SWEET DREAMS (ON HOLD)

Fifteen...The Luckiest Girl

I struggled in his hands as the other man who appeared to be the ring leader stepped closer. His grin reminded me of Karns', the demon who had tried to steal my soul in what felt like a thousand years ago; menacing and conniving. And almost in a disturbing replay of that night, he grabbed a fallen strand of my hair and touched my cheek. I flinched against his touch and fought more against the muscular arms that were now restraining my body, to no avail.

The man smiled at me as I stared back in terror, shock condemning me into silence. His eyes lingered towards my neck while his fingers feathered the skin around that area, taunting.

" Now you better not scream. If you do," He suddenly grabbed at my neck and squeezed with brute strength that caused me to involuntarily inhale sharply. He released me shortly and I was left coughing.

It was nearly dark except for the streetlamp that illuminated a small puddle of yellow in the distance a few feet away from my car. The vacant street was quite besides my coughing and the attackers rigid breathing.

"Please," I pleaded. "I'll give you anything, just please let me -- "

That was all I could speak before the man whipped his hand across my face. The force of it pushed my head to the side and made it swim. After a second,I could taste blood. Tears filled into my eyes and a whimper trembled out of my lips at the throbbing pain that scorched on my lip and jaw. I've never been hit before so the pain was unexpected. With the pain came the words he didn't have to speak, it demanded silence. I obeyed his command as he watched the tears fall down my cheek and onto my coat, fearful of saying anything else that would bring that pain back.

I had to be the luckiest girl in the whole goddamn world. Figures, among all the problems I already had, I just needed this to happen to me too.

The man behind me tightened his arms around my torso after him and his leader exchanged a brief look. I cringed away as he leaned in again, preparing for the blow, but instead he snatched my purse in one agile movement. I released the air I didn't even know I was holding in.

He went through my purse in one beat and found my wallet. He was experienced and that frightened me to my very core. How many times had he done this to people that he knew exactly where secret compartments were hidden?Furthermore, I worried about much worse -- about what was going to happen next.

He dropped my purse and all of its bearings -- including the books that I borrowed from the library -- spilled out beneath him on the wet asphalt. With that creepy grimace, he fingered through the forty dollars I had in my wallet and once he was done he sneered, " She only has two twenties in her wallet."

" Damn, you serious?" The other guy that was beside him chimed and scowled, reaching for the money. " Let me see. Maybe you counted wrong."

The man gawked at him in irritation. " You idiot, I just said that there was two twenties -- How hard is it to count two twenties?!" I could see the fire he breathed out his nostrils, except the fire was clouds of heat meeting cold air instead. I glanced from him to the other and it wasn't until his cold eyes turned on me that I realized that his frustration wasn't only for his partner in crime but with me, too.

" You're telling me we wasted our time on forty bucks? That's bullsh*t. I thought this wh*re was worth more than that." The one behind me snickered.

For a moment, all was silent. I had unintentionally angered my attackers and now they both glared at me with questions in their eyes and twitching lips. Now we all shared that one question, what was going to happen next?

"What should we do now, Boss?" The guy beside him asked.

The 'boss' looked as if he was in deep thought. "Well," He replied in the most casual voice ever." She is mighty pretty... Perhaps we can have some fun with her."