Kris Marie stared blankly at the laptop sitting on the tiny kitchen table in front of her. With a stretch, she looked around her almost empty apartment. It wasn’t often that she was here. An old leather couch, which served for both sitting and sleeping, stood in the middle of the living room. On a table against the wall, a small flat screen TV was on and muted; the evening news was silently playing. The kitchen was stocked with the necessary items and this morning when she had gotten back, Kris had emptied the fridge of all the rotten food. Most the windows in the apartment were open to get rid of the stale and rotten air and the light in the kitchen was flickering.
It wasn’t that Kris couldn’t afford a good place and furniture. A sleek black sports car sat impatiently on the street below and the laptop was the newest on the market. Kris just didn’t see the point of buying stuff for a house that she was never in.
Pains in her stomach made her get up and throw a can of Spaghettios into a bowl and eat them cold. Once she was finished, Kris walked into what should have been her bedroom. It was filled with an array of weapons. Guns, knives, bombs, swords, and much more was stacked on shelves and mounted on the wall. She looked through her collection lovingly before she gathered up her dirty clothes from her bag and went down to the laundry room.
After throwing all her clothes in one load, she grabbed her mail. The box was stuffed and mostly filled with junk mail and notices. One by one, she threw each piece of mail until the recycle box until reaches a tiny envelope. It had no stamp or return address; only her name written on it in swirling blue letters. She dumped all the rest of the mail in the box without looking at them and leaned against the wall to read the letter. The envelope was sealed with deep blue wax that has what looked like a bird stamped into it. Who uses wax seals now a day? She wondered as she wrapped it open.
An invitation; Kris couldn’t remember that last time she be invited to anything. She felt like an excited little girl who had just gotten a homemade invitation to her best friend’s birthday. Quickly she read through the neat blue writing.
Dear Kris Marie,
I would highly appreciate it if you would join me tomorrow night for dinner. I do believe that it will be beneficial for you and I think that I may have a job for you. I would prefer you to come alone, but it is your choice.
Hope to see you tomorrow.
P.S. Enclosed is the information you will need to arrive for dinner.
I would highly appreciate it if you would join me tomorrow night for dinner. I do believe that it will be beneficial for you and I think that I may have a job for you. I would prefer you to come alone, but it is your choice.
Hope to see you tomorrow.
P.S. Enclosed is the information you will need to arrive for dinner.
Kris looked at the other paper. Now where did it say who was inviting her to the meal or what kind of job she was offering. As she read the directions to the location, she slowly walked back up to her apartment. Once upstairs, Kris logged onto the laptop, and typed in the address. The site said that the address was invalid. She retyped it and it still was invalid. Irritated, she flipped open her newest cell and called Benji.
“What’s up darling?” Benji said with an accent; Kris still couldn’t figure out where it came from.
“I need you to look up a place for me.” Kris said looking at the piece of paper.
“Next dead man?” He asked grinning. Kris smiled as she pictured him. She could see him with a wide grin, his k9s sharpened and teeth bright white. His ice blue eyes laughing as he span around in his chair to look at a different computer screen. His long black hair was probably pulled back in a pony as it always was.
“No. I have a dinner to go to.” Unconsciously, she started to doodle on the paper, holding the phone between her head and shoulder.
“You? You have a date? What is wrong with the man? Who is he...? Shall I kill him? I’m sure he has alternative motives.” Kris could tell that Benji had turned to a new computer screen and was ready to look up this man. He would be able to pinpoint the man probably faster than the government and this mystery man would be dead by midnight, in half an hour.
“Don’t act all shocked, I could date if I wanted to. Anyway, it is a possible new job. Here is no name and when I look up the address, it won’t show. It has to be someone with power to be able to get their house off the maps.” She looked down at the dark blue swirls that laced up the side of the paper.
“Yah, you’re probably right.” Kris read off the address and could head him taping it in. “Sure that you are ready for another job? You just got back.”
“Know you I can’t stay cooped up in here long. Plus, the bike will be lonely if I don’t ride soon.” Kris thought of the underground garage that housed Harleys, crotch rockets, a variety of sports cars and another large collection of weapons. There was also a little living area but she had thought it would be a good idea to return to her real home for a while. It would also prevent the neighbors calling in saying she had died or gone missing.
“Ah, there it is.” Benji whistled softly. “I think this almost qualifies as a palace. It’s too big to be a mansion.” A picture flashed onto Kris’s laptop. She stared at the house wide eyed. It was huge. She wondered how many people lived in the place. Probably only a single, rich, stuck up jerk. Then she thought, what should I wear?
“Benji, what should I do?”
“Um, go when it says to go. Eat and get the job. We’ll make big bank off this.”
“No. I have nothing nice to wear! I can’t go marching into that palace wearing jeans, tee shirt and a gun.” She said frantically. Benji laughed loudly. She pulled the phone from her ear and glared at it. When she could no longer her him she put it back to her ear.
“Well,” he said with a deep breath, “what your wearing looks good.” Another picture flashed onto the screen. There she was, sitting at the little table in front of her laptop. She was wearing tiny shorts and a loose tee while her clothes washed. Her short black hair was messily spiked and tipped with blue. Her bangs went down to her chin and were deep blue. Black eyes glared at the cell phone as she stuck her tongue out at it. She sighed and closed the file. She turned to the window, flipped off the sky, and closed the blinds.
“Well that wasn’t very nice.” Benji pouted. “You have great thighs, did you know that.” Kris blushed slightly as she tried to cover her mostly exposed legs with her shirt. “Could we get back to business? This dinner is tomorrow night at five.”
“Why don’t you go get yourself a nice dress in the morning. It isn’t that difficult. You get up, have your coffee, and drive down the street to a nice lookin’ store. I’m sure there is even a nice girl there willing to help you figure out how to work the dress.”
“Oh would you shut up. Believe it or not, I know that I am a woman. I have even worn dresses before. And get this, I can walk it heels.” She said proudly. Benji snickered on the other line.
“I’m sure you can. I bet you can even run and kill someone in heels. Now, I’m going to let you go, your laundry is done.”
“God! Have you been spying on me all night?!”
“What else do I have to do?” Kris heard him hang up the phone. With a sigh, she closed all the other blinds in the apartment and pulled on a robe before she went downstairs to get her laundry.
