That man stopped in his tracks, bringing both him and the girl to a halt, and I watched as the two turned to face my direction. The man glared, his gaze sweeping the crowd as he and the girl searched for me.

I stalked towards the two, one tall figure and one short figure, and watched as their realization hit when they saw me. The flash of fear across his face when he saw that I was taller than him. The flash of relief when the girl saw I was here to help.

I knew I was backlit to them, so they couldn’t see my face. But as I approached, I saw that they were just as shrouded by darkness due to their distance from the dance floor.

The music blasted behind me, lights flashed around in a confusing mess, and I stomped my way up to the horrible man and his victim.

“I said,” I repeated, very much sick of creeps like this man. “What. The fuck. Is happening. Here?”

I came to a stop between them, looking down at his knuckles, white from gripping the girl’s arm so tightly, and her arm…

A flash of red light came and lit her arm up like Christmas, exposing and exaggerating the blossoming bruise before flashing away, into my face.

“Well, well, well,” I purred in a dangerous voice as I let my eyes drag up to this disgusting man’s face. My eyes widened as I found that I recognized him. “Grayson! Who knew?”

Grayson blinked up at me, and I was satisfied to find that I was taller than him. “Carissa?” he asked before scoffing and relaxing. “Mind you business, you fucking bitch. We’re busy here.”

“Well, let’s ask the lady,” I said as I turned to the girl, pissed that he called me by my old name even though he had no way of knowing I’d changed. “Want this to be my business?”

The girl, her face hidden from the shadows, moved her head to look at Grayson, and I gave him a glance as well. He was glaring dangerously at her, as if demanding with his eyes for her to say everything was fine.

“Hey, dumbass,” I bit out. “I asked the lady, not you.”

I turned back to the girl. Watched and waited for her response, verbal or visual.

And then she nodded. “Yes, please.”

That was all the answer I needed. I smiled warmly at her, unsure whether she could actually see me, but it didn’t matter. I turned to Grayson, my kind eyes suddenly as cold as a viper’s.

“So apparently this is my business, too,” I said as I took another step closer to him. “Bitch.”

And with that word, my arm lashed out to slam the side of my open hand into his wrist like a blade. It was a heavily painful blow that would force him to drop the girl’s arm, and I turned my blade hand into a fist around his wrist. Crushed his bones with my fingers, my rings digging into his fleshy arm.

I had learned how to fight when I was quite young. Just the basics of course, like how to punch and kick in case I was ever kidnapped or attacked.

Then, in high school, I took more lessons to learn about pressure points, stronger techniques, and all that relatively advanced shit. Just in case I was ever kidnapped or attacked.

And when I joined the brothel, they had me learn more self defense. How to wrestle, proper ways to fight, and such. Tricks to take down people bigger than me, those more advanced and better trained, and everyone else.

Grayson was, thankfully, the worst of the worst when it came to fighting. He didn’t have much muscle at all and he didn’t know where, how, and when to punch. It was an easy manner to kick him in the dick with the spiky toe of my large heeled boots beforing kneeing him in the stomach, using the way he curled over to cradle his stomach to shove the heel of my hand to his nose, effectively breaking it.

Then my hand on his wrist twisted and shoved forward, slamming him into the wall and causing his head to snap back with a crack as it hit the wall.

I’m pretty sure that he was unconscious, judging from the way he slumped down the wall, limp and helpless. The bleeding of his nose dribbled down his shirt and smeared all over his face.

But then he tilted his head to the side and I leaned in to him. He tried to blink his eyes open, groaning as he focused on me.

“How fucking… dare you… you bitch…” he groaned out and I laughed.

“No,” I told him after a scoff. “How fucking dare you, motherfucker.”

And with that, I slammed my foot into his already broken nose. If the pain didn’t knock him out, the impact would.

I scraped my kicking foot on the ground to smear off any blood, dusting my hands off as if to rid his germs from my (not in any way) clean hands.

Then I turned to the girl. She was shivering and swaying on her feet, clutching the strap of her small bag. Her white bag. Hung on her body with a chain…

A gold chain, I realized, as a flash of light sparkled off of the chain.

What in the fucking hell…

This was Lily!

Closing my dropped jaw immediately, I smiled kindly. “Are you okay?”

“Yep,” she mumbled quietly.

She didn’t look okay. She was swaying gently as if moving to a slight breeze even though the air was still. She had a grim expression that I could just barely make out in the dim lighting.

“You sure?” I asked, taking a step closer. She swayed more, and I stopped myself from holding my arms out to catch her. She had just been molested, I doubt she’d want to be touched. “You look… well, sick or something.”

“Yeah, no, I-I just…”

And then she collapsed, and I had no choice but to catch her.

I say ‘no choice’ for two reasons. First, the reason I tell myself. She had fainted, and it would only be kind to catch her. Incredibly rude to just let her fall to the floor.

But even as I tried to convince myself of this, there was a second reason hidden in my subconscious that I neglected to admit. My arms stuck themselves out to catch her, but I refused to let myself admit why. And because of that, I had no idea why.

That was how I found myself hoisting an unconscious Lily into a bridal carry as I walked through the restaurant and bar. Went over to a darkened corner where there was a small couch and laid her gently on the cushion.

How in hell did I get myself into this situation?

Well, it was about six in the afternoon when I finally remembered the high school reunion party. It was really lucky that I had told Doe a week ago that I was going to be taking the night off for that party. She was happy to let me take the night off, but I did tell her I’d try to make it in the morning.

Then I spent the next half hour raiding my closet for something that wasn’t too whorish, eventually coming across a pair of black ripped jeans and a dark red cropped hoodie. I wore fishnet tights under my jeans and my signature really tall black boots.

Then it was just a matter of time before I remembered that I’d have to walk, all the way to the bar. I groaned as I dragged myself out of my house, locked it behind me, and started my way down my street.

It was twenty minutes till eight when I finally arrived at the bar, the neon sign drawing my attention immediately. I was rather tired, of course, though not drastically, so I took a deep breath and walked to the door.

The bouncer was a tall, stocky man with short bleached blonde hair that contrasted with his dark skin.

“Name?” he asked in a deep baritone voice.

“Raven,” I told him. “Raven Paek.” When he didn’t respond, I told him, “I might be under Carissa Paek.”

“Ah, yes,” he said as he marked something on the tablet. “Here you are. Go right in.”

I nodded and gave him a smile before stepping past him and into the bar through the door he held open for me.

It was crazy inside. All of the people were either drinking their bank’s contents worth of alcohol or dancing their souls out on the dark, colorful dance floor. I laughed to myself as I remembered a night just last week when I came here with some members from the brothel. It was sort of a part of the job, going out to parties and advertising our brothel, but it was fun, too… well, it usually was.

I went straight to the bar and slid onto an empty barstool. Gave the menu a quick glance before deciding to go with my usual.

“Red Devil,” I said simply, and the bartender nodded.

I watched as he quietly pulled the ingredients up onto the bar in front of me, scooping ice into a shaker before mixing the various alcohols together in it with a fancy series of flourishes.

I diverted my attention when he got to the juice and grenadine, listening to him shake it as I watched the dancers. That was when I noticed a drunk girl.

Amusedly, I watched as she stumbled towards the dark back, away from the booming speakers and flashing lights. There were always fun people at parties.

I chuckled to myself as I moved to turn back around, but then something caught my eye. A dark figure, tall and intimidating in the shadows, dragging that stumbling girl. I whipped back around even as I heard the clink of my drink on the counter.

“Hold this for me,” I said to the guy behind the bar as I pushed from the stool I was sitting on.

I stalked closer to the two, watching for signs of struggle.

And I saw it.

He turned and slammed his hand into her throat, whispering something most likely threatening in her face. I could tell she was crying based on the shivering and jerking motions of her shoulders and overall body.

I growled in disgust as I watched him drag his hand from her throat and down to her boobs and groped her like the dick he was.

The girl seemed stunned, rooted in place as he dropped her boob and turned back around.

I couldn’t take it anymore, so I called out.

“Hey! What the fuck’s happening here?”

And that was how I found myself in this situation.

I groaned, dropping my forehead into my palm as I peeked at the unconscious girl on the couch. Even unconscious and terrified, she was graceful.

But wow, holy fuck, I’m in a bit of a shitty situation. Damn.

I rubbed my temples as I stood and went to the bar, deciding to pick up my Red Devil along with a glass of water for Lily when she rises from her unconsciousness.

Picked up the two glasses before I rushed back to her side. She was still sleeping peacefully, thankfully, and I sat in one of the chairs beside the couch, setting the glass of water on the small table in front of us. Took a sip of the blood-red liquid from the small glass in my hand and waited. Watched the sleeping beauty as she rested while I slowly finished my Red Devil.

I had finished my Red Devil long before she finally began to stir, maybe about thirty minutes later? I wasn’t sure, but it felt like an eternity as I watched her sleep. And I wasn’t upset about that.

I was trying to do something on my phone, but my gaze kept on wandering back to her sleeping face. She looked so fucking peaceful now, and I wasn’t sure why it was so captivating.

But then she groaned and started to move, and I immediately dropped my gaze to my phone. Who’s staring? Not me!

I don’t know why it was all of a sudden such an embarrassing notion that I had been watching her, but I felt my cheeks warm…

How the fuck? I’m never embarrassed, and my cheeks never get warm…

Well… not since high school, at least.

But when she blinked her eyes open, I pretended I had just heard a noise and looked up, meeting her disoriented gaze. Sat up straighter as I pushed my phone into my pocket.

“Oh, you’re awake,” I said as I leaned forward, grabbing the glass of water off the table and handed it to her. “How are you feeling?”

She blinked blearily at me, then the glass in my outstretched hand, then back at me. Took the glass as I stood and began to help her sit up. Gently lifted her hand to bring the glass of water to her lips.

Sat back down as she quietly gulped the entire glass in one go. When she was done, she set the glass back on the table, her hands flitting around her face. I was assuming that she didn’t want to touch her face due to makeup, and I could relate. I was wearing eyeliner and mascara, along with my usual dark red lipstick, though she seemed to be wearing a bit more than I was.

“H-hi,” she finally said, blinking back up at me as she settled for rubbing the back of her neck. “Uhm, thanks for, uh, saving me.”

I laughed. “No problem.”

She smiled weakly, and I noticed that her shivering started again.

“I-I’m so sorry for being a…” she paused, looking like she was looking for the right word. “…burden on you.”

“No, no,” I reassured her. “It was no problem, really. Dicks like him deserve everything they get.”

“Th-thanks,” she murmured, and I could tell she was blushing again, even in the darkness. “I’m Lily, by the way. Lily Miracle.”

“Oh, right, Lily!” I exclaimed, pretending as if I didn’t know it was her. “Oh, wow, it’s been so long!”

“Huh?” she asked, squinting her eyes and tilting her head. I had a hunch that she was still a little bit drunk, and it felt reassuring. Hopefully she wouldn’t remember this in the morning.

“I’m Raven,” I told her, reaching out a hand. “Raven Paek, though you might remember me as Carissa.”

She looked at me, confused, as she slowly took my hand. Then her eyes widened with shock as she exclaimed, “Holy shit, Carissa!”

I laughed as she shook my hand vigorously.

“How’ve you been since we graduated?” I asked her. I knew what she had been up to (especially recently), of course, but she didn’t know that. “Are you doing well?”

“Yeah,” she said as we dropped our hands. “I’m a pediatrician, the owner of Floral Futures. I work with my sister.”

“Your sister?” I asked. This part, I didn’t know. Owner? “Do you mean Diane?”

“Yep!” she replied, nodding enthusiastically. “So what’ve you been doing?”

Uh-oh, the question I feared being asked.

“Oh, I have a Bachelor’s Degree in music and psychology,” I told her.

“Wow, really?” she continued. “What sort of music and psychology?”

“Well, musicology, composition, various instruments and conducting, and that sort of thing,” I said, dragging my brain back into the depths of my memory. “And for psychology, I studied the general fundamentals of behavior and mental processes.” I shrugged. “The basics.”

“Well, damn,” she said with awe. “That’s so cool.”

And for some reason, those inconsequential words swirled in my heart. How they got through my barricade, I didn’t know, but they were creating this feeling in the pit of my stomach…

I’ve felt this before.

NO, nope! Definitely not! Not today, not tomorrow, not ever!

I grit my teeth and clenched my fists, out of her view of course, as I tracked those feelings down and crushed them like ants. I would have none of whatever that was! Not as a prostitute, not with the life I led.

I smiled, covering my grinding teeth with my lips as I had always done. I’d forever been an immaculate actress, so this was easy. It should be easy. I was fine, at least to her.

“Thank you!” I told her as sincerely as I could manage. “But that’s nothing, I mean, you’re a doctor!”

She laughed sheepishly. “I guess, erm, yeah. I mean, my parents always wanted me to, like, hit it big, I guess, so…”

“Really?” I said. I knew this, of course, from our first session two and a half weeks ago. However, only Orchid knew this. Raven did not. “But are you at least happy?”

She inquisitively looked up as she gave it thought. Then a blush started to creep over her face as she dropped her gaze before mumbling, “Y-yes.”