\u201cIs that the Black Lingerie Chronicle?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashley glanced up from what she had been writing and saw Erin sitting up in bed. The girl had just woke up, and she was a disheveled mess. Her hair was mussed and she had pillow lines on the left side of her face but Ashley still thought she looked cute.\u00a0 She gave her friend a smile and nodded. Yawning, Erin got out of bed and came over to where Ashley sat at her desk.\u00a0 She only wore a pair of panties and a t-shirt, her long legs bare.\u00a0 Ashley took a moment to admire them, as the girl walked toward her. Erin surprised her by sitting on her lap. Grinning, she wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you get this out?\u201d Erin asked, picking up the notebook.<\/p>\n
Grinning, Ashley said, \u201cI’ve seen you open the hiding spot enough times to learn the pressure points.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh,\u201d Erin said, nodding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it okay? I guess I should have asked before doing it,\u201d Ashley said, with a sheepish grin.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it’s cool,\u201d Erin said, reading what Ashley had been working on, \u201chow long have you been up?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout an hour. I grabbed a shower then started working on that list,\u201d Ashley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of questions here,\u201d Erin said, glancing at her.<\/p>\n
Shrugging, Ashley said, \u201cIt is just little things that I’ve wondered about the Place of Locked Doors. Like why do we always materialize in Natty’s old bedroom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Erin said, \u201cI might have a theory about that. A couple, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI figure Natty’s old bedroom is the genesis of the Place of Locked Doors. It is where she… Where she killed herself. I think the Place of\u00a0 Locked Doors was created when she died as a sort of… Punishment?\u00a0 Maybe not a punishment but a waiting room. Do you know what I mean?\u201d Erin asked, meeting Ashley’s eyes.<\/p>\n
Ashley nodded, \u201cI always figured it was a place like purgatory, neither Heaven nor Hell but somewhere in between.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly,\u201d Erin said, smiling at her, \u201canyway, I think Natty’s room is the closest to our world.\u00a0 I think there is a connection between here and there in that room because it is where Natty first entered the Place of Locked Doors. She went from one plane to the next of existence and, maybe, it left a… Thin spot?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh,\u201d Ashley said, mulling it over. It made sense… Well, as much sense as anything involving the Place of Locked Doors ever did.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlus,\u201d Erin said, going on, \u201cit was where Natty was.\u00a0 We were drawn to the girl by the connection created by wearing the lingerie.\u00a0 She used to always be in that room. Maybe we just go there as… I don’t know. Force of habit?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes sense,\u201d Ashley said, then frowned, \u201cbut I wonder if we decided to materialize in, say… The living room, instead. Do you think we could?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know,\u201d Erin said, shrugging, \u201cI never thought to try.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m going to try next time I visit,\u201d Ashley said, grinning excitedly, \u201cI only have to figure out how to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laughing, Erin said, \u201cYeah.\u00a0 The Place of Locked Doors needs a user manual.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me about it,\u201d Ashley said, shaking her head.<\/p>\n
Erin read the first question on the list out loud, \u201cIs it always dark at the Place of Locked Doors? Well, it is usually night when we visit Natty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d Ashley said, glancing at the window, \u201cIt’s sunny out today. Would it be sunny there if we visited her now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUm, maybe,\u201d Erin said, shrugging.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s another question that bothers me,\u201d Ashley said, excitement creeping into her voice, \u201cdo we have to be asleep to flip over?\u201d<\/p>\n
Erin got off Ashley’s lap, laughing, \u201cI’m going to grab a shower. This conversation is getting too deep, and I need to wake up first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashley watched her go to her dresser, admiring her long legs and her backside in the cute little panties she wore, again. She wished she could join her in the shower, but Erin’s parents might be a bit suspicious if they caught them coming out of the bathroom together.\u00a0 Keeping Mr. and Mrs. Brolin clueless was the only way they could keep having their fun. With a heavy sigh and a rueful smile, she watched Erin leave the room for her shower.<\/p>\n
Glancing at the bed, she saw Mindy still sound asleep. Grinning, she went to the bed and crawled under the covers. Mindy shifted but didn’t wake up as Ashley’s weight settled onto the bed. Ashley moved against her, spooning with her.\u00a0 Mindy stirred but didn’t wake up. Grinning, Ashley thought the girl was a heavy sleeper.<\/p>\n
She put her hand on the girl’s hip, then eased it around and down, between the girl’s thighs. Through the thin cotton of her panties, Ashley teased the girl’s bud.\u00a0 Mindy finally woke up, sighing. She glanced over her shoulder to see who was touching her and smiled. Her beautiful blue eyes flashed at Ashley, and she bit her lip.\u00a0 She moaned as Ashley’s fingers continued their lazy circles.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould you really be doing that?\u201d Mindy sighed, opening her legs a little, so Ashley had easier access.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want me to stop?\u201d Ashley asked, grinning.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Mindy said, her hips beginning to move on their own.<\/p>\n
Her backside was rubbing against Ashley’s lower abdomen deliciously.
\nAshley rolled her hips into the girl, sighing at the wonderful sensation it sent through her young body. Hearing her sigh, Mindy looked at Ashley over her shoulder and put a hand on the redhead’s buttock. She urged Ashley to keep moving against her.<\/p>\n
Ashley slipped her hand into Mindy’s panties and the girl’s breath caught in her throat.\u00a0 She bit her knuckle to stifle the moans that wanted to escape her.\u00a0 Ashley’s able fingers were making it hard for her to keep quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat feels so good,\u201d Mindy breathed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBest way to wake up, right?\u201d Ashley asked, grinning.\u00a0 She kissed Mindy’s shoulder at the base of her neck.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d the brunette moaned. She buried her face in her pillow as little noises of enjoyment started getting louder.<\/p>\n
Ashley rolled her eyes to the door, her heart beating faster in her breast.\u00a0 She knew it wasn’t likely that Erin’s mom would check on them, but it was still a possibility.\u00a0 Would they be able to untangle themselves in time, if she did decide to look in on her daughter and her friends? Would the woman know what they had been up to by the guilty looks on their faces?<\/p>\n
She shook her head at how much the danger turned her on. As she became more and more turned on, Mindy’s body moving against her own had her in a state.\u00a0 The girl’s buttocks were nestled against her lower abdomen and the pressure on her clit was delicious.\u00a0 She buried her face in Mindy’s neck to muffle her own sounds of enjoyment.<\/p>\n
She wondered if Mindy was thinking about the risk they were taking or was she lost in the wonderful sensations washing through her body.\u00a0 She thought it was at least in the back of her mind, which is why she had her face buried in the pillow.<\/p>\n
Grinning, Ashley let her fingers move faster and faster until the girl was writhing against her.\u00a0 Even the pillow wasn’t doing much to muffle her cries, anymore.\u00a0 It did even less as Ashley’s fingers moved lower and eased inside of her ready core.<\/p>\n
Ashley bit the girl’s shoulder to keep her own cries in check.\u00a0 She had climbed into bed to give Mindy a nice wake-up, but she hadn’t anticipated how turned on she’d end up making herself. She loved the feel of Mindy’s body rubbing against her own.<\/p>\n
The brunette’s fingers tightened on the pillow in a death grip, and it looked like the girl was trying to smother herself.\u00a0 Ashley didn’t let up, kept pushing Mindy closer and closer to her climax.<\/p>\n
And her own in the process.<\/p>\n
It didn’t take long for tension to gather in Mindy. Ashley had her tiptoeing right on the edge of ecstasy, leaning and leaning and… Mindy suddenly stiffened against Ashley, one last cry ripping from her.\u00a0 Ashley wrapped her arms around the Mindy as she trembled with her orgasm, still rubbing her girlhood against the girl’s backside. Mindy gasped each time their bodies met, her body sensitive still.<\/p>\n
Ashley stiffened against her, gasping as she came.\u00a0 Her orgasm had its way with her, her nerve endings singing.\u00a0 She squeezed Mindy tightly, kissed her neck.\u00a0 Light as a feather on a breeze, she floated down from the heights of her climax.<\/p>\n
Eventually, Mindy turned in her arms to face her, grinning.\u00a0 She kissed Ashley, didn’t let up until the redhead’s toes were curled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWow,\u201d Ashley said, her voice husky.<\/p>\n
The door opened, and Mindy pulled away in a hurry, but it was Erin back from her shower.\u00a0 Erin took one look at Mindy’s face and just shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can’t leave you two alone for five minutes,\u201d she said, grinning as she flopped on the bed, \u201cyou are just lucky it was me and not my mom.\u00a0 You two look guilty as hell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSleepyhead wasn’t waking up,\u201d Ashley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have just shaken her shoulder,\u201d Erin said, laughing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere’s the fun in that?\u201d Ashley asked, winking at Mindy. The girl smiled at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to thinking about what you said while I was in the shower,\u201d Erin said, and then for Mindy’s benefit, \u201cAshley has been up a while and making a list of questions about the Place of Locked Doors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of questions?\u201d Mindy asked, glancing at Ashley.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d Ashley said, getting off the bed and grabbing the Chronicle. She passed it to Mindy, then turned to Erin, \u201cwhat are you thinking?”<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m thinking we can answer a few of your questions,\u201d Erin said, grinning at her, \u201cI think we should visit Natty. I think we should do it now, and I think we should do it while we are awake. Or, at least, try. I think we should also try to materialize somewhere other than Natty’s old room. While we are there, we can find what Natty knows about the dolphin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dolphin!\u201d Ashley said, her eyes widening, \u201cI had forgotten about the dolphin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, what do you all think? Want to try it?\u201d Erin asked, looking from Mindy to Ashley.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m cool with it,\u201d Mindy said, then asked, \u201cbut why is going now significant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve never visited Natty in the daytime,\u201d Ashley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d Mindy said, frowning, \u201cI never thought about that before. It makes sense, though. We are usually asleep when we visit her. Now I get what Erin was saying about being awake. And we always appear in her old bedroom.\u00a0 You know, I’ve never thought about any of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Erin said, grinning at Ashley, \u201cthat’s why we keep her around.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey,\u201d Ashley said, pretending to be hurt.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know we love you,\u201d Mindy said, hugging her.<\/p>\n
\u201cJokes aside,\u201d Erin said, smiling at Ashley, \u201cI’m glad you are mixed up in this with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grinning, Ashley asked, \u201cHow do you think we should do this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is still fairly early,\u201d Erin said, glancing at the alarm clock on her bedside table, \u201cI think we should get back under the covers and pretend we are still asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d Mindy asked, raising her eyebrows.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you flip over to the Place of Locked Doors,\u201d Erin said, shivering, \u201cyou are basically in a coma. It’s like…your mind leaves your body.\u00a0 I figure we might fool my parents if they want to check on us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laughing, Ashley said, \u201cYeah. It probably wouldn’t be good if they saw us passed out on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly,\u201d Erin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d Mindy said, then asked, \u201cBut how do we flip if we are awake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t have a clue,\u201d Erin said, shaking her head and laughing.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight,\u201d Ashley said, holding up the comforter. Grinning, Erin joined them under the covers.<\/p>\n
Ashley closed her eyes and pictured Natty’s living room in her mind, down to the little details.\u00a0 She tried to will herself to go there, to flip over to the Place of Locked Doors but nothing happened.\u00a0 She didn’t have a clue how to do it. It just sort of happened when she was asleep. Now, she was at a loss.<\/p>\n
She heard one of the girls inhale deeply, then let it out in slow, drawn out exhale. When it went on for an impossibly long time, she opened her eyes and saw Erin staring blankly up at the ceiling.\u00a0 She was a still as a rock, unblinking. Ashley waved her hand in front of the girl’s face but got no reaction. She saw Mindy looking at her wide eyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoly shit,\u201d Ashley said, the excitement creeping into her voice, \u201cshe did it!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJesus,\u201d Mindy said, laughing, \u201cthat was creepy!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe’s just gone,\u201d Ashley said, gently shaking the girl.\u00a0 Erin didn’t respond, showed no sign of being aware that she was being touched.\u00a0 Ashley pinched her arm but got no pain reflex.\u00a0 She glanced at Mindy, who shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cWonder how she did it,\u201d Ashley asked, looking at Erin’s glassed over eyes. They were dilated, the pupils impossibly wide.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried picturing the living room,\u201d Mindy said, rubbing her arms, \u201cthen imagined myself sitting on the couch but it didn’t work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried pretty much the same thing,\u201d Ashley said.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, Erin inhaled deeply, and it lasted almost twenty seconds.\u00a0 Her pupils contracted as Ashley watched and suddenly Erin was back. She jerked, startled to see Ashley’s face so close to hers.\u00a0 Then she laughed and said, \u201cJesus, Ashley. You scared the hell out of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d Ashley said, laughing incredulously, \u201cyou were gone! I pinched your arm, and you didn’t even flinch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI flipped over,\u201d Erin said, grinning, \u201cI ended up in Natty’s old bedroom, but I was definitely awake when I flipped.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you do it?\u201d Ashley asked, an excited shiver working up her spine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI held this,\u201d Erin said, holding up the necklace Natty have given her as a birthday present, \u201cand focused on it and its twin in the Place of Locked Doors.\u00a0 I imagined a line between them then let my mind wander. It was really weird, but I felt my mind leaving my body. Have you ever stepped in deep mud and it sucks at your foot.\u00a0 It was kind of like that except it was my conscious I pulled free of the mud instead of my shoe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashley glanced at Mindy and saw the girl staring at Erin, dumbfounded.\u00a0 Ashley knew how she felt.\u00a0 She turned to look at Erin and asked, \u201cWhat the hell? How did you know to do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Erin laughed and said, \u201cI might have read a few articles on the internet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you weren’t going to share?\u201d Ashley asked, giving her a dirty look.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey,\u201d Erin said, holding up her hands, \u201cI didn’t know if it would work or not. The author was never successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sure as hell were,\u201d Mindy said.<\/p>\n
Grinning, Erin asked, \u201cDo you want me to tell you the answers to your questions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHell no,\u201d Ashley said, crawling over her and getting off the bed, \u201cif you can do it, then so can I.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erin laughed as Ashley went to Erin’s desk. When she turned around, she had Erin’s digital camera in her hand. She held it up and asked, \u201cThis should work, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nodding, Erin said, \u201cProbably. It exists both here and there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashley came back to the bed. She urged Erin to scoot into the middle, then crawled under the covers. Her hand was shaking with nervous excitement as she closed her eyes and tried to picture the digital camera’s twin in the Place of Locked Doors.\u00a0 She had too many chaotic thoughts running around in her brain, and her heart was knocking around her chest like a crazed animal.\u00a0 Taking several long, slow breaths, she forced herself to relax.\u00a0 She pushed all of the random thoughts aside, focused on the digital camera in her hand.<\/p>\n
She just about had it when she heard Mindy say, \u201cWait. What about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere, take the necklace,\u201d Erin said, her weight shifting on the bed, \u201cI don’t think I need it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opening her eyes, Ashley asked, \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat first time,\u201d Erin said, grinning, \u201cI think I just needed the necklace to show me the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you think you can find your way without it?\u201d Ashley asked, frowning.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I do,\u201d Erin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d Ashley asked, dubious.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you do it, you’ll understand,\u201d Erin said, closing her eyes.<\/p>\n
Ashley watched as her face went completely slack as she relaxed. There was a faint twitch of her lip as she concentrated.\u00a0 Then Ashley felt… Something.\u00a0 It was like the heaviness of the air right before a thunderstorm.\u00a0 The air itself seemed full of potential, like something was just waiting to happen. She held her breath, her emerald eyes never leaving Erin’s face. Then the girl took in a shallow breath and breathed it out in an impossibly long breath.\u00a0 Ashley couldn’t see the change in her pupils with her eyes closed but she knew the girl was gone. She had flipped over to the Place of Locked Doors.<\/p>\n
Glancing at Mindy, she saw the girl looking wide-eyed at her. Ashley grinned at her excitedly, said, \u201cHoly shit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mindy ran her hand through her air and said, \u201cI guess it is our turn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Ashley said.<\/p>\n
She closed her eyes again, forced herself to relax.\u00a0 When she felt calm enough, she pictured the digital camera in the Place of Locked Doors.\u00a0 With it fixed in her mind, she connected an imaginary line between the one in her hand and its twin on the other side. That was the easy part. Now, all she had to do was cast her consciousness out of her body and use that line as a guide to reach Natty’s plane of existence.<\/p>\n
The problem was, she had no idea how to do that. Erin had said it so matter-of-factly, like it was something everyone knew how to do. Ashley had been so stunned that Erin had actually done it, that she forgot to get some more details on how she had done it. Her description had been vague at best and more about what it had been like than how to do it.<\/p>\n
Ashley thought about it for a second, then about her imaginary line between the two cameras.\u00a0 Frowning, she wondered if that could be the key.\u00a0 She visualized a light switch with an engraved plate above it that read: My Body.\u00a0 Flipping this switch would sever her connection with her body, setting her consciousness free.\u00a0 She really focused on the concept, then imagined herself throwing the switch.<\/p>\n
She felt herself stretched, tugged in opposite directions.\u00a0 It was like two fingers stuck together with honey slowly pulled apart.\u00a0 She recognized it from Erin’s description and knew she was flipping. Her body clung to her, tried to draw her back in, but its grip was weakening.\u00a0 Then like a cork finally worked loose of a champagne bottle, she was free.\u00a0 She floated weightlessly in the unbroken darkness, all of her senses working but there was nothing to sense.\u00a0 It wasn’t just darkness but a nothingness.<\/p>\n
Well, almost nothing. The imaginary line she had pictured in her head glowed a pale blue in the darkness.\u00a0 She saw it stretching out into the distance, and she had no way of knowing how far it went. Feet or miles, judging distance was impossible in the nothingness.<\/p>\n
Curiously, she realized she was in motion. At first, she hadn’t noticed because she had no visual reference- no passing trees or objects getting closer or further away. Even now she couldn’t really say how she knew she was moving. Still, she knew she was being propelled forward.<\/p>\n
How far or how long she traveled, she didn’t know, but she sensed she was gathering speed.\u00a0 Again, she just knew somehow.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, there was a flash, and she gasped as she stumbled into being in Natty’s bedroom. Erin was there to keep her on her feet.\u00a0 Ashley stared at her wide eyed, then hugged her back.\u00a0 Over the girl’s shoulder, she saw Natty grinning at her. Then past her, Ashley saw the sun shining through the big window that looked out onto the backyard.<\/p>\n
She let go of the girl and went to the window.\u00a0 Staring in wide-eyed amazement, she thought the Place of Locked Doors was beautiful in the daylight.\u00a0 Some of the creepiness of the place was dispelled by the light, and she had to smile.<\/p>\n
The air felt heavy, and she glanced away from the window in time to see Mindy materialize out of thin air.\u00a0 Her sapphire blue eyes were impossibly wide as she looked around the room. Finally, she grinned and said, \u201cThat was nuts!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d Ashley said, laughing. She hugged the brunette, and the girl squeezed her tightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you so excited about?\u201d Natty asked, looking from girl to girl.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe figured out we don’t have to be asleep to come here,\u201d Erin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don’t?\u201d Natty asked, her eyes wide, \u201cso you are… Awake, right now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d Ashley said, releasing Mindy to give Natty a hug, \u201cI guess technically not, but we were when we flipped over. I think Erin is right; we are probably in a coma-like state right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natty hugged her back and said, \u201cI thought you had to be asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did we,\u201d Erin said, grinning at her, \u201cthen Ashley got us thinking.\u00a0 We had to try it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cErin was the one who figured out how to do it,\u201d Ashley said, then gave the girl a dirty look, \u201cbut didn’t tell us how she did it. I had to figure it out for myself. I imagined I had a switch that let me sever the connection between my body and mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh,\u201d Mindy said, nodding, \u201cI imagined my consciousness was a cork in a bottle, then popped it loose. It worked, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInteresting,\u201d Ashley said, lost in thought, \u201cmaybe we just needed a way to visualize the separation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably,\u201d Mindy said, going to the window as Ashley had. She was grinning when she turned back, \u201cIt is so beautiful out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Erin said, grinning.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we go for a walk?\u201d Mindy asked, grinning at Natty.<\/p>\n
The girl smiled back and nodded, \u201cI’d like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUm,\u201d Mindy said, looking down at herself, \u201cI don’t suppose I could borrow some pants?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laughing, Natty said, \u201cIf you think you’ll be cold, sure, but there is no one around to see your panties. Well, save for us three and we’ve already seen them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want me to go out like this?\u201d Mindy asked, incredulously.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did,\u201d Erin said, laughing when Mindy looked at her funny, \u201cwearing less than that, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur trip to the library?\u201d Natty asked, grinning playfully at her.<\/p>\n
Erin nodded. Giggling, she started stripping out of her clothes. Mindy was looking at her dubiously as Erin stripped out of her panties. The brunette glanced at Ashley, who shrugged and started undressing, too. Laughing and shaking her head, Mindy gave into peer pressure and slipped out of her panties and sleep shirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet’s go before I lose my nerve,\u201d Mindy said, rubbing her arms.<\/p>\n
The four girls headed downstairs and out the front door, not a stitch of clothing between them. The temperature was in the upper sixties and with the sun shining on their skin, they were warm enough not to need clothes.\u00a0 They looked at each other, grinning and giggling about being naked on Natty’s front lawn. The giggles only got worse as they turned onto the street and started walking.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod, this is so weird,\u201d Mindy said, looking around at the empty houses, \u201cbeing naked in the middle of the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToo bad we can’t go to the mall,\u201d Ashley said, making everyone laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s a bit of walk,\u201d Erin said, still giggling, \u201cIt’s like a half hour car ride.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s a shame none of us can drive,\u201d Mindy said, pointing at the cars lining the street, \u201cwe could take one of these cars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laughing, Ashley said, \u201cGrand Theft Auto Afterlife. Make a helluva video game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erin went to one of the cars, putting her face to the glass, \u201cHow hard do you think it’d be to drive one of these things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy? You thinking about going for a joy ride?\u201d Ashley asked, laughing. Her eyes widened when she realized Erin was seriously thinking about it. Her heart racing, she went to her friend’s side, looking into the car.\u00a0 She reached out and tried the door, gasping as it opened in her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you two doing?\u201d Natty asked, coming up beside them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thinking about borrowing your neighbor’s car,\u201d Erin said, grinning at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe keys are in the center console,\u201d Ashley said, picking them up.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think that is a good idea?\u201d Natty asked, frowning.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably not,\u201d Ashley said, slipping behind the wheel. She had seen her father start the car enough times to know sort of how to do it.\u00a0 She pumped the gas pedal a few times, then inserted the key. Glancing at the girls standing outside the car, she turned the key until the motor grumbled.\u00a0 A few seconds of nothing, then the car turned over. She could feel the vibrations through the seat on her bare backside.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know what you are doing?\u201d Erin asked, interested.<\/p>\n
\u201cSort of,\u201d Ashley said, pointing at the pedals, \u201cthat one is the gas and that’s the brake. Gear shift on the column.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood enough for me,\u201d Erin said, circling the car and getting in the passenger seat, \u201cyou are driving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am?\u201d Ashley said, looking wide-eyed at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Mindy said, closing the door.\u00a0 She grinned at Ashley as she got into the back.<\/p>\n
Shrugging, Natty climbed in the back, \u201cI’m already dead. What’s the worse that could happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laughing, Ashley said, \u201cThat’s not helping my confidence any.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTake us to the mall,\u201d Erin said, winking at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod, this is a bad idea,\u201d she said, sliding the seat as far forward as it would go. Her chest was almost touching the steering column, she was so far forward.\u00a0 She could just reach the pedals and still see out the windshield.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeat belts, ladies,\u201d Ashley said, laughing, \u201cyou might need them.\u201d<\/p>\n
As they buckled up, she thought about all the times she had watched her father put the car in gear and drive away from the curb.\u00a0 She had been studying the sequence, trying to learn how to do it. After all, it was only two years and change before she could get her learner’s permit. Now, she pressed the brake down and pulled the gear shift in and down until the needle on the dashboard dial was over the D.<\/p>\n
Glancing sideways at Erin, hoping the girl would change her mind and tell her to put it back in park, Ashley saw her friend smiling reassuringly at her. She turned her eyes back on the road and took a deep breath to bolster her courage.\u00a0 Her heart was racing her breast as she eased up on the brake. It only beat faster as the car began to move.<\/p>\n
She put her foot on the gas pedal, gave the car some gas.\u00a0 She had pressed too hard, and the sudden forward lurch of the car scared her.\u00a0 Pulling her foot off the gas, she slammed it on the brake, making everyone in the car laugh as they jerked to a stop. Her face was red as she looked around at them but they smiled at her.\u00a0 Shaking her head, she eased off the brake and tried again.\u00a0 Just a feather touch on the gas pedal this time and she cut the wheel away from the curb. The girls cheered as they were underway.<\/p>\n
Not bothering with trying to stay in just one lane, Ashley drove right down the middle of the road.\u00a0 The adrenaline was flowing, and she was jittery with excitement.\u00a0 She was driving!\u00a0 Never mind that she never let the car get above twenty-five miles per hour. She was driving, navigating the empty streets with ease and a blatant disregard for stop signs.<\/p>\n
\u201cUm,\u201d Mindy said, looking over her shoulder, \u201cthat was a stop sign.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo other traffic,\u201d Ashley said, making Mindy laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow does it feel?\u00a0 Driving?\u201d Erin asked.<\/p>\n
She risked a look away from the road, grinning at the girl, \u201cAwesome!\u201d<\/p>\n
It took a little longer to drive to the mall than usual but a lot less than if they had walked.\u00a0 Ashley pulled to the curb right in front of the main entrance and put it in park.\u00a0 Her hands were shaking as she turned the car off and removed the keys.\u00a0 She glanced around the car, saw all of her friends grinning at her. Mindy started clapping and then they were all applauding and cheering.<\/p>\n
\u201cPiece of cake,\u201d she said, giggling.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet’s go inside,\u201d Erin said, getting out of her car.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can’t believe we are going to the mall naked,\u201d Mindy said, opening her car door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, right. A dream come true,\u201d Ashley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have weird dreams,\u201d Mindy said, getting out of the car.<\/p>\n
Laughing, Ashley dumped the keys in the center console and followed her friends to the mall entrance.\u00a0\u00a0 She saw Erin pick up a brick and held up her hand. Erin looked at her, and Ashley pulled on the handle. She grinned when the door opened, and she held it for her friends.<\/p>\n
As she passed, Erin asked, \u201cHow did you know it was unlocked?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t,\u201d Ashley said, smiling, \u201cI just didn’t want to walk on broken glass barefoot if I didn’t need to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFair enough,\u201d Erin said, laughing.<\/p>\n
Inside, Ashley looked around wide-eyed.\u00a0 It was like stepping into a sixties movie, only less grainy.\u00a0 The advertising, the store fronts… She didn’t recognize a single store. Even familiar establishments like McDonald’s and Sears were completely different looking.\u00a0 Then there were the clothing stores with their mannequins, the sixties fashions on display.\u00a0 She had to laugh, picturing Natty wearing any of the outfits.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I had my camera,\u201d Ashley said, grinning.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo think it here,\u201d Mindy said, closing her eyes.\u00a0 There was the now familiar displacement of air, and her digital camera appeared in her hands. She held it up and grinned at Ashley.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yeah,\u201d she said, grinning sheepishly, \u201cI forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Closing her eyes, she thought her camera into her hands.\u00a0 She glanced at the nearest clothing store, and her eyes widened when she saw it was a Macy’s.\u00a0 Shaking her head at how different the current store looked from this one, she walked over to the door.\u00a0 It turned out to be locked. She closed her eyes and pictured her dad’s aluminum baseball bat. It clanked to the floor at her feet, and she picked it up.\u00a0 She waved the girls back and smashed it into the little pane of glass above the lock.\u00a0 Reaching in, she turned the knob, unlocking the door. She pulled it open and cringed, waiting for the alarm to begin blaring, but it didn’t.<\/p>\n
Grinning, she stepped inside, careful of the glass on the floor. The others followed her, and they started browsing the clothes.\u00a0 Everyone but Natty was giggling and pointing out the outfits that looked strange to them.<\/p>\n
Natty could only shrug and say, \u201cI guess I understand. It took me a minute to get used to clothing from your time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet’s try some of this on,\u201d Mindy said, holding up a pair of burnt orange bell bottoms.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh god,\u201d Erin said, laughing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m trying this on,\u201d Mindy said, then grabbed an orange and white tie-died shirt with long flowing sleeves.<\/p>\n
\u201cDressing rooms are in the back,\u201d Natty said, grinning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are walking around naked,\u201d Ashley said, laughing, \u201clittle late for dressing rooms, now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, Natty,\u201d Mindy said, taking the girl’s hand, \u201cyou can help me with my hair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashley glanced at Erin and the girl shrugged and grabbed a dress she had been looking at off the rack. Laughing, Ashley took some flowery bell bottoms and a matching top and followed Erin to the dressing rooms.\u00a0 In one of the curtained rooms, Ashley slipped into the outfit. She grinned, amused that she didn’t have to remove anything before changing.<\/p>\n
Glancing at herself in the mirror, she started laughing.\u00a0 She looked like a hippy. With her taste in music, she was lucky she didn’t burst into flames wearing such an outfit.\u00a0 Still, she thought she’d have made a cute hippie.<\/p>\n
Still, the outfit was missing something, so she closed her eyes and imagined her hair in braids and a flower tucked behind her ear. She added some sandals and a peace sign necklace, as an afterthought.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod, its the YMCA, all over again,\u201d Ashley laughed, turning in a circle to admire the complete costume, \u201cgroovy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leaving the changing room, Ashley saw Erin and started laughing. The girl was wearing white go-go boots; the dress that belted high on the waist but was short in the skirt; pearls around her neck; gloves on her hands; and big clunky sunglasses.\u00a0 Still, that wasn’t what made her laugh.\u00a0 Erin had her hair up in a beehive and looked curiously right at home in it.\u00a0 She could have just stepped out of a fashion ad for the sixties.<\/p>\n
\u201cWow,\u201d Ashley said, turning on her camera, \u201cI’m digging the boots. I need a picture of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never thought I’d see the day,\u201d Erin said, grinning at her, \u201cit’s Hippie Ashley.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d she said, looking down at herself, \u201cit’s making the metal head in me itch.\u00a0 I’m going to need a mega dose of Slayer to get all this peace and love out of my system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Powering on her camera, Ashley had Erin pose next to an ad for the very boots she was wearing.\u00a0 She looked from the ad to her friend and back again, then had to ask, \u201cDid you model your look after the ad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, but I know why you are asking?\u00a0 I look just like the model in the ad, right?\u201d Erin said, looking at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cPretty close,\u201d Ashley said, then when her camera was ready, \u201cSay cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erin smiled, and Ashley snapped a picture.\u00a0 She went to the blonde’s side, showing her the image.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look like your mom would have looked like,\u201d Ashley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom was born in the eighties,\u201d Erin said, laughing, \u201cwe have pictures of her from the nineties wearing baggy pants and a flannel shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait,\u201d Ashley said, her eyes wide, \u201cyour mom was a grunge head?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe still listens to her Nirvana CDs now and then,\u201d Erin said, then grinned, \u201ceven pulls out her old Soundgarden t-shirt when she is working around the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh,\u201d Ashley said, then added, \u201cI knew I liked Mrs. B for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
The curtain opened on one of the changing rooms and Mindy and Natty stepped out.\u00a0 Ashley blinked at the loud clothing Mindy was wearing.\u00a0 She was used to seeing the girl in her school uniform, which was gray and bland, or in dark colors.\u00a0 Her outfit looked like she was a survivor of an unfortunate orange creamsicle manufacturing plant accident.<\/p>\n
Still, she looked good.\u00a0 The orange bell bottoms were snug across her hips and backside, rode low to reveal a sliver of belly.\u00a0 Ashley actually liked the voluminous orange and white top with its long, draping sleeves and puffy bust area, even if she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why.<\/p>\n
Like the rest of them, Mindy had her hair up in a sixties style, wearing it close to the way Natty used to wear hers. Her outfit was the median of Erin’s and Ashley’s and looked less like a costume and more like something someone might actually wear.<\/p>\n
Ashley looked at Natty and saw the girl was still naked. Frowning, she asked, \u201cWhere’s your outfit?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grinning sheepishly, she said, \u201cYou three are playing dress up, but these are just clothes to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess they are,\u201d Erin said, looking around. Finally, she grinned and said, \u201cWell, we can’t let you not participate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashley watched as the girl closed her eyes, then felt the disturbance in the air. Suddenly, clothes began to appear out of thin air and fall to the floor at Natty’s feet. Natty picked up the clothing, looking through them. Grinning, she disappeared into one of the changing rooms, then emerged a few minutes later wearing skinny jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, we can take a picture,\u201d Erin said, winking at her.<\/p>\n
——————————–<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this really a good idea?\u201d Ashley asked, looking at the burger patties sizzling on the grill.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey look okay,\u201d Mindy said, flipping one of the burgers, \u201cin fact they look amazing considering they are as old as my grandparents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s weird that they are still in such good shape,\u201d Ashley said, frowning.<\/p>\n
\u201cKind of supports Erin’s theory about this place,\u201d she said, flipping the other burgers, \u201cthat the Place of Locked Doors was formed when Natty killed herself. It is still stuck in that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh,\u201d Ashley said, nodding as she walked away.<\/p>\n
Mindy put four buns down on the grill, then added cheese to the burgers.\u00a0 She made short work of assembling the burgers, adding them to the trays she had laid out.\u00a0 The fries looked done, so she pulled those, as well.\u00a0 Hitting them with some salt, she divvied them up.<\/p>\n
\u201cOrder up,\u201d she called, grinning as the girl came to grab their food.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis smells amazing,\u201d Erin said, frowning at her, \u201chow do you know how to make McDonald’s cheeseburgers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t,\u201d Mindy said, laughing when Erin held up the burger and gave her a funny look, \u201cI can make cheeseburgers and other grill food. I don’t know if it qualifies as a McDonald’s cheeseburger, though.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh,\u201d Erin said, taking a bite of the burger. She sighed happily and gave Mindy a thumbs up, said, \u201cThat’s even better than McDonald’s.\u00a0 Where did you learn to cook like this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Uncle Travis has a bar, and I helped him out when his cook quit,\u201d Mindy said, shrugging.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait,\u201d Ashley said, laughing, \u201cyou worked in a bar?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kitchen part, yeah,\u201d she said, grinning, \u201cjust for a month, though.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill counts as the coolest thing ever,\u201d the redhead said, then tasted her burger, \u201cyou weren’t kidding, Erin.\u00a0 This is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet’s grab a seat,\u201d Erin said, taking her tray.<\/p>\n
They gathered around a table, happily munching on crispy fries and greasy burgers. Mindy was grinning as the girls fussed over her cooking.\u00a0 She really hadn’t thought it was a big deal, but they were impressed.\u00a0 Basking in the attention, she couldn’t remember being happier.<\/p>\n
Pushing her tray away, Mindy said, \u201cThat hit the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat should we do next?\u201d Erin asked, looking around the table.<\/p>\n
Ashley sat back in her chair and patted her belly, \u201cI could use a nap after that. I think I overdid it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laughing, Mindy said, \u201cYou did eat most of the fries.\u201d<\/p>\n
The redhead started to protest, then just grinned sheepishly, \u201cThey were delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh,\u201d Mindy said, thinking about what Ashley had said, \u201cI wonder what would happen if you fell asleep here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Ashley asked, putting the last couple of fries into her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThink about it,\u201d Mindy said, taking a sip of her drink, \u201cwe already separated our consciousness from our bodies when we flipped here, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight,\u201d Erin said, her gray eyes shining with interest.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when you sleep your conscious mind rests, and your subconscious takes over,\u201d she said, drumming her fingers on the table as she tried to work it out in her head, \u201cwhich is why we dream. If we fell asleep here, would it be a dream inside of a dream?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashley blinked at her a couple of times, then said, \u201cI think you’ve seen Inception too many times.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess we could squeeze one more experiment in,\u201d Erin said, looking from Mindy to Ashley and finally to Natty, \u201cAnybody else up for a nap?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUm… Yeah,\u201d Mindy said, her heart beating a little faster.\u00a0 She wondered what would happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could definitely use a nap,\u201d Ashley said, patting her stomach.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, it’s back to Natty’s then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSears sells mattresses,\u201d Natty said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey do?\u201d Mindy asked, trying to remember if Sears still sold them in their time.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think we could find something better to do than take a nap on them,\u201d the girl said, a slow smile spreading on her lips.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh?\u201d Erin asked, amused.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever done it at a mall before,\u201d Natty said, excitedly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe, either,\u201d Erin said.<\/p>\n
Mindy glanced at Ashley, and the redhead started laughing. She lost it, too.\u00a0 Erin and Natty were staring at them, which only made Mindy laugh harder.\u00a0 She was wiping tears from her eyes by the time she had the giggles under control.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat’s so funny?\u201d Natty asked, looking back and forth from Mindy to Ashley.<\/p>\n
\u201cUm,\u201d she said, grinning sheepishly, \u201cAshley and I might have made out in the changing room of Target.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d Natty asked, her eyes wide.<\/p>\n
\u201cUm, yeah,\u201d Mindy said, rubbing the back of her neck, \u201cwe found a dress for Erin’s birthday. Since we are all about the same size, we figured if it fit Ashley, it’d fit Erin. Things kind of got weird…\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yeah,\u201d Erin said, laughing, \u201cI remember you telling me about that, now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve never been to a Target,\u201d Natty said, looking at her with a playful smile tugging at her lips, \u201cbut Sears has some nice changing rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laughing, Mindy said, \u201cDo they now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on,\u201d Natty said, grabbing her hand. She tugged a giggling Mindy after her, heading towards Sears at the other end of the mall.<\/p>\n
Mindy glanced over her shoulder, saw Erin and Ashley following them.\u00a0 Turning back around, she shook her head and said, \u201cThis is getting to be a routine. We visit and end up having crazy sex.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grinning at her, Natty asked, \u201cWhat’s wrong with that routine?\u201d<\/p>\n
She put her arm around the girl’s waist and pulled her close, said, \u201cNot a thing. I was just pointing it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, today was a little different,\u201d Natty said, leaning her head on Mindy’s shoulder, \u201cwe had lunch, for one thing.\u00a0 I usually don’t eat since I don’t need to, but I think I might start cooking.\u00a0 Your delicious burgers inspired me to try.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d Mindy said, thinking about the girl being locked in her room for fifty years.\u00a0 A good burger after all that time might just be as good as sex, she thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also learned some more about my little slice of the afterlife,\u201d Natty said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you learn?\u201d Mindy asked, glancing at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat it’s boundaries are still undefined,\u201d Natty said, the smile in her voice, \u201cwho knows how big this place is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue,\u201d Mindy said, nodding.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now I’m going to have sex in a department store,\u201d Natty said, her hand slipping from the small of Mindy’s back to cup her buttock.<\/p>\n
Laughing, Mindy said, \u201cCheck that one off your bucket list, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBucket list?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, the list of things to do before…\u201d Mindy said, her face turning red as she thought about what she was about to say, \u201cum… Nevermind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was never on any list, but…\u201d Natty said, giving her a kiss, \u201cwhen an opportunity presents itself, you have to go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYOLO,\u201d Mindy said, grinning.<\/p>\n
\u201cYOLO?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou only live once,\u201d Mindy said, tucking an errant lock of hair behind her ear, \u201cit means don’t have any regrets about not trying something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou only live once, huh?\u201d Natty asked, amused.<\/p>\n
Mindy groaned, realized she had done it, again.\u00a0 She gave the girl a sheepish grin and said, \u201cYou know what I\u00a0 mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do,\u201d Natty said, laughing, \u201cI might be dead, but that doesn’t mean I’m done living it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would make a helluva bumper sticker,\u201d Mindy said, grinning at her, \u201cmaybe have a skeleton in the corner with a tropical drink in one hand and a lei around his neck. A sunset in the background and a girl in a bikini on his arm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natty looked at her quizzically, and Mindy started laughing<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m just saying,\u201d Mindy said, still laughing.<\/p>\n
They made it to Sears, then weaved their way through the store to the section featuring mattresses on display.\u00a0 Mindy laughed as Natty toppled them onto a king-sized bed. Natty ended up on top of her somehow, and the girl grinned down at her.\u00a0 Smiling back, Mindy kissed her, let her tongue into her mouth. She caressed it with her own, drawing Natty into a much deeper kiss.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey,\u201d Ashley said, flopping onto the bed beside them, \u201cwait for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mindy broke the kiss to smile at the girl. She saw Erin crawl onto the bed, grinning as she kissed Ashley’s bare shoulder.\u00a0 Ashley craned her neck and Erin pressed her lips to the redhead’s. As Ashley rolled onto her back and Erin moved atop her, Mindy remembered Natty.<\/p>\n
She grinned up at her and said, \u201cI guess it is you and me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet’s get you out of these clothes,\u201d Natty said, getting off Mindy. She pulled the shoes off Mindy’s feet, tossing them aside. Mindy unbuttoned the orange bell bottoms and lifted her backside off the bed so Natty could work them off her hips and down her legs. They joined the shoes on the floor, and then Natty was pulling her into a sitting position so she could remove the top.<\/p>\n
Naked, she propped up on her elbows to watch Natty as she undressed.\u00a0 She grinned at the girl wearing clothes from five decades in the future, her version of playing dress up.\u00a0 Natty unbuttoned the skinny jeans and wriggled out of them.\u00a0 She tossed them aside, then pulled the long sleeve shirt up and over her head.<\/p>\n
Natty crawled back onto the bed. On her hands and knees, she kissed Mindy passionately.\u00a0 Mindy’s toes were curled by the time the blonde pulled back to smile at her.\u00a0 Mindy put a hand on the back of her neck, pulled Natty back into the kiss.\u00a0 When she went to her back, Natty settled atop her, again, never breaking the kiss.<\/p>\n
She was a little surprised when Natty got off her and to her knees. The girl turned around, facing away from Mindy. Frowning, Mindy wondered what she was doing.\u00a0 Natty grinned at her over her shoulder, then nudged Mindy’s legs open. She urged Mindy to raise her knees up, then lowered onto her. Mindy’s eyes widened as their bodies nested together, Natty’s soft sex pressed against her own.\u00a0 She sighed as the girl started rocking her hips back and forth, rubbing deliciously against Mindy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you two doing?\u201d Ashley asked, her emerald eyes wide.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying something a little different,\u201d Natty said, her voice a little breathy in her excitement.<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh,\u201d the redhead said, turning back to Erin, \u201cwant to try something a little different?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mindy watched as Erin stretched out on her back, her knees pulled up.\u00a0 Ashley looked at what Natty was doing, then mimicked her movements.\u00a0 The grin that spread on her face told Mindy that she liked ‘something a little different’.<\/p>\n
She liked it, too.\u00a0 The flex of Natty’s hips, the pressure on her clitoris as Natty rubbed her body against Mindy had her moaning. Her hands found Natty’s hips and she encouraged the girl to go faster.\u00a0 Natty’s own sounds of enjoyment mingled with hers.<\/p>\n
Glancing to her side, she saw Erin had her eyes closed, her pretty face screw up in pleasure.\u00a0 Her eyes drifted down to where Ashley was seated in the basket of Erin’s spread legs.\u00a0 She was leaning forward, most of her weight on her arms.\u00a0 It was exciting to watch her pneumatic body as it ground against Erin, to see the slacked mouth look on her face.\u00a0 Their cries joined hers and Natty’s, the only sounds in the deserted furniture section of Sears.<\/p>\n
Natty had her hands on Mindy’s thighs, and her fingers dug into her flesh as her body became almost a blur.\u00a0 Mindy didn’t mind the pain. The roll of Natty’s hips was driving her body wild, sending wonderful sensations through her body.\u00a0 Judging by the sounds the girl was making, Natty was feeling good, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God,\u201d Ashley said, drawing Mindy’s attention.<\/p>\n
She saw Erin’s eye widen, heard the urgency in her cries.\u00a0 She grinned, realizing her friend was coming. Then she heard Ashley gasping, and the grin widened.\u00a0 Erin cried out as her body went crazy, jerking like she was being shocked.\u00a0 Only heartbeats behind her, Ashley climaxed atop the blonde.\u00a0 She lifted off Erin like she had been burned, collapsed onto her stomach.<\/p>\n
Seeing her friends come stirred her own orgasm to life.\u00a0 She turned back to Natty, wondered if the girl was close.\u00a0 She couldn’t see her face, could only listen to her cries.\u00a0 There was an urgency in Natty’s movements, and she thought the blonde was right on the edge of ecstasy with her.\u00a0 Still, Mindy held out until she felt Natty stiffen atop her, only let her own orgasm loose when Natty let out one last cry and shook herself apart.\u00a0 Mindy came hard, her body spasming out of control.<\/p>\n
Natty crawled next to her, then stretched out on her back. Moving against her, Mindy sighed contentedly.<\/p>\n
—————————————–<\/p>\n
Erin felt her eyes grow heavy.\u00a0 Maybe it was the warm body pressed against her side or the all the rich food she had eaten, but she felt herself nodding off.\u00a0 She knew she should get up, that they really needed to be going but she just couldn’t bring herself to.\u00a0 Her breathing slowed, slowed…<\/p>\n
Just before sleep took her completely, she made herself open her eyes and sit up.\u00a0 She glanced to the side, gasping.\u00a0 Her eyes widened as she realized she was looking down at herself, Ashley still snuggled against her side.\u00a0 Startled, she stood up in a hurry, her heart racing in her breast. Her hand came to her mouth as she gaped at her sleeping self.<\/p>\n
Hesitantly, she reached out and touched her leg… Or tried to. Her hand passed right through her thigh like she was completely insubstantial. A ghost or specter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell?\u201d She said, running her hand through her hair. The silky strands felt real enough as they passed through her fingers.<\/p>\n
She glanced at Natty and Mindy, saw them kissing on the bed next to her body and Ashley. She should be in Natty’s line of sight, but the girl was looking right through her.\u00a0 She waved at the girl, but nothing registered on her face.\u00a0 Erin was invisible to her.<\/p>\n
Glancing away from them, Erin gasped as she saw the people milling around the store.\u00a0 Dozens of them, all browsing the wares.\u00a0 Erin covered her naked body, but they didn’t seem any more aware of her than her friends were. After a moment, she dropped her hands and moved away from the bed.<\/p>\n
She reached out and tried to touch one of the shoppers, a balding man in a fringed jacket. Like it had when she tried to touch her own body, her hand passed right through him. She stood there a moment, staring at her hand, the one that had passed through the man.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, that’s weird,\u201d she said, frowning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat’s weird?\u201d The balding man said, then turned in a circle when he realized he was standing alone.<\/p>\n
Her eyes wide, Erin asked, \u201cDid you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose there?\u00a0 Quit playing games,\u201d he said, looking around. Still not seeing anyone, he grew agitated. His eyes were wide in fear as he hurried away.<\/p>\n
So I’m invisible, but they can still hear me, Erin thought, frowning.<\/p>\n
She glanced at her friends, but they were still oblivious of her separation from her body. Blinking, she realized that was what this was- she was twice removed from her real body. Dreaming inside of a dream? Was this a dream or something else?<\/p>\n
Turning back around, she decided to explore this alternate Sears. Erin started walking amongst the throng of people, or through them in some cases.\u00a0 She learned walls or other solid objects posed no obstacle, and she passed through them with ease.<\/p>\n
Frowning, she was glad at least the floor seemed solid. She looked down and gasped, realizing her feet weren’t actually touching the tiles. She was floating.<\/p>\n
When that shock wore off, she turned her attention back to the milling people. Who were they, she wondered.<\/p>\n
Something about the crowd bothered her but she couldn’t put her finger on it.\u00a0 She came to a stop and spun in a circle.\u00a0 The more time she took looking at them, the more she felt she should know them.\u00a0 All of their faces seemed familiar, even the balding man she had frightened. It was strange because she had never met any of them, before.\u00a0 She was sure of that, yet she recognized them.<\/p>\n
It made her brain hurt, thinking about that paradox.\u00a0 She shook it, trying to dislodge that thought which was like a thorn in her mind.\u00a0 She turned to go back to her friends.\u00a0 This trip was losing its appeal, and she was ready to get back in her body. Or whatever she had left sleeping on a mattress in the furniture section.<\/p>\n
She took only one step, then came to a stop.\u00a0 Her eyes locked on a man standing alone in the flow of people.\u00a0 He was with them yet seemed apart from them, like he was something… More.\u00a0 He had his back to her, and she wanted to cross the space between them. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt pulled toward him, as sure as the moon pulled the waves ashore.\u00a0 Again, she thought she knew him even though she didn’t know anyone who cut that silhouette.<\/p>\n
He started to turn toward her, moving in a maddeningly slow way that stretched her nerves taut.\u00a0 His ear… then a cheek bone and the bridge of his nose… So close to seeing his face but the shadows still hid much of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cErin!\u201d<\/p>\n
The voice boomed as if God had spoken to her, and she cried out in surprise. As if her name were a hand on her back, she felt herself propelled away from the man.\u00a0 She took a few dozen steps before the presence relented. No longer pushed, she lost her balance and went to her knees.\u00a0 She glanced back at the man, but he had turned around, again.<\/p>\n
She got to her feet, shakily. Like a fawn learning to walk, she stumbled in the direction of the mysterious man.\u00a0 She didn’t make it very far.<\/p>\n
\u201cWake up, sleepyhead!\u201d<\/p>\n
This time, she recognized Ashley’s voice and it pulled at her. She found herself flying through the air at breakneck speed.\u00a0 As she rocketed toward the back of Sears, she realized what was happening. It didn’t make it any less frightening, knowing.\u00a0 She closed her eyes tightly.<\/p>\n
Then opened them and sat up on the bed, gasping for air.\u00a0 She looked wide-eyed at her friend.\u00a0 Some of her panic left her as Ashley gave her a partly amused, partly concerned look.\u00a0 The girl was looking at her and not through her.<\/p>\n
She was back.<\/p>\n
Running her hand through her hair, she said, \u201cJesus!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d Ashley asked, putting a hand on her shoulder, \u201cwere you having a nightmare?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething like that,\u201d Erin said, shaking her head.<\/p>\n
She noticed Mindy and Natty looking at her, managed a halfhearted smile for their benefit.\u00a0 Their smiles were hesitant, their eyes full of concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cWant to talk about it?\u201d Ashley asked, her eyes locking on Erin’s.<\/p>\n
Laughing, Erin said, \u201cNo, but I’ll tell you about it in the car.\u00a0 We really need to get back. We’ve been here too long as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
They left Sears, heading for the car.\u00a0 As they walked, Mindy fell in at her side. Erin glanced at her and saw the questions in her eyes.\u00a0 She took a deep breath, hoping she had the answers to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really were asleep, weren’t you?\u201d Mindy asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I think I was,\u201d Erin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd judging by how freaked out you were when you woke up,\u201d Mindy said, her blue eyes boring into Erin’s, \u201cit must have been bad.\u00a0 Whatever you saw?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grinning, Erin said, \u201cNot really.\u00a0 A little strange, but not bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you were freaking out when you came awake?\u201d Mindy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, that part was terrifying,\u201d Erin said, remembering the feeling of being pulled back into her body.\u00a0 She hoped she never experienced anything like that, again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat part?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had left my body… Or whatever this is. A construct of my consciousness?\u201d Erin asked, then shrugged, \u201cAnyway, when Ashley woke me up, I was jerked back into my body.\u00a0 That’s what I was freaking out about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d Mindy said.<\/p>\n
Erin wondered who the man had been, the one who had pulled at her like a moth to a flame.\u00a0 He had been different than the rest, his presence somehow more vibrant than the others. Of all the weirdness of her little out of body experience, he was what stuck in her mind.<\/p>\n
They made it to the car, and Natty started to get in the back seat. Erin caught her arm and shook her head.\u00a0 Natty looked at her questioningly. Grinning, Erin steered her toward the driver side door.\u00a0 She opened it for her, then motioned for her to get it.\u00a0 Natty looked at her for a long second, then at the driver’s seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a big world,\u201d Erin said, winking at her, \u201cit’s about time you learned how to get around in it better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want me to drive?\u201d Natty asked, looking into the car, again.<\/p>\n
\u201cAshley,\u201d Erin said, getting the girl’s attention, \u201cshow Natty how to drive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLove to,\u201d Ashley said, climbing into the passenger seat and closing her door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope I don’t kill us all,\u201d Natty said as she got into the driver’s seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are already dead,\u201d Erin said, closing her door for her, \u201cand we are only figments of our imagination. What’s the worst that could happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
That line made Natty laugh. Erin winked at her, then got in the car.<\/p>\n
Continue to Part Ten<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIs that the Black Lingerie Chronicle?\u201d Ashley glanced up from what she had been writing and saw Erin sitting up in bed. The girl had just woke up, and she was a disheveled mess. Her hair was mussed and she … Continue reading