Tester chapter for the most part, just see what kind of reaction I get. This is completely off track from what I had originally planned, but it didn't turn out as terrible as it could have, so I figured there wasn't a point to wasting near five thousand good words. Expect much more interaction between OC and Canon characters in the chapters to come, so have no fear. Reviews and opinions are always more than welcome. I did a quick run through for typos, but I'm sure there a number of them throughout the chapter – if you find one, let me know and I'll be sure to correct it. More to come based on reader reactions. This is set before vamps came out of the coffins, btw. Please enjoy – RJL
I own nothing that you recognize from the televised program True Blood.
Everything else is mine, please use your own imagination and do not steal my characters.
I said I bet that you look good on the dance floor
I don't know if you're looking for romance or what
I don't know what you're looking for
I said I bet that you look good on the dance floor
Dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984
- I Bet You Look Good On the Dance Floor, Arctic Monkeys
Rise
Chapter One
Written by RJ Lewis
Doorbells were not created for the sole purpose of being used in the dead of night to waking sleeping people. No man would be cruel enough to stay up for hours on end and think up the bright idea of creating a button that when pushed would send electrical impulses to a bell that would sound and alert the inhabitants of a home when visitors came to call. The silly old man probably thought he was doing the whole world a favor when he came up with such a fantastic idea. He probably didn't know that years later the world would quickly learn how to abuse his genius and create games around it.
Ding-Dong-Ditch soon became a favorite and soon with the help of further advances in technology and the sudden loss of time people seemed to never have enough of, door bells became irrelevant. Who needed a doorbell when no one besides the post man and Girl Scouts ever bothered to use it? An old man was up in Heaven looking down on the world, wondering why he spent all his time and wasted away his life to create a doorbell that no one ever used anymore. You have to admit, you feel a little bad for the guy, don't you?
I did too until I came to conclusion that if the doorbell had never been created then my life would have been perfect and simple and nothing different than anyone else's. It's funny how everyone always complains that their life is too ordinary, too boring, too normal and average for them. It's a common complaint with teenagers that leaks out with almost no thought behind it. Everyone wants a life different and exciting until they finally get the change they seek and suddenly, their old life seems to suit them just fine.
It happens to everyone at one time or another. A light bulb goes on above your head at the worst possible time and you are very aware of how stupid and inconsiderate you've been your entire life. All of sudden, your boring life doesn't seem so terrible. You'd give anything to go back to the life where no one knew you and where boring and ordinary was the norm for everyone. That light bulb always seems to go off just after The Point of No Return. The moment where everything is changed beyond repair and what you have at that moment is the most you'll ever acquire.
It's the moment where you finally understand everything and nothing all at the same time. It's the moment you never knew was coming but saw all the signs of warning. It's the moment you never want to come. But it does and in that single moment of realization you wish with everything you have to be normal once more because normal doesn't hurt or scare you this way. Normal is safe and change is not.
The light bulb went off for me just as it does for everyone – a moment too late. It came the night of my sister's death and as I watched her fall to the pavement no more than a hundred yards in front of me, I knew that everything had changed and I had been oblivious to it all. Change has a silly way of sneaking up on you from behind. It comes whether you wish it to or not. And it never comes in the shape you hoped it would. It's the way of the world and at times, you're forced to accept a fate you once wished for and now hated with every fiber of your being but not nearly as much as you hate yourself for wanting such a life to begin with.
See, that's the part that kicks you right in the seat of your pants. Almost always, Fate has a way of giving you exactly what you wanted. But by the time you've gone through hell and back to earn your right to have that single wish, you hate it. You hate what you've done to get that life you wanted, you hate the people you walked on to raise yourself up, you hate the person you became. You hate the life you wanted and most of all, you hate yourself for allowing everything that happened to happen. You hate yourself because you know there's no one else to blame but yourself. And that's the funny part of it all. You wanted it to begin with.
And that is why I hate doorbells. A doorbell started it all and pushed Fate into taking action. I didn't know it then, but when I rang that doorbell all those nights ago, I forfeited my sister's life. Neither of us knew it at the time and by the time either of us figured it out, it was too late – just as it always is.
"Someone please remind me again why we're here?" whined Alice as the group of girls sat in the Suburban they had borrowed from Jane's parents for the night. The 'here' that Alice was referring to was the club the group was currently parked outside of. It had some obscure and cheesy that name that none of the girls could remember.
Jane let out a sigh and turned to glare at the small blond sitting in the back seat. "We're here, Alice, because I'm tired of Marshall coming home every weekend ranting and raving about some amazing club in Shreveport and you're all tired of me complaining about Marshall. So, here we are, at this 'amazing' club in Shreveport to see what the hell my dolt of an older brother was talkin' about."
She turned back around in the driver's seat to look out the front window and at the line starting to form in front of the club. From the looks of things, it seemed that most of the men and women showing up preferred dark and grungy to pretty and peppy like the outfit Alice was wearing. Why they had invited the overly dramatic girl was beyond her. Jane still didn't quite understand how Alice had managed to worm her way into the tight group of friends she had. Other than being long time neighbors with Audrey there wasn't much in a way that would tie Alice to their group, but somehow she kept holding on.
"Is everyone ready?" asked Maggie from her front seat.
The time was already nearing close to eleven and they had to be back to Jane's house by three o'clock which only really gave them a few hours in the club. All of the girls' mothers believed them to be spending the night at Jane's house except for Jane's own mother who believed they were going to a double feature at the local drive-in movie. They had each taken a more appropriate outfit for clubbing with them in the car and they had changed in a gas station bathroom on the drive over. It wasn't dignified in the least the way the five girls had stuffed themselves into the tiny bathroom to change and do their make-up, but it had done the trick just fine. By the time they were done making themselves up, the five high school senior girls were gone and in their place were five young women ready to dance to their hearts content.
"I don't know about the rest of ya'll, but I'm ready to freakin' par-tay the night away!" Audrey yelled with a close following whoop and round of giggles. Jane rolled her eyes in good nature and grabbed her keys before pushing open the door.
"Let's see what all the hype is about," she said while climbing out.
"I bet it's gonna be really lame," Alice quipped as she too climbed out of the car and proceeded to straighten her pink and lacy flower-printed sun dress. She stood out like a sore thumb against the dark background of the club's outer walls and the groups of people lined up to be let inside. "Your brother is a freak, Jane. Why are we listening to him about this place? It looks disgusting."
"Oh, shut your face already," Li snapped in Jane's defense. "Is there really something more important that you'd rather be doing tonight, Alice? None of us forced you to be here."
Alice shrugged and looked around them with an almost disgusted look on her face. "I just don't think this is the best of ideas, is all," she said stiffly.
"Then wait in the car," Li said before striding towards the club's front doors. Jane laughed lightly with a shake of her head before she followed after her friend. She could hear Audrey and Maggie laughing behind her and didn't check to see if Alice was bothering to follow them. The car was locked anyway, so it wasn't like she had much of a choice. Jane jogged forward and fell into step with Li easily. They shared a sideways grin and small laugh at the blond's expense but said nothing.
The group fell into line with the rest of the waiting people and each pulled out the fake IDs that one of Marshall's friends had gotten for them. None of them really used them but it was nice to have them if the need should arise that being older was easier than being known as a high school senior. The line moved fairly quickly and soon they were at the front and handing their cards over to be checked by the woman standing beside the door.
"What is your business here?" she asked, not bothering to even look at the cards handed to her.
The girls shared an unsure look before Audrey spoke for them hesitantly. "We're here to party?"
The woman's eyebrows rose ever so slightly and she looked mildly amused. "To party, you say? I should assume that you are all of age, correct? We wouldn't want anyone.. 'partying' too hard in our establishment who might be underage and a liability to our reputation," she said smoothly with a tight lipped smile.
Audrey looked at her for a moment, slightly taken aback before she laughed and waved a hand in the air dramatically. "Us? Underage?" she laughed loudly and turned to her friends with humorously large eyes. "Hear that, gals? She thinks we're underage! Ain't that funny?"
The woman listened to Audrey and rolled her eyes. She looked at each of them closely and seemed to triple check their ages on their cards before handing them back over with a small nod. They walked past her, each with smiles on their faces – even Alice's. The music blasted into them like a solid wall as they passed through the doors and set foot into the club, which was named Fangtasia as Jane had noticed outside while they had waited in line. Jane almost laughed out loud when she saw the club for the first time and turned to see Alice in her bright pink dress against the dark walls. It was as if they had walked into a dark underground lounge rather than a club in the middle-of-nowhere Shreveport.
There were women dancing on tables and goth resembling men playing pool and in the corners there were groups with their heads together. She imagined them planning a murder or body dumping and laughed quietly to herself. The place looked like it was something out of a cheesy black and white Dracula horror film. You couldn't help but laugh at it.
"This place is a let-down, man."
Jane turned to see Li looking at their surroundings with an amused look on her face. She shrugged in agreement as she headed for the bar set against the back wall. "Sorry," she said. "You know how Marshall is when it comes to details. He thinks a rubber duckie is the best thing ever created."
Li laughed and followed her to the bar, pushing her way through the hordes of people dancing. "This is true." She agreed with a laugh. "But still, by the way Marshall was talking about this place, I guess I was expecting something a little bit more.. I don't know, glamorous maybe? I mean, this place doesn't even have a decent paint job."
Looking around the dark club, Jane didn't comment that she could barely even see the walls, much less what color they were. Still, she had to admit that after weeks of Marshall coming home and talking about how amazing Fangtasia was supposed to be, what they had been met with was indeed a let down. It looked more like a basement dungeon of sorts rather than a club. Hell, there were even chains hanging from the ceiling in some areas. What Marshall had seen in this place, Jane didn't understand.
"I need a drink," she said.
The oncoming feeling a long night ahead was already planted in the back of her mind. They sat themselves at the bar and ordered their respective drinks before sitting back to watch the people moving across the dance floor. Jane was unsure if it was just her or whether or not Li had noticed, but the women dancing on the tables and couples dancing on the floor were moving remarkably fast. Just watching them helped in giving her a headache. She shook her head slightly before looking away and took a sip of her drink.
They sat in silence and Jane took the opprotuity to further analyze the club. It really wasn't something overly exciting or original. The walls were dark, the lights were dim with the exception of above a raised platform much like a stage where the lights were brighter. There were chairs placed on the platform – a larger one that resembled something like a throne and a few on either side of it. All of them were empty but they still held a presence of their own. She wondered briefly who normally sat up there before looking around the rest of the club. Just as Li had said earlier, there wasn't much to see.
"You see any of the others?" Jane asked a little while later, breaking the comfortable silence between her and Li. The Asian-featured girl shrugged without looking up from her drink. Out of the group that had come to Fangtasia that night, Li was by far the quietest of the group. It wasn't that she was shy or had some sort of embarrassing speech impediment, she just didn't see the need to fill the silence with meaningless words and small talk. What she needed to say would be said but besides that, she was content with the quiet.
"I saw Audrey walk off with some guy a while ago. No clue where Alice and Mags are at," she said.
With a sigh, Jane stood up from her bar stool and straightened her jeans. "I'd better go look around for them." She pulled out her cell phone to check the time and was surprised to see it was already nearing two in the morning. Stuffing the phone back into her pocket she set off across the room searching for either Maggie or Alice. If Audrey was off in some corner necking it with a guy, she was perfectly fine with not being the one to find her first. She'd make Maggie go find her or something.
It took her only a few minutes to find Alice sitting at a table by herself, phone in hand and thumbs blazing across the keypad. Jane walked over and sat herself across the cocktail table from the blond. She waved a hand in front of Alice's face when her arrival went unnoticed.
"Hey Ali," Jane said. She ignored the annoyed glance thrown her way and folded her hands on the table in front of her. "It's getting pretty late so I'm off to find Maggie and Audrey so we can head off. That alright by you?"
Alice shrugged her shoulders and continued texting on her pink glittered phone. "Fine, whatever. I'm ready to get out of this freak house," she announced, standing up quickly to straighten her skirt. She motioned for Jane to do the same when the older girl didn't move right away. "C'mon, Jane, let's get out of here already. This place gives me the frickin' creeps."
"You alright?" Jane asked with frown. She didn't move from her seat and took in the odd look on her friend's face.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just really want to get out of here." Alice gave her an almost pleading look and waited for Jane to stand. Acting had never been a strong suit of Alice's, even if it was one of her dreams to make it to Hollywood. It was obvious that something was bothering her, but Jane didn't push her. It didn't take much for Alice to get upset. Someone probably had just made a snide comment on her hair or something like that.
"Okay, whatever," Jane said. She stood up and walked away into the throng of people. "Li is over at the bar if you wanna wait with her till I find Mags and Audrey," she called over her shoulder.
A few moments later she found Maggie the center of attention with a group of young men who looked maybe a few years her senior. It didn't take much to pull her away from the hormonal circle, thought she didn't leave before getting at least four phone numbers and a smack to the butt. The way back to the bar was filled with drunken laughter on Maggie's part and amused chuckles from Jane.
"Those boys were reaaaally cute, Janey!" Maggie slurred as Jane steered her through the crowd. "One of them said I smelled good. I think I smell good too! Do you think I smell good, Janey?"
It didn't take long to reach the bar where Alice and Li stood waiting for them. Jane pushed Maggie gently towards Alice, who quickly started in on a lecture about the risks of drinking to her obviously smashed friend. The odd look on her face was quickly replaced by one filled with disapproval and disappointment. Jane turned away and scouted the floor for their last remaining friend. Li came to stand behind her, tapping her foot to the beat of the music playing. Abruptly, she nudged Jane in the side and pointed to the formerly empty stage and chairs at the front of the dance floor. The head throne chair was now occupied as were the seats on either side. "Is that – ?"
"What the heck. Isn't that Aug?" Alice said loudly from behind them both.
At almost the exact moment, all four girls quickly turned towards the bar and tilted down their heads, even Maggie was able to sober herself enough to realize what was happening. Jane threw Li a panicked look.
"What the fuck is she doing here?" Maggie whispered, managing to keep the slur out of her voice. "She's gonna flip a fucking bitch when she sees us. She's going to fucking kill us, guys. Rips us to fucking shreds." Beside her, Alice was nodding her frantically in agreement.
"We need to find Audrey and get the fuck out of here," Li muttered. She risked a look behind them and saw Augie looking straight at them. "Aw, fuck it, man. She's spotted us."
"What?" Alice shrieked, whipping her head around to see that the woman in question was in fact no longer up on the stage was was quickly making her way through the crowd towards them. "Guys, she's coming this way!"
Maggie shook her head and let it fall harshly onto the counter of the bar. "We're fucked," she said.
"I say we make a break for it," Alice said quickly, looking again to see the woman still making her way towards them. "I mean, even if one of us gets caught, there isn't proof that the rest of were here. I vote someone sacrifices themselves for us. All in favor of Audrey, say 'Aye'!"
"Aye!" yelped Maggie. She and Alice quickly stood up from their stools and made a beeline for the door as Jane and Li watched them go. Li let out a sigh and fell onto one of the stools. She swirled her drink and gave a sideways glance to Jane.
"In it for the long haul, yeah?" she said.
Jane grinned briefly with a nod. "Hell yes." She sat down on a stool of her own and swung around just in time to be met with the angry face of Harriet Augustus Jones. "Hey Augie, how's it hangin'?" she asked lightheartedly.
The brunette speared her with a look that in a fantasy land would have killed her in a heartbeat. "What the fucking hell are you doing here, Jane?" she asked in a surprisingly calm tone. In the years that Jane had known Augie Jones, a calm voice never led to good things. "And don't think that I didn't just see Alice and Maggie run like the wind out of here. You're all fucked sideways for this."
"You know, I'm doing great! Thanks for asking, Augs!" Jane said with a laugh. She reached to slap the older woman on the arm and was stopped mid throw by the heated glare aimed at her. "Bad night?" she asked.
Augie crossed her arms and gave her an unamused stare. "I'm not fucking around here, Janice Reynolds. What are you guys doing here?"
Jane and Li shared a short glance before Jane shrugged. "Marshall kept talking about this place so we decided to check it out."
The statement was met with a blank look. "When was Marshall here?" Augie asked, slowly unfolding her arms.
"I dunno, he's been here a few times in the last month," Jane answered. There was a beat of silence as Augie nodded and suddenly a dark look came over her face.
"Audrey is here, isn't she?" she asked quietly.
Without waiting for a response from either of the girls before a string of curses in a number of different languages came pouring from her mouth. Without a word to either Jane or Li, she turned on her heel and was almost immediately swallowed by the crowd. The two girls sat for a moment before jumping up to follow after her. A couple of times they almost lost her in the wave of people dancing on either side of them and the flashing lights above didn't make it any easier to find a woman of average height with dark brunette hair dressed in varying shades of black.
"How pissed do you think she's gonna be when she finds Audrey?" Li asked in a yell to be heard over the music.
"Depends on whether or not Audrey's playing tonsil hockey when Augie gets to her," Jane yelled in response with a slight chuckle. They shared a look and laughed. It would be a miracle if Audrey didn't have her tongue shoved down some guy's throat by the time her older sister got to her. There was no hope for her now.
It took Augie a surprisingly short amount of time to find her baby sister in a dark corner of the club, her tongue indeed shoved down some guy's throat. The screaming match that followed the lack of introductions managed to overcome the blasting beat of the music. Li and Jane came to a halt a few feet away from the two sisters for the sake of their own safety.
"We should have brought a video camera." Li leaned over and whispered with a slight smile. Jane watched Audrey screaming at her older sister, who stood with a blank look on her face and seemed to be tuning out the whines being thrown her way.
"This is definitely something Mr. and Mrs. Jones want documented for later," Jane joked.
She looked around the crowd that had gathered around the two screaming siblings and was surprised to see a few looking on interested looks on their face. Among those watching was the woman from the front door and a tall blond man standing beside her. The man was, quite frankly, massive. It wasn't that he had the appearance of an avid body builder, but the air surrounding both him and the door woman gave a presence of superiority that Jane could feel a good twelve feet away. He was watching the sibling exchange closely as was the woman. After a few more moments, the man leaned over and spoke to the woman before turning and leaving the watching crowd.
The woman rolled her eyes and took a step forward, separating herself from the rest of the people watching. "Harriet!" she called loudly, her voice cutting through the noise and chatter almost instantly. Even the music playing overhead ceased.
Augie turned around with an annoyed look written clearly on her face. Whether it was from being called by her first name of from being interrupted, Jane wasn't sure. "What?" she snapped. "If you cannot already tell, I'm a little preoccupied at the moment, Pam."
"You say that as if I care at all whether or not you are 'preoccupied', Harriet," Pam said in return. She gestured to Audrey and then to where Jane and Li stood watching. "I wish to extent my apologies in granting these three and their other two friends entrance into Fangtasia. I assure you that it will not happen again." She gave Augie a short, tight lipped smile before continuing. "Eric would also like me to remind you that you have business that requires fast attention. The sooner, the better." With a nod of her head, she turned and left the slowly dwindling crowd. The music quickly resumed in her absence.
Audrey turned to her sister with a frown. "What kind of business?" she asked.
"It doesn't matter," Augie told her with a sigh. She looked around at the people still watching and sighed loudly. "Move along, assholes. Show's over!" Waving her arms, she started pushing away the complaining people around them until all that were left was the three girls and Augie. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she let out another sigh of annoyance. "You guys need to be heading home, it's already past three," she said finally with a note a resignation.
"Are you gonna tell Mom I was here?" Audrey asked, jutting out a hip. The resemblances between the two sisters were far and few between. While Augie was a beautiful brunette with curves and chocolate eyes, Audrey was a gorgeous, leggy blond with their father's green eyes. The oldest of five kids living with a single mother, Augie was the responsible one. Audrey was a normal seventeen year old struggling to find her place in the world. For Li, a single child to two very conservative parents, it was always refreshing to watch the two very different sisters interact.
Augie gave her sister an odd look. "Why the hell would I tell Mom? Then I'd have to explain why I was here to begin with, and you know how she is." She laughed and shook her head. "And now way in hell am I gonna be the one to tell Mom that her 'Itty Bitty Audy Doddy' was making out with some random guy in a club that she used a fake ID to get into in the first place." She laughed again. "Fuck no, I'm not opening up that can of worms, not in a million years."
Audrey glared at her as her friends laughed beside her. "Oh, fuck you, Rettie," she said without much conviction.
"You know you love me, babe," Augie said with a smile. She turned at sound of her name being called. The man from earlier stood the doorway of what looked like an office, an impatient look on his face. Augie turned back to Audrey and the others with a roll of her eyes. "I have to get moving before I lose my job," she said. She gave them each a pointed look and ruffled Audrey's hair despite the verbal protests. "You guys better get a move on before one of your mothers call the cops or something," she said.
With a short wave, Augie turned on her heel and walked quickly towards the office that the blond man was leaning against. He pushed himself off the door frame and moved out of her way before shutting the door behind them. Audrey stared at the closed door for a moment before sharing a confused look with her friends.
"I didn't know Augie was working the club scenes," Li commented as they turned to head for the door. Audrey glanced back at the closed door once more as they exited Fangtasia and left behind the loud music and smoky atmosphere.
"Yeah, neither did I," she muttered. They walked to where Alice and Maggie were seated on the asphalt waiting for them besides the locked Suburban. Audrey ignored the complaints that the two girls gave about waiting too long and freezing and scary freaks who continued to comment on their smell. Her thoughts were on the apparent new job that neither Augie or their mother had mentioned to her. As Jane put the SUV into reverse and pulled out of Fangtasia'sparking lot, she wondered if there was anything else that her sister was hiding from them.
Reviews are greatly appreciated.
Thanks much, RJL