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The ending was near; she could feel it. The darkness flowed over her like a shadow as the sun sets. All there was left to do was wait. Wait for death to consume her. It was coming. She could smell it; feel its power push against the corner of her conscious. Soon she would look into the eyes of evil itself…if she lived that long. ~She awakened to the sound of Jacoby Shaddix, formerly known as Coby Dick, crooning away as the alarm. The red glow of the clock numbers mocked her as she fumbled to turn the music off. The oblivion of sleep had crept upon her as she sat in her bed, writing part of a story she had had a sudden inspiration to write. As usual, she had only been allowed a few hours of sleep, as sleep came late, if at all, to her tired eyes. She looked back at her notebook. It was freshly started since her computer broke down only a few days before. At least she had gotten a whole two pages written before she fell into unconsciousness. She could only thank the greater power that it was summer. No school to go to and listen to the constant drone of teachers saying the same exhaustable speech as the year before. No having to look out for friends and keep up appearances and reputations. She did love her friends, they were actually the greatest, but she preferred to keep to herself mostly; to be alone, preferring to night, with its dark secrets and oblivious shadow rather than the harsh sun shinning into every crack of a person’s life, even the one’s they don’t want to put to light. All she really needed was the night and her books. Her books that let her escape the brutal reality of life into a world far darker, far better to her, where she felt she belonged. It was a place made for her, and only her; a place she understood. Reluctantly, she put the notebook away, fumbling off the bed and to the door. “Good morning, Audrey. You’re up early for someone who has the summer off,” Audrey’s father said as she walked into the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper and drinking his coffee like he usually did. Noticing that he hadn’t looked up from his paper, Audrey decided not to acknowledge his comment, but there was a reason she had gotten up so early. “Well, in case you don’t remember, me and a few friends are going up to New Haven for the weekend,” she said, deciding instead to remind him since, judging by the look on his face, he had forgotten. He looked up from the paper, towards his daughter. “But it’s Friday.” Audrey nodded. “Yeah, we’re heading out later so we can get there today. We want to get settled so we can start raising hell.” Audrey’s father raised his eyebrows, then a smile broke across his face. “Alright honey. You kids be good, and be careful. I don’t want to get a phone call tomorrow and hear that my only daughter is in the hospital for trying to rob a bank.” Audrey laughed. “A bank? Hardly. A convenient store, maybe, but not a bank.” Her father smiled, folding the paper and setting it down on the table as he stood. “Ok, Audrey. You kids have fun. I have to go to work now. Call me if you need anything.” “Ok, Dad.” He kissed Audrey’s forehead, picked up his suitcase, and walked out the door, closing it behind him. As much as she hated to admit it, she had to hand it to her father. Her parents divorced when she was five, her mother moving to Europe, and since then her father had been taking care of her, doing everything he could to support them. When he finally landed a job as an accountant for the prominent business company CMP, he started raking in the money. They were pretty well off now, but they didn’t like to show it. Not only did Audrey’s father have a great job, but he tried. He tried to know Audrey, and tried to understand her way of life and the things she did and he was damn good at it. Audrey knew that her friends weren’t perfect, and weren’t the ideal kids that parents wanted their children to be around, but her father accepted them as what they were: her friends. Audrey smiled to herself as she stretched on the couch and flipped on the tv. She had planned on watching the old soap “Dark Shadows” on Sci-fi, but the dark realm of sleep caught her and held on tight. ~The dark figure stepped in front of her, challenging her to run. She didn’t, she wouldn’t. As much as she tried not to look into his eyes, the black pits caught her, and held her there. His eyes seemed to be pulling her into oblivion. Shaken, she squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. The footsteps came closer, until she could feel his warm breath on her face. He paused there for a moment. Confused, she opened her eyes to see him staring at her. A smirk ran across his lips as he bent down and… ~The phone was ringing. Audrey pushed her hair out of her face, and realized she had been sweating. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the receiver. “Hello?” “Hey Audrey,” said the voice on the other line. Lovely. “Oh, hi Lovely,” Audrey answered, glad to hear his voice. Lovely wasn’t his real name; his real name was Charles Richard Monahan, but only his father called him Charles. “Are you ready Audrey?” Audrey snapped out of her reverie at the sound of his voice. “Uh…not exactly.” Lovely’s laugh echoed in her ear. “Then how, exactly?” “Well, I fell asleep on the couch, so I don’t have anything together. And I still need to take a shower.” A sigh came from the other end. “Fine. Go take a shower, but I’m coming over.” “Alright. See you in a few.” She hung up the phone and stood up, stretching the kinks out of her neck and back. Sleeping on the couch wasn’t as comfortable as sleeping in her bed. Stepping out of the shower, Audrey wiped off the steam covered mirror; only hot showers for her. She studied her reflection in the glass. Her body was slim and tall, and the skin was fair and flawless. Any other girl might have been jealous. Her chestnut brown hair dangled passed her shoulders. Though she hadn’t seen her mother in twelve years, Audrey knew what she looked like. Her mother looked exactly like her, except for the freckles which she got from her dad. Yes, the chestnut hair was her mothers, and so were the violet eyes. Violet eyes. That’s why people at school were afraid of her. Some people thought she was a witch or a vampire. Audrey laughed at these accusations, sometimes egging them on by what she wore or what she did, mainly for amusement. She used to wear color contacts to hide her violet eyes, but stopped when she met her friends. That was one of the reasons they liked her; she was different, just like them. They loved the fact that the other kids were afraid of her. Nonetheless, they like her for who she was. Audrey gave herself an evil look in the mirror, then laughed. It was just ridiculous. Grabbing a towel, she dried herself off and headed back to the living room to see if Lovely had showed up. Lovely, of course, was sitting on the couch, flipping through the stations on the tv. He looked up as Audrey entered, and whistled. “My, oh, my,” he said with a country twang. “Are you going in that? I mean, I’m not protesting.” Audrey looked down and noticed she was only wearing a towel. Sighing, she went into her room and pulled on some clothes. As she was getting a bag out of the closet for her clothes, Lovely walked in. “Nice to see you too,” he said sarcastically. Audrey put the bag on her bed and turned to him, putting her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve just had a lot of things on my mind.” “Like what?” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Like my manuscript. I just want to get it done. I want to hurry up and write the ending.” Lovely laughed. “You are so impatient.” Audrey nodded in agreement, as Lovely’s lips came down on hers. The kiss was strong, but gentle. “We should go,” Lovely whispered. Audrey nodded absently, going to the bed to pack her bag for the trip. She locked the door behind her as they left. Outside the local 76, Audrey and Lovely met up with the rest of their friends. There was Drag, short for Dragon because of his love for them, with his dark hair and leather jacket; Cat, short for Catherine, with her dyed red hair and sexy outfits; Jordan, with his natural blonde hair with blue streaks and all black clothes; Skylar, all bad ass and tight clothes; and Misty, with her brown hair and makeup that she couldn’t live without. “Hey baby,” Drag said as he gave Audrey a hug. She smiled, taking in the smell of Black and Milds that was always about him. Drag pulled back, looking at Lovely. “Hey man,” he said, hitting Lovely on the shoulder. Lovely smiled and punched him back. Drag stopped his hello’s when a hand fell on his shoulder. He turned to see Misty. “Other people would like to say hi too, you know,” she said in a playful voice that had some seriousness to it. If Misty was a guy, she would have been on the ground in the next instant just for touching him, but she was Misty, Drag’s girlfriend of a few years now. Drag kissed her on the cheek and stepped back for everyone else. Ten minutes later, the group piled into Lovely’s van and Lovely peeled out of the parking lot headed North for New Haven. The drive from Providence, Rhode Island to New Haven, Connecticut was a long one. It really only took two hours, but sitting in a cramped van with seven people didn’t make it go any faster. When they arrived at the hotel, the sun was starting to set. “Oh no,” Jordan said from the back. “You don’t want to be around after the sun sets in New Haven.” Cat, who was sitting next to Audrey, turned around. “And why not?” she said, pulling her red hair back. “Because there are things that come out in the dark that you don’t want to mess with,” Jordan whispered, looking around cautiously as if he was paranoid that something might jump out at him. Something did; Skylar’s hand. It hit the back of his head, sending him forward. Jordan put his hand over the sore spot. “Hey! That hurt.” “Then stop it,” Sky said, straightening his tight, black, long-sleeved shirt. Grabbing Jordan’s arm, he said, “Come on. We’ll go check in.” “Thanks Sky,” Jordan said as he was yanked from the van. “That’s mighty nice of you.” “Well if you weren’t so blonde…” Audrey heard Sky say as they walked to the office. She smiled and shook her head. Skylar and Jordan got two rooms. They were pretty decent rooms, with two beds in each, and one had a Jacuzzi. “I get the room with the Jacuzzi,” Drag yelled, running to the room with Misty not far behind. “Me too,” said Jordan, throwing his stuff on one of the beds, his previous uneasiness totally dispelled. “Then I guess I’ll take the other room,” Skylar said. “Come on.” He took Audrey’s hand and led her inside. Lovely and Cat were already there. Cat looked up from the bathroom mirror. “Welcome. Come on in, share the wealth.” Shutting off the bathroom light, she flopped on one of the beds. “Me and Audrey get this one. You two can share the other one.” Lovely and Skylar looked at each other. “Umm…we don’t want to sleep together,” Lovely said. “How about I sleep with you two, and Sky gets his own bed?” Lovely grinned broadly. “I don’t think so,” Sky said, sitting on the bed with Cat. “Why don’t we just see where everyone falls later?” Audrey put her arms around Lovely and held him tight. “Sounds good to me. How about you Cat?” ”Yeah, sure.” She got up and walked towards the door. “Let’s go see what’s happening in the Jacuzzi.” Sitting in the Jacuzzi, Audrey laid back and looked at her friends. Misty was sitting on the opposite side of the Jacuzzi in her gold bikini that matched well with her tan skin. She was a nice and gentle person. She liked to be organized almost as much as she liked to be beautiful. Audrey almost didn’t like her because she was too prissy, but deep down inside she was a good person. Misty sat there, laughing at Jordan’s jokes, holding on to Drag’s arm. Drag was himself rocker. He almost always wore his leather jacket, signifying his ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude. Although he didn’t like to be pushed, he was pretty loyal to his friends. He protected them, and let them get away with more than he would anyone else. To anyone else’s eyes, Drag would look pretty scary, with his dragon tattoos and skulls, but to his friends he was a sweet, lovable guy. As for his name, no one really knew what his real name was, and if they did, they weren’t talking. Lovely, on the other hand, was a different story. Everyone knew his real name, but it was only mentioned once to Audrey. He was a runaway, like Drag. His father used to beat him, so he ran to New York and prostituted himself. That’s where he met Drag, and they both moved to Providence when they had enough money. When Audrey first me the gang, she asked if anyone knew Lovely’s real name. ‘Charles Richard Monahan,’ Drag told her. She remembered saying, “Poor Kid.” Lovely was like Audrey’s brother. Cat kept asking when they were going to sleep together. She would always say, “Its natural for you to sleep with your brother.” Cat was a runaway too. She sat in the Jacuzzi on Lovely’s lap in her red string bikini. She was originally from New Jersey, but moved to Providence after her father died. He used to molest her, and she says that is the reason why she’s a sex addict. But she wasn’t complaining. Cat was fun to be with, she was like a sister to Audrey. Cat was a very touchy-feely person, so she was constantly on someone, male or female. No one in the group had a problem with that, and everyone in the group had been with Cat at least once, which didn’t bother anyone. It was like they all shared each other. The only one Audrey hadn’t slept with was Lovely and Skylar. Lovely because he felt too brotherly, and Skylar because Cat got to him first. Skylar. He was great. His black hair was always spiked, and just recently he had Audrey put some blue streaks in it. That was the only time she had seen him without hair gel because he had run out; and that was the first, and probably last, time she had seen him wear a baseball cap. Audrey found herself staring at Sky’s tattoos. He had an upside-down cross on his chest with a banner around it that said “Born to Rock”. There was also a black spider on the inside of his left wrist, and a dragon on his right forearm. Audrey also had that dragon; it was on her lower back. She and Sky had got it done together about two years ago. Sky thought it would be a good idea, and Audrey cherished it. Audrey was brought from her reverie by Skylar. “Hey you guys, why don’t we go skinny dipping in the pool?” He was looking directly at Audrey, who shrugged. “I don’t know,” said Misty. “Some of us might be uncomfortable.” “Oh, come one,” Sky replied. “It’s not like everyone here hasn’t seen everyone else naked before.” He was referring to the fact that they were a family. “Yeah, come on you guys. It will be fun,” Jordan put in. After a few moments of deliberation, Misty finally gave in, and everyone headed downstairs to the hotel’s pool. The dip in the pool was exasperating. Just what Audrey needed. Being the first one to go back to her room wasn’t so bad; it gave her time to think. She padded down the hall to her room in just her bikini bottoms; she hadn’t felt like messing with the top. And besides, everyone was asleep in their rooms at this time of night, she hoped. Opening the door, she found the room cold. A blast of wind passed through her, biting her overexposed body. She frantically looked around for the cause; someone had left the window open. Hugging herself, she walked over to the window, looking down at the darkened streets of New Haven, and closed it. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until she found herself stumbling towards the bed. Sleep, sleep was good. It hadn’t come easily the past few weeks, so when Audrey did sleep it was a monumental moment. The bed was actually comfortable, to her surprise, and she pulled the sheets up around her, still in just her bikini bottoms, feeling the chill of the room. The darkness enveloped her fast. She found herself drifting away within moments of hitting the pillow. ~She couldn’t believe what was happening. The dark figure’s lips were on hers. She could feel his body heat pressed up against her. He burned like a furnace. She tried to clear her thoughts, but he clouded her mind. It was as if he was trying to make her forget. Forget what? Forget that they weren’t supposed to be doing this. Before she could react, he pulled away, the smile gone from his lips. She could see confusion on his face, just like it was probably on hers. She looked into the black pits of his eyes, but couldn’t see anything. He was hiding, he put up his wall again. He stepped back a few paces, and she heard him speak her name, but it was inside her head, for his lips were not moving. “Audrey…” his voice said. “Audrey, what’s wrong? You’re crying.” Opening her eyes, she saw Lovely leaning over her. She put a hand up to her face. It was wet, she had been crying. “What’s wrong?” he said again, concern growing on his face. “Audrey shook her head. “Nothing. I’m alright. I must have been having a bad dream.” Lovely took her hand and kissed her fingertips. “Do you want to talk about it?” “No. I don’t really remember it to be honest with you.” Kissing her hand once more, he shrugged and laid down beside her. Audrey breathed him in as she pulled his naked body closer and held him tight. Having Lovely near always made her feel safe, and warm…just like home. It was a dreamless sleep. When Audrey finally awoke, the sun was already shining in the windows. She felt behind her; empty. Lovely must have already gotten up. She was alone in the room. After a shower, Audrey pulled on some jeans and a black tank top. It was really all she had since she didn’t bring a wide variety of clothing. Pulling on some sneakers, she headed to the other room where she found everyone else crowded around the tv eating breakfast. “Here,” Lovely said, getting up. “We got you some breakfast. It’s just McDonald’s, nothing special.” Audrey nodded. “McDonald’s is fine.” She grabbed the two biscuits and hashbrowns Lovely held and smiled. “Mmm…bacon, egg, and cheese. My favorite.” Lovely smiled back. “I know. Jordan went and got it all.” “Thanks Jordan,” Audrey replied, sitting next to him on the floor. “No problem,” he said, barely looking up from his food. Audrey smiled again, enjoying the atmosphere and her food. The rest of the day was spent ravaging the closest malls, having lunch at Friendly’s, and watching “Dracula 2000” on the movie channel at the hotel. “Dude, that was so cool,” said Jordan after the movie. “I wish I was a vampire.” “Don’t be stupid,” Cat replied, pulling down her mini skirt as she stood up. “Vampires don’t exist.” “Yeah, and even if they do, you saw what happens; they all get killed,” put in Misty. “But those vampires were stupid.” Everyone turned to Sky. “What?” He shrugged and continued. “You’re not supposed to go around flaunting the fact that you’re a vampire. That will more likely than not lead some dumb ass vampire hunter who thinks he can kill you but really doesn’t know how but will eventually, but probably accidentally, kill you anyway to you.” He paused for a breath, then looked at everyone. They were all looking at him, confused. “First of all,” said Audrey, when no one else volunteered to speak, “Sky, you’re usually neutral about everything. You never give a damn. Second, that was a confusing as hell explaination.” Skylar gave a small smile. “Yeah, but what do I know?” He laughed and changed the subject. “So, what are we going to do now? It’s already dark outside.” They all looked out the window, a little uneasy after the movie they had just watched. It was indeed dark, just like Skylar had said. “Let’s go to the graveyard!” Drag shouted. Misty, who stood beside him, grimaced. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” “Why not?” Drag smiled. “Because it could be dangerous. Who knows what’s out there? Something could happen. And besides,” she hugged herself tightly, “cemeteries are creepy.” “Well I think it’s a good idea.” Cat was leaning against the bathroom door, smoking a cigarette. “I’ve always been curious as to what happens in cemeteries after dark.” “Plus,” Lovely added, “it’s an old cemetery. It looks intriguing.” “Yeah, like it’s just calling our names,” Audrey said with a smile on her face. “Come on Misty. You’re outnumbered.” After a long sigh, Misty finally agreed. “Fine, “ she said as Drag pushed her to the door. “Yes!” he shouted. “You won’t be disappointed.” The night was filled with cold air that clawed at their skin as they walked through the darkness. There were barely any streetlights in this part of the town, but Drag, Jordan, and Misty all had flashlights, the rest of the group following close behind. Audrey found herself shuddering from the cold and hugging herself tighter. Although she did love this sort of thing, being in the dark of the night, away from most souls, she had to admit she was a little unnerved. They were walking through a fairly dense forest trying to get to the nearest cemetery. The moon was taken prisoner by the clouds, which made the forest even darker, and the distance they could see smaller. Suddenly, Misty jumped, moving the flashlight around wildly. “What is it?” asked Skylar, looking around while walking up to Misty. “I, uh, I thought I heard something out there,” she replied, breathing heavily, still looking around. Drag put his arms around her and held her close. “Don’t be ridiculous,” Jordon said. “You’re just scared.” He started looking around. “There’s nothing out here but us…I hope.” “Shhhh,” said Lovely from behind, putting his hand up. “I heard it to.” Everyone held their breath and listened. Leave russeling. There was movement in the trees above them. “What the hell was that?” Jordan whispered, holding onto Cat. “I don’t know,” Cat whispered back, pulling him closer. The two figures jumped down from the limbs of the trees on either side of the group. Jordan shown his flashlight at one of the figures, and immediately the flashlight was on the ground. Jordan held his hand. “Oww!” he screamed. The figure stood beside him, lit in the glow of the flashlight. He was wearing all black, and had dark hair that was gelled perfectly. The dragon tattoo on his neck barely showed above the collar of his shirt. A smirk ran across his face. The other figure presented themselves in the light. “Ash, don’t be rude,” she said. She had long dark brown hair, and tight red leather pants with a black jacket. She smiled widely at Jordan. “Apologize,” she said. Ash shrugged. “Please forgive me,” he said, putting his hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “I over reacted.” Ash leaned in closer. “But don’t ever shine a light in my face. No hard feelings?” Ash punched him lightly in the arm. Jordan looked up and smiled nervously. “None.” “Good,” said Ash. “You know, you didn’t hurt me that bad anyway.” Ash nodded skeptically, because he knew he had held back when he had hit Jordan. “Allow us to introduce ourselves,” said the girl. She walked around the group until she stood beside Ash. “This is Ash. I’m Rakish. Sorry if we scared you. We’re usually out her alone. We’re not used to having company.” She smiled, looking at each of them, stopping at Audrey. “And you are?” she asked, extending her hand. Audrey hesitated, but took Rakish’s hand and shook it. “I’m Audrey.” “Nice to meet you, Audrey,” Ash said, walking in front of her. “Nice eyes. Violet. Contacts?” “No, they’re her real eyes,” Cat said, standing beside Audrey. Ash smiled at Cat, taking her hand. “Thanks…” he paused. “Cat. I’m Cat. That’s Jordan who’s hand you crippled. Um,” she looked around. “And that is Skylar, Lovely, Drag, and Misty.” “Well it’s nice to meet you all,” said Rakish, her dark hair impossibly shining in the little light. “You must be new here.” “Yeah, we’re just vacationing,” Lovely said, putting his arms around Audrey protectively. She didn’t mind, it was keeping her warmer. “Ah,” said Rakish. “And what may I ask are you doing out in the woods when it’s dark?” “Nothing,” put in Skylar. “We’re just taking a walk.” Rakish looked to Jordan and stared at him with her brilliant green eyes. Moments later, his face went blank and he opened his mouth to speak. “We’re going down to the old cemetery. It was Drag’s idea.” “Jordan!” Sky whispered, hitting Jordan lightly, but hard enough to sting. “What?” Jordan shouted. “Sky, that hurt. What did you do that for?” Sky just sighed and shook his head. “So,” interrupted Ash, “you guys are going to the old cemetery. We can show you the way.” “Of course we can,” Rakish said, stepping closer to Ash. “But you know, you shouldn’t be outside in the dark at night. It could get ugly.” “Well you’re out, and from what I heard earlier, you’re usually out in the forest at night,” Audrey said, trying not to sound as angrey as she was. “Touche,” said Ash. “You are right.” He paused for a moment, looking up at the sky. When he looked back down, he looked different; almost calmer. “Well,” he smiled, “shall we go?” He turned with Rakish at his side and started walking, the group following. Walking through the forest, Audrey looked at Rakish in her tight leather pants. There was something about her she didn’t like, something that almost scared her, but she wouldn’t let it. And there was something about Ash, too, but it was different. There was something in his eyes, which were as dark as the night itself, something familiar. She couldn’t place him, but kept on trying. She was so into her thoughts that she barely noticed when Lovely slipped off his old jacket and put it around her, though she hugged it closer as if it were a life preserver. When Ash and Rakish reached the cemetery gate it was locked. Jordan walked up behind them and stared at the gate. “Damn,” he said, looking up at Rakish. “What are we supposed to do now?” Ash said nothing, but simply turned to the gate, put his hand over the lock, and pulled the lock open. Audrey’s eyes opened wide as she saw the amount of ease that Ahs had breaking the lock. After Rakish opened the gate, the two led the group into the oldest part of the cemetery. The headstones here were poorly maintained. Most were chipped at the corners, or worn around the face so that the name of the deceased was no longer recognizable. The grass was over grown in this section too, and graffiti decorated the mousaleums and monuments. Stopping at one mosaleum, Ash and Rakish turned to the rest of them. After a moments paused, they both sat on the steps. Drag and Jordan got the party started and brought out the whiskey and beer they had stashed in their jackets. Cat, like Audrey, who was a light drinker, took out some bottles of Bacardi Silver. She handed one over to Audrey and then sat down on an adjacent headstone, legs crossed. Audrey took the drink and sauntered over to the steps of a monument that faced where Ash and Rakish sat. Taking a few sips of her drink, she watched as Jordan grabbed a beer and sat on the steps with Ash and Rakish. Lovely followed with the whiskey, and Misty and Drag weren’t far behind. She watched as Drag threw Ash a beer, and Rakish took the whiskey from Lovely, being certain to hold her hand on his a little longer than was needed. A few moments later, Misty got up from her place beside Drag and walked over to Cat, who had a cigarette in one hand, and a bottle in the other. Cat handed Misty a Bicardi, and then followed her over to Audrey. Audrey looked up. Misty looked quite pissed and on the verge of tears. “What’s wrong, Mist?” Misty sniffled. “Rakish,” she said simply, then shrugged. “Well, her and Drag.” She sat down beside Audrey, who put an arm around her. Cat sat in front of them. Laying her head on Audrey’s shoulder, Misty opened her mouth to speak again. “Rakish made some rude remark about my outfit.” Cat smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with you outfit, hun.” “I know, but Drag wouldn’t even stand up for me. All he did was laugh and agree.” “Eugh,” Audrey said. “Drag knows nothing about fashion, and Rakish is just showing off. You shouldn’t let thing like that get to you.” Misty nodded, and stifled a sob. Audrey looked over to the rest of the group. She sighed. “I need a cigarette.” “Sorry, babe,” Cat said. “Last I knew Lovely had them.” Audrey sighed again, then got up, hugging the jacket around her tighter. Once she was over there, Ash looked up. “Hello, beautiful,” he said as she sat down next to Lovely. Ignoring Ahs, she put her hand into Lovely’s pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. She pulled one out, and stuffed the rest of the pack back in Lovely’s pocket. Before she could ask, Ash had a black lighter with a silver wolf on it already in his hands and lit just before her. “Need a light?” Audrey leaned forward, lighting her cigarette, and took a long drag. As she blew out the smoke, she noticed Lovely. He was glaring at Ash, and Ash was just smirking, asking to get his ass beat. To cool the tension, Audrey slipped her arm around Lovely’s and pulled him to her. He looked down at her hand on his shoulder and smiled. Moments later, they were joined by Misty, who welcomed Drag’s apology by sitting on his lap and holding him possessively, and by Cat, who sat beside Drag and stroked Misty’s leg. Later that night, in the hotel room, Cat would be stroking Misty’s breast while Misty’s hands were busy between Cat’s legs right before they had sex, while Drag slept with Lovely and Audrey. But for now, they were just satisfied by sitting there. “SO where are you guys staying?” asked Rakish. She looked toward Drag, who smiled. Misty, meanwhile, squeezed a little harder around his neck, and the smiled disappeared from his face. “Ow!” He replied. “What was that for?” Misty shook her head. “Nothing, babe. Nothing.” Jordan opened his mouth but Skylar walked up to the steps. “I found something,” he said, pointing. “Over there by that headstone.” It was a giant angel with the wings outspread. Everyone looked at each other. “Let’s go check it out then,” Ash finally said. He was the first one there. He turned to the rest of the group, who were a few seconds behind. They didn’t know what to make of the smile on his face. |