Chapter 1
She couldn't see anything, she couldn't hear anything, she couldn't feel anything. It also felt like the darkness around her was feeding on her soul. She couldn't even say anything. The words were stuck in her wind pipe.
"Hello?"
She walked...forward? She wasn't sure which way was which. This was so frustrating at the same time, beyond frightening. Now she knew how those monsters in Malivore felt. This was maddening.
Jordan just kept walking until a flash made her recoil. She hald a hand over her eyes before slowly uncovering them. There was a small out let of light. A ray of hope made its way to her heart. She walked towards it and it kept increasing. The closer she got, the clearer and brighter it got. The ray vanished when images started to swirl.
She stopped. The images were moving. A woman in rags that still managed to look expensive stood smack in the center of a mass of dead bodies. The sea was endless, the bodies all lay still in different kinds of postures. Some were maimed, some skinned, some burnt to crisps...endless. There was blood everywhere, including on the woman.
Her floor length hair billowed wildly in the wind. The scene before Jordan looked and felt so real. Her lips were red and dripped with blood, her eyes a dark shade of red. Her hair was a mixture of light and dark purple. I couldn't well place it. She stood there breathing heavily with a cold as jade look on her face.
"Revenge will be mine!" Jordan screamed as the woman's face stared at hers with only a breath in between. "Revenge will be mine!" A loud cackle escaped her and Jordan knew she could feel the woman's breath on her. Another shrill scream left Jordan as she felt someone tug on her and call her name.
"Jo...Jo...Jordan!"
"What?" Jordan woke with a start, her black hair sticking to her face weirdly. She snapped her head looking left and right frantically. Her black eyes were brimming with fear and gleaming with tears that pooled with intensity.
Rebecca looked at her friend with concern. She ran a hand through her voluminous brown curls. Her brown eyes boring holes in Jordan.
"What's wrong?" Jordan sighed and looked at her best friend. This was not happening. This was the first of its kind. She had never had this kind of dream or night mare before. It was strange. Rebecca was going to pull out all her hair if she didn't answer.
"I'm fine now." Rebecca gave her a look that said- 'we'll deal with this later but...' Jordan didn't think she wanted to hear the but.
"Your hair has red in it."
"What?"
A frantic Jordan jumped from the bed despite her awkward looking night gown and made for the bathroom bare footed. She never went anywhere bare footed. Anywhere. She looked down at the sink before slowly matching her eyes with the mirror. She indeed had red streaks in her beautiful black locks. Red was her least favorite color. Everything about it spoke danger and hurt which Jordan was feeling right now.
As much as this incident bothered Jordan, Becky was much more sensitive about her than herself. Considering how this week had been going, Jordan- if suicidal- would have been bleeding in a bath tub from her veins. Although she'd thought about that a lot. With a slightly worried look on her face, she walked out.
"Lets just get ready for school, we'll talk about it later."
"Where will we go first?" Rebecca stroked her chin. Jordan was tired of all the stares and whispering about her new hair. Everyone knew of her hatred for color red. She'd rejected star swimmer Cole Bryant because all his card was red. Yeah, she wasn't the boy type. Becky was the complete opposite.
"Let's try out that new bar in Chester, I heard it's good." The look Rebecca gave Jordan was questioning. Jordan wanted to leave this mother fucking town just for a day. Maybe some place far will soothe her a bit.
"You do know Chester is halfway across here right?"
"That's why I want to go. No one knows me there." Becky found herself being dragged to her car.
"You're driving." Becky made a face.
The sleek red Lambo roared to life and checked out of the building. We avoided everyone who knew us. Becky's parents were rich- crazy wealthy. But she allowed them minimally to fend for her, hence the sweet ride. If not- it was all her.
A few hours and some minutes later, a sign board with bright white letters which spelled out Chester came into view. They asked for directions and basked in the attention Becky's Lambo was getting. They were used to it but a little pride never hurt.
The car pulled up and Becky gave the keys to the young valet in his 30's who stood there ready to take it.
"Thank you sir." Becky gave him a smile which he didn't return. His attention was on the car. Rude. Jordan rolled her eyes and dragged Becky along. She knew Becky would say a string of colorful things, french and others.
The place looked classy and over the top. It wasn't a storey building but it was huge. The bell on the door jingled as they as they stepped in. Neon colored lights welcomed them- in shades of blue, green and pink. The bar and club- was packed. There wasn't a single breathing space.
A sharp pain suddenly hit Jordan and she winced. Becky was too awestruck and awed to notice.
"I'll meet you back here in 30 minutes, okay?" It took a moment then Jordan nodded. "Good." Becky disappeared through the crowd.
Jordan decided to explore, she didn't feel like drinking but she also wanted to drink away sorrows. Too many things had happened this week. She felt shitty but she couldn't drag Becky- and her ever so happy self into it. She finally settled on a drink.
"The strongest you have please." The bartender was a young brunette who looked to be in his late 20's. His eyes were blue and he had a military fade hair cut. He was also dark skinned and his accent proved him a black.
"Tough week?" He flawlessly slid a bottle of clear white stuff onto the table, while popping it and poured a fair amount of it into a transparent golden glass.
"You don't know the half of it." He gave a low chuckle before handing her the glass.
"On the house." He said smiling and leaning on the counter. The music was loud and hearing was becoming difficult. Jordan raised the first glass to him before gulping everything down in one swift motion. Her face scrunched up and her throat burned up. "Whoa...here."
"Adrenaline." The back of her ear started to burn but she ignored it because of the tingling sensation the drink was giving her. "What's that?" She nodded towards the empty glass.
"Vodka...raw." He answered slyly with a smirk and she nodded. That would take her mind off things. She looked at him.
"Can I have the entire bottle?" The bartender looked shocked at first but shrugged. His customers wishes were his commands- especially the pretty ones- so who was he to question this very wrong decision.
"Still on the house."
"You sure cause I can..." He waved her off before going to another -'sucker for a drink' - as he addressed customers he hated.
"Hey cutie."
A red head cooed at the bartender, he gagged but she looked and was unfazed. Jordan took the bottle and walked- she just walked. The back of her ear still hurt. She rubbed it and winced as he took a generous gulp of the drink.
She bumped into many people, some drunk, some their tongue stuck down another person's throat. Either opposite genders or same. She found a hallway with doors lining its walls. Too many irritating noises were resounding and bouncing of the walls in the hallway.
With her bottle in hand, she walked, searching for an empty haven to let loose and wallow. Her frustration was building up. She decided to try her luck and opened one door. Empty, she sighed. She jammed the door shut and waled to the lone bed that lay there. The room was empty apart from a small wine bar cabinet and a side table and chair. There was a dresser too with a huge mirror.
She walked to the dresser and opened one drawer. A chuckle escaped her lips as she saw the packs of Eros condoms. Eros was the said God of fertility. She wasn't surprised that it was the packs' illustrations. She closed it.
Jordan downed half of the bottle at a go. Her throat burned in bitterness and her eyes were already drowsy. Her vision blurred and she fell on the bed.
Life hadn't been fair to her. Nothing had. It took her parents, her only sister, her house, in fact... it took her life from her. Only Becky... Becky was the only sane thing in her life. She was long gone when the door burst open and an unearthly figure entered the room. The door clicked shut behind him.
"Who the hell..." Jordan- even in her drunken state- was frozen down to her lips. The most ethereally beautiful man she'd ever seen was in front of her in a black Prada jacket and black jeans. He was tall-and had muscles for ages.
He had a drink and a glass in one hand and he ran a hand through his literally shining silver hair. His eyes were amber...no, golden and looked almost demonic. It was funny how being drunk made tiny details stand out. There was no way, his eyes were real. He had a strange aura around him. Jordan didn't know how she felt it but she did...strongly at that. Suddenly, his hair and eyes turned black. He seemed to not have noticed her because he was lost looking at the wall.
"You are very handsome." Jordan couldn't hear herself anymore. Her bottle was almost empty. It rolled to the floor. Apart from the light headed feeling she had, her body was no longer in her control. She staggered to her feet and walked to the man who now stared at her shocked. He didn't say a word just stared into her soul.
Jordan- on tiptoe- kissed the stranger. She deepened it even though his only response was his drink and glass crashing to floor in pieces. She pulled back and smirked at him. Normally Jordan wouldn't even come within a foot's width of a man but here she was.
"Judging from that drink and the expression on your face when you entered here, I can bet you need this too." She leaned in closer. Their lips were only a breath away. "Don't resist." She looked deep into his strange eyes which suddenly turned golden. A moment passed filled with sexual tension.
He crashed his lips to hers. Jordan welcomed the distraction and the force even though she was not in her right senses. He was a good kisser. He increased the pressure deepened the kiss and she parted her lips allowing his tongue entry.
Soon they were tumbling on to the bed.
None of them were thinking at the moment and were living in it. The kisses were taking a turn from passionate to wild. Her nails dug into his ripped back.
His hands found the buttons of her shirt and began to undo it. She was now only in her red bra and jean shorts. His lips travelled from hers down to her neck then to her collarbone. In response, she moaned. She pulled his face up and saw his eyes become brighter. They could even light up a room.
"Do not regret this."
The alcohol in her head blocked all common sense and she ignored both his statement and his eyes. They continued to kiss and more pieces of clothing disappeared from their bodies. His hands explored each curve on her body as she traced his abs and biceps. He traced- with his index finger- the path to her flower. His finger teased her, brushed her there and she gasped.
"Wow Jo, I didn't know you had it in you." Jordan was a bit sober but her head still hurt. The hangover hadn't even begun but she was dying inside. It was going to be dangerous. Her friend's voice reminded of the 'things' she'd done tonight. She was surprised she was still a virgin.
The pain behind her ear intensified since she met that stranger. It felt like a scald. She grabbed onto it and rubbed it, hoping that'd soothe it.
"I am so proud of you, a complete stranger?" Becky really sounded proud as she said all these. She'd found her half-naked alone, drunk to stupor, out cold, with the too good to be true guy no where to be seen. Jordan could still feel his lips working hidden places at that moment she was woken up. It felt like a dream.
'Do not regret this.' Too late for that now, isn't it?- she thought.
"I'm not proud of myself at the moment." Jordan slumped. "I don't even know the guy. He looked out of this world." Becky snorted. She'd hit it off with a complete stranger too but apparently, she didn't go all the way but there was fore play. That was Becky's thing. Her motto was- 'Live life to the fullest.'
"Now I'm going on a date with Luca. I feel something good will come out of this." It was Jordan's turn to snort and chortle. That was the line every time Becky had a conquest. I actually pitied the Luca guy, Becky was ruthless and brutal with relationships and breakups.
"But he's all the way in Chester."
"He's coming over with his brother for business. We'll go on the date then." Silence followed and only the car's engine hummed.
"Stop the car!" Jordan's voice was strange and Becky immediately did as she was told. Jordan gripped the spot behind her ear, it was too hot now. It hurt like hell.
"What's wrong?"
No response.
Jordan got out of the car. They'd spent too long at the bar or club and now it was growing dark. Everywhere went completely silent, everything went still. Jordan went still too. Thunder cackled and lightening flashed. Becky got out of the car too, concern etched on her face.
There was a dull purple glow where Jordan stood a minute ago, another thing appeared.
A woman in a purple and red regal wear stood in Jordan's place. Her clothes were ripped in multiple places. Her eyes were red and very bright. Her hair was a mauve color and it was knew length. Her hair flew in all directions as the raging wind carried it. The sky was a mixture of violet and black as a storm raged.
"Jo--Jordan?" Becky's voice was fear ridden and it quivered.
"Hmm..."
The woman didn't seem to see or notice Becky because she looked straight ahead with cold and emotionless eyes. It was like she was rooted to the spot where she stood. She was also barefooted. "The time is nigh."
