Page 30 of Hidden Sacrifice
I felt a sharp tiny stab in my neck, and it caught my attention enough to force me to take a look. My head turned so I could see Justice injecting something into my neck. It swirled blue like a magical ocean wave churning as it crashed into the shore. I felt the hum of power in my blood as it raced to meet with the liquid, fighting and burning it off. My blood was losing.
Darkness crept from the point of injection. Tendrils of shadow swept through my body, rendering my limbs unresponsive. The numbing blackness covered my head last, my eyes growing heavy as the darkness beckoned me to become one with it. My eyelids started to flutter shut. Justice’s smile was the last thing I saw before I was lost in the abyss.
* * *
Opening my eyes was like swimming up for a gulp of fresh air. I awoke with a frightened gasp as images, from something I guess I could call a nightmare, slipped from my mind like water through sand. Sunlight filtered through my pale pink curtains, my roommate’s contribution to the dorm. Sheila and I talked about renting one of the houses near campus next year. We just needed to find another person or two to help with rent. I had been hoping Brad would have been one of them, but that wasn’t an option. Fuck him anyway.
I grabbed my phone. My fingers quickly sent out a text to Sheila.
Morrigan:Good Morning
She was right; I needed that concert in the woods last night to knock some sense back into my head. Really, what was I thinking mourning that asshole for as long as I had? I should have celebrated being released from wasting more time on his worthless ass.
Sheila:Morning Bitch
The words flashed across my screen, making me smile.
Morrigan:Thank you. I needed the kick in the ass.
I threw my phone down on the bed and strode to the closet, looking for something to wear for the day.
A chime sounded, signaling Sheila had replied, but I was still standing there looking at the dismal choices of clothes before me. Nothing was catching my eye. I grabbed my phone with an idea.
Sheila:Wish I would have done it sooner. I’ve missed you.
I smiled, no longer feeling like I needed to hole up in my room.Yeah, I wish I would have snapped out of it sooner too.
Morrigan:I want to go out again tonight, but I have nothing to wear. Want to play makeover?
Sheila had been dying for me to let her doll me up. For two years now, I’ve resisted.
Sheila:HELL YES!!! I’ll be over in a couple of hours. I know just the place. Some new club called DÆD.
I flopped back down onto my single mattress. At least I could take a shower and eat some food while waiting for the evening. Trying to catch back up on schoolwork would still be there for me to do tomorrow.
Sheila arrived with bags and bags full of clothes, shoes, and makeup. Everything she thought she would need to transform me, and then some. I was forced to try countless outfits before settling on a silky red halter dress with a loose scoop neckline that flowed over my breasts. A set of strappy black heels were thrust onto my feet before she scurried around fixing my hair into a messy updo. She kept my makeup surprisingly light, just enough to draw attention to my green eyes.
Sheila wore an elaborate black dress with long sleeves and most of her back on display. Elegant beauty in its design gave it an other-worldly feel. It reminded me of something I must have seen in a dream once.
Just getting a makeover from Sheila was an event, and it was night by the time Sheila declared we were ready to go. Stepping out of the front door, we landed on the sidewalk of a busy city as neon lights flashed and chatty people hurried to their destinations. I looked around momentarily confused.
Sheila took my hand as she led us into the crowd and toward the club. A bar would have been a more accurate term for the brick building she led me to. DÆD in red neon lettering above the door suggesting this was the right place. Sheila opened the door with a grin, pressing a finger to her lips as if she was revealing a secret.
Lights flashed through a dark smokey room, illuminating the colorful whirls that floated above the crowd of dancing people. I noticed several raised platforms where patrons could stand above the group as they danced. A DJ was positioned at the front, controlling the lights and music.
Entering through the door, the room was split into two. A bar sat against the wall in an adjacent room to all the dancing. Chairs and tables for those that wanted to enjoy the music without the dancing.
“Holy fuck, Sheila, this place is awesome,” I shouted over the industrial-style music. My outfit wasn’t exactly right for this place, as everyone else seemed to be in some form of gothic lingerie club outfit.
Sheila didn’t seem concerned that she looked even more out of place than I did. Her dress looked like fairies made it. Striding forward with confidence, we headed straight for the dancing area.
Finding a quick spot by the wall, I discarded my shoes altogether. There was a whole line of shoes along the wall where others had done the same. Heels looked killer for an outfit like this, but dancing like a crazy woman required comfort.
A new song’s steady, fast rhythm washed over me as my hips started swaying to the music, and my feet moved me closer to the other swaying bodies. I had no idea what the song was about as words in a foreign language rolled through the speakers like a storm rolling in. My body twisted and turned with the beat as I gave myself over to the music as it beckoned inside me. The world fell away as my eyes closed, my body dancing in my pocket reality in the overcrowded room.
I couldn’t count how many songs bled from one to the other before strong hands circled my waist as someone curled up against my back. The beat of this song was much faster. My new dance partner swayed with me in the middle of the crowd, not coming anywhere near the pace of the song’s beat.
“Are you having a good time dancing?” The stranger whispered into my ear, his voice rushing through me, causing goosebumps across my arms. Fuck, I hoped he was as hot as his voice. I pressed my ass back into him lightly, finding a hard bulge between his legs.
