"Hold on, Vaggie actually attacked your host?" Lilith said over the phone, upon hearing what her daughter had to say.
"Well she tried to attack him but luckily he blocked her punch and I explained everything before she could strike again." Charlie said. "She thought that Alastor had hit me."
"Did he?"
"No. He's been nothing but a gentleman to me from the moment we met. I honestly can't understand her instant dislike of him."
"Well honey, I'm positive that she hates anyone of the male species. I admire her duality and independence, but even the strongest woman can have needs. Needs that just can't be satisfied by anyone except the coarser sex. If you know what I mean dear."
"Unfortunately yes." Charlie willed herself not to imagine her mother in that position.
"Speaking of which, seems to me that this Alastor fellow has taken a liking to you. Giving you a suite, inviting you out for the day, giving you your favorite flowers, and did I hear you mention that there was a kiss?"
Charlie blushed before answering.
"I kissed him." She admitted.
"So you were the instigator?"
"Yes."
"Ha! Your father owes me a new dress from Bloomingdales. He swears that you didn't have any minx in you from my side of the family, but I knew better. I knew you had the power to bring a man to his knees, you just needed to find the man you wanted to do it to."
"Well Mom I wouldn't exactly say bring him to his knees."
"I know Charlie, it's an expression. I know you're not the dominating or rough type like me or your Aunt Naamah. You take more after your Aunt Eve in that department. Modest and patient but underneath sultry and passionate."
"I thought Aunt Eve saved herself for marriage."
"She did and according to your Uncle Adam, once they said I do, she practically tackled him into bed. Wish he had said that in front of your grandmother."
"In front of Grammy O'Ceallaigh? Mom you said if she even thought about any of her children having sex, she'd pass out."
"No, in front of your father's mother."
"Nana Morningstar?"
"Yes. From the very beginning she was dead set against me marrying your father and much preferred that he picked your Aunt Eve. She wanted her little boy to marry a virgin, hmmph!"
"You know it's not Auntie Eve's fault that Nana doesn't like you."
"I know. I just wish that old shrew would understand that there's nothing wrong with sex if it's done out of love. And your father and I were in love, and we didn't think we needed permission to express how we felt."
"Well I don't see it that way and neither does Auntie. Auntie said that she felt that waiting til she was married made her wedding night all the more special and she wanted her husband to be the only man who ever touched her. And I feel the same way."
"Oh I know sweetie. There's nothing wrong with waiting. If it makes you feel more comfortable to wait then wait, but I just want you to know that if you ever do it before there's a ring on your finger, as long as it's done out of love there's no shame. Just don't ever tell your father about it. Women may have come a long way but no man is ever going to like the idea of his daughter having relations. That's just a fact of life."
"Where is Dad anyway?"
"He had to work late tonight. Won't be home til long after midnight."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Probably just have a drink or two, and watch my favorite show. Unfaithfulness Exposed. It's a reality show about spouses getting caught in the act adultery. Tonight's episode is a legal consultant caught cheating on his wife with his business partner. I wonder if he's gay or bi, if he's gay then it's a damn shame for women every where because he's a fine piece of ass."
"Mom!"
"What? Just because I'm happily married and faithful doesn't mean I can't notice a good-looking man."
"I'm going to bed. Goodnight Mom, I love you."
"I love you too baby, goodnight."
Charlie hung up, changed into her sleepwear for the evening, and crawled into bed with a good book, intending to read herself to sleep. At the same time, Vaggie was also getting ready for bed. She had just finished brushing her teeth and putting on her pajamas when a gust of wind sent the curtains dancing and blew open the window to her room which served as a sort of door to the terrace bellow. She went to close the window but stopped when she noticed there was something very strange about this wind.
It was very strong and hurling like mad but that's not what made it so odd. A voice could be heard in the wind, a voice that was calling her name.
"Vaggie...Vaggie...Vaggie."
It was ominous yet seductive. It frightened her but at the same time enticed her.
"Vaggie...Come...Come...Come..."
She tried to resist. She tried to close the window and pretend that she didn't hear anything. She resisted much longer than most would, but eventually she found herself longing to know who was calling her. Wanting to go to whoever owned the voice. Supernatural vaccum tubes latched on to her will and began to suck away. She slowly moved out the window and on to the terrace.
"Wake up!" They whispered into Charlie's ear as she slept. "Wake up Miss, you must wake up!"
It took a few minutes but Charlie did awake. However she did not see anyone in her room.
"That's it! Get up Miss!"
"Oh no not again." Charlie said. "Why do I keep hearing these voices? Am I going crazy?"
"You must hurry Charlotte, your friend is in grave danger."
"What?"
"She has already left the house! You must act fast! If she reaches his arms then she will be lost!"
"Vaggie?"
Charlie quickly forgot her fear and confusion about the voices, threw a robe over her nightgown, and hurried down the hall to the room where Vaggie was staying.
"Vaggie?" She called while knocking on the door. "Vaggie are you still awake? Are you okay?"
No answer but an unseen force opened the door for Charlie. She hurried inside and discovered the lights off, the bed was made, a jacket left discareded on a chair, the window was shut, the curtains drawn back, and Vaggie was gone.
"Vaggie? Vaggie where are you?" Charlie looked about the room for her but she was nowhere in sight.
Suddenly an unseen force drew back the curtains and opened the window. When Charlie moved to close them she caught a glimpse of Vaggie's figure walking away from the house and at a considerable distance. Her eyes were blank and her body was swaying to the wind as she very slowly descended into the dark of night.
"Vaggie!" Charlie called out to her in frantic worry. "Vaggie what are you doing?! Come back!"
But Vaggie didn't respond. She just kept walking as if in a dream. Not aware of anyone or anything. Just moving further and further away from the house and neaerer and nearer to the cemetary.
Charlie hasitly grabbed Vaggie's jacket from the chair and ran out to the rescue. The wind continued wet and chill, scouring patches of fog from the bayou. Charlie could hear an owl somewhere along with the screeches of bats and a few frogs singing. As the wind bucked against her, she felt like strong arms were trying to hold her back. To stop her from following Vaggie.
"Let me go!" She cried, believing for a split second that she was being held back by someone.
The poor young woman was tossed to and fro like a ragdoll, and when she could no longer see Vaggie, she fought the wind even harder. Then just like that the wind started pushing her foward. As if it was now trying to help her.
"Vaggie!" Charlie called once again. "Vaggie where are you?! Please answer me!"
Again and again she called Vaggie's name, graudally becoming terrified that she would never find her friend. Upon reaching the cemetary, she heard new sound. The snarling of a predator beast and if she had to guess, it was probably slashing at something.
"Vaggie!" Charlie shrieked running in the direction of the snarl, praying to God that wasn't her best friend being torn to pieces.
She only had to go around the corner of a tombstone and she at long last found Vaggie. But the sight froze Charlie in her tracks.
Vaggie was lying unconscious on the ground and a red shape, the size of a large man was hovering over her. It was a feral and hauntingly scary beast, one with a massive and hulking body covered in crimson fur. There were long antlers on it's head and it's face was horribly skeleton like. When it leaned clsoer to Vaggie, sniffing at her throat, Charlie let out a mortified cry that would turn anyone's blood cold.
At the sound of her voice, the dark form reared up from Vaggie and looked at Charlie, staring directly into her eyes. The eyes of this beast were glowing red with madness but once it recognized the fear within Charlie's soft, blue irises, the madness turned to shame.
"Get away from her!" Charlie demanded in protective rage.
The beast did Charlie no harm. It only did as she commanded and raced off into the bayou. Charlie then knelt down to Vaggie's sprawled form and checked her body for injuries. Surprisingly though, there was nothing to indicate that the woman had been harmed. She didn't even have a scratch on her. Charlie proceeded to shake Vaggie by her shoulders.
"Vaggie! Vaggie wake up!"
Vaggie woke up feeling very disoreinted and confused but also scared. Her body was shivering and her breath was coming in long, heavy gasps.
"Vaggie are you alright?" Charlie asked covering her friend with the jacket she brought.
"How...How did I get out here?" Vaggie asked.
"You walked out here. I saw you."
"No I didn't...Did I?"
"Yes."
"But I couldn't...I couldn't have. I've been asleep. I was dreaming. My body. my body wouldn't listen to me...I was floating and...Wha...What's going on? I don't understand."
Charlie had never seen Vaggie like this before. She was so vunerable and afraid. She could barely stand up, she was so overwhelmed.
"Come on, you're going to sleep with me tonight." Charlie said helping Vaggie on to her feet. "We'll discuss this in the morning."
"Those eyes." Vaggie whimpered. "Those terrible, unfeeling eyes."
"It's alright Vaggie. It's alright."
Together they walked back to the house. Twice Charlie stopped to make sure that beast didn't come back and follow them. But no beast was following her. At this moment, she was being followed by a shadow. A shadow with eyes of shame and self-loathing.