👻 𝖋𝖚𝖑𝖑 𝖔𝖋 𝖌𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖙𝖘 👻

This is the first time he and the boys have provided their services here—and it’s a good thing they came, seems like. Such thorough requests often get written off by more complacent security, especially when the one making them is a small, independent artist. She even factored that possibility directly into her offer: whether or not you think I’m full of shit…

Hawk eyes the money, doing a quick count before he takes it. He was always going to say yes, but it’s good to know how much he’s getting paid. 

          NOW, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! He didn’t bat an eye, not a single strange glance cast in her direction or anything. It’s a relief; she didn’t want to have to go through the headache of defending herself and her reasoning. Looks like she doesn’t have to. What a rare moment. Tonight’s gonna be a good night, she can feel it. She takes another drag. 

          “ Yeah, that’s me, ”     she flashes him a smile too, not so toothy so toothy, though — something more of a smirk than anything,     “ What about you, baby blue? You got a name? ”

She doesn’t wait for him to answer, before she’s already walking past, shouting a thank you to the one who went to fetch her protection for the night. She calls him to follow with a finger as she walks toward the bar. If they want to get the cold ones, they are gonna have to get there before the current set is finished and the crowds come crawling back like cockroaches. Filthy, sweaty cockroaches. God, does she love shows like this.

           “You restore old books and you’re in a band,”          he says, repocketing the lighter once her cigarette is lit.          “There’s nothing you don’t do.”

Maybe there will be a next time, then, if she tours with her band. Either way, he probably shouldn’t kill her; a musician would be too recognizable a victim, even if that musician is niche. If she turned up dead, her band would get very famous very quickly, and there would likely be an investigation. Not worth it.

He stands up, head tilting back to gaze at the sky one last time. He takes a deep breath of chilly, flower-perfumed night air, watching the stars wink at him. Then he looks back at his guest.

          ONCE SHE TAKES A DRAG OF HER CIGARETTE she wraps her arms around herself, fighting off the oncoming chill as best as she can. SHe left her jacket in her car all the way back at the venue, thinking she wouldn’t need it. Stupid now that she thinks about it.     “ Do I really look like the vocals kinda gal to you? ”

Another drag of her cigarette and she’s standing too, moving closer to her host, making herself comfortable in the warm fold of his arm pressed right against his side. He’ll have to be her jacket tonight, and something tells her he won’t mind too much.

          “ You’re right, though. Yeah, vocals and bass. Pop punk, not sure if that’s your thing or not. I'd ask you what you do but I already know the answer to that. ”

          FUCK, THINGS ARE LOOKING KINDA BLEEK, HUH? This one was supposed to be easy, right? In and out, no skin off their nose — or maybe Teagan spoke too soon, didn’t read the fine print — too caught up in the promise of a face to face with something from the other side. Now look at this mess. 

The darkness is so suffocating, unnaturally so — Teagan is willing to bet whatever it is lurking in the shadows has at least something to do with it. She reaches for Sophia in the dark, grabbing hold of the first thing she can grab — her jacket pocket, then her arm — gripping tight as to not lose her in this oppressive dark. 

          “ I take full responsibility for this one, Soph — ”     A ghoulish vocalization from the corner cuts her off, goosebumps running across her flesh. Acrid odor from all directions — moaning floorboard and shuttering windows. 

          “You’re a long way from San Francisco,”          he says.          “Just visiting, then?”

That would mean that she’s unlikely to attend any more of his parties. Maybe that’s a good thing. Still, he finds himself a little disappointed—there are so few people here who even hint at stimulating him intellectually. Perhaps he should sink his teeth into her and get it over with, if there’s no promise of next time. 

Zero glances back toward the house, the library’s gentle, dim glow through the glass. 

          HALF LIDDED EYES SHIFT BACK TO ZERO, looking over him with curiosity, and maybe just a glimmer of excitement. She follows his gaze back to the sliding glass door and the library within — inviting dim light calling her back inside, to warm her cold fingers on the spines of beautiful books. She shoves her hands between her thighs and shivers — the heat and excitement of tonight's set has finally worn off. She smiles. 

          “ I’m on tour right now — I’ll be in L.A. for a while. Band and I have a couple more shows, ”    to keep her hands moving in a vain attempt to warm them back up,  she fishes a cigarette out of her pocket, fumbling to find her lighter. 

There’s the flower fact she wanted. He could say more—point to each and every bloom in the garden and tell her every detail he knows—but she’s already made it clear she isn’t impressed by his showing off, so he won’t waste his breath. 

Zero leans back a bit, peering up at the sky. The stars glitter with an icy sharpness on clear winter nights like this. In the summertime, their glow is softer, though no less bright. He wonders if she’ll be enticed to come back and see them again as the seasons turn. There will be plenty of opportunity, should she survive this party. There’s always a party here, after all, and the stars always attend.

          ‘ NO ONE LIKES TO READ IN L.A. ’, she laughs, following his lead and looking up at the stars herself. Beautiful and clear — the crisp night air fills her lungs and takes the cloudy drunkenness away, instead leaving her pleasantly buzzed, refreshed. The throb of the music and the dull roar of idle, drug fueled chatter is a comforting evening backdrop.

          “ I adore books. I help manage a bookshop in San Francisco, actually. Bookshop, library, book repair kinda deal. Restore old books with broken spines and torn covers. It’s kinda like a dream, actually. ”

❝ damn it, did you do that on purpose? ❞

❝ i was just having a quiet moment of despair. ❞

❝ i’ll see you soon, or…. or never again. ❞

❝ you know, for what it’s worth, i’m not a tragic person. ❞

❝ are you married? ❞

❝ you know, uhh, i almost didn’t come. ❞

❝ i don’t want to suffer. ❞

❝ i am perfectly willing to shut up. i’m a chronically loquacious person, and if you let me talk long enough, i always seem to find the poop and step right in it. ❞

❝ oh, i’m just your run-of-the-mill asshole. ❞

❝ does any of this feel random to you? ❞

❝ my story is… i died. ❞

❝ who do you think you’re kidding? i’ve become a punchline. ❞

❝ it’s incredible you’re still single. ❞

❝ no, i’m fine. i just, umm… just a little panic attack. they come and go. ❞

❝ we complement each other’s demons. ❞

❝ i know women like you. you’re so driven and you’re so committed to perfection that you’re not even human anymore. ❞

❝ i didn’t come here to open a vein. ❞

❝ i’d like to talk to you in private, if i may. ❞

❝ are you happy with your life? ❞

❝ you shouldn’t sneak up on people in the dark like that. ❞

❝ i’m not meditating, just despondently staring into the gaping void. ❞

❝ it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world… to be seen. ❞

❝ there’s only so much surrendering i can do. ❞

❝ as much as i love you, and i do… i’m angry. ❞

❝ i miss liking you. ❞

❝ who are you, really? ❞

❝ you’ve got an excuse for everything. ❞

❝ this is definitely not a team. i mean, this is like the opposite of a team. ❞

❝ i received some disturbing messages. threats. ❞

❝ we are and we always will be profoundly and inextricably bound. ❞

❝ digging graves is not doing my back any favors. ❞

❝ think of the people who will mourn you. what do you want them to say about your life? ❞

❝ if i did die today, nobody would care. because i’m humiliated and i am alone, and it’s only gonna get worse. ❞

❝ why are you here? ❞

❝ i’m very good in bed. ❞

❝ take your hands off me. just take your fucking hands off me! ❞

❝ you have never stood where i stand. ❞

❝ i’m a one-trick pony that can no longer do her one trick. ❞

❝ can you trust me on this? ❞

❝ it’s scary, but like in a good way. ❞

❝ i’m so sorry. i don’t know why i said that out loud. ❞

❝ you’re a real dick. ❞

❝ seriously, babe, get yourself a vibrator. let off some steam. ❞

❝ it’s good that we challenge each other. it only makes us better, right? ❞

❝ your secret’s safe with me. ❞

❝ are you sure you’re okay to do this? ❞

❝ you shit-talking me, ____? ❞

❝ we carry on because we must, right? what’s the alternative? ❞

❝ oh. you’re naked. okay. ❞

❝ you think you’re the only one who doesn’t like being dismissed? ❞

❝ what the fuck? are we on some kind of reality show or something? ❞

❝ everybody has a story. especially the people who claim otherwise. ❞

❝ how do you make your money? ❞

❝ do you really not think that you’re pretty? ❞

❝ i was just thinking i wish i could write this all down. ❞

❝ if i had known it was gonna be the last time, i’d have bothered to remember the details. ❞

❝ just take a breath. ❞

❝ well, there’s your mistake right there, thinkin’ i’m a nice guy. ❞

❝ anything you wanna tell me? ❞

❝ i…i’ve been feeling unlike myself for the better part of today. ❞

❝ you know, you could go to jail for this. ❞

❝ i didn’t see it coming. ❞

❝ we all have secrets, ____. none of us are exactly how we appear, are we? ❞

❝ aren’t you even curious, like a little bit? ❞

❝ you can sleep on the couch tonight. ❞

❝ when you arrived, you were kind of a complete jackass. and i have witnessed you becoming… less complete in that area. ❞

❝ sometimes, even in the best marriages, people pretend. it takes a little denial on both sides. ❞

❝ can i show you something? ❞

❝ i’m smiling because you’re funny. ❞

❝ i don’t wanna see you. ❞

❝ you took that from me and i can’t get it back. ❞

❝ you can do better than that. ❞

❝ why can’t you be happy for me? ❞

❝ relationships, am i right? ❞

❝ the only reason i remember you at all is because your story is so pathetic. ❞

❝ we have shared history here. i’m just saying you can talk to me. ❞

❝ i killed him. he had a mother. he had a father, you know. i killed him. i made him dead.❞

❝ this is too fast. ❞

❝ this is not about me. ❞

❝ why do you keep telling people we weren’t close? ❞

❝ i’m so lonely. i didn’t know what it felt like to be lonely, because i always had you. ❞

❝ you’re a fucking lunatic, you know that? ❞

❝ how do i even begin to say i’m sorry? ❞

❝ why is there oatmeal on my face? ❞

❝ i hear you told ____ to fuck off. ❞

❝ you think i’m the one sending you death threats? ❞

❝ i just think the world is a tough place for a kid right now. ❞

❝ i love this place. ❞

❝ there’s just no going back, right? ❞

❝ i’ve been numbing a lot of shit for a lot of years, and now here i am, facing it all, and… i’m not having the best time. ❞

❝ i wasn’t there when either of my kids were born. ❞

❝ i should’ve never come to this place. ❞

❝ i’m not sure i want any of this bad enough, ____. i’m not gonna make it. ❞

❝ i know i don’t need to be worried about you. i… i want to. ❞

❝ why all the tears? what’s wrong? ❞

❝ you’ll meet someone new. because you are a vibrant, beautiful woman. ❞

❝ i’m just really grateful for you. ❞

❝ that’s actually a good look on you. ❞

❝ what did you call me? ❞

❝ i hate bullies. ❞

❝ are you trying to kill me? ❞

❝ you actually seemed kind of mortal. like the rest of us. ❞

❝ you had a look on your face like you were gonna kiss me. ❞

❝ full disclosure, i’m a terrible kisser. ❞

❝ i think we should stick together. ❞

❝ i heard screams. ❞

❝ i wanna believe this is real. please, let this be real. ❞

❝ i love you. ❞

❝ i am sorry, but this needed to happen. ❞

❝ have you ever known me to lie? ❞

❝ i don’t think i can forgive that. ❞

❝ i don’t want to be complicit in this. ❞

❝ reason is no match for pain. ❞

❝ i fucking hate you! ❞

❝ what do you say we get out of here? ❞

❝ why are you holding my hand? ❞

❝ you don’t wanna just flip to the end of the book, do you? that’s no fun. ❞

❝ i see myself for who i am now, which is… less, quite a bit less than what i was. ❞

❝ i was fearless, and now i… i’m just… i’m just afraid. ❞

❝ look around you. everybody’s afraid. ❞

❝ you locked me in here. ❞

❝ are we leaving or not? ❞

❝ when someone seems so nice, and… and good, it turns out i’m always wrong. ❞

❝ i haven’t spoken to most of my family in years. ❞

❝ the people who should love me, they don’t even bother returning my calls. ❞

❝ i’ve been more honest with you than anyone i’ve ever met. ❞

❝ where would you go? ❞

❝ you’re very good at what you do, but you’re wrong. ❞

❝ you’re gonna leave me? ❞

❝ i’m done waiting. ❞

❝ i wasn’t gonna jump, if that’s what you’re thinking. ❞

❝ i know i’m supposed to move forward. i get that. i just don’t want to. i wanna go backwards. ❞

❝ you’re not nearly as odd as you come off. i mean that nicely. ❞

❝ looks like the shit’s hitting the fan. ❞

❝ i’m so sorry about before. i wish i could say it wasn’t me, but… i can say that it’s not the me i love. ❞

❝ i don’t think it’s safe for me to be around you. ❞

❝ do you remember what you said? ❞

❝ do not pity me. ❞

❝ i tend to babble when i’m nervous. ❞

❝ i don’t think you’re wrong. i think your… your instinct that we don’t have a chance in hell is probably correct. ❞

❝ this is your chance to start anew. ❞

❝ let me out, please. please let me out! ❞

❝ it’s food for thought, isn’t it? ❞

❝ i probably would have been a shit dad, anyway. ❞

❝ is it snowing? ❞

❝ you need to let go. ❞

❝ i thought we were gonna die. ❞

❝ we’re all gonna die, ____. just not today. ❞