a cool shower, an icy drink, and some air conditioning. The day had been unseasonably warm, and working on the children's garden project for most of the day had left her filthy. She hung her keys on their hook and went immediately to the refrigerator.
She fought back a wave of annoyance when her search for a cold pop came up dry. Allegra didn't drink sodas. She claimed the caffeine gave her headaches. Lisa could always count on the case of soda she ordered biweekly lasting her the entire two weeks. She still had a week to go, but where was her pop?
She settled for a glass of iced tea instead. As she squirted a splash of lemon juice and a generous spoon of sugar into the drink, Lisa tried to think if she'd really drank more than twenty cans of pop in less than seven days.
Had Terry helped himself to a few? But Terry hadn't been over to the house since last week.
It was just one more mystery to add to the growing list. Things misplaced or missing entirely. Light bulbs burning out, and not just one or two, but four or five in one evening. And now the disappearing beverage.
This project with Deacon had really started distracting her, Lisa thought as she took her tea and went into the living room. It was a wonder she got any work done at all. Being near him meant she could hardly think straight, and being away from him wasn't much better.
The living room was a disaster she could no longer ignore. "Al!"
No answer. Lisa knew her sister was home, though, because she could hear her sister's music playing from her room. Lisa looked around the room at the scattered fashion magazines, dirty plates and discarded articles of clothing. Her sister was a slob. Not news by any stretch, but seeing the level of mess in the room was more proof Lisa had been too caught up in erotic fantasies lately to pay attention to the necessary details of life.
"Al," she cried again, not expecting an answer. When Al was listening to her music, nothing short of a nuclear explosion could rouse her.
Lisa finished her tea and debated just leaving the mess for one more day. A cold shower. Soft sheets. Dreams of Deacon...
"Al!"
She took the back stairs from the kitchen since they led directly to Al's room. The music grew louder as she got closer to the room at the top of the stairs, and Lisa got angrier. Her sister wasn't a teenager any more! She was an adult with adult responsibilities.
"Allegra!" Lisa pounded on the door. Still no answer--and no wonder. Lisa would have been surprised if her sister could hear anything over the throbbing dance music blasting from behind the door.
She threw open the door, ready to yell. What she saw instead made her stop, stunned and speechless.
Allegra stood in front of her full length mirror, naked except for her bra and underwear. In one hand she held what appeared to be an eyeliner pencil, though one which had been used to little more than a nub. Her face, expertly made up, bore no expression even as she mouthed the words to the song.
Writing covered her entire body.
"Al?" Lisa went over to the portable stereo on Allegra's dresser and turned the music off with a snap. "Are you all right?"
Her sister blinked and stopped singing. Her eyes swam into focus. Her hands came up to cover herself briefly, then she was the old Allegra. She laughed. Tossed her hair. Grabbed her robe from the back of the chair and slipped it on.
"Don't you know how to knock?"
"What did you do to yourself?" Lisa asked uneasily.
Al shrugged. "I'm deciding if I want a tattoo. I thought I'd see how it would look."
Lisa crossed to her sister and grabbed her arm. Yanking up the sleeve of the robe, she began reading some of the words written on Al's arm. "Garter belt. Lipstick. Gallon of Milk. That's what you want to get tattooed on yourself?"
Al jerked her arm away and slid the robe down to cover herself. "Maybe. Like I said, I'm just trying some things out."
Something was not right. This went way beyond Allegra's normal idiosyncrasies. The
She fought back a wave of annoyance when her search for a cold pop came up dry. Allegra didn't drink sodas. She claimed the caffeine gave her headaches. Lisa could always count on the case of soda she ordered biweekly lasting her the entire two weeks. She still had a week to go, but where was her pop?
She settled for a glass of iced tea instead. As she squirted a splash of lemon juice and a generous spoon of sugar into the drink, Lisa tried to think if she'd really drank more than twenty cans of pop in less than seven days.
Had Terry helped himself to a few? But Terry hadn't been over to the house since last week.
It was just one more mystery to add to the growing list. Things misplaced or missing entirely. Light bulbs burning out, and not just one or two, but four or five in one evening. And now the disappearing beverage.
This project with Deacon had really started distracting her, Lisa thought as she took her tea and went into the living room. It was a wonder she got any work done at all. Being near him meant she could hardly think straight, and being away from him wasn't much better.
The living room was a disaster she could no longer ignore. "Al!"
No answer. Lisa knew her sister was home, though, because she could hear her sister's music playing from her room. Lisa looked around the room at the scattered fashion magazines, dirty plates and discarded articles of clothing. Her sister was a slob. Not news by any stretch, but seeing the level of mess in the room was more proof Lisa had been too caught up in erotic fantasies lately to pay attention to the necessary details of life.
"Al," she cried again, not expecting an answer. When Al was listening to her music, nothing short of a nuclear explosion could rouse her.
Lisa finished her tea and debated just leaving the mess for one more day. A cold shower. Soft sheets. Dreams of Deacon...
"Al!"
She took the back stairs from the kitchen since they led directly to Al's room. The music grew louder as she got closer to the room at the top of the stairs, and Lisa got angrier. Her sister wasn't a teenager any more! She was an adult with adult responsibilities.
"Allegra!" Lisa pounded on the door. Still no answer--and no wonder. Lisa would have been surprised if her sister could hear anything over the throbbing dance music blasting from behind the door.
She threw open the door, ready to yell. What she saw instead made her stop, stunned and speechless.
Allegra stood in front of her full length mirror, naked except for her bra and underwear. In one hand she held what appeared to be an eyeliner pencil, though one which had been used to little more than a nub. Her face, expertly made up, bore no expression even as she mouthed the words to the song.
Writing covered her entire body.
"Al?" Lisa went over to the portable stereo on Allegra's dresser and turned the music off with a snap. "Are you all right?"
Her sister blinked and stopped singing. Her eyes swam into focus. Her hands came up to cover herself briefly, then she was the old Allegra. She laughed. Tossed her hair. Grabbed her robe from the back of the chair and slipped it on.
"Don't you know how to knock?"
"What did you do to yourself?" Lisa asked uneasily.
Al shrugged. "I'm deciding if I want a tattoo. I thought I'd see how it would look."
Lisa crossed to her sister and grabbed her arm. Yanking up the sleeve of the robe, she began reading some of the words written on Al's arm. "Garter belt. Lipstick. Gallon of Milk. That's what you want to get tattooed on yourself?"
Al jerked her arm away and slid the robe down to cover herself. "Maybe. Like I said, I'm just trying some things out."
Something was not right. This went way beyond Allegra's normal idiosyncrasies. The
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