Paranormal Anthology With a TWIST (16 page)

Crap!!! It’s only 6 A.M. so I’m the only one awake. Last year I
woke Mom and Dad up so we could open the gifts early and Dad almost had
kittens. I swear his eyes turned red when he rolled over. Now I’m sitting here
writing in my stupid diary, waiting on everyone else to wake up. This sucks!!

Christmas Day

Update #1

I went downstairs and nudged the box with my foot again, but
nothing happened. Maybe I was just really tired this morning…

Christmas Day

Update #2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG! OMG!!!! My parents finally got up at nine, but DAD had to
take his sweet time making stupid coffee!
 
Then he wanted to eat breakfast first! Not awesome! He was smiling when
he said it though, so I think he was just screwing with me. I’m so happy I
can’t even be mad at him for it!

Mom said I should open all of the other gifts first, but screw that!
I tore the wrapping off the big one first—and found a dumb cardboard box
that said Maytag on the side. WTH right? I cut through the tape with my fingers
and broke one of my nails, which was just soooo stupid of me, but whatever.

When I opened the top of the box, I saw a cage. It sorta looked
like a dog’s crate or something, I don’t know, but what was inside it almost
made me faint! STEVIE!!!!! I know, right?! Stevie was in the cage!

I screamed. Loud.

Dad was really mad at me for that. He said that I had to act like
an adult if I wanted to be treated like one. Well, soooorry! It’s hard to be
all mature and stuff when you’re looking at the perfect boy in a cage by the
Christmas tree! I gave Dad the biggest hug EVER! Mom went to the kitchen to put
the stew on the stove.

Poor Stevie had most of his face wrapped up in plastic and a gag
in his pretty mouth. Dad hadn’t covered his eyes though, and he looked so
scared. I almost felt bad for him, but I was just too excited to worry about
anything! He started to cry when he saw me! Awww!!

I tried to tell him that he was the most important thing to me,
like ever! He kept crying though and I did start to feel a little bad. When I
told him that I had to eat him to get all of my powers and become a full witch,
he REALLY started crying! He just didn’t want to listen! I told him I chose him
because he was soooo perfect! He would always be my first! We would be together
forever!

Mom told me that my first time would be the hardest, but it wasn’t
too bad. I actually got really, super excited when Dad handed me the dagger!

Christmas Day

Update #3

I was right!!! Stevie was PERFECT!!!!!! BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!!

To my husband, Allen, for being the yin to my yang; my sons, Nikolaus
and Zachary; my daughter, Micheyla, who bears with mom’s rants...and the
writers and readers who said...keep writing.

Penelope Anne Bartotto, was born, raised, and still calls
Wisconsin her home. She has been writing since she could hold a pencil
correctly, and continues to ramble. Married to her soulmate, she finds pride in
being a homeschooling parent to three not-so-young cubs. She has worn many hats
from cashier to Boy Scout Leader, but currently tries to hold on tight to
her...book blogging, tour coordinating, insane author hat. When not found in
front of her computer, she loves to craft, quilt, draw, paint, and read.

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/PenelopeAnneBartottoAuthor

Blog:
libraryendofuniverse.blogspot.com

Dominic lifted the chipped porcelain mug to his lips and took a
sip of the bitter coffee as he stared out the grimy window of the Hwy 51 Diner.
He was daydreaming of one day having a family and of living a life that wasn’t
on the road. He glanced over at the buxom, plump—but
pleasant—waitress, Ellen, who was reading a romance novel. He realized
then that the last time he spent any quality time with his gal, Rose, was three
weeks back. They kept in touch when he was on the road, texting and sexting
when the opportunity arose. He missed her voice though, her touch, and most of
all, her brilliant hazel eyes. Something about her eyes called to him over the
miles, making him miss her even more. Her eyes were what had drawn him to her,
like a mystical web that threaded its way into his soul and took hold the
instant he saw her. Looking into them was like drowning in pools of root beer,
and he loved that sensation.

He finished his coffee, grabbed the check, and headed up to the
counter.

“Edible?” Ellen asked as he handed her the check with a twenty.

“Enough to keep me trucking,” he said with a smirk as he retrieved
his change and dropped a couple of crumpled bills on the counter. “Take it
easy, Ellen; don’t take no damn wooden nickels!”

Dominic headed out to his truck—his beautiful
lady—Betty Lou. She never left him, no matter what the circumstances.
They were both fueled up so it was time to hit the road. The highway that
Dominic had traveled for what seemed like an eternity—that long and
lonesome highway.

The date had been wonderful. Rose dropped her keys into the bowl
on the dresser, kicked off her shoes, and shut her bedroom door with a
satisfied smile on her face. Kevin was everything she had ever looked for in a
man. Her roommate Janice thought she was cheating on Dom, but Rose knew Dominic
was just another tally on her boyfriend roster—not a man of means. Janice
was just an old fuddy-duddy who thought that monogamy was essential to a
relationship. Oddly enough, Janice had yet to know what a relationship even
was, but she loved to preach. Rose and Janice were quite different in all
aspects of life, yet they had been friends since the third grade. When they
moved to Atlanta, it made perfect sense for them to become roommates. Janice
was at Georgia State and Rose was just tired of living in the backwater town
her parents called home—she was seeking adventure and a husband. Kevin,
the pilot, just might be that husband.

An all-to-familiar ringtone coming from her purse drew her out of
her sweet dreams. Dom was texting again. Rose flopped down on the bed, grabbed
her purse, and rummaged through it for the phone. It was a present from Dom
last Christmas—the fanciest available at the time. She had him wrapped
around her little finger extra tight—it was always nice to have a man
under your control. She silenced the noise, got undressed, slipped into a
nightshirt, and crawled under the covers before looking at the message.

“Miss u baby, be there 2morrow, cyu then. Love u.”

Great
, she thought. Now
what was she going to do?

Dominic had sent his text to Rose right before he hit the road. He
never responded to his phone on the road, yet he kept it on the console so he’d
see when a new text arrived. He’d left the diner six hours ago and Rose hadn’t
responded—not all that unusual for her. She was a busy girl after
all—with school, work, and her dance classes. There were times he could
go days without hearing from her, but when he was heading that way she usually
responded quickly. Their time together was so limited with his job keeping him
on the road for weeks at a time. Trucks didn’t run on a driver’s time clock,
they ran on the clock of the delivery schedules, and those clocks were damned
strict. Whenever he could find a run that would take him near Atlanta, he made
a point to be with Rose and make sure she knew just how much he loved her. He
had an enormous surprise for her this time around. He’d been pondering the
thought for months and wasn’t sure how she would react—but his mama
always told him to follow his heart and not to let the grass grow under his
feet. So it was time to make the ultimate step.

Rose was frantic. She paced her room for an hour before finally
heading out to the kitchen for a drink. Only after she got to the fridge did
she realize that the strongest beverage in the apartment was coffee. Janice had
purged the alcohol again. Damn her Puritanical ideals anyway, Rose cursed to
herself as she made some orange tea. Kevin was planning a surprise; something
he promised would blow her mind. Her job was to be ready for a week of fun. He
was picking her up Saturday night. She knew only of theater tickets, champagne,
and a journey on a private jet. Dom was suddenly a wrench in her plans.

Rose was an independent woman, she ruled her roost, and she was
the master of her domain. Her mama had given her only one good piece of wisdom
in her useless waste of an inebriated life. Men had one purpose in the
universe—to provide women with what they need, want, and desire. Why
shouldn’t that woman be her? Under her strict monitoring, of course. A battered
suitcase, and the fifty thousand her mama had managed to squirrel away, was all
Rose was left with after her mama’s unfortunate accident. Last she had heard,
her mother’s sudden disappearance barely made the police blotter, and was
deemed a cold case faster than Flick’s tongue stuck to the flagpole in that
Christmas movie her mama loved so dearly.

Dominic suddenly seemed like a rusty anchor weighing her down,
something no longer desired. He had been the perfect fish dangling on her hook;
he’d kept her entertained and well taken care of—like all of her men did.
Rust had no place in her diamond encrusted, golden dreams; it was time to drop
the anchor. She left her house to put her plan in action.

Dom pulled into the truck stop and climbed down from his cab. He
needed a restroom something fierce and another shot of coffee before he
finished this leg of the trip. The sun was just cresting the horizon as he
stretched his legs before locking up Betty Lou. He would reach Atlanta about
ten in the morning, make his delivery, catch some sleep, and clean up before he
took Rose out for a night he hoped would be the most memorable of her life.