Ask and ye shall receive!
So sorry for the looong delay, I had to finish up the school year and finals had caused my muse to go into hibernation. After several attempts I finally got back in his good graces and I've not got a pretty important update for y'all.
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“-but that’s no reason for him to go all “Male Chauvinistic Pig” on me.” Zee finished her complaint with a pout. I was lucky in that no one noticed my Previous Life Flashback (PLF) episode because they were all engrossed in Zee’s latest boy trouble tale. Even though I only caught the last tidbit of the story I could pretty accurately guess the gist of it. ‘Zee likes Cute Boy. Cute Boy likes Zee. Zee dates Cute Boy for awhile until she comes across Cuter Boy. Zee then drops Cute Boy like a sack of potatoes. Cute Boy gets upset and causes a scene.’ In my time down here Zee had become like a sister to me but even I had to admit that she had a problem with the opposite sex. She just couldn’t say no. She was attractive by anyone’s standards so suffice to say she was frequently getting offers for dates and had a hard time turning down a handsome face.
“Wait are you and Drew on or off. I can never keep up.” Ji-ji had a puzzled look on her face as she struggled to decided which it was.
“Off.”
“On.”
Hannah and I had both replied at the same time. Though we didn’t have the same answer. We both looked at each other in confusion, going through the recent developments in Drew and Zee’s extremely complicated relationship. I couldn’t put a number on the times that Zee and Drew had broken up in the time I’d been here. Initially I was shocked to find out they had any sort of relationship, but Hannah informed me that they had a loose thing going ever since Zee started her second life. I quickly did the math and realized that was almost 50 years ago. At first I was impressed at how they managed to stay together that long but then again in the mermaid world there are only so many fish in the sea.
“Okay it doesn’t matter if we are on or off. What matters is that he has no right to dictate who I talk to.” Zee crossed her arms and took to silently brooding. It was at this time that I noticed Cal had been staring at me since I’d come out of my PLF. I decided to pointedly ignore him and instead examined my tail. Before I could suggested another sunbathing trip Cal cleared his throat.
“Rin, before you dash off to primp in the afternoon sun I think you should come with me.” His deep rumbling voice and slight southern drawl held a bit of trepidation.
“My-my Mr. Quebedeax this is quite an improper proposal. A young lady should never be in the company of a gentlemen without proper supervision.” I put my on my best southern belle accent and fanned myself in mock shock.
“I assure you my intentions are pure. Now come on.” Cal indulged me as he grabbed my arm and tugged. I shrugged and followed him, glancing back at the others.
Once again I found myself blindly following Cal into who knows where. I half hoped one of the others would offer to join us due to the slight uneasy feeling that was settling in the pit of my stomach. That feeling only increased as I was once again submerged into complete darkness, the vast emptiness that Cal dragged me through heald an air of despair. My limbs grew heavy and it wasn’t long before I felt as though we were swimming through sludge. Cal trudged on, and I struggled to keep up, my tail working overtime to avoid sinking in the viscous water. It seemed like ages before we encountered a dim light in front of a cave entrance. I stopped short, a wave of uneasiness descending upon me. Something awful was in there and I had no intention of finding out exactly what it was.
“Trust me.” Was all Cal said as he made to grab my hand. I pulled back a bit but after a few seconds of indecisiveness I motioned for him to go on.
The lighting inside the cave was poor at best and my eyes strained to see even a few feet in front of me. When my eyex finally adjusted I was shocked at the sight before me. There were a few dozen merfolk huddled in groups around the cave. Most were ghastly looking, emaciated and gnarled. Their skin was a sickening gray color and was stretched thin over bones, sunken eyes roamed around and struggled to focus on anything for long. Their mouths gaped open and closed constantly, reminding me of goldfish, it would have been comical if not for the hollow gasping that escaped every time their mouths opened. Their tails were twisted and thin, the scales flaking off to reveal patches of ashen flesh. A tingling sensation ran along my spine as I gazed in fascination at these poor creatures.
“These are Floaters. The ones who can’t get rid of their past lives and live in a suspended version of reality.” Cal shooed away a few who had come close to examine the foreign beings.
“Gosh Cal you sure have a strange idea of a first date.” I gave a short chuckle at my tasteless joke and Cal’s left eye twitched in annoyance.
“Rin, this could be you in a few months if you don’t deal with your past life problems.” The stern look Cal was giving was enough to sober me up.
“Well, what the hell do I do? I don’t even know what ‘problems’ I had,” I threw up my hands in frustration which startled a few nearby Floaters, “I mean my life wasn’t perfect or anything but I was in a good place. I mean I had racked up a fair amount of student loans but I doubt that the source of my issues.”
“Calm down Rin, I think I know what might help.” He swam towards the back of the massive cave and I followed reluctantly. Cal pushed his way through a large gathering of Floaters in the center of the group was a rather plump looking mermaid who looked quite out of place among the greyed, gaunt Floaters. She was dressed like a fortune teller with a flowy peasant shirt and colorful scarf tied around her head of curly black hair. She had piercing amber eyes that snapped towards me and Cal when we broke through the crowd.
“Ahh Calvin, so nice of you to visit me. It’s been too long. Who’s your friend?” She pointed to the two plush cushions that were placed across the small, squat table in front of her. It was then that I noticed a giant crystal ball on a stand. I had to bit my tongue to keep from laughing at the painfully cliche scene in front of me. I couldn’t believe Cal took me to a freaking fortune teller, how was this woman supposed to help me with my visions?
“This is Nasrin. Rin, this is Adalet, she’s a Seer.” Cal noded to Adalet and the two of us exchanged pleasantries. She then asked for my hand and I reluctantly gave it to her. While she was examining my ‘life lines’ I took the time to examine the crystal ball. There was some sort of smoke inside of it that was continuously swirling around, I almost yelped when I saw an image projected on it. Before I could hone in on what it was the smoke shifted again, only to produce another image. This happened several times before a familiar scene was revealed.
“Th-that’s my mom!” I yanked my hand away and pressed both my palms against the smooth glass, my face mere centimeters away from the crystal ball. I studied the scene and my stomach clenched when I realized this was present day footage of my parents.
“Hm, interesting,” Adalet muttered to herself as she reached for my hand again. “Now darling if you’d hold still I’ll be able to give you a better projection. Just don’t be alarmed by the immersive experience. It’s also important that you don’t resist, this may become uncomfortable and if it does all you have to do is call out.” I nodded dumbly as I continued to stare at the crystal. It wasn’t long before my surroundings started to blur around the edges. Before I knew it was I back in my living room watching my mother chat on the phone.
“Yes, thank you so much Lisa. I’m sure you’ll do a great job.” The cheeriness in her voice was a stark contrast to the grimace on her face. She slammed the phone back on the receiver and shouted for my father. He popped his head in the doorway from his place in the kitchen.
“Mariana my darling what is it?” My dad went back to whatever he was doing in the kitchen, his tone light.
“It looks like Lisa will be doing the Spring gala this year. That little vulture took no time swooping in and snatching it from me. She knows that’s my event!”
“Maria, calm down. Do you really think you could handle that?” The incredulous look my mother threw in the general direction of my dad sent a flash of familiarity through me.
“Yes. I do. And you do too. I mean it hasn’t even been a month and already Lisa is taking over my events.” She crossed her arms in annoyance. It was then that my dad came from the kitchen, carrying a plate with a couple paninis on it. He set them on the coffee table before pulling my mom into a hug.
“Well look at it this way, she’ll put on a mediocre event, everyone will realized once again that you are superior in your event planning, and Lisa won’t bother to take an event from your ever again.” My mother offered a small satisfactory smile. I could tell she was imagining the gossip that would arise from the subpar event Lisa would plan.
Mariana Samedov was a middle aged mother of one. Though upon first glance you’d never guess it. She was tall and lithe with curves in all the right places, her bronzes skin was flawless and her complexion was blemish free. She had a look that most would describe as ‘Mediterranean’ with her pale green eyes and dark wavy hair. Her heart shaped face and angular cheekbones in combination with her sharp nose gave the impression of manufactured beauty. When asked, she deny it but I knew my mother did have some work done, nothing major just a nose job. She told me she got it when she thought she had a future with modeling, before she realized that she wasn’t that good at taking direction and had a slight problem with authority. So she bounced around from job to job until she met my father. Then motherhood was her profession for a while until she found a career that she excelled at. Now she was the most sought after event planner in Maine. I smiled at the memory of late nights spent helping my mom with last minute preparations and listening in on the drama of Maine’s socialites.
I had always admired my mother and strived to one day be as strong and talented as she was. I was snapped out of my fond memories by the bane of my existence, or past existence. The loud barking of my least favorite canine broke the silence. Rizzo came bounding in the room, skidding to a halt in front of my mother. She let out a whine and pawed at my father’s knee.
“Riz, you just went out.” He complained around a mouthful of food. Rizzo wouldn’t let that fact deter her, she gave another sharp bark. I was surprised that they managed to find the dumb beast after her great escape that night. Yet, here she was begging to be let out to do her business.
“I’ll take her out Javi.” My mom sprung up from the couch and headed for the door. Rizzo hot on her tail. I opted against following them, not wanting to watch Rizzo perform her bathroom ritual. I instead opted to study my dad, frowning when I noticed he looked a bit on the thin side. I could only assume the reason behind his recent weight loss and a wave of guilt washed over me. My dad was, what I would call, an accomplish man. He was born in Ganja, Azerbaijan but he and his family moved to America when he was 4 years old. He went through the usual struggles that an immigrant faces growing up in a foreign place but he managed to make it through law school and started his own firm with his college roommate. His kind face and contagious smile lead many to believe he was a poor lawyer but in fact Javid Samedov was a tenacious opponent in the court room. I had him to thank for my honey brown eyes and thick dark hair, I’ve also been told I had my dad’s smile and though I couldn’t really see it I took everyone else’s word for it.
My dad had his ‘mid-life crisis’ last year. He quit his job at the firm, shirking his clients off on my cousin, and opened up a restaraunt. I had known he had enjoyed cooking and thought he was a wonderful chef but I had always thought it was just a casual hobby. My mother and I supported my dad as he opened a gourmet Mediterranean restaurant that he named after me, ‘Nazzy’s Hideaway’, and prepared to comfort him after it succumbed to the doomed fate most small businesses encountered. But, it seemed to be gaining popularity quickly and almost a year later business was still booming. Though, now I realized what poor timing my death had, my dad was still trying to settle into the groove of running a restaurant and now the added stress has taken a toll on him.
“Javi! Oh, Javi hurry!” My mother’s shouts had my father scrambling up from his position on the couch. He tossed the half eaten sandwich on the plate and rushed to the backyard. I was close behind, the thudding of my heart seeming to echo off the kitchen walls. The sight before me had me trembling in fear. My mother was struggling to pull a rather ornery Rizzo off a shouting man, an assortment of vegetables scattered around them. The doberman had a hold of his shirt sleeve and was wrenching her head back and forth, the growls ripping from her throat were frighteningly familiar.
“I’m so, sorry! She’s never done this before! I don’t know what’s gotten into her! Javid!” My mom’s screams increased in pitch as Rizzo released the shirt sleeve and lunged for a more meatier part of the man. The subsequent howl of pain that left the man had my dad sprinting for the melee, he grabbed a hold of Rizzo’s collar and with a firm command had the doberman releasing the man from her jaws. He stood up and dusted himself off, and it was then that I realized exactly why Rizzo had attacked the man. I watched in horror as my mother fawned over him to make sure he wasn’t in need of medical attention. I could feel the bile rising in my throat as my dad ushered him into the house.
“Oliver, I’m so incredibly sorry! I don’t know why Riz went after you, she’s usually quite friendly. Are you sure you don’t need to go to the ER?” My father sat him down in one of the stools that were arranged around the island counter. Rizzo was still lunging for the man and my dad stepped out of the room to put her in her crate.
“Oh Oliver, I am so incredibly sorry! Oh, and all of your veggies are most likely ruined! We’ll pay for them of course!” I had to suppress my gag reflex as my mom gave him a firm, apologetic hug.
“No, it’s perfectly alright Mrs. Samedov. It’s really not Rizzo’s fault. I think it might be the mulch I use.” The eerily familiar husky voice had an interesting chime to it. The thin, angular face of the man, who my parents referred to as ‘Oliver’ was pulled into a sheepish grin.
I could only watch helplessly as my parents continued to chat with Oliver, completely oblivious to the fact that they were conversing with my killer. I desperately wanted out of this ‘Twilight Zone’ nightmare. For the first time since I started my second life I desperately wanted to go back to my humdrum life. I longed to live an average life. Before I could bring myself to focus on the scene before me there was a gentle pressure on my skull and the image became blurry before fading to black. I awoke with a shout in the same dank cave surrounded by the Floaters and Cal, Adalet still in front of me, clutching onto my hand for dear life. I withdrew my hand slowly and rose from the uncomfortable floor. Cal took ahold of my arm, and with a wave of thanks toward Adalet he guided me back towards the entrance of the cave.
“Do come back now Nasrin, of course you don’t really have a choice in the matter. They always come back!” The dark chuckle that reverberated off the cave walls sent a torrent of goosebumps down my arms. I had a feeling she was right and I knew that my second life was about to get increasingly difficult before it got any easier.
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