Yet To Be Named

The night wore an eerie feel around it as she walked down the street. They were somewhat empty at this hour and the only people she saw where homeless people and the occasional drug addict that occupied the street corners. She continued on her path as the wind picked up around her causing her to wrap her shawl tightly around her shoulders. Her long auburn hair flickered and flitted in the wind like they were doing an aerial dance. It was almost fall and the golden yellow, bright red and orange leaves littered the ground in a collage of beauty. Yet summer still tried to hold on as the cold battle the warm and amidst the battle she was caught as she let out a small shiver.

Behind her, she heard several small noises, nothing that would heed warning but at night every thing seem to amplify, every noise, every object looked deadly at first hearing or glance. tilting her head to one side, she stopped and listened. The noise appeared again but was more distinct and sounded like multiple footsteps. Thinking nothing of it, she continued on her way. She usually didn’t accept late night shifts at the small diner she worked at but money was tight and her rent was due in a couple weeks. Sighing, she pulled her shawl more tightly around her as she wished she took her jacket instead. The noises amplified as if they were right behind her causing her to swivel around to be met eye to eye with nothing. Shaking her head, she brushed it off as the wind and started walking again, her heels clicked against the sidewalk.

Just then, she heard the noise again; several people seemed to be laughing as she turned her head once again to thin air. This time, she picked up her pace and hurried down the streets as the laughter picked up again.

Her walk morphed into a gait as she hurried as homeless people begged for change in the corner of her eyes. She ignored them as she started to pick up speed. The laughter seemed to catch up to her as she turned the corner only to be face with a dead end. Panting, her chest heaving as she gasped for breathes.

The laughter gave way to heavy footsteps as she pressed herself against the alleyways wall, trying to make herself blend in to no avail.

Around the corner, 3 young men came into view. Their mouths carved into smiles. Much to her surprise they headed toward her. As they neared, she got a better look at them. They were no more than 20 and wore dirty jeans and leather jackets with grinning skulls embroidered on the breast pockets.

“Long way from home huh?” The one with the Mohawk said as he inched closer.

“Nah, she is just looking for a good time,” Another one with spiked red hair added.

She then realized that she was now in a lot of trouble and she knew there was no way to escape since they were blocking the only means of escaping.

“Well, if she’s looking for a good time, we can give her one,” the shorter one quoted as they all started to laugh.

“Please, I don’t want any trouble. Let me leave please,” She begged as she looked at each of them with teary eyes.

“What! You don’t want to have some fun?” the one with the spiky hair asked.

The rest of the group became silent as they came only a few feet from her. She darted to the left only to be grabbed around her waist and slammed against the wall.

She let out a yelp as she continued to struggle against the three who were much stronger than her.

“Mind if I cut in?” A voice from the entrance of the alleyway commented as a shadowy figure entered the small area.

“Go away, buddy. This is a private party,” The short one said as he helped the other two hold her.

“I believe the lady doesn’t want to be detained. I think it would be best if you let her go,”

“I don’t think so. Who’s going to stop us? You?”

“Exactly,” the voice said with a tone of confidence.

This sent the three men into a long laugh all the while she was struggling with all her might to escape their grasp.

Before they could stop laughing, a strange force expelled them, sending all of them flying every which way.

She slumped to the floor as her head was banged against the alleyway wall. Before she blacked out, she saw the shadowy figure grabbed the spiky haired guy by the throat. She passed out as the sound of screaming was heard.

**************************

She awoke to a darkly lit room and herself lying in a large bed covered with black silk sheets. She wondered how she got here as she glanced around the alien room. The pain in her skull throbbed, causing her to let out a slow hiss as she tried to lift herself into a sitting position. Whining, she rubbed her hand on the spot where her head made contact with the brick wall.

She suddenly remembered the thugs in the alley way and how close she was to becoming a victim; she then remembered the shadowy figure that had saved her. She found herself wondering what had happened to that figure. She inched her body towards the edge of the bed as her feet slid off and made contact with the floor below. A sudden draft hit her causing her to shiver as she soon came to realize she was naked. She uttered a gasp as she quickly grabbed one of the sheets and wrapped it tightly around her body into a makeshift dress. Double-checking to see if it was secure enough, she began to explore her surroundings.

The room was lit only by a few candles, which were spread throughout the area. They were held in place in sterling silver candle holders. There were several strange symbols etched into the metal, as she looked more closely yet she didn’t have a clue on what they meant. Her attention was soon brought to several pieces of furniture. Two large hand crafted chairs sat comfortably parallel to a large medieval fireplace set deep into the wall. Several skulls were placed in the masonry work of the stones; their hollow eyes staring expressionless as they grinned their sinister smiles as they watched her every move. Running her hands over the woodwork of the chairs, she felt warmth exchanging from her hand to the chair. Soft plush cushions were sewn in with such precision that they blended in with the rest of the wood with ease. The wood was a deep cherry oak colour and each limb curved into a clawed foot. They were beautifully carved and she wondered how long it must of took to create such perfection.

Artwork lined the walls, the soft glow of the candle light cast shadows upon the subjects’ faces, men and women in a variety of poses all of them wearing ornate clothing started down at her as shadows danced across their gaze. Beautiful rugs adorned the floors as she knelt down to get a better look. They were mostly Asian influenced yet some seem to be from India. Lavish colours and designs were woven against a backdrop of hand dyed inks and deep reds, blacks, and yellows.

*********************************

The throbbing in her head suddenly flared and the pain increased; wincing once again she eased herself into the soft interior of the armchair. She closed her eyes and began to massage the sore spot; she never heard the door opening or the sound of approaching footsteps. Only when a hand softly caressed her shoulder did she jerked open her eyes and wheel around in the chair. Leaning against the door frame was a man, his golden eyes stared at her as a smile formed. He causally leaned against the door frame as he continued to start at her with a burning intensity.

“Comfy?”

Instead of answering his question, she asked one of her own.

“Who are you?”

“I might ask you the same thing,”

‘I asked you first,”

“You will know my name in due time,” He replied as he stepped toward her.

She back stepped a few feet as he came only a few inches from her.

“One thing is for sure, that sheet does nothing for your figure,” he said.

“Well considering the circumstances it was either this sheet or me running around naked,” she replied as she gave him a stern look.

“The second option seems favorable,” Once again she gave him a glance only to be met with another smile.

“I’m sure you would,” She replied, sitting down on the bed. She hung her head low as pain once again invaded her brain. Closing her eyes, she inhaled and exhaled in hope that the pain would ease off a bit. Suddenly she felt hands on her shoulders, softly kneading her flesh. She sighed as the pain slowly ebbed away. Opening her eyes, she gave a back ward glance only to be met with the same golden hued eyes. She looked down and saw his hands slowly massaging the area between her shoulders. She studied his hands for a brief minute. Long and slender fingers gracefully slid along her flesh, causing her to sigh again. His cuticles were well manicured and she figured he had one at least a few times a month.

Suddenly realizing she was letting a strange man touch her and that only a mere bed sheet was separating the rest of her from him, she slid away from him.

“What, no thank you,”

“What do you mean thank you? You always have a habit of putting your hands on females you don’t know?”

“Only if they are pretty,” he said with a wink.

She gave a frustrated groan as she once again slid away from him. Minutes passed before either of them spoke.

“Well I don’t know about you but I’m bored as hell and it seems you need some clothes and probably a shower right?”

“You think,” she replied as she looked down at her make shift dress and then up at him.

“Well if you like you can wear my sheet but I doubt they will let you go around town in that,” He said. “ Although if someone is having a toga party, you are well suited to attend,” He gave a chuckle as he gestured to her.

“You really are a smart ass aren’t you?”

“Probably but being a smart ass isn’t a bad thing is it?”

“Only in your mind it is” she exclaimed.

“Well if you are done talking, I’ll show you to the bathroom where you can shower and when you return here clothes will be arrange on the bed for you,” he said as he looked back at her before leaving the room. She reluctantly followed him out of the door. As they were moving to the bathroom, she had the chance to fully look at him. He was talk, probably around 6”1 or so and he was definitely muscular she thought. His muscles flexed under his shirt as he walked in front of her. His hair flowed well down to the small of his back and was a light blonde; so blonde in fact it was almost white. He was dress in a press white shirt that was button down his chest where as it was matched by dark leather pants and black boots. She wondered if he was the same man who saved her from those thugs or was he a different person all together.

“Well here we are?” he said as he turned the door handle and led her into the bathroom.

Bathroom was not a word that would describe the room. It was larger than any bathroom she had ever seen. A large tub sat in the left side of the room. It had spa features such as jets and massaging options. To her right was a large shower, and the toilet and sink were straight ahead. The whole room was in an oriental style and several Serigraph paintings could be seen on the wall as well as several Botticelli and Picasso. A sound system was built into the wall so you can listen to music while you bathed. Marble counter tops laid on opposite ends of an under counter sink.

I’ll leave you to do whatever,” he said as he turned to leave “Oh, one more thing before I leave,”

“Yes?”

“How did my ass look from the behind,” he said with a smirked,

“What?”

“Come on now, I know you were checking me out,”

“I was not! And if you will excuse me, I want to clean up,” she exclaimed as she shut the door in his face.

She could hear him laughing as he headed downstairs.

“The nerve of that man,” she said as she turned on the water.

As the tub filled, she wondered if he had any bath oils lying around. Sure enough when she opened the bathroom cabinet, it was stocked with scented oils, bubble bath, moisturizers and an assortment of creams. Reading each bottle, she finally settled on rose hips and lavender. Pouring the oils into the water, a faint scent arose, filling the room with a relaxing aroma. When the water reached a reasonable depth, she tested the temperature with her toe before easing her body into the warm water. Turning off the water, she rested her head back against the rim of the tub and sighed. Silence enveloped her and the pain in her skull eased and disappeared. Everything that had recently happened vanished and only the soft drip of the faucet was heard.

An half and hour went by before she got out of the tub; she was in such a relaxed state of mind that she lost track of time and now realized how long she had been in the tub. Grabbing the robe that was hanging on a nearby hook, she wrapped herself in its warm interior. Wiping the steam from off of the mirror with the palm of her hand, she stared at her reflection.

Her slender frame was something most women would die for yet she felt she was plain and unattractive. Her hazel eyes were, some would say, her best feature. They stared deep within and held you captive in their gaze. Her long hair was wrapped up in a towel yet a few strands of the crimson locks escaped. Some called her Scarlett O'Hara because of her resemblance to the heroine from “Gone With The Wind” and she didn’t mind because that was one of her favorite films. As she stared at herself, she realized not a blemish, mole or any other imperfection marked her skin. Only a small birthmark resided on her hip. Sighing, she cleaned up her mess she had made and put the sheet into the laundry hamper.

She made her way back to the bedroom where just like he said clothes were laid out on the bed. A pressed knee length skirt that was a tan colour and that had several rose patterns along the hemline fit her perfectly and she wondered how he knew her size. A white top with an oriental design hugged her frame; it was cut into a v line in the front and showed off more than she had wanted too. She placed her feet into a pair of shoes, put her hair into a French braid and started to head downstairs.

Duel staircases met her and each wound around in an oval before connecting with a small platform before connecting to another set of stairs that led to the foray. As she stepped off of the stairs, she was taken back at the sheer size and brilliance of the place. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the crystals caught every single speck of light and twinkled in a rainbow of colours. Duel French doors with stain glass windows separated the exterior from the interior. Large windows gave the place a roomy feel as they allowed light to spill off of the Venetian rugs. It was all furnished with an oriental influence; a Hibachi Table was the main focal point in the living room. Two Dana tea chests were place on opposite ends of a leather sofa. Several lamps with a variety of designs littered the room, giving the room even more light. A Yoshida TV Armoire was the last piece of furniture in the room and was parallel to the sofa. Large rugs and paintings finished off the living room. Before she could explore more, her stomach began to rumble. Looking from left to right, she wondered where the kitchen was.