large closet where he pulled on a pair of flannel pants. At the large window, he drew back the curtains to expose the black tree line silhouette point toward a sky scattered with stars.

- -

Kitty stared into her webcam. “Good evening Prowler Nation! How you all doin’ tonight?” Kitty said, as she watched the live chat on her screen start to fill with comments.

“Ooh, looks like Craig in New Zealand is having a rough day. Let’s send him some communal love, shall we?” Kitty shaped her hands into a heart and brought them to her chest, then blew a kiss to poor Craig.

“All right, now that we’re feelin’ the love, let’s get this started. We have three important items on the agenda tonight. First we’re going to be broadcasting live from Spin Gallery tomorrow night for the opening of a new show by my dear friend Devon, an artist who goes by the name Creep. It’s going to be frightening and brilliant and involves a human-size vibrating dildo, so you won’t want to miss it.”

Kitty reached beside her and picked up an old teddy bear with patches of worn fur and a missing eye. She hugged it close to her chest. “Next, I want to send out a special thank you to Rachel in Toronto for sending me this lovely little guy. His name is Scrappy and he’s just perfect. Rachel, you clearly understand my love of all things mangled, so thank you.” Kitty cuddled the bear close to her face.

“And finally but most importantly . . . I have a very hot date tonight,” she said, leaning into the camera. “Will you guys help me pick out something to wear?” Below her video window, she watched rows of little avatars pump out words like a troop of monkeys in a roomful of typewriters. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to play . . . dress up!” Kitty threw her hands in the air.

i totally vote for the wht halter. the sparkly 1

OMG tell us more about this date. Details girl!

Ooooh I bet whatever you wear will be sooooo hot. Tell us about the guy. Girl? Dinner, drinks, hot tub!!!!!!!?

show us ur tits

“Now, I definitely want to send the right message, so let’s get a better look at my closet.” Kitty turned her webcam so it faced the open closet in her bedroom. Clothes were packed in tight and more were either laid on the bed or hung from the bedposts. Kitty started to pull out dresses and hold them up to herself for her virtual audience to vote on.

“What do you think about this one?” she said, as she held a tiny black dress under her chin. Typed comments and little yellow happy faces quickly followed, letters reproducing like a computer virus and filling the screen.

“Great! This looks like it goes in the
yes
pile.” She tossed the black dress on her bed and pulled another from the closet, holding it up to her chest. The white dress, made of spandex, had a plunging neckline and a short hemline. “This one has a lovely belt. Super important for creating curves, ladies! Keep in mind, I was wearing white when we met, so maybe this will jog his memory.” Kitty grinned sideways at the camera. She grabbed the wide satin belt and held it to her waist. She showed off a few more pieces before asking the audience to submit their votes.

As they deliberated, Kitty played some music and danced barefoot in her room as a half-time show. Wearing ripped denim shorts and a fitted T-shirt, Kitty thrust her hips from side to side, and she held her arms close to her chest to hold her breasts in place. Her pink hair flew in her face as she tossed her head around, keeping time to the beat. When the song was nearly finished, she turned off the music and leaned in close to the lens.

“All right my darlings, the votes are in. And we have a winner!” She grabbed the white dress from the bed to wave it in front of her audience. “Thank you so much for your help. I don’t know what I would do without you. Shall we see how it looks? While you wait, why don’t you help me pick out some shoes?”

Kitty pulled over a rack on wheels holding several pairs of shoes with a little numbered note posted under each pair. She positioned it in front of the camera.

“I’m going to slip into this gorgeous little dress while you decide what shoes you like best. See you soon.” Kitty smiled into the camera, switched on her music, and left the room.

- -