Beyond The Prophecy: Track 1

by MercurySkullbunny

Tomorrow is a day that could change my life in the best way possible, but tonight's about having fun. My friends and I were sitting in a basement, pigging out and playing Karaoke Revolution on Jason's Xbox. Sometimes we'd try to sing along to the lyrics and music on the TV screen well, but other times we'd pick the hardest songs and sing as bad as we can. We even had a small competition earlier on who could get the lowest score. Jason won, of course. That joker. Ava, Evan, Jason and I make up a rock band called Siren. Ava's the drummer, Evan's the lead guitarist and Jason's the bassist. I'm the vocalist, and I also write most of our songs. Even though we were playing around, we were also sharpening our vocals.

For weeks we practiced here, in Jason's basement, for a contest that's now less than twenty-four hours away. Pandemonium Records is hosting a contest at a local rock club called Escape where the winning musicians get a record deal with them. Pandemonium may not be as big as Jive Records or Motown, but they are the ones that have launched some of the longest lasting bands out there.

Once I finished singing, the platinum rating came on the screen. All of us cheered, and Ava gave me a high five.

"Keep this up Tasha," Ava told me, "and we'd definitely get that record deal."

I handed Jason the mic and sat on the couch. Ava followed. "We'll get it," I said confidently. "We're so close now; I can practically feel the contract in my hands."

"But we've been trying to get signed with someone since the band was formed three years ago. How can you be so sure?" said Ava.

"We'll get that record deal. My instincts never fail me."

"Wish I was as certain as you are."

I smirked. "All you need is a little gumption."

Ava raised an eyebrow. "Is that more of your Irish slang? Because every once in a while, I still don't understand what you're saying."

"No, gumption's an English word," I said with a chuckle. "You can find it in the dictionary."

"What does it mean then?"

I smiled. "It's means having guts, spunk and courage. You need to be a little more aggressive."

Ava chuckled. "I think you have enough of that for the both of us."

"Damn straight I do." We laughed.

Ava looked passed me, just as her smile grew. "Speaking of having gumption…"

It wasn't until Evan sat beside me that I understood what she was talking about. Ava stood, the smile on her face still growing, and then walked out of the room. I smiled a little too.

Recently, I've started to like him, but I didn't know how to approach him. The kind of guys I'm usually attracted to are usually as bold as I am, but Evan isn't like that. He's always been a nice guy, which is probably why I didn't see him as more than a friend at first. But now that I'm crushing on him, I notice everything about him; how his brown hair is long enough to touch his shoulders, the benevolence in his brown eyes, his gorgeous smile, how even though he's thin I can still tell he's muscular…Ok, I have to stop before I turn scarlet.

Whenever I find myself attracted to someone, I become bold and speak my mind even more than usual (if that's even possible). But I've never crushed on someone I befriended first.

Evan whispered my name, so I turned to face him. I tried not to smile much. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you," Evan said, "but I can't ever find the right time to say it."

"To say what?" I asked, my heart rate increasing. Please, tell me he feels the same.

Something behind me caught his attention, but he looked back at me before I could see what it was. "I'll tell you before our performance tomorrow." As soon as he said that, he stood and joined Jason with the game.

That was…odd. He seemed nervous and timid. He's normally open and social, not shy and quiet. What was it about what he wants to tell me that makes him act differently?

Ava sat beside me, a grin brightening her face. "So, what did I miss?" Her excitement was already increasing before I finished telling her what he told me. "That's great! Maybe he wants to tell you that he likes you."

"So why didn't he just say it? The moment you walked in, he stood."

"He probably wants to tell you in private."

"I hope so." I glanced at the time on my cell phone. "Dammit. Unfortunately It'll have to wait until tomorrow. I have to go." I stood and told the guys the same thing.

"You want a ride?" Jason asked.

"Save your gas money. I can walk. The apartment's not too far from here."

"It's gutsy for you to be walking alone at night," said Evan.

I smirked. "Yeah that's me, the daredevil. But this isn't the first time I've done it. I'll be fine. New York may have a bad reputation but the city's a lot safer than it looks."

"But what if the guy shows up?" Ava asked.

"What guy?"

"That guy at Escape. The one you've seen for the past few days. Didn't you say you get a weird vibe from him? As if he was following you?"

I crossed my arms and faced her. "Yeah. Right before you said, 'Any guy that sexy can follow me around all day and night long.'"

The guys laughed and I smiled. Ava laughed nervously. "Touché."

"I have to go. Practice tomorrow?"

"Yeah," said Jason. "We can meet here two hours before the show. Then we'll pack the van and head out."

"In that case, I might as well leave my guitar here." We shrugged. "See you guys tomorrow." They said their goodbyes as I headed out the door.

The night was colder than I thought it would be. I hugged my black leather jacket tighter as a cold wind blew. Despite the chill, it wasn't the weather that made me shiver. I felt like I was being followed. You know how you can feel someone's gaze when they stare at you hard enough? That was the eerie sensation I had on the back of my neck.

I took a shortcut through an alleyway. It cuts down the time it takes to get home, even if the alley has a disturbing atmosphere. Only one of the three street lamps in the alley works, and that one light flickers from time to time. There were no windows on the two brick buildings I walked in between, so if anything happens there would be no witnesses. My steps sounded even louder than normal, and it didn't help that I walked in two inch heels.

The sound of footsteps came from behind me, making me alert. I glanced over my shoulder, just enough to be able to glance back, and used my short curly hair to shield my face. There was no one there. Is my imagination playing tricks on me? When I glanced forward again, I gasped. I may have been alone before, but now someone stood before me. I didn't even see him come into the alley, let alone move in front of me.

The guy was a couple of inches taller than me; I'm guessing a little over six feet tall. His short hair was just a shade or two darker than my black hair. The guy needed a tan. Seriously, I've never seen anyone so pale. He was dressed in a dark green shirt tight enough to let me know that he was muscular. The black trench coat was left open, and his jeans were dark enough to almost be black. His boots matched his coat. The dim light from the street lamp made him look ominous, but what caught me the most were his eyes; they were such a light blue, and they had a mischievous glint in them. Under a normal circumstance, I would've been my usual, bold self and maybe flirt with him a little, but this situation calls for more caution than flirtation.

"Can I help you?" I asked, trying not to sound nervous.

He smirked and moved closer to me.

"You're invading my personal space," I spat. "Keep your distance, or else you'll wake up in a hospital—" Wait. There's something familiar about him. I've seen him, somewhere. Before I could figure out where I've seen him though, he moved even closer. "I'm warning you," I said. My voice was steady, but my heart raced with apprehension. He moved a little closer, so I swung my arm to throw a right hook punch.

Unfortunately, he moved too quickly for me to see. His momentum was so fast, and his movements were so swift. I tried to strike him anyway; left hook, right jab, roundhouse kick…but not once did it make contact. But when a small sound made him turn, I took the opportunity to pull my keys out of my pocket and punched him with each key pointing out from in between my fingers. The hit knocked him to the ground. I saw the damage on his cheek and smirked. His cheek was red, and the keys scratched it deep enough to peel off some of his skin and make it bleed.

He stood, so I planted my feet and adapted the stance I learned in kickboxing classes I used to take. But he didn't strike. What he did was more unexpected. The gashes on his cheek healed instantly. He wiped the blood off his cheek, and there was nothing on it to show that I hit him. No scratches, no scars, nothing. It shocked the hell out of me. How was that possible? If the scratches healed that fast, then would everything I do be ineffective? Shit. What shocked me even more was when he smirked with his teeth showing. His canines were sharp, too sharp.

"What the hell are you?"

To my surprise, he moved behind me in a blink of an eye. He pinned my arms behind me, but I won't let him get me that easily. I kicked my right leg back and struck his groin. He cried out and let me go.

"Hope it falls off!" I shouted before I ran.

I grabbed my cell phone and started calling for help, but he caught up with me before the phone could ring. He moved again, too fast for my eyes to catch. Before I even realized it, my cell phone was out of my hands, my arms were pinned behind my back again and I was kneeling on the ground. He used his free hand to slide my hair to one side, but he had to hold it in place because it was too short to stay on its own. His lips brushed my neck. I shuddered and turned my head enough to glare at him. Ugh, I don't want to be this close to this deviant.

"What the fuck do you want from me, pervert?"

He smirked against my neck and then whispered, "A taste." That was all he said before he bit my neck.