Femme Fatale

I Put a Spell On You

 Cold air filled her lungs as she took a deep breath. A couple months had passed since Carmen had left France. Not a word had been heard from her father, which she was grateful for. She dropped out of university as well. She left her whole life behind to go start a new one, one that was a lot better than her life in France. Chicago was kind to her. She managed to get an apartment with the little money she had, and she helped clean houses every week to make a little bit of money so she could pay her bills.

Carmen stood on the corner of the street near an old building that looked to have been abandoned. It seemed to have been a small store that the owners were unable to keep running and closed down. Across the street was a bar, and jazz music was able to be heard blaring from blocks away. The bar seemed to be where most people went on Friday nights to socialize and have a good time. Although Carmen had only just turned 20, that didn't stop her from wanting to go inside. How could she not? She had never been inside a bar before, and it all looked so magical and exciting to her. She looked a bit older than she really was, she was sure she wasn't going to get carded for looking underage. Shoving her hands into the pockets of the black coat that hugged her slim frame, she began to walk across the street towards the bar, heels tapping across the concrete road. She wore a long sleeveless dress, sequins aplenty. The bodyguard didn't seem to look suspicious of Carmen and let her go right inside. And if he was, he didn't care enough to stop her. Upon entering, she was greeted with the sight of a large crowd of people. Some sat at the bar, sipping on alcoholic beverages. Others sat in booths, chatting the night away. The toxic smell of cigarette smoke filled the room.

Sauntering over to the bar, the ethereal brunette took a seat on a stool, scanning her surroundings. Everything was so surreal to her. It was hard to believe she was even there. Her wish finally came true. The bartender came over to her. "What would you like, little lady?" He asked, giving her a smile. "A glass of your finest whiskey, please." She replied, returning the smile. The bartender nodded and made her drink. "It's on me." An unfamiliar voice said from behind her. The male looked to be about the same age as Carmen was. He was unbelievably handsome, like James Dean. He set some money on the counter and leaned against it, tossing the brunette a smile. He wore a suit, and his hair was slicked back. "You mind if I join you?" Carmen shook her head. "Not at all." The bartender handed Carmen the glass of alcohol. Carmen put the glass to her lips and took a sip, an 'ahh' leaving her as the toxic poison burned down her throat. What a hypocrite she was being. She always got on her father for drinking, but what was she doing?

"Forgive me for my rudeness, I haven't told you my name yet. My name is Tate. Tate Montgomery." He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing the surface of it lightly. Carmen smiled uncontrollably. "My name is Carmen Lemieux. I'm new to town." Tate grinned, scanning her up and down. "Welcome to the city. I'm sure you'll enjoy it here." Before Carmen could answer, Tate was ambushed from behind by an older man. The man's fist came into contact with his face, breaking his nose in the process. "What did you do to my wife?! Frickin' vampire!" He growled, and pulled out a pocketknife. Vampire? What was this guy talking about? What was this guy on? Vampires didn't exist. They were a mythical creature only found in horror movies. "Stop, please!" Carmen yelled. The man slashed Tate's face violently, causing a deep wound on his cheek. Blood began to drip down his face. Security rushed over, restraining the man and forcefully confiscating his pocketknife. They drug him out of the bar, and he sure wasn't going without kicking and screaming various obscenities.

A gasp left Carmen's lips as she pushed herself off the bar stool, gazing at Tate with worry and concern. She placed her palms at either sides of his face, blood getting all over her hand. "Oh my God, it's bad. You need to go to a hospital." She said. Moments passed and the wound was starting to mysteriously close, much, much faster than a wound would heal normally. Carmen raised her brows in confusion, puzzled on how it was possible for something to happen like that. Tate then looked deep into her eyes, his pupils dilating. "Forget you ever saw that. I'm going to the restroom, stay right here." With a blink, he stopped compelling her and was off to the restroom to clean his face. Carmen blinked a few times, watching him go off. She looked at her hand and became alarmed at the sight of blood, unsure if it were her own or someone else's. Looking around, she quickly licked the blood off of her hand, the warm crimson substance going into her system.