Samantha Brittain

October 7, 2006

Brenner

Fiction 1

"Shade"

The sixteen year old girl sipped her rum and coke nervously. She giggled with her best friend. They were drinking underage in a bar on the wrong side of town. They were enjoying the foolish surge of courage that came from defying their parents. When two young men who looked they were college-age asked them to dance, they were thrilled. Mae was amazed when the older man, who gave his name as Rob, continued to flirt, and bought her one alcoholic beverage after another. She barely noticed when her friend begged her to come home with her.
"No," she insisted. "I want to stay with Rob. He'll drive me home later." Finally her friend had gotten a taxi and gone home, leaving her with Rob. They danced several more times until he began groping her. She was too drunk and suddenly too groggy to resist as he forced his hand down her pants.
She heard a click that only just barely registered as a handgun and watched as Rob let go of her. She fell to the floor, suddenly aware that she was too weak to stand on her own. Rob raised his hand over his head, slowly.
"How many times, kid, have I told you not to do that shit?" a raspy female voice asked from behind him. He shook his head.
"I forgot, Shade, I swear. It won't happen again. Look, I'll leave her alone."
"You're damn right you will. Get out of here."
"But Shade..."
"You are going to question my authority? How very, very stupid of you. I'll give you til the count of ten to get out that door. I suggest you run."
"Shade, I-"
"One."
He ran out of the bar as though the hounds of hell were after him. The face of an older woman swam into Mae's vision. She had stashed her gun somewhere on her person, but nowhere that the girl could see. The face was a kindly one, despite its toughness. The eyes were piercing and hard, the chin defiant. A diamond stud adorned the woman's nose. Everything about that face cried predator, except for the small mouth. Though it was set in a grim line, it was still soft and vulnerable.
"Girl? Hey, sweetie." The woman helped her into a sitting position. "What's your name, sugar?"
"Mae," she answered, her tongue rolling sluggishly.
"How old are you, Mae?"
"T-twenty." the girl lied.
"No, how old are you really?"
"Sixteen."
"That's about what I figured. Anyone here with you?" The girl shook her head and the woman sighed. "Come on, I'm taking you home."
"I'll be fine." Mae said, defiantly.
"Like hell you will. You just got drugged with ketamine, kiddo. You know what date rape is?" Mae just trembled. The woman tried to help her stand, but Mae discovered it was impossible.
"Alright then. Up you get." Shade said, and swung her into her arms. Mae protested, but the older woman stopped her. "There's no other way. I'm taking you home myself." Shade carried the young woman out to a black Mercedes and propped her up in the passenger's seat, buckling her in. She grabbed Mae's purse. Mae tried to grab it back, but the woman said simply, "I need it so I can get your address." Then she shut the door and walked around to the driver's side, climbing in.
She opened the younger woman's wallet and found the information she was looking for. Nodding to herself, she put the wallet back into the purse and handed the bag back to its owner.
"I know where that is." she said quietly as she started the car and they pulled away from the curve. Mae took in the rest of the gangstix's body. She had wavy, waist length reddish-brown hair and wore a black tank top that showed off toned arms. Her biceps were adorned with tattoos. Her pants were of a black, expensive-looking fabric.
"Who are you?" Mae slurred.
"Shade, now." the woman said, keeping her eyes on the road. Mae asked who she had been before. Shade glanced at her and answered, "Someone else. No one knows for sure who, and I'm keeping it that way." Mae chose to ignore that.
"What where you doing at that bar?"
"I happen to own that bar. As a matter of fact, I own most of that district."
"You must be rich. What do you do for a living?" Shade didn't answer for long minutes.
Finally she said, "I buy and I sell." Mae left it at that. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Sometime later they pulled up at a nice house in a good neighborhood. Shade asked if this was the one, and Mae nodded in response. Shade pulled over, turned off the car, and got out. Once again, she scooped up the exhausted, drugged teenager. She carried her up the walk and onto the front porch.
"Be so kind as to ring the doorbell." Shade said. Mae did.
It was many long minutes before lights came on. Then the two women heard the door unlock and a man about Shade's age answered in a bathrobe.
"Daddy..." Mae moaned. The man, who was clearly her father, looked horrified.
"Mae, are you alright? What the hell happened?" Then Mae's father really took in the woman holding his child. "Who the fuck are you?"
"Daddy," Mae said, as he ushered them inside, "Sue and I were at a bar. And this man kept buying me drinks...and Sue went home..and then he drugged me." Her father merely stared at her as he led Shade to the living room couch and helped lay Mae down. "He was going to rape me, but Shade stopped him. And she brought me home. This is Shade." she murmured, before slipping into sleep.
Shade looked at the man oddly while he stared at his slumbering teenager. She'd been looking at him stangely since she had come in. He turned to face her and offered a hand.
"Matthew Hill." he introduced himself.
"So it is you." Shade answered. He looked at her for long moments. Abruptly, his face lit with recognition.
"Sam?" he asked incredulously.
"I go by Shade now," was the gruff response.
"I thought you were dead." he said, quietly, still staring and holding the hand he had been shaking.
"So," Shade sighed, "did I. Funny how things change."
They caught up, talking for hours. Matt talked about his wife, his career in medicine, and his children. Shade remained mostly silent.
"Where have you been?" he asked as dawn was breaking.
"The wrong side of town." Shade answered. "I have quite a lot of power there." The time had come for her to leave. At the door, her old friend asked if he would be allowed to see her again.
"I think it's for the best if we don't." Sam, now Shade, replied. But she handed him a white business card anyway. The only thing on it was a phone number.
"That's my cell. Well, if you ever need me..."she trailed off, walking toward her car.
"Sam!" he called after her. She turned, hair bright in the rising sun. "Did you know she was my daughter?" She stared at him, then smiled the smile he remembered from so long ago.
"No." she called back. "I just picked the right person to help."
Dr. Hill stared after the black car as it drove away toward the sun.