A Spooky Little Girl Like You, Part VIII
By Christine
A Halloween Tale
DISCLAIMER: Scarecrow and Mrs. King are the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. My use of these characters is intended purely for fun.
Lee's car screeched to a halt outside his apartment. He arrived in record time, not caring if he had an accident that left him dead. He almost relished the idea. "Then she'd be sorry," he thought to himself petulantly. He stumbled up to his door blinded by tears of hurt and rage. He moved into the kitchen, where he downed the first of many glasses of vodka. Lee had never felt this far gone before, this out of control. It scared him. He briefly wondered what Leslie was doing, thinking maybe he could release some of his anger into her soft flesh. But he knew that wouldn't be possible. She had made it perfectly clear she considered him a scumbag. He now readily admitted to himself that he didn't want her anyway; she was just an Amanda substitute. Lee pictured Amanda beneath him, her eyes wide and her body trembling as he pounded unmercifully into her, wanting to punish her for hurting him so badly.
"No!" he raged against his own anger like a trapped beast as he smashed the empty glass against the far wall. His mind reeled at the very thought of hurting his Amanda. He had struck her once, more on accident than on purpose, and it had almost killed him. The sound of that slap and that slight sting he felt in the palm of his hand haunted his dreams for days. For weeks, he had watched her closely trying to see if she really had forgiven him. And for more than a month, anything that she had asked him for, no matter how trivial it seemed, she had gotten immediately and without complaint. He had fought for so many years to protect her. At first he had considered it his duty, almost an obligation. When did it turn out to be so much more? "Don't worry, Darling," he whispered as the second vodka burned its way down his throat, "I won't let anyone hurt you, not even me." And as more tears of despair and rage coursed their way down his cheeks, he hurled the second glass against the wall, echoing the same splintering sound his own heart was making.
Saturday morning's first sunbeam pushed its way in through Lee's window and shone right in his eyes. It felt like a bolt of lightning. His eyes hurt. His tongue hurt. His body hurt. His toenails hurt. And he didn't have a single glass left in the house. He had smashed them all, one by one. He thought wryly that if he ever needed Amanda to clean up his apartment, it was this morning. Amanda. Lee still couldn't believe she was really leaving him. He had come to trust her. He had told her things about himself, personal little fears and insecurities he had never shared with anyone. And he was almost ready to divulge much more. They had both come such a long way in the three years they had known each other, and now it was ending just when he had come to realize he couldn't function without her.
But she had acted so happy to see him last night. She had fussed over him much more than usual, and had smiled brilliantly at him. She had loved the gown, and had acted afraid to tell him about Paulson. And Amanda vehemently denied the rumors about her and Daniel Paulson. A tiny sliver of hope burned its way into his brain like that damned sunbeam. Lee feverishly formed a plan. He would go to the party tonight to watch the two of them together. He felt confident in his ability to read Amanda's body language and he was sure he could tell just by observation whether or not she was involved with Paulson. He would be civil, and not be drawn into an argument with Daniel. Maybe it wasn't too late, after all. Maybe she still was his Amanda.
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Amanda sighed heavily as more tears fell into her already dilute coffee. She had not slept at all last night. She lay on the sofa crying, hugging the pillow Lee had used to support his back. Amanda felt closer to Lee just by touching something that he had touched. And now, Saturday was here. She felt sick to her stomach from so much crying. Her eyes were red and her nose was swollen. And the last thing she wanted to do was to go to a stupid costume party.
Daniel's friend, Briannon Wynne, had phoned earlier to talk to Amanda about preparations for her costume. Amanda had tried to excuse herself from going, saying that she wasn't feeling well and was about to call Daniel to cancel, but Briannon insisted, saying a handsome man making her the center of attention would cure any ailment she might have. "How does she know I need a night out where I'm the center of attention?" Amanda thought in amazement. But she conceded that Daniel would be very disappointed in her, maybe even angry enough not to continue working with her if she didn't go. She needed this job badly. And after all the trouble she'd been in with Lee, she did need an ally at the Agency. Maybe she would have to go work with Daniel. Briannon assured Amanda that she knew just how to help, just how to make things all better. "Yeah, sure you do," Amanda thought sourly, "You don't even know the half of it."
"Just trust me," Briannon replied.
So 5:00 found her walking with Daniel through the empty Plaza Theater in nothing but a pair of sweats and an oversized T-shirt. She had just finished a long, relaxing soak in the tub when Daniel arrived to pick her up. And Briannon had been very specific. "Drink a cup of chamomile tea. Soak in a tub of rose petals to soften your skin and ease away any feelings of tension. Come here in as little as possible, no make-up, and absolutely nothing in your hair but conditioner. If you could manage to get here with your hair still damp, that would be great," she had been instructed. "I will work you over from the top of your head to your feet. Once I get through with you, your own lover won't even recognize you," Briannon had quipped over the phone. "That's strange," thought Amanda, "Isn't the phrase supposed to be that your own mother wouldn't even recognize you? Does she think that Daniel and I are sleeping together?" Anyway, Briannon was right. Tearing up Lee's roses and throwing the petals in her bath water had felt wonderful! And then she had thrown up.
"Briannon!" called Daniel, "We're here!" He had Amanda's hand in his as they made their way backstage through the darkened theater. He was in a wonderful mood. Tonight would be a wonderful night. And he had discovered that Amanda looked just as good "dressed down" as she did "dressed up." He let himself wonder what she would look like first thing in the morning, after a long night of love.
"In here!" called a voice Amanda recognized. Even though she and Briannon had only spoken once over the phone, her voice was unmistakable. It was a soft voice, but it carried. She sounded like she was right there in the room with you, right there in your ear. Amanda and Daniel looked to their left and saw an open door.
"Hey, Wild Thing!" Daniel teased as they stepped into what was obviously a large dressing room complete with make-up mirrors, dressing cubicles, and racks and racks of clothes. He stepped over to the tall, slim woman and gave her a bear hug.
"What have you been up to, Daniel?" Briannon laughed warmly in Daniel's arms. As the two friends greeted each other, Amanda took the opportunity to study Briannon. The first thing Amanda noticed was how young this woman looked. Didn't Daniel say she was an "old friend"? Briannon had pale porcelain skin and beautiful hair. Long and silky, it hung to her waist and almost glittered in the light. And she had huge emerald green eyes. "Yep, emerald green, Amanda, more beautiful even that Lee's," she thought to herself incredulously. She had always believed that no one could have prettier eyes that her Lee. "He's NOT your Lee," she whispered sadly to herself, "and he never will be after last night! Why do you always have to think about him?" she asked herself, feeling like she might be sick again.
Briannon noticed Amanda's forlorn expression over Daniel's shoulder. Suddenly, she was allowed to see just why her services were needed this weekend. And it pained her to realize that it had absolutely nothing to do with her good friend, Daniel. Disengaging herself from his arms, she walked quietly over to where Amanda stood. This woman needed her. She hated to do this to her old friend, but Daniel would live. In this woman's eyes, however, she saw the flames of many lives flickering. This woman was important.
"Amanda," Briannon called gently, "I'm happy to finally meet you."
"Oh, thank you, Briannon, I'm glad to meet you, too. But I have to admit; I am just a teensy bit nervous about all of this. I know you're a professional about what you do, but I've never even had a facial before, let alone given someone I've never met complete control over me and my appearance. And I'm still not feeling very well." Amanda rambled nervously.
Briannon laid a warm hand on Amanda's arm and smiled a smile that seemed to come more from her soul than her face. "It's OK, Amanda. Everything is going to be OK."