Whispering Tempest

Chapter Five - Perfectly Normal?

Chapter Five – Perfectly Normal

Sunlight. Steamy, beautiful sunlight shines over our bodies as our skin is licked by the breeze. The clear water glistens under my sunglasses, making me turn over again. Sweat beads glide over my back as I lie halfway in the blowup pool. I feel sticky and gross but most importantly, I feel the summer sun searing my body. The water gently splashes as I get comfortable and soon I’m back to relaxing. Words cannot express how much I love hot days like this.

Katie is stretched out on the other end of the pool. Her turquoise swimsuit hugs her curves gracefully over her flawless skin. I sometimes wonder how on earth she could be my friend. In most aspects, we’re opposites. Katie is gorgeous and confident, making sure she’s known to the world and acting like a princess. She demands respect and earns it too.

I’m not like that. I don’t have a voluptuous feminine body but I’m not exactly boyish. I have a decent bra size and my butt isn’t bony. However, my insecurities rule over how I carry myself. Sure, I’ve inked up my arm but that doesn’t make me feel any more confident. I am who I am, I’m just afraid of what others think.

It’s a bad combination when you’ve got as many studs in your face like I do.

The cool water trickles from my body as I stand. As much as I love the pool, listening to music is more my thing. I pick up my towel and lean back on the scalding chair it was sitting on. Ever since Katie brought the kiddie pool over and forced me to keep it she’s been here almost every day. I don’t mind it in the slightest. I’ve asked why she doesn’t keep it at her house but her excuses are always the same.

“Because I have a dog and two brothers on vacation from college and you have a backyard big enough to keep it in,” she explained. It was the day she bought it and her swimsuit was already on under her sheer tank top. Hauling the deflated plastic around the corner of my house with a lawn chair on her back, she made herself at home in my backyard. Scott just watched, unfazed by the shenanigans of Katie anymore. “Besides,” she giggled. “I have an excuse to get out of the house.”

And now we are here, sunbathing like we’re the goddesses Katie thinks we are. I pick up my iPod hiding from the heat under my bag and stick in my ear buds. Her skin soaks in the rays as mine simmers in bliss. I love the sun on my face and pop infused rock music blasting in my ears. It’s the perfect thing after everything crazy that happened this morning. Rest and relaxation does wonders.

“Gail,” I hear Katie call me. She probably wants a drink from inside and is too lazy to get it. Her voice is muffled under my music so I pretend I don’t hear her. I keep my head down and let myself daydream, ignoring the oncoming headache.

My front door stands before me where an older hand presses over the doorbell, probably a lady in her late 40s. There’s a gaudy ruby ring on her finger that I know from somewhere. My closed eyes tense up, urging my thoughts to see who it belongs to. It’s a woman with sapphire eyes, crow’s feet, a bit of Satin Rose lipstick on her upper tooth. Mrs. Fletcher, my neighbor down the street.

I shake my head at my uncontrollable imagination. Sometimes I don’t know why I think up the things I do. I try and push the vision away but to no avail. Instead, it returns to face my white door and looms over the windows. Rather than a reflection of my perky neighbor, a grey creature stands there with blackened lips and florescent blue eyes. I see the snarl of fangs, the torn skin around her neck, the death glare in her eyes. She’s coming for me. My heart beats faster as my imagination grows darker. She’s coming to kill me.

“Gail,” Katie asks more urgently, bringing me from my sinister thoughts. I awaken quickly, reluctant and thankful at the same time.

“Yeah,” I ask removing one headphone. I shake myself awake and breathe in deeply. “What’s up?”