by Kari Chaplin
I stopped and slowly opened my eyes. Myra’s face was intense with worry. Looking around, faces were staring at me; none of them possessing red eyes. No sign of anything strange seemed to exist anywhere around me. I took a minute to glance around and process what I thought I saw. “I saw red eyes,” I whispered. Everyone at the parade was gawking at us, and the floats had stopped moving. I couldn’t comprehend what I had seen. I knew I had seen four sets of large, round, glowing red eyes in the crowd. It was not my imagination, but no one else seemed to have noticed anything strange. I kind of expected the crowd to be frantic, but no one moved. Eyes were still glued on me. I scrunched my nose in contemplation. “What a conundrum,” I mumbled.
“Vanessa,” Myra said, breaking the rolling thoughts.
I lifted my head. “It’s nothing.”
“Babe, I’m seriously getting worried about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“That’s up for debate.” Her sour expression was self-explanatory.
“Oh, great,” I said, noticing Demien in the corner of my eye. I feigned disappointment. I was ecstatic for the distraction and pining to see him as well. I was uneasy with the bag of mixed emotion his presence brought about.
“What?”
“Demien’s here. What’s he doing here?” I snatched Myra’s wrist and headed toward the snow cone stand. A snow cone was the perfect substitution for a cold shower.
She pulled her wrist from my grip. “Um, first of all, what was that about? Red eyes? Second, it’s, like, the biggest event to hit town since last year's celebration of the dead. Everyone within a 5,000-mile radius will eventually make it to the festival.” Myra’s sarcasm was high pitched and sarcastic.
Stopping to look at her, I made sure my responding impression was just as cynical. “Wow, you’re dramatic. Five thousand miles,” I laughed. “I don’t want to see him. He’s actually the last person I want to see today.”
She giggled. “I don’t think he’s here for your sake.”
“Well, let’s go anyway, just in case.” I was sure that he came to track me down. I headed in the direction of Myra’s house, pulling her behind me.
I could hear her heels clacking against the pavement behind me. “Slow down, Ves. What’s your problem? What else is he supposed to do today?”
“Sleep in his coffin?” I spun around to face Myra behind me, forcing me to walk backward. “I really don’t want to see him,” I said through my teeth.
Hitting something solid, I stumbled backward.
“Don’t want to see me?” I heard Damien’s voice as he broke my fall, cradling me in his arms. My heart slowed to a normal pace. It felt so... normal.
“Let me down,” I demanded.
“Don’t leave on my account,” he said. His voice was enchanting.
“The world doesn’t revolve around you. We have to be at work,” I scoffed.
His amusement broke out into loud thunderous laughter. After he managed to halt his laughter, I heard him whisper under his breath, “You have no idea.” He then rubbed his eyebrow with his thumb.
I stared at him, trying to figure him out. “Well, if you will excuse us, we need to go.” I pushed my way past him, slightly shoving his solid chest. My body jolted.
“The bar doesn’t open until later.”
I turned around and walked back up to him, annoyance boiling inside me. Of course, now that he worked with us, he knew that we wouldn’t be able to get into the bar until four at the earliest. Why had the universe done this to me?
I pushed past him, “I told Joe that I would come in early and help out… with some… stuff.” My voice dwindled to a hushed whisper as I finished the lie. I was a horrible liar.
Just as I had cleared his mouth-drooling body, arms reached out and locked onto my hips. The fact that his hands could almost wrap around my entire frame contributed to my body quivering with ecstasy. Of course, the fact that he had his hands on my hips contributed to the many tiny explosions within.
Without speaking aloud, he said, “You have always been a good liar.” Did he just use telepathy? Is that even a real thing? “Stay.”
“Weird,” I thought.
He leaned into my ear and said, “Please.” His breath on my neck was tantalizing, but so right.
“Come on, Ves, can’t we stay for a little while? We just got here; and may I remind you, we had to walk a really long way to get here.” Myra was going to win this battle because I wanted to stay, which I would never admit.
I eyed Myra for a dramatic effect, “Fine, whatever, but you owe me a souvenir shirt.” I stormed past them and stomped my way back toward the parade. A secret smile surfaced as I sensed him watching me. My storm-off softened into a sashay as I made sure to add an extra swing in my step for his pleasure.
Then it happened! I was mortified. Not only did I trip over my own feet, but I skidded across the gravel, landing in the middle of the street. I looked up to see Demien standing over me, arms crossed over his chest. From the ground, he came across even larger and more terrifying. Endorphins completely flooded me, along with embarrassment and stupidity.
“Oh, goodness, are you okay?” Myra appeared more panicked than the situation really required. She was such a drama queen.
“She is fine,” Demien answered for me. He held out a hand to help me up. I accepted, dusting my butt off on the way up.
I glared at him. “How do you know? I could have been really hurt,” I huffed and turned my back to him. Without a doubt, I should’ve stopped acting so immature, but I was feeling too childish to really care at the moment.
He emitted a low, scruffy laugh, causing me to fruitlessly fight back a smile. “I know,” he mumbled.
I rolled my eyes and said, “Well, whatever.” I stalked off toward Myra. Apparently, she had snuck off during the squabble.
Jogging back toward me, I noticed a bag in her left hand. “Hey, I got us shirts. There wasn’t much to choose from.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. My ankle hurts a little, but what do you expect after fallin’ in high heels? I have a few scrapes, but I’m okay.” I knew she was asking more about my interaction with Demien than about my physical state, but I opted to ignore that entire state of affair.
She gave me the puppy dog eyes.
I refused to give in. “I’m fine. I promise. Can we go now?”
“Fine, we can go. I won’t push anymore.” She replied, clearly disappointed.
On our way to work, we stopped at the Ghouls and Witches Underground, aka Rt. 66 Subs. The restaurant changed their name, menu and general décor to coincide with the current holiday event. The open sign was changed to say “Come In If You DARE”. The menu was black with glow-in-the-dark print. I ordered the Witches of Salem Combo, and Myra had the Cheerleader’s Psycho Mom Combo.
The interior lights were turned off, providing only strobe lights to guide the way. Behind the counter, thin runway lights outlined the work areas so the employees could see to function, without taking away from the experience for the customers.
The doorway and the counter area were outlined in glow-in-the-dark paint. Blackout blinds were placed over the window. Black chalkboard paper was placed on the walls with glow-in-the-dark chalk for customers to leave messages on the wall. Screams and psychotic laughter filled the air from the speaker embedded into the ceiling.
By the time we arrived at the bar, it was dusk. The air was cold and breezy. The clouds were dark and menacing, brewing up a storm, for sure. The parking lot lights were changed to strobe lights as if nighttime in the middle of nowhere wasn’t uncomfortable enough. Cars were already pulling into the parking lot, and we didn’t open for another thirty minutes.
“Hello, Angel of Death,” I said to the demon at the entryway. I grew accustomed to the little guy. Okay, more like a gigantic thing. In my peripheral vision, I noticed pulsating lights already at work inside the bar.
“Hey, Joe, what gives
? Geez, you had to do strobe lights too? When this town goes for a theme, y’all really take it home, don’t you?” I had to yell so he could hear me over the loud music coming from the center stage. Joe hired a local band for the evening. The lights really didn’t bother me. I just liked to torment him.
“Heck yeah! You can’t have a proper Halloween Party without colorful flashing lights. Happy Halloween, ladies.” Joe had the biggest smile on his face. “Girls get your cash tills and get ready. I’m goin’ to open the doors now. We don’t want to keep our customers waiting.” Myra and I both stared at him. He was way too happy. He had something up his sleeve. We did as he said, and not five minutes later, the place was packed.
“Are you ready, Myra?” I gritted my teeth in response to the crowd.
“No, are you?” She had her eyebrow raised as she stared at the people piling in.
“Absolutely not. Maybe you can pay off your debt after tonight.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Here goes nothin’.” We plastered smiles on our faces, put an extra twang in our accents and headed toward the floor.
I took orders from the first ten tables and delivered those as I hit the rest. My mental order tray was full before I had finished delivering the orders on my actual tray. I repeated the same process repeatedly. The night was so busy that I couldn’t seem to catch up with anything. I collected five orders per one delivery. I was sure that I had forgotten some orders. By ten o’clock, the patrons were so drunk they probably didn’t notice that I had forgotten an order or two.
Customers were happily standing against the walls. We had no time to think or stop. Taking orders as we delivered orders was all the night had in store for us.
By midnight, I had already stolen a moment away to trade out my very painful heels for my flats. I was so grateful to have remembered my emergency shoes. The night had beaten me down. I was so exhausted that I was no longer able to form a coherent thought. The ankle that was hurt from the fall earlier was swollen and throbbing.
The staff continued to deliver drinks and bus tables, the music continued to blare on, and customers never stopped piling in. I felt like the person on the inside of an overcrowded phone booth pressed against the glass. Joe and Brad tried to get me to stay off my foot, but I was stubborn. They needed me, and I needed money.
“Folks, this is last-call.” The announcement from the microphone on center stage as one Drew plucked his guitar to the intro of “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. Drew, the lead singer of the band, had one sexy voice. “The ladies will come around to take your last order of the evening. No, fellas a compliment is not a tip. Please, tip these fine ass ladies extremely well for working so hard.” He played the first verse. “You know, we travel to a lot of places. I have to say that this place is my favorite. My cup is never empty and the atmosphere is crazy. Plus, these ladies are some tough girls. Who loves strong women?”
The crowd roared. Drew sang the chorus of “Enter Sandman.” The crowd roared louder.
“There is no place like this place. Where else can you sit back while a foxy lady keeps your drink full? This place is a dream come true. Let’s show our appreciation. Give it up for those taking care of you tonight.”
The crowd roared and cheered.
“When I say, give it up, I mean money.” Drew winked. “I don’t want signals to get crossed, just sayin’.”
The crowd cheered and laughed.
Whispers in the Night played a mellow tune to close out the evening.
“Oh, thank you!” I said to myself, making the last round as fast as I could.
Then I headed straight to the bar, waiting to cash out my till. “Vanessa, sit down,” Brad insisted. He had an ice pack ready; and he placed it on my ankle after he lifted me onto a bar stool, propping my foot on the bar stool next to me.
“How much do you think you made tonight?” I asked Myra, staring at my massive stack of cash.
“I have no idea. You count first,” she proposed.
I counted out the hundred and handed it back to Brad. He logged it and put it into the register. I waited while Myra handed Brad her starting funds.
“How was your night, Brad?” As I asked the question, I realized, other than barking orders at him, I hadn’t gotten to talk to him since the customers began pouring in.
“Busy ‘bout sums it up.” He looked exhausted. “I didn’t see you at the festival today,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Um, yeah, we had to leave early.” I didn’t clue him into my mishap earlier in the day.
“I heard,” he said, providing a knowing glance.
I felt blood rush to my cheeks. I counted the money and then counted it again. I counted it a third time, receiving stares from Myra and Brad. I held my hand up to stop them from talking as I counted a fourth and then a fifth time. I couldn’t help myself from yelling, “What the…”
“What? What?” Myra asked, only half concerned, since my expression was so gleeful.
“I seem to be counting seventeen hundred dollars here. I counted it, like, four times. Here, Myra, count it again. I have to be counting wrong.” I pushed the stack of cash toward her.
She counted it twice. “There is seventeen hundred and fifteen dollars here,” she screeched. She counted her stack. She had a few dollars more. We paid out the bar tip and shoved the rest into our bustiers since we didn’t have our purses.
“So, are we still on for the party?” Myra asked in anticipation.
I gave her a frown. “I don’t think so. I’m tired. Go, if you want.”
“Oh, come on just for a little bit. Aren’t you too hyper to sleep now? I am. Gosh, that much money makes me happy. There is no way I could sleep right now,” she said with a huge smile.
It didn’t take her much effort to convince me. Even though my ankle and foot were so swollen I could barely walk, and the pain was excruciating, but I was too excited to go home now.
The party, like every other year, was hosted in the long-since abandoned general store, just outside of town. The building had been marked as a historical site. The annual celebration had been held here for so long that it was now tradition; no one ever bothered to relocate somewhere else. The party had never gotten too out of hand. No damage had ever come to the building or the site.
We arrived at the party fashionably late. Amy’s Arrest was already on stage. Ghost stories about the town’s history and those who still haunt the town were being told around the bonfire. Myra ditched me to go look around to see who was there. Like the festival, everyone was at the party.
Starving, I went to find the food. I limped and stumbled toward the catered area, trying not to put too much pressure on my foot. I should have asked Myra to help me, but I didn’t want to ruin her fun. I convinced her that I was okay.
About halfway to the food, I was picked up into someone’s arms. They were splendid muscular arms that fit around my body like a dream.
“Thanks,” I said, as I lost myself in his gorgeous eyes.
“Let me see your foot.” Demien carefully placed me down on the ground under a large tree. Ever so gently picking up my foot, he removed my shoe.
I winced.
“This is really bad. I have had my eye on it all night.”
“Oh? You have?”
“I wish you would have gone home and gotten off your foot.” He lightly brushed my foot and kissed my ankle. His touch was so soft and dreamy. I never wanted him to leave my side.
“It’s okay, really. I’m fine.” I realized that I didn’t sound convincing, but I tried at least.
“You stay here, and I’ll go fetch you something to eat.” He jumped up too fast for me to protest. Before I could count to ten, he was back with a plate full of food and a can of Dr. Pepper.
“How is this?” he asked as he sat beside me.
“It’s great. Thanks.” I found it easy to smile when he was around.
I started to eat, and he jumped back up. “I’ll be right back,” he said before scurrying
off.
I did as he ordered. The unseasonably warm night air was a dream. The night sky was lit up by a trillion stars; the moon was bright against the night sky during an eclipse, showing off its bright red-orange color. The night couldn’t get any more perfect.
Demien came back with an ice pack. I was wrong. Now that he was by my side, the night was perfect.
I reached for the ice pack. “Here, let me,” he said, before placing the ice pack lightly on my ankle, then resting my foot across his lap. The party around us was hopping along, but we had barely noticed as we were in our own private paradise.
I had already decided not to tell Myra about our time together. At least, until I sort out my feelings. She would be brutal. Just because he fetched me food and an ice pack didn’t mean we were friends. Except for tonight in this moment, he still scared me.
Thirteen
I was abruptly ripped out of a dead sleep to the sounds of whispering. I couldn’t make out the discussion that was going on outside of my bedroom door, but the tone did not sound friendly.
“Ugh… I’m so mad. This is why I like living alone,” I huffed under my breath.
Throwing the covers off, I got up to tell my sister and Jake to be quiet. But when I opened my bedroom door, all I saw was darkness; no sign of anyone. I went to check on my sister. I figured she must have just gone back to bed. I opened her door to find her snoring, which meant she hadn’t been up in quite some time. Jake was snoring beside her. It apparently wasn’t them. I froze, processing the realization that someone else had been outside of my door just a few minutes ago. Where were they now? There was no way anyone could have disappeared so quickly. My heart jumped.
I quietly cracked the bedroom door, sticking my head in. “Shannon, Shannon, get up,” I screeched in a low, panicked whisper, trying not to wake up Jake. She wasn’t responding at all, and I was scared. I hurried to her and shook her awake.
“What?” she rolled away from me.
“Shannon, get up.”
She sat up, rubbing her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
