I had barely taken three steps down the broken stone stairs when a fist came out of no where, slamming me in the cheek. I slipped and fell down the last stair, slamming my elbow hard onto the cobblestone street. I involuntary sucked a breath as pain shot up my arm. Then, suddenly in front of me, my father's came into view. His eyes were unfocused and squinted and he stared me down. Dread began to pool in my stomach.
"What are you doing out here?" He slurred, anger coating his words. He grabbed at the end of my short dress, pulling roughly on the fabric. "You some kind of whore now?" He jeered. I shrank back, my earlier bravado at my mask (change) fading as it had never been there at all. He kicked his leg out, slamming my calf hard into the steps. I suppressed a yell as the stairs bit into my leg. Unable to muster the courage to move, I cupped my hands over my face, waiting for the next blow. Then, from down the street a voice called out,
"Who's there?" The voice was male, his strange emphasis on his words marking his accent as foreign. My father swore under his breath and climbed over me like I was (thing) and hurriedly went through the doorway into the apartment.
As I slowly pulled my hands away form my face, I saw a tall lanky figure headed towards me. I stood up on the steps, cringing at the dark bruise already forming on my leg. I didn't want to know what my face looked like. The stranger came into view. The first thing I noticed about him was his slightly long hair that was messily falling to one side. The color was a striking mix of cobalt blue and jet black, making his hair glint even the dim dirty light of the street. His eyes met mine showing them to be a deep jade and black color. It seemed as everything about him, even his golden skin, was stained with some sort of darkness. I caught his gaze on my cheek and from the slight frown that tinged his previously neutral expression, I could tell that it didn't look good. I sincerely doubted that the blood I began to feel in mouth would help my cause. I tried to discretely move my battered leg behind me but I caught his gaze flick to it, and then over the rest of body before I could hide my injuries like I was so used to doing.
"Can I help you?" I asked, defiance in my tone. Abused girls aren't normally defiant, it throws teachers, friends, coworkers off my (thing) trail. I unconsciously let my silvery-white hair fall in front of my face.
"I was going to ask you the same," He asked, his frown intensifying.
"I'm fine," I snapped, perhaps a little too harshly to be believable. I turned on my heel and began walking in the direction the party I had been headed to earlier. I thought he had turned and walked away until I heard a voice call from behind me,
"You're welcome!"
-----
When I approached the warehouse, I could hear the deafening pound of music from inside. I looked behind me to make sure that no one would see me and I slipped inside the building. Immediately, my senses were assaulted with the smell of sickly sweet smoke and alcohol. The room was packed with bodies, tables and chairs pilled with belongings and drinks were haphazardly showed up against the wall. In wherever you looked there was young people clawing at each other, making-out, dancing, whatever you would like to call it. The base pounded front the band playing their lives away int he corner on a ramshackle raised platform. With a deep breath, I pushed my way through the crowd in the direction of the music, knowing that I would find my friends somewhere in the throng. Just as I pushed to the side by a couple that was oozing hormones, I felt a pair of hand snake around my waist, instinctively I went to shove my elbow up into their stomach, but I realizing in time that it was my boyfriend, Hunter. My body relaxed into his as his lips found their way to my neck.
"Ceyira!" I turned my head at the sound of name to see my best friend Kimzi squeezing through the crowd towards me as per her usual clubbing getup, she was in a slinky sparkly dress that made me look conservative. Her hair was tossed carelessly into a top knot, curls falling messily around her face. The almond shaped eyes where framed by a dramatic glittery cat flick the swooped back over her lid, creating a cut-crease affect. She rushed over to me, immediately spewing a string of unintelligible exclamations. She paused for a moment, "What happened to your face." Her little nose scrunched into a frown.
"I fell at work." I said without missing a beat. I shrugged off Hunter, annoyed at his incessant closeness to me. After my father, I didn't particularly have an interest on his hands on me for more than a second tonight. Kimzi immediately perked up, happy to believe my excuse. (Stuff, dancing get tired mention magic)
"Hey, come on baby," Hunters hand grabbed me as I turned to walk away towards the tables.
"I told you: Stop it," My pried his hands off my waist and tired to push away form him through the crowds again. This time he caught my hand, ł
"Hey, you said earlier that you would stay with me tonight." The anger that laced his voice made me whip my head around, made an all too familiar fear pool in my stomach. His face was all scrunched up, twisted by his thought that he could have me. That he deserved me.
My body had never understood the fight or flight response, and right then it made its inability to function apparent when I needed it most. Hunter pulled my body none too gently against his, and I cringed away from his touch.
"See, this what we're supposed to be like." His breath was hot on my ear. I made a weak attempt to pull away from him as I suddenly heard a familiar voice behind me.
"You should probably leave the lady alone," I managed to turn my head in time to see the blue-haired boy from the street standing behind me, his simple street clothes changed into a leather jacket and dark heavy pants over black army boots.
"What's it to you?" Hunter sneered as he maneuvered me to his side, his hand pressing down into my lower back uncomfortably.
"The lady and I have some business to attend to." He stated simply, his face a completely blank slate. Hunter squinted, scrutinizing him. Finally he turned me and demanded,
"You know this guy?" My eyes wide, I shook my head yes without really thinking about it.
"Let's go." The blue boy said to me. He held Hunter's gaze, daring him to challenge me and took my free arm that wasn't trapped between Hunter and I and gently, but firmly, led me away from Hunter towards one of the dark tables in the less crowded back area.
By the time we pushed through the crowd and reached the only empty table in sight, my heart was pounding in my chest. But, surprisingly, it wasn't the stranger who was making the blood sing through my body, it was the memory of Hunter's anger, his hands on me. We sat in charged silence for a moment and I couldn't help but notice the flickers of emotion that showed through the mask that was his face as he motioned one of the staff over. I couldn't breath for a second as I wondered if he was going to report Hunter. I let a breath as he quietly ordered some drinks. The girl who took the order ducked her head in an attempt to hide the scarlet blush creeping over her cheeks as she hurried away.
I turned my head back to the boy,
"Who was he?" His voice was quiet, unassuming, but he may as well have shouted at me.
"His name is Hunter," I tried to mimic his level tone, "He's my boyfriend." I added.
"Well maybe you should get a different boyfriend." He stated, no inflection, just a statement of fact. I opened my mouth, but then realized that I didn't have anything to say, so we sat in silence again. I looked down at my hands, fiddling with the the cheap sliver ring that I wore on my right hand. Suddenly, I looked up at him and in a sudden act of courage I asked,
"What's your name?" I blushed furiously, "I mean," I strengthened my voice, "Have you been following me or something?" He gazed into my eyes, his face still a frustratingly blank slate.
(End of Day 3)
I continued to look at him, purposely putting a cocky and confident expression on my face, and waited for an answer. When the silence had stretched into more than a minute, I roughly got up from the table, ready finale a dramatic exit from some guy who thought he was "helping" me. However, as I went to take the first step, I forgot my battered leg and stumbled. Suddenly, he was there again, his hand on forearm, steadying me. I looked back at him, ready to tell him to get away but once again I lost my words.
"Ryder," I jumped a little as he spoke.
"Pardon?" I asked, taking a small step towards the pulsing crowd.
"My name is Ryder," without so much as another glance, he disappeared into the crowd.