Vice

Chapter 2

"Axe! Axe! Over here!" shouted a leggy blonde standing by the bar. Axe turned his head and waved, steering me towards her as he pushed his way through a mass of gyrating bodies. Her blood red lipstick had stained her teeth, but she seemed oblivious to it, as she smiled brightly at us.

"This is Dana, she'll get you a drink." shouted Axe.

Dana wrapped her glitter soaked arms around me and shouted over at Axe "Who's this little thing?"

Axe shrugged nonchalantly as he scanned the crowd of skimpily dressed girls.

"I'm Cora" I shouted back, disentangling myself from her clumsy embrace; her breath reeked of vodka and mouthwash. "I'm here looking for my sister, have you seen her?" I asked, keeping an eye on Axe as he circled the bar- flitting around from girl to girl until he found his next victim.

"Your sister? Have you lost your in sister" Dana slurred, spilling her drink as someone bumped into her. She scowled and smashed the glass on the table. "Bloody fang bangers..." she muttered, wiping down her sequined cami.

"Yeah, her name is Perdita, she's a regular." I replied, handing her some paper napkins.

"Perdita... Oh yeah I know the one, tall, brunette- kinda looks like you except...?" She grabbed my chin and turned my head side to side as she examined me. Dana burst out laughing and added "Angrier!" I blushed and nodded.

I suppose that's one way to describe Perdita. Angry. She was always angry at the world, at the people- at our parents mostly.

Dana continued to giggle and tap my chin... Just my luck the first person I find who knew Perdita is drunker than a skunk!

I stand stony still and wait for a moment of sanity to cross her mind. The smile fades from her face as she mulls this over. "How old are you?" Dane whispered quietly, her eyes glimmering suddenly... Is she crying?

"Old enough to know what happened to my sister!" I snapped, angry at the crypticness of the whole thing. This was meant to be easy, a quick trip. Gather Intel and get the hell out of here, but at this rate I'd be here all night.

A dark shadow crossed Dana's face momentarily twisting her features. Just as suddenly as it came it was gone; her unmistakable smile was pinned back on. A trick of light. Maybe. She stretched onto her tiptoes, balancing precariously on her stilettos, and hollered over the bar at Axe who downed a Jägerbomb whilst a crowd of emo kids cheered him on.

"AXE! AXE!"

Without turning towards us he flipped her off mid gulp.

Nice. I thought bitterly to myself; this was not going well. I checked the time on my phone again- quarter to midnight...

"You have a curfew?" Dana laughed, momentarily distracted from trying to haul Axe away from the Jägerbombs. I scowled. 

"I have to catch the last train out of London." I replied, not sure if she was waiting for one.

"So you have until midnight?"

 I nodded.

"I see...then I s'posse we better get a move on!" She decided, swishing her silky hair behind her shoulders.

"Where exactly are going?" I asked nervously, aware that my own hair must look a mess with all the humidity in here. As I combed through my dark waves, Dana took my hand and led me away from the stage- away from the dancers and the mobs of 'fang bangers' (as she called them), away from the bar, away from Axe. She was leading me away from the crowds, away from the other people... away from humans.