Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012

Without delay, I’ll continue on with my latest story, Learning Lea.

Learning Lea

She stared up at the skylight off to her side. Tried to focus on the moonlight that streamed through its bubbled dome. They cast bands of light, which illuminated half the room. Focusing was good.  Lea felt her hands and feet relax, their nails retracting, no longer on edge, ready to shred and tear.  

It was as if she stepped out of her body and stood alongside the bed. What Lea saw didn’t surprise her, though she wished it had. Too many times she’d been here. Experienced her…change.

Lea watched her alabaster skin morph. One second it was as pure and unmarked as a china doll’s. The next, the faintest outline of texture appeared. Then came the blemishes—spots. Just a few at first. But as Lea continued to glimpse herself, the spots increased, covering her exposed flesh with a blanket of evenly spaced dark chocolate splotches, each outlined in a smudge of black, that contrasted her now golden fur.

Carl stirred behind Lea. She froze. Slowed her breathing to barely at all, focusing all her energy on maintaining the illusion that everything was all right. No need to involve Carl this time in her struggle.

Carl’s sleep-filled voice cooed, “You okay, baby?”

“Mmmhmm,” Lea replied. Her response was rushed. She answered quickly in the hopes that Carl would buy her deceit. He could be unnervingly astute—Carl. Could detect the slightest change in Lea’s tone, body language or facial expressions. Well, he could when he wasn’t half asleep. Lea hoped Carl’s groggy mind wouldn’t be as perceptive as usual and would allow him to slip back into a deep slumber. It did. Satisfied that she’d fooled Carl into believing she was fine, Lea let out the breath she’d been holding with measured care.