Chapter 2

"Ian!"

Ian turned abruptly in the cafeteria at the sound of his name: it was Rider and the rest of the group from the art room calling him. He began to walk to the back of the room where they were sitting, when he felt a firm tap on his shoulder. He turned to see the redheaded jock, Todd Kramer, from the first day.

"Where the f-ck are you going, freak?" he said, leaning intimidating towards Ian. "You can only eat in here if you're going to sit with your little weird group over there, you hear?" he shoved Ian hard against the table behind him, causing him to drop all his books he was carrying.

"Watch it!" said student that was sitting at the table. Ian had caused part of her lunch to spill.

He steadily turned so that both his hands were on the table and tried to stand op straight, but Todd shoved him hard again, and his chest slammed into the sharp edge of the table.

Ian fell to the floor, struggling to catch his breath, when he heard someone say "Todd, leave him the f-ck alone."

"Stay out of this!" responded Todd. Ian gasped in pain as the jock kicked his stomach. He heard Todd pick up a lose piece of paper from Ian's notebook. "You seriously have some problems, freak. No wonder nobody likes you."

"I said," said the person again, as Ian could hear a body being slammed against the cafeteria wall, "Leave him the f-ck alone." Ian finally looked up from the ground just in time to see Rider shove Todd to the ground. He knelt down and picked up all of Ian's loose books and papers, then put his arm around Ian and helped him walk out of the cafeteria. Most of the group from the table followed Ian and Rider outside of the cafeteria.

Rider sat Ian down against the outside wall of the school and sat down beside him. The two others from the art room and Crystal joined them.

"You ok?" the girl with the piercings, Amy, asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ian said, though his chest was still burning and his body ached.

"That was pretty rough." Amy said. "He's an a—hole. Why didn't you tell him to piss off?"

Ian thought for a second- why hadn't he? "I guess I'm just used to it."

"Hell, I'm used to it, but you don't see me letting Todd Kramer use me as his personal punching bag." Said the other boy from the art room.

"Who are you trying to kid, Jake?" said Amy.

"It's not like we have a choice. " Crystal said. "Even in we do stand up to them, it makes no difference."

They sat in silence, wondering silently to themselves if anything would ever change.

The week crept by slowly. It continued much as it had started- the jocks tormenting Ian, his parents bickering and ignorance, and his friendships with Rider, Amy, Jake and especially Crystal growing. They connected almost immediately after the incident at the cafeteria.

The days passed by and finally Friday came. Just as Ian was leaving, Rider ran up to him. "Hey, listen- Friday nights are usually when everyone comes to my house. So if you're free and if you can sneak out, stop by somewhere around 10:30."

"Don't worry, I've got no problem with sneaking out." Ian replied.

"So you'll be there then?" asked Rider.

"Yeah, why not." Said Ian. "It sounds like fun."

Rider grinned. "Great. See you then."

When Ian got home, the house was quiet, as it always was when he got home. He gladly welcomed the stillness of it.

He opened the door to his room- his favorite place in the world. It was his sanctuary. When life treated him rough, it was his place to hide. When his parents fought or kids teased him, it was the place he would go- a place for no one but him.

The walls were a deep off black grey and covered with posters, mainly of an assortment of death metal, industrial and Goth rock bands. Anywhere that didn't have posters, there was permanent black marker writings and drawings.

He flopped down on his blood red and black comforter and lay there, lifeless, savoring the quiet of the house. His parents would be home soon, and then the fighting would begin. It could be worse. Ian thought. They could be beating up on me instead of each other. When Ian was younger, his dad had come home one night, angry and drunk. Ian had still been up and his father was, for no particular reason, furious at him. He only managed to hit Ian a few times before his mom came in and held him back as best as she could. Ian still remembered crying himself to sleep that night, listening to his mom cry and his dad yell.

Suddenly Ian woke up. He checked his watch, unaware that he had fallen asleep. It was 10 o'clock- had he really slept that late? He could hear yelling from upstairs. He'd have no problem sneaking out past his parents.

He pulled on a black sleeveless shirt and his black pants adorned with zippers and chains, picked up his trench coat and left. He'd have to walk, so he thought he might as well leave early.

As he stepped out of the house, he deeply inhaled a breath of the cold night air. The moon was out and it shone brightly on the dark, empty streets. Most people disliked the dark- they found it frightening. In the dark, nothing was real. You could be convinced you were seeing a killer, when it could just be an old man. You could chose to believe what you wanted and your eyes couldn't prove you wrong. Ian found a strange comfort in the dark. It made him feel safe.

It took a while to get to Rider's house, but it was easy to find. As soon as he saw it, he knew he was in the right place. It almost looked like one of those old cult houses, only smaller.

Ian walked up onto the front porch, where a small group of teenagers were huddled off to the side, sharing a joint. He rang the doorbell and Rider answered. "Hey Ian." he said, grinning. "Glad you could make it."

Ian stepped in. It felt even more like a cult house from inside. The first room was very open. A staircase was up one side, with a loft overlooking it and in the other side was a couch facing a television. You could see the kitchen from the main room.

It was lit mainly be the TV, which was playing The Crow. Six or seven people, all dressed in black were sitting motionless in front of the screen, and watched Brandon Lee rise from his grave, confused and disorientated. More people were standing in small groups up the staircase, looking down at Ian as he walked with Rider.

"Drinks are in the kitchen." Rider said. "And if you are in the mood for dancing, we've got that going on downstairs.

"Thanks " said Ian. After Rider left, Ian simply stood where he had been left for a few minutes, taking his surroundings in. It was nice to feel like he fit in for once. The house was full of Gothic misfits, mostly older than Ian. It was something different than he had felt in a very long time.

An idea suddenly came to him- Crystal was probably here. Perfect! He thought to himself. He hadn't seen her as he came in, so he thought she must be downstairs. Ian walked quickly down an old flight of stairs, finding himself in an old un-renovated basement. It was dark, lit only be a few black lights and a strobe light. The music was turned up so loud it was impossible to have any sort of vocal conversation. The basement was filled with people, all dancing the same, but different from any sort of normal dancing. This was more aggressive…actually, that was an understatement. But during the slower songs, the bodies almost swayed in an eerie, yet beautiful dance that was all their own.

Ian looked through the crowd fro Crystal. He was just about to look elsewhere, when he spotted her on the far side, eyes closed, dancing among other people but dancing by herself. Ian made his way past everyone to where she was and looked at her, unsure of what to do next.

As the last song ended, the crowd stopped moving temporarily. Crystal opened her eyes and looked at Ian. She smiled slightly with her black lips and grabbed his hand just in time for the next song

Every Friday at three

Shadows escape form the factory

If you can go to the show

Hurry up and get back to me

Tonight we meet underground

Where the air is thick like mud

And the bands make noise

They were dancing close to each other, in rhythm with the music. Ian could feel the subtle warmth of her pale skin and slender figure against his body.

That we call audio blood

Every weekend we're igniting

Like chemical fires

Youth centers fill with teens

They fill with Vampires

Ian slid his hands down her back. He could feel hers creeping their way around his body, drawing him closer. The intense rhythm of the music became the rhythm of his heart.

Sweating in the dark we're freed

As the weight of the week falls away with a thud

Sweating in the dark we bleed

On the forms in the lights

On the floor we're the flood

We bleed

We bleed

We bleed…Audio Blood

He was lost in the music with her-he had no thoughts, no worries. The only reality was the music and the touch of their bodies

Whispers follow the shadows down the halls

Our hand stamps fade

And I cringe at the stupid names we're called

Every weekend we are massing

Seeking sonic escape

The shadows strut the floor

And start to take shape

Suddenly her lips were on his and they were no longer dancing. He could feel her soft tongue in his mouth. Then as suddenly as it had started, it was over. Ian opened his eyes and looked around for her, but she wasn't there. He pushed through the people, searching, but he couldn't find her.

This is how we bleed in audio…

Let down your skin and

Let the wind blow though your veins

This is how we bleed in audio….

He caught her out the corner of his eye running up the stairs and chased after her. Ian ran up the stairs, through the kitchen until he finally saw her standing outside on the back porch. Cautiously, he walked up to her.

"Crystal?" he asked.

She turned to look at him and smiled- it was an odd smile, one that was on her lips, but still left her eyes empty. "Sorry Ian. I didn't mean to run out on you like that." She sat down on the bench behind her. "Sit with me."

Ian sat beside her. "I needed this night." She said.

He nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean. But…why did you run out like that?"

"It was just too crowded in there. I knew you'd find me." Crystal replied. She shivered. She was only wearing a thin skirt and a corset-like black top.

"Here," said Ian and he slipped off his trench coat and laid it over her shoulders. "I'm not cold."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He noticed her starring at his shoulder. "It's just my tattoo." He said, answering her thoughts and pulling his sleeveless top back further for her to see. It was an angel, about medium sized.

"I like it." She said.

"Yeah, I got it a few years ago. Most people regret their tattoos…I've never regretted this one." He said.

They sat there, talking, late into the night. Ian was transfixed by every word she said. They lost track of time, and were surprised to see Rider outside, telling them it was close to 4am.

"I wouldn't care, but this is your first night here and…well, I don't want you guys getting into too much sh-t." he said.

"My parents don't give a f-ck." Ian muttered. "They never know where I am."

"I better go." said Crystal, handing Ian back his trench coat. "See you soon." She whispered.

Rider watched her walk out the back door. "You and her are good for each other."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Ian.

Rider shrugged. "I know you guys well…and, well, you both seem like you need each other right now."

Ian glared at him, slightly annoyed. "So?"

"Well, I think you gotta lot going on right now…. more than just what's happening at school." said Rider. "And I know that razor blades don't solve anything."

Ian looked down at his bare arms, covered in pale scars and a few new cuts. "That's none of your business." Said Ian as he pulled on his trench coat.

"You think I don't know what I'm talking about? I'm not as f-cking clueless as you think." Rider said. "I went through the same thing." He snapped off one of his leather cuffs to reveal a long scar going from his wrist to mid arm. "I know what its like, Ian."

"You have no f-cking idea what it's like." Ian said angrily, and stormed past him out of the house.