"Hurry up and strip you loser!" an irritated voice shouted behind a foggy glass door, the silhouette indicating at an hourglass body.
On the other side of the door someone hid behind the curtains, grimacing at the benches inside the small changing room. "Coming!" she shouted, her agitation dripping from the word.
She looked at herself in the fogged up mirror nailed onto the wall. A frown was plastered on her face, and her hair was pulled back with a scrunchy. Looking farther down, you could see she was dressed in a bikini a size too small, with her chest almost falling out of the black fabric.
"Hurry up!" the other girl whined. "Or do I have to go in there myself?"
Rolling her eyes, she turned away from the mirror and pulled the curtain aside. Padding through the locker room, she debated turning and hightailing it back to the car.
"Don't even think about it." a pair of small hands clamped around her wrists, and began to tug her out of the room.
Ellie flinched, feeling knots forming in her stomach for a moment before she pushed the feeling away and followed the taller girl out of the doors and into the poolroom. The room was unbearably hot, and the fog clouded anything farther than a few inches in front of their noses. But Ellie was the only one that seemed to mind.
"Jacuzzi or pool?" Farah asked.
"Pool." Ellie said, turning "And isn't this fog a safety hazard?"
"Just as much as your boobs are."
"What do you mean?" Ellie muttered as she looked down to look at her chest.
Farah giggled. "Hun," she said, looking at Ellie’s chest as well. "If a poor soul bumps into them he might end up flying to Alaska..."
"Thanks..."
They took a few more steps before Farah slowed down. "And by the way, try not to fa-"
Ellie hadn't stopped walking; a big mistake, two feet in front of Farah, she took a step and didn't find solid ground. Instead her foot plunged into the cold water, and her body soon followed.
"-ll into the water..." Farah cocked her hip to the side and rested her hands on them. "Would you listen to me!" she scolded.
Ellie surfaced with a loud gasp. "I really hate you right now."
Farah laughed and slipped into the water as well, slowly threading around the area Ellie was at. Ellie turned at the same rate as Farah did, making sure that she didn't pull any stunts.
After many cycles Farah sighed and gave up. "You're so stiff. Lighten up."
"But you give off a scary vibe." Ellie whispered with a pout. "You might just murder me when I'm not looking."
That earned her a hard slap to the side of the head. "Are you saying I'm scary?"
Ellie nodded.
Another slap.
"Stop hitting me!" she shouted. "It's not helping your point!"
Farah laughed, pulling away from Ellie and submerging. When she was completely under, Ellie's heart picked up its pace. This was it, she was honestly going to get killed by this woman. Farah was going to drown her and let someone find her body floating in the middle of the pool. In those horror movies the pretty lady is always the crazy one...
"I should probably get out..." Ellie whispered to herself, beginning to swim towards the place she fell in.
If only she could get out silently...
Then a hand grabbed onto her foot and dragged her under. With a final breath, Ellie said goodbye to the world...
Only to come up for another breath. As she gasped for air, Ellie could hear Farah laughing loudly behind her.
"I...thought I was dead there..."
Ignoring her comment, Farah pulled herself out of the water. "Let's go to the Jacuzzi, it's too cold in here."
Ellie pulled herself out of the water too, but with completely different intentions, she needed to get away from this madwoman... Now.
But alas, five minutes later she found herself sinking deeper into the warm water in pure ecstasy. "I hate how you are so good at controlling me."
Farah laughed as she slipped farther into the water, moaning as the water pounded against her muscles through the pipe. "Can't say you hate the Jacuzzi though, can you?"
Ellie closed her eyes and sighed. "Couldn't pay me a million dollars to say it..."
"Agreed."
The only noise for the next hour was the steady fall of the water in the fake waterfall.
"Did you hear everything in the car?" Farah finally asked.
Ellie cracked an eye open for a moment before closing it again. "Depends on whether you're talking about the phone call or the person to person case."
Having gotten her answer, Farah groaned.
"Doesn't mean I have a clue about what you guys were talking about..."
"Good point." Farah returned.
More silence.
"Are you going to explain anything?"
"You have a job." was her only answer.
"Money?"
"Yup."
"House?"
"Sure."
"Food?"
"Yeah."
"Perfect."
"Agreed."
"Now can I ask why I'm classified as dangerous?"
Farah swam to her side and jabbed her on the side of her head. "Wait... You shouldn't be so calm about it!" she hissed, ignoring Ellie's question. "What about your friends and family?"
"I can find other friends," Ellie shrugged. "And the only family member I had kicked me out, so I have a reason to be calm."
"So you’re just going to forget about them?" Farah whispered.
"I guess."
A fist came right at her face.
"That's the most selfish thing I've heard in my life." Farah said, pulling herself out of the water and out of Ellie’s sight. "Get changed and maybe later I'll be able to talk to you." she called, then was gone.
Blood dripped into the water rhythmically. "Damn that woman packs a steel punch."
--------
"Another shot." Danny shouted; slamming his cup against the counter for the up tenth time. "Make it the strongest kind you have."
The whole bar was empty, leaving the only employee give all his attention to the stressed kid.
The bartender, a young man with blond hair and brown eyes leaned forward and stared at Danny straight in the eye. "How old are you?" he asked mockingly.
"17 dumbass, I'm not drunk yet." Danny bit out. "Give me another shot."
"You're not old enough to drink yet, kiddo." the man reached out to ruffle Danny’s hair, making pieces of hair stick up in many places.
Danny hit his head against the counter with a loud groan escaping his lips. "Damn you, you stupid little Fu-"
"Ah-ah watch the language." the bartender scolded. "You know I was just kidding " he tipped a vodka bottle into the cup and waited for Danny to pick it up, "Don't murder me for it."
"Why is it that you only imply the 21 year old rule when I feel like shi-"
"Language."
"You know what I mean." Danny continued. "You act like it matters."
"Base needs to seem like it's perfect, and if others got word that kids like you were drinking then-"
"Inspectors would be swarming the place- if they could get in without getting shot down."
"Exactly."
Danny's lips quirked up. He picked the cup up and downed it immediately. "Another."
The bartender poured him another cup. "Are you almost done?"
"Not even close." Danny looked up at the frowning man. "What are you looking at?" he snapped.
The older man raised his hands in surrender, "Just curious to know what has you so worked up."
"Headquarters," Danny spat.
"Is it the Captain?" he asked.
"I'd assume."
The bartender reached for a large cup and poured the rest of the bottled contents into it. He pushed it towards Danny. "Here man, you'll need it."
Danny nodded and tipped the big cup up, chugging it. He ignored the burning in his throat, and in seconds it was all gone.
"So what's the deal?"
Danny shook his head, "It's a debt I owe the man," he said. "And he doesn't plan on saying it's paid. According to him, letting go of me would be a waste of power."
"He hadn't said anything for the past three years..."
"Because the council was keeping him on a close watch, but they must have given up on him." he ran a hand through his hair. "And now that that girl is here too, it's going to be a mess."
"Who?"
"One of the kids that are supposed to hold a tremendous power."
The bartender was scowling now. "She can’t go to headquarters. That would be murder for everyone. If captain finds out about her, then it'll be the end of the peace." he seemed to be deep in thought.
Danny agreed with the him completely. She just wasn't safe there, with that man around, he was bound to use her for something dangerous, but Danny was the only one qualified to keep an eye out for someone of her strength. If he left her, she would end up killing herself, if he took her, someone else would do it for her. "I don't know..." Danny said. "I can't guarantee helping her. I’m not even sure if anyone else knows about her yet,"
Her power.
And if he managed to find her, then anything with a supernatural power could have as well. They knew what her power felt like. And now, she was a perfect target for any hungry demon.
Danny hurled the cup in his hands against the farthest wall in the room. "I'm stuck with her."
The older man searching for answers within Danny's endless eyes. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," He snapped, "that unless you want an Eclipse becoming stronger than all of us, I have to stay at her side."
"What do you mean?"
Danny reached for the shot glass. "I means you need to get drunk with me."
"Sure." he pulled two tequila bottles out from below the counter, "but we need more than shots." he pulled the corks out and pushed one of the bottles to Danny.
"Cheers to our miserable lives." Danny murmured.
[-------°°°-------]
Ellie passed corridor after corridor, glancing down each hall in hopes of finding someone. Her footsteps echoed throughout the passage dramatically.
The hall she was in was brightly light, illuminating the rose colored walls and the white tile with spiral designs. Doors were evenly spaced on each wall, amounting to three between almost every intersecting hall.
After Farah had left her earlier, she had stayed in the water until her fingers had turned wrinkly, and she began feeling light-headed. Then she had gotten out and slowly made her way across the room, stepping slowly to make sure she found even ground. When she had stubbed her foot against a wall, Ellie had sighed in relieve as she began to search for the door. The moment she had found it, she had entered the changing room and had looked for anything to cover herself with, but the only piece of clothing she found was a medium towel that only covered her chest down to her hips.
Now she found herself in the middle of nowhere half naked; leaving a small stream of water behind her.
And for the life of her, she couldn't figure out the cause of Farah’s anger.
"There's a tiny chance someone's in this hall." she said, while stopping to look down another empty corridor. "Might as well take it." stepping forward, she pressed a hand against the closest wall sighing loudly.
Determined to find someone and get herself in a warm bed, she walked down the hall, only stopping when she found a door, but the ones that weren't locked were empty.
"I hate this place!" Ellie screamed, balling her hands into fists, "I hate these stupid doors," she stomped to the next door in her path and reached out for the knob, "I hate the stupid people who aren't even here," when she turned it, there was a resistance on the other side.
Ellie turned the knob the other way, but the person on the other side shifted as well. "You stupid-"
"Stop messing around!" a voice growled on the other side of the door. "Or I swear that you'll be hanging upside down in five seconds."
Ellie rolled her eyes and turned the knob again with no avail. "Let me open the door-" she snapped back.
"Watch the door man!" another person called out, his words slurring together as he spoke. "I don't wanna pay for it."
Ellie lifted her foot and pushed it against the wall next to the door, using it as leverage as she twisted the knob. "Just let go of the door and we'll all be happy in two seconds."
The resistance on the other side gave way. Ellie turned the knob with all her force and yanked the door open, which in turn threw her against the tile.
Stunned, she stared at the ceiling, following the colored dots that wouldn't stop moving.
"What are you looking at?" the slurred voice's owner asked.
Ellie turned to face the person who had just spoken, and found him laying down besides her in a similar position to her own. He was squinting at the ceiling, searching for whatever she had just been looking at.
"Get off the floor you bastard." the other person said, "You look like a little kid," he was leaning against the open door with a hand rubbing his face roughly.
Ellie stared at him for a few moments before she realized who it was, "Your..." she leaned forward and pointed at him, "David!"
Danny pushed away from the door, letting his hand drop to his side to reveal bloodshot eyes "Wrong name, sweetie."
"Donovan?"
The man that was laying down next to her snickered. "That's such a racist name," he snorted and made a failed attempt to move into a sitting position. He gave up after one try and continued to look at the ceiling. "Racism..." he began to laugh loudly. "The word sounds just as dumb as your boobs!"
He was lost.
Ellie gave the man a sideways glance, raising a questioning eyebrow, "He's... absolutely wasted." she said, turning to look at Danny. "And your-"
"Danny,"
"I was going to say that you seem to be just as drunk as this kid, but an answer's an answer." she shrugged.
Danny didn't bother to reply, he approached the fallen man and pulled him over his shoulder silently.
"Isn't he heavy?" she realized too late how stupid the question sounded.
"No," he gave her a sideways glance, "he's lighter than a sponge,"
Ellie picked herself off the floor and stood next to him. He was at least a full head taller than her.
"Why'd you storm off earlier?"
"Why are you asking so many stupid things?" his eyes met hers, daring her to answer.
Danny began walking down the hall in the same direction Ellie had been going earlier. He angled his head to the side.
She ran to catch up to him, why was he acting so cold towards her? She felt the urge to ask but his cold responses stopped her. A urge to kick something burned through her. "Where can I find a room to sleep in?" she finally murmured.
"You think you’re going to get a bed?" a mocking smile played on his lips. "You seem to be feeling important."
Ellie couldn't help but feel offended, something Danny must have been aiming for. She searched for something to say.
He lowered the wasted man to the floor, turning to face the stopped girl, and strode closer to her.
Stepping back tentatively, she tried to keep the distance between each other, yet all too soon the wall closed in on her back. Then she was jailed between Danny's arms.
Leaning down, Danny allowed only a breath of air to separate them. "Why don't you go sleep in the bathroom floor? Do you expect to sleep on something others have to work through blood and tears to earn?"
Ellie could smell the alcohol in his breath, clogging her airways with the foul smell, "I was just wondering where I could sleep... It's nothing extreme." she couldn't help but shrink away as she spoke.
His eyes darkened, turning more black than brown. "Since it's not that 'extreme' I'm sure you'll be fine sleeping on the floor."
"Has anyone mentioned how rude you are when your drunk?" she snapped.
He found this funny, "Not only when I'm drunk," he twisted a finger in her hair, making her face turn away in disgust, "I'm always like this, so get used to it." giving her hair a harsh tug, Danny pushed away from the wall, he reached for his friend and pulled him over his shoulder again before continuing down the hall. "Partner."
Ellie remained leaning against the wall until she mustered enough courage to talk. "Where do I go, then?"
Danny chuckled, "There's a room right next to you, and it's empty." he stopped momentarily, "I'll come by in the morning."
She slid down the wall as he continued to walk away, and only minutes after he had turned into another hall did she move.
Swallowing her pride she opened the closest door to her right and stepped in. Even with only the light of the hall, she could tell there was nothing inside. Ellie searched for a light switch, and after patting down the entire area around the door, she found it.
The light flickered on and she found herself in a room colored a light blue color. In the middle of it there was a similarly colored rug. Ellie closed the door and walked towards it. She curled up into a ball and tried to fall asleep, even though she knew that wouldn't be happening tonight.
It felt horrible to sleep on the floor, the rug was itchy and it scratched her bare skin every-time she moved an inch, and there was no worst feeling than knowing that every room around her was just as abandoned. It felt like she was in a haunted house, and if it really was, then she was sure that no one would be able to hear her.
Ellie laid on her back and tried to find images in the popcorn-design ceiling as a way to distract herself. She managed to find a bunny hopping over a clown face, as well as a snake sliding over a jalapeño right before it entered the mouth of a creature.
Groaning, she slapped a hand over her eyes, it was great to know that her mind was happy to scare the living daylights out of her right at this moment. Sneaking a peek at the ceiling she searched for the creature with pointy teeth, and when she found it again she looked for the eyes.
Letting out a dry sob, as she hid her face between her knees, Ellie imagined the girl from the mall.
No irises...
"Why is it that your brain makes the freakiest connections when you’re already afraid?" she muttered.
"I'll sleep in the bathroom!" she shouted, "I'll do it if it means I can have someone close enough to hear me scream..." her voice faded as she spoke, but the only response she heard was a soft tap from somewhere in the next room. And that caused Ellie to freak out just a little more...