Chapter 1
Birthday Surprise
The end of October is always a bit chilly, but this year, the wind had a particularly noticeable bite to it. As I walked down the street to my friend Lilly's townhouse, I found myself pulling and tugging at my thin cotton cardigan to keep it into place. I wished that it had buttons in the front, like some of my others. I had even pulled the sleeves down as far as possible as a make shift shelter for my hands. The things that I do to myself for style. The tiny black thing was a perfect complement to the royal purple tank and skinny jeans that I had donned for the evening's events. Unfortunately, it was just for looks and did nothing to keep away the cold.
I took the last few steps around the corner of 5th and Grady Street, where Lily had lived for years and looked up at her bright red, welcoming door. I bounded up the front stairs, trying not to throw my clumsy-self off balance in these boots from hell. Without even knocking, I reached forward and turned the door knob. A welcome blast of heat hit my face as I stepped through the door.
Since it was after 6pm, I know that Lily's mom must be at work. She has worked second shift at the hospital ever since Lily's dad left them a couple years ago. She said the money was better and she didn't mind being up late. With her absence certain, I called out "Hey" as loud as I could up the tiny set of carpeted steps, shedding the boots so that I wouldn't get dirt on the creamy carpet. A muffled "Blair, get your ass up here!" came from the top of the stairs and I started moving to head up to her room.
Sliding past the half open door to her bedroom, I found her standing in front of her closet. She was half dressed in only black leggings and a bra. She was staring into her wardrobe.
"What's up, birthday girl?" she said, smile beaming as she turned to face me.
"Nothing much, just psyching myself up for whatever crazy stunts you have planned for me tonight." I said, taking time to scrutinize her appearance. "What are you doing?"
In response, her face instantly transformed into a scowl, "Ugh, I can't decide what to wear. I wanna be HOT tonight. Eric might be there and I have to show him what he is missing."
"I thought you were over him?" I asked a bit puzzled.
"Oh, I am." She replied. "But, if he is there, it will probably be with Kassie and I just want to show him what an idiot he is".
I giggled at her vindictiveness and went to sit on her bed. I sat and crossed my legs in front of me and rested my face on my hands. Knowing Lily, this might take a while.
Fifteen minutes later, Lily had settled on a skin tight red silky dress with tiny straps and a bit of lace that hugged the edge around the top of her breasts. Her blonde hair fell down around her shoulders in a loose set of curls. She had finished the look by adding a bit of eyeliner and bright red lipstick that matched the dress. The pair of red heels she had slid on to her feet were just icing on an already dazzling cake.
"So where exactly are we going?" I asked a bit curious and feeling more than slightly under dressed compared to her.
"Out", she teased, "It's a surprise".
I knew a lost cause when I saw one and Lily had put on her steel mask. The one that let me know that she would not be telling me anything until we were officially at our destination. I could tell that she was really excited for tonight and that gave me butterflies in my stomach.
In our friendship, Lily was always the outspoken firecracker, down for any form of crazy shenanigans and I was the little mouse that had stayed in the shadow of her personality. I had never minded being the side kick. In all honesty, I would probably just sit at home reading books all weekend if I didn't have her to pull me along. That's why when she had suggested planning something to do on my birthday, I had known to expect the unexpected. "After all, you will only turn 21 once!" had been her argument and after an hour of dragging my heels, I had conceded.
She checked herself once more in the mirror and I mimicked her. I couldn't help but compare her vibrant blonde hair to my dark auburn color. She had been dying her hair for years, but I had always been too afraid to take the risk of putting color on my hair. I was afraid that dye would make the natural red highlights from all those days in the summer sun disappear and never come back. Her small, trim figure did a twirl in the mirror beside of me and I began to look at my own figure. I too was trim around the waist, but I was much curvier than Lily. She has always joked that she was going to get plastic surgery and tell the surgeon that she wanted boobs like mine. With a sigh and one final look at myself, we headed off down stairs. As Lily put her coat on and went to set the alarm system, I zipped up my boots and stepped back into the cool October night.
Chapter 2
Plans Change
Lily and I walked arm and arm through half the city. We held onto each other in an attempt to share some of our body warmth. It was getting colder by the second and we needed to keep the chill at bay. Plus, it meant she was able to lead me where she intended us to go without having to say anything that gave away our destination. Once we hit Crowley Street, I knew that we were going straight toward "The Alley", a hip club that everyone in my college classes were always raging about on Monday mornings. I groaned internally. The thought of standing in that line so that a big bouncer could decide if I was sexy enough for entry made me want to have one of my trademark panic attaches. I must have groaned a bit out loud as well, for Lilly grabbed my arm a bit tighter, a giant, devious smile on her face.
"Don't worry, birthday girl. You look smoking and this will be so much fun".
"Obviously, you don't remember the last time I attempted to dance. I tripped over my feet and busted it in front of Spencer Clark. I still can't look him in the eye when I see him on campus." I complained.
"Well, that was when you were dumb enough to wear my heels and you weren't used to them. Not to mention, they were a size and a half too big for your tiny feet. Tonight, you have on boots, no worries".
"I don't know if you have noticed or not, but these "no worry" boots have heels and are already starting to kill my feet." I retorted.
She heaved a sigh and just pulled me on along with her, deciding not to try to convince me until we actually made it into the club. We only had a few blocks left when we passed a side street that led to the entrance of the downtown park. I wouldn't have even noticed if it weren't for the heavy traffic of people walking past and heading that way. We paused for a moment and looked down the street. The park, normally dark this time of evening, was glowing with activity. I could see the trickle of light beams coming from the gateway, and something large was standing just past the little grass hill that marked the start of nature in the middle of the city's concrete jungle.
Lily and I looked at each other, shrugging off the abnormality and crossing the stream of people to continue towards the club. That's when Lily stopped dead in her tracks and I nearly toppled over at her unexpected change of pace. My eyes found hers and I followed her gaze to a group of guys heading straight toward us, Eric in the lead. "Shit", she said under her breath. Her spine straightened up a bit and I could tell she was making an effort to show her cleavage as much as possible.
"Hey, guys", she said with a huge smile, as they came to a stop in front of us.
"Hey", Eric said, surprised.
He glanced past me briefly and his eyes moved over to lock onto Lily. So, he wasn't out with Kassie tonight. I made the mental note to bet myself twenty bucks that the pair would get back together by midnight. After all, they had been dating ever since high school, until Eric decided to "sow some oats, as they say".
College seems to do that to relationships. Several of my high school friends had lost their long term sweethearts once college had started and people parted ways to continue their education. I had only escaped the woe of teenage breakups because my nerdy self had never actually had a boyfriend. Sure, I had kissed a few guys and been on a few dates to the movies, but nothing had ever become serious.
"Blair. Hellllooo?"
I snapped back to reality when I heard my name and realized that everyone in the little group was staring at me.
"I'm sorry, what?" I questioned.
Lilly huffed, "Eric and his friends are heading to some theater show that is happening in the park and they want us to go with them".
"Oh", I said, a bit shocked. I looked at Lily for any kind of hint at what she wanted me to say.
She turned her body toward me a bit and in a hushed tone said "It's just down the street. If it sucks, we can be at the club in five minutes".
I nodded in agreement and the group converged around us as we headed down the side street toward the park.
Chapter 3
With a Hint of Theatrics
I slid my hand across the stone that made up the base of the park's entrance archway as we walked through. There were so many things to look at, that my eyes had trouble focusing. Finally, I let my gaze follow the line of people to where there were make-shift booths set up. Each box had wooden signs that read "Tickets- $5" in red and gold painted letters. Behind the booths, I could see the top of what looked like an old fashioned circus tent. Red and beige stripes adorned the canvas. A tiny red flag flapped in the breeze at in the center of the tent top. Tiny stings of old fashioned Edison bulbs had been placed between the tips of the surrounding tree limbs forming a spider web of lights floating above the clearing. The tiny glass orbs moved gently in the wind and if you weren't looking directly at them, the effect was of soft, flickering glows. It was as if the entire scene was lit with hundreds of candles. What really caught my attention was the darkness beyond the clearing. The group of trees that formed a small wooded area at the edge of the park seemed much less friendly than it did during the day. I shook my head a bit and looked away from the foreboding trees and back to the lights twinkling around us. It was almost magical and I felt myself being carried away by the fantasy of it all.
Lilly's girlish giggle brought me back to the present. The line had been slowly moving forward to the ticket booths and I realized with a start, that I was next in line. I dug furiously in my back pocket for the wad of cash I had brought with me tonight. I managed to wiggle it out of the pocket just in time to slip off a five dollar bill from the inner part of the group and hand it to the cashier at the window. I smiled at her and said "One, please". She returned the smile, her brilliant white teeth gleaming drastically against the darkness of her skin and hair. She handing me a tiny admit one ticket and said "Enjoy" in a very melodic voice. As I took the ticket, my hand accidently brushed against the woman's and I jumped as a tiny shock ran through my fingers and up my arm. At that moment, I could have sworn that the woman's eyes had glowed golden.
"I really need to get my eyes checked", I said as I turned to Lily. The rest of our group had purchased their own tickets and moving to join us.
"Everyone good?" Eric said, glancing at us all in a mental tally of our readiness.
There was a murmur of confirmation from the group and we started forward to the tent.
"What is this show we are seeing, exactly?" I asked Lily.
She shrugged, "Who cares? I'm sure it's better than that last show we went to see on campus. I was asleep before intermission and the acting was terrible! If I hadn't been required to go for my stupid English class, I would have skipped out after the girl fell off the stage".
I snickered at that, remembering the girl, so into the death scene of her character, took a few steps too many and toppled off the stage with a thud. I don't know why I was laughing. I could relate to her mishap in an all too real way.
My laugher was subdued when we made it to the front flap of the tent. It was so dark inside, that I couldn't see anything of the interior. I grabbed hold of Lily's arm once more as a quiet man, wearing a solid black uniform, pulled the flap back to allow us entrance. Once inside, my eyes took a second to adjust and when they did, I felt like I had walked into a time warp. The glowing of the lights outside had been completely cut off as the opening was covered once again by the flap. The only bit of light was coming from the front of the tent where a brown stage, half covered in a red velvet curtain, was lined with tiny candles in glass jars. Rows of little wooden folding chairs had been set up on either side, with an aisle going down the middle, leading up to the front.
Most of the seats along the edges were already full, so my group split up into two smaller sets. The boys found a place in the middle of the chairs that were grouped to the right side of the room. Since there was no room for us, Lily and I walked forward and got the last two seats in the front row. I sat down, the wooden seat more than a bit uncomfortable. I started to wiggle until I could get my feet crossed and my hands between my knees for warmth. I knew that since we weren't moving anymore and since we were still technically outside, the chill would set in soon and I had frozen enough walking over here from the townhouse. Lily kept leaning over and giving me her tiny opinions about what the show could be, but really, I knew she was just trying to have an excuse to glance in the row of seats behind us, where Eric was sitting.
"I wonder what time it is actually supposed to start." I said to her, half questioning. "My ticket doesn't say any details on it".
Lily was about to reply when a sharp gust of wind came from the back of the audience, blowing my hair as it's invisible fingers pushed past me and up to the front of the room. The sudden chill sent a shiver all the way down to my toes. I quickly turned my head to look back at the tent opening, but before I could turn fully, my attention was caught instead by the flickering of the candles on the front of the stage. The wind had made the tiny flames teeter on the brink of extinguishing and for a split second, the room was encased in darkness. Before I could blink fully, the light from the candles flickered back into life to reveal a man, standing just in front of the curtain
Silence engulfed the room, as the audience took in his appearance. He was tall and lean. His frame was not that of a big man, but even the dark jeans and black blazer he was wearing couldn't hide the fact that his body was covered with muscle. He stood completely still, almost like a statue and I wondered if he was even breathing. The only patch of skin showing was on his hands which were pale white and folded in front of him. His face was not visible, being completely shadowed by the brim of a black top hat, hanging low over his angled head.
As the seconds creeped on, the silence was deafening. Even the jittery movement of the crowd seemed to grow more still with anticipation and excitement for what was to come. Without thinking, I felt my body edge forward slightly, an attempt to see the mysterious figure's face. Leaning down as far as I dared, my eyes followed up the black blazer. It had a burgundy rose embroidered on the left chest. Black stem and petals barely visible on the dark fabric. I wanted to see what was hiding in the shadows. I had just squinted my eyes, trying to make out anything, when I saw the man's chest move as he took in a deep breath. I quickly sat up, back straight in my seat. He moved his head in an upward angle. His face, previously hidden by shadows, suddenly exposed itself to the dim light. His mouth had curved up in a Cheshire smile.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen", he called in a deep, almost raspy voice. "We are proud to give you a break in your mundane lives, by performing a tale about love, sex, and of course, violence." He said each word with a slight pause, looking around the audience from left to right, adding to his theatrics. It was really unnecessary, considering his presence was already commanding everyone's attention. As he said the word "Violence" though, his eyes came to rest in the front row, on me. I looked back at his face. It was painted to look like the bones of a human skull and was so creepy. A thick white base covered the larger surfaces of skin, including his lips, only to be broken up with little black lines, where teeth were represented. His chin had been painted to look like the bones of a jaw. Small black lines looked like cracks in the smooth surface. His cheeks had been shadowed, to make them appear hollowed out and gaunt. His nose had been painted black, which almost made it look like he had no nose at all. My gaze followed the empty spot up to his eyes, which instantly pierced me with their brilliant shade of green. Surrounded by black circles of paint, it was almost like looking at two emeralds, hidden inside empty sockets of bone.
My heart began to beat twice its normal rate. For a moment, I was lost in those eyes. I almost hadn't registered his strong chin curving back up and his lips forming an all too knowing smile. But, I had noticed and there was almost something sinister about it. It mocked me and made me feel uneasy. I slid my hands on my jeans to hide the beads of sweat starting to form there, despite how cool the room was. When he finally broke our gaze to finish his speech, the spell was broken. I leaned over and told Lily that I needed to get some air. I couldn't explain it, but I had to get away from the man with the green eyes. Without waiting for her reply, I jumped out of my seat and made my way toward the aisle.
I could still hear his deep voice booming behind me. Smoother now than it had been earlier, it caressed the audience and continued to build up the show. All eyes were glued on the ring leader. The closer I got to the end of the aisle, the quicker my steps became. I could not explain why I felt so much anxiety from something that was purely for theatrics, but I needed to get out of there, now.
I pushed past the tent flap and into the cold air. The temperature had dropped substantially in the last half hour and I could see my breath forming little clouds of smoke as I walked back out of the park and found refuge on the public sidewalk.
Chapter 4
The Show Must Go On
The hustle and bustle of people had disappeared. From my perch by the park wall, all looked abandoned. No random stranger walking down the street, no animals looking for shelter. It was so quiet and surreal. Even the ticket booths were empty now. Everyone had gone inside for the play. I wondered if the woman who sold me my ticket doubled as one of the actors. That might explain the thing with her eyes. Contacts maybe?
I tucked my long hair behind my ear and noticed that my hands were shaking. I would say that it was just my nerves, but I didn't want to be a drama queen. It was probably just a reflection of how cold I was. Why didn't I just wear my big coat? Yeah, it wasn't very flattering, but it was comfortable and warm. It wasn't like I was going to the club now that Lily was distracted and there was no one to impress out here.
I let out a shaky sigh and turned around to head back. Lily would be furious with me and my insane anxiety attacks. She didn't understand them because she loved attention and crowds. She accepted that I had them, but she still tried to push me to be more adventurous. I could tell it aggravated her when I had to run off from her. I think it bothers her more now, than it had when we were younger. I think it had something to do with her dad leaving, saying he wanted to be free from family life or maybe it was when her grandmother had died. They were always really close.
As I walked, I looked up to watch the tiny lights. I had always loved that style. I had wanted to get a few strands for the patio of the apartment that Lily and I had shared at the university, but once her dad had left, she had moved back in with her mom to save money. After that, I had rarely used our patio. Maybe someday, I thought.
It was then that I noticed the not so little silhouette perched against the base of a tree near the back of the tent. Since I could see the outline of a top hat, I knew that it must be the actor who had started the performance.
I continued my stride toward the tent entrance when I heard a deep, smooth voice call out "Lost?"
I slowed down, looking over my shoulder at the man.
"Just needed a bit of air", I replied back to him.
"Ah", he said and then became silent. I started to walk again, but stopped when I heard a high pitched giggle. I turned back and noticed that the man was not alone. A girl with dark red hair, clearly dyed, was wrapped around him so tight, that it was all I could do to make her out against his looming form. Her back was to me, but I heard her cooing some flirty thing to him, trying to regain his attention. It worked and I saw his head lean down, planting a kiss on her neck.
My face burned a deep red. Blood rushed up to my cheeks and I could feel the embarrassment of witnessing his private moment wash through me. I turned on my heel, heading straight for the door. I only risked one more glance over my shoulder as I walked and was shocked to see his eyes were starring over the girl's shoulder, watching me go.
I pushed back into the tent and everything was an eerie silence. Only one candle burned on the stage now and the light was barely enough to help me identify the aisle between the seats. I waited for a moment, to see if more lights would be lit as the play continued, but there was no sound, no movement, just nothing. I pulled out my cell phone and hit the little button on the side. The screen lit up a pale shade of blue and I held the phone down to the ground to help me see where I was walking. I had only taken about three steps when my boot landed into a puddle of what looked like oil. "Yuck", I whispered. Pulling my foot up and moving forward, away from the pool. How did I not notice that on the way in? I thought to myself, sliding my foot along to dislodge the goo on the grass.
I managed to make it almost half way down the aisle without falling, despite my rushed pace. I could tell that something was not right. It was too quiet, why are all these people just sitting here? I took a moment to stop and let the little blue glow of my phone pan across the audience. I could see silhouettes still sitting in their seats, very still, necks craned as if they had fallen asleep. Did they all get drugged or something? It was then that my foot hit something and I tripped. It was all I could do to stay on my feet and I did not do it gracefully. I lowered my phone down and saw that I had tripped over a long, thin arm. AN ARM. It was limp and laying at an unnatural angle. Using my phone, I followed the limb up to its owner. He was an older man with hair that was snow white and a long beard to match. He was laying between the two rows of seats. Part of his beard had been soaked with a dark red, oil-like stain. Blood. It was blood.
Frantic now, I began to let the little phone beam go from seat to seat. They were all dead, eyes glazed over, starring lifeless and unfocused. Blood trickled down their necks and across the shoulders of their shirts. Some with more grotesque injuries than others. I started to hyperventilate. My entire body was shaking and now I knew it was not from the cold.
"Oh my God, Lily!" I said and turned around to dart down the aisle where I knew I would find her. I turned and ran forward, disregarding any attempt to focus on my footing. I just had to get to her. I had just picked up momentum when my body slammed into something firm, tall, and steady. Strong arms grasped me around my waist, keeping me on my feet. When I hit, I had dropped my phone, the tiny light extinguishing as it landed, screen down, in the dirt. I looked up, fear engulfing me. This was it. I was about to die on my birthday, surrounded by darkness and blood. My mind barely had time to register that I needed to fight before I heard a deep voice say "So, we meet again, little miss". I flung my head back and glowing emerald orbs greeted me from the darkness. Before my mind could register sense, the eyes flashed from their normal green to a vicious red.
My scream cut through the air as darkness engulfed me.
5
A Change of Scenery
The jostle of movement is what first brought me around. Before I even opened my eyes, I could feel that my body was in motion. Cold air stung my cheeks. My arms and hands were so cold, that I could barely feel the tingle as I tried to move them. I could feel an arm behind my back and another under my knees. My legs were dangling, moving only slightly with the movement of my savior. Slowly, I opened my eyes just a crack, but shut them quickly, overtaken by the rush of colors. The air stung my eyes as I tried to open them again, wider this time. I was not in the arms of a policeman or fireman, but rather the actor, face painted like death. He had lost his hat now and his blonde hair, just a bit longer in the front than on the sides, creeped down his forehead and threatened to fall into his eyes.
I looked away from him and tried to take in the surroundings. We were moving, as I had thought, but my eyes could not believe the speed at which we were flying down the sidewalks. I could see little blinks of light flicker by as we passed buildings and whole city blocks before I could even get an idea of where we were. My heart was beating fiercely and my brain was frantically sorting through thoughts and trying to come up with a plan of action. How were we moving so fast? Why did carrying an entire human being not seem to bother this guy at all? So many questions played through my mind, but quickly came to a halt as the man suddenly stopped and sat me unceremoniously on my feet.
I swayed a bit, trying to get my balance from the sudden movement. Once I knew my feet were actually under me, I backed up against the cold brick of a building. Scooting as far away from the man as I could, I surveyed the scene in horror. We weren't alone now, I saw. About a dozen other people were coming up to meet us, speed unregistering in my mind until the bodies had halted in a small circle. The group was made up of mostly guys, just a few girls walking up in the back.
"What do you want to do, Reed?" I heard the one of the girls say.
"We keep to the plan", the guy who had carried me said. "Where are the others?"
"They went East to draw off the course. They will meet us at the estate before sunrise", replied another of the men.
"Good", said the man who I assumed was Reed. "And the keeper?" he added.
"Yes", replied someone from the right.
Reed nodded, as if in approval of this news.
During the conversation, I had started sliding myself along the wall, cardigan catching on the rough brick, and on towards the corner of the building. I could only guess the street we were on connected to a main road on the other side. I was making a bit of progress, keeping my eyes on them, when my foot hit a tiny glass bottle that had been left sitting on the ground. It clanked and tinkered as it rolled away from my shoe.
At the sound, Reed turned around to face me, green eyes quizzical. "And where do you think you are going, Little Miss?" he asked.
Without a second thought, I bolted. I ran like my life depended on it, which it most definitely did. I darted around the corner and into... a deserted alley, the end blocked by a brick wall.
"Oh, no", I breathed, realizing that I was trapped.
The sound of his slow, steady clapping met my ears and I turned to face him. He was walking up to me, taking his time, making a scene in front of his friends. The ghostly teeth, painted on his face began to look even more disturbing, as the corners of his mouth began to tug up into a smirk.
"Good try, really. But, did you actually think it would work? That I would just let you run away?" his voice was mocking, cruel.
I felt a tear escape from the corner of my eye and trail down my face. I continued to back away from him as he advanced on me. With a flash, his body slammed into mine, pushing me into the brick wall behind me. I let out a whimper, as he leaned over me, placing his mouth just below my ear.
"What's your name, girly?" he whispered.
"Blair. Blair Watson", I squeaked out, half stuttering.
"Reed, man. We gotta go. I hear the sirens starting." said one of the guys behind us, getting impatient.
Without acknowledging the other man at all, Reed continued his conversation with me.
"Well, Blair Watson", he said, cold breath hitting my neck, "You are lucky tonight. You caught the attention of the prince and that means that if you are good, you might get to live a little longer. Got it?"
"Prince?" I asked. "What Prince? There is no royalty here. Just let me go and I won't tell anyone about you, ok?" I tried to keep my voice strong, but it betrayed me and sounded more like pleading than I had wanted.
With that, he chuckled and in one graceful movement, he swung me up and over his shoulder. The force of the movement knocked the wind out of me. I tried to claw at his back, but he took off with an unnatural speed, not noticing my pathetic scratching. The most I could do was watch the sidewalk move under us in a blur.