Disclaimer: I do not own "The Clique" or the music video that was the inspiration for this. This is usually the part where people start screaming.
I'm very sorry for the delay in this. Writing the Pretty Committee fighting isn't as easy as I thought it would be.
And I hope what I did at the end was at least a bit of a surprise.
Part II: Don't Even Take This Bet
The Kitchen
Friday, March 16, 2012
10:11 P.M.
Massie turned halfway towards her girls and exposed her fang, the signal they know means 'weapons out and at the ready'. And now came one of Massie's favorite parts of the whole shebang: the moment when if their attacker was unfamiliar with the girls (unfortunately not the case right now), he or she would stumble in horror when four pretty girls, led by another pretty girl, whipped out intimidating weaponry.
Dylan reached at her belt and was able to pull one of her now infamous whips from it. It was black leather, just the right length (in Dylan's opinion), and made her look dominant, which the redhead got a real kick out of.
Alicia also was prepared to the fullest, able to whip out her weapons immediately. From under her clothes she pulled out two folded up fans, lined with shiny steel. She opened it up, revealing solid red instead of an intricate pattern you usually see on an old-fashioned fan. The tops were sharpened, able to slice like knives. They were her precious little battle fans.
Now Kristen and Claire, the blondes of the group, actually didn't whip out any particular weapons. They had stakes on their person to slay a vampire, but other than that, they used themselves. Kristen favored elaborate sets of moves and techniques that she had derived partially from her own mind and the rest from other sources. Claire, on the other hand, was inspired by her gymnastics classes as a kid and favored quick movements paired with rabbit-like jumps and dashes.
Massie had learned to rely on whatever moves she could come up with that she liked, and nowadays, her vampiric strength.
Of course, Massie had heard rumors about vamps that were gifted… they got more than the standard that was given to vampires: gifted with strength unseen in mortals, slightly heightened senses, only being able to be killed through a wooden or silver stake to the heart or blood deprivation, and the power to heal from any wound. All of that paired with the curses of the inability to walk in the sunlight, the weaknesses to garlic and holy water, and the most important thing that mainly separated vampires from humans: the bloodlust.
And the idea that there were vampires who got something that made them above the norm, be it from a tilt of the moon the night of the turning or from the power of the sire himself, and Massie was not among them, made her want to barf a stomach's worth of her recent diet of blood, Diet Coke, and baked Lays.
"Don't I get a kiss?" Derrick teased, the grin still spread across his face as he sat on the windowsill. His brown eyes and blonde hair were all still there. But there was something so… off about him now. All the boys had one thing in common: they looked half-starved. Like a huge majority of the vamps in the city, they had no access to hospital supplies of IVs and had to find food the old-fashioned way. The only problem is, of course, that the last remaining humans are starting to realize, put in simple terms, how screwed over they are.
Massie looked at her technical sire (why couldn't SHE have turned him? She hated that word) and half-smiled. She decided to see if there was a chance she'd get her little extra something through power inheritance. "Feeling special lately, Derrington?"
"No. Just hungry, Block."
"What a pity,"
"Ain't it, really?"
"Maybe if you hadn't effing turned me you wouldn't be facing overpopulation!" She growled.
Derrington's eyebrows crinkled, as if he were confused. He probably was, since he and Massie only talk every few months. And Massie HATES the way whenever she mentions her turning, his reaction is always, "Turning? What turning?" and an ass shake.
And she would nawt stand for it again.
She started the fight with a swift high kick right in the boy's chin. He was sent up in the air. Before he could fall back down, she grabbed his shoulders and flipped him over her, bending her knees back as if she was doing limbo, making sure his face was the first thing to make contact with the face.
This was the other boys' signal to start in. Josh Hotz was the first and his he made tracks for the one person he clearly had in mind: Claire. Keeping up with their old habits, though, Alicia stepped in front of him, forcing her attention on him and his attention on her.
Next came Chris Plovert. He went straight for Kristen. A bad idea, considering that he was one of the slowest moving boys and she was the best fighter of the girls… behind Massie, of course.
Cam was more discreet upon entering and went for Claire. This is quite the uncomfortable situation for Claire. She would really prefer that she NOT be the center of attention fro both Josh and Cam.
When Kemp Hurley entered, he picked a girl at random and went for Dylan. For him, fighting was just another way to look at girls, which was totally obvious in that he was always a factor when the boys lost every time.
---
"Why do you bother trying to go after Claire when you can't keep up with me?" Alicia teased, she pointed at the fresh wound she had just caused Josh on his left shoulder. He was vampiric, though, and didn't care that blood trickled out of it as he used his shoulder as he normally would.
"Why don't you mind your own business?" He swung at her. Alicia gracefully backflipped out of the way and threw her other fan. He dodged. When he faltered, she jumped towards him again and used his shoulders for support to push him away and jump behind him at the same time. She grabbed her fans and threw again.
---
"Leave me alone!" Claire kicked Cam in the chest. He shrugged off the hit and came forward again, only to meet with a flying fist. She accompanied it with a quick spin kick, and another kick, and another, and another punch.
"You never to listen to me! You won't let me explain things!" he insisted.
"What's there to explain?! You're attacking me!"
"Just GIVE ME A MINUTE!" When her fist flew towards hiss face, Cam grabbed Claire's forearm and pushed her back, straight into the pantry, pinning her against the door. "Look, I have something to tell you! You'll like it. Trust me on this. I-"
She didn't wait and kicked him in the chest to get him away.
---
When Cam got pushed back, Dylan sent her whip across his back. He yelped in pain and went to his knees. This made her smile. Fighting two boys at once was fun.
"This is quite the sex toy!" Kemp tugged on the other end of the whip.
"Hey! Let go!" Dylan tugged harder.
They stood and tugged, both putting on an equal amount of force. Then, out of nowhere, Kemp got a vampiric surge of strength and yanked it away. "Let's see how you like being on the wrong end of the whip…" There was a twinkle in his eyes. He clearly liked being the dominant one.
"Oh, no way!" Dylan jumped forward and did the most simple yet effective thing: she kicked him in the groin. Hard.
Kemp, speechless, crumpled.
---
Kristen didn't have to fight Chris for thirty seconds before she had kicked him sixteen times, punched him seven, and head butted him once (headers in soccer have really helped her). And she hadn't used her good combos yet either.
Kristen yawned overdramatically. "You're sooo boring. Please tell me you're going to prevail a little longer.
"Awww, come on…" Chris looked up at her, holding a couple broken ribs, with a puppy dog look. "Just a little bite."
"No way!" Upon the last word, she jumped up and kicked him square in the face. Chris fell back, defeated.
Kristen rolled her eyes. "Like, umpteenth time this month. Ugh."
---
Massie and Derrick's fists almost met. His, however, connected with her shoulder. She reeled back, but regained her footing. A high kick almost caught his nose, but he twisted away. Her signature roundhouse, though, caught him when he finally recaptured balance. He went back and tumbled into Josh. Josh tripped over Cam, who was trying to rub his sore back.
Massie giggled as she reached into the refrigerator and pulled out… a wooden stake (Kristen's idea of hiding stakes everywhere suddenly made sense).
Derrick jumped up and back, hands up in a 'don't shoot!' way. "Okay, Block. As usual. You win. We lose. Out we go. We'll find blood another way."
"Not this time," Massie replied, pointing the stake threateningly at his heart. "This time, you have to answer my question before you go."
"And if I don't?"
She pulled the refrigerator open again and pulled out five packets of blood. "Then you don't get these. You'll have to find blood at whatever other source you have, if you even still have one. Or, you can go away for a while, only to come here and get your butts whooped again and crawl away again, continuing the cycle." She looked up in mock thought while Kristen cackled at the hungry way Derrington stared at the blood in front of his injured pack. "Hmmm… go home hungry AGAIN or divulge juuust a little information about yourself. Your choice."
"What do you want to know?!" Derrick snapped.
"Are you experiencing any change in power lately?" Massie questioned.
"Wait, what? What do you mean?"
"I need to know if I'm going to remain an ordinary vampire forever."
Derrick squinted in thought. After a few seconds, a look of realization spread across his face. "Oh. Ohhh. You still think I sired you, and you want to know if I have any special powers you haven't seen yet because that may mean YOU'LL have special powers." He laughed as he took it in. "Never thought I'd see the day."
"See WHAT day?" Massie spat.
"Massie Block… insecure."
"I'm not insecure!" she shouted, a little too quickly. "Do you really want to know why I want to know?"
Before Derrick answered, Alicia did. "I do,"
Massie smiled, still facing Derrick. "You know how much I hate what you made me. And-"
Derrick giggled and rolled his eyes. "Nooooo idea what you're talking about with the last part, Block…"
"Shut up. Anyway, I hate what YOU MADE ME. There is a cure out there. And we're going to find it."
"Whatever you say," Derrick legitimately rolled his eyes at this.
"I'm definitely going to take the cure…"
The Pretty Committee was still silent, not having an idea why Massie's having extra gifts with her vampirism matters if she's just going to get the cure anyway…
"…unless I have that little extra something."
Alicia gasped. Claire was speechless. Dylan blurted "What?!"
Kristen was able to form sentences. "Massie! I thought you wanted a cure! I thought you didn't want to be a vampire! You said it puts us at risk and-"
"Quiet. That was then, this is now. This is my decision. I'm the vampire." Massie glared at Kristen, silencing her. She shook the shake at Derrick playfully. "What's your final answer?" She also dangled the blood bags.
"I can't tell you that." Derrick shrugged.
"Why nawt?!" she demanded.
"I've already told you. I didn't sire you." He was surprisingly calm.
Normally Massie would hate that he was insisting on this, but there was something about the way he said it this time. With such a straight face. "Then… who did?"
Derrick smiled. "Well, you probably remember up to getting knocked out, right?"
Massie could've sworn she remembered getting bitten, then passing out, but could she have been wrong all these years? "Yeah…"
"And how vampires had already invaded a lot?"
"…Yeah…"
---
Massie walked down the dank alleyway. It was bad enough that there were probably rats there, but she wasn't even dressed well enough for the situation (black mini, black leggings, gray cashmere tank over a black long sleeved shirt, Versace skinny gold chain belt, black boots). The scenario caught her by surprise. At least her girls were there with her.
She ignored the garbage cans, wet brick walls, and puddles in cement that reflected white moonlight as she marched forth, followed by Alicia, Kristen, Dylan and Claire. And finally she reached her target. She held her head high as she made eye contact, unable to hide the disgust in her eyes.
The girl facing Massie spoke first. "Hola, Maysee."
