by Lea Davies
She lived with her mother most of the time and was used to getting her own way, so being told no, was alien to her.
“That bastard,” she screamed, “just who the fuck does he think he is?” Her breathing was rapid and erratic. “He's threatening to send me away.” She said. whispering nervously, Suzie Price tried to calm her friend, “Don't Jess,” she said, “he'll hear you.” She spun on her friend and slapped her face, hard. It was completely unexpected, and tears instantly formed in Suzie's eyes. She held her hand to her stinging red cheek but said nothing as Jessica looked her up and down with distaste.
“Shut the fuck up, you stupid bitch,” she said through gritted teeth, “and what the hell are you wearing anyway, did you get dressed in the fucking dark?” She sneered. Suzie looked down at her outfit but stayed quiet as her abuser turned and continued to pace the floor.
“That fucking old biddy came around to see him earlier.” She said. Suzie swallowed hard to get rid of the lump that was still in her throat. “What old biddy?” She asked. Even more short-tempered than usual, Jessica closed her eyes and pursed her lips in toleration. “The old biddy that's pals with Ruth, you fucking idiot,” she snarled. “Apparently, she knows my dad from way back when he was a kid, and she came here to tell him that I'd burned down her shop, and he fucking believed her; Can you believe it; He took her fucking word over mine. I hate him.”
Suzie was scared to ask, but the words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them. “Did you do it?” She asked. Jessica smiled wickedly. “Of course, I fucking did. Me and Jason did it,” she said, “and because she came here and spoke to my dad, I'm going to make her life an absolute fucking misery.” Jessica smiled as she fantasized about what she was going to do to Lizzie.
Suzie's heart sank. She had always hoped that after leaving school and going to college, she would be able to distance herself from the horrible human being that stood before her, but Jessica had kept her on a tight leash, and she was beginning to think that moving out of the area without telling anyone, would be her only way out. She thought of how Ruth had eventually fought back and wished that she had the courage to do the same because Jessica's temperament was steadily getting worse. “Maybe one day,” she thought, “because my life would be so much better without Jessica in it.”
Scene Thirty-Seven – Deceit
Callie stopped the mascara wand mid-way to her lashes and giggled. “Are you trying to do that influence thing on me?” She asked in mock indignity. Drawing her eyebrows together in deep concentration, Ruth said nothing as she leaned even closer to her cousin “You are,” she said, “you're practicing on me, aren't you, stop that right now.” She laughed.
Ruth sat back on the bed, disappointed. “I know Matt said it would take a while for me to master, but I need to be able to do it now.” She said. “It would make thing's so much easier for what I'm about to do.” Callie resumed covering her lashes with thick black mascara. “How do you mean.” She asked. Ruth thought it obvious. “Well, for starters,” she said, “I could make my mum tell me the name of the person who assaulted her.” Callie's heart skipped a beat with worry at the dark tone in her cousin's voice. “Ruth, I agree with you about giving Jessica a good old scare, god knows she deserves a lot more than that,” she said, “but Matt said that we should let the police deal with what happened to your mum, and I think he's right.” “I know,” Ruth said. “It's just that it would be handy, that's all.”
Callie wasn't convinced that Ruth was being completely honest with her and decided that she would tell Matt about this conversation when she saw him next. “Don't you feel bad about lying to Matthew about going to the club tonight?” She asked. “I think he'll be pretty pissed at you.” Ruth applied a bright red colour to her lips and puckered them together. “What he doesn't know won't hurt him,” she said, “and there's no reason that he should ever find out about it.”
Scene Thirty-Eight - Disappointment
Outside, a lone figure stood in the shadows. With his heightened sense of hearing, Matthew had heard every last word that Ruth and Callie had said through the open window, and he hung his head in disappointment. He felt a little ashamed that he hadn’t trusted her, but was glad that he had acted on his suspicions, and had gone to their home to spy on them.
Tori could see the disappointment on his face as he made his way back to her car, where she sat waiting for him. He opened the door, sat in the passenger seat, and held out his hand expectantly. “Hand the money over Tor,” he said, “I won the bet. She lied, and she's going for it tonight.”
He ran his fingers through his thick hair. “She's hell-bent on doing this,” he said, “so I think we have no choice but to let it play out.” Tori nodded her agreement and tried to think of something positive. “At least she doesn't need to feed yet,” she said, “so she shouldn't be tempted to take a bite.” They turned to each other worriedly as an image of Ruth feeding on her tormentor entered the equation.
The front door opened, and Ruth and Callie came out and got into a waiting cab. He recognized the outfit she had worn when he had first met and fallen in love with her, and his mood softened. Tori kicked the engine into life. “Here we go, brother,” she said, “hold on to your hat.”
Scene Thirty-Nine - Revenge
The dulcet tones of P.O.D's lead vocalist filled the air as he sang “Going in blind,” and Ruth walked slowly across the dance floor in perfect time to the music. Several heads turned in “Charlie's” nightclub as she passed them by, and she soaked up the attention she would have tried to avoid in her old life. She loved her newfound confidence and ironically thought that her death was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her. The mouse that had previously inhabited her body was gone and had been replaced with a lion.
The bartender made her way towards Ruth and Callie and leaned across the bar. “What can I get you ladies?” She asked. Ruth was mesmerized by her appearance and loved her half-shaven head. The remaining short-cropped hair had been dyed a bright shade of pink, and there were several piercings on her face. Coming back to the moment, she wondered if she would be able to drink alcohol without getting drunk, and thought that this would be the ideal time to give it a try. “Whiskey with just one rock of ice for me, please,” she said. “Callie?” She looked expectantly at her cousin. “Same here.” She said. The bartender nodded and left to prepare the drinks.
Ruth grinned as she leaned close to her cousin. “This is where the influence would come in handy.” She said, smiling mischievously. “We wouldn't have to pay for these drinks if I had already mastered the art.” Callie raised her eyebrows. “Hmm, I never thought of that, you can practice on me anytime you like.” She joked.
Ruth paid for the whiskey, and they turned to scan the club for Jessica or any of her cronies. The glass stopped halfway to her mouth as she spotted Suzie Price entering the toilets just to the right of where they were standing. “Game on Cal.” She shouted over the music. “One of her friends has just gone into the ladies.” She stood on her toes and scanned the crowd to see if Jessica was there, too, but she was nowhere to be seen.
She handed her drink to her cousin. “Here hold this for me, will you?” she said, “I'm going in there to talk to Suzie.” Callie refused to take the drink and pulled her hand back. “Oh no, you don't,” she said. “I'm coming with you.” Ruth's eyebrows drew together in concentration, and she stared directly into her cousin's eyes. “No, Callie,” she said, “you’re gonna stay here and enjoy the music.” Callie burst into laughter. “Stop that,” she said, “you look weird when you do that uni-brow thing.” Ruth bit back a smile as her hand flew to her forehead. She put on her best insulted glare, which only made Callie laugh harder.
Ruth realized that she was fighting a losing battle. “OK,” she said, “but stand back and don't say anything, just let me handle it. If anything happens, promise me you'll get yourself out of there quick smart.” Callie held her hand up. “Scouts honour.” She said, smiling. “You weren't in
the bloody scouts.” Ruth laughed indignantly, but Callie just smiled.
Ruth turned and walked into the toilets, and her cousin followed a few feet behind her. The room was empty, and only one cubicle was in use; she couldn't believe her luck. When the toilet flushed, she stood directly in front of the door with her arms folded across her chest and waited for Jessica’s cronie to come out.
The blood drained from Suzie’s face when she saw Ruth. She looked different, and it wasn’t only because of the way she was dressed. There was an air of danger about her.
Ruth pushed her roughly back into the cubicle and followed her in, closing the door behind her. Callie's stomach churned with anxiety, and she felt slightly nauseous, afraid that Ruth would go too far and have a little nibble, but she did as her cousin had requested, and stayed quiet.
During the countless times that Ruth had replayed the bullying over and over in her mind, she had come to believe that, in a way, Suzie was just another one of Jessica's victims. She never really looked comfortable in her presence and always seemed on edge, but it didn't mean that she was going to let her off. In fact, it made her angrier because, as did most every other person who attended that school, she had chosen to suck up to Jessica instead of standing up to her. She almost laughed as Suzie stared at her, eyes wide with fear.
“Is your bitch friend here tonight?” She snarled. The terrified girl nodded, and Ruth sneered. “You do realize that you'll have to pay the price for always being in her corner, don't you Suzie.” She giggled as the brilliance of her unintended pun sank in. “Huh, did you like my little play on words there?” She joked. “Pay the price; get it? That’s your name, isn’t it, Suzie Price. Huh, I made a funny.”
Suzie's whole body trembled, and she squeezed her eyes shut tight as she whimpered. She knew that she was in a lot of trouble here. Something dark had happened to Ruth, and it had changed her beyond all recognition.
“Stop sniveling you fucking coward,” Ruth said through gritted teeth. “Get back out there and tell your bitch friend that I'm here, and I want to talk to her outside. Now.” She stood aside to allow Suzie to squeeze past but grabbed hold of her arm and whispered menacingly. “Tell her to come alone if she's got the balls.”
Suzie fought to keep her legs from buckling as she fled from the ladies' room and made her way toward Jessica, who was now on the dance floor.
As Ruth came out of the toilets, she saw Suzie speaking with her tormentor, and their eyes briefly met. Ruth hid her smile when she saw a look of cruel satisfaction creep across Jessica's face. “She's in for the shock of her life.” She thought. Callie followed closely behind her as she hastily made her way around the perimeter of the dance floor towards the exit, and she hoped that Jessica was doing the same.
She briefly looked in both directions as she stepped out into the warm night air and spotted an alleyway across the street. “That looks perfect.” She thought excitedly and walked with purpose towards the dark narrow lane. “Go into the alley and stay right back.” She said to Callie. Jessica sprinted across the road as she saw her prey step into the side turning, and roughly pushed her from behind. Acting helpless, Ruth staggered forward but managed to stay on her feet and turned to face her attacker.
Jessica rushed forward and punched Ruth hard on the face, and, wanting to play along, she fell down onto her hands and knees. Jessica's laugh was short-lived as Ruth looked up at her. She smiled wickedly as she wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand and licked it clean. What Matthew had told her about her senses becoming heightened was true. She could actually smell fear coming from Jessica, and she drank it in and savored the feeling of being on top. The predator. “Now let's see how she likes it,” she thought. What she had suffered in the past year wasn't just typical bullying, if ever there was such a thing. Jessica, for all intents and purposes, was responsible for her death, and she was going to make her pay.
Not once taking her eyes from Jessica’s terrified face, she slowly got to her feet and walked towards her. The look Ruth wore was maniacal and terrified of what might happen next, Callie stepped out of the shadows and grabbed her arm to pull her away. Now beyond all reason, Ruth forcefully tossed her cousin aside. The breath exited Callie's lungs in a loud whoosh as she was violently thrown against the brick wall, and she fell to her knees, struggling to breathe. Tori stepped forward to help her, but Matthew took hold of her arm and held her back; He wanted to see how far Ruth would go.
Ruth was completely oblivious to what she had done; All her focus was on Jessica, and she moved towards her. Jessica's legs began to shake; Suzie was right, something was different about Ruth, but she didn’t know what.
As Ruth came nearer, her one-time tormentor stumbled backward and hit the ground. Ruth grinned with wicked satisfaction as the stench of Jessica's urine-soaked clothing assaulted her nostrils, and she looked down at her with disgust. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” She taunted. Reminding herself of everything that Jessica had ever done to her, she knelt and straddled her tormentor.
Her long red-painted fingernail pierced the flesh along the side of Jessica's throat, and she dragged it along the skin. From where he and Tori stood on the street, Matthew watched in horror as she put it to her mouth and hungrily licked the blood from her fingernail. He realized that she had lost control, and he and Tori sped into the alleyway, and he grabbed her by the shoulder.
Ruth turned with her fangs extended, and she hissed. The look on her beautiful face was vile and terrifying. He dragged her from Jessica, who scrambled backward, and he glared down at her with contempt. He wasn't saving her; She didn't deserve it. His only concern was for Ruth, but he looked at her and whispered just one word. “Run.”
Scene Forty – Unforgivable
Tori watched as Ruth lashed out and swiped her claws deeply across the flesh of her brother’s face as she snarled and snapped her teeth. His blood spilled onto her face as he pinned her to the floor, but she continued to fight. It was only when she became aware of Callie’s cries that she came to her senses and stilled as the shame of what had just happened slammed through her entire body.
She shook Matthew off and ran to Callie. “I’m sorry.” She sobbed. Her hands shook violently as she tried to help her cousin to her feet, but Callie pulled away from her and turned to Tori for help. “I don’t know what came over me.” She said, “that wasn’t meant to happen.”
Black lines of tear-soaked mascara ran down Callie’s face as she glared back at her cousin. She shook Tori's steadying hand from her arm and stepped closer to Ruth. “What the fuck,” she screamed. “have you lost your fucking mind?”
The slap echoed loudly from the surrounding walls as she struck Ruth's face as hard as she could, and tears instantly filled her eyes. Without another word, Callie turned on her heel and walked out onto the open street, quickly followed by Tori.
Ruth fell to her knees and sobbed openly into her hands. She had allowed herself to be overcome with her need for revenge, and Callie had paid the price.
Scene Forty-One - Watched
Stephanie Mercer's bone-like fingers wiped away delicate wisps of her hair as they blew across her eyes in the gentle night breeze. She had been teased about her abnormally slender form and straggly hair all her life. It had deeply affected her when, as a child, her classmates had given her the name “Smelly Stephie,” and said that she looked like she only had nine hairs and a nit. As a result, she had suffered from a severe inferiority complex throughout her short human life. Since she had been gifted with vampirism, that feeling had diminished significantly, especially after Isabella had gifted her with an orgasm in front of the rest of her guards.
She watched in amused disbelief from her hiding place on the rooftop above where the action took place in the alleyway below. She was proud that she had been able to track Isabella's favorite, the great and feared vampire assassin Matthew Welsh, undetected, but knew deep down that it had only been possible because he was distracted with his new child. “He's
gone soft.” She thought with disgust.
Stephanie Mercer was insanely jealous of Matthew and resented the fact that he was Isabella’s child. She hated him with a passion and could never understand why the mother of all but one regarded him with so much affection. She had tried for many years to become one of Isabella’s lovers, but up until very recently, when she had gifted her with a very public orgasm, all she had managed to do, was remain unnoticed.
Her thought's returned to Isabella. It had been a great honour when she had been selected for the task of discovering if the rumours of Matthew choosing to become an Uno Parente again were true, and she hoped that she would be rewarded well for her work here tonight. Her attention was brought sharply back to the scene below as a young woman slapped Matthew's new child, and exited the alleyway. “Hmm, that's interesting.” She thought. “I wonder what that's all about.” She sneered as she watched him console his child then smiled; The news of what was happening below would anger Isabella a great deal, but it made her day.
She decided it would be astute to wait for them to leave before making her way back to the council with her report and sat cross-legged on the ground. She closed her eyes and fantasized about being rewarded with a full session of sexual intercourse with Isabella in her bed but suspected that she would be punished severely for even presuming it to be a possibility.