I do not own anything related to Lucifer, DC Comics, or Sandman series, either thru television, written books, or film. Everything belongs to Tom Kapinos, Fox, and mentioned above. I do own all the created characters. I do not own any songs, or literature mentioned. They are included to enhance the written words. Please read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter 1
Song(s): Fame (90's Mix) David Bowie, Take My Soul (Thievery Corporation)
6724 Hood Ave, Huntington Park, Los Angeles, California…
It was only the starting of the second week, and already she wanted to skip her classes.
Wincing as the tiny hammer of her alarm clock banged in annoyance, fourteen-year-old Piper Harlow threw her hand out and slapped the device onto the carpeted floor, smirking as the bells abruptly stopped.
Throwing the comforter off her legs, she sat up straight and stared into the Target white framed mirror that leaned against the wall.
"Staying up all night and reading is not going to do my face any favors when I'm forty" she muttered, rubbing her hands over her face. Rubbing her eyes, she rose to her feet and nearly stumbled over an upturned stack of books from the library.
Pulling down the hem of her black tank top, Piper opened her bedroom door and stepped out into the quiet narrow hallway of the small bungalow she lived in with her mother and step-father.
Hearing a clang from the small kitchen, she rolled her eyes and moved into the bathroom, pushing the door closed with her foot. Switching on the tub faucets, she peered closer into the mirror as she stared into her hazel eyes.
"Maybe today, someone will want to talk to me" she breathed, turning around as the steam hit her face.
…
"You're going to be late for school, again."
Hearing Jimmy's mutter as she pulled out the coffee pot, Piper watched the dark liquid filling her mug as the sound of her mother's coughing met her ears.
"When did you start drinking coffee?" Darlene Harlow questioned as she reached for a banana sitting alone in a bowl.
"Only since I was about ten" Piper scoffed as she reached for the milk in the fridge. Twisting off the lid, she took a quick sniff and immediately lowered the cardboard liter before noticing the two-week-old expiry date.
"It's suppose to be close to ninety today and you're gonna wear all black?" Darlene questioned as she watched her daughter take a long sip from her mug.
"Be thankful that my shirts aren't cropped or my ass is hanging out of my pants, or that I have a baby" Piper muttered as she downed the last dregs of her mug. Setting it in the sink basin, she grabbed an orange and rounded the corner of the kitchen table.
"Well at least she has stopped wearing the black lipstick."
Hearing her mother's words as she grabbed her tan Jansport bookbag, she spied her mother's wallet and with quick fingers, slipped out two tens.
"She needs to get herself a part time job to help with rent. My disability check isn't going to support her as well as us" Jimmy spat as Piper rolled her eyes. Slamming the front door behind her as she stood on the red step, she tucked in her earbuds and scanned through her playlist before settling on Bowie's Fame, passing through the fenced in yard towards the number 110 bus stop.
…
Huntington Park High School, 6020 Miles Ave, Los Angeles, California…
1:10pm
Tracing the tip of her pen through the infinity sign that bleed down through the paper of her notebook, Piper kept her head down as a bunch of assignment papers landed on her hand.
"Everyone, take one and pass the rest back. You need to hand it in by Thursday or else you get a big fat zero, and let me tell you, there are a few of you that if you get that, you might as well say goodbye to your Summer."
Passing the rest of the pages over her head, Piper glanced over her shoulder to see that she was the last in her row, and swore under her breath as a few snickers met her ears.
"Also, I understand we have a new student?"
Jesus no…
"Ms…Harlow?"
Letting the pen roll from her fingers and onto the dirty floor, Piper grimaced before rising to her feet.
"Actually, um I've been here in class for just over a week" she spoke, hearing more snickers as the teacher nodded his head.
"Well, tell us a bit about yourself."
Is this really happening? She wondered, shaking her head slightly.
"Um, I moved here from Canada with my mom who is finishing her Social Work degree, my Step-dad is a former Marine who was injured overseas, and yeah…Los Angeles is…cool" she muttered quickly, sitting back down.
"Canada huh? You bring that earthquake all the way down with you?"
Feeling the corners of her mouth pulling as her classmates laughed, she had a flashback to that very day.
(Flashback)
"The rest of the boxes are yours."
Stacking the cardboard on top of each other, she hauled them down the hallway and groaned as they fell to the floor with a hard thud. Wiping her hands on the back of her black skinny jeans, she collapsed on her bare mattress and as she rolled onto her back with her arms outstretched, she felt the vibrations.
Staring up at her stucco ceiling, Piper slowly rolled her head and watched the contents of her water bottle jump before falling over and smashing onto the floor.
"Welcome to LA folks!"
Hearing her Step-father's shout from the foyer as the tremor suddenly stopped, she couldn't help but smile as she closed her eyes.
My own personal welcome to the City of Angels?
…
1:53pm
Slipping off her long sleeve back top, she tied it around her waist as she straightened out the straps of her tank top.
Fishing out her mobile, she swung her bookbag around her shoulders just as she felt a nudge against her right arm.
"Skipping school Canada?"
Narrowing her eyes, she recognized the blonde who stood at her side as the one who had asked if she had brought the earthquake on her travels.
"I've already read Catcher in the Rye, I'd rather spend that time educating myself on my own pace" she shrugged, tucking her earbuds in.
"You wanna see the real LA? A few of my friends and I are from here…maybe, we'll take you along?"
Yeah right. Sorry, but I'm trying to straighten my own life out and get my own shit together
"I can find my own way around, thanks."
Bounding down the steps, she felt the beats of Thievery Corporation carrying her along the sidewalk as she left the high school behind.
Living in Canada, she had always felt the pull of the big cities namely Toronto and its different multicultural boroughs and people to such a degree that she had weathered the groundings from her mother with her constant Megabus boarding's from their small sticks of town to the downtown Bay street financial district.
(Flashback)
"I don't understand it Piper! Why the hell do you keep running off to Toronto?"
Hearing the roar of her mother's voice as she downed her glass of water, she wanted nothing more than to drop it into the sink and watch the pieces slide down into the drain.
"You could get raped, or killed! You're only fucking fourteen years old, you are still a child!"
Rolling her eyes as she turned around, Piper crossed her ankles as she leaned back against the counter.
"And yet, you decide to marry someone who is moving us to Los Angeles California, a city with millions of bodies, and a sky-high crime rate. How stupid is that on your end?"
Watching her mother's eyes narrow, Piper knew she had won this round and wondered if it was her deceased father that had given her her backbone because she certainly didn't get it from the woman standing in front of her.
"You are a child. When you are eighteen, you can go to Toronto all you want" she spat, turning on her heel and leaving her daughter biting the tip of her tongue.
"When I am eighteen, I'll be in charge of my own life and everyone that comes in it."
"It's the people I find so interesting Mom."
"Who they are"
And more so, what they choose to do
…
Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, California…
6:23pm
Finishing the last bite of her mustard covered hot dog, Piper stretched her arms up over her head as she felt the scorching rays of the sun directly on her neck.
"The next time I decide to skip and spend the day in Hollywood, I have to bring a hat and not just sunglasses" she muttered, slipping the bans of the glasses over her ears before letting her shoulder length brown hair out of her ponytail.
"Hey! Hey Kid!"
Turning around, she raised her eyes up onto the face of a middle-aged man as he jerked his thumb.
"You can't sit here outside my storefront, get out of here before you steal!"
Rising to her feet, Piper shook off her bag before setting it back over her shoulders.
"No worries asshole" she smiled politely, starting her journey westward.
Glancing down at the Hollywood Stars as she sniffed the air, she nearly collided with a group of teenagers laughing and clutching soft drink cups with the name Baja Fresh.
"Hey! Canada!"
Looking to her right, Piper slowed her steps as her blonde classmate nudged against her shoulder.
"My name is not Canada" she spoke, watching two guys she didn't recognize join the blonde.
"Right, it's something…like Paper?" one of the boys smiled as Piper started to walk.
"Wait…wait. Jacob was being an ass. My name is Andrea and you are Piper, is it?"
Stepping aside as a group of Asian tourists butted through their group, Piper nodded her head as the second boy cleared his throat.
"I'm Dylan."
"So where are ya heading?" Andrea questioned as she hooked her arm through Piper's.
"Sightseeing, on my own" she spoke, hearing her classmates chuckling as they all started walking down the sidewalk.
"Shit, I just realized where we are."
Hearing the rage in Andrea's voice, Piper gave her a questioning look as they passed the glass displays of an H&M department store.
"6868 Hollywood Blvd, the home of Lux."
Stepping over the star of Marilyn Monroe, Piper felt an odd chill running down her spine as her classmate looked into Dylan's face.
"What is Lux?"
Halting in her steps as she turned and raised her eyes, Andrea motioned a hand towards an elegantly carved, tan colored building that looked completely out of place on Hollywood Blvd.
"This…is Lux Nightclub, run by some smarmy English guy who decided to fire my sister last week, causing her to lose out on paying for her last semester of college…piece of shit."
So, she has a grudge
"If I had a rock or something right now I'd whip it straight through that fucking window."
Watching her classmate balling her fists, Piper felt the breath of Jacob against her ear.
"This strip of Hollywood is just as bright at night."
Night
"I'm thinking we should leave a little message for the owner, and what a better time for him and everyone else passing by to see it, than first thing in the morning."
I've been dinged for theft, loitering, but not destruction of property
"Yeah, I'm not going to get arrested for damaging some rich guy's nightclub, chances are he'd be involved in the Mob."
Hearing Andrea's laugh, Piper felt the heat rising in her face as she looked at her classmate.
"A couple cans of spray paint, some little choice obscenities and I'll feel a lot better about my sister having to work at Sears for minimum wage."
"What do you say, are you in Piper?"
…
Thank you to all for reading! Thank you to LuciferFan, and BigKahuna for leaving reviews!
Please leave reviews and enjoy!
P.S. Profile picture for story belongs to: tantalizing – apples . blogspot . ca