Maria had glowered in defiance as she watched Rickard disappear into the building. No monster or rainbow haired goth kid could tell her what to do. She would be the master of her own destiny from here on out. She looked over her shoulder into the cold dark streets where the monster could hide, and a cold shiver of fear ran through her. She steeled herself. There was nothing for her to be afraid of. Certainly not while alone in the dark. With a monster. No way. Nothing could go wrong here.

She exhaled a breath she’d begun holding when she steeled herself. All that snark she was using to hype herself up put aside, she understood this was dangerous. She had taken a risky path forward and was now paying the price. But just because it had been a stupid idea all along didn’t give Rickard the right to tell her to give up and go home. She wasn’t a child. It didn’t matter that everyone still treated her that way. She was an adult and that meant she needed to face the scary stuff head on. This was scary, and she had decided for herself not to run from it. People, like her father and the church, expected her to fall in line and she was fed up with that. She needed a new path forward. One where she didn’t let people like Chad walk roughshod over her. She took one last look around for monsters before hurrying to the building.

Inside the building was a bland industrial affair. The entry room was the size of a small storefront. Albeit a packed one. People, mostly teens and young adults, stood in small groups engaging in small talk, often using words she didn’t understand. Black clothing dominated the scene, but there were bright neon highlights everywhere. That didn’t entirely surprise her. She’d heard of raves before from television shows her mother watched. The attire wasn’t too dissimilar. What shocked her though was the sheer amount of skin just casually on display. Not like tank tops and bare midriffs. She was used to that. But people wearing netting in place of real clothes, topless men and women, skirts that didn’t quite manage to cover anything so much as highlight everything that should remain hidden. She flushed and turned her head away towards those more conservatively dressed. The ones with long flowing black jean skirts and neon stitched gloves that ran up past their elbows. They were more comfortable for her to watch.

She shrank away from the crowd. If she focused too much on them she’d get nowhere fast. Plus, she was finding it difficult not to stare at some of them. Seriously, how did they manage to sculpt their bodies like that? She shook the impure thoughts from her mind. Not the time and place, Maria. She chided herself. We need to… She paused. What even did she need to do at this point? Hang out until the movie ended? No, that’s not right. I want to find them. Come on Maria, snap out of it and stop staring. We need to find them. Images of the wild-man and Rickard flashed through her mind and she began searching.

People crowded around the doorways. They lounged with no apparent hurry to get anywhere. She forced her way to the nearest door and froze. There were soft wet noises and subtle moans coming from inside. A few unpleasant ideas ran through her mind about what could be making those noises. She looked back toward some of the least clothed teens and bit her lip. She really didn’t want to know what was going on in there, but that would not stop her now. She pushed past those crowding the doorway and into the new room.

Piles of teens spilled out and sprawled over the floor scattered in loose groupings beside piles of clothes, bottles, red solo cups, cigars, and bags of pills and some plant that looked like a cooking herb to her. The scene was a train wreck of bodies that she couldn’t pull herself away from. The groups literally writhed as the individuals flitted their mouths up and down the exposed flesh of their peers in some kind of rhythmic carnal ritual. Occasional giggles or gasps erupted as hands, lips, or other body parts explored forbidden fruits with a seeming reckless abandon.

A few mechanical clicks issued to her right followed by a sweet earthy smell that relaxed her. She broke away from staring at the wreck to see what was happening. A group she had completely missed sat in the corner passing a cigar around. A few coughed as they took a drag and passed it on. Whatever was in the cigar smelled sweet. Maria’s father often smoked a cigar after dinner. She had always hated that smell. It was repulsive. This was different. She took a few steps closer. This was something she wanted to try.

Thin arms wrapped around her midsection and gently pulled her away. Maria looked down and froze for a moment. Soft feminine hands danced across her abdomen before settling with firm grips around her waist. Shivers shot down her spine as a soft nose pressed into her long hair and through to her neck. Soft kisses shot sparks that terrified and confused her. She let out a soft gasp and pushed back into the figure behind her. It kissed up her neck to her ear and stopped only to let out a low purring sound.

“Wha-what do you think you’re doing?” Maria said, shocked that she wasn’t pulling away.

The lady responded with a playful catlike noise and buried her head into Maria’s hair as if to inhale her scent before nibbling on Maria’s ear.

She let out a gasp. “Stop that. This isn’t funny.” She pulled away. “Come on. What’s with you?”

The lady playfully pulled Maria back into her arms, but it didn’t feel like a threat. It was nothing like Chad’s aggressive, domineering behavior. This was softer, almost pleading. Inviting even. Maria had no intention of complying, but fell back into the woman’s arms despite her internal protest.

There was a soft nuzzle at Maria’s ear, then a whisper. “You’re so soft and warm. You should dance with me.” She giggled. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Maria turned around in her arms to see who this woman was. She was young. Maybe late teens or early twenties. It was difficult to tell. She wore a gaudy shade of sanguine lipstick that complimented the red streaks in her otherwise jet black hair. Maria took a step back, her hand autonomously reaching for the girl’s arms and following them out until their hands entwined. She wore a tight fitting black sports bra, and a miniskirt that barely qualified as more than lingerie. Green and pink fishnets checkered up her arms and down her torso. They disappeared at her skirt only to reappear halfway down her legs and lead to a pair of ridiculously tall stilettos Maria would never be able to stand in. Even with the boost from the heels, her eyes could barely meet Maria’s.

She wanted to tell the girl off for sexually assaulting her, but something about the way she looked at her smiling excitedly disarmed her. Maria was beside herself. She wanted to say no. To leave. Yet another part of her wanted to say yes. Maria looked into the girl’s deep hazel eyes and blushed. What the hell, why not take her up on the offer? She needed a guide anyway. Rickard had denied her, but this person seemed happy to see her. Maria’s heart leapt at that thought. But she also knew she should leave. This lady had grabbed and touched her inappropriately. She knew better than to let herself get treated like that.

The girl swayed their interlaced hands like an excited child waiting for the right answer. “Come on. You don’t want to head down there alone, do ya?”

She stopped to think about it. She didn’t know where she was going from here, or where this “down there” was. She gave a nervous look around. Judging by what everyone else was up to, it wasn’t wise to stay alone. She needed a friend to guide her through things. She looked back at the girl who smiled expectantly at her. That was more of a reaction than she ever got from Liz, and that was enough to cement everything.

“I don’t even know your name.” Maria said.

The girl’s eyes lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July. “They call me Jacky,” she threw Maria a mischievous grin, “and who may I ask do I have the pleasure of escorting tonight?”