Hi,
Usually, I don't put a message at the beginning of a story. Today, I felt it important to make an exception. This story (
TRANCE, Inc.)
has been on pause for a long time. Now, finally, I'm back in the saddle. However, this chapter was not written recently. It was written back when I was sharing the earlier chapters (in early 2018) and as such
it wasn't written by the same JC Beleren who stands before you today.
I've developed a lot as a writer in the past two years, so if you've been reading my most recent publications
(Bimbo Builder Academy
and
Brain Development Enterprises)
— as I hope you have been — then there may be moments in this piece that don't seem to be "written in the same hand." Please bear that in mind as you enjoy
TRANCE 9,
and I look forward to sharing
TRANCE 10
with you next week, fresh from my keyboard.
Lots of love,
JC
April 24, 2020
* * *
Daisy's hand was cool in mine as she pulled me down the corridor.
I wondered what had her so worried, but took a deep, calming breath. Whatever it was, I would be calm and supportive. For the first time, I realized how much Daisy and Carmen were
giving up
to be with me. It filled me with a sense of appreciation for the teenagers that I hadn't had until this moment.
Everything you give up will be only temporary,
I silently promised them both.
And then I'll make sure you live like princesses again.
I felt a deep resolve flow over me, welling up from the same place that kept me going during Terra's brutal workouts. I'd never been an ambitious guy, but something about these women made me want to better myself. It was frightening and exciting at the same time.
Daisy paused at the first door, smiling back at me, and I knew that whatever had worried her was not behind Door Number One. "This is my place," she murmured, and turned the handle, pushing the door inward.
I followed her in as she clicked on the light and smiled.
Books.
The library we entered wasn't huge by any means, but it was comfortably large. Bookshelves covered all four walls and there was a couch and a reading chair pulled up next to an electric fireplace. There was a large window in the wall opposite the door, but the curtains were drawn and this gave the place a cozy atmosphere.
I glanced from Daisy to the room and back again, and could practically see her signature on it.
"I love it," I told her sincerely. And it was true. I wasn't a huge reader — I probably hadn't picked up a book for pleasure in years — but I loved the idea of
her
in the room, curled up by the fire and tucked into a hefty hardcover book.
Daisy smiled, blushing. "Not lame?" she asked shyly. "Carmen teases me for my reading. Thinks I'm way too nerdy. Even though
she's
the one obsessed with video games."
I shook my head. "You'll be my perfect little bookworm," I said warmly, and I raised my eyebrows suggestively. "Besides, reading can be totally hot."
"Yeah?" Daisy grinned as she flicked the light off and pulled me back into the hallway. "How's that?"
I pulled her closer into a hug, holding her for a moment against me. Even the brief contact made my body surge with adrenaline, my body trying to decide whether to divert blood flow from my brain to my dick. "Ya know..." I told her in a teasing tone. "Ever heard of a sexy librarian? How about a sexy schoolteacher?"
She wrinkled her nose. "Librarian, huh?" Her mouth turned downward into a fake grimace. "Are you saying I look like a librarian? One of those frumpy, lumpy ladies who do boring stuff all day like... alphabetizing things?"
I wondered if I had painted myself into a corner, but the teenager just flashed me a grin and kissed me quickly on the lips before pulling me further down the hall to the next door.
"And this..." she said with a joking flourish, "is Carmen's place."
We entered a home theater unlike any home theater I'd seen before. The projector screen on the opposite wall was massive, and an equally huge semicircular couch dominated the middle of the room. In front of the couch were three separate gaming consoles and a basket of assorted controllers. Stacked in haphazard piles were several years of the top games in the industry — first person shooters, RPGs, puzzle games, racing...
"You weren't kidding when you said she liked video games..." I said, realizing that I might have just found yet another reason to spend time with Carmen.
"I know." Daisy laughed softly. "I could never get into it like she did. There's something about your sibling being absurdly good at something that makes it less exciting to do it yourself."
I didn't say anything to that, suddenly thinking of my family. Then, I pushed the gathering moodiness away.
Not the time,
I told myself sternly.
This is about Daisy.
We moved on and into the next room — the master bedroom.
To my surprise, there were two beds, matching in every way from their duvet to their pillow covers, one on each side of the room. A door in the corner led into a tiled bathroom, while two other open doors led into a pair of walk-in closets.
"You guys share a bedroom?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Old habits die hard," the beautiful teen answered, shrugging. "Carmen and I have shared a room all our lives. It's weird to be alone after all that."
"Hmm." I guessed that it made sense. I hadn't known Carmen and Daisy long, but it was apparent that the two were close. Maybe it was the whole "being twins" thing, but I suspected it was more than that.
Their whole lives,
I thought,
with jetsetter parents and more money than they knew what to do with... all they had was each other.
A thought struck me. "And what about..." I felt suddenly awkward. "When one of you brings in a guest?"
Daisy was looking around the room with a thoughtful expression, but glanced over her shoulder with a smirk. "Jealous, babe?" she chuckled.
I glanced away and pressed my lips together in a wry grin before meeting her gaze. I stepped up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her back into a hug. I kissed the back of her head, her long red hair tickling my nose.
"You're mine now," I murmured. "Why would I be jealous?"
I felt her sigh contentedly and lean back into me.
"You never answered my question," I told her in a jesting tone. "What happens when one of you had a late night call from a suitor?"
"Suitor?" I could almost see Daisy's nose wrinkling as she kept herself from laughing. "Are you from the 1800s?"
"Humor me," I grinned, kissing her neck again.
She sighed, then wriggled out of my hug and turned to face me. There was that look again, the one of worry and distress.
I wondered, abashedly, if I should have left the subject alone.
Did I say something wrong?
I asked myself.
"Carmen got to have the bedroom," Daisy said slowly, not meeting my eyes. There was suddenly something very interesting about the wall directly to my left. "And I have another place."
I wanted to know what she was hiding, what was worrying her so badly that she had reverted to being nervous and standoffish instead of happy and affectionate. But I also didn't want to push her. Daisy had already revealed one big secret to me today and I didn't want her to feel rushed into telling me another. So, instead of pressing her, I looked around the room again.
Abruptly, I remembered the official purpose of our visit. We were here so that Daisy could pick up some clothes and things for herself and her sister. Hopefully we wouldn't be at my old, ratty apartment for too much longer, but I was sure it would be nice for them to have some of their stuff.
"How about a little game?" I asked, smiling cheekily at the redheaded teen. "I have 30 seconds in each closet to figure out which wardrobe belongs to each of you." It was a silly suggestion, but, as I had hoped, Daisy was intrigued.