The basement took dropping the bass to a literal extreme. The force of the music sent shock waves through Maria’s body. Massive speakers and lights crisscrossed the ceiling. Lights timed to the music cut swaths through the dimly lit dance floor, often showing Maria more than she wanted to see. Pungent, sweet smoke and machined fog billowed together and clashed in beautiful ways against a backdrop of strobing lights. It was everything she’d ever imagined something like this could be, and so much more.

Jacky led her down the stairs and into the room. Maria did her best to use this opportunity to get a good look at the layout of the floor. It was a surprisingly flat room. She had expected raised stages with cages housing exotic dancers. Simple was better. She didn’t need elements blending in from the fanfics Liz told her about. It was awkward enough as it was. The crowd itself sprawled out over the floor in a way that reminded Maria of a highschool dance. There was a mass of people in the center that dispersed the close you came to the walls, where some were already sitting or enjoying other activities. More stairways dotted the edges of the room. The DJ’s booth was on the far side of the room between two sets of stairs.

She wondered if Rickard and the others were down here. A wicked smile crept across her face at the thought of him seeing she didn’t follow his orders. It would serve the prick right. She could make her own decisions.

They made their way to the dance floor, Jacky leading her like a show pony the entire way. Maria had expected Jacky to lead them directly into the crowd and let out a sigh of relief when they stopped along one of the edges. The crowd here wasn’t dense, and there weren’t any next to nude individuals grinding on any and everything they could get their hands on like she saw elsewhere in the crowd. They settled in to dance.

Jacky whirled her body around Maria with a seductive grace that she didn’t think should be possible in such heels. Her body twisted and gyrated with an assured ease, and Maria froze. A cold panic rose from within her and coated her skin with frost. She’d never danced before. Not like this, anyway. Her eyes swirled around the party goers and back down to Jacky, taking in all their confidence and leaving her with a feeling of inadequacy. She wasn’t entirely sure she liked Jacky yet, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to be liked by her. What if she realized she couldn’t dance and abandoned her here? What if people in the crowd made fun of her and she embarrassed the poor girl? She wouldn’t be able to bear that. Her leadened hands fumbled to keep up with Jacky. How was she going to move her body and arms to the beat? Even at her best she seemed to be half a beat too late. Her breathing hastened, and the world began spinning around her.

A smooth sensation of skin on skin sent an awakening chill up her spine. Jacky had danced behind Maria and pulled her close. Her hands flickered across Maria’s midriff, leaving small sparks of fireworks in their wakes. Maria shivered as Jacky’s mouth nestled in next to her ear. “Don’t worry,” she gave her a small kiss below the ear, “I can do most of the work. You just need to stand here and look good.”

The jitters of fear didn’t disappear, but they relaxed. Maria did her best to let herself melt into Jacky. It was a slow process, akin to working cold butter into a dough opposed to just using margarine, but slowly she gained more confidence and relaxed.

Dancing was exhilarating. There was a freedom in it she’d never experienced before. Every twist and turn was a decision, one that Jacky adapted to and flowed with. Every place her hands crept or explored was met with an acceptance that bordered on fervor. Jacky’s pliability gave Maria a sense of power she’d never felt. It was intoxicating, and with each time they met eyes she wanted more. But something didn’t feel right. There was a fog around her thoughts. One she didn’t notice except when out of the corner of her eyes she saw a flash of rainbow-colored hair. As if in sync with each glimpse Jacky found her way to Maria’s front. Her hands would shoot up and tangle into her hair, then pull them nose to nose where she’d get lost in Jacky’s eyes.

Between flashes of light and fog, something else caught her attention. At first she could only feel it and thought it was residual anxiety. She threw herself deeper into the dance, diving for anything to give her the rush that had allowed her to push past the fear. The feeling only mounted the more she explored. It felt like angry eyes were boring into her from afar, and with every risque action she took they came closer. Frustrated, she sank her nails into Jacky’s back and pulled her close before going in for a kiss. Maria’s heart thundered loud and fast, and for a moment the rush pushed everything else away. She expected fireworks when their lips touched.

Instead, something hard and cold wrapped around her neck and threw her to the ground. Her body tumbled against the floor, only coming to a stop when she slammed into someone’s legs. The sudden violence caused her head to swim. This was the second time she had been rag-dolled tonight. She froze in panic. Though her head swam in confusion one thing was clear. She was in danger and whatever she’d run into earlier was definitely here, putting everyone at risk.

She didn’t want to stand. She didn’t want to face whatever this monster was, but she needed to act with little time to do it. She tried to think, but everything was so sluggish. All she could focus on was the feeling of a hand around her neck. A human hand. Was it a humanoid monster? She didn’t have time to think it through. She had to run with what she had processed and hope it was better than nothing.

Pushing herself up, she looked around hoping to find Jacky, and found her almost instantly. A large hole had formed in the crowd. A hole the ravers seemed to be pointedly ignoring. At the center of this hole were two orbiting forces. One was Jacky, whose nimbleness in those heels still stunned her. The other was the blue-eyed wild-man. When she had seen him before she wasn’t able to make out many details of his appearance. Now that she had an upfront and personal view, she could make more out. His skin was stunningly pale, like a dead and sun-bleached oak tree. His tattoos were a larger surprise. Swathes of Celtic knots covered his skin. She’d seen Celtic knots before, but nothing like these. They almost seemed to pulse with energy.

“You shouldn’t have brought the girl.” The wild man said, his voice a low gravelly growl.

Jacky rolled her eyes as she strutted. “What makes you think I dragged her here? She found her own way. I’ve merely ensured her safety as her escort.”

“Don’t lie to me, Jacqueline. Rickard told the girl to go home. I made certain of that.”

Jacky looked exasperated. “Do you really think that works? That everyone just listens to what others order them to do?”

He considered her words for a few moments. “Perhaps not, but there are other ways to ensure obedience.” He raised his hand, palm facing Jacky, and muttered a few quick words. Maria saw her dodge away, but his hand followed. A strange pressure swept over the floor, and a moment later Jacky went flying backwards and out of sight.

He turned to face Maria and made a grabbing motion. A lump formed in her throat and she wanted to run both to safety and to see if Jacky was all right. Her feet didn’t like this plan. She urged them to move, to run, and they refused her each time. She couldn’t even feel them. In fact, she couldn’t feel much of anything. She was stuck staring into his eyes, and suddenly everything seemed at peace. Her panic subsided, and she felt a heavy fatigue overcoming her.

Yes, sleep. She needed that. It had been a busy day. She’d awake tomorrow and everything would be back to normal. She shouldn’t have even come here.

The wild-man seemed to agree. He even mouthed her thoughts before she had them. No. That wasn’t it. He was pushing these thoughts into her head. She gathered what little will she had left and pushed back. No one tells me what to do.

His expression turned into one of pity, and his voice echoed in her mind. You don’t know what forces you’re dealing with. Just let me take tonight away from you and return you to safety.

She pushed harder. No! I can’t. I won’t let you take this from me. This is my chance to be cherished.

She’s using you. Can’t you see it?

The pressure building in her head grew to mind numbing levels. You’re lying! She didn’t care if it were true or not. He would not take this choice from her. Men in power had done that to her throughout her entire life. This was her life, not his or anyone else’s.

She fell to one knee. The pressure was overwhelming her, threatening to erase her entire sense of purpose. She could feel something in her mind crack and crumble. No! No! It won’t end like this. With a sudden intensity a light appeared from behind the crack in her mind, and with it there was a sense of clarity. She wasn’t certain what this was, but she threw the remainder of her will into it and pushed.

No! His voice roared. You’re not ready for that. His face contorted now with concentration. I’ll put an end to this before it starts. He winced. I’m sorry, Maria.

She flinched. How do you know my name? She wanted to know but it was too late. She had lost her concentration.. He washed over her like a tidal wave of darkness, snuffing out her light and consuming her. She faded into a whimper.