Bring On the Night

Chapter 2: Memories

It had been almost a year since Nkki's brief encounter with Luke. Her eighteenth birthday had come and gone, she had enrolled in the local high school under a fake name and had just graduated; she had made friends and had good times. Truth be told she found herself happier than she had ever been in a long time. She had bought a little apartment in the centre of the town and she was beginning to fell at home in Crystal Rock Valley. She had sometimes thought that she had seen him a couple of times but when she took a second glance he was always gone so she just put it down to her imagination playing tricks on her as it wouldn't be the first time.

She wouldn't even be sure if the events of that night were real if she did not have the scare on her wrist to remind her that it was no fantasy. The redness had faded and now in just looked like a white uneven semi circle on her wrist. She had told the few people who had noticed it that it was the results of an accident in the kitchen with a knife and then she let their imaginations work out the rest. No one else she knew even knew that the Night World existed, but she did. She was far more careful about who to trust now. The soul mate link was still in her mind, she had just pushed it to the back and never thought of it. It was always there but it never bothered her except for the odd night when she would feel a sudden emotion that she knew for sure was not hers like anger or hate and she knew it was him.

She wondered what he was doing with his life or 'existence'. It was only after when she realized what he had meant by the whole birthday's conversation they had before he bit her. It was no life, always alone. If she were to be forever young she would damn well make sure that she always had company otherwise in her opinion it would just get boring. She laughed at the sound of herself 'If I were a vampire' She could not even begin to imagine what it would be like to be part of the Night World. Here she was choosing what to wear to the after graduation party, a completely normal thing to do. She could never make it as a vampire, she did not need anyone to tell her that. She held up the little black dress in front of the mirror and chucked it to the side, it would blend in with her hair too much.

She finally decided on a little purple dress with a low neckline and a tulip skirt, perfect. Black over the knee socks, black ankle boots and a silver necklace with odd charms sticking off it and of course the silver chain that never left her neck. She didn't take a bag, she didn't see the point. It was a house party so the booze would be free and she wouldn't need her fake ID so she went without. Her friend Amanda had rung twenty minutes ago to say that she was going to be late so to just meet her at Ryan's house where the party was being held. Honestly she didn't even want to go, it would just be another party filled with horny teenagers and she had had her fair share of them. But she was going because Amanda made her swear that she would. Nikki sighed once more before locking her door and putting the key under the plant pot outside. She walked onto the street, uneasy in her high heels, and headed for the party.

The air was still as night crept over the sky, Nikki's heels clicking on the hard concrete of the sidewalk. The sky was clear tonight, enabling her to see all of the stars that shone like diamonds. She smiled up at the sky as she continued to walk down the now familiar streets. There were a few people dotted here and there but none of them stuck out to her, they sort of just faded into the background. That was one of Nikki's great skills in life, she could block everything out. She could remember when she had been bullied at the age of eleven and she just simply switched off. It was like she was in her own little world and no one could touch her. It helped when she just wanted to be alone as well as she could drown out all the noise and distractions.

And then it happened.

She didn't really know how it happened, but it did. She had just been so involved in her own world that she had none seen the man emerge from the alley until it was too late and he put a bag over her head and bungled her into a black van parked on the opposite side of the alley. The last thing she remembered was hearing a rough male voice calling out behind her…

"That's the last one, take her away."

And then it all went black.

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Nikki awoke and for a second thought that she had lost her sight. Everything was black. But then she heard it, and what a dreadful sound it was. Crying. Heart wrenching sobs filled her ears from what sounded like about six different people. Then she listened closer and heard banging and scratching. She slowly reached her arms up and found that not a foot above her was a cold flat surface. Then her eyes began to accustom. She could make out shapes. Human shapes.

"Where am I?" She blurted out in barely a whisper but somehow the person next to her heard.

"You're in a van heading to God knows where." It was a girls voice who sounded about the same age as Nikki.

"Why?" Nkki's voice didn't falter.

"To be sold as a slave to the vampires."

"Oh , way to be blunt Jessica!" Another girl's voice came from the other side of Nikki, "Way to stick in the knife!" This girl sounded older, mid twenties or so.

"She has a right to know," Jessica snapped.

"I'm fine really, I know about…them. I can handle it." Nikki whispered calmly. An arm draped over Nikki.

"It's not can you deal with it…it's should you have to. I'm Carla by the way and that's Jessica."

"I can't really see who you're pointing at," Nikki whispered hesitantly. She heard Carla rummage around for something and seconds later a lighter flicked on and she could see that she had guessed right about Carla's age. Carla had short choppy blonde hair with tanned skin and hazel eyes. Jessica had blazing red hair and bright blue eyes. The space they were in was extremely small; it would've been impossible to crawl never mind stand. She could just make out the outline of two other girls in the opposite corner and a couple of girls lined against the side but she could not make out their faces. The stale stench of sweat and blood laced the air and people were still crying.

"And there's no way out?" Nikki's voice still did not waver.

"No." Jessica's voice changed. It was not cracked but it still somehow seemed…broken. "They'll take us to a boat and then sail us out to an island that isn't even on the map."

"Wait, how do you know all of this?"

"I've been in this van for two days. I've heard them talking, mocking us. There is no way out of this place, trust me I've tried." Carla reached over and comforted the girl by rubbing her back.

"Well what about when we get to the boat. There must be a time when they don't hold us, even if it's just for a split second, right?"

"I guess, but-"

"No, I say we run. What have we got to lose? They're probably just going to kill us anyway." As soon as those words left Nikki's mouth ear piercing sobs gave from the other girls.

"Ssh," Carla clamped a hand over Nikki's lips and whispered into her ear, "Most of the other girls here are no older than sixteen." Nikki gasped, how horrible it must be for them, she thought. Probably sneaked out of the house for a fun night and now realizing they would never see their parents again. Just then, the van slammed to a hold and Nikki was flung painfully into the cold wall along with most of the other girls.

"What's going on?" Carla asked frantically.

"I don't know, they've probably found another girl." Jessica's voice was distant.

"No," Nikki remembered "When they got me they said that I was the last one." Everything went quiet until Jessica finally whispered.

"We're here then. At the docks." They all remained silent for what felt like forever, frozen with fear for what was about to come. They heard the front doors slam and heavy footsteps walk to the right side of the van and then all of a sudden, light burst into the small compartment. The door of the van was slung open and two, extremely handsome and very muscley young men were stood in the doorway. Nikki would say they were both in their twenties, one with sandy blonde hair and the other emerald green, and they were both definitely belonged to the Night World. It was everything about them, their stance, and their grace. Everything was perfect and beautiful…except their eyes. Their eyes were screaming with evil. And that little glint told Nikki that they were enjoying every minute of this.

"Alright girls?" The blonde one said with a smug look on his face before grabbing each of the girls one by one and flinging the out onto the cold dock. Nikki was slammed into the cold wooden planks with tremendous force. Her mind was screaming obscenities at the two men but not a sound came from her mouth. Jessica was flung down next to her and nodded at Nikki in agreement, they both knew what had to be done. Nikki shot up and without a second glance, se ran. Really ran. She heard shouts behind her and knew that she didn't have much time, she knew that n=Night creatures were incredibly fast and incredibly strong. If they caught her she knew that they would make it hurt. She rounded a corner, still not looking back and dived to an old door, praying that it was open, and luckily for her, it was.

It was a small old room that looked like a shop somewhat. Nikki crouched behind what would have been the counter and then she did something she had only ever done twice in her life, she prayed. She clutched at the crystal pendant around her neck and prayed. She had to cover her mouth when she head footsteps outside.

"Come on girlie, I know you're there. Come out now and we won't hurt you." She could feel rather than hear the lies in his harsh voice. She stopped breathing completely and stayed utterly silent. If she tried hard enough, she could hear his sharp breaths as he slowly stepped closer and closer to her hide away. "Such a pretty girl, such a waste." He must've been right outside of the door now, less than ten feet away. She could imagine his hand just reaching for the doorway. Then a new voice came through.

"Dominic, I saw her run out the back of this building, she'll be half way down Maple Street by now." The voice was somewhat familiar but those thoughts were not the main priority in Nikki's mind at that time.

"You sure?" Dominic questioned.

"You don't have the authority to doubt me." The other man's voice was sharp and a forced silence hung in the air.

After a few minutes of complete stillness, Nikki guessed that Dominic had followed the direction that the other man had pointed him in, but she still did not move. She knew that vampires had many special abilities that humans did not posses. They could be standing on the other side of that small counter knowing exactly where she was hiding. The minutes past until time melted into an eternity of fear as Nikki crouched slowing her breaths. The floor was dusty and had odd splinters sticking out of it, Nikki had to stifle a couple of sneezes as not to be heard. After a while, Nikki decided that she needed to get out of there. Still uncertain about the vampire's whereabouts, she clambered out over the dusty counter and silently brushed the dirt off her dress.

"I was wondering when you would eventually show yourself." Nikki froze as she slowly turned around to see the face that had been present in her dreams for the past year.

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Hey Guys. Sorry for the wait, I'm in the process of taking my exams so I'm really stressed out and for that reason, this chapter may not be my best and for that I'm really sorry. Anyway, I've been thinking that should create a new section of fiction for wither music bands or celebrities. I have a few stories about band romance saved onto my computer and would love to share them on here with all of you. REVIEW and tell me what you think about the idea and the chapter.

Yours forever,

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