"Oh," Sophie narrowed her brow, assuming she was referring to the same club her aunt and uncle owned. It was a place she had only heard of and never thought she would be allowed to visit; at least not at her age.
They came to a stop at a corner and waited with a throng of others as vehicles rushed passed. She looked across the street at the group that waited there. A mother grabbed her unwilling son's hand and readjusted her bags as a younger couple embraced from the chill in the air. Sighing, she wondered why, when there were so many people in the world, her family had to be taken away. The thought saddened her, but the pain did not linger as it had a month ago. It helped, she admitted to herself, that her memories of them were so obscured that it was almost as if they had never existed at all. She simultaneously damned and thanked the fire for that.
Another breeze made her shiver and, squeezing her eyes tight, she shoved her hands into her pockets. When she opened them again they locked with a man standing across the street, and she froze with disbelief.
Wind sailed down the street and grabbed his trench coat, whipping it behind him and setting his sun blond hair alight. His black clothing melted into the night around him as he stared eerily back at her. The crowd about him moved with the crossing signal, but he remained, motionless, as a fray of papers flew past. Had she seen right? The swept up debris passed right through him. His eyes, dark and shining, held her, beckoning to her, and she broke her paralysis, taking a step toward him. Without thinking, she took another, stepping down from the curb.
The scream of a horn shattered her trance as she was wrenched backward with a force strong enough to knock the wind from her. She next found herself splayed out onto the sidewalk in Mona's lap surrounded by shocked onlookers.
"What the hell are you doing? You can't just walk out into traffic, you'll get yourself killed!" Mona's words faded as Sophie scrambled to her knees and watched the bus race by. Her heart fluttered and shot up into her throat as she realized a moment earlier she was in front of it, but that quickly left her mind as she waited the eternity for it to pass. Her breaths came heavy and short, perspiration forming on her brow despite the chill, until the opposite side of the street was revealed, the crowd dispersed, and the man gone.
"God," Mona sat up, breathless and mumbling, "I can't believe you'd do something so stupid. Naomi would have my head if anything happened to you." The voice, though just behind her, was like a distant call across a field. Sophie was grounded to the spot, searching the opposing corner frantically. Where had he gone? A lump formed in Sophie’s throat and she opened her mouth to call to him but choked on the words, reaching out a silent hand in the name’s stead.
Then a small hand encased her wrist and brought her back to the moment. Mona was there, that was right, and she was staring at Sophie with a different set of eyes. Eyes that were almost kind. "Are you all right?"
Sophie blinked back at her. Could she really say? She glanced down at where Mona was touching her arm.
Mona pulled her hand back, "Did you just see somebody piss in the street or something?" she asked with a snort.
"No."
"Then what?"
Sophie shook her head, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her jacket, "Nothing. It's crazy, really."
"I know it’s crazy," Mona scratched at her head, "You nearly got yourself ran over for it. So tell me in case you need to be on meds or something."
Sophie swallowed and she looked back to where he had been. Maybe she did need medication. "I saw Eric," she paused and took in a breath, "I know it's impossible, but I swear I just saw my brother." Mona's gaze shot across the street, but Sophie did not notice, his face running through her mind, "But that's crazy, isn't it?"
Mona was quiet, her face concealed behind a curtain of hair.
"Yeah," Sophie glanced once more at where he formerly stood, "That's what I thought."
Silence hung between the two as they peered at nothing, imagining he would show himself again. When he did not, Mona turned to Sophie, her face a little softer, "Come on, let's go."
Chapter 2
Mona squeezed them through the entryway to the club, a tight grasp on Sophie's wrist, maneuvering between bodies already packed tightly together. The crowd was lit in a pale blue every now and again as lights pulsed with the music, a throaty voice and a barrage of electronic sounds. Sophie was impressed with her cousin; the large man at the door had taken one look at Mona and let them pass ahead of the line outside, much to the group's dismay. It was a very specific crowd, she noted, and was glad to be taken directly to the back of the space into a dark corner.
Mona pulled her close to compensate for the noise, "I want you to meet my friends." She brought her to a small table and Sophie was shocked to meet the three before them, all at least as old as she, if not older. She was not shocked, however, to see them dressed in the same fashion as Mona; dark colors and heavy make-up.
Danielle, a chocolate-skinned woman with shocking pink dyed hair, offered her hand first. She excitedly introduced herself with a toothy grin and Sophie felt immediately drawn to her, as if electricity shot through their hands when they touched. "Wow!" Danielle exclaimed, looking down at her own hand, her jaw hanging lax in amazement, "Looks like we’ve got some chemistry, eh?"
"It’s static, you idiot," a dark-haired woman at her side pushed her out of the way and took Sophie’s hand, "Rose. And this is my brother, Simon." The third in the group lifted his chin in acknowledgement. Both had hair like a raven’s feathers, striking against white skin, and icy, sunken eyes with matching, soft features and thin lips that naturally fell into frowns.
"And I'm Michael," a voice purred from behind Sophie. She suddenly felt his presence and spun to meet two dark eyes. A thick brow lowered above them and thin lips curled from below a perfectly pointed nose, "It's a pleasure to meet you." His cinnamon skin pulsed with the strobe light below and his lips glistened, "Mona failed to inform us of how beautiful you are."
Sophie felt the blood rush to her face and realized she hadn't broken their gaze yet. She forced herself to look away as Danielle giggled behind her.
The laughing girl broke in, "Hey, Sophie, you wanna drink?"
Sophie turned and was immediately offered a glass with pink liquid. Before she even thought about reaching for it, Mona intervened. "No, she doesn't want a drink," came out cattily as she pushed Danielle's hand away, giving her a stern look. Danielle stuck her tongue out then laughed heartily, throwing the liquid back herself then draped her body across a static Simon, biting at his ear.
Sophie turned back to Michael, his full height now, an entire head and shoulders above her. He adorned more conservative clothing than the others and no makeup, but he exuded his own kind of darkness. He smiled from one side of his mouth and lifted a brow, silently beckoning her closer, and she thoughtlessly moved toward him. He smiled fully, "How dare you not bring her here sooner, Mona," his deep brown eyes never left hers, "This place has been in need of a pretty face."
Sophie didn't see as Mona rolled her eyes behind a short curtain of hair. Danielle decided to answer for her, pulling herself up onto the table and kicking her legs out behind her, "Duh, Michael," she knocked a glass to the floor and it shattered, the sound lost instantly, "The girl's whole family just died! Meeting someone like you, as insensitive and lecherous as you are, would never help that!" She rolled off the table and onto Mona, "Right?"
Mona pushed her away from the group as Rose squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose in embarrassment, Simon quick to follow suit. A kind of hurt rolled around inside Sophie and she thought she should want to run and hide from the words, from the club, from the entire city, but Michael's gaze was locked on her, and she couldn't look away.
He seemed to peer deeper into her, and she felt he could read the thoughts running through her head. Whatever humiliation that began to build up within her was leaving with force, replaced with something she couldn't place. Michael's face took on a somber frown as in apology for hi
s foolhardy friend, but Sophie sent him a reassuring smile. They suddenly didn't matter: her parents, Mona, Danielle, even Eric disappeared for a moment and were replaced with Michael's unforgiving bone structure.
"Forget about her," he said as if he read her mind, "She's the insensitive one," he paused, "And wasted. You'll have a much better time with me anyway." He slid his arm into the small of her back and pulled her slightly closer to the dance floor.
Sophie then realized she hadn't said a single word to Michael all this time. And, although she didn't hate the idea of his hand on her back, she thought it right to protest, but the right words didn't seem to come, "Well, I bet she's not the lecherous one."
Sophie was shocked with herself, but whether it was at the insult or the sultry tone she had recited it in, she wasn't sure. Michael only laughed and removed his hand, his fingertips hovering at her hip, "She can be," he peered at Simon who now seemed to be protectively leaned on by his sister. Rose sneered at Michael while Simon subtly smirked. But Sophie only noticed Michael's lack of defense for himself.
The music changed to a screeching woman and a heavy bass making Sophie cringe. Trying to ignore it, she asked, "And how would you know?" with the same seductive air. Somehow she kept her hand from rushing to her mouth.
"I've only heard stories," he assured her and wordlessly lead her away from the others into a tightly packed crowd. Michael's voice trailed off as if other thoughts were flooding his mind. Suddenly, Sophie realized she was walking and bumped into his chest. She quickly jumped back not knowing how it had happened, but was just as quickly pushed forward.
She turned to see a boy emerge from the shadows grasping at his throat and coughing dramatically. He looked at her, horrified, and reached out with pleading eyes. Sophie was frozen. She wanted to reach back, grab him and flee, but she couldn't escape her own fear.
Another figure appeared behind him, a gorgeous woman with a sensual grin. She slid her hand down his outstretched arm and entwined their fingers. As he peered back at her, the terrified look on his face sank away. She moved like a snake with the rhythm of the music and his eyes locked with hers as he spun into her. Silently she led him back into the shadows and they disappeared.
Two strong hands fell on Sophie's shoulders and Michael's voice whispered in her ear, "Kid's having a bad trip," his voice was raspy and she could feel it vibrate on the back of her neck. Her eyelids became heavy as she remembered how hard his chest had been when she bumped into him, "Let's get out of this mess. The roof's usually empty."
She sighed in approval and let herself be led up a metallic set of spiraling stairs to a long landing full of writhing bodies. She was thankful when they ventured up another small, enclosed stairwell and he opened a door to the outside.
The cool breeze swept in on her and she shivered, but hurried into it. Anything was better than the smell of alcohol and the flood of bodies inside. The music pulsed below their feet and the sounds of the city just reached where the two were. Michael had been right, the rooftop was strangely vacant.
She noticed just how graceful he was on his feet, as if he floated when he walked past her. "The view from here is wonderful," he remarked sauntering to the railing at the roof's edge. He grasped it and leaned out, dangling dangerously over the city below.
Sophie hesitated in making her way to Michael. She didn’t care for heights and wondered why she didn't protest at his offer earlier. He leaned out even further and her heart jumped, thoughts of staring out the window in the apartment rushing back at her.
"Oh, Mona!" Sophie gasped turning toward the door, "I completely forgot I was here with her! I'm so rude."
"Don't worry about it," Michael shouted back, practically hanging upside down over the railing, "She's probably busy yelling at Danielle, or holding her hair while she vomits."
Sophie looked back at him then quickly snapped her head back to the door.
"What? You can't feel that bad about it."
"No, it's not that." Sophie shivered.
"Cold?" he asked.
She chewed her bottom lip; he noticed the slightest of her movements, "No, I just can't...can't look at you."
"Oh, come on," he flipped back up and his dark hair rested on the back of his neck, "I can't be that hideous!"
She turned slightly, her eyes cast down, and chuckled. He was far better looking than any man she’d seen in recent memory, but she stifled that comment, "What you were doing. It made me nervous. I don't really like heights."
"Don't really like? You mean you're afraid of heights," he teased leaving the rail to go to her, "You shouldn't fear anything," he reached his hand out toward her.
Sophie paused. She wanted to take it, but knew he would pull her to the edge.
"But fear keeps us from doing...stupid things," she ventured cautiously, trying to keep from offending him.
"Fear only holds you back from doing the things you want to do. It just keeps you from experiences you'll regret missing out on later." He dropped his hand and stood before her, "I know what you want to do is go right to that rail and peer over the edge."
The beating in Sophie's chest quickened.
"And the reason your heart races," he said as if knowing just what went on inside her, "Is because you want to more than anything else."
"Do you really think so?" she asked trancelike.
"Fear," he said confidently, "Would have kept me from talking to you."
Tiny bubbles in her chest seemed to tickle her insides, and she couldn't help but smile. His hand found the small of her back again. She pushed back on it as if to stay in the spot. "You can trust me," he said softly, staring toward the edge.
The chill air left her and the warm feeling returned as they made their way over. Suddenly, peering down the few stories didn't seem so bad. In fact, it seemed almost nice to be up so high.
Lights, red and white, raced below, illuminating the shadowed ants milling about the walks. She felt powerful to be up so high, above them all. But to get over a fear so quickly? Sophie wondered who exactly Michael was and turned to him, "How do you know Mona?"
"Naomi," he said simply, "She owns Lamia."
"Yeah, but it's a little weird isn't it? You must be twenty something and she's barely fifteen."
"You're here with her," he said pretentiously.
"I'm her cousin." Sophie felt his hand move further around her body.
Michael shrugged with a far off look, "She's more mature than the rest of them."
Sophie assumed he meant the other three, "This just doesn't seem like the place she should be. Or I should be. My aunt and uncle, they just treat her so...grown up. Just like you guys. I guess I just don't know her very well."
"She's no child," Michael stared out at the city, past the lights and beyond, "She's been through more than most of us. In fact, I'm surprised she's stuck around this long." He looked back to her, a sarcastic smile on his face. Sophie couldn't understand what he meant, but understood its importance.
"Well, I hope she sticks around a little longer, I'd like to get to know her," Sophie sighed, "But I don't think she likes me very much." She moved away from the edge solemnly and walked over to a metal box housing a large fan and sat; Mona's boots were butchering her feet.
"Really?" Michael followed, "She's always so kind, though. I'd think you two would get along well." He sat beside her and, despite the space, moved as close to her as possible.
"Well, we don't," Sophie unzipped the boots and heaved a sigh, wanting to change the subject, "These shoes kill."
"But they look good on you.”
Sophie looked at him and pursed her lips together, "Stop it."
"I'm only speaking the truth," he purred, "And you smell wonderful."
Sophie remembered when Mona applied the heavy makeup to her she had dabbed a kind of perfume to her neck, but made no remarks. Sophie had tried desperately, but couldn't smell a thing. Perhaps it was just working now.
"Thank you," she blushed, "But normally I don't lo
ok like this at all. If it were up to me I’d be in a pink t-shirt and jeans."
"I like pink," he grinned stupidly and she couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm glad Mona made me change or I wouldn't have fit in at all."
"You still don't fit in," he commented with the stupid grin intact, but she was hurt and looked away. "You’re naive and innocent," he reached out to her face and drew it up to his, "Consider yourself lucky to not fit in, to not be like them. Like me. You're better than that."
The wind picked up and blew her messy flaxen waves across her face. He moved them away as his own dark mane alighted and swept to one side. Smiling contentedly, she began to lean toward him despite herself. Control of her body was gone as his hand caressed her face and his lips came closer.
Then he stopped. Sophie felt herself come back when he looked away and toward the adjacent building. He stood suddenly and she felt more than a little dizzy, steadying herself against the seat with her hands. Then, the door to the club opened behind them with a metallic crash. They both looked to see Mona, panting as if she had been in a hurry to get to them. Her chest heaved as she spoke, "Come on, Sophie, let's get going."
"Home?" she asked, re-zipping the boots.
"Yeah," Mona caught her breath and fixed a sleeve that had fallen from her shoulder, "It's about time to go."
Sophie looked back to Michael who went to her, "I hope I see you again here sometime." He squeezed her hand then shot an anxious look at Mona.
"You'll see her," Mona pushed and Sophie went straight to her cousin and followed her out of the club without even a goodbye to the others.
Outside, it was bare save for the sizeable man who had bade them entrance. His large brow was furrowed above sunglass-covered eyes and his massive chest puffed out. He asked Mona if she wanted him to walk them home. She declined and grabbed Sophie's wrist, much like earlier in the club, and led her toward the street. Sophie noticed just how out of the way the club actually was as Mona tugged her along in a hurried state through a narrow alley and out onto the main street.
The Nephilim: Book One Page 2
