Her cheeks colored at the heat in her voice. It wasn’t like her to blow up so easily. She drew a breath to calm herself, then continued, “I’m sorry, I’ve been through a lot lately and I’m really confused right now.” She hugged herself, rubbing up and down her arms. She wasn’t sure how much more crazy she could take this week. Murphy, you son of a bitch, stop sitting in my corner of the universe─ I don’t need anything else to go wrong in my life. Realizing that she had been quiet for several seconds, she hastily asked, “You say they reported her missing an entire week ago?” Daniel nodded, his soft rumble inviting, “Yes, that’s right. Her aunt said that it had been that long since hearing from Lain.”
Celeste shook her head and sighed, “I should have known they would wait this long to contact the police. They probably thought she ran away or went to her friend Carrie’s house.” She paused before adding under her breath, “though I can’t say I blame her.” Daniel gave her a knowing smile.
“So I’m guessing life at home isn’t exactly what you would call a fairy tale, huh?” Celeste nodded at his question as she continued rubbing her arms, trying to shake the chill from her body. “Yeah, when I talked with the foster parents they seemed more annoyed than worried. I got the sense that this might have happened before,” he said. Celeste was quiet as she reached out and gently squeezed Daniel’s arm.
“Yes, Detective, she has run away several times. I’m quite sure you will find that in your records.” She quickly released his arm. Her heart was racing so uncontrollably she was sure Daniel could hear it through her blouse. Unsure of what to do, she snatched at the tea to take a drink. Celeste felt bare under his gaze as she stumbled through her next sentence, “I’m afraid they don’t care much for her and it shows in every way.” She took a sip, looking over to the piano, “I’d adopt her if I could.” Startled that she had mentioned that last part in front of a stranger Celeste quieted and focused on her tea.
Daniel cleared his throat before answering. He must have realized how passionate Celeste was about Lain’s living habits. “Hey, I know what you mean. I’ve got a soft spot for kiddos myself.” She couldn’t look at his face, but her eyes found his hands. They seemed softly weathered, it was obvious that at some point in his life he had done hard labor. He shifted and she glanced up at his crisp collar that was peeking out from the pullover. His neck was slightly visible, and more of his smooth, sun-kissed skin was bare. It was clear that beneath all of that sweater was years of hard work and training. His shoulders were broad and his slacks strained against his leg muscles. She cleared her own throat and looked into the kitchen, angry with herself. Sensing her unease, he added, “Well, if you know anything else or think of anything, let me know.” He shifted and pulled out a card, handing it to her. “We’ll do our best to find Lain.” His next sentence sounded genuine, “Some people have no business around kids. She couldn’t even tell me what color eyes Lain had.” She looked at him and smiled. Her smile faded as she caught a brief flash of anger on his face. Curious, she almost asked what he meant, but decided against it. You barely know him, don’t pry. His eyes hardened and Daniel moved away from her.
“I’ve got a few more stops today before we send out another search party. Looks like another all-niter.” His voice sounded guarded and her heart reached out to him. She was no psychologist, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out something was wrong.
“It was nice talking with you, Celeste,” Daniel smiled, holding out his hand. She took his hand and squeezed gently. She melted before his touch and it took all of her strength not to hug him. There was something welcoming in his presence, she could not place it and it disturbed her. You are acting like a High School girl, she chided.
Without thinking, her next sentence flew from her lips, “If you would like, after you make the next couple of stops, I can accompany you with the search. I know of several places that she might be staying or even hiding.” Daniel hesitated, then slowly inclined his head. “At this point I can use all the help I can get.” They decided to meet up later and Celeste walked him downstairs. “Green,” she blurted out. The detective cocked his head to the side confused. “Her eyes,” Celeste added. “Her eyes are green, like mint. Very vibrant and beautiful.” Daniel stared at her from the front step. He seemed intense, like he to want to say something, but then thought better of it and nodded his head. “I’ll jot that down, thank you for all of your help.” He placed his hat back, as he handed him his shoes. He slipped them on, and walked outside. She pushed the door in place with a gentle click and locked the deadbolt. Her head leaned back on the door and she slid down to the floor. Her body felt so heavy. The dark wooden staircase in front of her might as well have stretched on for miles. First John, now Lain. What next?
* * *
5 Beneath the Surface
Four Years Ago
Anna laughed, tugging at Celeste’s shirt. “Come on, it’s the middle of June─ you seriously can’t be working. You graduated last month, remember?” Celeste feigned an old person’s voice and shook her fist at Anna, “Damn kids and your parties.” They laughed, shoving at each other. Anna was right, as usual, Celeste needed to catch a break. She was composing a classical piece for the competition in November. She was pretty sure she’d be a hermit if it weren’t for her father and Anna.
It was good to be back in Dallas again. New York was lovely, especially during the winter holidays, but she missed the light winters. She loved the fact that she could walk out in layers and take them off as it warmed up. Celeste and Anna used to jokingly call winter “hoodie season.” Winter was a joke here, but summers weren’t. Texas had two seasons─ hot and not as hot with tornadoes. She seriously remembered a December that was damn near a hundred degrees. The weather drove her nuts, but it was home.
As much as she liked to hole herself up, she was always looking for a way to venture off and learn new things. Mostly studying and reading, but her love for nature was one thing she could never leave behind. New York was lively, but usually she escaped to Forest Park as often as she could. All the buildings and cars depressed her, and she longed for that little bit of green. It re-charged her batteries, like coffee on Mondays.
When the semester was crazy, and she needed to get out, she would sit outside of Alice Tully Hall and sip on tea− just staring at the newly renovated building made her imagination burst. The Brutalist design was right up her alley. She loved the designs that came out of the 60’s─ interestingly enough her father, who was a child of that era, hated them with a fiery passion. She chuckled out loud, thinking about his turned-up face anytime she threatened to have the house built by a modern Brutalist architect.
“Hmm?” Anna asked, staring at Celeste as she giggled. “Nothing,” she laughed, shaking her head. Anna sighed at her, “You know, I swear when I’m around you, you’re always laughing at something─ like a private joke.” Anna reached over and pinched her cheek. “But that’s why I love my creepy little dumpling.” Celeste rolled her eyes at Anna. When Celeste was twelve, she went through a phase where all she would eat were dumplings. It drove her parents crazy, but Anna, being who she was, decided to make light of it and give her the nickname. Unfortunately, it stuck. She secretly loved it, but definitely was not going to let Anna know.
“But seriously, let’s get out of here.” Anna pulled Celeste out of her chair and walked over to the closet. “I’m aging as we speak.” Anna peeked inside, clicking her tongue against her teeth. “Do you have anything in here that’s not your style─ like, some impulse buy?” Celeste laughed incredulously, “Hey, I’ll have you know there are plenty of thirty year olds that would kill for my clothes.” “Yeah?” Anna mocked, “Name one that’s as obsessed with flowing dresses, pea coats, and soft leather boots. Seriously, girl, you look like a modern day Jackie O.” “Thank you,” Celeste beamed at Anna, “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Anna groaned and ripped through Celeste’s wardrobe. “Don’t you have anything remotely edgy in here?”
Oh crap.
“Anna─”
“Don’t start with me, Celeste. You are twenty years old, and we,” she paused pulling out a lacy black corset top and threw it on the bed, “are having fun.” She turned and gave her patented scrunched up smile. The guys loved it. Of course, they loved Anna. What wasn’t to love, she had a small, delicate face that screamed angel, yet she could easily pull off the vixen look. Her eyes were wide and innocent─ colored by a rich espresso and her skin was milky white. It was one of many reasons girls teased her.
They envied her beauty, so instead they made fun of her fashion sense. Anna was really into underground fashion. She loved the Harajuku street style, Gothic Lolita, and any interesting street fashion with a Gothic flair─ which meant her clothes were as bright as her disposition. Her go-to designers online were Angelic Pretty, WEGO, Sex Pot ReVeNGe, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, and Atelier Pierrot. She wore their stuff religiously. Anna was a huge fan of clothing inspired by the Victorian era, punk rock, or colorful clothing. She would show up in anything from a mini ruffle skirt with sexy boots and a hoodie, to bright skinny jeans with checkered patterns and a rolled denim top. You just never knew, and Celeste loved that about her. Anna never apologized for who she was, and that woman owned it. She watched as Anna dug through her bag and pulled out a neon green tutu skirt. Celeste laughed and shook her head. Looks like she was in for a wild night.
* * *
They were at the club too fast for Celeste’s liking. Anna’s driving wasn’t just bad─ it was a force of nature. How she managed to never get a ticket was beyond Celeste. She eased out of Anna’s jeep and took an unsteady step. How the hell did girls walk in these things? Of course, Anna had picked the most ridiculous pair of high heels. They were cute, yes, but no woman should ever be forced to walk in four inch heels. Give her cute flats or soft knee boots any day over a concussion. Celeste watched Anna walk from the driver’s side to her. She was lovely tonight in a green and black tutu skirt, patterned grey tights and a black tankini. The girl could probably make plastic bags look hot. She pulled at her own skirt uncomfortably. It was pretty edgy for her.
She was actually wearing a corset top without a jacket and the ruffle skirt was a bit short for her liking, especially considering the torture devices people called shoes. It gave the illusion of long legs, sure, but at what cost to her pride? At least Anna had given her permission to wear some leggings underneath. She was pretty sure she would die of embarrassment without them. She had snuck out some black flats in her purse to change into later.
The last time Celeste went dancing was easily two years ago. And even that was when she had gone to Anna’s prom. She grimaced at all the people standing outside of the building. At least in a large crowd of people, you could just shuffle your weight a little and no one would realize you can’t dance. Anna on the other hand loved to get into the center stage. She was an amazing dancer─ it was what she wanted to do with her life professionally. Anna’s body could move people to tears with its grace. Her family, recognizing Anna’s talent had put her through as much dance as she wanted. She was classically trained, sure, but there was something else to it. She had soul and it shined through every time she moved. It didn’t surprise Celeste that Anna had so much hate slung her way. It was sad really, how mean girls were to Anna. She looked at how hard her friend worked, and how alive she was
They both found the line outside and stood waiting. This was definitely more Anna’s scene than hers. Most the girls here were dressed in hipster clothes, Gothic, or Punk chic. One girl, even had her teeth shaved down to points and bat wings. What would her father say if he knew she was here? Probably explode into millions of tiny confetti pieces. The image instantly popped in her head and it took everything in her not to burst out laughing. Instead, it came out in a stifled mix between a snort, and a giggle.
Anna arched a brow at her. “Going to fill me in on what that laugh was about?” Celeste chuckled, “I was just imagining Dad’s face if we had told him the truth.” Anna wiggled her brows and leaned in, “I don’t know─ Ooh, let’s call him and find out.” Celeste shoved her elbow into Anna, “yeah, sure, go ahead. It will get me out of having to move in these things.” Anna shoved her phone back into her purse, “That’s a valid point. I’d totally miss out on that awesome hip-shake thing you do.” She turned to Celeste and put on a serious face, “Promise me that you will not do that awesome hip-shake that you do.” “Hey!” Celeste feigned anger, “I’ll have you know, that I was the top dancer in grade school.” They had a long laugh at her expense. Finally, they were at the entrance. What could only be described as a metal encrusted fish creature with lips, sat next to the door. He silently reached out his hand and checked both of their Ids. He grunted, waving them over to the lady behind the counter with the stamps. He reminded her of a character named Lurch from the old TV show, The Addams Family. Her dad used to watch that, I Love Lucy, and The Munsters all the time. She had to admit, shows back then were pretty entertaining.
She stifled a laugh as Anna frowned and walked over to get her stamp that marked her as underage. She was barely a few weeks away from her twenty-first birthday, and obviously couldn't wait to try her first bar drink. Celeste could care less for alcohol− it tasted like pee flavored floor cleaner. Smelled like it too. Why did people drink that crap?
They waded past the sea of people to the first dance floor. Old music from the 90’s blared overhead drowning out all the voices with The Cure. People with long, straight black hair did flashy movements with their hands and spun on their feet. Seriously, people still dressed like this? Then she realized where she was. Duh, that's what this scene is about, doofus. Hey, she liked to jam out to the Bee Gees every now and then, so, why not? Let the people be who they were. They walked past the second room where a live band was mixing metal with Dubstep. It was actually kind of interesting─ she had never heard the two genre's blended before.
They finally made it to the main floor. The music was so loud that she could feel it vibrating her bones. She usually hated going to concerts for that very reason. Unless, of course, it was at the Meyerson Symphony Center. She could listen to Vivaldi’s Winter on repeat forever. It was something she and Anna shared, a love for music of all kinds, especially the classics. But this was different. It was classical music mixed with dance and Dubstep. It was unlike anything she had listened to. It drew her in, and before she realized it, her body began to move to the beat. Forget the heels, she thought. Celeste kicked them off and slipped into her comfy flats.
It felt good, getting lost on the dance floor. She wasn’t sure when, but Anna had disappeared. It didn’t take but a glance to know. She was surrounded by a crowd, her moves flawless as usual. Celeste admired her friend’s courage and confidence with her body. She normally just kind of shuffled and moved her hips a little bit. It wasn’t that she couldn’t dance─ it was that she lacked the courage to really try. But tonight was different, she felt the energy surging through. Tonight felt amazing.
The dance floor was hers and she lost herself to the beat. Suddenly, there was a crowd around her. Eat your heart out, Anna. She giggled, intoxicated by the attention. This was so new to her─ maybe she should relax more often. She was spinning around when suddenly she was grabbed from behind by a pair of rough hands. Celeste elbowed her attacker hard, but froze when she found Anna stooped down in front of her. What was that look? For the first time, Celeste realized that the music had stopped and looked around at the club. They were all frozen, staring in her direction, their eyes wide with fear.
“Anna─”
Her friend took several steps back and continued staring at Celeste, her mouth glued to her hand. “Anna, what’s wrong?” Anna turned and jetted off through the club. What the hell? A deep rumble from behind startled her, “That’s not cool, Celeste.” She spun around to see a tall, dark haired guy standing behind her. He was talking to her as if he knew her.
“Excuse me?” He smiled, walking toward her and winked. “I said,
‘that’s not cool’. Scaring these poor people with your magic tricks. Seriously.” He waved them away dismissively and put his arm around her. “Go on guys, she was just having a little fun. Just a magic trick, her friend was in on it.” The crowd looked at them, unsure, before turning to each other and muttering. A few of them flipped her off and shook their heads. One of the guys argued by the DJ in the back before the music came on.
Celeste spun toward the guy and hissed in his ear, “What the hell is going on?” She felt his breath against her ear as he said, “Beats me, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get hurt.” He turned to leave and she followed him out to the parking lot. When they were out of earshot, she reached up and grabbed his arm. Man, this guy was rock solid. “What the hell do you mean? What, because I was dancing when the music stopped?” Anna’s face flashed in her mind and she looked up at him. He stared at her for a moment, his lower jaw twitching. It looked like he was working on what to say.
Celeste let go of his arm. She was scared to ask, but she needed to know, “Did I─ do something?” Her words came out weak and quiet, she thought maybe too quiet but he finally answered. “No, there was an earthquake. Everyone was affected, but you, you just kept on dancing.” She looked up at him like he just explained aliens were real. “Come on, you don’t have to insult me like that. They looked at me like I was a freak or something. And what did you mean, magic trick?”
He sighed and rubbed at his face, “Look, I don’t know what to tell you. The floor shook like crazy and everyone stopped to find out what was going on. You just kept moving as if nothing was going on.” She crossed her arms and glared at him. There was something he wasn’t telling her, she knew it. Then it hit her, “hey, how did you know my name?” He looked away and flushed. She half expected him to bail the way he was fidgeting. “Well?” There weren’t many times that she let her anger get the better of her, but right now she was completely confused. What just happened? Was it the curse? But that hadn’t happened for years; she had been going to therapy every week and had not seen any of the creatures since she was fourteen. Not since─ she shook it from her mind. That was just an illusion, a child’s imagination and she had gotten better. Even the doctor thought so.
Hell's Gate: Awakening - Book One Page 6