Free Until I Die Again [On The Way To Heaven] (Soul Change Novel) by Tina Wainscott Page A

wearing a lot of makeup wasn’t the norm for her. Something else to learn.
    As she followed Jamie down the stairway, a small hope harbored in her heart that he was indeed planning to go with her. When he reached the ground floor, however, he turned.
    “ Ciao . Have fun.” Then he disappeared around the back of the staircase and into the confines of the house.
    “Yeah, thanks a lot,” she muttered, though she knew he couldn’t hear her.
    “Hallie, honey!” Velvet yelled when she opened the door to the living room. Then Velvet disdainfully looked around, putting her hands on wide hips. “That damn butler always makes me feel like some kinda lowlife every time I come here. He escorts me into this room and closes the door behind him like I might escape.” Then her face brightened again, helped by the vivid red lipstick and scarlet rouge. “You’re looking good, honey, real good. How do you feel?”
    Hallie shrugged. “All right, I guess.”
    “Good. Let’s get out of here before they accuse me of stealing something.”
    Velvet steered her out of the room by her arm, then pointedly ignored Solomon as he opened the front door for them. Hallie smiled at him, but his face remained stern. She decided then that she would make up for the old Hallie’s misdeeds toward the man.
    The pink paint on the 1976 Thunderbird was dirty, looking like the color of vomit. Velvet strutted to it as one would to a chauffeur-driven limousine. Hallie tugged on the loose door handle, and Velvet said, “You got to open it from the inside. Here, I’ll get it.” When she leaned over to pull the handle, Hallie thought the woman’s chest was going to pop right out of her flowery blouse.
    Once they reached the end of the driveway, Velvet turned to her with a sigh. “You really don’t remember me, do you?”
    The question took Hallie by surprise, and all she could do was shake her head. The hand Velvet placed on Hallie’s thigh reminded her of a hooker’s, with long, red talons and glittery rings that only boasted illusionary diamonds and worn-out gold.
    “I might as well tell you, hon. We never did get along too good.” Velvet laughed uneasily. “I always thought it was because we were too much alike.” She shook her head. “But you never bought that. Maybe we can make a fresh start on things. You know, be like a real mother and daughter.”
    Hallie could only smile weakly, and that made Velvet grin more, then pull out onto the highway. Hallie could never picture this woman as her mother, never ever. Her real mother looked like a mother. And acted like one. She wore her brown, curly hair short and lady-like, dressed in casual, domestic clothing and never let any of her girls leave the house without making peace with them. In Janet’s eyes, there wasn’t room for dissention in the ranks, and never did a harsh word fly without being immediately followed by an apology.
    “Are you feeling all right, hon?” Velvet’s sandpapery voice sheared into her thoughts.
    Hallie replaced her homesick frown with a smile. “I’m fine. Just trying to remember things, that’s all.”
    Every time she thought about her past life, that intangible, disturbing feeling crept in to shadow her memories. She wondered what Alan was doing now, and if he missed her. In some ways he reminded her of Jamie, with his brooding ways and mood swings. Jamie, however, seemed to have more reason behind his.
    “ Aaaaahhhh! ” Hallie’s thoughts were smashed as she looked up to see a truck cutting a wide turn toward their car. The scream had escaped her lips before she could hold it back, and Velvet slammed on the brakes and looked at her as if she were mad.
    With her hand to her chest, she said, “My goodness, girl! You nearly scared the living daylights out of me. That truck had plenty of room.”
    Hallie started shaking, and her face felt cold and clammy. She didn’t know what had triggered her overreaction, but memories of her nightmare bridges flashed in her