by Sarra Cannon
I bit back a smile as she downed the shot like a pro.
Jennifer and Ashley were more tentative, almost sipping their shots, then both scrunching up their noses at the taste.
“What is this?” Ashley asked, coughing.
“Franki’s choice,” Katy said with a laugh. “Don’t look at me.”
“Scotch,” I said, raising my full shot glass up in a slight salute before throwing it back and downing it in a single gulp. It burned all the way down my throat.
“It’s disgusting,” Jennifer said, setting her empty glass down on the table.
I winked at her. “Don’t be such a wimp.”
“Want another?” Katy asked.
I bit my lip. I was tempted.
Hell, who was I kidding? I wanted it like a dying man in the desert wants water. The growing warmth in my stomach and the loosening of the tension in my shoulders felt amazing. I’d been wound so freaking tight lately. Katy was right. I really had needed this.
But at the same time, I didn’t usually let myself drink too much. I’d seen where that could lead, and I knew from watching my mother’s addiction grow out of control over the years that I needed to be careful.
But it was my twenty-first birthday and I wasn’t in the mood to be responsible.
“Let’s do it,” I said.
“Hell yeah.” Katy leaned over the top of the bar, looking for the bartender who had served us a few minutes ago.
After a delicious dinner at my favorite sushi place, we’d ended up at a pub near campus. Being a Wednesday night, the place was practically dead.
Normally, that might not have been such a bad thing. The more I had to drink, though, the more I wanted Katy to deliver on her promise to make this a night to remember. The alcohol made me feel wild and different and loose.
I wanted more.
“This place is lame,” I said, ignoring the fact that my words were slightly slurred. “Let’s do something wild.”
“Oh, yeah, that's my girl,” Katy said, landing a wet kiss on my forehead. “I was starting to think you'd disappeared on me.”
“Like what?” Jennifer asked.
Her less-than-enthused tone wasn’t lost on me, nor was the fact that Ashley had glanced at the time on her cell phone four times in the past five minutes.
That was the down side of constantly keeping everyone at arm's length. You ended up with very few true friends.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Let’s go dancing.”
“Yes,” Katy squealed. “Let’s go to Smart Bar.”
Ashley shook her head. “No way. Alex is working there now. I’m not taking the risk of running into him right now.”
“Poop,” Katy said, frowning. “Not even for Franki’s birthday? Besides, you look amazing tonight. It would be the perfect night to run into him. Make him see what he’s missing.”
“No,” Ashley said. She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Sorry, Franki. I can’t do it. The girl he cheated with works there too. If I had to see them together right now, I would just die.”
I squeezed her hand back. “I get it,” I said. “It’s fine. There’s got to be another place we could go dancing, right? There are tons of clubs on that side of town.”
“We’d have to take a cab to get anywhere good,” Jennifer said. “And it’s already getting late. I have to be up pretty early.”
“Party poopers,” Katy said, standing and putting a knee in her chair. “Let’s shake things up. We’re failing on our best friend’s twenty-first!”
I shook my head. “It’s okay, really,” I said. I caught the disappointment in my own voice and cursed myself for letting it slip through. “I have to be up early, too.”
I wondered if it was too late to grab a six pack and head to the one place I knew I shouldn’t go tonight. The place I’d spent every birthday since the one three years ago when she disappeared.
“Don’t even think about it,” Katy said, as if reading my mind.
“What?”
“You know what,” she said through clenched teeth. “Your mother has messed up enough of your birthdays. I’m not going to let you go back to that old house and think about sad things. We’re going to have fun tonight if it kills us. Come on, ladies, we’re going out.”
She downed the rest of her drink and went to pay the tab.
I had a nearly-full glass of Jack and coke, but took a deep breath and drained it in ten seconds flat.
Jennifer and Ashley shared a look.
Annoyance bubbled to the surface. Why were good friends so hard to find? I mean, it’s not like I expected them to stay out all night with me, but it was my birthday and it was only eleven. Was it really so much to ask that they hang out a couple more hours?
Apparently, it was.
As we made our way to the door, Jennifer put her hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I think we’re just going to head home,” she said.
Ashley threw her arms around my neck, a fake smile plastered on her lips. “Love you so much, girl. Happy birthday.”
“Thanks,” I said, amazed at how easily some people tossed around the word love. “I’m glad you guys came out.”
“Screw this,” Katy said. “You guys suck. It’s not even midnight.”
I pressed my lips together, not wanting to smile too hard. I could always count on Katy to say what needed to be said.
Still, if they didn’t want to be here, I wasn’t about to beg them to stay.
“I know,” Ashley said, wrinkling her nose. “But it’s the middle of the week and—”
“Blah, blah, blah,” Katy said, rolling her eyes. “You suck.”
“Maybe we can do something this weekend.” Jennifer hugged me.
“Sounds good,” I said, even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to get out again over the weekend. I needed to focus on finding a new job and saving money.
“Good night,” the girls said as they waved and took off down the sidewalk in the direction of their apartment.
Katy threaded her arm in mine and sighed. “Assholes,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “Maybe we should call it a night, too. We could rent a movie or something and grab a bottle of wine.”
“No way.” Katy shook her head and pulled out her cell phone.
“Who are you calling?” I asked.
“I’m calling a cab,” she said. “There’s no way I’m letting this night end before midnight. We’re going to go find some fun. We're going to find this place you were invited to. Venom.”
The Alley
I protested, but Katy's mind was set on taking me to this new club.
The truth is, I was curious. Who had sent the roses? No one else I knew called me Little Bird, but there was no way my mother had bought those expensive roses for me. Well, not unless she'd magically gotten her shit together in the past three years. And if that was the case, there was no way I was missing out on seeing that.
But what if they truly weren't from my mother? What if there was someone else who knew about her? About me? What if they were from someone else in my family?
The note had been on my mind from the moment I first opened it, and even if I protested, there was no denying that I wanted to see what was going down at this club and why I had been invited there.
Our cab picked us up within minutes, but when we asked him to take us to a club called Venom on Hubbard, he stared at us like we were high.
“You don't know it?” I asked.
He shook his head. “There's no club by that name.”
“Well, a bar, then. Or a restaurant.”
“No,” he said. “I would know this. There is no place in this city by the name.”
Katy showed him the card and he just shrugged.
“Then just take us to West Hubbard,” Katy said with a loud sigh. She turned to me. “We'll find it.”
I let my head fall back against the seat of the cab. I really didn't want to spend all night on some wild goose chase. If a cab
bie had no clue where this place was, it was either brand new or it didn't exist. This was definitely not turning out to be the birthday of the century, but I guess anything was better than drinking beer in my mom's old house, thinking about old times, and where the hell everything seemed to go off the rails for me.
Ten minutes later, he dropped us off at the Paris Club.
Katy asked a few people standing out front if they'd heard of Venom, but we got the same blank stares we'd gotten from the cab driver.
“Maybe we should just pick a place and get a few drinks,” I said. I was curious about the note and who it came from, but there was also a part of me that was scared of finding out anything beyond what I already knew.
“Dammit, if you say that one more time, I'm going to kick you in the tits,” she said. “We're going to find this place. Come on.”
She looked both ways down the street, then just randomly picked one and started walking down, her eyes sweeping back and forth, looking for the name on a sign.
Half an hour went by and Katy was near tears. She raised her arms, then let them slap back down against her legs. “I've totally failed you,” she said. “This is the lamest birthday ever.”
I shook my head and looped my arm in hers. “I've been with you, so it can't be lame,” I said. “Really, it's fine. This whole thing was probably someone's idea of a bad joke. Let's just pick a place where we can drink and forget all about Venom and the black roses.”
She sighed. “Okay, you win. Pick any bar you want. I have no idea which ones are good down here, so just follow your gut instinct.”
I closed my eyes and twirled around, my world turning like I was on some wicked merry-go-round.
Follow my gut instinct? I usually tried to do exactly the opposite. I always figured my instincts were screwed up after such a crappy childhood.
I’d never known my father. Or any of my family, for that matter. We were one-hundred-percent loners, my mother and I. She refused to answer any of my questions about where I’d come from. Or where she’d come from. I guess I’d always known she had run away from something. She was always running.
Late on rent? We’d just pack up and move to a new city before they could kick us out or take her to court.
Meet a guy who actually seems nice and treats you well? She’d almost give in, then would dump him so fast, it would make your head turn. I had no idea why she was so scared of getting close to anyone, but it happened without fail. The second she thought a friend got too close or a man seemed too interested, she would wake me up in the middle of the night and tell me to pack my shit.
Running is just what she did.
The one thing I never thought she'd run from was me.
No, I didn’t trust my instincts.
But tonight, something was different. Maybe it was the full moon. Or maybe it was the drinks still sloshing around in my stomach. As I twirled on the sidewalk with my eyes closed, something tugged at me deep down.
I stopped, listening to that whisper of instinct or pull.
“This way,” I said, grabbing Katy's hand and walking toward the quieter end of the street.
She giggled, tripping over her own feet. “You're going the wrong way. The bars are all the other way,” she said.
“Shhh,” I told her. “I'm following my gut, like you told me.”
I paused in front of the open door of a bar toward the end of the street, letting that feeling deep inside guide me.
This was the last place on this side of the street, so I expected to feel the urge to go inside, but no, there was something else. I couldn’t explain it.
I should have ignored it. I should have turned back toward the lights and looked for a more normal place with actual people coming in and out.
But I was feeling wild.
“Wait,” I said, pulling Katy back from the bouncer she was already handing her ID to. “Not here.”
“This is the last place down this way,” she said.
“I don’t think so,” I said. “Follow me.”
The bouncer raised an eyebrow and threw a glance toward the alley, which is exactly where I was feeling pulled toward. It was completely empty and very dark, but I stepped into the alley between two tall buildings.
Katy gripped my arm. “Okay, so I know I told you to follow your instincts, but I didn’t expect your instincts to lead us to a dumpster.”
I shook my head, feeling breathless. “I think there’s something down here.”
“It’s creepy down here,” she said, the excitement from earlier fading from her voice.
“Yes, it is,” I whispered.
I kept my eye out for a door or something, but this place was just dark and dead. What the heck was I doing?
Being stupid, that’s what.
We were way out of our element just being off-campus and here I was dragging us into a back alley where girls like us probably got murdered on a regular basis.
But I pressed on, the tug in my core growing stronger.
Undeniable.
“Let’s turn around, Franki,” she said. “I don’t like this.”
I frowned. There had to be something down here. I could feel it.
A few more steps, though, and I was ready to turn back.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t know...”
Someone stepped out of a door in the middle of the alley.
For a moment, the entire alley lit up with an eerie electric green light, but when the door slammed closed, everything went black all over again.
“Wait,” I said. “There.”
Katy mouth twisted. “You sure? It looks sketch.”
“Let’s check it out.”
“I'm only doing this because it's your birthday,” she said, taking a deep breath. “But if we get murdered, I'm coming back from the dead so I can murder you myself.”
I knew it was crazy, but I knew I had to go to this place. “Deal.”
When we got down to the door, I was surprised to see that it was just an unmarked door. No club name. No bouncer. Nothing.
“I think maybe this is the back door or something,” Katy said. “Let's go around and try to find the front.”
I reached forward and placed my hand on the rusted metal handle. Static shock surged through me and I pulled my hand away.
Katy shrieked and I laughed.
“Just a little shock,” I said. “Don't be such a baby.”
She put her hand on her chest and took a deep breath. “You scared the crap out of me.”
I reached for the door again, knowing with all my heart that everything that had happened since the moment I woke up this morning had been leading me here, to this door. As if my future had been waiting for me right here in this dark alley.
I wrapped my hand around my future and pulled, opening up a whole new world.
A world I had no idea how hard my mother had worked to keep from me for so long.
No. Freaking. Way.
The door opened up to a long, narrow corridor. The black walls made it seem like the inside of a very dark box, the only light came from two long plastic tubes running along the ceiling. They were filled with some kind of glowing green liquid. Not quite like neon. More like a lava lamp with a ton of bubbles. I’d never seen anything like it.
I stepped forward and could hear Katy gasp behind me.
“What is this place?”
“I have no idea,” I said.
A feeling deep in my belly told me I belonged here, though, which I realized was a ridiculous thought. How could I belong somewhere I’d never been?
A heavy black door closed off whatever was in the next room and as I stepped closer, the door opened and a young girl who didn’t look much older than us stepped out.
I moved aside so she could pass, but she just stopped and stared at us.
Her hair was bleached very white-blonde and cut in a short pixie cut. She was a little taller than I, and had these gorgeous sky-blue eyes. To say she was stunning would be the understatem
ent of a lifetime.
“Good evening, ladies,” she said. She had an Australian accent. “Don’t think I’ve seen the likes of you around here before. Is there something I can help you with?”
I paused and looked at Katy. She was usually so much better at bullshitting her way into places, but I could tell from the look on her face she was way out of her comfort zone.
I turned back to the girl and smiled. “I have no idea, to be honest,” I said, choosing truth over bullshit. “It’s my birthday and we were out looking for a place, and I don’t know. Does it sound stupid to say I was drawn to this place?”
She raised an eyebrow and studied me closely. “Not stupid, no. Strange, more like.”
Katy gripped my arm, her fingernails digging into my flesh. I sucked in a breath and turned to tell her to let up, but her eyes were crazy wide. “Look at her shirt,” she whispered in my ear.
I glanced at the blonde girl's shirt and swallowed. It said VENOM in bright green letters across her chest.
No. Freaking. Way.
“Is that the name of this place?” I asked.
She cocked her head to the side. “Who told you to come here?”
I bit my lip. “No one,” I said. “Not exactly.”
She shook her head, all traces of her smile gone from her pretty pink lips. “Don’t bullshit me. How did you find out about this place and what’s your purpose here?”
Shit. The one time I choose not to bullshit someone, I get accused of it anyway.
Katy tugged on my arm. “Maybe we should just go.”
“I’m not bullshitting you,” I told the girl at the door, shrugging off Katy's hand. I didn’t want to leave now. Not after searching for it for half the night. I needed to know what was inside and why I had somehow known it was here.
“I got an invitation,” I said. “But we've been searching for this club for the past half hour with no luck. No one even seems to know this place is here.”
“So, how did you find it?”
“I don't know,” I said. “I just felt drawn to this alley. Like I belonged here. I know how weird that sounds, but—”
“I’ve heard much weirder,” the girl said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “You said it’s your birthday today?”