Hostess

Chapter 5; Madness Strikes

Annabelle bolted down the street as fast as her boot wearing feet could carry her, she never meant to be late at all! but when she's opening birthday gifts and cards her mind became side-tracked to the time and lost it. Now it was 10; 20 am! she was meant to be at SunSharp café already! Panting a bit she ran down the busy New York streets vaguely greeting the Poticips who were walking their dog, Luna a black pug, down the street on a purple extendable leash.

Luna always plays with Eliza, even if it is just Luna playing and Eliza trying to run away. Crossing the busy streets of people doing their daily routines and trying to get through the day, racing down the side street she slowed down a bit, her eyes saddened some seeing Ethan sat alone head down in his signature varsity jacket a beanie on too, he looked so sad looking down at his hot chocolate. Her heart and mind screamed at her for being so rude as she walked in taking off her scarf and almost running to him, slowly looking at her his eyes widened a little as if happy to see her. "a-Annabelle?" he said slightly stuttering as she dropped her scarf, bag and blue coat on a seat opposite before pulling him into the tightest hug possible apologising like her life meant it, which to her, he did. He was her family too, her closest friend, someone who was always there for her through thick and thin.

His arms wrapped around her upper back over her shoulders as she buried her face into his chest inhaling the scent of cologne and cinnamon, she then realised her biggest mistake was leaving him alone, in the cafe by himself on her birthday. "Im so sorry Ethan, i lost track of time" she apologised slightly muffled as he nuzzled slightly in to her hair leant down to her a bit, "its okay, im alright" he smiled down at her eyes shining, she nodded softly as the two then took their seats, Ethan ordering her a drink and some food as they had a chat.

After some time Annabelle felt her stomach growl, it was a low rumble.  That was not normal for her, especially when she had just had a slice of cake to eat. It was very unusual in fact, to that, her best friend chuckled and offered to buy her another slice if she was hungry as he had just hit his limit with a fairly large slice of strawberry cake. Becoming flustered Annabelle kindly rejected the offer as another growl emitted from her bowels, "are you sure also, what's that necklace? Did you get it today?" He asked curiously as he tilted his head to the side his cheek upon his hand that supported it on the table covered in a lovely lace tablecloth cover, between them there was a lovely glass vase with two flowers, one a beautiful ruby red rose and the other a lovely blooming Rosa × Damascena, more commonly known as the Damask rose that both rested against each other in an almost beautiful still dance in the two inches of water that supported both of them as they shone brightly. "Im sure, and yeah its a necklace my dad brought me for today" she beamed cutely smiling and she lifted a hand to the necklace that hung

Trying to ignore the slowly annoying growls from her stomach and concentrate on Ethan and the conversation on which Ethan was cracking jokes and smiling wide, seeing his wide sparkling smile made her, herself, smile wider than before. To see his crystals illuminating his face was heartwarming to her, truly heartwarming. "Annabelle? You sure your not hungry?".

She nodded fast before she heard a dark voice, like a low deep husky voice in her mind, as if bats flew out a deep ominous cave of her mentality that just shook her to the core, " Food" it was a deep voice nor male nor female, but more in the centre. As if it shifted with minds, jumping Annabelle arose fast causing some alarm from Ethan as to which his head cocked to her. "Annabelle??" He asked quickly as she ditched her belongings and ran outside into the cold.

"Run" the voice was louder as if commanding her to do so, to which she panicked and looked behind and around her as if a bunny in a pack of wolves, Ethan asked the waiter to watch her belongings as well as his as he threw on his beanie and sprinted out after her the bell on the door signalling his leaving. The faster she ran the quicker she lost her breath, cars flew past her down the street in a frantic hurry as her eyes darted around. Unbeknownst to her, they began to change with a pitch black colour mixing with her scleras, "Annabelle, stop fighting us" it was louder than she thought as she began to get slightly scared, weaving in and out of people who stared got her more anxious than ever believed.

"Annabella wait up!" Ethan called desperate as he ran faster and faster catching up, he was trained for this, catching up to others. Just a little further, his hand brushed her shirt collar before she skidded down an alley with speed unseen to him ever, within a second of his eyes she was gone in the alley causing him to collide into a bench falling over it with a loud grunt and groan of pain doubled. "Where did she g-go?" He groaned out as Mr Poticip turned his head to him as he had Luna on a leash, "oh hello Ethan, and im afraid i don't know" he replied with the softest warmest smile as Ethan weakly got up from his pain train bench "i n-need to find her" he began to limp towards the alley only to see nothing but darkness...