Mina is a reflection of a friend of mine, just like Amelia is a reflection of myself...well, certain parts of me. Reading this chapter, you will all discover that Mina is a screwed up kid. I was very angry when I wrote the first bit of this chapter. My best friend had just gotten into drugs and hooked up with a sketchy boyfriend and never seemed to care about anything else, so naturally, I felt very angry and betrayed. Now, she is even more into drugs and parties and though we're still good friends, I am still very mad at her. In a way, I can sort of project my emotions through Amelia to express what I can't say to people that I care about. Its kind of weird and I dont know if any of y'all understand, but this chapter really helped me through alot. It's probably my favorite, and deffinately the most meaningful....wow. that was personal. sorry! haha
Amelia stood in front of her bedroom mirror in nothing but her underwear. Scattered around her on the floor were a number of rejected pants, skirts and a variety of shirts. She went for her closet to perform another thorough search of her clothes when the large, blocky satellite phone on her dresser rang obnoxiously, moving for the edge of the structure and finally falling off it altogether. Amelia dashed across the room and held out her hand; retrieving the phone before it even became fully free of the shelf. Her reaction time and response took less than a half a second. Had anyone else witnessed the inhuman speed she required to execute the performance would have made her well aware of her uncanny action but to her, her action was performed at a normal human speed and there was nothing special about it. Her natural inhuman reflexes had started to become apparent the following month. She would often catch things that fell several feet away or react to things before anyone else. People often asked her about it or gave her weird stares, but she never took any notice.
"Hello?" Amelia held the black phone up to her ear. "Oh, hi Frank!....yes I'm coming tonight…as a matter of fact I was just figuring out what to wear when you called – what?...oh come off it! I'm a woman aren't I?...Is Mina coming?...oh…well, that'll be okay I guess…no, no its fine, really…mk' see you soon…bye." She shut the phone and placed it back on the wooden dresser, then hesitated and grabbed it again, stuffing it in her bag.
It was 8:30 PM. Amelia had decided on a pair of jeans and a green and black striped shirt with buttons halfway down the front. Her white hand was on the door handle. She was about to leave when she paused and turned around – staring at her pallid reflection in the mirror. Her bright eyes appeared dimmed and lined with heavy dark circles from lack of food and sleep. That, along with her pale skin made her look like a walking corpse. With a dissatisfied sigh, she turned her back to her reflection and left the room. Downstairs, she encountered her aunt and uncle at the kitchen table.
"I'll be back late." She said.
"Not too late I hope." Her uncle said in a warning tone.
"Amy, you make me worry when you're out late like this. Please be safe. Bring your cell phone and never get into cars with strangers, be safe…" Her aunt would've gone on, on a long tangent if her uncle hadn't quieted her.
"Midnight's the curfew." He said, stopping any further argument.
"Thanks Charlie." Amelia said, winking at her uncle. She held out her palm expectantly and he dropped the family car keys in her hand. "I'll be safe, Auntie. I promise. And I have my phone." She took her cell phone out of her brown handbag as evidence. "Bye!" she called, grabbing a black zip-up sweatshirt and shutting the front door behind her.
Amelia met Frank in the driveway of the small red house he lived in, which was just a couple miles from her own. Amelia reached across the seat to unlock the passenger door.
"Howdy there!" Frank greeted her as he slid into his seat and buckled himself in place.
The two exchanged greetings and a few comments on the night's plans as Amelia drove them to a large stately house complete with a brick wall surrounding its perimeter and an iron gate. Mina leaned in front of the gate's black metal bars. Her short blonde hair was worked into two small pigtails. The denim skirt she wore was way too short with high-heeled black vinyl boots that reached her knees and the low-cut gray knit sweater that showed her white cleavage. Mina slid into the back seat of the car without a word and a quick glare in Amelia's direction. The drive to the city was silent from then on; except for Frank's attempts to strike up a conversation between the two girls, which only ended in an increasingly awkward silence.
A Friday night trip to the city presented a problem for the three friends. It was virtually impossible to find parking anywhere. After driving for what seemed like hours at crawling speeds under 15 miles per hour, Amelia finally found a parking space along the side of the street in front of an adult film store that had long since gone out of business. The large red light-up sign that hung above the entrance was hanging by only one end. It squeaked and creaked as it swung from side to side in the slight breeze. The shop's windows were boarded up with dirty two-by-fours; blocking the erotic merchandise available for young adults 18 and over with ID from view. Amelia cut the engine and the three minors stepped out of the red station wagon that she could never hope to own.
"So, what's on the Agenda for tonight?" Frank asked Amelia as they walked towards the brighter buildings and larger crowds of pedestrians. Mina walked behind them sulkily.
"I don't know…" Amelia thought, "I wonder who's playing at the 3116 tonight…what do you think Mina?"
"I don't care as long as I can have a beer and a date." Mina grumbled. Amelia sighed.
"It'll make her happy." Frank whispered in Amelia's ear, "irritating as fuck, but happy."
Amelia chuckled quietly.
It didn't take long to reach the 3116. A pair of large bouncers stood in front of the club's doors, checking the late night partiers for ID. It was an all age club and alcohol wasn't served there but those with a membership were directed to the left and those without one to the right to pay – which is where Frank, Amelia, and Mina were escorted. Inside the noisy club – which nothing more than the basement of a large building – the air was hazy with smoke, matching the smog that filled the city outside and the blaring of the whiney punk band on the makeshift stage made Amelia unable to hear. Her and Frank soon lost Mina to the overwhelming pull of the bar and the promise of alcohol and an easy date. Amelia and Frank stayed at the show. They pushed their way through the throng of young bodies into the middle of the mosh pit.
Inside the pit, Amelia gave herself away to the chaos. She let herself be thrashed about; knocking against body after body, be picked up by a group behind her and be hoisted up above the crowd and moved toward the stage. Up above the crowd, she caught the eye of the signer. She looked at him and he looked back for a good 10 seconds. Then, extending her white arm out, the tips of their fingers touched. Suddenly she was dropped back to the floor and the signer resumed jumping and thrashing around on stage. Amelia screamed along with the lyrics. It seemed like the noise and throng would carry on forever, but after three, the signer said 'goodnight' and the band departed. The Tec crew came out to disassemble their set to prepare for the next band. Amelia pushed through the remaining moshers to follow the leaving crowd.
In the bar, Amelia bought an orange soda. Sipping on her sugary drink silently, she watched from her seat at the end of the counter – away from the drunken adults and teens. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, watching Mina laughing and giggling with an empty bottle in her hand while a tall, muscular boy that had to be collage age felt up her mini skirt. She knew that she should have kept a closer eye on Mina. She should have stopped her from going into the bar. She probably mooched the beer off the older boy and his friends, who, she noticed had a small blue cooler. Even though she honestly cared for Mina in her heart of hearts, Amelia didn't want to deal with Mina's recklessness and couldn't have cared less about what she got herself into that night. Let Frank worry about her. She thought icily, turning her head from her best friend and her toy. Amelia proceeded to sip her drink quietly until she noticed the crowds drifting back towards the stage for the next band. Downing the rest, Amelia joined the throng.
The new band was more hardcore than the spunky pop-punk band that played previously. There was much more screaming and yelling than singing and the signer screamed lyrics about revenge and angst and downing the government and Amelia danced and moshed just as hard as she had before. After the second band, Frank and Amelia found each other amongst the thinning crowd that stayed by the stage to watch the next band set up.
"Those guys were great." Frank said, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Yeah. Way better then the first band." Amelia agreed with him. "I thought that the singer was a bit of an asshole though, telling everyone to fuck off and all. It's so stupid when they do that."
"Ahh, they're just in the zone. It's all cool."
"Oh, of course. The zone. Right." Amelia and Frank continued to razz each other as they made their way into the bar again, this time for water. Mina and her date were nowhere to be found.
"Oh shit. Where did she go?" Amelia grumbled, pushing her way through crowds, checking around corners, by the restrooms, in front of the building. She couldn't think of anywhere else two people could find a deserted enough space to make-out. It was out the back door where she found the drunk and happy pair making out in the stairwell. Mina giggled and nipped at the boy's ear playfully as he felt up her shirt. Amelia cleared her throat loudly. This stopped the two's PDA immediately. The collage kid and Mina instantly whipped their heads around in Amelia's direction.
"Amelia!" Mina sighed as the two disengaged.
"I've been looking all over for you." Amelia said. Her arms were crossed and she held a disapproving scowl on her red lips.
"I'm sowy Amy!" Mina slurred. She was still very drunk. "I won't do it again. I promise!"
"Uh-huh. I'm sure you won't." Amelia said. "Now come inside with your new boyfriend, okay?"
"But it's pretty out here!"
"Mina…"
Mina stared at Amelia for a long moment; her full bottom lip puckering out like a pouty two year old's. "Okay…c'mon Kenny. Amy's being a party pooper." Her date chuckled and nuzzled her cheek.
"Hey babe, what're you be'in such a tight ass for?"
"I just want to make sure that she doesn't get pregnant tonight." Amelia said frostily. She turned on her heal and strode back into the club.
It was near midnight and the last band was packing up. Amelia waited at the entrance as Frank emerged from the doors with Mina supported by his side and her arm around his shoulder. Upon seeing her two best friends, Amelia felt a sudden urge to explore the night alone. Mina squirmed and Frank dropped her arm from his shoulder. Mina doubled over in the corner by the entrance and groaned.
"Do you want to throw up here or in the car, Mina?" Amelia asked, sounding tired and bored.
"Both…" Mina moaned, clutching her stomach.
"Does this happen often?" Frank asked worriedly.
"Yeah. She'll be fine." Amelia said. "Um…Frank, do you mind if I leave you and Mina? I kind of want to walk around alone for a bit."
"Uh…sure. Mina wants to see a movie for some reason so we're going to that one theater near here. Uh…meet us there I guess."
"Okay. I'll meet you there in a couple hours."
Amelia left the 3116. She walked aimlessly through the city passing clubs, bars, adult theaters and casinos; all lit up with their bright neon-lights to welcome the city's nighttime inhabitants. It must have been near twelve thirty when Amelia found herself in the business section of downtown Chicago. She had forgotten about meeting her friends at the theater, and about her curfew. Giant skyscrapers towered above the heads of all the lesser buildings; most of which were deserted except for the tall, extravagant hotels and casinos where people milled around the entrance, smoking and chatting. Amelia desired a place with less people – no people if that were possible. She wondered deeper and deeper into the city. She was trying to get lost on purpose. She finally succeeded in getting lost when she found herself passing warehouse by warehouse. She had unknowingly wondered close to the shores of the sprawling Lake Michigan where most of the city's goods were imported and exported. She was passing by the gate of an immense factory when she heard soft footsteps behind her. It was unnatural that she even heard the quiet, careful steps approaching her 100 feet back, but due to her advanced hearing that went beyond any human's she could hear the tentative steps clearly. Looking quickly over her shoulder, she glimpsed two men walking down the sidewalk towards her attractive figure. She could tell that they were whispering to each other and by their frequent glances in her direction she could tell that they weren't merely passing by.
Amelia felt oddly calm. She turned her back to the advancing men and continued walking, heading towards the bright, populated section of the downtown area. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed that the men had gained ground and were now 10 feet behind her. They called and whistled at her obnoxiously. After a couple minutes of this, the whistles and calls had stopped and she could only hear one pair of footsteps. Glancing over her should again; she saw only one of the men smiling wickedly at her. Her heart pulsed faster and she quickened her pace. She rounded corner after corner, trying to lose the man but after every alley and turn he was always there, just ten feet behind her. She could see neon lights and pedestrians ahead at the next intersection. She rounded another corner, figuring it would lead to a short cut. On the other side of the large abandoned brick building she ran into a large chest.
"Oof!" She exclaimed. The chest was hard as rock and very wide like a football players or a serious weightlifter. She backed up slowly. Her heart beat franticly against her ribcage and all moisture had left her mouth. In front of her stood the missing man from earlier. He was dressed casually in a plaid flannel shirt and dirty white undershirt and jeans. His face was scruffy like he hadn't shaved in a couple days and his eyes were bright and excited. A pair of cold hands grabbed her waist from behind. Amelia screamed and spun around to see the second man. He was taller and not as broad as the first but was dressed in similar casual attire. They appeared to be construction workers or possibly worked in a factory.
"Hello missy." The man that held her waist purred.
Amelia took a step back, smacking his large hands away, but by backing up she only ran into the first man. She was trapped. The two men conversed while she franticly searched for an escape.
"Hey Bill, how'd you get around so fast?" the taller man asked.
"I took a shortcut." The burly one, Bill, replied. "Looks like I made good timing."
"No joke, man." The tall man said. "She's definitely a beauty. It would be a shame to have missed an opportunity as good as this."
"Yeah Tom. Maybe next time she won't walk alone in strange places." Bill said. A mischievous grin spread his thick lips.
"That is, if she ever walks again." Tom said. Both men chuckled. Amelia let out a small squeak of fear. The two men looked back down at her quaking form.
"You got a name girly?" The man named Tom asked, his eyes roamed all over her.
"No," Amelia said, her voice was weak.
"Nameless, eh? That don't matter none." Bill said. "How old are you? Collage? Yeah, I bet you're in collage."
He advanced; his burly arms reached for her. Amelia ducked under them and gave a swift kick to his crotch. Amelia made a break for it as the man doubled over but was soon caught by the collar by Tom and swung against a side door of the old brick building they were next to. Unfortunately, it had been abandoned for years and the rusty hinges broke, unable to withstand the force the two struggling bodies applied against it. Amelia fell in with Tom on top of her. Using this to his advantage, Tom flipped her onto her back and straddled her, pinning her white arms down on the floor with his knees.
"G-get the fuck off of me!" Amelia cried, kicking against his back with her legs.
"Oh! I almost forgot. Hold on a minute babe." Tom straightened up, still straddling her and dug into the pocket of his flannel, pulling out a dirty handkerchief. "That's better."
He stuffed the kerchief into Amelia's mouth and tied it behind her head. She gagged. It tasted like salt and tobacco. Tom's large dirty hands unbuttoned her shirt slowly; this was possibly to prolong her agony or maybe his personal excitement. Bill came rushing through the door, panting.
"You're gonna pay for that one you little whore!" He bellowed. "And what the fuck Tom?! Started without me did ya?"
"Shut up." Tom snapped. "Go keep watch or something. You can get yours when I'm finished!"
"Shouldn't of brought you along you sonofabitch." Bill whispered as he sulkily walked to the entrance and leaned against the doorway. It was too soft for Tom to hear but Amelia heard it clearly.
"Now." Said Tom, turning back to Amelia. "Where were we?"
He tried to feel up her shirt but Amelia resisted by grabbing his hands in an attempt to keep them from going any farther. Tom pulled out of her grip and slapped her across the face. The sound of the slap seemed to travel throughout the whole structure. The red handprint it left faded and soon darkened into a gnarly purple bruise. A single tear leaked from Amelia's tightly shut eyelids and without another word or protest from her, he continued to grope her full breasts from underneath her shirt. Dissatisfied, he eventually pulled the shirt off. Buttons scattered across the floor. His tongue licked down her neck and over her breasts as he undid her jeans and pulled them off.
"Are you done yet?" Bill called, sounding bored.
"Just wait your turn and shut up you dumb shit!" Tom yelled.
An immense black bubble of hatred and anger filled Amelia's insides. A raw energy spread through her veins like she'd never felt before. Tom didn't notice how her irises turned from green to a fiery red as he spread her legs and undid the fly of his jeans. Amelia felt am intense pain in her groin as he pushed himself inside her. Suddenly the bubble of unearthly energy broke. Her red eyes shone bright in the darkness as if they possessed their own light. Amelia tore through the dirty rag in her mouth with a pair of long white fangs. Noticing her movement, Tom looked up from her naked breasts.
"HOLY SHIT!" he cried. But that cry was cut short for the ungodly beast that was until milliseconds ago Amelia extended a white fist and punched through his chest, bursting out the other side in a shower of bone fragments and gore. Her teeth tore through his jugular and she sucked his lifeblood out of him. Moments later, she threw the empty carcass of her attacker off to the side. Tom's corpse flew across the room and hit the wall with a satisfying smack. She stood. Blood dribbled from her open maw down her neck and naked chest. The gory fist with which she punched through his gut dripped blood onto the dusty concrete floor. Bill, having watched the whole scene unfold and looking as if it was Satan himself that had emerged from Amelia's body stood stock still in the entrance. The full fledged vampire walked towards the petrified man in the doorway. Each step was silent and catlike. In front of the quaking man, her white fist loosened its steal grip and from it a bloody mass dropped to the floor, making a disturbing wet splat when it came in contact with the concrete surface of the floor. Bill made a small squeaky noise upon realizing what the lumpy red object was; Tom's heart. The vampire's full red lips parted and spread into a ferocious grin that made her face the definition of demonic. A low growl rose from her throat as she crouched, nails extended out towards the terrified man. Just then, Bill dropped to the floor in a dead faint. The beast that now held no resemblance to the mild-mannered girl from before was in mid-spring when a small, indistinguishable little blur of brown buried itself in between the monster's shoulder blades. Instantaneously, the bloodlight in Amelia's eyes dimmed and her eyeballs rolled up into her head as she collapsed on the floor beside her fainted victim.
Sorry about the graphic rape...maybe I should of made this story rated M...oh well. I wrote that part during a really boring summer vacation with my family. hahaha! My dad was like "So what are you writing?" hahaha um....awkward! I lied and said that I was doing my AP summer homework....I dont think he bought it.