Chapter 7

Tory woke Jeremy gently, not sure how he would respond. “Sorry. I didn’t know where to take you so I brought you to my place. You can sleep on my bed,” she said. “I will sleep in my son’s room.”

He nodded. “I can sleep in the car.”

“No, come on,” Tory insisted.

Tory collected her son, and headed upstairs. Jeremy followed, commenting that ‘James is a pretty solid sleeper.’ ‘Yeah, in the car.’ As they ascended stairs to the apartment, Jeremy looked about for evidence they were followed. Technically, they shouldn’t have to follow. They would have had her address from just the license plate. The apartment was comfortable, and near enough the square she could walk to school. She put her son in his bed and came out to make sure her guest was comfortable. She gave him access to her bathroom that could only be accessed from her bedroom. She was definitely a Marylyn fan, judging by the artwork adorning her wall. And a candle fan.

“Help yourself to anything in the kitchen,” Tory said. “I texted my friend I have a guest. It’ll be okay.”

“I am grateful,” Jeremy said.

Tory turned on the light in the bathroom, collected a spare toothbrush from under the cabinet and handed it to him. She doctored her toothbrush.

“I have everything I need,” Jeremy assured her.

“Even toiletries? Oh, you just carry a library and you have everything,” Tory said. She leaned against the bathroom counter. “Why not just make money that way?”

“Most the time, money in advertisements is fake,” Jeremy said.

“What if we take a picture of real money…”

“Has to be film,” Jeremy said. “Film. The original Polaroid’s. Or glossy magazines. No photo copies.”

“Really?” Tory asked. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I got it down to a science. I know what works. What doesn’t,” Jeremy said.

“Kind of like that character in Pushing Daisies,” Tory said. “The pie maker.”

“I am sorry, I don’t know this one,” Jeremy said.

“No electronics,” Tory said, musing. “I have a friend of a friend that has this problem. Ever since he had an NDE, he can’t turn on a light without blowing a circuit. He can’t drive a car. He can’t use a computer.”

“NDE?”

“Near Death Experience,” Tory said. “You’ve been reading the wrong books.”

Jeremy stared at the floor.

“I am not picking on you,” Tory said, touching his arm. “I am sorry.”

“I am okay. Sorting,” Jeremy said.

“Sorting?” Tory said.

“After my parents died, I attempted suicide,” Jeremy said. He stared hard at the floor, as if trying to discern an image. “I remember being in a light. Like sustain lightening. I remember my parents being there. They told me I had to go back. I told them no. I actually said fuck no. Then there was someone else there. I don’t know. A light being. He said I had to go back. There was no arguing with him. I woke up in ICU. I woke as if I had fallen from a great height.” Jeremy looked up. “I can see that event as if I am still there, living it. There are memories of childhood that aren’t this vivid, and I have a damn near perfect memory. Still things go. But not from that event.”

“That sounds like an NDE,” Tory said. “Lights, family, light beings. You’re missing the tunnel, but not everyone gets the tunnel. Not everyone gets the life review.”

“Life review?”

“You experience your whole life over again, not just from your perspective, but from everyone you interacted with experience,” Tory said. “You feel how you made others feel, good or bad, and how those emotions influenced people immediately beyond them. You’re aware that someone is watching with you, not judging so much, but definitely taking inventory. ”

“I feel everyone’s emotions now,” Jeremy said, his eyes filled with water, but they didn’t drop. “It’s too much.”

“Yeah,” Tory said. “Sometimes.”

“You, too?” Jeremy asked.

“I am an empath. Probably because of past trauma. Probably because I had to walk on eggshells to keep the family appeased,” Tory said. “Jon says, nothing happens in a vacuum. I agree with that.”

“Jon?” Jeremy asked.

“My guru. Oh, don’t tell him I call him that. He doesn’t want that. He doesn’t like that, but he’s a damn solid as guru. He can open things in you,” Tory said. “I’d like to introduce you to him.”

“I don’t want to join a cult,” Jeremy said, lighting a candle on the counter next to the bathroom sink.

“Good, cause he’s not running one,” Tory said. “He does have some groupies. They’re mostly harmless. Most of the folks that fall into his orbit are serious good people. The other kind, they tend to get ejected fairly fast with their own momentum.”

“I am not a good person,” Jeremy said.

“I doubt that,” Tory said. “We’ll argue more tomorrow if need be. Get some rest. And please, don’t leave without saying goodbye.”

“Alright,” Jeremy said.

“Do you need anything?”

“Yes, please,” Jeremy said. Tory hung waiting. He waited to see if she catch it. “Turn the light off please.”

Tory seed confused and then caught up, nodded, and went to flick the light off. She hesitated, wondering what it was like not to be able to use modern tech. She turned off the light. She turned it back on.

"Would you demonstrate manifesting a person?"

Jeremy shrugged.

Tory exited the room and when she came back, she was holding a celebrity magazine. She picked out a pic of her favorite.

"Close the door," Jeremy said.

Tory closed the door. When she looked at the magazine, the image of the person was whited out. The famous actor was standing in the room. Tory nearly screamed. Her celebrity crush was there. She came closer. She could discern breathing, but the eyes seemed empty. It was if the person wasn't home.

"May I touch him?"

"Sure, why not?" Jeremy asked.

Tory touched him. Her eyes were wide with excitement. "He feel's real,' she said. She brushed his hair with her hands. She teased his lips apart to discover teeth. His mouth was appropriately wet. "Can I kiss him?"

"If you like," Jeremy said.

Tory kissed her crush. It did not reflect back her excitement. Still, she was super aroused. She wanted more.

"Can it respond?"

"I suspect this manifestation has sufficient neural wiring to respond to basic reflex motor skills, or it wouldn't be able to remain standing," Jeremy said. "Though your kiss didn't result in an autonomous move to participate, appropriate stimulation to its genitals will like result in an erection. Or, I could take over this body and control it and make it do whatever I want."

Tory seemed to considering. "So, hypothetically, if you take over and made it kiss me- is my crush kissing me, or are you kissing me?"

"I would be kissing you. When I control the body, I experience everything it experiences," Jeremy said.

"So, hypothetically, if you knew I had this crush, you could have made this person and surprised encountered me in this form, made love to me and disappeared?" Tory said.

"Yes," Jeremy said.

"Ever do that to someone?" Tory asked.

"Yes," Jeremy said.

"Seriously?" Tory asked, surprised.

"In the past, I ran a celebrity crush dating service," Jeremy said.

"No way!" Tory said.

"Do you want me to make this crush fuck you?" Jeremy asked.

Tory chewed on her lips. "No," she said finally. "The first time I make love to you, I want it to be you. There is time enough in our future to spice it up with others."

Jeremy nodded, closed his eyes, and let go. The celebrity crush went away. Tory kissed Jeremy lightly, withdrew from the room, and turned off the light before pulling the door shut.