Life And Death

By Chrissy

The first thought that flicked through Stella's head was that it was her father. He had come to walk her home. But why was he wearing a long cloak and why was a wig covering his hair? He moved strangely, almost floating toward her.

"Dad?" she faltered, peering through narrowed eyes. Why was everything so thick and misty and hushed?

A cloying smell of earth filled her nostrils as the man approached.

"Senorita," he bowed deeply, "I have been waiting for you."

"Waiting for me?" Stella stammered in puzzlement. He looked remarkably like her father, but she quickly realized he was a total stranger. A very weird stranger. Her eyes ran over him in amazement. "Do I know you?"

"Of course not, Senorita. But I know you. I know you like my own child. And I know you are the one. Ahh, yes. You are the one." A strange, thoughtful look crossed his handsome face. " You will be the bait. You will draw him to me. He will not resist. Not if I have you."

"I've got to get home." Stella made to pass the man and strode on leaving him behind. A trickle of fear stiffened her back and she quickened her pace. She wished now that she had phoned home for a ride. However the stranger seemed able to move with fantastic speed, for he was in front of her once more, smiling gallantly, his teeth very white in the silvery light.

"Don't be afraid," he whispered, his voice deep, his accent thick. And suddenly she wasn't. In fact she was overcome with a strong yearning to have him close, to feel his breath on her neck, to feel his touch on her skin. She almost swayed toward him, but he caught her in strong arms and she looked up into hypnotic eyes that glinted liquid as gold.

"My God," he breathed, his voice almost a hiss. "You are beautiful. What a beautiful creature you are. And filled with fire. You're like him. A flame lives within you."

Stella giggled, her head light, her thoughts muddled. "Halloween is a long way away," she laughed. "But I think you'd win first prize."

The man was dressed so strangely. He wore a black and white tuxedo, something like the one her father wore to his job at the hotel. Yet its cut was old-fashioned and obsolete. He also wore a full cape of polished black satin, with a lining of some material spun from the silvery moonlight. It hung down to the ground and swished around his feet. His hair was ebony dark, and extremely long. Parted in the middle his hair reached down his back to his waist where it swirled with every move of his noble head.

He was incredibly handsome. His skin white, his full lips red and velvety soft, his eyes glowing the colour of amber gold. His features appeared to mirror those of her father. The wide spaced eyes, the straight brows, the strong jaw, and the proud cheekbones. But his tense expression and gallant demeanor were very different from her father's.

He came even closer, standing right next to her. The air had a sudden wet and penetrating chill and she shivered. "You're cold," he whispered and his arms wrapped her into his cloak, although it offered no warmth.

It seemed perfectly normal to Stella that she stood in the middle of a deserted moonlit road wrapped in the arms of a complete stranger in a cape. His manner, his accent, and his words - they were all from a bygone era. An aristocrat with gestures from another time. Yet he also carried an air of adolescent youth.

"You find me strange?" he asked, softly. His breath nuzzled her neck. It felt nice.

"No, no," she returned quickly, not wishing to give offense.

"Yes. It's true. I am strange," he murmured. 'I am at odds with these times. I can't keep up, you see. It all moves too fast for me now."

"What's your name?" Stella thought that she should at least know the name of the man in whose strong arms she rested.

"My dear, I apologize. I apologize most profusely. Please forgive me. My name is Armand."

"And mine is…"

"Stella," he finished for her.

She smiled up into his face, all initial fear gone. "You know me?"

"Of course. I told you. I've known you for months. I am well acquainted with you, my dear. You are of great importance to me."

"But why?"

For one brief second his face darkened, a flash of quick anger filled the golden eyes and an animal growl vibrated from the deep throat. But it was all swept away in an instant. He smiled widely and she noticed his teeth were very pointed, like a dog's.

"Don't ask questions." He pulled her in close, his grip suddenly hard and vice like. "I don't like questions."

She gave a little cry and the books in her arms dropped to the ground. Unwittingly she slumped against him, the fleeting sensation that a sharp pin pricked the skin of her neck caused a small cry to catch in her throat.

She did not know how long he nuzzled her neck. She only knew she did not want him to stop. The sensual sensation that numbed her loins and quickened her breath was one of the most pleasurable experiences of her entire life. Her head spun, her knees grew weak and she would have fallen had he not held her in his strong grip.

When they fell apart, Stella experienced the most profound disappointment. "Go home," he whispered, his lips seeming so wet and red in the moonlight. "Go home and I will come to you again. You will let me in won't you?"

"Of course," she stammered, her senses slow and dazed. Even the simplest thought was an effort; her brain seemed as disabled as the rest of her body. She watched as the stranger drifted further and further away across fields of swaying grass, his cloak flapping and glinting in the moonlight. She watched until she could see him no longer.

All at once, the world around her returned to life. Insects buzzed and chirped, the gravel beneath her feet crunched and a warm breeze, clean with the smell of grasses, filled her nostrils. Gathering up her books she continued on her way home, walking slowly at first, and then hurrying as the welcoming lights of her house came into view. She couldn't really remember why she had dropped her books on the road, or why her neck stung painfully as if pricked.

She stepped into the house, happy to be home. A warm sense of belonging, of family, a feeling of kinship swept through her. Her mother sat at the computer, her father lounged on the sofa, the remote in his hand, a soccer game on TV. Her brothers and sisters were scattered around the large living room, either doing homework or picking fights with each other. Her mother looked up as she entered.

"Stella, honey! I told you to call. Dad's not working tonight. He would have picked you up."

Stella strode quickly to her mother, and to Carolina's absolute shock, she hugged her tightly. "I love you, mom," she said with breathy passion. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, honey" Carolina stammered, completely taken aback. She stared suspiciously as Stella crossed the room to give her father a similar hug and a loud kiss on the cheek.

"Are you okay?" Carolina asked, her eyes watching and narrowing.

Stella smiled, dropping her books noisily onto the dining table. "I'm fine. I've never felt so fine. I just want to say I'm sorry. I've been so horrible lately. I'm sorry, guys."

Antonio grinned and went back to his soccer game, but Carolina remained cautious. Her daughter looked pale and tired, yet her eyes were bright with a strange animation.

"What has brought this all about? Did anything happen tonight?"

"Yes, something happened tonight. Something special. Tonight I realized that I have the best parents in the whole wide world! Tonight I realized how lucky I am." Her whole face lighted eagerly, her voice high pitched and excited. But then suddenly the joyful features collapsed into a puzzled frown. Something else happened tonight, but try as she might, she could not remember what it was.

A nagging headache started behind her eyes and all at once she felt drained of energy.

"I'm tired," she mumbled thickly, rubbing her brow with her fingers. Her body slumped suddenly. She headed toward the bedroom she shared with her younger sister, Carmen. "I think I'll go to bed."

Stella started up the stairs slowly at first. But then she quickened her step. A sense of urgency nagged at her. She really should go to bed right away.

***

Downstairs Carolina switched off the computer. "There's something wrong with that child," she declared walking across to Antonio. She flopped down next to him and he instantly hugged her to him, kissing the top of her head.

"Do you think she's taking drugs?" Carolina asked.

Antonio sat up straight, his eyes finally leaving the game on TV. He stared at her. "What?"

"Antonio? Didn't you notice? She looks so pale. And she's acting so strange."

"Who? Our Stella? She looks fine to me. Stop looking for things to worry about, honey."

Carolina sighed impatiently. "There's something wrong, I just know it," she declared under her breath.

***

The inhabitants of the house slept in the most solid of slumbers that night. No one heard a single sound. Except for Carmen, that is. Carmen was 12 years old and shared the same bedroom with her sister, Stella. She was the only one to see.

Carmen had drunk two cans of diet Coke before going to bed and in the middle of the night her bladder called for desperate release. Thick with sleep, she pried open her eyes and was about to swing her feet from the bed when she stopped in mid movement. It was the strangest thing. She thought she saw a man in her room. It looked like dad, but he wore a long black wig and he was kissing Stella on the neck. Carmen fluttered her eyes, for they were weighted heavy with sleep. The man turned suddenly, aware that she was awake. A growl sounded in his throat like an angry mountain cat and Carmen shrunk back on the pillow. She stared with fear into eyes that shone fluid with golden fire. He waved a hand and she was consumed with an overwhelming need to sleep. She didn't know how much time passed, but later she saw the strange man lying in bed next to her sister. She watched mesmerized. It must've been some nightmare for she was sure her sister floated through the open window and up into the night sky. When she awoke next morning her stomach ached with bladder cramps and she made a mad dive for the bathroom.

***

"Where's Stella?" Carolina asked her noisy brood the next morning. Everyone was busy eating breakfast or getting ready for school. The house was in its usual early morning chaos. It was noisy and confusing, but Stella was definitely missing.

"Geez" remarked Ricky sluggishly, "I slept SO good last night. I feel like I slept for a hundred years."

"Me, too" replied Francisco, rubbing his sleepy eyes. He shook his head. "It feels like I was asleep forever."

"She's not in our room, mom. I thought she was down here." Carmen remarked, buttering her toast.

Carolina frowned, "Has Stella gone to school already, then?" It seemed really odd that she would leave without saying goodbye.

"I don't know. She was gone when I woke up. And my room stinks, mom. Stinks like some animal died or something." Carmen wrinkled her nose. "And Stella didn't even make her bed."

Something shifted in Carolina's gut. Something was not right. Stella had been acting strange lately, but it was not like her to take off without breakfast, or without saying a word to anyone. And, anyway, it was a long walk to school when she could easily have gone on the school bus or in the car with her brothers and sisters.

Carolina ran lightly up the stairs to the bedroom she shared with her husband. Antonio was in the shower.

She pulled open the shower door. "Antonio…."

She stopped dead. Her breath caught in her throat like it always did at the sight of him naked. White soapy suds spilled and dribbled over the smooth hard contours of his bronzed body. Dripping spirals of ebony curls clung to his broad shoulders. His amber eyes, tawny and beautiful, contrasted sharply with the whiteness of the sudsy dribbles on his cheeks. How could one man be so goddamn beautiful? Looking at Antonio - it was like the whole world was a sunny day. He was beautiful. So beautiful. She would never get used to it.

He grinned splashing water onto his face to rinse shampoo suds from his eyes. Quickly, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her under the water with him into his strong arms. His mouth opened and joined hers in a wet soapy kiss. His penis thrust hard and slippery against her stomach.

Carolina spluttered in the warm stream. "Antonio, oh God, Antonio. I'm trying to tell you something. Stop it, stop it. Listen to me. Oh God! You always do this to me. Always! Oh God!"

He hiked up her T-shirt and pulled it over her head tossing it to the floor of the shower. She stood naked next to him, water splashing on them both. His eyes narrowed in mischief and he took down the hand-held showerhead. "Let's see," he said smiling widely. "What is it about this little gadget that you like so much?"

Carolina stared, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, you were so keen to have me install a hand held shower with the massaging head. Now let's see."

As he spoke Antonio had turned the shower head to 'power massage' and the jets of water spurted forth in a rhythmic spray. With a playful grin he aimed the spray between her legs and watched as she yelped in pleasure.

"Oh God! Antonio!" She braced herself and opened her legs wider, her head falling back on her shoulders.

He held the forceful, pulsating spray close to his wife's clitoris and, his head cocked to one side, he grinned as she reacted with gasps of delight.

"It's nice, eh?"

"Oh God!" Carolina leaned back against the wall and squirmed and twisted as the strong jets of intermittent spray played on the nub of her pleasure.

"Is it as good as me?" Antonio asked playfully.

"Nothing is as good as you," Carolina gasped, her eyes closed in erotic rapture.

Tossing down the spray, he hiked her up against the warm ceramic tiles, his arms holding her strong so that she might not fall. He was inside her in an instant, his cock hard and slippery and huge. Carolina wrapped her arms and legs around him.

Thrusting hard, the ceramic tiles squeaked as her back rubbed up and down to the tempo of lusty sex. Antonio's hips drove hard into her. She flew up and down rapidly, a breathy moan falling from her lips at every wild thrust. The familiar pleasure and ache spread her loins, making her weak, making her forget her words and worries. The only thing, the only thing in the whole wide world was Antonio. Antonio huge and grinding inside her. She was powerless. Her head flopped, her hair stuck to the wall, her eyes closed in ecstasy, her mouth hung, her tongue lolled against her teeth. There was nothing but pleasure. Hot, fucking pleasure between her legs. Blood swelled in her veins, gasping breath hissed from her mouth. Antonio cried out and jerked, his hips driving and lurching in one final spasm of intense rapture. They both fell, slipping down the wet tiles, while the steady shower stream splashed on them. They sank slowly to the floor of the bathtub, holding each other, kissing each other, limbs wrapped tightly.

"Well, honey," Antonio smiled broadly, "That was a nice start to the day. What brought that on?"

Carolina lounged back, water from the shower splashing on her. She was too full of the warm luxuriant satisfaction of Antonio's lovemaking to remember her reason for racing into the bathroom. Antonio kissed her gently and then helped her to her feet. He took a plastic bottle and poured shampoo onto her long curly hair.

"Here, I'll wash your hair for you, sweetheart." He began massaging her head with his strong fingers. Carolina closed her eyes in bliss. She loved it when he washed her hair. He could work wonders with his fingers.

It wasn't until they emerged from the bathroom and began dressing that Carolina remembered about Stella. In quick words she told Antonio what had happened.

Antonio remained unconcerned. "She's always danced to her own drum. You've said that yourself a thousand times. Don't read too much into it. Fuck! I used to take off for weeks when I was only ten. Used get beaten shitless when I got home, too."

"But that was different, Antonio. You never had any discipline. You never really had a proper home life."

"Yeah, well, Stella is a lot like me. She gets a notion in her head and she just goes for it. She don't follow rules. Remember what she said when she was just three years old?"

"No? What?"

"I don't like rules, papa" Antonio laughed at the memory. "That's what she said to me. 'I don't like rules, papa.'"

"Well, it's not like her to just up and leave without saying a word of goodbye. I'm going to talk to her when I get home tonight. Which reminds me, I'd better hurry. I'm late."

Together they raced down the stairs and Carolina almost fell on her face as she tripped on an overstuffed knapsack at the bottom of the steps.

"Who's left this school bag here?" she declared angrily, brushing herself off as Antonio helped her to her feet.

"It's Stella's," said Amber as she skipped down the stairs behind them.

Carolina grabbed the bag and pulled out the contents in surprise. "Here's her wallet, and her hairbrush. Even her house keys."

She stared at Antonio. "If she's gone to school, then why didn't she take her bag?" Her eyes widened in panic. "Something's wrong. I know it."

"I'll jump in the truck and drive out there." Antonio began to pull on his boots. His anxiety level was beginning to match that of Carolina's.

But Carolina grabbed his arm. "I think you're wasting your time. She's not gone to school. There's something behind all this. She's been acting so strangely lately. Maybe it's a boy. Maybe a boyfriend is mixed up in this. Maybe she's gone off with a boy."

Something twigged in Carmen's head. "Dad? Were you in our room last night?" she asked doubtfully.

Antonio was pulling his long hair back into a ponytail. He looked down at Carmen in surprise. "I popped my head in to say goodnight. You know that."

"No, I mean later. I woke up and a man was in our room. I thought it was you, dad. He looked like you, but he had on this crazy long wig."

"What?" Carolina cried, her voice sliding up an octave. "Why on earth didn't you tell us this before, honey? Who was he?"

"I don't know. My head feels funny. It's hard to remember. It was some weird guy. He was kissing Stella and then I saw them in her bed together."

"Christ Almighty!" Antonio suddenly realized there was a lot more to this than he had first suspected. "A man was in bed with your sister and you didn't tell us?"

Carmen made a face, her brow scrunching as she tried to remember. But her brain buzzed every time she thought about the night's events. "I thought it was a dream. It was so weird. I saw Stella float out the window. They both floated away. The man and Stella."

Antonio spun on his heel and flew up the stairs. Carolina and the rest of the family followed. Antonio stood beside his daughter's bed. Raw anger caught in his throat. The pillow definitely showed the marks of two indentations. Two heads had lain together on that pillow.

"I'll fucking kill the son of a bitch," Antonio spat furiously. "I'll fucking kill him."

"Antonio!" Carolina cried in horror. "Let's think about this calmly."

Bur she was talking to empty air - Antonio had whirled around and raced from the room. Carolina turned to Amber, her oldest daughter. Amber was a placid, levelheaded girl who regarded her mother with unruffled eyes.

"Amber, phone the school and tell them I won't be in today. Tell them to get Gisele as a supply teacher, she knows my class. Give them my apologies. And take my car. Drive the rest of the kids to school. Your dad and I have got to look into this."

"Maybe you should call the police." Amber said quietly.

Carolina glanced at her swiftly. "I don't think there's any need for the police, honey. Don't worry, your dad and I will find her. She'll be back home in no time."

But Carolina's heart banged in her chest heavy with worry. She was truly alarmed. Something was very wrong. She heard the roar of an engine and looked out the window to see her husband racing from the yard on his Harley Davidson. Dust and gravel spat up behind the spinning wheels.

"Isn't that just like Antonio?" she said in a low tense voice. "He's not even wearing his helmet."

Left alone in the house Carolina paced up and down, her emotions in a turmoil. She went over the events again and again. It made no sense. Stella was an impulsive girl. But it wasn't like her to take off like this. Carolina hoped drugs were not involved.

It was several hours before Antonio returned, his long hair blown into disarray, his amber eyes filled with worry. "She's not come home," Carolina said in response to his questioning look.

"I went to the school - she's not there. No one's seen her. I drove around. I went into town. She's not anywhere." Antonio's voice was breathless with worry.

"But who is this man?" Carolina asked anxiously. "Who can it be?"

"Some perverted fucker," Antonio returned grimly. "And when I find him he's dead."

Carolina sighed, rolling her eyes. "For God's sake, Antonio, stop talking foolishly. Maybe we should phone the police."

Antonio glanced at her sharply. Then he spoke softly. "Maybe we should," he returned walking over to the phone. He picked it up and dialed quickly. Carolina watched as he waited. Then he spoke. "My daughter is missing," he said into the mouthpiece.