The Bodywoman - Chapter 21

Sarah latches on to the door frame and barely has time to prepare herself before the assault begins. Her subconscious screams out the differences between this attack and the previous ones, but at the same time, similarities present themselves.

Alice, the gray haired woman at LAX , is much younger than Sarah thought and today, she is stronger with the help of her mother. The air around Sarah vibrates and the floor shudders. She raises her hands with the palms outward and the vibrations decrease. The sun peeks through the curtains and surrounds the threesome with a surreal halo.

Anne points at Sarah and lets out a high-pitched scream, shattering the glass protecting the books inside the bookcase. Splinters fly through the air, their sharp edges directed at Sarah's face. Half a meter from her hands they stop - poised in the air like some third rate horror movie in slow motion. Sarah stares at the glass for a second before she realize she is the one holding it at bay.

A movement on her left reveals Anthony creeping closer to her. Why is she so calm? She should be petrified at facing three strong opponents at once. Someone pounds at the door, asking if everything is all right. Time to get them all out of here.

She closes her eyes and prays she has the courage to see this through. A burst of energy fills the room and shatters the overhead lights.

"Control it girl...easy now. You can do it." Gareth's voice in her head nearly costs her concentration, but she presses on. Cold winds blow against her and a storm rages above. She did it. Her exultation is short lived when a streak of red thunder lights the sky above.

Sarah rolls away and the bolt of lightning burns a hole in the tall grass. Around her, the rolling hillside ends in cliffs on all sides. In the distance, a lone black rock towers above them, the crest barely visible in the clouds swirling around. The wind howls through the crevices below, screaming up the cliffs and flattening the grass on the hill as it celebrates its freedom.

Dark clouds rumble as Sarah crawls to her knees. Three figures stand motionless on the crest of the hill above her, their hands raised to the sky. She scrambles to her feet and plucks the elastic band from her hair, exulting in the feel of the wind lifting the strands into the air. Familiar vibrations electrify her veins as the charge builds. If she could hold them off long enough to complete the charge, she might stand a chance.

"You better be quick about it, dear. They're not going to wait long." Sarah shakes her head to clear her thoughts. Why does she still hear Gareth's voice so vividly in her mind?

"Because I'm here with you. In spirit and mind, although the body is unwilling."

"You can do it, Sarah. Concentrate, I know you're strong enough." Ben's quiet voice startles her into action. She must be losing her mind. At least she can try to keep her body safe.

A force hits her between her shoulders and she stumbles forward. Whirling around, she comes face to face with Anthony. His features are contorted in concentration and Sarah looks again. The person in front of her is Ray, not Anthony. His howl of laughter echoes over the hillside. Unconsciously she registers the fact that she met her first shape-shifter.

"Yes, bitch. You were so pre-occupied with lover boy, you never made the connection. This time you will not get off so easily. You killed my brother in the desert and I couldn't help him, but today you die."

His voice rises with every word and ends in a scream. Sarah covers her ears with her hands and realizes her mistake too late. As she flies through the air the hyena - like laugh rings out over the hill. She wills her body around in midair and gasps in surprise when she finds herself hovering above the ground. What powers did Gareth give her?

"Enough to see you through this." His voice intrudes in her head.

A beam of darkness rushes towards her and Sarah flings her arms forward. Bright white light erupts from her hands, meeting the dark beam head-on. She pushes...it holds...she pushes some more...

Inch by inch the beam retreats, extracting screams of frustration from the three silhouettes behind it. Sarah focuses her energy and slowly advances towards the three. A small sliver of sunlight breaks through the cloudy sky. Her thoughts calm down and tranquility settles over her. Good always wins. This is how it should be and this is how it would be for centuries to come.
She changes tactics and draws the beam closer, absorbing the energy, growing stronger. Closer and closer to the origin of the evil. She stops a couple of feet from Anne, keeping the pressure on.

"Anne, let go. You can't win this."

"Nooooo. Never." Madness dulls Anne's voice and Sarah exerts a final burst of energy, causing Anne, Alice and Ray to drop to their knees. Light floods the hillside and Sarah stares down at the defeated trio.

Anne lies back and covers her eyes with her hands, while Alice crawls to her side. Ray, or Anthony as Sarah came to think of him in last couple of days, stares at her with vacant eyes. In the harsh light of the sun, Anne shrinks with age before her eyes and Sarah feels compassion well up inside. She lowers herself to the ground beside Anne, careful not to touch her.

"Why Anne? Why was it so important to kill Ben?"

Anne shakes her head. "It doesn't matter now. You have all the power - the power which should have been mine and my daughters."

Sarah's jaw drops. "You wanted to kill you brother to get his power? Damn it Anne, Ben doesn't have power. You would have killed him for nothing."
Anne struggles upright and clings to Alicia's arm. She meets Sarah's eyes without fear or remorse.

"You still don't understand, do you? Oh, why did my father give so much power to someone who doesn't even realize the potential?"

When Sarah doesn't answer, Anne continues. "Sarah dearie, you were given the ultimate power any human being craves...immortality." Ann crackles at Sarah's gasp, but Ray finishes for her.

"Yes, bitch. You can't die unless you want to. That's why we wanted Ben dead so that Gareth could transfer the power to Anne." Ray slowly rises to his feet, testing his weak knees and pulls Alicia up alongside him. Alicia refuses to meet Sarah's eyes.

Sarah shakes her head. This is too much to assimilate at once. She closes her eyes and concentrates, nothing happens. Laughing at her silliness to think she suddenly had teleporting powers she opens her eyes again and Ben catches her just before her body hits the floor of the apartment. Her last thought before she feints, is that he never looked more handsome.

****
A week later Sarah shuts the lid of her suitcase. The opening went well, Ben is safe and her job finished. There is no reason for her to stay any longer. The surreal experience of a week ago is slowly fading from her memory and with Anne, Alice and Ray stripped of their powers and safely back in the USA, even Gareth with the limited power he has left, is safe. He was quick to assure her he is still far from dying. Time to go home.

She swats the stubborn tear sliding down her cheek away and squares her shoulders. A glance at her watch reveals the driver from the company would be here in less than fifteen minutes. She does a last walk through the room, opening all the closets to ensure she doesn't leave anything behind. Well, anything physical in any case. She has a sneaky suspicion her heart will never leave Africa as long as Ben is here. With a sigh, she opens the door and walks to the lounge.

Ben and Gareth get up as she enters the room. The two men grin like cats discovering a plate of milk. They must be terribly glad to get rid of her and have their privacy back. She forces the sadness down and lifts her chin. She can do this...she is a professional.

"Sarah, join us for a cup of coffee before you go." Gareth takes her arm and leads her to the single chair in the corner close to the window. The late afternoon sun loses the battle against the winter cold and for once Sarah is glad for an evening flight. At least she wouldn't be able to see the African soil disappearing beneath the wheels of the plane.

She accepts the cup Gareth hands her and leans back in the chair. Gareth snaps open his briefcase and extract an envelope, which he hands to Sarah. She frowns and opens it. A single sheet of paper verifies the transfer of her fee into her account. At any other time she would be overjoyed at the astronomical amount now accumulating interest in her account, but the balance leaves her cold.

"Thank you." She drops the envelope in her handbag, finishes her coffee and replaces the cup on the low coffee table.

"The driver will be here any second now." Sarah rises from the chair, walks over to Ben and holds out her hand. Ben takes her hand in his and the achingly familiar buzz courses through her veins. She tries to force it down and remove her hand from Ben's. Ben, however, brings her hand to his lips and plants a soft kiss on the back of her hand while his eyes capture hers. Sarah attempts a smile and withdraws her hand.

She turns around to say goodbye to Gareth, but he is nowhere to be found. How can a man of his age move so quickly?

"Gareth, I have to leave." She calls down the passage.

A mumbled reply sounds from his room and Sarah frowns. Now what is he up to? Since the threat has been neutralized a week ago, Gareth appeared to have a new lease on life. His energy astounded even his son, who should be used to his father's insatiable zest for life. Surely, Anne was wrong when she said he transferred his powers to her because he chose to die. He never looked healthier to Sarah.

"Come on Gareth, the car will be here any second. Don't make me leave without saying goodbye."

Her call goes unanswered and Sarah glances at Ben. "What is he doing?"
Ben shrugs and walks to the kitchen only to return with two glasses of champagne. He presses the one glass in Sarah's hand, turns her shoulders around and marches her back to the lounge.

"You might as well have a glass while we wait." Ben mumbles while gently pushing her along.

Sarah heads towards the single chair, but Ben cuts her off, forcing her to sit on the couch. She perches on the edge as Ben lies back against the soft folds next to her. He rests his arm along the cushion behind her, crosses his one leg over the other, changes his mind and moves closer to Sarah. Sarah takes a sip of the bubbly liquid to soothe her dry throat. Where is the bloody driver? She won't be able to stand Ben's proximity much longer.

As if on cue, a knock sounds on the door. Sarah carefully sets the glass down and starts to get up from the couch. Ben pulls her down and she falls back against the cushion. Startled, she starts to struggle only to look up in the twinkling eyes of Gareth standing behind her.

"Thanks for arranging my ride, Sarah. Bye now. See you guys in a couple of weeks."

In her upside down vision, Gareth doesn't wait for a reply and hurries out the door, stuffing two over sized suitcases into the hands of the astonished driver.

"Better close your mouth. It is winter, but we all know flies may still be around."

Sarah snaps her mouth shut, only to open it immediately. She manages to inhale once before Ben's lips close over hers. The kiss is demanding, daring her to object, but at the same time tender. The lights blink and in the kitchen, alarms ring on the stove and microwave. Still, Ben doesn't break the kiss. He moves his body over hers, trapping her against the soft folds of the couch. Sarah works her hands between them and pushes him away. Ben releases her moments later, staring into her eyes.

"Hmm, Ben, we can't do this. I never get involved with a client." She strokes his clean-shaven face and is dismayed to see her hand trembling.

"Sarah, I'm not a client. Honey, Gareth paid you in full. As of yesterday, our professional relationship ended. Besides, I never hired you...Gareth did."

A spark of hope ignites deep within, but fear makes her cautious. "You know it will never work. You have your life here and I have mine in the States."

"You talk too much."

Ben claims her lips again and Sarah gives herself to the moment. Memories might be all she can take with when the goes home, so why not make it worthwhile. Minutes later, all thoughts desert her and her breath catches when Ben releases the first button on her shirt. His fingers brush against the soft swell of her breast as he works his way down her blouse with agonizing precision and Sarah drops her head back.

The overhead light explodes in a shower of sparks as Ben's lips find the hollow at the base of her neck where her pulse beats ferociously. He chuckles and turns away from her. Feeling bereft she clutches the folds of her blouse around her.

A match sounds in the darkness and soft candlelight fills the room. Ben lifts her legs onto the couch and runs his hand over the sheer stockings. He slips off her shoes, gently massaging each foot before his hand creeps upwards again. She sighs with satisfaction as his lips claim hers again and her hands lift his shirt over his head.

Sarah revels in the hard muscles playing beneath her hands as she explores his back. Ben draws a staggered breath as she lifts her shoulders for him to unclip her bra. Fire erupts deep within her as he takes the rosy peaks into his mouth one by one. She is vaguely aware of a floating sensation before her bare back rests on the cool sheets of the bed. Her last coherent thought is of Ben's hands and lips igniting a multitude of fires all over her body.

A ray of sunlight warms her face and Sarah opens her eyes, squinting against the sudden brightness. For a moment, the surrounding furniture confuses her, but the arm tightening around her waist brings the memories of the previous night flooding in. Heat suffuses her cheeks and she slides out under the weight of Ben's arm. After a quick stop in the bathroom, she digs a dressing gown from her bag, drapes it over her shoulders and tiptoes to the kitchen.

Clothes are strewn over the floor, leaving a trail from the lounge to the bedroom. Sarah switches on the kettle and sinks down in one of the chairs at the breakfast nook. What has she done? How is she going to leave after this?

"You don't have to leave. I really would like you to stay." Strong arms circle her from behind and Ben kisses her at the back side of her neck.

"You're getting way too good at reading my mind. Seriously, how are we going to do this?" She turns around in his embrace and buries her head in the folds of his shirt.

"We'll work it out...if you want to."

A smile breaks over Sarah's face. "I want to. But Ben..."

"Yeah?"

"Before we go at it again we should unplug all your electrical appliances. Your insurance is only going to pay so many times."

Ben chuckles, picks her up and swings her around. "We'll remember next time. Seeing as they are already broken, we might as well use the time productively."

He carries her back to the bedroom, never breaking the kiss.

*****
Two years later, Sarah watches with mixed feelings as the airplane touches down at LAX. Her eyes meet Ben's two seats away. Between them, nine-month-old Gareth sleeps quietly in his chair. Sarah smooths his hair from his forehead and smiles. Time for little Gareth to meet his grandpa.

****************************
Thank you for everyone who read this story and your comments through the past months. It really helps to know someone reads the stories you just have to write. Now, at the end, I would request you to give your honest opinion of how you experienced the book. Did the story grab you and hold your attention, or did it become boring after a while. Also, please tell me if you would like to read the book following on this one.