Zoot Suit Riot

Birds chirping. That's what she could hear.
Cori stretched and realized she was back in her bedroom, in her ugly pajamas. The sun shone through her window, casting dark shadows on the walls.

"What a dream!" she said aloud, remembering how scared she had been of Dunstan and what he was going to do to her. She thought of Marius as well and felt her cheeks flush at the thought of him. He was gorgeous and protected her from harm, she wished there was a real life man as dreamy as he was.

She got up and sorted out something to wear when a flash of blue caught her eye.
The blue dress that had been missing.

"What the hell is going on? How did this get back here?" Cori sighed, staring at the shiny sequins. Had someone been in her house while she was asleep? She certainly was deep into her dream, so it was entirely possible.

Utterly confused, Cori went out into the warm sunshine and watered her small garden. She heard footsteps approaching behind her and turned to see a couple coming towards her.

"Hi, I'm Jimmy, this is my wife Emily. We just moved in across the street and thought we would meet our new neighbors. What's your name?" the man asked nicely.

"Corinne. Or you can call me Cori, either one. It's nice to meet you, this neighborhood could really use more good people in it." Cori said politely.

Jimmy smiled at her warmly and Cori was instantly glad to have met people who seemed very nice. Maybe they could become good friends, God knows Cori needed a few more of them.

"We really like it here, everyone has been so nice to us so far. You should call me sometime and maybe we can go have lunch or something." Emily said enthusiastically.

"Sure, that would be great." Cori replied, unsure whether to tell them the strange things she had been experiencing lately.

"Well, we had better get going, it was nice to meet you Cori. I'm sure we will become good friends. Bye." Emily said with a smile.

Cori looked at both of them with excitement. Maybe it was time for her to become more social, it might do her some good to be with real people instead of always in her dreams. Problem is, she still isn't sure if everything that has happened has been a dream.

Deep in thought, Cori was trying to decide what to do next when she felt someone coming. She didn't hear anything, but she could sense a very strong presence. As it got closer, she turned to see him.

"Morpheus."

"Corinne. Enjoying your adventures? Ready for another?"

Having a million and one questions to ask him, Cori began to speak when Morpheus ran down the sidewalk.

"Wait, Morpheus! I need to ask you some questions!" Corinne yelled as she ran after him. Eventually, she lost sight of him and decided to take a short rest.

Looking up at the clouds, Cori smiled. How simple things are when you look up at the sky, no confusion, just steady rhythm. Cori's eyes grew heavy and soon she found them closed.

Sometime later, her eyelids fluttered open, a strange haze covering her vision. Squares of glass, she could see a reflection but could barely make it out.

The squares grew larger and clearer.

Her vision finally cleared and she could see a woman in white. She was singing, the song was nearly over. Cori turned around to look at her.

She looked familiar, who was she? The song ended and Cori heard a small applause. There were only a few people in the room. Where was she? It looked like some sort of club.

Cori turned back toward the bar, she noticed a man with dark hair in a bartender getup.
Morpheus. Would he ever leave her alone?


As the man turned and walked over to her, Corinne finally got a clear reflection of herself in the mirror. What in the world was she wearing? Her hands went up to the hat, yep, it was really there. She looked up at the bartender, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

But it wasn't Morpheus.
"How 'bout a drink Miss Corinne?" he said, holding a glass.
"As long as it's not red, I don't care." Cori said with a sigh.
The bartender laughed as the blond woman who had been singing approached him.

"Darling, you know spirits make Corinne delirious, what are you thinking?" she said, but how did she know?

"Oh yes, I forgot. Sorry." he said to Cori, who finally realized who they were.

Jimmy and Emily.

"Okay, now I know I'm dreaming." Cori thought to herself.

"Corinne honey, you need to hurry and get ready, he just came in and you know how impatient he gets for you." Emily said across the bar.

"What, get ready for what? Who's here for me? Morpheus?" Cori asked with confusion.

Emily looked back at her with a puzzled expression. "No, I don't know any Morpheus. Mr. Drake, you're his woman, don't you remember?"

"Oh, I see. I think I need a little help getting ready though, can you help me Emily?" Cori asked slyly, she had some idea what was going on but wasn't ready to deal with this by herself yet. Another man who had staked a claim on her that she didn't even know.

"Sure honey, no problem." Emily said, curious at Corinne's unusual behavior.

Cori got up and nervously headed across the room when she saw the man who must be waiting for her.

She stopped dead in her tracks, unable to move, as she was drawn into his eyes that were looking back at her. She couldn't believe eyes like that existed, they were scary, but beautiful. Strong, sensitive, deep and full of mystery.

He stared back at her steadily, as she noticed a small scar above his left eye. Judging by his appearance, Cori assumed he was a gangster, right down to the pinstripe suit.

"Evening ladies, Miss Corinne, are you going to get ready for me?" he asked seductively.

Cori couldn't answer, she was scared of him, but not in a normal way. His aura was so powerful, yet so seemingly gentle.

"Yes Mr. Drake, she'll be out in a few minutes. Come on Corinne dear." Emily said, shaking her head at how odd Cori was acting tonight.

A few moments later, Cori found herself on a stage, in front of a microphone. So this was what she "did" for him. Her hands nervously found the mic, she knew she was a horrible singer, but she couldn't stop now. She didn't even know what to sing!

As soon as she opened her mouth however, a melody found her voice like a horse to water. She stopped, shocked by the voice that was escaping her, she could never sing like this! She was almost too embarrassed to continue, when she caught his eyes again.

They penetrated her soul and urged her to go on. She took a deep breath and started to sing again, with more passion this time.

Unbelievable! I feel like I'm in a movie! Corinne thought to herself as she heard the velvety voice coming from her sing the romantic melody.

Her song was over and the small crowd cheered loudly for her. Corinne felt like a Hollywood starlet after a big show and she loved how it felt.

He was waiting for her as she descended the stage stairs.

"My dear Corinne, that was beautiful, more passionate than usual." he said, kissing her hand lightly.

She felt herself tingle at his touch, he was exciting and Cori could tell he was a dangerous, powerful man. "Thank you Mr. Drake, I'm pleased you liked it." she said, smiling.

"Such formality, are you toying with me? You know you always call me Sam. At any rate, I'm ready to retire, aren't you? Come with me my dear." he purred, leading her to the corner of the room where a spiral staircase waited patiently.

Corinne watched him go up first, admiring his shoes. Was she really a mobster's lady? Surely that would mean that he would lose his temper with her occasionally. After all, men who had other men killed for any reason weren't known to be mild-mannered.

A little scared and excited all at the same time, Cori followed him up the stairs.

She followed him to a room that was lined with curtains, she wondered what on earth went on in a room that needed curtains. Well, she had a pretty good idea.

She pulled back the soft silk and admired the room beyond. The velvet sofas, a cluster of lit candles and a quiet trickling fountain in the corner all added a sense of romance to the small room.

She felt Sam come up behind her as she turned to face him.

"My dear Corinne, you look lovely tonight. I enjoyed your song very much." he said softly, caressing her cheek. She blushed with embarrassment, but wasn't afraid of his touch. He was gentle with her, his hands were surprisingly soft for such a tough looking man.

The look in his deep green eyes turned feverish as he gathered her in his arms and kissed her romantically.

Gasping for air, she pulled away and rested in his arms. He looked at her with such desire, but she wasn't scared of him the way she had been of Dunstan. He seemed to care for her deeply, even though she didn't know him at all.

"I love you Corinne, you know that. You're my girl and if that fool thinks he's taking you away from me, he's dead wrong." he said mysteriously. Cori looked back at him and she suddenly felt his hands find the back of her dress. Her heart pounded as he unfastened the clasp and slid her soft dress to the floor.

He drank in the sight of her, noticing her obvious embarrassment. It heightened his desire even more so, she was never this nervous about being with him.

He gently led her over to the sofa and sat down beside her.

She felt his soft hand on her back and it sent shivers down her spine. Why couldn't she resist this man? She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back with all she had.

Suddenly, her brain told her to pull away.

"What's wrong? You usually like me to leave on my hat." he said, looking down at her.

"No, it's not that at all. I just..." Cori couldn't think of how to say it.

"I just was thinking about what you said. What man? Who wants to take me away from you?" she asked, trying to stall him hoping she would wake up before she did anything she would regret.

"Corinne darling, you know very well who. That newcomer who thinks he's taking over my business. Gabe Lothario."

Gabe! It couldn't be!

As Corinne tried to say something, anything, the room started to spin. Blackness surrounded her, as she opened her eyes, Sam was gone.

~Beth, tag you're it!