by Ashley Mason
“Tess. Do you remember me?” His voice had a soft lilt to it, like a long forgotten accent that only showed itself when he was distracted or something. But it was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. Tessa couldn’t explain it but it was like it wrapped itself around her like a warm breeze, caressing her in all the right places. In fact, everything about him was beautiful. His black eyes, pale porcelain skin, even his black hair that fell into his eyes every two seconds. But the man didn’t bother brushing it back. Tessa seemed to recall doing it for him at some point. She could remember the silken feel of the strands running through her fingers, could remember thinking that she wouldn’t mind always being the one to do it for him. But other than those few fragmented memories….there was only darkness. And it was frustrating.
“Who are you?” Her voice no longer sounded steady and even. She sounded small and even a little scared. Something told her that all the strength in the world wouldn’t save her from him. Leaning down, she peeled both shoes off her feet as she waited for his answer. But it never came.
A car zipped past them and when he turned to look at it she threw both shoes as hard as she could which at this point was pretty damn hard. The toe of one shoe hit him square in the forehead while the heel of the other struck his chest, impaling him in his right side. The man grunted and fell to his knees, one hand on his forehead as the other pulled the shoe out of his side. Blood ran down his side, soaking his white shirt and jeans, dripping onto the sidewalk.
Tessa turned and ran as fast as she could, the buildings flying by at an incredible speed. She heard him scream her name and she could feel the power in his voice. Something in her head was telling her, no commanding her to stop but she ignored it. And before she knew it a building loomed up in front of her and Tessa smiled. It was Penelope’s apartment complex and a light was on in her window.
She was home, thank god.
Tessa was safe.
When Penelope opened the door, she turned ghostly white and would have screamed if Tessa hadn’t clapped a hand over her mouth. Her friend started to hyperventilate as Tessa walked her backwards slowly and shut the door, locking it behind her. Glancing around, she located Penny’s purse and snatched the inhaler that was poking out of it. Silently, she removed her hand and replaced it with the inhaler which Penny quickly used, the color slowly returning to her cheeks.
“T-Tessa….what the HELL?” Tessa didn’t say anything; she simply wrapped her arms around her friend, hugging her as tightly as she dared. Penelope gasped softly then began to sob, hugging back. “I thought…we all thought you were…”
“Dead? Well, it’s a long story and I’m kind of hoping you can help fill in the blanks. But we’ll talk about that later. First, can I use your shower? I feel disgusting.” Her best friend nodded mutely and they let go of each other slowly.
When Tessa emerged the shower she felt immensely better. Wrapped in her friend’s thick cotton robe and rubbing a towel down the length of her long hair, she wandered back out into the living room still trying to figure out how to explain what had happened to her.
You can’t tell her. You’ll only put her in danger.
The voice in her head was strangely insistent and completely foreign to her. Tessa ignored it and made her way into the kitchen, breathing deeply the scent of the fresh coffee her friend had made while Tessa had showered. Normally fresh coffee was her drink of choice but now it just smelled gross. With a sigh, Tessa sat at the kitchen table. Penny had her back to her as she fiddled with something in the sink. Obviously, Tessa wasn’t the only one conflicted with recent events.
“Penny? Penny.”
“Hmmm?” Penelope finally turned, brushing a red curl behind her ear. “Oh, sorry, I was…lost in thought.” Tessa smiled gently and pointed to the chair across from her. Penny slowly pulled it away from the table and sat down. “Tessa, what happened? Where have you been? Your parents got a call from the city earlier this morning saying your…your body had been found. That you had been killed by some wild animal? And then you show up at my doorstep, extremely alive? Not that I'm complaining, of course.” This was something that Penny always did. Whenever she was nervous or scared or confused, she would start talking a mile a minute and Tessa always had to break in at some miniscule pause whenever Penny decided to suck in a breath.
“Penny, I don’t know what happened. I barely remember the last time I saw you.” Penelope jumped up and poured two hot cups of coffee, setting one in front of Tessa who smiled and wrapped her hands around the hot mug but didn’t drink it. She didn’t continue with her story until Penny had sat down again. “Like I was saying, I hardly remember anything. But what I do remember…you have to promise not to freak out. I’ll tell you what I do know but…you’re not going to have an easy time with it. It’s…strange, to say the least.”
Tessa quietly told her friend about waking up and what had happened since. When she finished telling her about the man that had followed her, Penny sat up a little straighter, a little frown sliding onto her face.
“Wait. What did he look like?”
“Well, he was about 6’2” with a nice build. Black hair, dark eyes, pale skin. I don’t know. I didn’t stop to make a sketch.” This was mostly true. But she could remember every little detail. Like the tiny scar on the right side of his upper lip. Or the way both his palms had a single, corresponding slash across them. She had only gotten a glimpse of them when he’d raised his hands up but the image had burned into her mind. She’d wondered how someone got scars like that.
Penelope was staring at her with wide green eyes now. “That was Harper. You stabbed Harper with a shoe?”
“Harper? Who the hell is Harper?”
“Harper was the guy we met at DK Hollow. You were so drunk and so was I, no wonder you don’t remember anything.” Penny's cheeks flushed red. “I sort of…ditched you for Louie. I’m so sorry. But you said you didn’t care. That you would find your own way home or you would take a cab. That was when Harper came up and introduced himself. He seemed…charming and you were obviously into him so I left. Crap, Tessa, if I had known he was dangerous I never would have left you alone with him.” Penny's eyes had filled with tears and now they spilled down her cheeks in remorse. “I'm a horrible friend. I'm just so happy you’re okay. We can call your parents; oh they’ll be so relieved!” She jumped up to the grab the phone and Tessa darted after her in a blur, snatching the phone right of her hand. Penny's jaw dropped and her hand started shaking. Tessa didn’t realize it but she had moved so fast that Penny hadn’t even seen her get up. “Tessa…”
Not having wanted to completely freak out her friend, Tessa had left out the part about her not being human anymore. She took a deep breath, slowly setting the phone down. “Penelope…I haven’t told you everything. There’s one more thing I need to tell you and it’s…well it’s intense. Something happened to me after you left. And I think that Harper guy is the only one that can explain it to me.”
“How did you get away from the guys in the morgue, Tessa?” Penelope's voice was barely a whisper but Tessa had no problem hearing her. As Penny's fear and confusion rose, so did her heart rate. It was only then that Tessa realized that there was a slight tickle in her throat. Also, she could now make out a faint pulsing red light that framed her friend. She took a deep breath and before she could stop it, her fangs extended, filling her mouth.
Penny screamed then hit the floor in a dead faint.
Tessa had tried, unsuccessfully, to revive her friend for several minutes. Finally admitting defeat, Tessa scooped her up easily and carried her to the couch and laid her down. With a sigh, she sank down to the floor, running a hair through her damp hair. Obviously the whole situation with Penelope was going to be harder than she had thought. But then again, she couldn’t blame her best friend. Tessa herself was having trouble coming to terms with what had happened to her. Of course, it was easier for her since this was now her life and there was nothing she could do about it. Or, at least, s
he didn’t think there was anything she could do.
Again her mind wandered back to the man from the street.
Harper.
Something about him had seemed awfully familiar. Like her body recognized him but her mind didn’t. But that didn’t make any sense to Tessa.
She let out a growl of frustration. The whole amnesia thing was getting old fast. This whole situation would be a lot easier if she could just remember. She rested her head back on the edge of the couch and took a deep breath and she realized her thirst was starting to slowly resurface. Her throat felt parched and scratchy but it wasn’t totally unbearable.
Yet.
Tessa sat up with a jerk as the strange voice filled her head once more. Something about it bit at her, trying to get her to remember. Every time it whispered through her mind, her memories would flutter, like she knew the voice. And there was something familiar about it but she couldn’t seem to place it no matter how hard she tried. All she knew was that it didn’t belong.
Tessa had managed to sleep through the rest of the night and straight through the morning. By the time she finally stepped out of the spare bedroom it was nearly three in the afternoon. Penny's thick auburn colored curtains kept the apartment in dark shadows, not a sliver of light peeking through. When Tessa had ducked in to check on her, Penny's bed had been empty and made as usual. She grabbed a blue tank and dark skinny jeans out of the closet and dressed quickly. What it was she was planning to do Tessa wasn’t sure, but she knew she had to do something. She had to figure this out. On top of her need for information, her thirst needed taking care of and soon. She wasn’t sure what she would do about it but she was afraid of what would happen if she ignored it much longer.
Grabbing an oversized pair of dark sunglasses and strappy sandals, Tessa hurried out of the empty apartment. Penny's apartment building was an old industrial building so the hallway was dimly lit and windowless. It was strange though. Even without the clock in the apartment she would have known exactly what time it was. Her internal clock was in overdrive that was for sure. The moment she stepped out into the bright afternoon sun she knew she was in trouble. She suddenly felt like she hadn’t slept in weeks, her strength draining from her quickly. Tessa felt dizzy and sick to her stomach, leaning against the building quickly before she fell over.
You’re weak…the sun will do that to you while you’re young. It will get better once you have fed.
“Get out of my head,” she growled, shoving her hair out of her face.
“Tessa? Tessa, are you alright?” Her head snapped up but it was only Penny who had pulled up alongside her in a car.
“Penelope, thank god.” Without another word, Tessa pulled open the car door and climbed in with a deep sigh. “You were gone when I woke up.”
“Um, yeah. I went to get some breakfast and to think for a bit. You know…about things.”
“Right. I need you to drive.”
“Where?”
“DK Hollow.” Penny just stared at her like she was crazy. “Someone will be there. They must take deliveries or do inventory during the day, right? I just need to talk to someone. Figure out a way to find this Harper guy.”
“Oh, right.”
DK Hollow was right on the main strip, a low key sign hanging over the single door entry. Nothing about the outside was flashy or screamed nightclub. Just a plain, brick façade and the sign announcing the name of the club; no one was even sure what DK stood for and that was the whole intrigue behind the place. And Tessa was right; there was a refrigerated truck parked out at the side of the building and two guys and a woman about Tessa and Penny’s age were busy unloading metal coolers and taking them inside. Penny parked across the street and hurried after her friend who was already out and headed towards the truck. Penny nearly slammed into Tessa's back when she stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the back of one of the men.
“Hey, isn’t that-“
“Harper.” It was disorienting seeing him in the daylight as the previous times had always been in the dead of night. All three people unloading the truck were dressed similarly in dark clothes and dark glasses.
“What are you going to do?”
“I'm going to get some answers. Harper!” But the man who looked at her clearly was not who she was expecting. The skin of his face was smooth and flawless with a light flush to it like he was almost blushing. A slow grin spread across his face and the girls took a small step back.
“Can I help you?” The other two ignored them and continued unloading the truck. “Harper isn’t here right now but maybe I could be of some assistance to you two fine looking-“
“Knock it off, Carter. “ The woman had barely paused to look over and then went right back to work. Carter’s smile fell away and he sighed heavily.
“Like I said, Harper isn’t here. Like he’d help with deliveries. You can usually find him here during regular club hours though. Want to leave a message?” Even if Tessa had wanted to, Carter didn’t look like the secretary type.
“No, thank you. We’ll just…stop by later. Thanks though.” He tipped his head slightly then turned away and the girls hurried back to the car.
“Were they-“
“Like me? I think so? The sunglasses must be a universal thing. Look, I know you’re still really confused about this whole thing. Why don’t we just go back to your place and we can talk some more.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
Tessa finally told Penny everything that had happened in the morgue and Penny had managed to not faint this time. Miraculously, Tessa had managed to ignore her thirst all afternoon and well into the night but that task was steadily encroaching on impossible. Every beat of Penny's heart tore through Tessa with a vengeance but she just pushed the desire to snack on her friend as far back in her mind as possible. Penny took everything quite well, no matter how hard it was to believe. She kept making random Twilight references and it was quickly wearing on Tessa's patience.
When the clock hit midnight, the girls decided to get changed and head back down to the Hollow. Tessa was determined to find Harper and get some answers out of him. She wasn’t sure what role he’d played in her “death” but she was going to find out.
The Hollow was completely different at night. The neon light glowed bright red, which for some reason was hilarious to Penny, and there was a block long line at the guarded door. Every id got checked and sometimes the bouncer would stamp something on the person’s collarbone.
Tessa and Penny, who had refused to be left behind, headed for the back of the line but as Tessa passed the bouncer he stopped her with a hand on her wrist.
“You can go right in, miss.” Tessa raised an eyebrow but shrugged before walking past him and through the door. He merely glanced at Penny, who quietly followed Tessa inside, before turning back to the loudly protesting line.
“What was he stamping on people? I don’t remember that from the other night.”
“Yeah, well at least you remember something at all.”
Past the door was a long, dimly lit corridor but like before, Tessa saw everything in a pale shimmering silver light that lit up every nook and cranny in the brick walls. Music played loudly from somewhere ahead of them and they soon came to another door with bright lights flickering under it. Another bouncer stood before it and as Tessa and Penny approached, he pulled it open for them.
A feeling of déjà vu swept over Tessa as she stepped into the club. Music and lights pulsated around them and for a second it was overwhelming. The smell of sweaty bodies and pumping blood filled her nostrils and she had to grab onto the edge of a table to steady herself before she could look around and study the room she was in.
The ceilings went up at least three stories with thick brick columns spaced evenly throughout the room for support. At even intervals all the way around were deep alcoves with reclining chaise lounges and small antique looking tables. Some were empty while others held two or three people each, the tables covered in unmarked b
ottles. In the back right corner was a long bar manned by four bartenders and rows upon rows of liquor bottles lining the shelves behind it. And smack dab in the middle of it all was a massive dance floor filled with people with more filing in through the door every minute or so.
Finding Harper was going to impossible.
Hell, she didn’t even know if she could find the door out and she had barely taken ten steps in. There were people everywhere, the dress code ranging from the very simple to the outrageously costumed. There were enough lights in here that the silver faded away, leaving everything looking washed out but sharply detailed. People were shouting at one another to be heard over the barrage of music but Tessa could make out every word. When she glanced around she noticed that Penny had already abandoned her for the dance floor and Tessa sighed. She was going to have to find Harper on her own which was not her idea of a fun time.
“You look a little lost, lamb. Need some help?” Tessa turned to the voice and sneered at the face attached. The guy was easily twice her age and had obviously stumbled in while looking for a biker bar of some sort.
“I don’t think so.” She walked away, skirting the edge of the mass of dancers, trying to hold her breath as she made her way to the bar. “Excuse me.” The female bartender looked up and Tessa recognized her as the woman unloading the truck from earlier.
“Glad to see you escaped Carter’s clutches. He can be a little handsy.” She made no attempt to speak over the noise, confirming Tessa's earlier assumption that she was like her. “Drink? We’ve got all flavors.” When Tessa just stared at her dumbly she raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “So, you’re obviously new to the game. What happened? Did Harper get a little overeager?” She placed a wine glass on the bar and filled it with a ruby red liquid from an unmarked decanter. “Here, you look a little thirsty.” Tessa nodded her thanks and picked up the glass. As soon as she smelled it she knew exactly what it was. She could almost feel her pupils dilate and her mouth felt strangely full. The bartender chuckled softly, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. “You’ll need to learn to control that.”
