Love in Disguise

Tuesday, July 1 Raven hadn’t been kidding when she said the place we’d be going to was peaceful. How majestic it really was! There were no palm trees or cactuses, something I always loved, but the fresh air, thick green woods, and a refreshingly cool lake were a wonderful respite. On the way there, Raven and I stopped in a store where she bought me some necessities, such as shorts, pants, shirts, underclothes, a jacket, and a bathing suit, as well as a toothbrush and a brush for my hair. We even grabbed an over-the-counter inhaler and some nasal spray. I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed myself, as well as Raven’s company. She was a very mellow person, easy to talk to and simply be with. We swam in the lake, took walks in the woods, and played Ping-Pong in her cabin, which was bigger and nicer than her home in Maricopa. It was a two-story cabin with split levels, making it all the more appealing because of its uniqueness in style and layout. The days were warm, and the nights were cool—cool enough to light a fire in the fireplace, which we sometimes did. The cabin had been well-stocked with groceries, but we still stopped for a few things that wouldn’t keep for an extended period of time. I learned that Raven was a native of the state, just as I thought she was. She grew up on the Indian reservation but decided to leave because she felt it was okay to own land separately. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her people—she saw them regularly when she patrolled the reservation. She simply didn’t think it was wrong to own any particular piece of land, as most of her people did. “Besides,” Raven told me as we sat staring into the crackling fire with full tummies from our delicious steak dinner, “I needed a change. I lived with the same old, same old for so many years that I decided last year, at twenty-five years of age, that it was time for a change. What brought you all the way from Massachusetts?” “Same thing. I needed a change.” I went on to tell Raven that I had had no contact with my family since we could never get along, and more about my experiences with Kya. I also told her of my hobbies and interests, as well as jobs I’d had along the way. “So you assemble the doll and then you sell it?” I giggled. “Well, I usually do, though I could sell it as a kit and let the customer do the assembly.” She laughed. “You were an exotic dancer, too?” I nodded. “How was that?” “It was fun for a while, till it got old.” “Wow. You and I certainly come from different walks of life,” she stated. “Scary, huh?” Raven looked thoughtful. “Nah, it’s nice for a change. I get to learn new things.” “There you go,” I said, chuckling. “I’ll show you how to assemble a doll, and then I’ll teach you how to throw on a G-string, a pair of heels, a slutty amount of makeup, then gyrate your hips real seductively.” We burst out laughing. Then we realized it was well past midnight and agreed to hit the sack, with plans for a nature hike in the morning. I had been sleeping across the hall from her in a twin-size bed, till I awoke screaming on the third night from a nightmare in which Kya had found me and came charging at me, ready to kill. Raven comforted me, holding me gently against her as she rocked me back and forth. “Let’s go to where we have more room,” she said after a few minutes, and I followed her to her cozy double bed. She held me against her body, which was solid and strong, yet soft and feminine. She wore nothing but a thin T-shirt, as did I.