56

I'm In

Hi, everyone. I do apologize for the delay but as always, I'm back, y'all! As I've said several times before, I have no intention of not completing this story. Only two things can keep me from completing it … my hands getting chopped off and/or death. It's taking longer than I'd anticipated, but we will get there. Most characters aren't mine. Charlaine Harris gave these characters life. I'm just playing dress up.

As always, enjoy.

"No one will ever guess that you're Sookie," Amelia assured me. "If I didn't know that you were you, I wouldn't know that you were you." She seemed to be in awe as she stared at me. "I can't believe how different you look." She looked up at my cousin and nodded her approval. "You've done a great job, Claudine. You should do this professionally. You know, Ulta Beauty has an opening for a makeup artist. You should apply for that job. You could get enough clients to start your own business. I'd let you do my makeup if I had any big events to go attend." She nodded her head. "You should really consider doing that."

"Thanks, Amelia," Claudine said. "I was thinking about doing something like that, but I have too much other stuff going on right now." She patted my shoulder when she said that. "Maybe it's something we can do together."

Amelia's beautiful face brightened. "I'm in."

I looked in the mirror as I agreed with Amelia. "If I weren't me, I wouldn't recognize me." I was wearing a red wig and green contacts. The makeup that I was wearing made me look pale. I had red freckles on my face and don't let me forget to mention the tattoos on the backs of my hands and neck. The sleeve on my right arm? It was awesome but not me. I had extra earrings that were clipped to my ears … in almost a complete circle. The too tight jeans and the extremely tight lowcut t-shirt that read 'Hot Commodity' wasn't me either. I tugged at the top, trying my hardest to be as modest as possible. "My gran would be so ashamed of me. I look like Maudette Pickens.," I mumbled. No amount of tugging and pulling worked. "Is this necessary? Does my shirt have to be this tight and … and … this lowcut?"

Amelia laughed. "Modesty isn't going to work with the look you're rocking." She shook her head. "I can't believe how much you look like Aggie. If she was here, she would swear she had a twin." She placed her hand over her mouth in awe. "I can't believe it," she whispered. "Awesome fucking job, Claudine."

"Yeah," I said. "Great job." I needed an answer for the getup. I needed to know why there were no other options. "Is this necessary? Do I have to look like a … a trollop?"

Amelia cackled … loudly. Claudine didn't. She looked hurt by rude and nasty comment. "Yeah, it is necessary. This is how the woman looks and since you're pretending to be her, you should at least look like her. You agreed to do this when you all devised this plan. You knew what this was, and you accepted when Eric suggested it. It wasn't a big to do then." She rolled eyes and huffed. "This is an all week thing and now you complain about it? Please, sit down and let's finish this." The joy in her voice was completely gone. It was all because of me and my sour grapes attitude.

"You're right. I'm being ridiculous. And, Claudine," I said.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound ungrateful." I reached behind me and patted her hand. "You don't have to do this, but you are, and I'm being a brat. I'm truly sorry. Do you accept my apology?"

A smile slowly began to appear on her beautiful face. "Accepted and forgiven." She kissed my overly made-up cheek. "Now, let's get this done, so we can get out of here. I have to get ready for my job."

Amelia laughed outright.

"What job?" I asked.

"You'll see."

I looked at the two women, beaming from ear to ear. "What are we waiting for? Let's get this done."

Though I sounded enthusiastic, my face told a different story. I happily … and reluctantly, did as Claudine ordered while she teased my hair. I may not have formed a trusting bond with her just yet, but she has come through for us, especially today. Her efforts of wanting to get me to trust her are greatly appreciated. Take today for example. She's going above and beyond for me. Though I have more than enough money, she bought the clothes and the wig. The make-up and the shoes. She's doing an awesome job. She's an awesome make-up artist that has transformed me into Amelia's best friend, Maudette Pickens… I mean Aggie. She's doing this to keep me safe. She owes me nothing, but she's doing all this for me. I looked at her reflection and said, "Thank you."

She leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Here. This is what she looks like in her pictures." Claudine handed me it to me before placing it back in the corner of the mirror. "I think you look great. The makeup is flawless and if we do this right, I think that we can beat them. If we can get this completed without any hitches, Pam will be home before you know it, your vampire will be safe, and you can go on with your happy lives."

Amelia said, "Aggie's a great person. She's always lived by her own rules. She an active member of her community. She volunteers at the homeless shelters on the weekends. She works with special needs children." She pointed me and said, "She's one of a kind and a genuinely good person. And get this. She may have the look of a trollop, but she's saving herself until marriage. How many of us can say that?"

I smiled as I thought of Eric. I sure can't.

Amelia continued. "You can't look like you, Sookie and walk into that coven thinking that you won't be recognized. Octavia knows what you look like. Every member of my coven knows what you look like. So, Sweet Tits, this is you." Beaming at Claudine, she said, "Thank your cousin for that."

I didn't want to laugh, but I did. My face now matched my voice. "Thank you, Cousin. You're awesome. And I mean that."

She smiled brightly. "Thank you." She gave a slight bow. "I am fucking fantastic. And, I do appreciate that you're finally accepting and realizing that I am wonderful. I hate that it's taken this long for you to realize it."

"And you are." I looked at reflection Amelia and said, "And you have a great sense of humor." After a second or two, I asked Claudine, "Do you think they'll be following us … me and Amelia?"

Claudine nodded. "Most definitely. It's already started." She stopped teasing my hair and leaned her backside against the vanity. She looked at Amelia, and said, "Tell her."

Amelia took up where Claudine ended. "For the past couple of nights, there has been a car sitting in front of my house. They're not members of my coven. I don't know where they came from or who they are. When I woke up this morning, the car was still there." She folded her arms across her chest. "So, yeah. They're going to be watching us."

I frowned. "Did they follow you here?"

She shook her head no. "Your wonderful godmother her, she put a spell on the guys when she showed up this morning. He's still sleeping."

Claudine blew across her fingernails and rubbed them across her t-shirt.

"Awesome, right?" Amelia asked.

"Very," I answered. "What about Jake?"

Frowning, Amelia asked, "Why would she put him to sleep? He's on our side."

Claudine laughed. "She means what will he be doing while he's with us. Simpleton."

Amelia fanned off the comment. "Oh, he'll be there. You'll see soon enough. Don't worry about that. He also has some backup that will be with us. Jake has talked with some members of pack, and he's let them know what's going on. He's got backup if we need it. What we need to focus on is keeping us safe and getting Pam back. Your luggage and rental car are at the hotel. You're staying at the Margaritaville Resort. You're on the top floor." She reached into her pocket and handed me the keycard. "Eric is already there. The room is secure. Bassir is there with Trey and Alcide. No one will get in or out without being seen." Using her head, she pointed at Claudine. "Your turn."

"The people that are watching Amelia are watching you too. Not Aggie, but Sookie." Claudine was soon standing next to Amelia. "You can't leave through the front or back doors of this house."

I frowned at her. "How am I going to get to the hotel?"

Amelia was soon fidgety and excited. "This part right here is a hoot." In her mind, I could see that she wishes that she could do what I'm going to be doing. She wasn't sure how I was going to react.

Claudine side-eyed Amelia before continuing. "You're going to learn one of your many faery gifts today … another one of your many gifts." Looking at Amelia, "She knows how to shoot the light out of her hands, but she doesn't know how to control it yet. We'll do that later." She looked at me and said, "The gift of being able to travel anywhere in the world you want to go. It's one of the best gifts of the fae." With dramatics and flare, she waved her hands in the air and announced, "The gift of teleportation."

"You're teleporting!" Amelia yelled … her voice filled with excitement. "That's some awesome shit right there." She shook her head and smiled. With her head bowed, she added, "I wish I could teleport. Can you imagine the gas money I'd save? Tons," she whispered. "I'd never pay for car insurance or maintenance again. I can just 'ZAP' myself somewhere … in less than five seconds. I'd never be late for anything ever again. Sweet."

If I weren't alarmed, I would've been amused by Amelia. I'm not. I leaned forward in my chair. With my hands gripping the arms, I asked, "Say what?"

"Teleportation," Claudine said.

"Teleportation," I repeated.

"Exactly," Claudine answered. "It's easy peasy. You're going to love it. It'll save you time and your life. You can get to where you need to be in seconds flat. If you need to escape, you can go anywhere you want, and no one will know where you are. You'll never be late for anything ever again. Just like that," she said as she snapped her fingers. "Easy peasy."

"For you! You've been doing it all your life." I said. "I can't just be teleporting places like I'm some faery or something! I can't do that!"

"But you are some 'faery or something'," Claudine answered. She gently placed her hand atop mine. "You are a faery. You are a Brigant. You are part of the royal family. You can do anything that you put your mind to."

Obviously, Amelia agreed. She began laughing. "I've known you for a few hours (two days to be exact), Sookie, and you can do it. Jake has told me some awesome stories about you. You've stood up to vampires. Hell, you killed Quinn, for goodness sakes!" Her eyes widened as she held her hands out for me to see. "I know about those lights that blast from the palms of your hands! You stand up to Eric Fucking Northman! Hell, from what I've heard, you've threatened the king of Louisiana! Salome has told everyone." She leaned forward a bit and looked me square in the eyes. "You're no chicken shit, Sookie Stackhouse. You are one of the bravest women I know … for a just a few hours (for two freaking days!) but what I think doesn't matter. You have to believe you've got this."

I shrugged my shoulders, pride flowing through me. "I am pretty awesome … and a Brigant, aren't I?"

Claudine stood taller with pride. "Yes, you are. Those Brigant genes are strong. Take your place with the family, Sookie, and be who you're meant to be."

Amelia smiled as she put a little gloss on her lips. "Yeah, you are. Don't doubt yourself." She looked at her watch as she stood. "Look, I'm heading out through the escape room. I'll meet you guys at the hotel. Call me when you're on the way, and I'll meet you in the restaurant." Before I could ask about the escape room, she said, "And don't worry, Sookie. We'll be with you. We've been working on this for the past two days. Nothing's going to go wrong. You can do this."

"Thanks, Amelia. I truly appreciate you," I replied. "Be safe."

She waved at us over head as she walked away.

Claudine and I watched as she vanished into the pantry; which I didn't know was an escape route. Placing her hand on my shoulder, Claudine said, "She's right. You can do this, Sookie. You're a Brigant. You're going to do just fine." She looked at me with assurance in her eyes. "I have two sisters and a brother, and I've taught them many things. They were just like you, green and new, and that's okay. Everyone is nervous at first. They were nervous at first, but they did it. I've got you."

And I believed her. As I said, she doesn't have to help us today. She doesn't have to teach me to do this teleportation thing, and she is. She could leave me to handle this on own and not look back, and she hasn't done that. "Thanks," I replied.

"Now," she said as she stood tall and offered me her hands. "Let's do this."

Exhaling, I grabbed her hands. "I can do this. What do we do?"

Claudine's hands gripped mine. "Close your eyes and imagine yourself at place that's makes you feel safe and secure. A place where you can go that will always welcome you. Think of the surroundings or the people that are there. The smells. The sounds. The feelings. Now, imagine yourself there. Imagine that you want to be there more than any other place in this world."

And I did. I could see myself sitting at Gran's kitchen table eating her homemade pecan pie. I could hear the clank of my spoon in my cup as I stirred in the French Vanilla cream. I could see her laughing as we gossiped about Ms. Fortenberry or how she talked about Maudette Pickens and her sexcapades. I could hear her laughter, and I could feel her hand as it rested on mine. I could smell the coffee and the pie. I could almost taste it. I could feel the wood of the table underneath my hands. I smiled as I traced my fingers over the initials of my family's initials etched into the bench. I could hear my grandpa as he bounded down the stairs. I could smell grandpa's scent all around me. I could hear him yelling because Jason ate the last chicken salad sandwich. I could hear my dad's laughter as he told the same turkey joke every Thanksgiving. I could even hear Jason laugh as loud as he always does when dad tells that joke … told that joke. I felt safe. I felt happy.

"Open your eyes," Claudine said.

And when I did, there we were sitting in Gran's kitchen and at her table. My fingers were resting over my brother's initials that were carved in the bench. "Easy peasy," I whispered. I looked up, and Claudine was sitting next to me. "We did it. We're in my safe space." I placed my hands to my mouth and squealed out. "I did it!" I threw my arms around Claudine. We screamed together.

"You've got this, Sookie," Claudine assured me. "Thank you for trusting me."

"Thank you for helping me," I replied. That smile on my cousin's face almost made me trust her. "You've said thank you to me quite a few times today." I could almost see her uneasiness at my words. She shifted in her seat and shook her head no. She seemed to think that she knew what I was going to say. I raised my hand to stop her when she opened her mouth. "I'm not going to use it against you. I want to be friends with you, Claudine. I want to have you in my life. We're family and as you know, I don't have much family left. I was just wondering …"

She hugged me and sighed. When she looked at me, there were tears in her eyes. "And I won't use it against you," she said. "I give you my word."

"Thank you," I answered.

Smiling, she said, "Thank you."

I rested my elbows on the table and looked at her. I began to nod. "So, I think I'm ready to go to the hotel. Test out these teleportation powers a little bit more, and I think I'm ready for this." I paused briefly. Shyly looking at my cousin, I asked, "Will you be there … close by? Will you be with me?"

Claudine nodded and beamed. "I won't leave you alone. We're in this together."