Spirit Blood

Chapter 2: Dejection

Night had finally conquered the sky, and Farah reached her destination. She parked her bike near a rusted street light. The light was twitching above her, making it difficult for her to wrap her bike lock around the pole.

She got off her bike and headed toward a small store. In large fluorescent letters, the word "TED Y" glowed about the front door. The original name of the place was TEDDY, however, the second D was gone after someone had shot it down five years ago. The owners chose never to fix it. They believed it showed "character."

Farah walked through the front and immediately, the scent of liquor filled her nose. She quickly recoiled her face into her hand to block the scent. Alcohol always made her feel uneasy.

Looking around the place, there were only about seven people present. One of those seven people was seated on a high stool up at the bar. His head was slouched into his arms that rested on the counter. Sweat stains adorned his underarms and were visible through his suit jacket. His hair was just as sweaty. The greasy texture of his hair shined amongst the dim lights.

Farah made her way up the bar and took a seat right next to the man. As she sat next to him, she noticed an array of empty glasses and bear bottles around. It was obvious he was drinking whiskey as he wreaked of its scent. She could hear each breath he took. And with each breath, the scent of whiskey grew stronger.

The bartender made his way toward Farah. He was shining a wine glass as he approached her.

"Can I get you anything sweetheart?"

Farah struggled to respond back. Everytime she went to this bar, the bartender always asked her the same question. And everytime, She would just request water. Besides, she was underage anyways. There was no point for her to ask for a real drink.

However, today was a little different. Feeling like she had been through a lot, she requested whiskey since that was all she was smelling at the moment.

The bartender grinned, "Not water for once?"

Farah softly nodded, a bit uncertain of her choice. She couldn't stop thinking if the bartender would ask for her ID.

The bartender turned and bent down to pull out a large bottle. A dark amber liquid swirled around in the glass bottle as the bartender placed it down on the bar counter. He whipped out a stout cup and placed started to pour Farah a glass. The scent was strong, but wasn't as unpleasant.

The bartender slid the glass across the bar. Farah quickly grasped the glass,worried that it would fall and shatter.

"Try this and let me know what you think."

Farah gulped the air before bringing the glass to the brim of her lips. She glared at the waves of whiskey swaying side to side in the glass. Her soft lips met the cool liquid. First, she felt a strong burning sensation tingle down her throat. Farah wanted to spit the whiskey out. However, after the burning subsided, she felt warm in her cheeks and could taste small hits of cinnamon, which wasn't as unpleasant as she had imagined.

She placed the cup down and took a long breath.

"You like it?"

Farah met eyes with the bartender. She hadn't ever realized how young he was although she had been to this place many times in the past.

"No, not really. It's okay but...not my thing."

The bartender started to laugh. As he laughed, Farah noticed his dimples. She felt a bit flushed in the face.

"Andrew"

Farah looked at him a bit confused as she was sniffing the whiskey, deciding if she should try a second sip.