A Sharp Realization

Three weeks had passed since the incident in the fountain, but life had remained much the same for Star. Every day, she rose late. She used what little money she could find or scrape up with cans and odd jobs to buy the dogs' food. A human meal in the morning, most often from a friendly vendor. Dog food in the evening. Star had a theory that the dogs were both dogs and people... and possibly a few other things. People food to nourish their human souls, and dog food to nourish their canine bodies. After breakfast, she gave them a word (yesterday's had been "spark plug"), and they disappeared to wherever they did every day. They were always back before sunset.

It was after sunset as Star hurried home. There had been an offer of a free dinner at a sandwich shop from a concerned passerby, and she hadn't been able to resist. But she didn't like to be out after dark. All sorts of creepy things that couldn't possibly exist came out after the sun went down. She did her best to ignore any strange feelings or noises. If you didn't look at them, they couldn't hurt you. Sometimes. The dogs trailed her individually, all of them at a distance. They were very smart when it came to avoiding suspicion. Star felt a bit of relief as the familiar courtyard and fountain came into sight, and she quickened her pace and quickly jogged inside the apartment complex.

The walls always looked dingier at night. They were an off-white, bordering on beige, but at least in the daytime, you could write off some of the color to the sunlight. At night, the harsh fluorescents gave them no excuse. Star made her way up in the elevator, watching the numbers light one by one until she had reached the eleventh floor. She knew the dogs would be along shortly; they always came in one at a time and used the back and side stairways. The girl exited the elevator and noticed the throbbing bass that saturated the hallway.

The apartment she shared with the pagans was the source. She sighed and wished she had gotten home before they had started whatever party or ceremony they had planned for the evening. Reason and caution recommended that she be in her room with the door firmly locked by the time they got around to inviting friends over. Their "friends" were often of the demonic sort—vampires, werewolves, part-demons, and other such creatures. The "parties" usually involved orgies, drugs, and occult rituals.

Star had experimented with drugs a little when she first left home. It was three years ago; some days, it seemed like a lifetime. Her brief encounters with alcohol and marijuana had ended badly. Whatever effects they might have on other people, for Star, they made that barrier she kept between her and the weird things that followed her around fade and weaken. The first and only time she had gotten drunk, she had ended up locking herself into a janitor's closet and crying and screaming for a few hours. She still had the scars from the first time she got high. Star didn't like to be anywhere near drugs now. She even forbade herself cold medicine.

The young woman paused at the door to the apartment, looking around to see if the dogs had arrived yet. Seeing they were not presently in sight, she sighed again and pushed the door open, steeling herself. Immediately, the loud music and incense assaulted her senses.

"Star!" There was a chorus of greetings from her roommates and their guests.

Star shuddered internally when she noticed two vampires in the midst of the group of pagans and amateur magic users. "Good evening, everyone." She tried to seem unaffected and made a beeline for her private room.

Her progress was halted by a strong, delicate hand. "Oh, come now, Star. You have to stay and say hello to everyone properly."

Harland slid his arm around her waist and stepped in front of her, putting himself between her and safety. His pale skin and eerie, faded eyes were the only things that gave him away as a vampire at the moment. His well-made jacket and carefully styled hair gave him the appearance of an everyday nightclub goer.

Star rolled her eyes and feigned impatience. "Forget it. I've had a long day, and I am going to feed the dogs dinner and call it a night."

She pushed at Harland, but he was too solid for her to dislodge. He was regarding her intensely, and she knew he could probably hear her heart pounding, smell her fear. She was careful not to meet his eyes as he leaned in a bit closer.

"But you are always in such a rush. You should learn to relax a little." He smiled and then glanced at the others for agreement.

"Come on, Star. At least have a drink with us. I'm sure we have some soda in the fridge," Jenna begged.

Jenna was twenty-something and insanely pretty. Her light brown hair bounced behind her as she flounced off the couch and into the small kitchen to check the contents of the refrigerator.

"No, really. ... You know I don't like to stay up late." Star tried pushing at Harland again, but he remained absolutely motionless, and a faint, amused smile crossed his too-red lips.

"At least stay until the dogs get here. Otherwise, you'll just have to get up and let them in." He pushed just a little closer, ducking his head slightly.

Star tensed up. The vampire was way too close for comfort, and she couldn't seem to twist out of his grasp covertly. If she started struggling outright, he would almost certainly bite her. Vampires had a strong predatory instinct, and they loved the chase.

She growled. "Come on, Harland. Get off." When he didn't immediately draw back, she turned begging eyes on her roommates. "Guys..." she whined.

While her head was turned, Harland brought his face inches from her ear. "Just relax. Let's sit down and have a drink. The dogs will be here soon, and then you can feed them and get your beauty rest." He started pulling her toward the arrangement of chairs near the couch.

Star felt a wave of dizziness and her feet started moving on their own accord. Vampires didn't need eye contact to hypnotize you, although it made it more difficult if you didn't meet their eyes. At this close proximity, she was rapidly losing herself to whatever effusive cloud of confusion and bliss surrounded the vampire. She tried to flinch back and stop her feet, but Harland continued to pull her along. A shudder ran through her as she realized just how much ground she had lost.

Harland sat down into one of the comfortable chairs and pulled her down with him, keeping one arm firmly locked around her waist. He settled back and gave her a close-lipped smile. "There. Not so bad, is it?" He gently brushed her long hair back from her face, letting his fingers tangle in it for a few moments before he removed them.

Star blinked and felt heady. Her vision was fading into dim shades suffused with pink. She suddenly felt Harland's lips graze her neck, and the entire room seemed to sway. The last bits of physical tension went out of her, and she fought to keep some of her willpower. Her eyes searched for her roommates, the room blurring as her field of vision shifted. Henry and Kaitlin were sitting across from her on the couch. And they were smirking. Star felt a wave of helplessness and horror overcome her; they weren't going to help her. She felt Harland gently drag his teeth over her skin, and she sluggishly realized he was going to bite her. She could only scream on the inside.

At the edges of her blurred vision, there was an explosion of light and sound, and she felt a wave of heat pour across her. There was a snarl and she felt Harland jerk away as hot flames licked around them. Star groaned and tried to move, but she was dumped unceremoniously on the floor instead. Fire flickered inches from her nose, and she had a moment of drugged panic before she realized that the fire wasn't burning her. Harland, on the other hand, was frantically pulling of his jacket, which had an arm ablaze. Vampires and fire didn't mix. A mass of flames and growling moved in front of her vision.

Get up! it seemed to say.

Batria, the girl realized. She tried to move, but her arms only twitched in response. She was pretty far gone. Suddenly, there was another large presence beside her, and she felt a cold nose burrow into her neck. It was Striver.

Come on. Come on. The dog coaxed her up enough so she could get her arms wrapped around his neck, then lifted her.

Star slid her arms up and over his shoulders, resting on the tall hound. Her limbs moved reluctantly. There was a high-pitched yipping and Zip bounded in front of her, a blur of motion. The gust of wind that followed fanned the flames toward the vampire and the people nearby. Harland scuttled backward, and the last seated people rose and jumped away to hide behind the kitchen counter with cries of alarm. Batria snarled again, still a dog-shaped mass of flames.

Come, the fiery husky seemed to command.

Striver moved slowly, supporting most of Star's weight as her feet struggled to keep up. Zip and Batria made a barrier between them and the other people as Striver lugged her toward her room. When they reached the door, Star fumbled with the knob before it finally swung inward. The dogs followed her inside, then waited warily while she pushed the door closed and dragged herself up to click the locks into place.

Safely in her own room, Star collapsed on the floor and burst into tears. The dogs whined and huddled around her, trying to bring the terrified child some comfort.

The next day, Star didn't move until well after noon.

Last Updated: April 6, 2007
Page Created: March 28, 2007