Annabelle stood before the mirror and waved her hand over it. Instantly, Sonya’s bedroom appeared. Nothing had been touched. And even though it was morning, on the other side of the glass it remained dark and silent.“It’s a trick,” Sonya whispered, her eyes still on the mirror. “You tricking me.”“You know I’m not,” Annabelle replied solemnly. “In your heart you know I’m telling the truth. Now if you wanna leave you can,” she waved her arm expansively, “and miss out on all this. Everybody been waiting to meet you.”The young woman furrowed her brow, “Everybody like who?”“You’ll see; you hungry?”“Yeah…”Annabelle smiled again. “ Well come on then, let’s find you something to wear.” She led Sonya back to the bedroom she’d slept in. Minutes later Annabelle and Sonya, dressed in a white blouse and skirt, that hung low around her hips; her hair freshly combed walked out into the hallway.An Indigo woman emerged from the room across from Sonya’s. She was tall, slender and muscular with a long face, flashing eyes, brown sugar skin and closely cropped black hair.And she was totally nude. She paused in the corridor staring at Sonya with open curiosity. “You’re new here aren’t you?”Speechless Sonya nodded, trying not to stare.The woman flashed a smile. “I’m Selena.”“Sonya,” the girl stammered.“Well…maybe I‘ll see you later.” She walked past Sonya, her stride proud and confident, to the same oak door Sonya had tried to escape through.Annabelle’s face creased in annoyance, “Selena, could you try wearing clothes sometimes?” she called.Selena looked back over her shoulder, her brown face unconcerned. “For what?When I spend my days like this!” Instantly a black panther appeared, growling where Selena had stood only moments before.“Wow -- just wow!” Sonya exclaimed, clapping her hands together like a delighted child, “Too cool!”Selena dipped her head in Sonya’s direction purring approvingly, then turned green cat eyes to the door. It swung open to reveal a lush jungle. Selena leaped through the archway and it shut behind her.Wide eyed, Sonya watched this spectacle. Then turned to Annabelle. “That’s the same door from last night! How -- !?”Annabelle threw back her head and laughed. “You are too precious! Let’s eat first, and then I’ll answer all your questions.”“But I just dreamed --”Annabelle pulled up short: eyes narrowed, face sharp and watchful. “You dreamed what?”This transformation was not lost upon Sonya. Don’t tell about the door, an urgent voice whispered, she won’t like it. And in the core of her being, Sonya realized that Annabelle wanted -- needed -- to believe that she was in control. Of Sonya. Of everything.“I dreamed I became an animal…a wolf,” Sonya finished.The Indigo woman visibly relaxed. “Oh, is that all?”“Uh-huh.”The young woman followed Annabelle to the end of the hallway -- the castle seemed endless -- where they turned left into a huge alcove walled in at a right angle by glass. Beyond these transparent barriers was a beach and foaming ocean.Frolicking in the waves were mermen and women of every color imaginable with fishtails or scaled legs; some with slits for eyes and noses; others with human features diving in and out of the water.Galloping up and down the sand were two female centaurs.Sonya gawked at the creatures, a goofy half smile on her face. “Are -- are they real?”“As real as you and me,” Annabelle replied softly.“I wanna go out…there,” breathed Sonya. “I wanna get a closer look…”At that moment, Cle- Menti appeared, with a breakfast tray levitating in the air in front of him. The smell of eggs, bacon and toast filled the room.“Did you sleep well princess?” Cle-Menti’s basso profundo voice filled the room.Sonya stared up at him, “Yeah…” even to her own ears she sounded like a child.He was naked from the waist up, and clothed only in a pair of loose fitting brown trousers and open toed sandals. His thick, kinky hair was molded about his wide, angular face, with an aquiline nose and his muscles were so well defined they seemed carved into his chocolate hued body.Without a doubt Cle-Menti was the darkest, most gorgeous man she’d ever seen.He smiled into her eyes, waved his hand over the table and the plates floated to Sonya’s and Annabelle, and settled in front of them.He took Sonya’s hand, “I hope you enjoy your breakfast princess. I cooked it myself,” then pressed his thick lips to her fingers.“Ok…” she breathed, unable to manage anything else.At the other end of table half hidden by Cle-Menti’s frame, sat Annabelle a smile playing about her lips. “She wants to go out after breakfast. You mind takin’ her?”“Of course not,” Cle-Menti answered in his melodious booming tenor, never taking his eyes off Sonya’s face. “Just call me when you finish eating.” He vanished.The food was delicious -- the eggs fluffy with just the right amount of cheese, the bread sweet and buttery, the bacon crisp.Sonya turned her chair to one side so she could watch the creatures gamboling beyond the glass wall -- her questions forgotten. By now the centaurs had galloped to the edge of the ocean and were tossing a ball back and forth to the mermaids.In that moment if she’d turned her head, Annabelle’s sharp eyed calculating stare would have frightened her...“You finished eating?”“Yes Mam.”“Alright, I’ll get Cle-Menti to take you out,” Annabelle pushed her chair back form the table, rose and walked back out into the hallway, Sonya followed. They stood before the door. “Don’t ever try to open this door yourself. It’s a portal to other worlds -- other times. You need one of us to open it -- always. Understand?”Sonya nodded impatiently, her fear forgotten.“Cle-Menti, she’s ready, ” called Annabelle.The words were barely out of her mouth, before he appeared beside Sonya. “You wish to go out princess?”“Uh-huh,” Sonya stammered. Why do I always sound brain dead around him...?Cle-Menti took her hand…they faced the door. “We wish to go to the beach,” he commanded. It swung open to reveal an explosion of color: golden sands and foaming turquiose waters, under an unbelievably bright orangish blue sky.They turned to the left, around the corner of the mansion to find the two centaurs now racing each other up and down the sand. One Bronze with reddish brown hair that curled about her shoulders, green eyes and a dark red mare’s hindquarters; the other Amber with thick, black hair that flowed to her waist, porcelain white skin, slanted almond brown eyes, and a black horse body. Each wore silver bras covering their torsos.Sonya looked up at Cle-Menti. “Can I get a closer look?”He smiled indulgently, “Of course!” Then shouted in a booming bass that echoed along the beach: “This is Sonya and she’d like to play with you, but behave yourselves! None of your tricks -- you hear?”Sonya approached the centaurs slowly, twisting her hands in front of her like a child. “Hi…” she said softly.They regarded her with open curiosity. “I’m Lui and this is Juliana,” the Amber centaur lisped. “Would you like a ride?”“Oh yes!” Sonya breathed.“Well climb on my back then! We’re going to race!”“And I’m going to win!” Juliana pronounced.With Juliana’s help, Sonya mounted Lui’s back. “Hold on tight!” They galloped down the beach -- Sonya holding on for dear life -- then back again. Sonya glanced over her shoulder and glimpsed mermen and women looking on with great interest.They finished near the ocean’s edge where a crowd of aquatic folk were bobbing up and down in the waves, smiling and pointing -- waiting for their chance to play with this newcomer.As Sonya slid off Lui’s back, she whispered: “You would make a lovely centaur! Wouldn’t you like to be one of us?”Sonya frowned “Oh no!”“And why not?” Juliana chipped in petulantly. “Are we not beautiful?” Beside her Lui pouted.Sonya’s face split in a wide grin, flattered beyond measure that these magical equines wanted her to join their family. “You’re the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen!” Mollified they smiled back.“Well…?” said Lui expectantly.“I have a mother, two brothers and sister,” Sonya explained. “If I stayed with you they’d miss me.”For a moment Juliana and Lui seemed to seriously consider.“We could be your family,” Juliana offered, smiling openly as if this solved everything.Sonya looked distressed. I don’t want to make them mad! “But I’d miss them too!” she stammered, “I love them!”“What is…love?” asked Lui, looking confused.Sonya’s jaw dropped. “It’s when you miss a person when they’re gone,” she groped for words, “you don’t ever want to be without them… and when they hurt, you hurt.”They listened intently. “Ohhh…” said Juliana nodding, beside her Lui bobbed her head in agreement.But it was obvious they still didn’t understand. A small almost imperceptible shiver of fear coursed through Sonya. “Could we go in the water?” she asked.“Oh yes!” Lui smiled brightly, “We can do whatever we want!”“Ride me this time!” chirped Juliana.At the ocean’s edge, Sonya scrambled off the centaur’s into the warm water, clothes and all and swam into the mere folks’ midst -- marveling at their lustrous emerald, golden, brown, ebony, purple, sepia and pinks skins -- and joined them in an impromptu game of tag.She began diving under the waves with them. A purple mermaid with long ropy hair to match her skin, laughing at how playful the Indigo woman was, pulled Sonya under the water and swam alongside her. At this the mere folk took turns dragging Sonya down with them -- she couldn’t remember when she’d had so much fun.As Sonya paddled the depths marveling at the sea blooms and geometric coral… and at how long she was holding her breath, a slender, pink skinned merman with golden hair, sea green eyes and a matching tail, bobbed beside her grinning. Suddenly he reached out pulled her into his arms -- his body even warmer than the sea -- and holding her began swimming downward.With his curious fish body pressed against her's Sonya felt the twinges of arousal. How do they do it, I wonder? Like us…?As if her could read her thoughts, the merman bubbled laughter in her ear and pressed himself even more tightly against her, so she could feel the maleness hidden beneath his scales. They swam deeper -- and deeper still entering colbalt blue waters, foliated by stalks of coral growing from an unseen ocean floor.He paused with Sonya still in his arms and pressed his lips to hers: filling her mouth with his strange bumpy tongue. And she wondered how it would feel to have him take her -- right there -- beneath the ocean depths…“ENOUGH!” Cle-Menti’s booming voice echoed beneath the waves. “BRING HER BACK DEMETRI!”Demetri broke the kiss. He stared up frowning…then began swimming to the upward. They burst above the surface and for an instant she couldn’t breath. I’ve been breathing water -- !It passed. Her lungs accepted the air and Demetri was moving to the shallows to release her. Sonya stood in ankle length water, looking at him and felt a curious longing. It was so peaceful down thereDemetri held her gaze. His lips curving upward in a smile as if they shared a secret.Then with a flip of his tail he was gone.Cle-Menti was sitting on the beach waiting for her. “Time to go princess.”Sonya pouted. “Why’d you make me come back -- I was having fun!”Cle-Menti’s full lips spread into a smile. “Not so innocent after all,” he said softly, almost to himself and Sonya blushed.He put an arm about her shoulder guiding her to the door. “You couldn’t breath when you first came out of the water,” the Indigo man said matter-of-factly. “Don’t you wonder why?”Sonya eyed him solemnly, but didn’t answer.“Demetri changed you because he wanted you.” there was no trace of humor in Cle-Menti’s voice now. “If you’d made love to him, you would have become a creature of the sea. And you would have to stay here. Forever.”He dipped his head toward the beach. “Many of them were human once,” he continued, “but once transformed they forgot all about their past lives.” Now his gaze was direct, penetrating.Looking into his dark eyes, Sonya felt nauseous with fear. I almost --- !“They wouldn’t make suitable playmates,” he finished, “if they missed their families.”The door swung open and she rushed past him -- back into the safety of the castle.Stealer of Souls chapter excerptCopyright 2008 Valjeanne Jeffers-Thompson all rights reserved
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