CHAPTER ONE: A Not So Ordinary Day
"C'mon Angie! Let's see!" Kristen called out.
"Yeah get out of there!" Melanie agreed. The two friends were greeted by a laugh in response.
"Don't make me break that door down Angela Marie Johnson!" Kristen playfully threatened. The small wooden door opened just a bit and the head of the young women named Angela immerged.
"No need for middle names Kristen; remember patience is a virtue." She lightly scolded. Kristen smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Yes Mother," Kristen replied sarcastically, "Now hurry up and come out so we can see you." She added.
"Oh alright, but when I do, I don't want you two causing a scene." Angela's eyes narrowed softly at her two friends as a small warning. Kristen and Melanie gave each other a quick look at each other before looking back to Angela.
"Us? Make a scene? Never!" Melanie dramatically replied
"Uh huh sure!" Angela threw back. That sent all three young women into a fit of giggles. Once they calmed down, Angela looked to the floor and let out a sigh.
"Well, here I come." She spoke while pushing the door all the way open and timidly stepped out. Her friends were completely silent as she stood before them. Angela was dressed in a floor length gown with a full skirt and corseted back. Its color was of a dark red rose; the straps hung off her shoulders and with its scooped-cut bodice, just the right amount of cleavage was revealed. Angela bit her lower lip,
"Well?" she asked
"Oh my gosh!" Kristen spoke her bright eyes wide in awe.
"Angie, you look incredible." Melanie added almost breathlessly. Color rose to Angela's cheeks and she shyly looked down, a smile gently playing across her lips.
"Really? So then I should get the dress?" she asked lifting her eyes to her friends.
"Definitely!" they replied in unison. Angela giggled and reached a hand up to brush some strands of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear.
"Ok well I'll just go and get out of this dress, check out, then we'll go and get something to eat. Sound good?" she asked while picking up the front of her long gown, turned, and walked back into the small changing room.
"Yup I'm game!" Melanie spoke
"Me too!" Kristen added.
"Ok cool. Give me a few minutes, and I'll meet you at the check out desk." Angela spoke through the closed door.
"Ok." They replied together and left the room. Angela's hands reached behind her lower back and began unlacing the corset. Then she pulled the zipper that hung on her left hip, and the dress slid off her pale shoulders to the floor. She turned around and grabbed her jeans on the bench and stepped into them, her shirt soon followed after that. Bending down, she picked up her gown and hung it back onto its hanger then draped it over her arm. Her flip-flops rested in a corner, and after sliding her tiny feet into her shoes, she turned to open the door and leave. As her hand closed around the silver knob on the door, a sound reached her ears; she stopped and listened. The sound grew and began to echo off the walls; Angela was able to pick up words.
"My child, my girl, it is your time, your destiny begins tonight." The voice was deep sounding, almost haunting.
"Excuse me?" Angela asked out loud "Someone out there?"
"Tonight, my girl. Tonight." Then slowly the voice faded away; Angela opened up the door and walked out expecting to see whoever she was just talking to. But no one was out there, she was alone. Shaking her head, she quickly left the dressing room. Melanie and Kristen were waiting patiently at the check out desk, both smiling like the young school girls they all were.
"Did you hear that?" Angela asked as she walked up to her friends. They turned to her and gave her a very puzzled look.
"Hear what?" Kristen asked, her head slightly cocked to the side.
"Were we supposed to hear something?" Melanie asked. Though her eyes held confusion, her smile still remained.
"Umm…nothing, forget it." Angela gave them both a smile of reassurance then she stepped up to the check out desk and laid her gown down on it. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a credit card which she handed over to the clerk. After a few minutes, she had finished paying for her gown and her gown was already bagged and ready to go. Angela bid the clerk a good day before picking up her gown and carried it out of the store, her friends' right beside her. The three girls headed to their car parked on the far side of the parking lot. Once there Kristen immediately went to the drivers side, she was the only one out of the three who was legally capable of driving. They're only 16.
"Shot gun!" Melanie called gleefully and ran to the other front seat. Angela laughed and moved to the right hand side of the car and climbed in the back. She laid her gown down next to her, and buckled up. Kristen then started the car, and back out of the lot.
"I'm starving! Where do you guys wanna eat at?" Kristen asked. Angela leaned to side to glance at the small digital clock up front. It read 5:53. Angela smiled and replied,
"Who's up for Taco Bell?" The car went in cheers, obviously all agreed. So they pulled into the closest Taco Bell they could find and went through the drive-through. Once food was inside that car, the girls jumped on it like crazy. Now that their hunger was satisfied, they all just kicked back and relaxed as they drove down the freeway; well all but Kristen of course, she was a little busy concentrating on the road. Angela who was now leaning against the window, began to doze off, her eyes were suddenly heavy with sleep.
"Hey Kristen?" Angela asked while yawning,
"Waz up Angie?" Kristen replied
"Can you drop me off at my house?" Angela mumbled.
"Yeah sure!" Kristen responded while looking into her mirror, and then she added "Tired?"
"Mmhmm.." Angela mumbled again, her eyes now closed. She heard Kristen and Melanie laugh quietly; then she fell into a deep sleep.
Angela stood in the center of a dark room. The only lights on were the few torches that hung on the black walls. Angela looked all around her; the room she stood in was unfamiliar. The floor was black marble and was cold beneath her bare feet.
"Wait…." Angela spoke out loud, "Bare?" she looked down upon herself to find that she was dressed in an all black outfit. It consisted of a long, black silk dress that dragged on the floor; a slit in the dress, traveled up her left leg and stopped about six inches below her hip. The only design on the dress was two silver strands that formed an X across her hips. The dress was strapless, but on her shoulders rested a black velvet cloak. What really caught Angela's attention however, was not her clothes, but the long silver saber that hung limply at her side. As Angela looked down upon the captivating weapon, footsteps sounded across the other side of the room. Each step echoed off the walls and came closer toward her. Though she looked all around, she couldn't find the source of whoever was approaching, it was too dark to see anything. Fear began to wrap itself around Angela, and she slowly started retreating away from the steps. But as she started to move, the steps stopped; Angela froze in place. Her heart was pounding so hard, it hurt to breathe. Suddenly a hand snatched her shoulder from behind, and spun her around. Before she could scream, menacing yellow eyes pierced into her gentle ocean colored ones, and silenced her.
"Tonight!" the figure spoke.