The bass pounded around me, dissolving everything. Nobody mattered now, nobody could be seen or heard. For this time, right this second, nothing else existed. Just me and the sound. I set my fingers on the treble, bass, and mid sliders and waited for the right moment. I listened as the song began to build, to lift everyone in the club, and waited until its peak.
I braced my self and at the right moment I threw my head back as two of my fingers slid towards myself and the third slammed its slider to max. The bass hit everyone, myself included, like a punch in the chest. It could be felt pulsing in time with my erratic heart beats and I smiled as I began bobbing my head in time with the beats again.
It was always like this on stage. I ignored the world around me save for the feeling of the room. I could see now that the audience was beginning to wind down. I checked the clock on the back wall and smiled. There were only a few more minutes of my set anyways and then I would leave. I motioned for the girl who was going after me to get ready to set up.
The table at this particular club had two booths for the D.J.s. The girl next to me smiled at me as she plugged her laptop into the booth next to mine and I smiled politely back. She had been at my past three shows, every time she had closed the show after my set. I had heard she was good at keeping the spirit of the crowd high, but also making sure they didn't leave the club exhausted. That was probably why they always had her go after me.
The girl went back to setting up and I couldn't help but stare. She was shorter than me, but far bustier. She had long legs despite her short frame and long red hair.
I frowned. What good would it do me to admire how hot this chick was? It's not like I could ask her out. I sighed and if it had made any noise it would have been devoured by my last song.
The girl smiled at me and gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled back one last time before unplugging my laptop and stepping quickly through the back stage door. As I walked through the back rooms, trying to find my boss and consequently, my paycheck, I heard the other girl shouting into her microphone, "Give it up for D.J. PON-3, everybody." The crowd roared and I hung my head. I really wished at least once I could say that part.
"Are you guys ready for the sounds of N.L.R?" she asked. The crowd roared once again and the music started. It was a soft and seemingly bittersweet sound that somehow managed to keep the energy up. I grinned as it played. It was good.
I stepped into the back room and saw the owner of the club typing on his computer. Filthy Rich wasn't hard to work for, but he could be kinda stingy about our paychecks. I leaned against the door frame and rapped my knuckles on the door.
Filthy looked up at me and smiled. "Hello, Miss Scratch." He said as he stood from the desk and grabbed an envelope. "Great show tonight. I take it you're here for this?" He asked as he held out my check.
I smiled and nodded and grabbed the paper from his hand. He sat back at his desk as I ripped the envelope open and stared at the number. I frowned and mentally began running through the math. I had done four shows this week, and I charged one-hundred and twenty-five dollars an hour for a show. Most of my shows had been two hours long. However, the number on the check was only eight hundred. My frown became deeper as I slammed my check on his desk.
Filthy jumped and grinned at me sheepishly. "Guess I can't hire the best and expect cheap, huh?" he asked. I simply pulled off my glasses and allowed him to see the anger in my crimson eyes. I did not like being ripped off. He sighed and took the check from me before pulling out a blank one and writing the correct amount. "Sorry, Vinyl." he said as he handed me the correct check. "The girl that goes on after you demanded a raise and I was hoping to save some money."
I shrugged and walked away. Had he asked me about a discount on my shows and explained the situation to me I would have happily charged him less, but considering he tried to rip me off blind, I could not have cared less. Besides, everyone in the city knew that his family wasn't exactly hurting for money. I put my glasses on and stepped into the alley behind the club.
For a moment I considered going back in and listening to N.L.R. play, but I decided against it. I began walking to my apartment on the other side of town and put my headphones on. I didn't dare turn on the music in this part of town, I needed to be alert, but it was a good way to ignore people without seeming rude. They just assume that you can't hear them and go bother somebody else.
I shivered and zipped up my white jacket as a breeze tore through me. It was only October, but it had already grown extremely cold at night. I considered hailing a cab, but decided against it. Finding one at this time of night would be difficult, finding one that would that I could give my address would be nearly impossible.
I sighed again silently. It was going to be a long, cold walk home. I found myself wondering about buying a new jacket. I didn't like buying from people I didn't know because they would either gush over the fact that I was in their store, or they would think I was rude for not speaking and annoy me about how rude I am. I did know a girl I went to high-school with who owned a boutique, but I wasn't comfortable with the idea of buying a jacket from a boutique. Besides, Rarity was the type who talked non-stop about gossip and while I didn't exactly mind, there wasn't much point to me knowing everyone else's business.
I stopped my musing as I heard something. I took my headphones off and strained my ears. I didn't know what I heard, but it was loud. A loud bang echoed from an alley behind a nearby bar. I stepped close to the bar, curious as to what was going on. Another loud bang sounded through the alley and a woman cried, "Get away from me!"
I ran into the alley and froze. Two men had a girl cornered in the alley. She was a small girl, wearing a slightly dirty gray suit. Her hair was a darker shade of gray and her she wore a large instrument case across her back. She had a pink bow-tie and pink eyes. Those eyes were now locked into an angry glare against the two guys before her.
I gasped, thankful for my inability to produce sound. Her face was pointed and beautiful and slightly familiar. Tears and dirt covered her face as she grabbed another brick and threw it at the men, missing by a wide margin.
The men were leather clad thugs, each with a blue bandanna tied around their forearms. They chuckled darkly as the brick sailed smoothly past their heads.
"I said get away!" The woman yelled again. Her voice was as beautiful as she was. Soft and refined with a hint of a childish squeak.
Then one of the thugs spoke. "I don't appreciate you throwing things at us." He said, his voice was as repulsive as he was, it sounded like he smoked a carton a day and ate rock and sandpaper soup for dinner. "We was just offering you a place to stay."
"Leave me alone." the girl said softly, all of the energy and fire in her eyes evaporating as the dread visibly washed over her. I could see it in those beautiful pink eyes, she knew she was doomed.
I felt something then. Something in the pit of my stomach that burned. Something that I had used to make sure I never had to watch somebody who was helpless suffer. I had seen the look in her eyes before and it got me fired up. I never wanted to see that look on anyone else's face.
I picked up one of the bricks that had landed close to me and slowly walked behind the thugs. The girl's eyes flicked to me for a moment and in that moment I saw a spark of hope in her eyes. She quickly averted her gaze, no doubt making sure the thugs wouldn't notice me. I grinned as I slid another step forward, this girl was pretty and smart. She probably wasn't nearly as helpless as these two guys thought she was.
One of the guys stepped forward and grabbed the girl by the neck, I quickly dropped the bag I kept my laptop in and ran forward, I didn't want it getting in my way. I jumped in the air and used all of my body weight to slam the brink into the back of the second guy's neck. With a loud cry he fell to the ground.
The other guy released the girl and charged at me. I stepped out of his reach and threw the brick at his head. He dodged it and stepped towards me tucking his arms into his torso and covering his face with his fists. I knew enough about fighting to know a genuine boxing stance when I saw one and I felt a twinge of fear.
He stepped forward and hit me with a straight. I kept my arms up to keep the blow from hitting my face, but it was still enough to send me reeling. I checked his guard as his punch landed, hoping he would give me an opening. To my severe disappointment, he did not. I slid to a stop a few feet from the man. Had I not locked my legs, I would have been on the ground.
He stepped forwards again and rolled his shoulder. I brought my arms up to protect my face again, but his blow landed in my ribs. I doubled over as the breath left my body and he brought a swift knee into my forehead. I felt something wet slide down my face as I hit the ground and my vision started blurring. I tried rolling over to get to my feet, but a swift kick to my already sore ribs dropped me back down on my back.
The man stood over me, glaring. I recognized the look in those dark green eyes. This man was a killer. If I didn't do something quick I was dead. I smiled as I realized that I had been in this much danger before. The man straddled my waist and started punching me in the face. I guess he had no problems beating a defenseless girl. I spit out a mouthful of blood as my head rolled to the side with his punches.
One of my eyes was already swelling shut and I was pretty sure my glasses had been lost along the way. I hadn't even noticed them being gone. I stared up at the man, the fire had not left his eyes, but he had stopped hitting me for the moment. I shuddered as I imagined what he must have been thinking.
I looked down at myself and realized that the zipper on my jacket had been torn off at some point. My shirt was a simple fishnet with a sports bra underneath. I probably would have blushed if I hadn't been so scared. The man stared at my chest with a hungry look in his eyes and I slowly stretched my fingers to a nearby brick, hoping against hope that he would keep his attention focused there for just another minute or so.
He forcefully grabbed me and, despite the fact that I knew it wouldn't make a sound, I tried to yell. I involuntarily twitched my hand away from the brick. Damn it, I thought, I need to keep focus. If he can satisfy himself with just touching me, as much as I hate it, I can bash his head in. He squeezed and kneaded my chest with his hands as my fingers brushed against the brick.
My eyes widened as his hands slid down my waist and he started fumbling with the buckle of my belt. There's no way the creep is gonna try that is there? I knew the second I had the thought that I was completely wrong. That's what they had been trying with the other girl before I showed up, and that's what he'd try to do to me.
I shuddered in revulsion as I realized I had been forgetting something. Where was the other girl? I turned my head slightly to look for her, but she was not where she had been sitting during my initial scrape with the man.
He finally managed to undo my belt and was in the process of pulling down my jeans, smiling a sick smile to himself, when I finally noticed where the other girl was. She was standing behind him, slowly inching forward with a brick in her hand. Her eyes widened as she realized what the creep was in the process of doing to me and she inched forward more quickly than before.
I wanted to let her know that she could hurry, that he was too focused on me to notice her, but I didn't even dare to look at her. The man finally slipped my pants down to my ankles, despite my thrashing. Now I was wearing only my underwear, a fishnet shirt, and a ripped jacket. I shivered on the cold ground as a tear fell down my face.
Please hurry, I thought, I don't want this guy touching me anymore.
The girl was now standing directly above the man and in one swift motion she brought the brick down. She had, apparently, been aiming for the back of his neck, probably hoping to drop him like I had his friend. However, she missed and simply hit him in the back. He roared in rage as he stood and backhanded her across her face.
I stood as quickly as I could, simply kicking my pants away. I didn't take the time to pull them up, because I was worried for the girl.
He grabbed the brick from her hand and slammed it into the side of her head. Blood flowed from the wound as her legs gave out under her. She was still conscious, staring at him as he hovered over her. He raised the brick above his head, completely ready to kill this girl. I wasn't going to let that happen.
Before he could swing his arm down I ran behind him and sent a kick straight between his legs. He released the brick and fell to his knees. He turned to face me with fury etched into his features. "You bitch." He grunted.
I picked up the brick he had dropped my fury rising every second as I thought about what this man was going to do. He was going to kill this girl, have his way with me, and then probably kill me too. I slammed the brick into the side of his head and he hit the ground. I straddled his chest and began bashing his face with the brick.
Over and over and over again I hit him. He had been knocked unconscious after the first blow, but I couldn't stop. I had to make sure that the next time this man considered hurting anyone all he could think about was pain. I even realized after about the tenth swing that if nothing stopped me, I probably wouldn't stop until he was dead. Luckily, something did.
A gentle hand landed on my back as I raised the brick for what felt like the hundredth time. The girl, unable to walk, had dragged herself to where I was and laid her hand on me. I faced her and she shook her head.
I saw the blood pouring from her head and noticed the blood dripping from my face. "Don't." she said. "You can stop."
I didn't believe her. These guys needed to die as far as I was concerned. Still, I thought as I stood and walked away from the man, she doesn't have to see that. I grabbed my pants and pulled them on around my boots, before grabbing the girl.
I took her arm over my shoulder and lifted her to stand. She pulled the strap for her instrument case tighter around her shoulder and I remembered my laptop. As we walked past it I leaned down and grabbed the bag, nearly losing my grip on the girl.
We exited the alley and I was about to turn left, to the nearest hospital, when the girl whimpered and whispered in my ear. "No hospitals." she said. I briefly considered disregarding her request, but decided against it. She had saved me just as much as I had her, and I supposed she had her reasons.
We turned to the other direction, towards my apartment and the two of us silently limped away. I tried not thinking about things on the walk. As far as I was concerned we were both okay. Sure, we were a little banged up, but we were breathing and there was no permanent damage.
The girl on my shoulder probably couldn't have walked without my support, but other than that she seemed fine. The bleeding had mostly stopped and from the looks of her, she probably wasn't doing well long before those guys started bothering her.
As for me, I could still feel tiny drops of blood dripping off my face, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been. I was having trouble seeing out of one eye, but I could still see. I assumed when the swelling went down I would be able to see just fine. The best part was knowing no matter how much physical damage they did, I still had my dignity. Although, I guessed that the look on that guy's face when he got my pants off would probably haunt me for a while.
Still, if that's what those guys did to me, I shuddered to think what they were going to do to that girl. She didn't deserve for anything like that to happen to her... no one did. She stayed silent through the walk, I guessed it was so she could concentrate on moving. As bad as she had looked not five minutes before, it was probably taking a lot out of her to walk.
After about fifteen minutes we made it to my apartment complex. Luckily this was one of the higher end apartments and we had an elevator to take us to my floor. When we made it in the elevator and I pressed the button for the top floor the girl spoke. "Is this where you live?" she asked. I hadn't even thought about where to take her. It dawned on me that I was bringing a stranger to my place.
I nodded. "Thank you for bringing me here..." she hesitated. "I didn't really have anywhere to go." She shot me a look and hastily added, "Not that I think I'm staying or anything, I just assumed you were bringing me here so we could nurse our wounds."
I grinned at her and shook my head. I hadn't even been thinking about doctoring ourselves, it was just, after a night like that I guess I went home on auto-pilot. Then her words struck me. She didn't have anywhere to go. I looked again at her dirty suit and wondered if that alley had been her home for the night.
Apparently she caught me staring, because she blushed and said, "I'm not homeless because I'm a bum or because anything's wrong with me." She sighed sadly and I felt a pain in my chest. "I just got kicked out of my house a week or so ago. Then, two days ago they had found me sleeping in the practice room for my orchestra. Once they found out I was homeless they kicked me out."
The elevator dinged and stopped at my floor and I grabbed the girl's arm and led her to my apartment. We reached my door and I motioned for her to lean against the wall while I got the door and she complied. "You're very quiet, aren't you?" she asked.
I simply unlocked the door and motioned for her to go inside. She limped her way in and quickly found my couch before plopping down heavily and resting her instrument case on the floor. "Oh my god, this couch is soft!" she moaned. She quickly nestled herself in the cushions and I smiled at the sight. I supposed this was the part where most people would say 'make yourself at home'. I was glad she didn't need me to say that.
I went to my bathroom and grabbed my first aid kit. I probably had everything I would need in there, but I hadn't checked in in months. I opened it and quickly scanned the contents. Bandages, gauze, rubbing alcohol, needle and thread, and pain medicine. I nodded to myself as I marched the kit into the living room.
The girl was standing near the door when I came in. I raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm sorry." she said. "I made myself comfortable without even thinking."
I laughed, which as far as looks went was kind of creepy. To anyone who saw me laugh it was just me opening my mouth and shaking my shoulders.
The girl frowned and approached me. "You can't talk, can you?" she asked.
I shook my head. Guess she figured it out. "You're Vinyl, aren't you." I nodded. She smiled, "I thought you looked familiar. We went to school together."
I stared at her for a moment before I remembered. We hadn't hung out at school, but I definitely remembered her. She smiled. "Do you remember me?"
I shook my hand at her, trying to indicate that I only kind of remembered her. "I'm Octavia. Octavia Melody." I nodded. Octavia, that was her name. She had been at the school when I helped those magic girls beat the sirens. She had also been there when there was a problem at the Friendship Games. I smiled at her and held out a hand.
She shook it and giggled slightly. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you sooner." she said. "You look exactly the same as you did in school. I don't know what took me so long."
Maybe because we were both nearly killed tonight? I thought with a frown, but quickly dispelled the thoughts at Octavia's concerned expression.
"Thank you, by the way." she said. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there tonight."
I didn't want to think about it. Still, I'm glad this beautiful girl in my living room knew my situation. I didn't have to (literally) spell it out for her. She seemed uneasy, though. I smiled and gently pulled on her sleeve. She snapped her attention back to me and I nodded towards the couch.
She smiled and limped to the couch, sitting on the edge. She still seemed tense as I pulled out the pain medicine and alcohol. I began doctoring her wound on her head and she winced. "I'm sorry..." she said.
I stopped wiping away her blood for a moment to tilt her head so her eyes would meet mine. When they did I shook my head. You have nothing to be sorry for.
She sighed and nodded. "I understand." she said. "Still, I wish you hadn't had to help me... because you did... he nearly..." I quickly slapped the back of her hand with my free one and continued to wipe the blood away from her head. Now that I could see it more clearly I was silently grateful. It was merely a scratch and I hadn't been thrilled at the idea of trying to give her stitches myself.
"I really am grateful to you, Vinyl." She said as I applied alcohol to her head. "I wish I had some way to pay back."
I shrugged. Don't worry about it. I was glad to help. It's not like I coulda sat back and done nothing. She smiled at me as I placed a large bandage on her cut.
I returned her smile and began wiping the blood off of my own face. "Let me." she said, her fingers brushing against mine as she took the cloth from me. I felt heat rising to my face at the contact. I stayed still and (obviously) silent while she continued to give my face the same treatment I had given hers.
"There." she said several minutes later as I felt her place a bandage on my forehead. She smiled at me and said, "Much better."
I smiled back and simply stared at her. She looked flustered for a moment and opened her mouth to speak. However, that was the exact moment her stomach growled loudly enough to wake my downstairs neighbors.
She blushed and sank further into the couch as I laughed my silent laugh again. I held up my finger and went to my kitchen motioning for her to follow me. I sat Octavia at the table and started rummaging through my fridge. I quickly gathered some sandwich meats and cheese. As loudly as her stomach growled I didn't think she would want to wait for me to cook something.
I pulled the loaf of bread out of my pantry and sat the ingredients on the counter. I quickly made a stack of sandwiches, feeling pretty hungry myself, and sat them on the table in front of Octavia. She smiled at me and immediately grabbed one for herself, tearing into in with fervor. I smiled as she wolfed down two of them and I quietly nibbled on my own.
I leaned against the far wall and looked into the living room and noticed her instrument case laid next to the couch. I wonder what happened...
I looked over at Octavia as she was slowly working on sandwich number three. She looked like a mess, now that I actually took a minute to look at her. Sure, she was gorgeous, but what I didn't notice in the alley was very visible in my apartment.
Her cheeks were gaunt, as if she hadn't eaten in the entire week she had been homeless. She was also dirty, but I couldn't really fault her for that. If I had been living on the streets for a week I imagine I'd be kinda filthy too. He long straight hair was knotted and greasy and she had large bags under her eyes.
I frowned as she finished her fourth sandwich. I quickly grabbed a bag of chips out of my cupboard and sat the on the table before her. "Oh, you don-"
I cut her off with a look. Eat.
She smiled and tore open the bag of chips. "Thank you, Vinyl." she said as she began pulling chips out of the bag. She tried to act more restrained eating the chips than she had the sandwiches.
A tear fell from her eye as she silently munched away. I frowned again. What would it take to make her feel better about this whole situation. She was so easy to read, I knew exactly what she was thinking. She had been saved practically by a stranger who was hurt in the process, she was eating someone else's food, and she felt like a burden.
The reason I knew so well what she was thinking, is because, if I was being honest with myself, that's what I would be thinking. I smiled as an idea formed in my mind.
I knew what to do to make her feel better.
I held up a finger to let her know I'd be right back and she nodded around a mouthful of chips. I quickly ran to my bedroom and looked at my instruments. Most people thought that some disk jockey like me couldn't actually play an instrument, but truth be told, there weren't many of them I couldn't play.
I smiled as I grabbed my acoustic guitar. I returned to the kitchen to find Octavia throwing away a ,now empty, chip bag. She turned when I walked into the kitchen. I motioned for her to sit and she complied, a bewildered expression on her face. I ran through a few notes experimentally, just to make sure it was still tuned and then smiled as I began to play.
The song I had picked was an acoustic version of an upbeat rock song and I smiled as I mentally sang the lyrics. I knew Octavia couldn't hear it, but I'd like to think just the music itself would be enough for her to realize I was trying to get her to smile.
The song was short with a soft sound, but an incredibly happy one nonetheless.
Some times it's a battle... at times it's a war... but you're never defensless... I didn't just sing the lyrics in my mind because I enjoyed it, it was also so I could keep track of where I was on the song.
"We go on and on and on..." Octavia sang the lyrics quietly and I almost lost my grip on the song completely at the sound of her voice. It was so soft and warm and inviting. It was a voice that didn't have to strain to be beautiful... it simply was.
She smiled as she gained confidence and she began to sing louder. She kept her rhythm in sync with my playing. She was surprisingly loud now that she had gotten enthusiastic. She stood and began swaying in time with the song and I began swaying as I played.
I was really enjoying watching her smile as she shook her head in time with the beat. This was probably as close to dancing as she would get.
She began clapping her hands while she sang and I swung my waist as I played. I enjoyed that moment more than I had enjoyed anything else that had happened that week. I smiled a sad smile at the thought.
After the song was finished I grinned at my new friend and leaned my guitar against the wall. Octavia also smiled, apparently now feeling better.
There were a few moments of silence as I thought after the song was over and Octavia simply stood in the center of the kitchen looking bashful.
"Well," she said, slowly walking towards the living room. "I appreciate all you've done tonight, Vinyl. Still, I believe it's time I got out of your way." She quickly grabbed her instrument case and began to open the door when I placed my hand on it and forced it shut. She blinked at me in surprise and I gently grabbed her arm and led her to the couch.
I reached behind the couch and grabbed my spare blanket and pillow. I kept them stashed there because I had a tendency to crash on the couch instead of my bed. I handed her the pillow and blanket and smiled. Stay here.
"I couldn't possibly impose like that, Vinyl. You've done enough today." she said hurriedly.
I glared at her and placed my hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her to lay down on the couch. She glared back for only a moment before the fire left her eyes completely.
"Fine." she mumbled. "Just for tonight. Then I'll head to the shelter in the morning."
I would have scoffed if it would have done anything other than make me make a stupid face. I released her shoulders and pointed myself, the apartment door, and then Octavia. My house is open to you.
Octavia blinked once before giggling. "If you're saying what I think you're saying, be careful. I may just believe it, and then you'll never be rid of me."
I smiled and placed my hand on her head. I was happy. She seemed to understand what I wanted to say without me writing it down, which was unusual. I didn't have any friends because I couldn't speak and I never spent time with my family because they would all just sit around feeling sorry for me.
This girl was different. She didn't feel sorry for me. She understood me and that meant more to me than I ever realized it would.
At that moment, I was hoping to never be rid of her. She smiled as I had the thought and nodded. "If nothing else we can talk about it in the morning." she said.
I nodded once and locked up the apartment before turning off the lights. I was sure she was asleep by the time the first light went out.