Boundaries

Chapter 1

The board walk was buzzing with night life, bright lights illuminated the walkways lulling me into a comfortable pace as I clutched my remaining resumes to my chest. Rock music drifted upwards from the beach concert and mashed hauntingly with the carnival tunes.

To most it was loud and irritating, but I found it oddly soothing, the familiar sounds drew a parallel with my childhood memories and the good times my family once shared. It had been years since we visited Grandpa and now we would have to plant our own roots with one less family member. It was heartbreaking but a change that none of us could evade now the wheels had been set in motion.

Wondering along the store fronts I found myself observing the crowds, people watching was always an enjoyable pass time for me. My shy demeanor cast me out of most social circles, something that I had struggled with throughout my eighteen years of life, but I was quite happy to befriend the old worn out pages of my favorite books.

Stopping at the beach railing beside a bench of giggling girls I drew my eyes up to the group they were ogling at. Three blonds and a brunette lounged around four motorbikes, their predatory eyes shadowed the crowd, they surveyed the passing people who seemed to avoid them. The men held an air of mystery about them.

It was plain to see they were the troublemakers in the area, all four seemed so at ease like they owned the boardwalk. Most folks steered clear of the group as they recognized, like I did, that these guys were dangerous.
Turning back to the young girls near me I noticed their failed attempts to catch the attention of the small gang, they seemed so desperate for a chance to join that forbidden world. Their rather revealing clothes were a far cry from my own loose jumper and shorts. Even their high heels seemed out of place to an outsider, but I knew from experience that this boardwalk held many different people from all walks of life. There were no fashion victims in this town only trend setters. My younger brother would fit right in.

Assessing the group again I could see the appeal, they were devilishly attractive in a roguish kind of way and every father's worst fear, 'definitely not my type' I mused to myself.

At that moment, the platinum blonds head shot up and our eyes locked.
I could feel the atmosphere change around us as my vision tunneled, the rest of the world vanished. A cold breeze slithered up my arms and the icy trickle of fear crept along my exposed neck. Panic set in as my lungs ceased to function while my heart threatened to beat out of my chest. My body was frozen in place as he slowly drew himself up, like he was about to cross the distance between us. His face remained neutral in a completely inhuman way.
I begged my limbs to move, my brain screamed for me to run. Being invisible was what I did best, and this guy, well he was like a demon crawling out of my nightmares, threatening to pull me into a dark abyss.

I had to leave.

A tall figure passed in front and my eyesight darkened. Broken from the spell I pulled away blinking rapidly as the sounds of the boardwalk returned. My breathing was labored as I risked another glance up but the group had vanished.

I was so spooked by the sudden encounter that I couldn't stop my body from trembling in fear.

My pace quickened as I rushed away from the spot and attempted to find my mother who had been looking for work just like I had been. Trying to put that frightening experience out of my mind was difficult as I hurried along the streets. I could see the newspaper articles now, new girl in town eaten alive by carnivorous gang members. That's if my body was ever found. After all this was the murder capital of the world.

Spotting mom in the window of a busy video store I hurried towards the entrance. The sooner I got to her the quicker we could leave.

Not paying attention I slammed into something hard and fell. A pair of black boots came into view as my eyes shot open from my position on the pavement.

"Gosh, I am so sorry, I..." I started but imediatly trailed off as dark obsidian eyes met mine, watching me with curiosity. It was the Native American from the group of bikers.

My throat restricted with sheer terror as two of his fellow friends hauled me to my feet. Their hands a cold contrast to my heated skin, the feeling staying long after they'd let go. I couldn't hear what the other three were laughing about but I assumed it was directed at me. I forced my head down to avoid their gaze, not wanting to risk any more recognition as the fear turned into embarrassment.

"S-sorry" my voice mumbled out before desperately rushed past all four into the safety of the store.