Chapter one: Just the Beginning
~ Heavy panting fills the air, the sky is an ominous gray. The smell of death fills the streets. The sirens race down the alleys, up the street. He swerves down another corridor, running so far but, from what? He crouches down behind some crates the sirens wiz on by. His heart is near choking him. He has been running for who knows how long, Sidewinder, that was his name for all intensive purposes.~She wakes in yet another cool sweat. Tears streaming down her face. She had never had a dream that felt so real. She is sitting up as though she had a gun to her back. The metronome of her swift beating heart was still pounding in her ears. The keeper of her dreams she calls him. Cause after all "A dream is just a wish your heart makes while you are sleep." As Disney puts it but, this "Wish" was what seemed to her too realistic and fascinating to be just a "Wish." Even still she wasn't too positive she liked this one. It seemed to be, haunting her with an incessant need to escape.
She slowly drew her hands to her face to wipe away a stream of sweat, and tears. Her hands were shaking so horridly. Not really knowing what to do she lay back down and tried to soothe her ill conscience. 'Cause though she was awake she couldn't let alone the quilt that she had just abandoned Sidewinder. She lay on her silky satin sheets. Staring at her pale blue ceiling. Not that you could really tell in the pitch dark, that was her room. She had paintings and pictures everywhere in her room. She was the artistic type. So, her room was filled with tons of colors. Every time she would get an idea, it would end up either on her walls or in a poem, she loved writing nothing fascinated her more then her own mind. Well, Sidewinder, the mysterious dark-haired man of her dreams fascinated her quite a lot.
She began to fall asleep again drifting slowly off into her realm of comfort. The depths of her very own mind. She lay lifeless almost as sidewinder toke over her every thought.
~Now he is in the bushes outside a farm home. He is travelling east or so he thinks. He really has no idea. He has this small, journal that one can only assume holds the key to every question being held about him he was beautiful his hair reaching his shoulders. Which he had pulled back in a tight ponytail low to the nape of his neck. Some strands hang out of place, but, it only frames his face so much more magnificently. His eyes are that of a dull jade stone. He is tall, oh but, the way he stands would make you believe he is the greatest thing around. And, as far as this dream goes Sidewinder was the most amazing thing ever.~
"EH,EH,EH," the alarm yelled at her, and just like that, she began her day. Just as though Sidewinder never intruded into her mind at all. The thing was that she had lived so long now dreaming of him, that she had become accustomed to her "Dream Prince charming." However, the past couple of months her dreams have felt increasingly more real. The more she watches Sidewinder, the more it's appearing that he is learning of this looming girl. But, "Dreams aren't real." She tells herself, and says quietly "life must go on." So she begins her day.
She climbs out of bed with effortless grace, that only bestows itself upon her in the mornings. She sleeps in her underwear. So all she needs to do in the morning to get dressed is find clothes, throw them on and continue on about her day. This morning she is a little lazy, it's five thirty in the morning and she begins by picking out her clothes and, then jumping in the shower.
She grabs a dark purple tank top, and d a white sweater, and some dark jeans. They are very form fitting to show off her body. She is one hundred and eleven point four pounds varying as the days do. carrying her clothes in both arms, down the dark hall, to the bathroom with her. Being that the sun isn't up yet, she walks toward the soft, luminescent, glowing of the bathroom nightlight. As she walks into the bathroom, she shuts the door and switches on the light, and the nightlight off in one motion. Checking to shower for someone hiding when she finds it empty as everyday. Locking the door so no one can come in on her in the shower. She starts the water to get it heated. Brushing her teeth and, hair uses the restroom, strips and hops in the scolding shower. She turns it a little colder before it begins to burn.
Still pondering about Sidewinder, she spends more time then usual in the shower. She stalls by leaning up against the wall while the water hits her shoulder. She allows her body to heat up more before moving on to washing up. Her long dirty blonde hair falling softly over her shoulder, swaying slightly in the water. The scent of coconut and baby wash fills the air. She loves that smell, and the feel afterwards. Also, these days you never know what chemicals are in those things. She preferred the organic, or older formulas. Braiding her hair to keep it pulled back nice, and neat she then shuts off the water. Picking up the clothes, she gets dressed. She stumbled a little now, her grace has worn off for the day. Her nails are red today, she was feeling passionate, so it seemed only fitting.
She was running late today, which made it so that she couldn't go for her daily run before work. So off to work she raced, even though it was only a ten minute drive. She was never late, but, this morning her mind was too focused on Sidewinder. The faster her mind raced, the faster her heart pulsed, and the faster she drove. When she finally fell out of her trance she had already arrived at work. She worked at a general store named "Jiffy Jeff's" The owner Jeff Hubert was a dear friend. He had always treated her like a little sister. they talked abut everything, he was a slender tall man, the age of twenty-four. He had Black hair with a red stripe in it this time, he changed the stripe often. This time the red reminded her of a red flame. She clocked in, but, today she didn't bother to say hello to anyone. She just went straight to work. She then sat and waited for her very long and boring shift.
Hardly anyone came by in the morning, all the kids were in school today. they generally don't arrive till after school let out. However, there are a few who skip to come by and get an energy drink or a snack. But, what ever the case they welcomed them. 'Cause she and Jeff remembered being in school, it wasn't that long ago after all. They both remembered needing an escape. So now they provided one. They shared a small store. She was a partial owner, but, the store really belonged to Jeff. It was a very artistic place being that both she, and Jeff were themselves, artists in their own way. Jeff had gone to college and majored in Business but, his minor was in Art. However, she on the other hand never went, so she was considered an artist by talent not, degree on the wall. They both ran the store with two others. They would fill in when they didn't feel like working.
Today it was just her and Robin, the youngest cashier. So it was really easy for her to avoid talking more then she needed. The poor little red head, always did what she was told. So she gave Robin her busy work, just to occupy her. Though she didn't mean any harm, she just really didn't feel like talking today. Robin was so good at what she did, so she finished quickly. So she gave Robin Inventory and sent the girl off to count everything. This took Robin a little longer, but, yet again, she finished quickly. It was at least long enough for her to think of Sidewinder.
She had begun to tell Jeff about the dream, but, he showed little interest. She wanted to text him but, she knew it would only interrupt whatever it was he was doing today, so she would wait till he came in for work again. So she began to daydream first about her dream the night before, then, the one from last night. How could two of the same dreams feel so completely, and totally different from one another? The dream from the night before was but, a vague residue sticking to her mind. However, last night's dream felt so real, that it could very well scare her, the same as memories of everyday events. She wasn't so sure he was only a figment of her imagination, developed to keep her from feeling so alone. As her mind drifted further away, crowded with thoughts of Sidewinder, not noticing Robin was done and, calling her name.
"Vice?" she sounded three times before shouting.
"CLAIRVICE!" She shouted loud enough to break her trance.
"Huh, uh-yeah?" vice resounded startled just having Sidewinder shatter into her already, too real reality.
"Oh, Robin, it's just you." she sounded breathless, as though she just finished running a mile. If you would have felt her heart racing, and heard it pounding in her chest. Or, how she heard it echoing like loud drums, you might have thought she just had.
"Of course it's just me. Who else would were you expecting it to be?" Robin sounded slightly upset. Vice could see her disappointment cross her face, when she looked up at her.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Robin." She said apologetically.
"It's just -I mean, I am just spaced today, I am just stuck inside my own mind." Vice studdered a little when she talked to her. For some reason she just couldn't stop tripping over her own tongue.
"Um, okay well, Vice I'm done with inventory. So, what would you like me to do now?" Robin spoke sullenly realizing that Vice was trying to find busy work for her. She knew Vice didn't want to talk to her about what ever it was that was bothering her troubled mind.
"Robin, why don't you just go ahead and head on home. I can handle it today." Vice spoke sweetly to Robin, but, that didn't make Robin feel any better. She knew Robin would be offended no matter what, so it was just easier to be there alone. She knew Robin only wanted to help, it was her nature. But, Robin nodded slowly finished up, clocked out and went to leave. As she opened the door she looked back at Vice.
"Hey, Vice-" but, Robin lost the words, or rather the courage to say her words.
"er, never mind, have a good day I'll see you Friday." And, with that she turned and walked out the door. Vice was glad she hadn't continued, because, she really didn't feel like avoiding talking. Vice felt it would only bore the poor girl anyway. Robin would have been very kind and never let on that she was disinterested. That was almost worse then having someone really care what she had to say. Vice just sat behind the counter watching the girl walk across the lot. Robin looked both ways, crossed, and disappeared into the crowd. Vice lived walking distance, and even though she drove today, she preferred to walk or jog.
Vice sat there thinking about her rundown apartment. She drifted back to when she had first moved to New York in the first place, she had been in the sixth grade, every day had been a living nightmare. Her abusive mother had been a drunk, she was always strung out, and she sold her body to pay the bills. Vice's father had died when she was a small child.
~Tracy and Clairvice were six and five. Tracy was a year older then Vice. However, whenever their mother came home Tracy would hide even while she would pin clairvice to the wall and beat her. But, the night Vice remembers most about her mother was the night she died. Tracy finally found some courage deep down inside of her. For the first time ever she defended Vice. Tracy found a gun and with shaky hands pointed it at her.
"Leave her alone!" Tracy's voice kind of squeeked when she tried to yell but, she gathered her composure and tried again this time much more forceful.
" You leave her alone, right now!" she knew the gun was not loaded she just wanted to frighten her, not hurt her. Their mother dropped Vice to turn and see what her normally timid daughter had to say. Vice fell into a little pile on the floor peaking through her fingers, she saw for the first time ever her mother was frightened.
"Tracy y-you put that down right now! You have no idea what you are doing!" Her voice had a hint of fear in it. Tracy just stared at her.
"So, what you are going to kill me? You don't have it in you!" She began to torment her poor daughter.
"No mother, you are going to leave and never come back, or I will shoot you." Tracy spoke so sternly it made her mother quiver a little.
" Fine you little bitch, you want me gone? I'll leave! I would love to get away from you two anyway! You are just burdens to me anyhow! I wish I never had either of you!" She rambled on and on as she stumbled to the doorway. But, what happened next Vice never expected. Just as her mother was making her way down the drive she took one last drunken stumble into the street. Where she then fell in the way of an oncoming car. Her body flew and was strewn all over. Tracy and Vice both, crumbled to the ground, they never wanted any harm to come to here. Not even after everything their mother did to them. ~
"Excuse me!" a customer said as she slammed down some drinks on the counter.
" Sorry about that, it will be five fifty." She said while entering in her code in the register. The customer paid and left in a hurry. She watched the lady get into her red sports car and take off down the road. reminding her of her sister's death. Her sister's best friend had been drinking and picked up her sister Tracey to go out. Her sister never made it back home. Vice found herself working at an electrician's shortly after. With a man named Duncan, who became like a brother to her. If it wasn't for Duncan, and Jeff, Vice might have ended up like the rest of her family. They both made her stay in school. They encouraged her in anything she wanted to do. Vice was always thankful and because of them healthy, and happy. Which brought her thought back to her elusive Sidewinder.
On and on her mind raced through her life. through all all the events that brought her to that moment. Doing the same thing she was three years ago when Tracy died. She couldn't help but wonder why her life has not changed since. Vice looked around the store again,
