"You sure about this Ronnie?" I asked him as I switch from foot to foot.
"Riley says it will give us enough time to get out of Ohio and on the road." He says as he loads the bed of his truck with our luggage. Suit cases of clothes and bags with pillows and blankets. He grabbed the pictures and stashed the food in the truck. We were leaving the furniture for Riley when he gets a storage truck and hauls it up to Rhode Island when he visits.
"It's just make up right?" I'm nervous. Ronnie just said that I had to pretend to be dead. Just enough for a pictures.
"Just a whole bunch of make up and some DNA. That's it." He slams the door shut and looks at me. "Come here." He pulls me to his chest and I place my head in the crook of his arm. "Everything will be okay." I weakly nod my head before we pulled away and got in the car then headed to the funeral home.
"I'm gonna miss this place." I said as we arrived at the building.
"Let's go say goodbye." Ronnie takes my hand a leads me inside to Riley's office. He knocks once and heads in with me behind him. I run straight to Riley and pulled him in a hug. Curse his tallness. Ronnie was only a head taller than me but with Riley I only came up to his elbow.
"Glad your safe." He squeezes the life out of me.
"Now what am I suppose to be doing?" I step back and put my hand on my hip and stare the two down.
"We need you to play dead." Riley smiles sheepishly.
"I get that but why do you need DNA."
"We need it too look like you hung yourself. Suicide." Riley tosses the word out there. Ronnie gave me a panicked look but I kept my cool. For now.
"Where is it?" I look around.
"Well I can't go touching it or it will make me look like a suspect." Riley rolls his eyes. "It's in the morgue. Right now I need to get you covered in make up. Good thing I brought sister."
"You have a sister?" I gape at him. I never knew.
"Yep. Trisha!" He yells and an early thirties looking woman comes through the door. "This is Trisha and she is a make up artist."
"Hi Jess."
"Hi." I turn towards Riley. "Does she know?"
"Kinda. She won't tell a soul."
"I promise. I just want to help you dead. Your eye still looks pretty messed up." Trisha takes my hand. "We'll be downstairs. Need anything just come and ask."
She asks me a lot of questions on the way down and it kind of made me happy that someone was interested in me. She wanted to know my likes and dislikes. How old I was and where I was from. I just kept that one vague and replied with 'here'.
"Before we begin I'm going to need you to take that rope and just tie it in a knot and wrap it around your neck." She points to the rope on the table. I casually walk up to it, tie the knot and then slip it over my head. I give a little tug backwards so my DNA is on the front part. I take it back off and just set it on the counter.
"Okay hun. I'm just gonna put this all over your upper half so it makes you look paler. Almost like a dead type of pale."
"I get it." I nod and take off my shirt so she can get my chest. I still had my tank top and bra on. She applied that powder on my skin and it turned me a paleish blue. My skin truly looks dead.
"I need to apply some red so it looks like you had a rope burn." I gave her nod and lifted my neck. After a few layers of dull red and blue she put some type of blue gloss on my lips so they looked blue as well. "Lack of oxygen." She smiles as she explains why she is putting on the make up.
"I'm going to spray this stuff in your hair okay. It will give it a type of dullness then I can scrunch it so it looks unhealthy." I close my eyes and hold my breath as she finished up my make up and hair.
"Just in time. Doesn't she look horrifying?" Trisha claps her hands as the boys come in.
"I love it." Ronnie smiles and I blush lightly but thank the Lord for all this make up.
"Not to rush but let's get these pictures." Riley quickly lifts me up onto a table where they normally hold dead bodies.
"That is rather weird. Think of all the dead bodies that have been here and were like making fun of death." I sadly say.
"True but it's for your safety. Now I need you to close your eyes and hold your breath." Riley instructs and pulls a sheet up to my chest. Before I knew it he snapped a few pictures and I was being lifted off the table by Ronnie.
"You know I can get up myself." I fake complain. "Can I get out of this make up. It's kind of uncomfortable." Next thing I knew a tub of water was thrown at my face.
"I'm going to kill you Ronnie." I say through clenched teeth.
After chasing Ronnie through the building and rubbing the wet make up all over his face I washed up and switched into some pajamas.
"Well Riley. I think we're gonna head out tonight. I'll be seeing you in three weeks." Ronnie and Riley do their man hug thing and then Riley goes for me.
"I don't know how to say thank you." I whisper to him.
"Then don't. I just like knowing that you are safe. I'm trusting you to take care of little Ronnie over here." Riley releases me as Ronnie comes over and wraps an arm around my waist.
"Let's go Jess." Ronnie leads me to his truck and opens the door for me.
"Thanks." He smiles then goes to the driver seat. Riley hands him a roll of cash through the window.
"That should get you there." Riley smiles before we pull out of the parking lot.
"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" Ronnie asks as we get on the highway. I just stare out the window at the setting sun.
"I don't know if I should be happy or scared right now." I confess"New school. New place. New everything."
"You still got me. Come here." Ronnie opens his arm for me to scoot over to him. I rest my head on his shoulder, tuck my legs under me and stare out the windshield at the road ahead of us. "You see this. This is out new beginning. A new life. Clean slate." I wrap my arms around his one and he put his hand on my thigh. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise."
I lightly nod as Ronnie turns the radio on and I eventually fall asleep with the moving car and the music.
A new start.
I've been dreaming of the last seen for months now. Her just cuddled up to Ronnie as they drive to their new life. AHH gotta love it. Not entirely pleased with how she 'faked her suicide' but I'm sleepy and I'm cold so fuck it.
Have you ever fallen asleep because the cars vibrations are just so relaxing. I have. It's amazing. Shortness has become an issue. Oh well. I only have so much time to write. ANYWAYS. Sorry for any incorrect grammar or spelling.
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-H