Chapter 12

His phone rang and he reached for it, stretching across Pandora. "Hello."

There was a long, silent moment, then, "Hi. This is Tandi for Dora."

"Sure. Just a sec." He held out the phone to Pandora. "It's your sister."

She took it. "Hey. It's clear? Cool. Be there ... um, soon, might take a bit." She blushed. "No, not because of that! God, you've got a dirty mind. Um ... no, not really, it's a long story and I can't really tell you, anyway. Sorry. Okay. Later." She hung up, sighing.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Problem?"

"No, it's just ... it's going to be hard, not telling her everything."

Gabriel hesitated, visibly torn.

"It's okay. I know we can't. It's just ... well ... she's my best friend. My only real friend, until you," she admitted shyly.

"How ... how much do you trust her?"

"Um ... is that a trick question? I mean ... she helped me get here. We cover for each other, help each other. There wasn't anyone else."

"Yeah. She already knows enough to get me in a shit-load of trouble, doesn't she? I mean, if I can't trust her, I'm screwed anyway." He looked thoughtful. "Right?"

"What she knows ... she'd never tell. Because that would hurt me just as bad, if not worse than you. I wouldn't have asked her for help if there was any chance that she'd turn on us. I promise."

"Then ... you can tell her, if you want. It doesn't raise the risk level much," he said.

"I ... don't know. Um. She might just think I'm crazy. Or that you did something to me to make me believe everything."

"I could show her." He shrugged. "It's not like it's that hard to drop the illusion. Or I could just wrap my hair around her hand or something."

"M-maybe. Let me think about it, okay?"

Gabriel nodded. "Okay."

She winced and rubbed her forehead. "I think you'll have to go barefoot."

"Yeah." He frowned. "I wonder if there's any way to avoid the whole massive pain part."

"How would we know? I mean ... there's not exactly a "For Dummies" book on the subject."

"Yeah. Sucks." He sighed. "Lemme put this on."

She looked at it critically, then smiled. "Nice. But not ... pornographic. I can live with that." She stood up and rubbed against the front of his body, appreciating the texture of the 'cloth'. "Mmm ... quite nice ... wonder what a dress would be like..."

Gabriel says, "Oooh." His eyes widened. "Or one made of two or three layers of that." He gestured to the gauze-like pants."

"Mmm ... it wouldn't stay down, though, not made out of that light stuff."

Gabriel nodded slowly. "Yeah. Okay, so we make it ankle-length. I honestly think that'd be more ... eyecatching. Maybe one tight inner layer..."

She laughed. "You sound like some of the designers I worked with ... they all dressed me up like little kids with a doll."

He raised one eyebrow. "Don't you think it'd look good?"

"Well ... yeah, I think so. I ... um ... try not to be vain, though. But it would feel nice ... And I want to look good for you."

Gabriel smiled. "If we get it right, it'd be one of those incredible elegant things that people would envy you for."

She grinned up at him. "Kind of like you, then."

Gabriel blushed.

Pandora rubbed her cheek against his chest, hugging him for a moment. "C'mon ... let's go. Tina should stay at the mall for hours ... but she might have a spat with one of her 'friends' and come home early."

He nodded. "Okay."

Driving was interesting. The seat had to be adjusted, and even all the way back, he still felt rather cramped in the small car. Then, to make matters worse, every living thing had an aura ... not necessarily a bright one; in fact, the humans they passed on the sidewalk all had significantly dimmer auras than either of them ... but at least a faint glow around them. Lines of power were everywhere, little streams anywhere life existed, gathering into bigger streams, and large pools in places. Then, there were the ghosts. Or at least he assumed they were ghosts. Or something. Things with no physical body flitted here and there, sometimes drifting across the road and through the cars, once nearly causing him to swerve into traffic trying to avoid something that wasn't there. He ended up on the shoulder, shivering. Pandora was holding onto the handle set above her door with a white-knuckled grip. "Um ... wh-what the hell was that?" she asked shakily.

"Y-you didn't see it?" He shook his head. "It was ... I don't know. It looked like a giant squid. With wings."

"Ahhh ... no? Um ... are you okay?"

"I ... think so. I think I'm just ... seeing more. Lots more." He glanced at her momentarily. "Did you know that your aura is just as beautiful as the rest of you? Most people aren't nearly as bright as you are."

She smiled at him. "Maybe it's a perceptual thing. I look brighter to you because I'm not just anybody to you. However ... I think you should let me drive. Seeing giant flying squid isn't really a good thing in a moving vehicle."

"Aren't we almost there?"

"Yes, but ... um ... you might have been too preoccupied with the squid to see, but there was this UPS truck? Not good."

"I just wasn't expecting it. I'm okay." He glanced at her. "Really."

She looked skeptical, but nodded reluctantly. "Okay ... but if you get us both killed, we won't be able to have sex anymore."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"