Love of my life

LORRAINE'S HOUSE

"Oh, you're even more beautiful in person than in any movie I've seen you in!" Lorraine said, almost in shock. This made Vera laugh.

"You're too kind, Mrs. Warren." Vera said, blushing.

"It's the truth." Lorraine said, shaking her hand. "Please, do come in, all of you. I can prepare you some tea, if you'd like it."

"A tea would be perfectly fine, thanks." Said Patrick, smiling at her.

Lorraine looked at him intently, then gave him an endearing smile.

"You should be the actor who's playing my Ed. You're nice-looking, but you don't look like him at all. Hope you flesh him out well, at least. In fact, you two are definitely too beautiful to play either of us." She said, matter-of-factly, as she turned towards the cupboard to grab a teapot and four cups. "Mint tea?"

"My favorite!" Mark, the cameraman, said.

"Yeah, good choice." Said Patrick.

Vera nodded, politely, almost shyly.

Lorraine couldn't help but smiling, seeing her reaction. Her aura was the whitest, purest of the group. That actress wasn't only beautiful on the outside, her heart matched her outer beauty too. As for the actor, his aura was a bit more colourful than hers, not that he wasn't a good person, as it was clearly visible, but he seemed to be more passionate, impulsive, playful, and somehow oppressed by something, something very powerful, as though his mind was in a turmoil of emotions. Maybe he was the right person to play Ed, after all. Not that she knew anything about acting, but she guessed something about him could help him understand her late husband. About the other man standing beside them, his aura was somehow green, indicating a vigorous strength of character, honesty and ambition, something not bad per se, but definitely a side you would keep under control. She did not mind it, however. Ambition could bring you somewhere in life, and was essential for survival, she knew that.

Ten minutes later, they were all sitting around the little table in her kitchen, and Vera and Patrick were telling Lorraine about their recent works.

"I've known James for a pretty long time, I starred in his movie "Insidious" a few years ago, and this year we are making the sequel, and "The Conjuring", of course. He's extremely talented. I think he's going to grow quite well as a director." Patrick said, enthusiastically. "I started my career on Broadway, but with James, I finally found my niche, my preferred genre to star in. James made me understand how much I love horror."

"Oh, I quite love horror as well." Vera said enthusiastically "I made some horror movies myself, the most recent one was "Orphan", which received a lot of praise. The little actress, Elizabeth Fuhrman, was amazing in it."

"You were also amazing in it." Mark interrupted her.

"Oh, did you watch it?" Vera asked, surprised.

"Of course. Your part was phenomenal, and really well done. As a person who works in the horror business, I have to know and watch as many horror movies as possible. "Orphan" was one of the best of the last five years. It's rare for horror movies to be that good."

"Thank you, I liked it as well, that's why I auditioned for the part." She said, sipping her tea. She stopped after the first sip, making a grimace. "Oh, it's so bitter. Sorry, Mrs. Warren, could I have some sugar in it?" she asked, almost apologetically.

"Of course, dear!" Lorraine replied, passing the sugar towards her.

As Vera got up, she brushed Patrick lightly with her arm. Lorraine was looking at the scene intently, unseen by the two.

The actress put three squares of sugar in her tea, stirred, then sipped it again.

"Now it's good!"

Lorraine smiled.

"Now that I know more about your work, I would like you two to know something about me, and my life with Ed, the kind of connection that bonded us together, the way we worked. Finally, I could show you my museum. I would really like to assist you in every way possible, and I would like you, Vera, especially, to pick every part of me, and my sensitive abilities. Those are no joke, and really difficult to grasp. I'm counting on you."

Vera nodded, obediently.

"I'll do the best I can." She said, while moving her long hair to the side.

"Very well. I'm not setting for less." She said, with a penetrating look. "Now, you have to know that me and Ed... Well, he and me... We shared a special bond, something magical, something that started from the day we met and ended... With his death. I regret that he's not with us anymore so that you could meet him. He definitely would have helped you out with acting him, Patrick, you know? But I could share some memories with you, help you understand the kind of connection we had. But what we used to share, well, it's not something you learn, it's something you feel, it's something you experience. You two have to feel what we felt when we were in love, in order to act it. It's love, yes, but it's something more, it's something holy, even. Something pure, something so spiritual that it's as though two souls are connected forever. I still feel him with me sometimes. Not beside me, but deeply inside my soul. He is always with me."

Vera was listening to her speech with a tender and dreamy look on her lovely face. Lorraine could see she was almost in tears. "I like her", she thought.

"We can go and sit on the couch, this is gonna be a long lesson." Lorraine said, chuckling.

She had noticed the way Patrick looked at Vera. Not just with his eyes, that he was desperately trying not to fix on her, but with his aura. Lorraine had seen the way he tried to conceal the interest in his eyes when she had done that grimace of disgust; the way his aura had turned brightly red as she had slightly touched him; the way his eyes filled with unashamed lust when looking at her lips sipping the tea; the way his gaze filled with fear and rage as she had moved her hair from her nape. He had seen something, and he was definitely not happy about it. That man was in love, a love so strong that it was eating him alive. Nor could Vera deny her starting feelings, even though confused, to Lorraine: she had noticed the way her aura turned into a pale pink as she brushed his arm. Her developing, though confused feelings for that man were perfectly visible to her. Confused not because she had any doubts, oh no, confused because something had happened recently. Something not good. And it might have something to do with the way Patrick had looked at her nape earlier.

Five hours later, Patrick was in his bed, trembling with rage. He had seen the bad bloody bruise that marked her otherwise white, immaculate nape. He knew she couldn't have done it by herself, he knew her husband had something to do with that. The dream he had had last night probably had something to do with that. He also had noticed how on their way to Lorraine's house she had been almost completely silent, not willing to joke so much, not her bright and cheerful self. When he had brushed her hand accidentally, she had slightly trembled, as though in fear. Could it be? That monster could have hurt her in a way he couldn't even think of. His dream, or better, the nightmare he had had last night, was probably real. He punched his bed, seething. He would talk to her. He would talk to her as soon as they came back. Now they were in a strange, spooky house, he didn't want to scare her more than she already was. But he would get at the bottom of this. He would protect her. Always.