The Midnight Within

Chapter 9

With burgundy lip jutted, Mia stepped away from the canvas with a disgusted sigh. Something had pushed her to do a large abstract of bright colors and dripping wax but it was not turning out the way she had wanted it to. The paint was not a match to the color she had seen in her head and her hands were beginning to ache. She was distracted by a soft rustle in one shadowy corner and was startled enough to send paint splattering across her shoes, setting off a string of curse words that would make even Ron White blush. Pushing a long purple braid away from her face, she stepped away from the canvas. She was not going to get anything else done tonight with the way her mind kept wandering. She kept thinking about the vision/dream and what it could possibly mean. She understood why her brain would manifest a ghost but the vampires? If you even wanted to call them that–but what else would you call someone with jewel-like eyes, snowy skin and fangs? Whipping off her hands as she walked over to her workbench to drop the brush into a can of paint thinner. Perhaps it was time to go see Doc Brite after all. She searched for her keys amongst the clutter of beads, candles, feathers and other assorted junk. After leaving the bookstore she had gone straight into the garage she used as a studio and tried to get back to work. She could feel the chill in the air and knew it would soon be time to dig out her long coat or maybe even splurge a little and buy a new one, it wasn't like she didn't have the money, she just didn't like to spend it. Kicking off her paint splattered shoes she headed for the door with keys in hand. After going through three different pairs in less than two months she now made sure to leave her shoes in a bin by the door. Clicking off the light, she stepped into the chill October air. Mia had discovered that her best work was done at night. It also helped her sleep and provided less of a distraction unless the boys came over with a good bottle of wine and some cheesy horror, in which case all thoughts of work went right out the window. The street was dark and quiet as she trudged through the leaves to her decorated patio door. Mr. Scary was silently mowing behind the glass, rolling his fat black body when she tapped against the glass." Hey fatty. I bet you're hungry aren't you? "Pushing the sliding glass door open she slipped in and scooped up the heavy cat, nuzzling him as she walked to the cluttered counter top. Scary draping himself over her shoulder, content to just hang there and purr. From the floor rose up another loud mow as Cooper curled his gray body around her ankles, looking up at her with his huge green eyes, eager to be fed." Hi baby. " She crooned, walking to the cupboard for the dry cat food.Cooper and Scary had been her constant companions since the day she had left New York, she would have been lost without them, besides cats made better boyfriends. They didn't steal your car or ask you for money.Setting Scary down, Mia poured the cat food into their dishes, trying to decide on what she wanted to do with the rest of her evening. Clubbing was out. She didn't have enough gas to drive into the city. She could try calling her best friend Kasie but the bookstore clerk was most likely still working. Zakk had mentioned going to a movie and they wanted her to rest anyway. She entertained the idea of walking down to the beach or the arcade but you really didn't see a lot of people out this late in the year. In the summer you couldn't go ten feet without running into someone you knew but as winter approached the streets emptied out until spring. She had been disgusted with the whole scene anyway. All the kids wanted to talk about nowadays were video games, Vampire the Masquerade, and Twilight. ~ God what had gone wrong with the world today ~Sighing, she picked at the paint under her nails. The one thing she hated about living in the burbs was that fact that everything worth seeing or doing was at least a half hour's drive away and she never trusted her beater to make it that far. She had always meant to buy a new car with some of her savings but had never gotten around to it. A yawn escaped as she rubbed at her eyes. What she really needed was one good night's sleep, but she had a deadline to meet and who went to bed before nine anyway. Her thoughts returned to Daniel, the haunted look in his eyes bothered her. She hoped he was OK, maybe she would try to call them in a bit. One of the things she loved about Zakk and Daniel was the fact that they didn't always need to be doing something to have a good time. They could just hang out, talking for hours about nothing. They were smart when they wanted to be, not that she had anything against the kids that lost themselves in fantasy, there was just more to life than your computer screen and damage points, although Zakk would argue that point if she ever chose to bring it up. Heaving another sigh she cracked her neck, focused her eyes on the silent phone and was suddenly overcome by the urge to call home. A glance at the clock told her that father would be either at the studio or in some club, besides what would they say to each other? It had been more than six years with little to no contact between them, and even less between herself and her younger brother Devon. Her hand found the fridge handle instead and to her amazement she still had a half bottle of Cold Duck. Snagging the bottle, she closed the door on the meager contents inside. She really needed to sell a few more paintings or it might be she who needed another place to stay. She fought the urge to empty the fridge and give it a good scrub as she carried the bottle to the counter, retrieved a water spotted wine glass from above her head and poured herself a generous glass.The first sip was heaven as she walked down the hall toward the bathroom. Setting the glass on the counter she stripped off her cloths and began to run herself a hot bath. Sipping the wine, she put her hair up. The tub, her pride and joy, it was a claw-footed monstrosity she had found in the dump and painted herself. Using Mardi Gras as a theme, she painted the inside gold, dark purple on the outside and finished it off using gold beads and green streamers as an accent. Mia loved her tub more than anything else that she owned.She dropped in a bath fizzy, placed her wine within easy reach as she sank down into the hot water. Her mind was spinning, making it hard to think straight. Daniels fighting with his parents, Britt's bullshit, Thane, the thing at the cemetery and now this, the sudden urge to suddenly reconnect with her famous family. It was all just a little too much. Her chole lined eyes slipped shut, her hands moving over her body with a familiar touch. Lulled by the warmth she drifted off, soothed by the sound of soft music, music she could not place. She thought she heard Winters Fire and fear rippled over her cooling flesh as her huge green eyes snapped open. She was no longer in the bath, but in the back of a van. The music so loud it was distorted and the mattress under her back was lumpy and rank with a smell so strong it made her want to gag. Real fear crawled slowly over her naked body as she fought to wake herself from this nightmare. A pair of strong hands held her down as she began to struggle in panic. A pair of bloodstained lips swam into view and Black's amber eyes glittered hungrily down at her."We're coming for you Mia. " His dark chuckle was a mere whisper of sound inside her head. "I am coming to give you eternal kisses. " His bloodstained mouth closed over her own dry lips, making her stomach flutter. Again she felt pressure as his black nailed hands closed tightly around her throat cutting off her air. Gasping and shuddering Mia Shot upright inside the tub, the wine glass falling to the floor and shattering into pieces as she flailed wildly. Cooper hissed and shot from the toilet seat, escaping just as the water sloshed over the side. Her heart pounded as she sat shivering in the cooling water. What the hell was going on? Was she losing her mind? Or had she been swept into a Twilight Zone episode.Shaken she could barely lift herself up from the tub to towel off she managed to get back into her cloths. Sleep would be the last thing she got tonight. With the wine forgotten she was suddenly desperate for some caffeine she pulled on her long coat she knew just where to go. It was a place that had the best pumpkin pie cappuccino, and lots of light and noise as well. Grabbing her keys, she left the house without locking the door. Hurried to the car, Jumped into her bug and headed out.