So, here's a snippet of this story I'm working on....I'm stuck in this creative phase, which is good for me...but bad for my school work. Feedback please:
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the guy behind me. He was tall, too tall—tall enough to stand out in the crowd, at least and completely dwarfing me at 5’3”. As I stood, waiting and getting increasingly annoyed, he began to lean towards me, slight enough to not cause too much alarm, however when he began sniffing, I began to warily step away. I avoided eye contact and continued jamming out to Frank Ocean, last thing I needed was a total stranger trying to make conversation. I would’ve gone to school if I wanted to talk.
“What are you?” Goliath asked. Hesitating and not wanting to turn around, I took a deep breath before giving him my attention.
I kindly took my earphones out and made eye contact being sure to put on my acerbic face. “Are you talking to me?” The only answer I received was a slight squinting of his eyes. “Uhm…how do you want me to answer that? I’m a black-girl…American, by birth—”
“You smell human, but feel like more. What’s this vibe you’re giving off?” Yeah…as far as pickup lines go, that had to be the worse and besides he looked old enough to be in his 40s.
“Are you going to tell me that God’s missing an angel next?” He looked puzzled. Okay, that was my cue to end the conversation. I put my headphones back in and turned the volume on full blast. I’d learned early on the best way to avoid conversations with random weirdoes when in the city was to pretend they weren’t there.
A pat on my shoulder let me know the conversation wasn’t over for the tall guy. Turning around, I gave him my full attention again. “What are you?” His voice was less perplexed and more demanding this time. It was my turn to be confused.
“What do you mean, ‘What are you?’ Do you mean, ‘Who are you’? I can assure you I’m someone you don’t know nor will you be getting to know me. And another thing, I suggest you change the tone of your voice.” He eyed me suspiciously.
Ignoring me, he continued, “You aren’t a Rogue? I would feel it if you were; nor do I feel the protection of the Council surrounding you.” Inching closer, he became more aggressive. Our eyes met and for the first time I started to get scared.
“What are you doing?” He grabbed my arm and began squeezing me—hurting me—all the while pulling me closer to his face so that he could continue to stare into my eyes. I tried to yank my arm away, but he held fast, freezing me with his black eyes. I could hear my blood rushing in my veins forcing oxygen to my brain. I tried to calm down as to not upset the crazy guy. “Council? What are you talking about and will you let me go? What’s your problem?” I spoke a little louder, but his grip on my arm tightened a little as he sniffed the air in front of me like some weird dog. I didn’t know much, but I knew that definitely wasn’t normal. He seemed to taste the scent allowing it to roll over his tongue as he breathed in like a fine wine.
As we stood there, everything outside of us faded. I could no longer hear the group arguing at the register, nor did I feel the comforting press of too many bodies in a small place that I’d come to associate with the Loco Mocha. Instead I felt cold and isolated, except for the eyes. The dark beams that held me in place. I felt the fight leave me as I grew tired of struggling against the unseen force he exuded. I began to give in and felt him rummaging through the various layers of my subconscious in search for something. I felt exposed, as if he was stripping me bare and I couldn’t do anything about it. As we continued this way, his features began to shift. I began to see sharp fangs where his teeth once were, his ears were more elongated and now were filled with small hoop earrings. His nose became longer as he began looking less and less human. It was when the blacks of his pupils grew to encompass his entire eye that I snapped out of whatever spell he held me in.
“AAAAHHHHHH.” I screamed as I pulled my arm from his hands. The café and all it’s inhabitants returned and everyone looked at me like I was insane. Did they not see him grab me? I chanced a quick glass at my former captor and saw his features were once again as I saw them before—completely normal.
Just like that, no one seemed the wiser of what had just happened, I couldn’t even prove that it had. Instantly everyone around me went back to what they were doing like nothing happened labeling me as the weird girl with random outburst. He continued to stare at me, this time with more hostility.
“Can I help the next person?” A second register had opened and it was now my turn. I was no longer thinking about the Hot Chocolate Bliss, I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
I bumped past the other guest in line behind me making my way towards the door and freedom. Taking a quick glance back, I could no longer see the strange guy through the windows, but couldn’t remember him walking out the only exit. It was definitely time to go home. The last thing I needed was for him to corner me in a dark alley with no witnesses.
Lady A
I'll admit it's a little rough, but it's a work in progress.
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