Sorry if this seems like a whole bunch of filler (even though that's kind of what it is). But it's necessary to set up events for coming chapters and etc. I hope you will continue to review. Oh well, somehow I managed to write this chapter. Hopefully you all will like it enough to leave me some encouragement to continue. I'm upping the quota to five reviews before the next chapter, which include the party and a few other events. Also, on a different note; I watched Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox story with John C. Reilly (in case you never seen the movie CDF he plays Crepsley). The CDF movie wasn't very good, but I think he made a good Crepsley (despite the contractions etc. etc.) so I'm constantly reminded of Crepsley in all John's other movies. So then I got this idea and well… I guess you're just going to have to wait and see.
WC:1433
Ta!
-SRG
The rain was pelting my window like bullets fired from a machine gun. Soft instrumental music was playing from my stereo, and the lights were off. I lay curled up in my bed, snuggling my stuffed rabbit; my eyes felt heavy as I stared out the window to the gray world outside. It had been one week since I, in an instance of insanity, stole a deadly spider from its even deadlier vampire owner; retaliation for hurting my friend, Steve Leonard. I had the strange feeling that the past week my actions have not been my own. The day after I took Madame Octa I drifted into an uneasy sleep and woke up panicked and gasping for air; it was as though I snapped out of a trance.
The clock on my nightstand pointed to ten after 6, throwing off my blankets and jumping off the bed; I slowly made my way over to my closet, and slid the door open. Gently picking up the clothes I had thrown over the cage I stared at the grotesque spider. Madame Octa sat unmoving, probably waiting for me to feed her. I'd resorted to tossing her pieces of lunch meat at mealtimes, though I refused to watch her eat it. Other than that I barely saw any signs of life from the creature. On top of the cage a small tin flute was settled into one of the grooves of the box. With shaking hands I unstuck it, never taking my eyes off the arachnid. I blew a note testing it out, thinking back to the conversation I had with my friends about telepathy.
Move, I thought gently as I blew out a single high note. Nothing.
Move! I thought more forcefully at the spider. Just then, her legs twitched in a strange way; almost like a runner would before a marathon. I set the cage in the middle of my bedroom floor, making sure to lock the door in case anyone wanted to stop in for a visit.
Walk around your cage, I commanded. On eight hairy legs the spider did as told, strutting around the small cage floor like it was a run way.
Wow, ok now use the bars on the cage and do 10 pushups. I demanded with a smirk, there was no way she could follow through with such a request.
But much to my dismay, she completed the challenge; then she retreated back to her original position in the middle of the cage. She looked at me with eight challenging eyes, all of them conveying a great dislike of my ordering her around. A shiver or repulsion ran through me, but not quite as strongly as it had in the past. I guess she had ever so slightly grown on me in these past days.
"Hang on," I said gruffly before stuffing her cage back in my closet. "I'll fetch supper."
I quickly exited my room and hurried down the stairs. I peeked my head through the door way and scoped out the kitchen for my mom. Then, almost slipping on the linoleum, I rushed over to the fridge and raided the drawers for a baggie of lunch meat. After pilfering said item I smugly made my way back to my room. But as I exited the kitchen my mother decided she wanted to enter for a drink.
"OOF!" she exclaimed as our bodies collided. Stuffing the bag of meat into my back pocket I tried skirting around my confused mother with a mumbled, "sorry".
"Now, wait just a minute. There is something I need to speak with you about." Damn, I thought. So close.
"Now, I've given it some thought; and I've reached the conclusion that this party is going to be even bigger than just a simple get together with family. Now your father wants to invite business associates and their families. It could mean new deals for his construction company." Angela Shan was not someone who left room for other people in a conversation; a natural fast talking and enthusiastic socialite.
"Um…" was all I could get out before she continued.
"So, seeing as how I still want this party to be themed, and it must be a classy affair; I'm going to make a proposition." She grinned, my mother loved parties; especially ones where she could do some serious schmoozing.
"And what would that be?" I said quickly hoping to get out of this conversation in a timely fashion.
"A masquerade! Classic, elegant, and for your cooperation I'll let you in on the music selection." Mom walked over to the counter and retrieved a coffee cup from the cupboard.
"And what about my friends; can I still invite them?"
"Jen, Tommy, and Alan? Sure, they're nice kids. As long as you all behave properly." She said with a light, yet slightly patronizing, tone.
"Mom!" I said sharply. "And what about Steve, I can't just not invite him and still invite everyone else."
"Oh!" She huffed before giving in, she almost always gives in when it comes to Steve; she pitied him immensely.
"Fine! But only if you let me get your outfit for the party." Her eyes gleamed at the thought of dressing me up, probably as some sort of princess or other girly garb.
"Whatever," I huffed before turning away and continuing upstairs.
My mother squealed like a school girl and called after me, "Thank you darling! Let's see, now I've already sent out the adults invitations, I must call the caterer, the florist…" her voice drifted off as I reached my sanctuary and resumed the maintenance of the deadly poisonous spider. I wondered briefly if I had gotten myself into a more perilous situation with bargaining with my mother. I shook my head and continued feeding the spider, I would think about that later. Right now, I just wanted to sleep without having another nightmare of a pissed off vampire sneaking into my room and ripping out my jugular.
When I first awoken I had no inclination to the events that had occurred during my slumber. It was not until I got up and proceeded to feed Madame Octa her favorite snack, chocolate covered beetles, she had performed exceedingly well the night before, that I noticed her disappearance. Naturally my first thoughts had been that she had been taken to get her cage polished, Mr. Tall had begun that habit after particularly successful shows. But a quick conversation with the cirque manager disconfirmed this thought. Hibernus then spoke of a young woman lurking around the old theater during the day, when he attempted to confront her; the woman became spooked and sprayed mace all over his good clock-the dark blue velvet one he emphasized with a grumble. It did not take long for me to piece together the details; the girl was the friend of that misguided young man from the other night. I thought I had frightened him enough not to attempt any retaliation. Evidently not. He must have persuaded her to steal from me, a big mistake on her part regardless of influence.
It was not difficult to find her location; I did so with the next few days. However, it so became troublesome to confront the thief as she always seemed to be with someone, and I had no desire to become involved with more people. I simply watched her for a while; investigated her life, rifled through as much information as I could get my hands on about her. And eventually, after learning much about this Samantha Shan; I had formed a plan.