'Honestly, fuck Texas drivers. Coming from Phoenix, I thought we were bad, but we ain't got shit on Texas,' she thought when a red Honda bounced out in front of her. The driver swung the car three lanes wide before using the turning lane to pass the cars ahead of them. Their engine revved loudly as they picked up speed, cut back into a lane, and began weaving their car through traffic. She called them 'sewing needles.' Elise turned around the corner and drove through the gates of her apartment complex. She navigated her car through the cramped parking lot and twisted her way further into the complex. She found a vacant, covered parking spot near her home and carefully pulled into the space. The tension in her temples begged for a little rub before she could even think of getting out. She reached into the backseat to grab the sun shade so she could tuck it into the windshield. While she walked, her pepper spray was in-hand and at the ready until she got inside her apartment.

The quiet hum of the air conditioner was the only sound to greet her and she sighed with relief. She took her shoes off and carried them to her room. She really wanted to take down her hair. She'd washed it yesterday, but she always felt like sweat dirtied it. Her head was so hot she could feel the heat radiating off of her scalp. When she pulled her braid apart, even the hair tie was warm in her hand. Her clothes were beginning to stick to her so she stayed standing bare underneath the ceiling fan to try to cool herself and dry her hair. A shower. She needed to wash the day off. When she got in it, she twisted the heat up, hoping it would relax her tight muscles, before turning it back down to lukewarm. 'Go to sleep early tonight and just enjoy being in bed,' she hummed to herself.

It was her weekend and she wanted to spend it at home, getting to cook some homestyle food, and lazing around. Do her laundry or wash some dishes in between 'chill modes.' She rinsed the soap on her face off before she grabbed her lotion and oil from her caddy. A nice life-resetting weekend to get her ready for next week. She sat down on the soft blue couch and massaged her feet on the wooden foot roller. Her phone read '6:36 PM' when her eyes fluttered shut in the quiet room.

The door handle twisted before it swung open with a blast of music. Loud, percussive drums and synths beat its way through the living room.

"Whew, girl!," her roommate, Des, said, "It's miserable out there. My AC stopped working on the way home. It fucking sucked! I had all my windows down, just speeding my way through every yellow."

Des threw her bag on the table. Her long hair was held up in a clip as sweat ran down the sides of her round face. When she fanned herself, the gems on her nails glinted in the light. She turned to look at her roommate sprawled out on their couch, "El, what are you doing? Get up and get dressed."

"Wha-? For what?," Elise mumbled out, bleary eyes squinting at the light.

"We're going out tonight, remember? I'll get some drinks ready."

Elise looked at Des blankly, "Did we plan this or...?"

Des sucked her teeth, "See? This is why I yell at you about checking the group chat. It's been poppin off all day. Jaidyn's divorce is official! Lessgo now." She walked into the kitchen and began opening cabinets. Elise could hear glasses moving and the fridge opening. The sound of Des's bracelets clinking together while she gathered her ingredients, "We still got club soda and lime! Do you want rum or tequila?"

"Neither, reach in the back and give me a Sprite."

"Okay, so Sprite and tequila or rum and Sprite?"

"No, the soda. Just soda. Jaidyn's divorce went through? Finally! I'm so happy for her."

"Oh, okay! So, club soda and rum?"

"Des, I know you heard my ass."

"No, no, no, you frumpy bitch, we're going out tonight! What did you even do today? Bring back food and watch your show and then pass out on the couch?"

There was a moment of silence, "They were leftovers, actually."

"You've been eating old ass food."

"Chinese food tastes the same each day until the third," she defended.

"Girl, that's depressing," Des topped off the drinks, "You're fed, you look clean, it's a three day weekend. You get tequila and Squirt, since we ran out of Sprite,"

She delivered the drink to the couch, little straw still swirling around the cup, "They got married young and she's still young now, she'll be alright. Tonight ain't about old things. Tonight, we're celebrating."

"This drink smells like straight tequila with a splash of Squirt- you are so wrong for that, Des, I was just asleep."

"You're awake now. You're not going to sleep anyways, we're going out. You would have fucked your sleep schedule up and woken up in la madrugada if I hadn't come home. So, really, you should be thanking me right now."

"I'm getting up, hold on. Give me the rest of the can, please. I need to dilute the gasoline in it," Elise checked her phone- 7:47 PM. Des hadn't been home for more than five minutes. She pushed herself up and rolled her neck. She did feel more well-rested than when she lay down, she admitted to herself. Any other day she would put up a fight, but Jaidyn's life was going through a moment right now and she wasn't going to miss it.

Des said, "The girls are on their way over right now bringing snacks and weed."

She cheered up at hearing they were bringing green. All they had in the house was cartridges. One of their House rules was to not smoke flower indoors: either smoke outside or keep it contained in a small area, like a closet or the bathroom. Over the summer, the Dallas heat convinced them to stay inside instead of the benefit of getting high off of flower. The only exceptions to the rule were friends and bad periods.

Elise said, "Where are we going?"

Des was on her way to her room, drink in hand, "I always tell you to check the group chat. You never respond either, punk. I'm going to hop in the shower real quick. Put some music on, the new guy you showed me last week."

"Have a good shower!"

Elise looked around for the remote before spotting it wedged into the couch cushions. She opened their music library and looked for their favorite setlists.

She called out to Des, "When are the girls getting here?"

"Should be here in around 30 minu- what did I just say?," Des drawled out, cackling at the end, "I hate you sometimes."

"Aight, aight, I'm kidding. I'll check it now."

She looked around for her phone, spotting it on the arm rest she had left it on. She opened the screen and skimmed through forty-three messages. They were going to Club Vesper, a place in downtown that had opened around three years ago. She thought about how much time she had to get ready, and having her friends come over so suddenly. Anxiety spiked through her at the thought of not being ready on-time. Her usual routine wasn't extensive, but damn, she liked to polish herself up, too.

She sent to the chat: Jaidyn, WYA? Dessi got the liquor out lol

A ping rang out a minute afterwards.

Jaidyn replied: '20 minutes out, Dani w/me'

She 'liked' the reply. She thought about what to say, before a message came in from the group chat.

Danielle texted: Heeeey, can't wait to see you. The vibes are immaculate

Elise read Danielle's message and started feeling her stomach get a little heavy with emotion. When was the last time she hung out with them? She thought it might have been at Harlow's Lounge, the place downtown with the gogo dancers and $2 drinks on Friday's. Was that in April or May? Another message from Danielle came in with a soft ping:

Danielle texted: We rolled blunts

Elise sent her love to Danielle over the phone, then she grabbed her drink and walked straight to her closet. She had to hurry up if she wanted to join the circle.

A little while later a knock on the door interrupted her finishing the last touches of her makeup.

"Hi! I'm so happy to see you, pretty gyal!," Danielle said as she came through the door. Jaidyn followed behind her with a soft greeting and a hug.

"'Heeey, pretty gyal' to you, too! I missed you girls! You changed your hair jewelry. It's so pretty," Elise said as she closed the door behind them.

Danielle's hair was fresh and decorated with small, golden beads. Her skin shone and was complemented by her curve-hugging, lime-green blouse. Danielle pouted her lips. Pushing her chest out, she said, "Thank you! The titties are tittying, too"

Elise laughed, "The titties are tittying!"

She was half-way through her drink and trying to blend her concealer onto the dark spots of her face. The bitterness of the alcohol was on the tip of her tongue before, but it was slowly disappearing from her sense of taste. She wasn't much of a drinker, but it was a pleasant buzz every now and then. She turned to Jaidyn who was opening a bag of chips, "What's up, Jaidyn? Congratulations! I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you! I just want to dance tonight."

"I see that! We're celebrating tonight in your honor. Let me make you a drink."

"Thank you, I'd appreciate it. You got rum?"

"I got it. You got that blunt?"

Jaidyn's white teeth flashed in the light, "I got it."

By 9:00, they were at the table, passing it to the left. Their fingertips delicately holding onto it before bringing it up to their lips and gently inhaling. The smoke swirled around their circle. Broad white spirals clouding the air between them.

Danielle leaned back, "How ya been, Elise? Everything okay?"

Elise, holding the smoke in her lungs, said, "Yeah, I've been doing good. Just working." She brought it back up to her lips again. Taking a smaller puff, she passed it to Des. "I guess I've been staying in a lot."

Jaidyn spoke up, "I noticed. What's up with that?"

"She don't like us anymore."

"She hate us."

"I do not hate you. I'm just- I don't know. I just didn't notice, I guess."

Desi passed it to Jaidyn, "Calmada, morra, we're just poking fun. We want to make sure you're doing alright."

"Yeah, I know. Thank you. I really am glad to see ya'll though."

There was a pause to sip at their drinks. Jaidyn checked her eyeliner in a small compact. The black-and-white duo made her round eyes sultry and striking. The blunt was nearing the end as they pinched it tightly between their fingernails. Jaidyn took the last hit before grinding it into the ashtray. The glowing embers dying out in a snuff of black and gray.

"Your AC was acting up way back in March, I told you you should have got that fixed," Danielle said to Des, "I know you were hot today!"

"Girl, yes, but you know me! I don't listen! But I swear people knew and they were letting me through the whole time. Open car windows in summer here means the AC is busted! You'd really have to be a dick to not let me through."

Danielle shook her head, "Let's call the ride. What was that place called? Vipers Rising?"

"Club Vesper," Jaidyn corrected.

"Y'all grab your bags and phones. There's a mirror hanging on my door if you want to do a quick outfit check," Elise slipped her cards and phone into her small bag. She grabbed her pepper spray and stuffed it into her chest. She turned to her friends, "Lessgo."

Club Vesper was a white, modern building with lights that flared through the air in streaks of white and blue. The crowd waiting for entry chattered into the night while distant laughter filled up space in the background. The couple in front of them whispered to each other quietly while the rest of their friends had an excited back and forth. The air outside was warm and the crowd added to the heat that blanketed them. Elise wasn't sweating yet, but she was starting to feel her skin flush. They'd arrived almost 10 minutes before and the line hadn't moved a single step forward. They knew the club was still popular, and that the line might be heavy, but Des had told them about a promoter for the club she was tight with. Her friend was going to get them in, get them a VIP table, and bottle-service. Fancy shit. But Des had left them over 10 minutes ago at this point.

"Where did Des go?," Jaidyn said as she fanned herself.

"I don't know, but she better get back soon. She ditched us outside," Elise said. She was doing the same as Jaidyn and fanning the back of her neck.

"She said it's her friend Renato, right? He should have made himself easier to find," Danielle said, irritated with the way the girl behind her bumped into her a third time, the girl already too inebriated to stand in line.

"Is he one she met a few months back?," Elise asked. Des had, and could make, a lot of friends. She connected with people easily and loved going out. Over the years of their friendship, her nightlife network had come through for them and sweetened their nights out more than once. Which was great! Except for right now on this warm, warm night. Elise looked at the mirror on the back of her phone. Her lipstick still looked bright and precise. The deep red-orange brought the copper hues in her skin out. She checked her eye liner and was satisfied that it had kept. She admired herself for a few moments more before putting the mirror away. Danielle turned towards them, but she was interrupted by the arrival of Des. Des' 'friend' loomed behind her. Though he wasn't very tall, he looked well-fed and built. A brunette with a tan and honey brown eyes. Very much Des' type.

"Hey! This is Renato. We're going to follow him," Des said as she came back.

'Finally,' Elise thought in relief. While Des made him look big and imposing, Elise could clearly see the top of his head. Their ID's were quickly checked before they were ushered further into the club. Strips of light ran across the top of the booths that were lining the walls and the bar in the far corner had an illuminated sun hanging above it in glorious LED's. It was a hip-hop/reggaeton fusion for the setlist tonight and Jaidyn began dancing with a girl in a mini skirt almost immediately.

"The staircase by the bathroom leads to the rooftop lounge, but it's closed for renovations," Des shouted behind her as followed Jaidyn onto the dancefloor.

She and Danielle were hitting her vape pen in their booth. Elise sighed as she relaxed in her seat. Honestly, she wanted to go, too, but Danielle needed to fix her shoe before joining them and Elise didn't want to stand next to Jaidyn and Des without her. Danielle and Elise were tall women and could tower over most men. Jaidyn wasn't as small as Des, but they were closer in height, and both were shorter then Elise. She didn't mind walking next to one or the other. That wasn't the problem. The problem was when the two of them were together next to her. Elise swears they created an optical illusion where she just looked giant next to them. Two normal sized humans, one 'Xtra Large.' Now, she was not insecure of her height, but anyone would feel a little self-conscious with that kind of feeling. She looked out at the crowd, nodding her head to the beat. Spanish rap burst through the speakers over rapid electronic beats.

"What's on your mind?"

Danielle's voice broke through her reverie. Elise turned to her, passing her the pen, "Nothing, I'm just enjoying myself."

Danielle smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, "Are you sure?"

Elise tilted her head, "I'm good right now."

Danielle looked at her for a second longer, before she said, "Alright, I'll trust you. I was getting worried about you. Des and Jai were worried, too. We've been trying to get you out for a minute now."

Elise didn't know what to say for a moment. She thought back to her months staying indoors and had a pang of guilt that maybe it had been worse than she wanted to accept. She took another hit from the pen before answering, "I'm sorry, I really didn't notice, Danielle. I thought everything was okay."

"No, you're good. I just wanted to check on you. You can talk to me whenever you want to," Danielle said. She took another hit from the pen before she passed it, "How have you been? Anything new?"

"I'm okay. Nothing big has happened. Maybe it's just a case of the 'summer blues' right now, but it feels good to be here with you now," Elise took another hit, "You know what I really want to do now?"

"Hmm?"

"Shake my ass, ho. Bend that ass ov-"

"I hate you, stop now," Danielle laughed. She pointed to a platform nearby, "Get on up there then."

"If you insist...?"

"I do."

"You do?"

"I do, I do."

Elise took one more small sip of her drink before climbing on top. Hopefully, her knees were still good. And her hips.

Hours passed by. The DJ switched the reggaeton to an old 2000's dirty south classic before leading it through a recent hit. Apparently, he knew the age demographic of the crowd tonight. She looked around the room to confirm her thought and laughed when she was right. Elise was dancing with a young man, mid-to-late twenties with smooth, caramel skin that shone gold. He was shorter than her, but it didn't stop his approach. He knew how to dance with her. It feels so good when someone knows how to hold you. The lights lining the walls were slowly fading from one color to another. She could feel the sweat beginning to run down her neck, the small protests in her thighs from hours of dancing, and the growing ache in her feet. Danielle was with Jaidyn. They swayed together in the booth, laughing and taking turns twirling the other.

Jaidyn's hair swung behind her in a sleek curtain, and Elise admired her friends enjoying themselves. It was when Danielle was laughing, that Jaidyn stumbled on her feet. Danielle grabbed her arm and helped her sit down. Leaning in close with furrowed brows, Danielle spoke to her. Lips formed words that were drowned out by the music. Elise watched Jaidyn and Danielle for a moment, before she checked for Des. She stopped moving once she realized she couldn't see her.

'Where is Des?,' Elise thought. She looked around the crowded room and back at the table.

'Where is Des?,' she thought, again. She looked around the crowded room, again. She didn't see Des. She looked over at their table. Her mind tried to race with new thoughts, and it stumbled over itself in the attempt. When was the last time she had seen Des? They had all gone back to the table for another shot, and then to hit the pen again. What did they do after that? Bathroom, and then the dance floor. Or bathroom, then the bar? The whole group had been together, at one point. Elise struggled to remember: booth, bathroom, dancefloor, dancing with people, dancing with the girls, then she'd been asked to dance by the guy behind her. She had seen all of her friends at that point. 'Until Jaidyn and Des went to the bathroom,' she remembered. She stepped away from the man behind her. She pushed herself through the crowd until she reached her friends.

She leaned down to ask Jaidyn, "Where's Des?"

Jaidyn stared back at her, taking a moment to understand the question before she answered, "She went with her friend."

"What friend?," Elise said.

"Her good friend, Renato," Jaidyn said and vaguely gestured with her hand, "She's with him. They're just hanging out for a bit."

"Her what?," Danielle asked. Danielle looked at Elise and nodded toward Jaidyn with confusion. Elise didn't know what had happened when she went to dance, but Jaidyn was more gone than Elise had realized earlier.

"They're just hanging out?," Elise said. She checked her bag for her phone. She needed to see the time. No messages from Des. They'd hung out in their booth around midnight for some recovery time. They'd been on their feet in the hours since then. So, Des had been gone for roughly fifteen to twenty minutes? Less? More?

"Yeah, they're hanging out," Jaidyn answered her. Her voice was nearly inaudible compared to the room.

Danielle looked increasingly alarmed as Jaidyn tried to keep herself propped up. Danielle turned to Elise and said, "Should we go find her, El? I can't remember when the last time I saw her was. But Jaidyn doesn't seem right."

Elise hesitated. Des did this sometimes. She disappeared for a few minutes at a time, but she always came back. The first few times, it had scared Elise when she would disappear without a word. Over time, Des had relented to at least giving a warning before flying off or sending a quick text on her way. Elise checked her phone again. No messages. She checked on her friends and pulled her phone out. She scrolled through her contact list before pressing Des's name. She was immediately sent to voicemail. 'Pinche Des,' she thought. Elise pursed her lips together. Des wasn't on the dancefloor. Even if she was, her small body would be swallowed by the crowd, she'd be invisible to her friends. She made a decision.

She said "Lessgo. I'll bring her ass back here. Jaidyn needs to tell us where she left Des." She turned to Jaidyn who was swaying in her seat. Jaidyn shook her head.

"I didn't leave her. She's with Renato," she paused for a moment to rub at her eyes. She almost rubbed her eyelashes off before she continued, "She was with him."

Elise was quickly getting sober the more time she spent trying to get Jaidyn to focus. Jaidyn was confused and taken off guard right now. They'd been out all night at this point. She touched Jaidyn's shoulder, "Jai, look at me. We're going home. Where is Des?"

Jaidyn looked over at Danielle, and then at her, her expression shifting as she began to understand what was being said. She turned her head towards the bathroom, "We were over there...," she trailed off.

Elise looked over to where she nodded. She could see the small staircase Des had told them about earlier tucked away in the corner. She turned to Danielle and spoke with her. Danielle suggested Elise should take Jaidyn back to her apartment and she would stay and look for Des. Elise thought about it, but refused. Jaidyn needed to go to her home for the night and Elise lived with Des, anyways. Elise would stay for Des.

"Are you sure, El? You don't need any help?," Danielle said. Jaidyn leaned on Danielle heavily. Danielle smoothed Jaidyn's hair away from her eyes and tried her best to keep her upright.

"No, stay here. She needs someone with her here. Once I get back, call a ride or text me if you need to."

Elise walked away from them. She did a quick check for security before placing her hand on the rails. She ascended the steps to the second floor. Once she reached the top, the music from downstairs was distantly audible, but she could hear the sound of crickets as they chirped into the night. There was janitorial equipment out and some areas had missing lights and tables stacked up and pushed out of the way. Despite this, it looked like there was an organization to the mess. She stepped further into the outdoor lounge.

There was a waist-high balcony overlooking the city that wrapped around the lounge. Without the sun umbrellas and the tables, she felt like she had been left wide open to the sky. She walked around near the edge closest to her and looked over it. The ground was a far away feature from this height. She could see around the edges of the club, all the way into the back where the dumpsters were. In the distance, the city lights sent a white haze into the sky that hid the stars. She continued forward towards the bar in the back. It was quiet outside. 'No esta aqui,' she thought as her heart sank into her stomach. She felt her stomach muscles clenched uncomfortably tight and she made herself breathe into it and relax. Her fingers were tapping a quick rhythm on her thumb and forced herself to stop. Her eyes locked onto the bathroom sign in the corner. She dug her fingers into her chest, wrapping her fingers around the plastic of her pepper spray.

Walking towards the restroom, she began to hear an argument. A low, harsh voice and a smaller one, that pleaded with it. They fell into silence for a moment, before a loud bang reverberated the walls. She flinched hard, automatically raising her hand. The spray gripped tightly in her fist. It sounded like it came from the women's restroom. A shout came from the bathroom, followed by a roar. A honest to god 'roar.' The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as the blood in her body began to boil and freeze all at once. Her heart pounded in her chest and she could almost feel how close it pressed to her ribs on each beat. She could feel all her senses open up in a primal response to the sound. It was inhuman. The ringing in her ears slowly grew louder, and she fought against the tingling in her hands to grip the pepper spray harder.

A figure blurred towards her and she almost sprayed Des as she stumbled out of the bathroom. She ran straight into Elise and pushed her backwards with quick shoves. Des was surprisingly strong and Elise almost stumbled off her feet.

"Go, go," Des said, she pulled Elise behind her now. Her hands were hard and unforgiving on her arm.

Her arm was being crushed in Des's grip, she said, "What the fuck, Des? What the fuck?"

"I know, I know, I know, I'm sorry. We can go now."

"Des, I can't keep up. You're going too fast-"

"I know, but let's just go now. Come on, El!"

Elise had to pick her feet up to keep Des from dragging her on the floor. They were halfway across the outdoor lounge when another roar sounded out behind them. Something blurred in front of them, knocking them back and away from the exit. She hit the floor hard. The impact of the attack was audible and it disoriented her. She could hear Des call her name, voice high with panic.

Another voice rang out, "Des, I said we're not done."

There was the sound of shuffling and whimpers.

The voice, a man, said, "I said we're not done."

Elise struggled to turn herself over. She needed to get away from this. When she looked for Des, she saw Des on the floor as Renato stood over her. Renato reached down and yanked Des by her hair.

He grabbed her face in his hand and laughed as she struggled, "You want some? Then you get it, when I get it. It was cool, like we said. But I'm not getting fucked by you today, putita, your shit ain't worth it anymore. And look what you did to my face!"

His face was covered in red splotches. The skin was red, bubbly, and raw. It peeled in some areas on his otherwise handsome face. She saw Des struggling with Renato, clawing at his face and hands with strength and speed. Enough reckless adrenaline still ran through Elise for her to shout at Renato, "Get the fuck off her, puto!"

She saw her spray a few feet away from her and she pushed herself to get to it. She turned towards Renato and Des. When she was close enough, she sprayed into his eyes. He shut his eyes tightly from the spray, but kept his grip on Des. He threw Des to the ground. Hard. He appeared in front of her, startlingly close, and he slapped her away. The crack of his hand across her face whipped her towards the floor. She collapsed to her knees, hands sheltering her face. Her limbs locked into place and she panted into the darkness of her lap, in shock from how hard the hit was. Renato's hand had felt like getting hit with a baseball to the face. She was frightened of what he could do to her if he got a good grip, but she couldn't move. Her hands felt like they were glued to her face. She heard Des cry out one more time before footsteps came toward her. A hand grabbed her upper arm and yanked her up.

Pulling her hands away from her, Renato made eye contact with her, blood running from the corner of his plush mouth. He had fangs. Renato was a vampire. Distantly, she noticed Des as she writhed on the ground a few feet away from her. Renato leaned towards her and inhaled deeply before he hummed under his breath.

He said, "I couldn't smell you before, but you smell so sweet now. Virgin sweet. And so frightened."

He smiled at her, "Des has been holding out on me with you, cariño, hmm? Lucky, I held back on your pretty face. I can keep you real nice and pretty, if you can be nice for me, si?"

She tried to pull away from him, uncoordinated and desperate.

Suddenly, Des jumped on him, and stabbed his shoulder with a small tool. Renato shouted and swatted at her while she climbed on his back. He struggled to get Des off of him. Together, they stumbled into the balcony. From nowhere, men in black uniforms descended onto the scene with chains and other weapons. But before they could reach Des and Renato, Renato had managed to take Des off of him, and now held her in his hands. Elise watched in horror as Renato lifted Des over his head, and threw her over the edge of the roof.

Ch 1 Translations:

la madrugada: the early morning before dawn; time period after midnight and before dawn
calmada, morra: calm down, girl (morra is slang/a term of endearment)
pinche: fucking/shitty/damned (slang)
No esta aqui: He's/She's not here
putita: little whore (slang/diminutive of puta/female form)
puto: whore (male form)
cariño: dear (term of endearment)
si: yes

***Reviews/Constructive commentary welcomed! First attempt at writing in years, my writing voice has changed and I'm trying to find it again