LOSING MATE

2- A NIGHT WITH BEASTS

They occupied all ages, from the old couple who sat in chairs placed beside the columns to the young teenagers who danced to the music provided by the DJ. Among the dancers and those at the table were others like myself who were dressed in street clothes and other less formal attire. The room was unnaturally warm, and I immediately began to perspire. Kurt put his arm around me, held my left arm tightly, and guided me out onto the floor.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked,

"No, i just want to set in the corner and watched." I replied.

"Ok fine, how about drinks, any brand?"

"I don't drink alcohol." I said. That's only an excuse for me to return to my apartment sober; the place is new to me, and I'm not used to this type of expensive bar. I'm much more cautious because I don't know anyone here, including Kurt.

"What do you think of this party?" he wondered.

"It's certainly." I stopped when my eyes caught sight of a brilliant pair of blue eyes. They belonged to a handsome man of about thirty who was dressed in a fine suit. His beautiful eyes scrutinized me with such a strong mix of interest and fear that my heart picked up its tempo.

"I'm going to pee, Is it okay with you if I leave you here for the time being being?"

"Yes, take your time," I said. Then he left me at the table. I saw him talking to someone. I didn't pay attention, and I just took my time with the people around me and how beautiful the place is. It seems that only rich people can afford to enter this place. 

Kurt places his arms again on my shoulders when he came back to me.

"Is something wrong?" he wondered.I shook myself and turned away.

"Nothing. I just thought I saw somebody I knew, but I was wrong."

"Good." Kurt glanced at his watch and frowned.
"I just remembered there was a call I needed to make. Would you excuse me for a few minutes?"
I glanced at the time. It's already a few minutes before midnight.

"Sure, we've got time to kill," I agreed. Kurt smiled, bowed his head, and left me again going to the elevator. I noticed a burly man standing on one side, and Kurt showed the man his coin. The man nodded and jerked his thumb at the open elevator doors. Kurt stepped into the machine with a few others, and the doors closed behind them. I was alone and feeling slightly nervous about being around of so many strangers.

My eyes inadvertently returned to the young man. He still watched me, and I noticed an older woman standing beside him. She stood regally at his side in a blue dress with frills on the modest collar. Her white hair was short and permed, and she glanced from the man to me and back at the stranger. Her lips moved, but I couldn't hear any sound over the noise of the music and laughter. The man pursed his lips and turned his head away, but his eyes stared at me out of their corners. I wandered over to the refreshments, and a woman of about forty in a smart business suit came up to me.

"You must be new here," she commented.
"Um, yeah, I guess I am," I replied. She smiled and looped her arm through one of mine.
"The real party's about to start. Are you alone?" 

"No, my friend had an important call this time, he is in the outside now." I said. Then she told me,

"Alright, you will not be regretful that this was the best place to spend your final moments."

"Final moments?" I looked around the room and saw that the other people in their normal attire were being led to the stage. 

"Why not join them? to experience the life of a beast." 

What she said made me feel uneasy. When I heard the word "beasts," I thought about my parents, and I know what kind of beasts they are. So I asked

"What kind of beasts?"

"You will see..." the woman smiles. It appears to express hunger and enthusiasm at the dinner table with a good meal.

"Now let's get you up there so we don't miss you," she encouraged me. She guided me to the stage and up the short flight to the top. The others and myself were lined up at the back of the stage, and our handlers stepped down to join the crowd congregating at the base.

The DJ stopped the music and joined the partygoers as they pressed against the front of the stage. The people were packed in a tight group that stretched from one side of the floor to the other. I saw the man there with his older escort. He had a tense stance as though about to jump onto the stage, but the woman held his arm to keep him from giving in to the impulse.

The room quieted when the door beside the stage opened. Two men stepped out. One was a bespectacled older gentleman who wore a black suit and led his companion up the stairs. His friend was a young man of about thirty-five with long black hair tied back in a low tail that cascaded down his back. He had dark eyes and pale lips that smiled at each of us as they passed by a podium at the front center of the stage.

The bespectacled man took the podium first and cleared his throat.

"This is our yearly gathering. A meeting of the wolves to welcome our guests, The race is looking for a new Luna for the pack and each female on here will be identified for which one is the lucky chosen" he announced.

Mentioning "Luna" what is it all about? caused a ripple of nervousness to pass through my little line. One of the men in our group stepped forward.

"What the hell is this about Luna, and wolves?" he asked the bespectacled fellow.

"He is right, we are not an animals here." A woman said. Then all laughed. Obviously she's drunked but she is still aware of what happened around her.

"As you chose to come here is a paradise. I assure you of this, you have been chosen for a very important task " the younger man said. He strode back down our line to the man who stood out.