Halfway Gone

Ch. 6- Thank You For The Venom.

I got ready to pop in the bookstore hurriedly, because I learned that they were having a sale that ended today. And I couldn't ever pass up a sale. I was wearing a green "Recycle" t-shirt and a pair of gray basketball shorts.

"Hey, Roxie, where are ya going?" Alex asked, half-distracted by his video games. 

"Bookstore. When do you have work?" I asked him shortly. He was always playing his stupid games, when I was working my butt off!

"Umm, next week." he mumbled over a mouthful of potato chips. I rolled my eyes and walked out of the apartment. What a little <i>perezoso idiota</i> (lazy idiot).

I didn't bother locking the door, as Alex was home. The sun was setting, and I stopped to stare for a second.

It looked so beautiful, like trix yogurt, making me hungry (not sentimental).

As the sun sank farther down, a tingling sensation went up my arms, feeling like I had pins and needles everywhere. I shook it off, thinking I was being a wimpy little girl, and made my way down to the local-yocal bookstore. It was a cozy two-story old fashioned store, with an alley next to it on one side and a coffee shop on the other. By the time I'm at the door of the bookstore, the sun has already set. I push the clear door, and welcome the warmth of the store as the little bell attached to the door tinkled. The front desk was empty, which was unusual. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I shook it off as paranoia from having people break into the apartment. 

The bookstore was a welcoming yellow color, with tall, haphazardly placed bookshelves crowding every available space. I make my way up the skinny stairs, heading toward the education section. I reach the top of the stairs, and spot the section I'm looking for. The "Nonfiction" section was in the very back of the second floor. As I scan the titles to find the ones I was looking for, a brightly colored calendar caught my eye. It was one of those cool day-by-day calendars, with rip off days and quotes. I read today's quote: 

"I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions."

-Augusten Burroughs

I laughed to myself, and something at the bottom of the calendar captivated my attention. 

"Moon phase," it read, "half moon." I stared at that little half moon symbol, the hairs on my arm standing soldier-straight. I had counted last night, I thought I had a week! My heart rate increased two-fold, and without grabbing a book I started to walk toward the stairs.

"May I help you ma'am?" A polite voice inquired from behind me, making me jump. I whipped around to see a young man, mid-twenty's, looking at me politely. He had tan skin, dark blonde hair, and frameless glasses perched on his nose. He had navy blue arrows tattooed on his face, twisting and turning up his neck. 

"Um, no thank you." I replied after a few seconds, startled. I started to walk around him, when he said,

"Are you sure, Roxie?"

"Yes, I am-how do you know my name?" I asked slowly. He stood in front of my path, blocking the stairs.

"Because I've been looking for you." He grinned, showing off pointed teeth. No, not a vampire. A demon.

"Is that so? Who sent you?" I asked, edging around him. I hadn't smelled him, because tonight was the half moon, so I lost my powers. This was a carefully thought-out plan. 

"You don't need to know his name. He knows you, and is very intrigue by you-" I cut him off suddenly by lunging for the stairwell, but he was to fast for me. He grabbed my foot, pulling me sharply to the ground. There was a loud thud when my face hit the carpet. I twisted around, lashing out with my free foot. It connected with the cartilage of his nose, which was no match to my foot. I may have lost my powers, but I could still fight. As I pulled my foot back, I felt a sharp searing pain in my calf. I ignored it, and managed to pull myself, and sprinted down the stairs. I escaped through the back door, and was in the alley when I fell in bags of trash. I was completely numb.