Mia, the Kinetic Sorceress Pt. 03

Behind closed doors. Closed, locked doors. Keys. My keys were in my pants, and my pants had disappeared from the park. I slumped against the wall outside my door and began to steel myself for the inevitable un-vanishing and the embarrassment of having to knock on my landlord's door in the nude, assuming no one saw us first and called the police. Mia looked up at me and asked, "What's wrong, what are you waiting for?"

"I don't have the keys. They were with our clothes. We're locked out," I groaned.

"Oh, that?" she said. Mia snapped her fingers and the door unlocked and flew open. I was stunned momentarily until I looked inside the door and there in the entry way was Mia's dress and my work clothes, folded neatly in two piles. Mia threw her head back and started laughing hysterically. I just looked at her, fuming. I could feel my face turning bright red, which only caused her to laugh harder. Still holding her in my arms I walked into the apartment, kicked the door shut, walked to the bedroom and unceremoniously dumped Mia onto the bed, which made her laugh even more. She was rolling back and forth on the bed, and the air around her was shimmering in a rainbow of colors.

I plopped myself into my desk chair and watched Mia's laughing fit slowly subside. She finally sat up, her eyes tearing from laughing so hard and looked at me.

"So, you're basically back to normal again?" I asked deadpan.

"Just about," she smiled, and held out her two hands in which two glasses of red wine suddenly appeared. One of them floated out of her hand and hung in the air in front of me. "Oh darling you were wonderful. I enjoyed that so much and it was great seeing you out of your element a little, and trusting me. That meant so much to me. And I loved having you in the fountain. That was scrumptious." She got up from the bed and sat down in my lap. "And you were so tender on the walk home and rushing me upstairs out of harm's way. You are such a good man. And I am lucky to have you in my life."

She looked up at me, waiting for me to say something. Part of me wanted to be mad at her for deceiving me. But I had to admit that making love in public was a rush, and there was even an odd thrill walking the streets naked. I wasn't going to give in to the hilarity of the moment just yet, but I was also delighted that Mia was feeling strong, and safe, again. I reached out and took the floating glass of wine, clinked her glass and said, "Welcome back."

And poured the wine over her head, which set off another gale of uncontrollable laughter from her. She laughed herself off my lap and on to the floor, wine pooling in her belly button and trickling to the floor. I took her glass from her hand and took a sip while she dabbed her finger at the pool of wine on her tummy. Finally she lay back on the floor, closed her eyes and said, "So, what shall we do tomorrow?"

Tomorrow, as the saying goes, was another day. Instead of any wild love-making after our fountain adventure, Mia and I showered (together), she conjured up a couple of ribeye steaks with baked potatoes and spinach (better than any steakhouse), and two seemingly bottomless glasses of her spectacular red wine. We ate with gusto, chatted for a while about nothing important -- my work, her favorite dogs at the park, mundane "couple stuff" -- and eventually went to bed with her spooning me from behind for a change. So tomorrow arrived, I shuffled off to work after a brief bout of Mia playing telekinetic keep-away with my socks, and left Mia to relax and spend her day enjoying life.

As I headed to work, knowing that Mia was back to full strength more or less, I began to ponder my future, our future. On the one hand, I was lover and best friend to the most powerful woman on earth who, barring any relapse or accidental disaster, would live her life free as a bird, wanting for nothing and capable of anything. And she had hinted on numerous occasions that I was welcome to share that life with her.

On the other hand, for the first 30-some years of my life I had been self-sufficient and basically alone. Parents gone, no siblings, and any family far-flung and distant, I had learned to live on my own. Having Mia staying with me had been no burden -- quite the opposite. I could not imagine ever being bored of her sparkling and playful personality, let alone her continuous miraculous demonstrations of her energy wielding abilities. And the unbelievable sex.

It hardly seemed like there was any immediate decision that needed to be made, but with the end of any dependence on me that Mia had, I was now faced with the question of what dependence, if any, on Mia was I prepared to accept. For the rest of the day I told myself that there was no need to dwell on this right now. For the first time, I should just relax and enjoy my now very magical and satisfying life. But the questions gnawed at me for the rest of the day. My mind wandered. The thought of living in Mia's marble mansion overlooking the ocean, enjoying the good life was very appealing. I imagined that I'd never have to work, we would see the world together, looking for new and exciting ways to create and share energy, between ourselves and with other deserving souls. It was hitting the lottery, but a billion times better.

But what was my contribution to the equation? I'm good company, sure, but anything special? Mia had told me numerous times how good a man I am and I trust her judgment, so let's say for a moment that I am an unusually good guy. Is that enough to make me deserving of this life?

And what happens if she becomes bored with me? She has been a will-o'-the-wisp for 400 years and told me specifically that it was too painful for her to settle down. What happens when I get old, when my 60 or 70-year old body is no longer capable of generating enough energy to help sustain Mia? She could easily find other ways to keep herself going. But did that mean other men? Could I bear to see Mia feeding her insatiable appetite with someone else?

I bitterly congratulated myself. I had managed to find a massive future downside to the most wondrous present imaginable.

Mia would, of course, instantly sense the conflict in me when I arrived home that night. So, courageous man that I am, I worked late, hoping to either settle my brain down or at least be of clear enough mind to discuss this with Mia. But when I arrived home that Thursday evening, any thought of discussing my feelings with Mia were put on hold.

I arrived home near dark, the late summer sun surrendering to a hazy warm twilight. I walked in the door and there was Mia, huddled on the floor in the corner of my bedroom, rocking slowly back and forth, crying. A cool blue glow surrounded her, something I had never seen before but caused an instant chill to run up and down my spine. I rushed to her side and instinctively began to wrap my arms around her when she waved her hands at me and cried out, "No, please don't, not now." I was suddenly terrified that Mia had somehow overheard my thoughts today or sensed the turmoil within me, and that this was the physical and energetic impact that such feelings would have on her. But that was not it.

She raised her head and looked at me through teary eyes and moaned, "Why? Why must people be like this? There is so much joy in the world, why must people be so cruel?" She buried her head back in her hands and continued to rock back and forth, the blue glow undulating around her.

"What's wrong?" I asked tentatively. Mia heaved a deep and pained sigh and began to describe her day to me.

"I decided to go for a walk. I was so happy from our day yesterday. It felt good to be my old self with you. I had been getting strong and confident in my ability but wanted to be really sure before I showed you. Our romp in the park was the first serious test of my strength and it was effortless. And after your initial hesitation, you trusted me and enjoyed the experience, and it was wonderful. As strong as I felt before, I was bristling with energy afterward. My life, my spirit, and my energy were restored. And I wanted to share it with the world. When you went off to work, I decided to venture out and enjoy the sensations of the people and things around us. I had not been out alone, without you, and was excited to see what the world felt like here."

"I walked to the park and sat by the fountain. I could feel the glow of our energy still radiating from it. The water sparkled and people were drawn to it. I played with some lovely dogs, chatted with young wives and nannies, even bought an ice cream cone from the old man with the cart; I gave him a kiss on the cheek and could almost see 10 years of wear and tear fade away. HHHe was so delighted." I was suddenly very worried. For her to be talking about such a perfect day meant that something awful was coming.

"I left the park and began to wander around downtown. The bustle of the people, the cars, the shops, the restaurants were throwing off a wild symphony of energy. Some tasted good, some were bitter, but the sheer volume was wonderful. I poured some of my own energy into the mix and it felt good to share it. I browsed the shop windows looking for some fashion ideas to show you." She raised her head and smiled weakly at me. I smiled back and waited for her to proceed.

"I ventured further away, down to the walkway by the river. The rush of water was soothing after the noise of downtown. I walked for at least 20 minutes, to the end of the path, and turned around to walk back. I was approaching where the path passes below one of the big bridges that cross the river when I felt something... wrong, something cold and harsh." She shuddered. "I peered into the darkness and I saw a woman, curled up in a ball shivering. Her face was beaten and her clothes were torn and soiled. I ran over to help her and surrounded her with some warming energy, trying to comfort her. I was so overwhelmed by her pain that I never felt... them."

I had an awful feeling I knew where this was going and my blood began to boil. "I'm OK," she said quickly. "They didn't hurt me physically. But they tried. There were four of them. They must have just finished... violating the woman and saw me coming, so they were lying in wait. When they rushed me, I could feel their energy, cold and harsh, like stinging sleet. Instinctively, before even thinking, I lashed out and they were thrown backwards. Hard. They were stunned and hurt, and had no idea what had hit them, but they were also angry. Something had come between them and their prey. They rushed again, slower this time because of their injuries. And this time, I just held them in place. I looked in their eyes and watched as their anger was replaced by fear. Before I knew what I was doing, I had snapped a leg bone, one on each of them, and saw them crumple to the ground writhing in pain. And I watched." She buried her face in her hands and started crying again.

Again, I approached her, and she cried out, "No, don't touch me, not like this. I don't want you to feel me right now." I recoiled and sat cross-legged on the floor a few feet away from her. She continued, "They were in such pain. I could have eased it for them. But I had caused it. I've defended myself and others in my life, usually by running away as quickly as possible and only rarely by holding someone off or repelling them. But I had never hurt anyone. Never WANTED to hurt anyone. Until today."

"I picked up the woman, walked by the men cursing and moaning on the ground, and climbed up the embankment to the River Road. I flagged down a car and the driver called the police. An ambulance arrived and took the woman away. The whole time I was bathing her in as much warmth as I could but I knew she was hurt, physically and emotionally. All the positive energy in the universe wouldn't erase what she'd endured. Time will lessen it, but she will be in pain for months, years." She shivered. "I told the police that a Good Samaritan on a bike had seen the attack and fought the four men. When he saw me, I told them, he asked me to get help for the woman and then rode off. The police found the men; there was more than enough... evidence to put them away, they said, but they wanted to get my statement. I slipped away before they could and came back here."

Mia had stopped crying. The cold blue aura around her had faded a bit but she still looked cold and forbidding. "Why?" she said at last. "Why did they make me do that?"

"I don't know why," I said softly, "But you probably saved that woman's life. And prevented who knows how many others from getting hurt by those guys. You did good."

"I broke their legs!" she howled.

"And you could have killed them. But you didn't. You knew better. You disabled them until you could get help."

"I was so afraid, Paul, afraid of what I was feeling. The anger. It's still surrounding me. I am trying to get rid of it but it is hanging on me like a cold blanket."

"You did what anyone would have done," I said calmly. "You defended yourself, instinctively. And you hurt them only as much as you had to."

She let my words sink in for a minute. "Can we get away from here, Paul? Please? I need to be... away."

I understood what she meant, so I nodded. There was a brief flash of light and I was sitting on the bed in the white room I remembered from months ago, the site of such joy and such danger. I sat still in the darkness and heard from somewhere within the vast marble house the sounds of soft crying. I listened for a while, then laid down on the bed and thought about the ordeal Mia had endured today. For her, the impact was amplified; she felt the woman's pain, the hate and cruelty of her attackers, and the fear and self-loathing for how she responded, regardless of the fact that it was justified.

I waited in the dark for several hours. The crying had stopped and there was not a sound in the house. Late in the night, or perhaps early in the morning, I was aware of a faint white light approaching the room. It was not the cold harsh light I had seen in my apartment hours before; a tiny bit of warmth was peeking through the dim glow. Without a word, Mia walked to the bed, laid down and curled up in front of me, her back against my chest. She pulled my arm over her shoulder, sighed, and the next I thing I knew it was morning.

I called in sick to work the next day (after Mia conjured up my cell phone from the apartment) and then it was the weekend. Mia spent most of the time wandering around the house and the grounds by herself. She'd stop and stare out over the cliffs toward the horizon or sit by a flower bed with her eyes closed. At one point I saw her lying at the bottom of the pool, arms at her sides. I began to panic when I heard Mia's voice in my ears say, "I'm alright." She emerged 30 minutes later, shivering and her skin pruned. She could have kept herself warm in the water but she had let it drain the heat from her, like she was trying to purge something from herself. We ate simple meals, mostly in silence for the first day or two. It was as if Mia was afraid of generating or consuming much energy. She wore her light white sundress and created a pair of shorts and sandals for me. She smiled occasionally, like when I wrapped a towel around her after she ended her brief pool-bottom exile.

By Sunday morning, she was comfortable leaning against me and talking a little at a time. She came to realize that she had done the best with a bad situation. Such a harsh reintroduction to the perils of the world after coming so far in her recovery shook her confidence as well as her spirit. But by Sunday afternoon she had begun to put the incident in as much perspective as was possible so soon after. A faint shimmer had returned around her and while not warm, her body had shed it's cool, off-putting aura.

With Sunday evening came a decision. I wanted to stay with her but needed to go to work. None of the issues I had wrestled with the day of the attack had been resolved or even discussed. So, for the moment, I filed them away. Before I could even ask, Mia said to me "I need to stay here for a while." I nodded, waiting for what would come next. "Will you stay the night? I'll take you to work tomorrow morning, but I'd like for you to stay."

"Of course," I replied, "whatever you need." She smiled, kissed me softly on the lips and "made" dinner for us. She slept in my arms and we were awakened by the sound of an alarm clock (which was, oddly, nowhere to be seen). I got up, showered and found a clean set of work clothes hanging on the back of the bedroom door when I had toweled off. I dressed and joined Mia poolside for coffee and orange juice.

"I'll miss you today," she said.

"Me too. Are you sure you'll be OK?"

"Yes. I'll be fine. I have some things to do." She paused. "Can I see you tonight?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Good. Thank you." I finished my coffee and she asked "Are you ready to go to work?"

I was a bit apprehensive about this morning's "commute" but replied, "Ready when you are."

I then found myself standing in an alley behind work, bag in one hand, Mia holding the other. "Have a good day. I'll meet you back here at 6," she said and then kissed me. It was a warm and lingering kiss. We broke the kiss and she was gone.

The workday dragged on, as you might expect, but I tried to throw myself into my work hoping the day would pass faster if I was distracted from thinking about Mia. At 5:58PM I packed up and headed for the elevator. By 6:02PM I was standing in the alley. A voice behind me said, not unkindly, "You're late." I felt a hand on mine, and was suddenly standing poolside at Mia's. I turned to face her and she had a warm glow around her. She kissed me, pushed me into a chair that materialized at the last possible moment behind me, and handed me a cold bottle of beer that she pulled out of thin air. A second chair appeared behind her, into which she gracefully plopped.

"You're glowing a bit," I observed. "It looks good on you."

"I visited the woman who was... raped today," she said, having trouble saying the word aloud. "She didn't see me but I sat with her for most of the day in her hospital room. She's strong. She's still in bad shape from her ordeal, but she's a fighter. I tried to shake off all the cold hatred I was exposed to and focus on positive energy and love; I poured as much of that into her as I could. She has a long way to go but it's a start."

I was a bit choked up hearing her describe her day bedside with the woman, whose name was Elaine. Mia described the doctors and detectives coming and going, the fear and sadness of the friends who visited her. Each time Elaine began to feel worn out by the questions and poking and prodding, Mia would unleash a wave of positive energy that would soothe and strengthen Elaine.

"I am sure it was a huge boost of confidence for Elaine that she felt as strong as she did so soon after her attack," I pointed out.

"That was my hope," Mia replied. "I intend to spend a lot of time with her. I'm sad I won't meet her, but I will know her and help her." A bright smile crossed Mia's lips, the first I'd seen in days. "And some really good things are going to happen to Elaine. Things that will make life easier for her. Things that will help ease the burden."

I could only imagine the windfalls that would come Elaine's way and got my own warm feeling just thinking about it. "You are a good person, Mia. The best I've ever known. Your heart is bottomless." She blushed and the shimmer around her got brighter.

"When I was purging the bad energy and gathering the good to share with Elaine, I was thinking of you to help me concentrate. All the good you've done for me, all the joy and pleasure we've shared." It was my turn to blush but I was also a bit embarrassed about the doubts and confusion I had been feeling over our relationship, although that did not seem to be an adequate term for it. As if she knew what I was thinking -- and I already knew she was very good sensing what I was thinking and filling in the blanks -- she said, "I know there are a lot of unanswered questions for us. Please don't worry. We'll answer them in time, together. For now, let me just be grateful for you."