Prior to my taking a much-needed hiatus over the holiday, I’d
begun posting bits of my latest story, Learning
Lea. Today, I’ll repost all excerpts I’d previously posted. This will
refresh folks’ memory of what’s happened in the story before I carry on with
it.
Without further delay, here’s what I’d already posted.
Learning Lea
Lea rolled onto her side, the
mattress creaking in the process. Her legs curled close to her body, her feet
intertwined. A chill caught Lea, causing her muscles to flex. She was careful
to prevent her razor sharp nails from slicing through the sheets and fought the
urge to shiver, lest she wake Carl who spooned her from behind. She didn’t want
to alert him to her distress…not again…. So she lay there, as her mind raced—an
incessant cesspool of thoughts and images that consumed her, leaving her no
escape. In the end, that’s all Lea wanted—to escape.
For as long as she
could recall, Lea sought peace…quiet…calm—a respite from the indelible mark
society and its mystery left on her. Each day, she went out in the world,
became a part of it, or so it appeared to those interested enough to take a
second look. That was all Lea needed—to fool onlookers long enough to leave an
impression that she was one of them.
Lea scooted apart
from Carl. But, as she suspected, the effort was futile, for even in his
slumber, Carl sought her out. His need to touch her usually comforted Lea. But
not tonight. It was at times like these that Lea needed space.
Knowing that if
she remained in bed, she had no choice, Lea let Carl touch her, attempting to
numb her body to the feel of him against her. She succeeded—mostly. Relaxing a
bit, the edges of her reality began to shift in and out. Similar to the focus being adjusted on
a camera lens, what Lea saw, as she lay there in the dark, became fine-tuned
and then…not.
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.
Stay tuned to read
what happens next in Learning Lea.
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