Hollow Waves | OFAF #1

3

An upbeat tune bounced off the walls in Purgatory, one that Eryn heard way too many times this week. She scanned the room, observing everyone as their sweat-slicked bodies undulated under the strobe lights. Arlo tended to the bar. His hands blurred and if he was any faster, they would question if he was human. Luckily, he made the drinks strong.

Arlo was burnt out and tired of manning the bar, but Eryn was in one of her moods again, lost in her own world. Living for so long, she spent a lot of time in her head. Trying to glue together fragmented memories she couldn't decipher from reality or dreams. He hoped he wouldn't become like her as the years went by.

Eryn lost her vision in the mob of people, sliding between the crowd and catching someone familiar. She was in a trance, drawn to the brunette girl in the sea of bodies. She vanished for a second, but Eryn caught her heading toward the bar. She spotted Marina's troubled expression from where she stood.

Marina had the same face yesterday. Something bothered her and Eryn couldn't quite get it out yet.

Eryn stopped herself. Why should she care about something bothering her? Eryn met her just recently. Marina was someone random from Purgatory. Many people came and went, but Eryn never spent the day with someone and then asked them to come back. Something within Marina set her aside from the rest. Perhaps it was because she was new to town.

Sybil, her sire, always said she liked playing with new things. She thought she was wrong, but Sybil did know her more than she knew herself. Boredom was dangerous for her kind.

"Earth to Eryn!" Arlo all but yelled, "We're low on ice, grab more from the back."

Eryn cut him a glare, thrown out of her thoughts. "Why don't you get more?"

"Sagan is waiting for you in the back," Arlo hissed, "I recommend you go and get some ice."

Eryn sighed and headed toward the back of the club, near the bathrooms, stock room, and her office. She felt a presence in her office and slipped inside. Sagan sat on her desk with one leg over the other. Her heel tapped against the desk. "Took you long enough."

"What's wrong?"

Sagan slid off Eryn's desk and folded her arms, "I saw you yesterday."

"And...? Is there a point here?" Eryn lifted a brow and shifted from one foot to the other. She didn't want to miss seeing Marina.

"I saw you, with a girl. You met up with a girl and I followed you two to the pavilion," Sagan's eyes flashed red. She tipped her chin higher in defiance, "You tell us to stay away from humans. You expect us to live this sheltered life but look at you you're a hypocrite." Sagan's anger stirred something dark within her. She stamped it down and pulled herself together. If Eryn saw she was having a hard time, she'd lock her up somewhere until she deemed it was safe. At times, Eryn was no better than Lance and Chris.

Eryn sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She leaned against the wall and folded her arms. "Nothing happened. I was testing myself, my resolve and I passed the test."

"I don't care about that!" Sagan shouted, her voice shrill, "do you know how many times I've wanted to go do something with you? Remember that weekend I wanted to go to LA? Do you remember what you told me?"

Eryn mashed her lips together. She knew where this was going.

"Of course, you don't because all you want to do is choose to remember when it's convenient for you. You told me that it was too risky, that with all the humans around we might lose ourselves to the hunger and go into a blood frenzy," Sagan laughed dryly, and took a step forward, "you're breaking your own rules for this human. What makes her so special?"