Hey guys!

I really hope you're liking what you're reading. However, all constructive criticism is welcome, seeing as it is my first FanFic. I must admit, I have no idea where I am going with this, but I do promise to do it to the best of my ability.

Please read and review; it'll serve as motivation. Thanks so much!

Chapter 3

Thea decided that tonight she'd take on a new identity. She was no longer a child with a family that had no love for her. She was a sophisticated woman looking for bright lights and excitement in her life. She had no idea what to do with herself. Just on this street, so much was presented before her. Adjusting to her new life goal, Thea entered the club with the brightest lights and the loudest people.

Inside, the smell of alcohol was overbearing. Thea had smelt it on her mother's breath various times, but this noisome odor was unbearable. The only empty section was at the bar. She seated herself on the mahogany bar stool and cupped her face in her hands. She saw a man with a white apron approach her from behind the counter. From her quick glance, Thea saw locks of blond hair down to about the mid-ear area.

"May I help you, miss?" the bartender inquired.

"No, thank you. I hope it's alright if I sit here and don't purchase a drink."

"Oh, no. I believe that'll be okay, at least until – hey, wait a minute…"

The young man absorbed the picture before him. He surveyed the girl and his eyes lingered on her chest. Her body figure was irresistible, and he was tempted to keep observing the large area of skin that the V-neck sweater revealed, but he sharply adjusted his frame of view. Thea's eyes locked with his. It seemed as if she was looking at two bits of sky that were plucked from the heavens to color his eyes. Realization hit them both, harder than a lighting bolt ever could. Thea blushed. This encounter was too staunch for her liking.

"Oh hey," she interjected. "Sorry about before. I couldn't…well I kind of had to…umm, you know."

"Not a problem. I was just worried, that's all."

"Thank you for your concern."

He smiled at her. He had never seen a young woman possessing so much beauty. Most of all, he could even feel it overflowing from within her.

"Don't mention it." Before he turned to continue drying the glasses by the sink, he grew rather curious. "I never got your name."

This statement startles Thea for an odd reason. Was it his electrifying eyes searing into her? "Huh?"

"Your name," he smiled. "What is it?"

"Thea. Thea Multon." Deciding to be polite, she reciprocated the inquiry. "What's yours?

"Adam Pelver."

A thought struck Thea right between the eyes. How am I ever going to be able to embody this new identity if I'm so stolid and stiff?

"Actually, Adam, I'm going to take the strongest stuff you got."

He loved the way she said his name. It was almost too melodic to be true. But then concern caused a furrow in his brow. "You drink? How old are you?"

"Seventeen, soon to be eighteen. How about you?"

"I'm twenty-one."

Feeling an awkward moment about to take place, Thea smiled with eyes full of accomplishment. She'd drink what she was given, and all of it, at that. She wanted the world to spin before her eyes, so much so that the lights all meshed into one. She was ready for this.

Reluctantly, Adam slid a glass to Thea's end of the bar, his brow still furrowed. Although he knew his actions were illegal and had consequences, he could not help but follow the command of the mysterious girl before him.

Two hours later, the night sky had become pitch black, and the stars twinkled all the more brightly. Thea had drunk herself to a deep slumber on the bar with alcohol dripping down the side of her rosy lips. Adam had watched her all the while, watching the sober Thea dissipate just s quickly as she gulped down each drink.

When she had risen with a start, Thea subconsciously stood up and approached from the exit sign of the club. Adam watched her distance herself from him until she was fully out of view. He felt the duty to follow her and make sure she safely collapsed on her bed, but he knew he couldn't leave his shift for another half hour.

Thea stumbled down the sidewalk, and when she realized her foolishness, she decided to stand against the outer edge of an alleyway to wipe her hands over her face in order to regain stability. She slid down so that she was sitting on the ground. Her skirt had surely gained splotches of black dirt. She heard a low, raspy voice behind her.

"Hey baby. You're lookin' sexy tonight."

Thea whipped around, and her hair spun with her. With this sudden action, her dizziness increased. However, she could make out a tall, somewhat muscular man with ebony black hair that hid his eyes. Despite this, for some reason, she knew they were black…black holes. Behind him were about two or three more men carrying smirks on their determined expressions.

The original man knelt down before Thea. "Hey, you look a little lost. Wanna come with us? We'll show you a good time." He lifted his hand and laid it on her knee. Slowly, it proceeded up her skirt, and his fingers massaged the uppermost part of her leg.

Thea was stunned. She froze and frantically looked up. The rest of the men had caved in on her.

"I see you don't mind," the man with black hair said after he realized Thea's lack of responsiveness. He lifted her from under her shoulders and assisted her in staggering deeper into the black depths of the alleyway. He turned to his accomplices. "You stay here. I want this one to myself."

After a minute of walking – stumbling for Thea, - the man pinned Thea on the grimy wall. "Your hair is eccentric. I love eccentric women." Immediately, he violently jutted her chin upward and forced his lips onto hers, his tongue prying through her sealed ones. He stepped back after much difficulty. "You better cooperate, you little bitch!"

Thea was still helpless. She had no control of her body whatsoever. She was lost…in a land of nightmares.

The man took his hand and cupped it over her breast. "I see you wore this just for me," he said tugging at the orange sweater. "I like it on you, but I'll like it better when it's off." He pulled at the shirt until the seam was shredded into bits of nothing. Simultaneously, he pulled down her skirt. It fell like a pool of white tears to her feet.

Thea felt bare. Her arms were pinned to the wall and all she had left to cover her was her bra and underwear. Her head hung low as the malicious man with ebony hair kissed her neck, and then her stomach, and finally her legs. He branded her with his tongue, and groped her with musty fingers. In a manner, Thea was not physically stirred in any which way. Her spirit felt as if it had fled her body and was merely watching from a long distance.

The man pulled down her bra and admired her breasts. He cupped them in his hands and rubbed them with his fingers. When his tongue met them, Thea felt a chill run through her spine. She was snapped back to reality. Her body was being abused. All the same, she was helpless and was not able to move a single time.

Cold hands were spread all over Thea's body. Each time her red tresses fell down to cover her chest, the man viciously yanked them away and continued his evil deed. A few times, he stood back to admire her body. He wanted more of it. He kissed it everywhere, lingering on her plump breasts. He was captivated by them.

The man heard his devilish comrades call from the end of the alleyway. "Hurry up! They're coming, they know we're here!"

"Shut up you assholes. I'm not done with her!"

The man hurriedly pulled down Thea's underwear and unzipped his own pants. One last time he bit and gnawed at her lips. He looked at her bowed head and whispered, "You tramp. You're all mine." And with that he took the innocent girl's virginity. She yelped in pain, and he cupped his hand over her mouth. He would have caused her the same agony once more had he not been thrown back in alarm.

A red and orange glow illuminated Thea's body. It lifted her limp figure into the air and swallowed her in its depths. The orb around her limp body grew until it was shining through every crack in the alley's wall. The man stared wide-eyed at the event before him and almost fell to his knees when a tiny sun, with five rays, glowed on Thea's forehead, as if someone had branded it into her long ago. The man scurried to meet his followers at the beginning of the alleyway, permanently scarred by the situation he had just witnessed.

The mystic light faded and Thea collapsed onto her side on the muddy ground. Shaking fingers held her cheek and were stained with her warm blood. Her body was bear and she could not make her brain agree with the commands she was sending to it. Her eyes scanned the alleyway beneath her fluttering eyelids. No sight of shelter or warmth anywhere.

Thea's arm reached out and collided with a soft material. Her fingertips caressed it ever so slightly, and she brought it to her. It was orange and torn. Her sweater. The sweater that had fooled her into mistaking her identity. Now she mustered her last bit of energy and threw it from her, into black, swallowing depths. The damn sweater took her virginity, the last thing she fully owned.

Salty tears reached her plump pink lips. She rocked against the wall and felt wetness all around her. Now her own source of liquid had mixed with the liquid of the skies, and both were enveloping her in their unforgiving arms. This time, a real puddle formed about her, made of tears and rain. As if a sudden flock of birds had come down and eaten her soul, slight realization hit Thea before her head hit the cold, hard, cement.

"Hey, uh, you, kid. Yeah, you!"

Adam heard the harassing words in his hair and shifted his view to a large man of six feet eleven inches who weighed more than all of the people in the bar put together. Talk about intimidating…

"I see you're packing up here. Where are you going?"

"Well, sir, it is twelve thirty, and my shift was supposed to end fifteen minutes ago."

"I'm the damn boss here. You got thirty more minutes behind this bar, or your ass is fired. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hell, I pay you too much. Get to work!"

Hurriedly, Adam placed his things on the ground and began taking orders again. Ramona is gonna kill me. I told her I'd be home an hour ago! This is just gonna start another shitty fight that I'm gonna have to deal with. Ughh…

"Excuse me?" a man asked.

"How may I help you?"

"Two shots, please."

"Right away, sir."

Adam prepared the orders, and on his way to the customer he tripped, and glass shattered in every direction. The boss's quick eye was not a second too late, and of course, the bar became as quiet as an animal while trying to catch its prey. He marched up to the blond man in the white bartending apron. He towered over him and left him in obscured shadows. By then, the boss's face had reddened with anger and his lip was quivering.

"Get OUT!"

Adam scrambled to fetch his things and tripped time and time again on his way to the exit sign. One of his coworkers stopped him in his tracks and said in an almost inaudible whisper, "He'll forget by next time. Don't worry. Just be here extra early for your next shift."

Adam nodded with understanding in his eyes. He would do just that.

As soon as the young man stepped onto the concrete of the outside sidewalk, his legs uncontrollably broke into a sprint. He stopped for a moment, surveying the scene. Which path would take lead to his home in the quickest manner? There is one way, but it's almost one o'clock in the morning. I want to wake up in my bed the next morning with no bruises. Hmm... But then again, I'd rather be mugged than have a fight with Ramona.

And with that last thought, Adam ran into the grueling alleyway. He walked for several minutes and then took out his cell phone to check for any missed calls. Ten from Ramona. He expected nothing less.

The bright light of the screen shone onto the rustic ground of the alley. It was so muddy and… What in the hell was that? A dark liquid had spread between the cracks all the way to beneath his feet. His head jerked upwards and he spotted a clump of something flesh colored. No. It couldn't be. It was just late, and he was half crazy at times like this.

Adam proceeded to walk, running his hands through his light hair. Although he wanted his mind to be a blank sheet of paper, he sensed something. His face turned to the left and he saw a slim figure collapsed on the ground. Her face and hands were red, as red as the dark liquid that was now fully beneath the soles of his shoes. Oh my goodness!

The figure was a young woman, bare and totally naked. His heart tugged at him. He was in shock, but he knew he couldn't leave her here! His eyes surveyed the surroundings for something to cover the victim with. A white thing, totally soiled, had been shoved near the dumpster. That would not be appropriate. Something else caught his eye. For a brief moment, he believed it to be a small fire. However, it was merely an orange piece of… Adam gasped aloud.

He looked at the face of the woman. Thea! How in the world? His emotions were running high. He needed to solve the mystery, to understand what happened to this gorgeous, yet blank face, helplessly lying at the level of his feet. Adam knelt down out of exhaustion. He gathered the back of her neck underneath his right arm and the backs of her knees beneath the left arm and used all of his energy to stand up. For a whole minute, he turned in circles, indecisive on what to do, or where to go.

I need to take her home with me. But, what about her family? They must be worried sick!Thank God I live alone, but what if I bump into Ramona? I'd have a naked girl in my arms. That's practical.

Questions circled in his mind, but just at that moment, he looked down and fully absorbed the picture before him. The body was captivating. It was beautiful in every shape and form. He had the urge to reach out, caress it, kiss it.

No, no, no. What the hell is wrong with me? I need to get her home, take care of her tonight, and take her to her family tomorrow.

He walked and walked, never once stopping to take a breath. Thea's beauty kept him going. He touched her hair, soft as silk. Her large, round eyes. Even though they were closed, he could see the magic held within them. He found it peculiar though that he sensed these feelings. It didn't even seem as if Thea, herself, detected these things within her. At one point, he was able to strip himself of his jacket and lay it on her heavenly features, just to protect himself from passerby.

He finally tore his eyes from her and looked ahead. His house was dark, with no car. No Ramona. Phew.

Adam tiptoed to the porch, opened the door and let himself enter.

I can't leave her on the couch. My room is the only place I keep to myself. It's the only bedroom in the house. She has to go there.

By now, the clock struck two thirty in the morning. He turned his bedroom light on, made sure the blinds were sealed, and laid Thea on the left side of his king size bed. He sat next to her to take a breather and make sure his lungs weren't damaged. But, in a blink of an eye, he kneeled beside here. He was sweating and it was extremely warm in his bedroom.

She must be sweating as well.

Guiltily, and more for his own pleasure than her well-being, Adam removed the jacket he had encased her with. Her legs, her thighs, oh and her breasts. They were so perfect. Never had he seen anything like it. Ramona would never have been able to offer him with such things. Without a thought, his hand made small circles on her feet, then her legs. He played with the garden in between her legs. The circles continued to the stomach, and finally to around her nipples. He felt Thea stir, but he knew that she needed rest and wouldn't wake until the morning.

Adam's hand flew to his zipper. He wanted it, and he wanted it now. Just as he began to spread her legs, his eyes were set to trickles of blood.

Oh, man. Am I out of it?!

Adam put his head in his hands, contemplating his stupidity. How could he even think of such a thing? The girl was four years younger than him, she had been about to meet her death, she was unconscious, and he almost did to her what had been done just a few hours before.

He stood and walked to his bathroom. He soaked a towel with warm water and went back to his left bedside. He wiped Thea's face until its iridescence shone once more. All traces of injury, except the scratches and bruises, had been wiped away. But he wiped the towel around and around her breasts, again and again.

Thea shifted in her deep slumber. She twitched and rolled onto one side. A horrid sight met Adam's eyes. It did not fit in with the whole picture. The back that he saw did not belong to this beautiful girl. He was sure of it. Was he really that tired?

Adam's finger reached out and traced myriads of foot-long scars that covered the entity of the girl's back. They were pink and raw, but for some reason, Adam knew that they had not been bestowed upon Thea this night. They were not bleeding, but the pain they had caused was evident, even if they had been put there so many years ago…

A loud bang at the front door.

"Open up you bastard! I see your bedroom light on."

Shit.

What was he to do? He had to open for her. Thank goodness he had pulled the blinds down. He'd just lock his room door with his key, and not let her come into his room.

Adam rummaged for the ring of keys in each messy drawer as the banging continued. Each one exponentially grew in its sound. His fingers finally brushed against the metal contraptions. He grabbed them, locked the door, and descended to the bottom of the staircase. From there, he dashed to the pandemonium, slipping several times on the tile flooring.

It's now or never… The wooden door opened with a creak. Before Adam stood a woman around his age, flushed with Anger. Her black hair was short and framed her face harshly. Her forehead was furrowed in such an expression that her eyebrows were pointed downwards toward her long, pointed nose. Adam had started dating Ramona because he felt her mature look was appealing. He never knew that she was so mature that she could control him in such a manner. Her twenty-one years of age had given her the attitude of a forty-year-old mother. Plainly, he feared her. And she was evidently glad for that when her small eyes flashed a black even darker than the one they contained already.

Her arm pushed his shoulder and she entered her rounded figure into the house. Adam could almost feel the red steam fuming from her ears. She turned on her heel until she was staring him straight in the face.

"So. Where the hell were you? Another pathetic excuse, I bet."

"Babe, I had to do an extra shift, and I ran into a little bit of a problem on the way home."

"A problem? Do explain."

"Family business."

"Since when do you keep secrets from me?"

Since the first time I took you on a date. "Baby, you know it's not like that."

A thought immediately jolted Adam. How could he have the nerve to call this woman by pet names when he was coming on to an unconscious, nude girl in his bedroom? He certainly was not that kind of guy.

Damn, I'm an idiot. I was just being stupid upstairs. I'm a man; I have my needs, too. No more of that fooling around. I'm going to get Thea home tomorrow and never think of anything that happened on this night again. I love Ramona, don't I? Yes... I believe so… I guess?

"I had planned a romantic evening for us," she said in between heaving sobs.

"Oh no, please don't cry. I'm sorry. I'll make sure nothing like this happens again. Let's be as romantic as you want."

"You mean it?"

"Yeah, baby."

"Then prove it, big boy. Be a real man."

If there were any advantages in being Ramona's partner, it was that she gave him some of the most pleasurable nights at times. Maturity could pay off.

She dragged him by the collar of his shirt to the couch and pushed him down. She lifted her stiletto heels onto the couch and straddled his lap.

"Do you want a show?" Her whisper left a misty feeling in Adam's ear.

"As sexy as it gets," he gulped.

Ramona stood up, approached the stereo, turned on a quiet song, and dimmed the lights. She turned her back to Adam and bent down, her legs still straight. Adam stood and walked over to her, cupping each side in his hands.

"Nope, show and tell isn't until after the show." She shoved him away with her stilettos.

Ramona shimmied out of her tights and threw them at Adam. She chuckled at his bewildered expression. Then she came and leaned over him, pointing to her black skirt zipper. He willingly reached out and yanked it down. Ramona leaned down and licked Adam's lips with her tongue. He pulled her neck closer and gnawed his way into her mouth. She drew back, keeping him teased and wanting more. She pulled down her underwear, inch by inch, until her garden was exposed. She straddled his lap again, letting his hands wander all they wanted. Adam fumbled with his fingers pulled his pants down without even caring to undo the button.

"Not yet. Keep your pants on, sexy."

Ramona danced around, using the side of the wall as her pole, as she unbuttoned the buttons of her black chemise, one by one. Just her bra was left to go. Adam was not going to wait any longer. He jumped up and went to her, forcing his tongue into her mouth, and ripped off her last garment. He stood back, and surveyed her. This was not the idealness Thea, just one floor above, possessed. Thea had a body of gold, skin as bright as the sun. Ramona had a somewhat flat chest, large thighs, thick legs, and an all over pudgy look.

I can't be thinking of another woman at a time like this. I just can't…

"Listen, I'm not feeling too well."

"Huh?"

"I think I just need some rest today. It's been a long one. I'm sure you need to get home soon anyway, right?"

"But I'm naked here, for you." She pressed her breasts against him. "Don't you want me right now? She arched her neck backwards.

Adam's cold hands felt all Ramona's body. But there was no spark. Compunction filled him.

"Not now, please. I'm exhausted."

"Just do it, one time. Just one time."

Adam walked to the couch and tossed Ramona's clothes to her.

Her eyes widened. "I see, you're kicking me out. Don't expect me to be here ever again!"

Adam grabbed her arm. "Wait…what?"

"We're through. Done. Broken up. Got it?"

"You don't seem too upset."

"Yeah, well, I've had enough of your shit."

She yanked what she could on and strutted out of the door. Adam heard her car engine start, and then fade away.

I could have had a memorable night, yet I rejected it because of a few thoughts of a random girl I met a few hours ago? And now I'm single and I don't care? What is wrong with me?