Short stories

The A Team

The A Team
09/27/20
'They say, she's in the class A team.'

She doesn't want to go outside tonight, in the cold and uncaring weather. Where the men's hands are rough and their breaths smelling faintly of smoke and whisky. She doesn't want to leave the warmth of his arms as the clock counts down. She doesn't want to put on the undergarment and the silk dress as she does. She doesn't want to live the life that she does as she does so.
She wished for a heavier coat as her teeth chatter walking down 29th and parkview, her heels clicking methodically as she goes. Her wishes fell on deaf ears once she reached the doorstep of his apartment building. Her hopes plunged into the darkest depth of herself as she walked towards the elevators. Her heart filled with dread as her fingers fell against the cold buttons, pressing his floor number without a second glance.
She didn't want to go outside tonight, if even for a moment. But she would take on the outside world for a thousand years if it meant never having to step foot in this apartment again. She would strip down bare and walk through a December night, if to never have to stand on the elevators again, watching the numbers climb and feeling her hope fall. If only she were so lucky.
Her thoughts, wishful on the way up, fell silent with the ding of the elevator doors. Her feet retracing the memorized path she'd walked a hundred times over by now, each time telling herself this would be the last time walking this path. And each time, knowing she was only giving herself a false sense of hope, knowing she was only trying to fool herself into having any type of hope at all. Tricking her heart into finding the will to continue on.
The door she knew all too well came into view much too quickly as she rounded the corner. It was here, everytime, that her body would hesitate, finally listening to her heart. Here was where the anxiety would kick in and her chest would fill with bricks instead of air. Where her hope would finally lay down to die, she herself wished to do the same. It was here where she would finally give up on the thought of freedom. In front of the door to her own personal hell.
Knocking on the door felt like a direct line, calling to the devil. Hearing footsteps on the other side, she held tightly onto her thin coat, afraid she might rub a hole right through the fabric with the amount of force she brushed her fingers back and forth with. She could hear the footsteps coming towards the door before even seeing the knob turn.
She tried to hide her grimace as his face came into view, plagued with wrinkles and sun stains. Strain and stress evident in the way his eyebrows knitted together and the lines of his forehead dipped deeply inward. Age was so horribly obvious in the man before her, that she couldn't help but feel shame and pity. And yet, she still stood before him, letting his eyes undress her, uninvited and unwanted.
"Come in." His voice was raw and raspy, quite likely due to the amount of smoking the man had done in his youth. She smiled tightly, grateful only to be let in and no longer having to stand in the much too open hallway in only a coat and a thin dress. Her feet screamed as she slipped her heels off at the door, a rule she'd been accustomed to since childhood.
Her feet fell silently against the floor as he led her towards the kitchen.
"Have you eaten anything, My Darling." She recoiled internally from both the name and his touch and his hand fell to the small of her back. No matter how many times he'd touched her before, it still made her feel as dirty and pathetic as the first time, the very first time. Memories and horrible images flashed before her, his question completely forgotten as she tried to focus on not breaking where she stood.
It seemed to be happening more often anymore. She nearly breaking herself, having to hold back for the sake of keeping her life together. If what she was doing now could even be called such. She seemed to find herself more of a porcelain doll than the warrior she once was these days. Everything seemed to test her strength, more times than not nearly breaking her completely. It was as though she was made completely of glass.
"Darling?" His voice pulled at her ears, reminding her of the question at hand. Returning to the present, she shook her head, knowing she never ate on days where she would be visiting him. How could she? Anything she tried to eat would just go to waste as the time neared to get dressed in whatever he would request. So she never bothered.
"Oh, Darling. That just won't do." He tsked, turning towards the stove before motioning to a seat.
"Sit, My Darling. We can't play (dear god i think i just threw up in mah mouth :,I   Hate it here) on an empty stomach." But in order to get through this, she had to be completely empty. Of food and of hope. She had to empty herself of the hope of ever finding anything better. She couldn't let her expectations soar or they would kill her in the fall.
Even so, she knew he wasn't asking her to listen, he was requiring it. Doing as was told, she pulled out the stool that sat under the island and sat herself atop it. She looked quite elegant in her thin dress and bare feet, the moonlight falling equally as graceful behind her through the window wall. The city below was beautiful at night, illuminated and alive.
Asleep in their beds were the mundane, 9-5 workers. While creatures and workers of the night flooded the streets, coming alive at sunset and living til sunrise. She once lived among the mundane, waking with the sun. Though she never set with the orange beauty. She once was human enough for both worlds. Once upon a time when life was beautiful and she thought she could make something of herself.
Now, she slept when the mundane woke, and woke when the mundane world died. She never mingled too long with either world. Barely living in either. She kept her distance from the sun and rarely let the moon kiss her skin. Yet here she was, pretending that this was ordinary. Acting as if she could live her old life. Pretending to be everything she wasn't. Everything she never could nor did she want to be.
A full plate was sat in front of her, cutting off her thoughts before they could run too far and grow too large. The plate consisted of scrambled eggs, French toast and apple slices. Once her favorite foods, now the sight of them making her want to throw up already. Even then, she picked up the fork which was placed beside her, and poked at the eggs. She brought the fork to her mouth, forcing herself to take a bite.
The man sitting beside her patted her thigh in approval before standing once again. He loosened his tie as he stepped behind her, his breath chilling her neck with its proximity. She held herself still feeling his hands push her hair away from her neck and his lips brush over the back of her neck. She felt dirty as his hands fell to her waist. They felt like bricks, breaking her skin so easily.
Forcing herself to take another bite of food, she stayed silent. She always stayed silent when he started. She never had anything to say anyway. Nothing that he would want to hear, that is. So she sat, quietly eating, disgusted and feeling dirty. Letting the man behind her run his hands across her stomach, trapping her body and suffocating her soul.
The mundane world slept while she tried to survive. This was surviving. This is how she would live the rest of her life. She would be forever trapped in the wrong arms until one of them died, and in that moment, she couldn't help but pray to whatever higher power there was that she would be the first to go.
His hands found their way under her thin, silk dress, ruining the liking she'd taken to the article. For tonight, he had requested violet, saying that she would look stunning in such a color. She was aware that violet was once of the better looking colors on her, yet she only owned one violet dress. She'd worn it so many times that the fabric of the dress had thinned and the hem had begun to fray. Yet she still had love for it, even in its tattered state.
Now, with his hand slowly crawling up her thigh, she found herself detesting the dress she'd once loved, blaming the article of clothing for the events in which were about to unravel, much like the hem of the dress itself.
His hand was rough as it pushed up the dress, the other arm still wrapped tightly around her stomach. She closed her eyes, no longer able to force herself to eat.
"How is the food, My Darling?" His voice whispered directly over her ear, causing a shiver to dance its way across her spine.
"It is delicious, sir. Thank you." Her voice was small and childlike as she gave him a monotone response. The conversation between the two was always scarce once he began. She never spoke much when his hands were on her. It felt as if the moment he touched her, his hands found an invisible switch, turning her temporarily mute.
She never called him by his name, always referring to him as 'Sir' or 'Darling' at his request. She was grateful for this though, sure she would never be able to get through the night if she had to call him by his name. She would never be able to look him in the eye at the doorway or strike a conversation each time they would 'coincidentally' run into one another on the streets. She could barely do so now.
The rest of the night went in a blur, even as time seemed to drag on once she was pulled into the master bedroom. Seconds turning to minutes as he laid her back on the bed. Even so, somehow the ordeal was over in a blur and she was sitting at the edge of the bed, dress resting quite awkwardly on her body. She felt filthy and pathetic as he kissed her exposed shoulder.
"If it is okay, Sir. I would like to head home now. The sun will be rising soon and the streets will start to fill. I would rather not be caught in traffic and the cold morning air in such attire. It does very little for my body warmth." She turned her sad gaze on the old withering man. He looked at her with distaste, sighing as he waved her off.
"Leave." She let out an airy breath, turning to gather her coat. His bony fingers grasped her wrist before she stood fully.
"This Thursday. Same time, My Darling. And please, wear something a little more modest. We wouldn't want the other neighbors seeing what isn't theirs to look at." He whispered, pulling her closer and planting a sloppy kiss against her cheek.
"I'm thinking baby blue this time." He gave her a crooked smile, ugly and repulsive. She nodded, a new blouse she'd purchased just last week coming to mind as she collected her things and made for the door.
"Goodbye, My Darling. Till next time." He called out from the room in which he stayed while she went about fixing herself and gathering what belonged to her. Leaving her pride and self respect at the foot of his bed before making for the exit.
"Goodbye Sir, till next time." She forced out as she turned the knob and opened the door to the apartment.
The hallway was silent, the mundane world still fast asleep as she crept towards the elevator. The sun was still asleep, readying itself to wake soon and the moon departed slowly from the sky when she found herself standing in front of the building. She breathed in, the crisp air and taste of snow laying sweetly on her tongue as she turned her gaze upwards to look at the window she'd been seated in front of hours ago.
The snow fell lightly as she made her way down the street, not yet ready to return home, needing to see someone. The walk to her destination was a cold one, but it didn't bother her in the slightest. Not like it had last night. She looked around, soaking in the fleeting moonlight with each step. She listened to the few voices that occupied the streets, the buzz of the few passing cars as she walked.
Finally, her pace slowed as she neared another door, this once much more welcoming than the previous one. She knocked lightly, waiting a heartbeat for the knob to turn. Unlike before, she couldn't hear what was happening on the other side, she had to wait for the door to open to know of the contents inside.
The knob turned and a small face peaked out the side, the door only cracked open slightly.
"What do you want, lady?" The child snapped out, bringing a smile to the young girl's face.
"Is Mrs. Paisley home?" Luna questioned, giving the small boy a smile with the question. He glared at the girl, giving her a once over before opening the door fully and gesturing towards the room to the right.
Luna stepped in, shaking off her coat and slipping out of her shoes before going further into the room, noting the tail that swung behind the boy as he disappeared into a different room. The house was warm and smelled of fresh bread. The ora seemingly out of place for somewhere like the city. She smiled at the feeling it brought her and continued into the house.
"Mrs. Paisley?" She called out, stopping at the door way of the room in which the young boy had directed her. Mrs. Paisley sat in a chair near the TV, knitting a blanket while lending an ear to the man on the screen. At the sound of Luna's voice, Mrs. Paisley's head turned and a smile tickled her lips.
"Moon, child, is that you?" She called out, turning her head to the sound of the young girl's voice. Luna drug her feet across the wooden floor boards, nearing in front of Mrs. Paisley. She took hold of the old lady's hands, warm against her winter kissed ones.
"My God, child, you're nearly frozen solid! Did you walk here at this hour again? It's nonsense for a child such as yourself to be out at this hour for no reason other than to visit a poor blind woman. Utter nonsense" Mrs. Paisley's eyes looked around, unable to focus on what she could not see.
"Yes, ma'am. It's snowing a bit out, that's why my hands are so cold." Luna gave a faint smile, unable to tell her why she was really out at this hour.
"What is it you've come to Mrs. Paisley for." The boy's voice flows in from the doorway, gaining Luna's attention.
"Lucas, stop being a nose troll. Is it not past a child's bedtime?" Mrs. Paisley scolded the boy, earning a distasteful look from the creature child. His tail drooped low and his cheeks heated as he turned his sour look towards Luna.
"The pretty girl was back, so I thought it would be okay to overstay my hours of wake." The boy's eyes softened when he looked at Luna. Luna gave him a big smile, gesturing to come closer. Pulling him into a hug, she let herself be warmed by the small child.
"I'm glad you were excited to see me, seeing that it didn't seem that way at the doorway, Cas." She teased, sticking her tongue out at the boy. His cheeks heated and he shook his dirty blonde hair into his eyes to avoid looking at the older.
"Now, child." Mrs. Paisley started, "why is it you have come to visit me at such an unruly hour?"
Luna bit her lip, looking at her hands before answering.
"The night terrors are back. Mundane medicine isn't working anymore." Lucas gasped from Luna's side, holding onto her hand like a comforting sibling. Luna smiled once again at the small boy, a fond feeling swelling in her chest.
"Oh dear, my poor child." Mrs. Paisley stood slowly, shaking off Luna's hands and turning towards the kitchen.
"How long have the night terrors been back for?" She questioned as she blindly moved around the kitchen. Lucas ran ahead, as to clear a path for the old women. The house was quite clean, a few toys here and there and yarn balls misplaced, no doubt by the cats lurking around the house as well.
"About a week now." Luna commented as she sat herself down at the table. Lucas was quick to make himself comfortable on her lap. Being only four, he had a remarkably big personality. It was something Luna came to love about the child. His eyes looked up at her full of concern and empathy. She hugged the boy tightly, still feeling dirty from the early events of the night.
"That just won't do child. Why didn't you come to me sooner?" The question held much weight for the poor girl who sat before the blind women in a broken house with a broken history.
"I... I didn't have the money." She whispered, head falling in embarrassment.
"Nonsense child! I would never ask you for what you are lacking. You know I love you and want to see you healthy." The old woman sat once again before the younger, holding in her hand a vile of liquid.
"This should help with sleep. I don't want to see a penny for it. It is given to you out of love and concern." The woman placed the vile in Luna's reluctantly outstretched hand, closing the girls fingers around it so it would not fall.
"Now, let's talk about your wings. I can hear them crying to be let out from here."
Okay, that was a lot. I am equally as confused as you. Wings... what.... tail...what... um yeah. So basically she is like a high class call girl. But she's also a creature of the day turned night so there's that. And I'm thinking since I used the quote "class A team." She will have been in the class A team for the daylight dance academy she went to before becoming a night creature or something like that. And I kinda fell in love with Lucas's character. I would kill for this child, nobody better hurt him. But yeah. IDFK what this is but it's something. I probably won't make anything of it cuz I'll forget about it but!!!!!!<3