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1
The
bass pounded, the crowd screamed. The nightclub seemed to take on a life of it's own, the lights, sounds and crowd becoming
the nerves, pulse and muscles of this new being. A slender woman wearing a leather jacket leaned against a support on the
upper level, watching the pit. She had the look of a predator. She noticed the new arrival almost immediately. The man was
unremarkable, scraggly blonde hair, black 3/4-leather jacket, black T-shirt, cargo jeans and boots. Nothing special, nonetheless,
something attracted her attention to him. She watched him move through the crowd.
Down
in the pit, the man made his way slowly through the pit. The going was not easy. He got elbowed and shoved more times than
he could count, and had to fight the urge to fight back. He slipped free of the pit and approached the bar. The hairs on the
back of his neck stood on end and he peered over his shoulder. Nothing. He turned back to the bar, deftly avoiding a seat
that would put him in the mirror's perception. He sat and waited.
After an hour or
so, a young girl approached him; she was about 16 or 17, wearing very tight leather clothing, her bright red hair up in pigtails.
"Hey
there," he said.
"Hi," she said, brushing her hair back.
"You
old enough to be in here?" he asked.
"You the police?" she asked, defiantly.
He
chuckled, "Alas, no. I merely came to see an old chum of mine on stage. He doesn't even know I'm here."
She
stopped, "You know someone in Dropt?" she asked, stunned.
"Yeah, that something big?"
he asked, feigning indifference.
"I'd say it is, they're the next big thing, you know
that right? Which one do you know?"
"I think he calls himself J.W. nowadays. I knew
him when his name was James."
"Wow, that's really something isn't it? Hey, uh, do you
think you could get me backstage, you know, meet them when they're all done?"
He eyed
her confidently, he cocked an eyebrow, "I think I can arrange something...if you'll come with me around back, you know, to
kill time till they're done."
She looked at the band on stage, and then looked back
to the man, "To meet Dropt, anything," she offered her hand, "My name's Michelle."
"Nikolas,"
he said as he kissed her hand gently.
The woman on the balcony sneered as she watched
the two head for the back entrance. A slight growl escaped her lips.
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