AURALI - (more important than blood is the life essence - Entire Story Here.)

AURALI

The sound was heavy coming from the room inside. The boom-boom of the bass could be felt on the ground outside the gates. Tsssk Tsssk, Clap Boom, Clap Clap – The rhythm was hypnotic and calling us forward to come in and join the orgy on the dance floor. 

“I need to see some I.D.,” said the burly Latino bouncer standing at the gate. His hair was the color of night and so greasy that it reflected the lights that bounced around with the music. “I.D. Sweetie or move aside.” I pulled my driver's license out of my back pocket and handed it to him. He shone his penlight on the I.D. and then at my face. 

“Ah, okay – pretty girl.” He snickered and leered, “Remember what your mommy told you, don’t talk to strangers!” Katie was right behind me and letting the music flood her senses to the point that I thought I was going to have to slap her to bring her back to reality. Twenty-one years old and surviving on the radiance of life. I miss the days before... I miss the normalcy of being human. Katie was a tall girl, all legs, and model-thin. I hated standing next to her; it made me feel like an over-developed third grader. That’s right. She might have the statuesque beauty of a goddess, but the truth was - she had no shape. I was doubly blessed in that area. 


I was petite but loaded up front where it counts. “Just look at me.” She would whine. “I have no boobies and my two front teeth are crooked.” (Like anyone would notice the slight imperfection of her two front teeth.) Katie was a society-girl, as they call girls like her; always dressed and made-up as if every moment was a red carpet opportunity. 

Her fiery red hair coiled and curled naturally and cascaded down her back like a bloody water fall. She moved like a gazelle, effortless and graceful. It was easy to see how she could cut through the thickness of the room like a razor sharp knife without anyone ever feeling the slices left in her wake. 

I, on the other hand, stood five foot - four and three- fourths inches tall and I had to work every inch of it to get from point A to point B. My hips balanced my ample bosom and when I entered a room you could feel the furniture huddle closer to the walls to avoid the inevitable impact with my hips. Watching me move through the room was akin to observing a macabre pinball game. My mother blessed me with her high cheek bones and perfectly arched eyebrows. They accented the turquoise hue of my eyes and animated my expression to the point where I sometimes needed no words. All that and framed by a halo of honey blonde hair that resembled two soft angel hands cupping my face. 

I may not have had the moves or the stature of Katie Welch but once I got your attention I could hold on to it for as long as I liked. And now, I liked it - a lot. I half-heartedly scanned the bodies in the room before tugging Katie toward the bar. “I’m going to run a tab, Kate – what do you want?” I asked as I placed my own order, rum, and coke, a twist of lime, and handed the bartender my credit card. 

 “Just soda for me, I don’t want this to end before it’s begun.” She tossed her hair back like the diva she pretended to be. “Okay, then, just a soda for my friend.” I smiled at the girl making our drinks. She didn’t seem very interested in what she was doing; more mechanical, programmed, or robotic in her movements. She glanced up at me for a moment before taking the card and, without so much as a twitch in her expression, scanned the card and gave it back to me. Yellow, I thought to myself and dismissed it. I scanned the room one more time as  Katie and  I  stood unnoticed. 

Hmmm, all the choices. I always have to choose, one or the other – can’t we just have them all? 

Katie was feeling the hypnotic flow of the room. A steady boom da-boom was permeating from the walls and the dance floor, while the screeching sound of a female vocalist was hanging high in the rafters. Take me… let’s do it again… ahhhh! Taste me… I give you my sin… give you my sin… again and again… came her high octave rants. Jeez, to think they actually lose themselves to this; music and the mortal ear – a portal to the orgasmic brain. Whatever. “Go ahead, Katie,” I called out to her. “Go on and dance if you want, get it out of your system. I’ll wait up here.” 

The dance floor was flooded in an array of colors as the lights turned and flashed with the beat of the music. As you moved toward the center of the room you found yourself descending onto the dance-floor, like a sunken living room of sorts. It made it easy, from my perspective, to get a real sense of the energy as it rose above the heads of the dancers. 

All the bumping and grinding created wave after wave of the sweet smell of life; they, in their ecstasy, and soon – me in mine. He was watching me from across the dance floor as he stood next to the railing that fenced the voyeurs off from the exhibitionists. I acted as if I hadn’t noticed and followed his every movement as he made his way closer. “May I buy you another?” he nodded toward my now empty glass. 

 “Why would you want to buy me a drink?” I answered. “Do I still look thirsty? Or is this an attempt at breaking-the-ice? “I just wanted to…” he stammered at the unexpected challenge. “I was watching you from across the room. You were standing here alone and I’m not here with anyone…” “So you thought I looked – lonely?” I was toying with him like a cat with a mouse. “No.  Not at all…” I could tell he was losing his balance. 

“It’s okay,” I assured him with a coy smile. “My name is CeeCee.” I extended my hand for a proper shake and instead, he gently lifted it to his lips, hesitating long enough for me to feel the warmth of his breath before the softness of his kiss. “Levi.” He didn’t say anything else and seemed to be inspecting the top of my hand. Perhaps he was looking for evidence of a reaction from his unexpected chivalry. Instead, I hadn’t reacted at all. There was no offer of my hand other than for a cordial shake and yet I didn’t pull away. I allowed it to flow. 


“Levi, like the jeans?” His focus on my hand had been broken. He smiled and then slowly looked up once again meeting my eyes with his own. “Nice to meet you, Levi.” I said with a grin. “Let’s start over, shall we? Hello, I noticed you from across the room. My name is Levi Thornton.” He extended his hand for that cordial shake now. 

 I extended my hand again, this time to clasp his, and replied, “CeeCee Donovan, I’m glad to make your acquaintance.” I tried to sound proper but found myself giggling at the absurdity of it. “Yes, Levi, I will have that drink if it’s still being offered.” “Of course.” With that, he propped his elbow out for me to take it as he escorted me to the bar. “What would you like?” 

“I’m having rum and coke, a slice of lime, and you.” I held him in my gaze and waited for a reply. “Rum and coke with a twist of lime, please.” He ordered to the bartender. I watched as she turned and prepared the cocktail without hesitation and without emotion. That’s it! She shows absolutely no emotion, definitely yellow. Levi put a ten-dollar bill on the bar and waved for her to keep the change. That’s quite a tip, I thought to myself. 

 “I’ve never been to something like this.” He finally spoke. “It’s really not my kind of place.” 

“What is… your kind of place?” I asked. “Well, I’m more of a movie kind of guy; cocktails under the moon at a quaint little café to cap off a night at the theater.” He leaned in toward me and it looked as if he were trying to savor my perfume, except I wasn’t wearing any. 

 I could sense the uneasiness in him now. It was like a deer that was grazing in the middle of the field suddenly responding to the subtle scent of the wolf. 


“Excuse me. Sorry.” It was Kyle and he was tapping Levi on the shoulder. “CeeCee, may I speak with you?” 

 Levi looked a bit nervous. I could smell the fear. He took his cellphone from the pocket of his jacket. “I have to take this call. Please excuse me.” With that, he vanished toward the exit door. Well, that was odd. I began to wonder if it was my breath or perhaps something worse… and then I just laughed to myself. “CeeCee, we never go one-on-one with red,  you promised.” He scolded, “Even if he is a newbie.” 


“Kyle!” It was Katie and she looked frighteningly tall with her arms stretched over her head waving about. “CeeCee! Elliot is here!” Sure enough, he was.  Elliot Wagner, the only guy I know who could wear eye-makeup better than any woman could. “Hello.  Elliot.” I said coldly. “Now, you’re not still mad about that little incident with Kyle, are you?” He smiled even more coyly than I could ever hope to… bitch. I had a horrible school-girl crush on Kyle for most of elementary, middle school and high school. Everyone knew Elliot was ‘out’  but no-one expected to see him walk into Arlington High School, hand-in-hand with Kyle that day; the day my life changed forever. 

*****

“CeeCee! Kyle is playing tonight, are you going?” It was Cameron and Jena, the gossip queens of Arlington Heights. We were in our senior year and counting down the days until we were free of the bondage of parental controls. Kyle Manning was the cutest boy in Arlington Heights as far as I was concerned. His dreamy blue eyes against his perfectly tanned skin gave every girl a shiver up her spine when their eyes would meet. Kyle was mysterious and shy which made him all the more adorable. He was one of the rotating starting pitchers for the Arlington Badgers. 


Of all the animals that could be chosen to represent our fine school, why did the forefathers choose Badgers? They could have picked Panthers or bulldogs and it would have conjured up a nicer image… but badgers? A weasel? That’s what it really is, and a close cousin to the skunk. The only redeeming quality in the name is that the badger will take on, and usually win, a fight with wolves, coyotes and even bears. 

You just don’t mess around with the badger. Well, I suppose Kyle was a lot like a badger in some respects. He was a loner most of the time, when he wanted socializing he kept to a few close friends, and when you threatened him or one of his friends he was the first to fight. Once he got hold of you, there wasn’t much that could pull him off. He was fiercely loyal. The only child of an older couple, he didn’t have anyone to truly bond with except his friends. They really were his extended family; his brothers. The only girl to ever be accepted into the boy’s club was me. I wasn’t a threat to them like other girls who giggled and wanted to throw kisses. I was one of them. I got dirty. I was always good for two or three home runs in the neighborhood kickball games as well as the impromptu baseball games we played in the field behind Jason Huffington’s house. 

I don’t know if Kyle knew just how much I liked him. When we were together it was more like admiration. I not only wanted to be with him, I wanted to be him. It was a strange love. Yes, I do believe he loved me in some way and he knew I loved him – but, it never occurred to him that I was interested in him romantically. We just fit. Elliot was a diva. His parents and Kyle’s parents were best of friends. Kyle never thought badly of Elliot, and it was this acceptance that paved the way for Elliot in school. Everyone wanted to be friends with Kyle, so everyone was friends with Elliot - everyone but me. There always had been a possessive quality there that I couldn’t put my finger on. And, every time Kyle was the team captain and got to pick first, he would grab my arm and call out “CeeCee!” 



I was always the first pick which infuriated Elliot. I had gotten up that morning like any other morning; running late. I washed my face, brushed my teeth and then my hair, carefully pulling it into a low ponytail that would hang over my right shoulder. Not a high in the middle of the head, swishy bouncy cheerleader kind of ponytail. This was a get it out of your face and contained so you can put your baseball cap on later with ease kind of ponytail. I thought maybe one day Kyle would take notice of me as a girl.  I had no idea. 


Lynette, Miranda and I were standing near the school’s east entrance when Lynette’s mouth fell open. Miranda and I were turning in the direction Lyn was looking when Miranda announced the couple, arm and arm, entering through the doorway.  

“Elliot! Kyle?” Then the eyes all turned to me.  “Kyle?”  I said in a voice I didn’t recognize as my own. Kyle looked directly into my eyes. There was a  contempt there  I had never seen before.  The confusion made my head spin and I quickly reached for the wall to steady myself. Miranda was trying hard to make the situation less shocking. “Hey Elliot, do you need a ride to the game tonight? 

“You know I’m not interested in games involving balls.” He answered with a coy smirk. 

“Depends on the game,” Miranda whispered to me. “Depends on whose balls.” Lynette corrected. My gut felt empty and my mind was overflowing with emotion.  All my dreams shattered.  And, who was this guy standing in front of me? This isn’t my Kyle. What did he do with my Kyle? The rest of the day was a blur. The only time my vision was 20/20 was when I saw the two of them standing together, hand-in-hand, in the hallway between classes. I just couldn’t make myself understand. And the oddest thing about all of this was how absolutely fine this was with everyone else. Was I the only one who didn’t know? Was I so in love that it blinded me to who he really was?

I didn’t go to the game that night or any night after that. The depression and loneliness I felt was heavy and seemed to pull the life right out of me. I just didn’t care any more…about anything. 



“You need to cheer up, CeeCee.” It was Katie Welch and she was actually talking to me as if she cared. 


“Katie?” I answered. “Are you talking to me?” 


“Darling, everyone is sick of watching you waste away. You’ve been walking around in a dazed funk for too long now.” She WAS talking to me. “I’ll pick you up at 10:00 tonight. It’s time you move on and enjoy life. And you are going to meet some very interesting people who, I assure you, will make all your troubles go away. ” “No. I mean, I really appreciate it, Katie…” I was trying hard to find an excuse but nothing was coming to mind. It was as if she were blocking my thoughts. “Ten O’clock.” She said again with a knowing smile. “Jeans and T-shirt are fine. It’s casual dress.” With that, she turned and threw me a backward wave. 

  

She didn’t wait for my response. Oddly, I knew I was going out with Katie Welch and I knew I was going to meet some very interesting people.

  *****

Katie pulled up into the driveway in her yellow Porsche 911 Turbo and revved the motor. Don’t honk, I thought to myself as I scurried out the door and waved to get her attention before she did anything else to bring attention to herself and to me. I snuck out of the house to avoid a lot of questions from my mom about my sudden interest in  Katie Welch and her group of friends. It was out of character for me - though, for the past month or so I had forgotten who I was and had no idea who I was becoming. This seemed as good a place as any to begin. I was redefining CeeCee Donovan. It was time to let go of the past and embrace the future…with Katie and her friends…what was I doing? 

“Get in; we don’t want to be late!” She called out to me. I opened the door and eased myself down into the most awesome ride I’d ever been in. The car itself, seem to mold to our bodies. I could feel the power. Maybe this was going to be fun after all. Katie put the car in reverse and did a half donut spin out of the driveway before locking it in drive and kicking it into warp-speed. It was exciting and breath-taking. I loved the flash, the speed and the exhilaration of just being with Katie. She possessed energy about her that I couldn’t define but I knew I wanted to taste. We left the familiar roads of town and headed down the winding roads of country living. The sky above us was black and filled with stars. The moon was just beginning to burn brightly as it rose over the horizon; a full moon that made the evening all the more surreal. 

Soon we were pulling off the main road and onto a long narrow drive that took us past an opulent old estate and onward to what is known as a pole barn. It was a huge out-building wrapped in fabricated metal. I could hear the sound of techno- music coming from inside the building and there were cars parked everywhere. I would have guessed this to be a new-wave ho-down. Katie stood out even in blue jeans. Her goddess-like beauty was undeniable. Her jeans fit like a second skin. But, true to her superior fashion sense, she didn’t top it off with a simple tee. Her upper body was wrapped in a sheer body hugging leotard. Her tiny breasts were perfectly hidden behind the metallic sheen of the fabric. 

“Come on  CeeCee!”  Katie smiled her big trade-mark smile. “You are going to feel much better once we get inside!” 

We entered into a cavernous room with lights flashing everywhere and in every color of the spectrum. Some of the revelers were wearing lighted headbands or waving glowing batons in the air. Bodies were bouncing in unison and the look of sheer ecstasy on their faces was inviting. The music slowed down. Was that Donna Summer singing? Ooooh, it’s so good, it’s so good, it's soooo good… The bodies on the dance floor were swaying with hands above their heads in sync with the rhythm of the music and something else, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. “Is this a RAVE?” I asked. My first RAVE. Oh my, this was different! 

 “Yes, I guess you could say that,” Katie answered. “But not like the Raves you’ve heard tell of, I’m sure.” That was like Katie, always thinking of herself as better than the usual. Even here, down to the party going on in front of me, always bigger and better. But, I had to admit, this place was full of energy and full of life. 

“Come on, CeeCee, let’s dance!” Katie took my arm and pulled me into the center of the room where the music filled my head and took me away, far-far away, from the outside world. I was floating away from the sadness and the gloom. I was being whisked away and into something far more sublime than I had ever imagined possible. Katie leaned in close to me and spoke clearly and directly, “The music will stop for a moment and when it does, lift your arms and breathe deep, inhale the energy in the room. It’s hypnotic!” “What am I inhaling?” I was a little frightened by this. “No drugs, please. I don’t do drugs or get high or ….” 



“Relax CeeCee.” She said reassuringly. “It’s nothing like that. It’s pure energy. Just catch your breath and breath it all in. It’s a very organic.” I was still apprehensive about this impending moment of shared inhalation. And, without warning, the music stopped. There was an instant and deafening silence, except for the sound of one big unified breath being taken in by the crowd. 

 Inhale.  Exhale. Inhale deeper. Exhale. The feeling was euphoric. I was instantly filled with light. For that one brief moment, I felt as if I could open my arms and fly high around the room and see the individual faces of those below. There was a connection firing within the room. You could smell it…it was a little like the ozone smell of electrical currents or the smell you sense before a lightening storm. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up and my skin had a gentle crawling sensation within it. The blood rushed up to my face and back down. There was a feeling in my gut like being on a roller-coaster ride, weightless, rushing, that feeling of having your stomach taken away after reaching the top and falling fast. Free. 

Within seconds the music started again. A group sigh came over the room. The faces of those around me were frozen in a trance-like expression. But everyone was smiling. The build- up of energy was beginning again. “Well? Did you like it?” Katie was thrilled and seemed to enjoy my newfound experience even more than I did. “Actually, that was pretty awesome,” I replied. “What happened?” 

“Come with me, CeeCee,” she smiled like a proud big sister telling her younger sister a fantastic secret. “We need to get up there!” She was pointing to a loft area in the back of the building where people were lined up and watching the room below.  Again, those silly smiles…and I was wearing one too. We made our way past so many people I lost count. As we made our way through, I noticed that everyone was touching someone else and sometimes there was a chain of hands holding hands and shoulders touching. As Katie passed through the crowd the people closest to her would touch her arm or shoulder and say hello. 

 It seemed that everyone here knew everyone else. No one touched me, with the exception of Katie who was now leading me by the hand to the ladder ascending to the loft. Once I got above the crowd I could see it. Floating above the heads of the dancing throng was a misty cloud-like substance. It was glowing dimly, but glowing never-the-less, I was sure of it. And as the music got faster and faster, and the beat more intense, the mist above the crowd began to take on colors. Dusty rose, muted powder blues, shaded mossy greens…must be the lights. Katie was now standing behind me and holding me close. Before I could say anything she whispered, “That is the aura building inside the room. Everyone has a different color and they mix and mingle creating a beautiful flow of light and energy. It’s beautiful, don’t you think? “Yes, it is beautiful.” I echoed. 

  

“Ok. It’s time to get back down on the dance floor. I don’t want to miss the next release and it will be too intense for you up here.” Katie was full of the life that I had lost the day I lost Kyle…to Elliot. Funny, it didn’t seem to matter now. The party went on until just before dawn. Katie didn’t say anything as she drove me home. I wasn’t in the mood for talking either. I was trying to hold on to that feeling of intensity I had been experiencing all night long. It was slowly fading. 

*****

I managed to get up to my bedroom before my parents woke up and found me missing. All I could feel was the full exhaustion of a night well spent; remembering the build up of the dance, the rush of the inhale, the prickly sensations all over my body, and the cool refreshed feeling after. 

That day at school I felt different, alive and totally aware. I never noticed how loud the ticking of the classroom clock was. Tick, tick, tick…it counted off the seconds. It was distracting, to say the least. And, when Mrs. Murdock wrote on the black-board I could hear the chalk as it glided across the surface. When the chalk caught and made that screeching sound I thought my brain would explode. What was going on? Everything that day was amplified – the color of the sky, the smell of the pizza in the cafeteria, the feel of a drop of sweat as it traced a path from under my arm - down my side - tickling me until I couldn’t stand it anymore. 

 “Katie!” I shouted over to her as she was getting into her car. She waited for me to approach her. There was that mega- watt smile again. “What happened last night? I think I’m still…high…from whatever it was we were inhaling last night. Are you sure it wasn’t some kind of a drug?” She laughed and then looked deeply into my eyes. Now that she had my attention she spoke, “I told you. There were no drugs at that party.” 

“Well, something was slipped in without your knowledge then,” I argued. “My senses are so heightened that it’s putting my nerves on edge!” 

“Not a drug, CeeCee; aura. You inhaled life-energy,” she corrected. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? You’ll get used to it.”

 “There isn’t anything to get use to.” I was getting more agitated. 

Katie reached over with her hand and the current shot through me like I had been touched by a live wire; just like it felt when I was shocked by the old toaster we use to have. Like the feel of one of those joy buzzers, we had as kids. Like a surge of adrenaline after hitting a grand-slam… “Wha…” I stuttered before I could get the word out. A complete feeling of rightness flooded my senses and before I knew it, everything was calm. “What… why…how?” 


“CeeCee, are you feeling better now?” she asked, though I was sure she already knew the answer. “There is another party tonight but it’s a smaller gathering. Do you want to go?” 


“I don’t know, Katie, tomorrow is Friday and I have an exam in World Lit,” I stated with no real conviction. 


“CeeCee, you will be just fine tomorrow. You’ll see.” She smiled and winked at me as if she knew I had no choice. “I’ll pick you up around 10:00 again. Just like last night. Oh, and this time I won’t honk or rev the motor. I know you don’t want your parents to ask a lot of questions about whom you’re with and where you’re going.” Damn! Was she reading my mind now? 

                *****

  

I put on my cream colored jeans and cocoa halter-top and pulled my hair back into a French twist and topped it all off with a pretty coral colored hair-comb. And, for the first time, I was actually wearing a sheer lip gloss and mascara to show off my eyes. 

I must be out of my mind, I thought to myself as I carried my mothers brown and cream colored wedge shoes with me to the door. I didn’t own a single pair of dressy shoes, only flip-flops, and sneakers. What was I doing? Who was I? Everything I thought I understood about myself, my life, my future was strangely lost to me now. What I did know was I had this insatiable craving for… whatever it was that filled the room at that party! 



I could hear the Porsche make its way up the road to our house. Katie took her foot off the gas and let the car coast on its own to the driveway. Alive; that’s all I could say to describe this awesome feeling I was having as I ran to the car door, opened it and slid into its soft leather seats. 


“CeeCee, you look amazing!” Katie gasped in astonishment. “You look like a completely different person, like a new woman! Let’s go show you off, shall we?” All I could summon was a delightful laugh. I am different.  I’m happy. I’m alive.  And, I am a woman! 

We parked the car a few houses down from our destination. The house was dark. I would have assumed the owners had gone to bed hours ago. There didn’t seem to be anything going on inside the ranch-style home. 

 Katie put her hand over mine as we made our way to the front door. The door was not locked and before I could put up an argument we were inside. I could hear the music playing from below us in the basement as she led me down the stairs into a finished area the size of the house itself. I was immediately greeted by an older couple who introduced themselves graciously. 


“Hello, CeeCee and welcome to our home. We are so pleased you could make it. I’m Peter and this is my wife, Nora.” 

Nora nodded as she handed me a glass of what turned out to be plain ol’ party-punch. “We don’t drink alcohol here, CeeCee. It interferes with the experience.” She smiled sweetly. My god, she could be my mother! I thought to myself. She could be someone’s mother from school… 

“Come with me, dear. I want to introduce you to the others.” She reached out and took my hand from Katie’s and I followed. “This is Alaina and Alexa. They are sisters.” She began. One looked identical to the other, twins, and they were sitting so close together that it was difficult to see where one of them ended and the other began. “Namaste’” they spoke in unison. 

Over here we have Cara, Vince, and Robby… the greetings came out in perfect harmony. Cara was playfully twisting Robby’s hair in her fingers as he and Vince were engaging in a game of thumb-war. 

“And over here we have two newcomers, Hailey and Monica.” Nora said as she threw Katie a concerned look. Newcomers? Is this a club? Or a cult? I was beginning to feel the nervousness start in my stomach. 

 “It's okay, CeeCee.” I heard Katie whisper from behind me.  

 Before I could turn around the lights went off. The room was totally black. The music stopped. I could feel the scream forming in my throat but before it could be released, Katie took my hand. “Shhhh.” She reassured.  “Just listen.” Breathing. The breathing was in sync; in and out, in and out… Easy breaths… Flowing… 

 I could hear the distant beat of the music as it was slowly building in volume. The breathing kept time. I was listening and participating in this crazy ritual. And it felt relaxing, it felt good, it felt surreal. 

Louder and louder the music came; techno music again. I noticed a small light flicker in the corner and it grew into a perfect electric blue outline of the room. Neon, it was a neon light and everything below it was illuminated in an eerie glow. Everyone was moving closer to the center of the room. Hailey and Monica were in the middle standing back to back. Hailey seemed to relax into it but Monica appeared very frightened. 

I could see something like steam emanating from their bodies. The steam-like mist was a soft powdery lilac color against the gray white mist coming off of everyone else. The bodies swayed and bobbed to the beat of the drums and bass, including mine. I was being swept away by a room full of “feel-good” that couldn’t be explained. 

*****

After what seemed to be an hour of dancing, the music stopped cold. Something inside of me knew what to do…inhale. Inhale deeply. Keep inhaling. This continued throughout the night with only a few breaks for a drink of punch to re-hydrate and to just sit and let the feeling flow. I don’t remember the drive home. I barely remember my frantic attempt at washing off the makeup and mussing up my hair to give the appearance of just waking up. 

 And, as the morning rolled by, I noticed that I was not one bit tired! As a matter of fact, I was full of energy. I breezed through the exam in World Lit., knowing without a doubt, I had aced the test. 


“Hello, CeeCee.” Katie mused as she came up beside me at my locker. “How are you feeling today?” 


“Amazing!” I gleamed. “Colors are brighter, my sense of smell is sharper, and the sounds…I can hear everything! Individually!” 


“It is pretty cool.” She responded knowingly. “Too bad about the girl, though.” “What girl?” I asked. 

“One of the girls from the party,” she said. “Robbie vouched for the two girls but, as it turns out, he didn’t know either of them.” 


“What?” I asked confused. 


“Robby wanted to bring something fresh to the party. He said he knew the girls. When you have these close intimate parties it’s best to keep the numbers even and maintain a strict balance. Things can go awry very quickly when there are fewer of us arcing. She replied casually. “You know  - the aura? Remember?” 


“I’m not sure I know anything.” I retorted. “What happened to the girl?” 

 “Arcing can become, uh, rather unstable if you’re not careful. With even numbers, you can find a partner and balance. With a newbie, what usually happens is we just take enough to exhaust the donor while always acquiring balance; we put something back. But we didn’t know Hailey was turning.” She explained. “Hailey lied to Robby and told him she had never been to an osmotic orgy. As it turns out, she had, and at some point, she turned; we kept feeding her making her more aggressive! 

 We’re guessing that after the party she took her little friend Monica home and decided to pull the rest from her there. So now we have one dead girl and one ravenous Aurali running the streets.  Now we are at risk!” 


“What are you talking about?” I uttered the question slowly to emphasize each word. “Slow down and tell me what the hell is going on. Who are we?” 



“Come on CeeCee. You’ve pulled and arced twice now, and quite heavily I might add.” She smirked. “Don’t try to tell me you don’t know what you’re doing. You may not know the what of it – but you do know the who, the why and the how.” 


“Okay. Maybe I did agree to go to the parties and maybe I realized at some point that there was something in the air that we were all sharing and making us feel good.” I protested. “And I suspect that I’m one of the "we" you’re referring to, along with yourself that is now at risk. But, I never killed anyone and I don’t understand what this has to do with me!” 


My emotions were all over the map and I didn’t know whether to run or stand and fight…but where was the threat coming from? 


“CeeCee, pull yourself together. I’ll meet you at the ball- park after school, and then I’ll explain everything. Just don’t blow your top, girl…r e l a x !  

I sat on the first row of the five-high bleachers, waiting. I had a lot of questions running through my head competing with the intensity of the greens of the trees against an azure sky and the serenade of a pitch-perfect Mockingbird songstress. Had I really never noticed the beauty of the trills and warbles interspersed throughout her song before my awakening? Yes, there were lots of questions. Did I really want to know? How could I not want this? How could I return to the dark depressing world that was consuming me after losing Kyle? Kyle. Where was Kyle? Why had everything changed so quickly?

“CeeCee? Are you alright?” It was Katie and she had brought a couple of her friends with her. “You know Destin and Emily.” It was a statement, not a question. They thought it would be helpful if they could sit in on our discussion. 


“Helpful?” I asked soberly. “Someone is dead and we are at risk, I just need to understand this aura thing. How does life go from dismal to delightful and then to deadly? What is it that I’ve succumbed to? 

Destin spoke first, “We are Aurali, and we exist on – well, the essence of others. We know how to tap into a fountain of youth, a secret that isn’t really all that secret, but humans simply wrap themselves up in their mythological dogmas and lose their natural… sense of things. We feed on the life-force; energy.” 


“Please,” I pleaded softly, “just explain all of this to me in layman’s terms.” 


Katie responded first, “We are all just electrical currents that must maintain balance to continue living. But,  we can recharge by moving and exchanging this energy in what we call arcing. The medium that holds these charges and makes them accessible is a gaseous substance called an aura.” 


“But you have to keep it all balanced – osmosis! It’s instinct, really.” Emily added. “The ancients in the East and in the Mediterranean have even written it down to preserve the knowledge. You’ve heard of the Karma-Sutra?” 


“Enough” Katie stopped her. “What it really boils down to here is that the body is animated with a powerful spiritual substance called an aura. The practice of soul-breathing has been handed down for centuries.” 

 “I’m not an Aurali. So, why me? Why did you take me to that party?” I was looking at Katie and trying to find answers in her expression. 


“Elliot and I are… how do I say this …competing for survival of our units, our families.” She tried to look me in the eye when she said it, but couldn’t. 


“I’m food?” I asked the question to her specifically. “Were you feeding on my soul?” 

 “That was the intention. You were closing down anyway, after losing Kyle to Elliot. I figured that I could feed and you would know some happiness before…” her voice faded away, she couldn’t finish the sentence. 


“Before I died?” I said it for her. “I’m going to die? Is that what you’re saying?” 

“No. It’s too late for that.” She corrected. “You’ve already turned, CeeCee. You have a zest for survival, for life, that is very strong and I just couldn’t deplete you enough on my own. 


Elliot was at the party in the barn that night. If he found out you were this vital he would have fought me for you, so we circled around you and balanced the energy with our own. It turned you. It was that or surrender you to Elliot. 


CeeCee, you will need to maintain the balance now to regenerate and stay alive.” 


“Are you saying that I have to kill someone else to stay alive?” My head was swimming with the revelation. 

 “There is no death, really.” It was Emily again. Her voice soft and calming, “We have survived for millennia and we’ll survive for another millennium – the aura does not die and it does not grow or diminish – it’s simply passed along. And, with an increase of Aurali, balance becomes more difficult to attain. Elliot and his unit are very aggressive and they have set out to increase their numbers to increase power. We struggle for balance and it becomes difficult to maintain.” 


Katie put her hand on top of mine and I withdrew it quickly. “You aren’t taking another drop of me!” I exclaimed. 

 “I can’t take it. You would have to give it – freely.” Katie explained. “You are one of us now. What is yours is yours, unless you want to share it.” 


“So, that night in the barn, I was inhaling souls?” I really needed some clarification. 

 “Not really souls, auras. You pass this on freely anyway, whether you are an Aurali or just a human, when you hold hands, kiss, hug, or lie very close to someone you care deeply for.”  Destin said with his gentle tone. It was starting to make sense now. All the closeness at the parties, the hand holding, the rise of the mist in the room, the color spectrums, the heightened senses, the knowing… 

“Why are we in danger now?” I asked. “Isn’t she one of us? You said she can’t take something from us unless we give it freely.” 


Destin added, “Hailey is a spawn of Elliot’s making and she has pledged her allegiance to his unit. You and Kyle were very strong spirited. Your auras were intense by themselves, but together, you were a beautiful force of energy. Both sides have been watching the two of you for years. When Elliot was successful at turning Kyle you lost your force density and it left you less protected. It was either take you as our own or surrender you to Elliot. Red would win and we would be consumed and merged into, and strengthen, his core.” 


“Did you say that he turned Kyle?” 

I couldn’t listen to any more of this. All I could think about was how much I loved Kyle and he was on Elliot’s team; the red team. “I have to go,” I said matter-of-factly. “I have to find Kyle.”  

 Emily stood up and blocked me from moving past her. “You just don’t get it, do you?” 


“I get that I’m in love with Kyle and always have been and you can’t suck that fact out of existence! So move out of my way.” I was using my tomboy voice now and I wasn’t about to back off. 


“His aura is dominant now. Elliot keeps him close and they balance regularly to keep their strength up. You cannot possibly expect to overpower either of them if they are together.” 


She was sweating and I could see the mist rising off of her like steam. She was producing a vivid and intensifying blue. Red…blue…teams…units…competition –  is this a  battle for survival? The red team against the blue and winner takes all? I looked down at my own arm and saw the same thing happening to me, a steamy mist rising off of my skin and the feel of electrical currents crawling up my arm. I could see it – the aura – we were all emitting various shades of a blue. And, hadn’t I seen the mingling of all the colors of the spectrum that night rising out of the crowd below? What color was Kyle? 

“The girl, Hailey, will guard Kyle when Elliot is arcing,” Emily stated. “If they share their energy it will make her stronger, because, Kyle has not completely balanced to red yet. He started out a blue just like you, CeeCee. But the last time I saw him he was a redder shade of violet than the time before that.” 


“Can I help him? Is there any way to save him now?” I wasn’t crying outwardly but my insides were flooded with emotions. “I have to try. You understand that, don’t you? I have to try.” 


“It’s not that easy, CeeCee.” Destin cautioned. “The most experienced Aurali can lose control and a surge can be deadly.” 


“I have to try,” I said, “with or without you.” Destin looked to Emily and raised an eyebrow. “I would do it for you.” 


Emily smiled. “Well, we need a strategy if we want to do this right.

I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” 

*****

“There is another big party planned for tomorrow night and it will be at the Lodge of the Fallen Oaks,” Katie said with a nod and then turned to face me. “I need to get you ready and prepare you for what might happen there. You might be Kyle’s only salvation. I think you can pull him if you can get him to offer himself to you and to you alone.” 

Destin and Emily got up and offered me a hug. This time I accepted and I could feel the power of their auras pass into me and mine into them. It was such a wonderful feeling, tingly and breathtaking; balance. 

  

I must be out of my mind. Kyle and I grew up together and were perhaps closer to each other than any of the other kids, but would he trust me now? I always knew I loved him and maybe he felt the same but I never really had the chance to find out. It was just assumed that it would be Kyle and CeeCee, together forever. 


I applied my makeup with the ease of an artist at her canvas. Who was this young woman staring back at me now? Would Kyle know me? I had my doubts but this seemed the only way to save him from Elliot and a lifetime of being red. I giggled to myself. He hated that color anyway. 


What was the attraction? How did Elliot get him to connect? Here I was, standing in front of the mirror, thoroughly amazed at my own transformation. Katie and I had gone shopping earlier and she charged an entire ensemble for me to wear tonight. The dress was thigh high and hung over all the right curves showcasing my figure in ways I’d never imagined. The fabric was something altogether different than anything I had ever seen before. It was a shimmering mesh that changed from silver to every shade of blue depending on the way the light reflected off of it. The shoes were strapped heels that shone a beautiful electric blue. Everything about me was aglow in a radiance of blue light. 

The Porsche was making its way up the street and again I heard Katie let off the gas so as not to cause any unnecessary attention. I had to get out of the house unnoticed. I felt like advertising for Neon Spectral Lighting, Inc., but I made it to the car without incident. “Do you remember everything I told you, CeeCee?” Katie looked over at me with a confident smile and a wink as she reached over to touch my hand. 


“Yes. I have it all etched right here,” I said as I pointed to my forehead, “and here.” as I pointed to my heart. 

“Okay then, let’s go get your man!” she stated firmly. 

“Katie, please stay close to me.” I was feeling less sure and the weight of how this could all go wrong was heavy. 


“Pay attention, we have to stay together!” It was Destin’s calm voice. I looked over my shoulder and saw him standing hand in hand with Emily. They didn’t look at all threatening. They were just two young kids in love. 


The draw of the music and the energy in the middle of the room was impossible to ignore. Everyone melded into a magnetic flow of bodies moving together in primal rhythm. 


“I need some water.” I said to Katie. “I feel so dry.” 


Katie left for only a moment and returned with two bottles of water. 

“Okay, baby girl.” She said as she handed me one of the bottles.  “It’s show time.” I looked toward the door and saw them walking into the party hand in hand. Elliot and Kyle in the middle of four guys who formed a mini-rumba line as they entered. I had to stay cool - literally. No room for error here. Stay very - very cool. 

 The room was electrified with the mix of auras and the rising crescendo of the music. I took a long drink and put my bottle of water down on a random table as I made my way to the highest vantage point; a balcony that framed the entire room. From here I could see everything. 


The aural mist was twisting and spiraling above the heads of those on the dance-floor. Some colors were bold and bright while others were much weaker and lighter. You could see the distinction of those who were Aurali and those who were not. Aurali transmitted in strong waves and were moving and entwining faster than the plumes of color released from a mere human.  Balance, it was a delicate weave of balance. 

I would have to get a fix on Kyle’s aura and hold it long enough to pull it away from the others when the music stopped. He would feel it, they said. It would feel different to him than Elliott’s pull and so long as Elliott was not aware of my intention he wouldn’t be guarded. No, Elliott would be concentrating on a new-comer and pulling from them. This would be my only chance.  I had to get it right the first time. 

I saw an intense flash of red coming from the left side of the dance floor. Kyle was actually dancing to the music. He looked like a god to me, not a boy on the pitcher’s mound, but a young man moving in ways I could never have imagined. I liked it, it was captivating and sexy. I recognized the face of a girl dancing near him. It was her! Hailey! 


I could feel my aura lifting from me and I concentrated hard to keep it under control. I needed to send it to Kyle only and take his without anyone noticing the channeling of the arc. I had to do this quickly, before she could figure out what was happening and block it. I had to concentrate on Kyle. 


I talked to him in my mind and kept my aura cool.  Kyle, I love you. Trust me. It’s going to be alright. Let me in Kyle and I’ll cool your skin with my breath and take away the madness you’ve been locked behind. I love you. Can you feel me? I’m all around you and I want to give myself to you. Will you give yourself to me?" 


I could feel the tingling sensation throughout my body and it was building. I was moving beyond anything I’d ever felt before. I was afraid, yet I was yielding to it. The yen and the yang, the ebb and the flow, the in and the out…I could feel my soul wrapping around his and we swayed together with the music…breathe in; breathe out…mine, yours… He jerked as if someone had slapped him. Slowly he lifted his eyes and met mine. 



“Easy Kyle. Trust me and let me guide you darling. Breathe with me…in… out, slowly…focus.” Kyle nodded towards me to let me know he understood. We were communicating with our souls. I could feel the heat of his aura as it began to merge with mine. He was strong and instinctively pulling against me. “No, Kyle. Let go. I love you, trust me and let go so I can cool you. Blue, Kyle – find the blue and focus your energy on it. I’ll pull you free.” 

The beat was getting faster and the guitar riffs were growing more intense. I could see the room was full of the mist and it wouldn’t be long now. “Kyle,” I thought to him. “Do you want to give yourself to me?” 

I could hear his voice inside of my head, “Yes.” 


“When the music stops, Kyle – channel everything you have and merge it into me and I will fill you with mine,” I instructed him. “I’ll catch you, baby, I’ll balance for us and you’ll be free.” 


Destin and Emily were now standing on either side of me and adding their energy to mine. I could feel Katie standing behind me but I couldn’t sense her aura. I knew she would be there when it counted. I relaxed and returned all my attentions on Kyle. 

Boom-da-boom, da-boom, boom, boom; the beat was at its apex and ready to release. Then it happened. The music came to an abrupt halt. Kyle’s head was thrown back with a jolt of ecstasy and I reached out to pull his aura from him while replacing it with my own. Balance. The heat was coming on strong. 

Hailey must have felt the pull and was now struggling to prevent the exchange. I could feel the redness of her aura as it found its way inside of me. I had to focus on Kyle. I was pulling. Pulling! 

Hailey was trying to block me and just when I thought I couldn’t pull anymore I saw a spark and a flash of light as Destin’s energy knocked Hailey to the floor. Emily grabbed my hand and merged her aura with mine to join in the pull for Kyle. That’s when I felt a sudden jolt that broke my connection with Kyle. 

Elliott turned around and looked up to face me. Red! I was being swallowed in a vortex of red. 

Destin immediately focused with Emily on Kyle and began pulling the red aura out as Emily replaced it with blue.  I was on my own and embattled with the Red Unit Leader. Elliott was putting up quite a fight. 

 I could hear him in my head as he spoke to Destin and Emily. “Take him, girls.” He thought out loud. “I’ll gladly make the exchange for CeeCee!” 

Yes. I would gladly sacrifice my life for you Kyle, I thought to myself. I could feel myself being drained of my own life energy but I was determined to fight until Kyle was safe. 

“CeeCee,” the voice, confident and strong, rushed in like a cool wave – it was Katie’s voice. “Focus with me. We are going to take Elliott into ourselves.” 

“NO!” I screamed on the inside. The red burned hot against the coolness of my soul. I could feel the flash of fire as it passed through every cell of my body. A wicked, angry, sick hotness that felt foreign and forbidden. 


Katie put her arms around me and soaked me with her gentle sweetness. Ah, the rush of something that chilled me to the bone; a clean release. I was relaxing in the glow of purest pleasure. The red feeling was gone and all I could feel was… balance. 


Kyle? Was he okay? “CeeCee…” I felt him shimmering and tickling me on the inside.  “I love you.” Our eyes locked. He was mine; all mine.   “I love you too.”  

We did it!  


While  Destin and  Emily took over and balanced Kyle, Katie and I were able to absorb and deflect the flaming aura of Elliott and destroy it, successfully pulling Elliot into a violet-blue. “You shorted him out!” Emily explained later. He was now a part of our unit but he still had that rogue quality about him…not completely rid him, or those reddish hues. 

Katie had planned to be my anchor the whole time. She knew I would need a little extra boost at the climax. Turns out, she is pretty awesome! Kyle was now a sterling steel blue and my love was going to keep it that way.  

***** 

Kyle and I were accepted to the same university that year and were looking forward to graduating with our degrees in Electrical Engineering! It made sense. We were inseparable now. Katie and the others stayed close by to keep an eye on us. Together we were a force to be reckoned with. 

There was no denying that the blue team was a strong entity to deal with and everywhere we went we were sure to strike a balance. 


It was near impossible to pull a red into our unit. Elliot was one of the few that it worked on. This one success was enough to convince other reds to move on rather than challenge us and risk a loss. We were growing up and getting so much better at achieving BALANCE. In a room full of dancing bodies, who would be the wiser? 

  

The sound was heavy coming from inside the room. The boom-boom of the bass could be felt on the ground outside the gates. TSSSK   TSSSK CLAP BOOM CLAP CLAP – The rhythm was hypnotic and calling us forward to come in and join in the dance-floor orgy. 

M TERESA CLAYTON

Aurali is from the book STORYTELLER