Love from, Hell

HELL

Dasia opened another one of his desk drawers. Nothing but more parchment filled with his babbling Latin essays. She slammed the drawer shut impatiently and straightened up, putting one hand on her slender hip. She looked around the bedroom.

Prince Malcolm’s bedroom held an immaculate four poster bed. The wall-to-wall bookshelves were filled neatly with book after book. There were two massive armoires, holding his various royal outfits. Dasia bit her full lower lip, calculating. Didn’t men hide secrets in their closets?

She crossed the room to one armoire and tugged the door open. Varying degrees of black and gray uniforms, pressed and perfect, hung in front of her. She scanned the closet quickly, and then knelt, pushing her long skirts out of her way, to examine the bottom of the armoire. There was nothing; nothing to even hint at where Malcolm had disappeared to. She straightened up and touched her pinned hair.

“M’lady?”

Dasia turned quickly. Jevon came striding slowly into the room, a small smirk playing on his face. Dasia quickly composed herself, lifting her chin and giving him a lofty look.

“Might I ask what you are doing in the prince’s private quarters?” Jevon asked, his tone polite and inquisitive, but a corner of his mouth pulled up in a half smile.

Dasia glanced around the room, flitting her heavy eyelashes and straightening her back proudly. “I was… concerned,” she chose her word carefully.

Jevon put his hands behind his back and continued to stroll leisurely in the room. “For Prince Malcolm?” he checked, smiling smugly at her.

Dasia lowered her eyelids and scowled seductively at him. “Yes,” she replied curtly.

Jevon’s face turned curious as he looked away from her and around the prince’s room. “It is strange isn’t it? He seems to have evaporated into thin air,” he said quietly.

Dasia folded her hands casually in front of her, eying Jevon. “And, might I ask you, m’lord, what was it that brought you to Prince Malcolm’s private quarters?” she inquired, but her tone remained polite.

Jevon looked at her sharply. Dasia smiled. Jevon relaxed his features and walked toward Dasia, that smirk once again on his face. Dasia continued to give him her small smile, not losing her confidence even when he was directly in front of her, only centimeters away from her face.

“I think maybe, Lady Dasia, you have been looking for the wrong thing,” Jevon said softly.

Dasia raised a delicate eyebrow.

“And I think I have also been looking for the wrong thing,” he finished.

EARTH

“What do you mean you don’t have sunblock?” Heather demanded into the phone.

Julie could hear her brother’s muffled voice, but couldn’t distinguish the words. It was nearly 11 pm, so that meant Kyle was already starting his next day.

“Kyle Bryan Ennis, you are going to get melanoma if you don’t wear sun protection in that desert heat!” Heather continued.

Julie looked over at Malcolm. He was watching the TV in his unseeing way- sitting there without moving, without blinking.

“Alright well take care honey-” Julie’s mother said worryingly. J

ulie hurried over to the phone and gestured for it.

“Oh your sister wants to talk to you,” Heather said and handed Julie the phone.

“Ky?” Julie said eagerly into the phone.

“Hey Jule, what are you doing home? I didn’t lose track of time that badly. Am I off by, like, months?” Her brother’s fuzzy detached voice joked over the phone. He sounded like he was outside.

“I’m on spring break. How are things there? Is the landscape as beautiful as it is in Jesus Christ Superstar?” Julie asked.

“Oh ten million times better. Julie you will never guess what I did...” her brother said into the phone.

“No probably not,” Julie agreed.

“Two words: Opium Orgy.”

“Kyle!”

“Mike couldn’t feel his hands for 2 days! There was this group of girls- I think they were Italian or something- and they were on some sort of love-in orgie kick... it was awesome! Oh and they had this midget with them and he had, like, serious power in his little legs. Like, he practically flew up on to Josh's back at one point, it was incredible! Well... aw fuck I might have imagined that... But how frickin’ awesome would that be?? Midgets that can get enough air to slam dunk! Like, if they had their own little person NBA, I'd watch that shit for sure- oh by the way, if you ever do opium I will kill you because this was gnarly, nasty stuff.”

Julie laughed. “Don’t worry, Ky,” she told him.

“Oh I forgot, tell mom I visited the Garden of Gethsemane."

“You did? Oh my god… er gosh… you didn’t do it there did you??” Julie checked.

Kyle howled with laughter. “No I didn’t! Don’t worry, I’m not going to Hell Jules. At least, I don’t think I am…”

“Kyle!”

“Don’t worry! Hey look Julie I have to go. Tell mom I love her and that I’m gonna buy more sunscreen," he said and then snickered. "...yeah right. I can’t afford anything more than food and drugs. Love you!”

“Love you too," Julie responded.

There was some phone movement noise, then the line disconnected. Julie hung up the phone. She returned to her spot on the other end of the couch and looked pointedly at the TV, forcing herself not to stare at Malcolm. Heather reentered the room and sat down in a chair.

“Mom, Kyle forgot to tell you he visited the Garden of Gethsemane," Julie said, still looking at the TV.

And it was Malcolm’s tiny reaction that made her look at him instead of her mother. Malcolm had stiffened every so slightly, Julie could see, because the hand on his leg had clenched tightly into a fist.

“Really? Oh I hope him and his friends behaved themselves," Heather sighed.

Julie tore her eyes away from Malcolm and looked at her mom.

“Yeah. Me too,” Julie said.

A little while later, Heather decided it was time for bed and shepherded Malcolm and Julie upstairs. Julie could hear her father’s faint snores from her parents’ bedroom. Heather pecked Julie’s cheek and bid them both goodnight. Malcolm nodded at Julie then ducked into Kyle’s bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind him. Julie also shut her door and quickly rummaged through her dresser drawer for pajamas. All she’d left at home were her summer pajamas so she settled for wearing a thin tank top and little shorts.

She silently crept out in the hallway, peering at Malcolm’s door. It was still shut. Julie walked to the bathroom and pushed the door so it was almost shut and then brushed her teeth. After that she took some time and flossed- something she rarely did. When she had finished and was running her tongue over her strangely clean teeth she went to the open the door.

Filling the doorway was Malcolm, hand poised as though he was about to open the door. He looked down at her surprised. Julie self consciously tugged at her tank top, feeling very under-dressed.

“I’d like to take a shower,” Malcolm explained and raised his other hand. In his arm he had a towel and carefully folded pajama-like clothing.

Julie nodded. “Sure,” she said and looked up and straight into Malcolm’s eyes. She stared at him while his intense gaze looked back, sending shivers down her spine.

Finally, Malcolm stepped aside, and let Julie slip out of the bathroom. Julie didn’t look back as she walked quickly back to her room. She ducked under her covers and stretched, practicing deep breathing since she always seemed to be short of breath lately.

Julie had only slept for about an hour when she woke up. Although everything was silent, she slid out of her bed and padded downstairs. Only when she was on the ground floor did she hear the soft noise coming from the TV. Rubbing her eyes, she walked toward the couch and blinked in surprise. Malcolm was sitting on the couch and when he heard her, he looked away from the TV at Julie.

“Did I wake you?” Malcolm asked quickly.

Julie shook her head. “No. No,” she assured him and rubbed her eyes again. Although she was very sleepy, Julie still noticed that Malcolm was wearing her brother’s long pajama pants and a white t-shirt.

"You can’t sleep?” Julie guessed. She came and sat next to Malcolm on the couch.

Malcolm shook his head to affirm this and looked back at the screen. Julie yawned, but was tentatively aware of the space between her and Malcolm.

“What are you watching?” she asked him.

“I believe its Hello Dolly,” Malcolm replied.

“Have you ever seen it before?” Julie asked, suspecting the answer.

Again, Malcolm shook his head.

Julie was too hyper-aware of Malcolm to fall asleep right away, so she was wide awake for the first 30 minutes of the movie. But, by the time all the characters were in New York, Julie began to doze off; her alertness to Malcolm was being overpowered by her tiredness. She shivered and reached behind her absent-mindedly for a knitted throw blanket. She groped but couldn’t find it.

Malcolm reached behind him and pulled down the blanket, sweeping it over Julie in one swift movement. Julie, without really thinking, leaned against Malcolm’s shoulder and yawned, falling asleep. Malcolm looked down at her, his eyebrows raised. Julie sighed very quietly in her sleep.

Malcolm looked back up at the movie as Dolly was teaching Barnaby and Cornelius how to dance. The scene progressed to a large dance number outside. Minnie Faye plucked a flower from the ground and then hopped back up on the handlebars of Barnaby’s bike.

Malcolm frowned curiously.