Allie drank the last of her tea, gathered her things, and went to place the book she had been reading back on the shelf. She wasn’t sure she wanted to buy it. She had read the first two chapters, but she wasn’t convinced. The truth was she had been studying the phenomenon of out-of-body experiences for some years now, and after having read everything by Robert Monroe and Robert Bruce, it was hard to be convinced by Anthony Pierce, a guy who’d studied OBEs without actually experiencing them. Still, the way he approached the subject from different perspectives was interesting.
Before putting the book back where it belonged, Allie checked the Table of Contents again. “The chapter about the quantum physics perspective sounds good, though,” she thought. She bit the inside of her cheek, reconsidered her options, but eventually sighed and placed it neatly on the shelf. This one would have to wait. At least until her next payday.
“Here, let me help you with that.”
She jumped at the sound of the bookseller’s voice. He was a tall, dark-haired man, and he had been following her around since she had entered the bookstore. Allie smiled, nodded, then made to leave.
“Did you enjoy your tea?”
“Yes, thank you.”
She loved this particular bookstore because they also served tea, coffee, cookies, and all kinds of fancy desserts, but if the guy working here the second shift was going to keep this up, she’d have to find another place to spend her Friday evenings.
“Forest fruit infusion,” he continued, perfectly oblivious to her discomfort. “It’s my favorite, too. You have great taste in teas.”
Allie nodded again, now heading for the checkout while rummaging for her wallet through her small, leather purse.
“I’ve noticed you come here every Friday.” He fell into step with her. “You’re one of our frequent customers. I was thinking… maybe next time your tea should be on the house.” He grinned and winked.
Allie pursed her lips. No matter how hard she tried, there was no way she could keep smiling politely. The guy – the tag on his shirt said Gary – was handsome in his own way, sure, but he wasn’t her type. Dark hair and brown eyes looked rather boring, in her opinion, and his features weren’t the most masculine and symmetrical she had ever seen. Also, he could use a couple of gym sessions. She certainly wasn’t into guys whose bellies betrayed they were fans of beer more than they were fans of forest fruit infusions. But Gary’s physical appearance was far from being the first thing that bothered Allie. It was his persistence! His goddamn habit of entering her personal space and trying to make conversation when she just wanted to be alone with a cup of tea, a good book, and a great view of the lake from her favorite table in the farthest corner of the bookstore. Gary had no respect for her subtle “no, thank you, I’m not interested, now please leave me be”.
“That’s nice of you, but I don’t think I’ll be coming back next Friday.” She took out her card and paid. The girl behind the counter was moving way too slowly for her taste.
“Aww… why not?”
Allie shrugged and stuffed the bill into her wallet, then took out her phone and connected the earphones.
“I don’t know. I might not be in town.” She waved and was out the door in a second.
Outside of the bookstore, she stopped and browsed through the songs on her phone. Soon, the chaos of the street, the music coming from the bars down the alley, the laughter and enthusiastic chatter of the people around the tables were drowned, and Allie could breathe in relief. She started walking at a brisk pace, eager to leave the Friday evening city madness behind. Her red high heels clicked happily on the pavement, drawing people’s attention to her tight red dress, wavy blonde hair, sharp winged eyeliner, and crimson lipstick. Allie was crazy about everything pin-up inspired, and she loved to dress like those models who’d rocked the ‘50s with their full curves and wicked, mysterious smiles. She looked the part, too. A natural blonde, with blue eyes, pale skin, round, big breasts, tiny waist, and generous hips… No wonder men stopped her on the street and tried to get her number. Today, she was wearing a corset underneath the red dress, and the sexy piece of lingerie was doing wonders to her hourglass figure. She felt amazing, too! But what people generally failed to understand was that Allie dressed up for herself. She put on makeup and wore silk stockings for herself and no one else. No, she wasn’t interested in finding a boyfriend, like her friends thought. No, she didn’t put on red lipstick and went out by herself on Friday evenings to get men’s attention. That sort of thinking was incredibly limited, and it drove Allie insane!
She reached the end of the alley and took a right. Two sets of stairs separated her from the street below, then her home was a 10-minute walk away. It was 10 PM and already dark, but she knew the way like the back of her hand. This part of town was rather isolated. There were just a couple of houses across the lake, and one of them was hers. As she reached for the stone railing to make sure she didn’t lose her balance, a man’s voice called her from behind. She could barely hear him over the music pounding in her ears, so she didn’t turn around. Maybe, if she ignored him, he would leave her alone. If it was Gary, then ignoring him was the only answer.
“Miss! Miss, excuse me… I’m sorry, miss!”
Allie rolled her eyes and took out one of her earphones. “Oh, good,” she thought. “At least, it’s not Gary.” This guy’s voice was firmer and more guttural. It sent a pleasant shiver up her spine. Before she had time to turn around, he touched her arm to get her attention. She jumped in surprise and spun on her heels, still holding on to the stone railing for support.
“I’m sorry. You dropped your scarf.”
Allie’s blue eyes grew wide with wonder and curiosity. She found herself staring into another set of big, azure orbs, but that wasn’t what struck her. It was the permanent smile that seemed to flicker inside them. Oh, and the rest of the man’s face wasn’t bad, either. Wide forehead, high cheekbones, a straight nose, full, smiling lips, and a strong jaw. She wouldn’t mind staring at him for a couple more minutes. Or hours… The first thought that crossed her mind was “Eye candy!”. His nose and cheekbones kind of reminded her of Christian Bale. A taller, bulkier and more intimidating Christian Bale.
“Miss? Your scarf.”
Allie shook her head slightly, but that didn’t help clear it. Not entirely. She felt like a fog had just fallen over her brain, slowing down her neural transmissions. She looked at the colorful piece of garment the man was holding out to her. When she looked back up at him, she noticed he wasn’t alone. A second guy lingered a few steps behind him, smoking a cigarette. He was taller than Christian Bale’s lookalike, with broader shoulders and thicker arms.
“I… I wasn’t wearing a scarf. Not today.”
“Are you sure?”
She chuckled. “Look at that pattern. It clashes with my dress, and not in a good way.”
As she was explaining to him how fashion worked, Allie took another close look at the scarf. On second thought… It did seem familiar. Or, did it? She started playing with the wire of her earphones.
“Oh,” he said simply. However, he didn’t make any move to fold the scarf and put it away.
“No, wait. I… Actually, I think I was wearing a scarf.”
“You dropped it when you walked out of the bookstore,” he offered.
“I did, didn’t I? Clumsy me. Thank you.”
She took the scarf from him and wrapped it around her shoulders. In truth, it had gotten a bit chilly. She gave him a wide, bright smile, then turned to leave. His smooth, panty-melting voice stopped her.
“Do you think it’s safe to walk alone at night?”
Well, that was not what she had expected to hear.
“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”
She took a step down the stairs and he took a step after her.
“It’s dark, and the street isn’t very well lit. Then, there’s the lake, the woods,” he insisted.
Allie took a deep breath. Her left hand turned into a fist around the poor, innocent wire coming out of her phone. She turned to look into his mesmerizing blue eyes. They didn’t seem that attractive anymore.
“Look, thank you for the scarf, but please leave me alone. Okay? I’m fine. I don’t mind walking alone at night. I can take care of myself.”
“But…”
“You know what? I’m tired of this. I’m exhausted! Just because you’re a guy and I’m a woman who’s not hanging off another guy’s arm doesn’t mean you can hit on me. I’m so, so tired of men thinking they have some sort of birthright to approach single women, when a short exchange and a glance are enough to see said single women are not interested.”
He simply stared at her, blinking in confusion, but not making any attempt to defend himself or contradict her. To Allie, he looked like he didn’t quite understand the language she was speaking. What was wrong with this guy? Yes, he was handsome, but he seemed rather… lost. She rubbed her temple and forced a smile.
“I’m sorry I snapped at you. Just… I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Thank you for the scarf, again.”
With that, she turned around and ran down the stairs, her heels clicking in perfect rhythm on the old stone. When she reached the bottom, she grabbed her phone to look for her favorite song. She intended to listen to it on repeat, and dance all the way home. The street was mostly empty, with only a few joggers trying to squeeze in a quick workout before calling it a day. She was used to this short walk home. Few cars drove through this part of the city, especially at this hour, and the street was silent. The lake stretched to her right, and beyond it she could see the woods. Seven minutes, and she would reach the bridge, cross it, then she’d be home in three more minutes. Her two cats would run to her and rub their soft, furry bodies around her ankles when she’d enter the small house which had once belonged to her parents.
Allie smiled and put on her earphones. Just as she was about to hit “play”, the man’s voice called for her again from the top of the stairs. At least, he hadn’t followed her, so that was good.
“Miss?”
She turned around, trying hard not to let his insistence ruin her mood.
“Yes?”
“Your scarf…”
“What the…?” Allie gasped when she saw him holding the scarf he had just given to her. The scarf she had wrapped around her shoulders just a minute before. She looked down at herself, ran her hands over her shoulders and down her arms, and, indeed, she noticed the scarf wasn’t there. But she could clearly remember she had wrapped it around herself. “What sort of fucked up trick is this?” Alarm bells were going off in her head, but she was at a loss for words. She had no idea how to react. It was the first time in her life when something so strange was happening to her, and she wasn’t quite sure how to cope with it. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her, because the blue-eyed guy was holding her scarf over the railing, and the wind was playing with one colorful corner which had escaped his firm clutch.
“I thought I…” she murmured, confused. Then, she shook her head vigorously. “Never mind. I don’t need it. You keep it, okay?”
She wasn’t even sure it was hers. Try as she might, she couldn’t remember taking a scarf with her when she had left home a few hours before. It didn’t matter.
“It’s cold,” he said simply. That kind, unassuming smile was still playing on his lips and in his gorgeous eyes. “Here, I’m going to throw it at you.”
“Throw it? The wind will…”
But she didn’t have time to finish her sentence. The man let go of the scarf, and the piece of fabric floated in the air as if there was no wind. Or, even better, as if the wind knew exactly where to take it. It flew right into Allie’s awaiting hands, and all she could do was stare at it. There was no way something so surreal was happening to her. No way!
“Have a good night,” the man said before walking away.
“You too…”
It took Allie a minute to snap out of her daze. Eventually, she shrugged, wrapped the scarf around her for the second time, – she was pretty sure it was for the second time, – took a deep breath, and hit “play” on her phone. As she walked down the street, she could feel her whole body relaxing. Her hips started moving in the rhythm of the music, and soon she started shaking her chest, just slightly, running her hands all over her body, and singing along. Mmm… Kylie Minogue’s “Red Blooded Woman” was just right. It certainly fit her red dress, though not so much her scarf.
‘Cause I can’t focus, I can’t stop
You got me spinning round
Round, round, round
I can’t focus, it’s too hot
You’ll never get to Heaven if you’re scared of getting high
She knew the lyrics by heart. Once she reached the chorus, Allie couldn’t stop herself from dancing harder. She didn’t care what the joggers passing her by thought. In fact, they just looked at her, smiled, and moved on. She was having fun, and it was all that mattered. Since she was a little girl, she had danced whenever she heard music. She never cared where she was. When there was music, her body would start moving and she’d start singing along. It was in her blood. And, apparently, she was a red-blooded woman.
Boy, boy
Let me keep freakin’ around
I wanna get down
I’m a red blooded woman
What’s the point in hanging round
Don’t wanna keep turning it down
When this girl wants to rock with you
And repeat. Sway. Pop that hip. Stop in the middle of the sidewalk for a good, old-fashioned spin.
When this girl wants to rock with you…
Two more steps. Pop that hip again. Spin. Walk the rest of the way singing and swaying.
Allie felt like she owned the world. When the song ended, she was feeling much better. She had forgotten all about Gary and the blue-eyed guy with the scarf. Well, maybe she was lying a bit. She touched her shoulders to make sure the scarf was still there. Good. It hadn’t vanished into thin air. Not yet. “Red Blooded Woman” started again, as she had made sure it would be on repeat, and Allie prepared herself for a second round of dancing and singing. The bridge was in sight now.
Boy, boy
Let me keep freakin’ around
I wanna get down…
All of a sudden, the night sky turned bright. The street before her was lit as if a huge spotlight had been pointed at it. Allie stopped in her tracks and turned to her right. She could swear the source of the strong, white, artificial light was there, floating above the lake. Her eyes grew wide with surprise and wonder.
“Oh shit!”
She couldn’t hear the music anymore, although Kylie Minogue kept singing in that sexy, passionate voice of hers.
“Oh my God, that is pretty as fuck!”
A smile grew on her face as she took in the big, oval ship. It was white, it kind of resembled a steampunk dirigible, but without anything attached to it, and it shone so bright that Allie had to shield her eyes to be able to look at it for more than a few seconds. Three women who were jogging stopped behind her, and they were, too, staring at the white ship as if they had seen a ghost. No one was sure how to react.
“It’s so pretty, isn’t it?” said Allie without turning around or waiting for an answer. She was talking to herself more than she was trying to make conversation with the joggers. “What do you think it is? Oh shit, maybe the US government really does have awesome ships that can go into space.”
None of the three women said anything. Allie had the vague impression that she was the only one who was excited and curious about the oval thing in the sky. Why were people so boring?! Then, the ship moved and pointed its blinding white light at the cars parked across the street, and Allie understood people weren’t boring. They were afraid. And for good reason. There was no warning sound and, at first, there were just small pops coming from inside the cars, as if parts of them were exploding one by one. When Allie saw the joggers make a run for it toward the bridge, she snapped out of her trance and started running after them. It was a good thing she was used to running in high heels, because if she had been closer to the cars when they exploded almost all at once, she would’ve been bye-bye, on her merry way to Heaven.
Round, round, round
I can’t focus, it’s too hot
You’ll never get to Heaven if you’re scared of getting high
The music playing loud in her ears muffled the sound of the explosions. She could hear people screaming around her. Suddenly, the street had become so busy that Allie wondered where all those people had come from. They were all running toward the bridge, but if she knew why she was doing it, – because her house was there, – she couldn’t tell why everyone else thought that was their only way out. She didn’t remember having so many neighbors. Well, it was a dead end anyway. For two reasons: one, a couple of police cars blocked the way, and two, the bridge was no more. It had collapsed into the lake.
“When, though?” Allie whispered to herself. “It was there two minutes ago.”
Nothing made sense. She felt like the star of a very bad, low-budget movie, and she wondered whether she should find something sharp in case the joggers and the policemen around her turned into zombies. She laughed at her own silly thoughts, but it didn’t last long, because she soon saw that the oval ship had turned around and was headed toward them.
“Aww… why does the pretty thing want us dead?” She slapped herself on the forehead. Literally. “Why the fuck do I still think it’s pretty?”
She would have kept scolding herself if a clear, manly voice coming from behind her hadn’t made her heart jump.
“Alison Page!”
She took her earphones off and turned around. There were a lot of people running, crying and screaming, but no familiar faces. She could swear someone had called her name, but then again… she wasn’t sure the scarf she was wearing was hers, and a white, oval alien ship was frying everything in sight. Maybe the best thing she could do right now was to suspend her disbelief and go with the flow. She couldn’t trust her own judgment.
It was an alien ship. Of that, there was no doubt. Well, maybe that meant no zombies? Allie had never been fond of zombies.
“Okay, Allie, stop it. Focus.” She rubbed her temples. “You have to get home. Find a way.”
She studied the police cars blocking the road and tried to see if there was any chance she could sneak between them. The policemen seemed to be very intent on holding back the people who wanted to pass. But why? Allie took a step back when she heard small popping sounds coming from inside their cars. As she had thought, the alien ship had pointed its white light at them, and soon they were going to explode. Then, another weird thing happened. The phones and radios they were holding exploded in their hands one by one. Allie took another step back.
“It’s the technology.”
Without a single ounce of regret, she threw her phone as far away as she could. It exploded in the air, and she gasped. As quickly as she could, she went over all the items she knew she usually carried in her purse. She had no more technology on her. She turned on her heels and ran in the opposite direction just as the police cars started exploding behind her. Making her way out of the small crowd was hard when phones, tablets, pacemakers, and hearing aids went “boom!” all around her. She shielded her head as best as she could and kept running. Some of the people started running in the same direction as her. A couple of them had been clever enough to throw away their technology on time, but there were quite a few who hadn’t been that fast or lucky.
When she bumped into someone, Allie looked up and immediately apologized, even though she had hurt her nose on his strong, muscled chest. In fact, she realized it was a chest when she raised her gaze, because it felt more like she had run into a wall. But walls didn’t look like Christian Bale, did they?
“You…”
“Alison Page, you need to come with me. Now.”
She rubbed her sore nose and took a step back.
“How do you know my name?”
He didn’t say anything. He simply looked into her eyes, which made Allie feel exposed. Not naked, because the guy didn’t seem to be undressing her with his gaze, but exposed. Exposed as in… she was one hundred percent sure he could read her mind. She shook her head.
“I’m not going anywhere with you. How did you find me? Oh my God, did you follow me?! Freak!”
Why wasn’t she calling for help? There were enough people around her. Although… she wasn’t sure they had any time, or interest in saving a damsel in distress when they were busy running from an alien ship. Why wasn’t she pushing past him and running for her life? She could ditch the high heels. No, not in a million years! She loved them! She could see herself taking off her red pumps and holding them in one hand as she ran, but, for some reason, she was stuck in place. Her brain was sending the right commands to her muscles, so why wasn’t she moving?
“Please get out of my way,” she said.
But her voice was weak. Weaker than her resolve. She wanted to look away, but it seemed like her gaze was glued to his. Unexpectedly, her mind was flooded with pieces of thoughts and images that didn’t belong to her. She saw the man standing before her, but he looked different. He was at the top of the stairs, holding a scarf in his hands… except the thing didn’t quite look like a scarf. It was moving, and not because of the wind. It seemed to have a will and a life of its own. As it breathed… yes, breathed… its colors moved and mixed, giving birth to other colors.
As the scene unfolded before her mind’s eye, Allie tried to pull at the scarf around her shoulders and arms. It was stuck to her. In fact, when she pulled at it, the thing wrapped itself tighter around her body, refusing to let go. It felt warm. Warm and… clammy. Her attention was drawn back to him, the man who had put her under some sort of spell. She saw him following her down the street, watching her as she walked, danced, spun, and sang. It was beyond creepy! Allie had never been stalked, and she couldn’t say she had ever been curious about going through such an experience.
“You did…” she forced the words out. “You did follow me. But why? I never did anything to you! I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier. I apologized then, and I will apologize again if you want. What do you want? Do you want to… hurt me? Please don’t hurt me.”
Normally, she wouldn’t have pleaded. Allie was the kind of girl who knew how to deliver a good punch in the face and a lightning-fast kick in the nuts. But she couldn’t move. No matter how hard she tried to take back control of her body, she felt like she was paralyzed. Not with fear. She wasn’t that afraid of him, to be honest, even though the tall, bulky guy she had seen earlier was, again, lurking behind Mr. Christian Bale’s lookalike. What was that guy’s business, anyway? Was he some sort of bodyguard?
“I’m not going to hurt you, Allie,” the man said in a soft, soothing voice.
“Then, why can’t I move?”
He smiled.
“If I let you move, you’re going to kick me and, most likely, break something in the process.”
“How… do you know that?”
He could read her mind! Oh dear Lord, this guy could read her mind! But that wasn’t all. She could read his mind, too. Or… maybe he was putting those thoughts and images in her head? For a fraction of a second, she had the impression that his features were changing before her very eyes. Well, not exactly his features, but the color of his skin. From Caucasian white, he turned… blue? Seriously? Blue?!
She let out a nervous laugh.
“I… I’m sorry, Ark… Ark? Your name is Ark? Why do I even know that?” She couldn’t move her eyes or head, but she could bite the inside of her lip hard enough to bring some clarity to her mind. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
For a moment, the permanent smile in his deep blue eyes was replaced with sadness. Or, disappointment? Allie couldn’t tell. Usually, she was good at reading people, but this guy didn’t seem to be… well, a regular person.
He sighed.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Allie let out a breath of relief. She thought he was going to let her go, but instead he did something she would have never guessed he would do: he reached out and touched her lightly between the eyes.
The world went dark.