Passion's a Prison

Brittney walked down the dark New York streets, hugging her jacket close to her body. Silent winds twirled her mahogany hair around her. Her walk home seemed to take longer than usual. Everything around her seemed different than usual. But what did she know? She usually left earlier than this. A sudden, small scuffle behind her startled her. Turning around slowly, Brittney looked at the dark street behind her and sighed in relief. It was just an old fast food bag.

Turning back around and heading home, Brittney cursed her boss for keeping her late. Instead of letting her leave at the end of her seven-thirty shift, he had her stay back. Apparently he had a dinner date for his anniversary and asked Brittney to stay behind and close-up-shop. This angered Brittney a lot. She could have been at home on her couch watching CSI. But no, instead she was walking home at ten-thirty, scared out of her mind.

The dark streets closed in around Brittney, seemingly darker than normal. Even the lit area under the lamp post seemed ominous and forbidding. In a hurry to get home, Brittney turned down an alleyway, that was a familiar short-cut to her house. Her breath hitched in her throat. At the end of the alley stood a tall, lone figure, silhouetted against the moon's shine. Brittney slowed her pace to a cautious, slow step.

She weighed her chances of getting out of the alley without getting caught by the man at the end of the alley. She was roughly fifty feet from the stranger and at least one hundred from the entrance from which she came. Her chances didn't seem very promising seeing as she was a very clumsy person. She chanced that she would fall just before making out of the alley, leaving her vulnerable to attack.

Brittney decided that the best way to go about getting away would to slowly retreat to the entrance, trying not to make herself seem like a threat... or prey.

Slowly, Brittney turned on her heel and walked to the mouth of the alley. She didn't look back, or think about the strange figure; her mind was firmly set on getting home and hiding under the covers of her bed for the rest of her life. A soft, sudden shuffle and a sigh sounded from behind. Cautiously looking behind her, Brittney held her breath. The alley panned out in front of her, but nothing was there that could have made the noise. And then it occurred to her: nothing was in the alley. The shadow of the mysterious man was no longer standing at the exit.

Not waiting a moment longer, Brittney turned around and sprinted to the open streets, not stopping or slowing down for anything. Once Brittney thought it was safe, a tall man stepped out from a near-by alley, startling the young woman. She skidded to a halt, wrapping her arms securely around her body. She was sure that it was the same man from the alley.

The tall shadow turned to face her, it's face still hidden in the shadows, but Brittney could see that he had blonde hair. She backed up slowly, walking under the dim light of the street lamp. The man walked toward her, taking very slow, deliberate steps. Piece by piece, the man slowly showed features as he stepped into the pool of light.

The first thing Brittney saw was a casual emotion on his face. He had a soft smile, as if he was amused by the fact that she was cowering from him. The next she noticed were his eyes. They were slowly fading from a deep topaz to a dark onyx; that feature is what frightened and mesmerized her most. They were so entrancing, like they had some sort of power to erase all thoughts from her mind. When she tore her gaze away from his, her eyes roamed his face. It seemed oddly stiff and pale, but what could she tell?

The pole of the light and Brittney's back came into contact. It was so sudden, and so cold, that Brittney jumped with fright and let a small whimper escape from her mouth. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she looked up at the man with wide eyes. He looked down on her, and Brittney could see that he was debating on something. Then, his eyes looked resolved, he reached a hand down. Brittney flinched away, but couldn't get away from him fast enough.

His hand and her check touched; Brittney let out and audible gasp. The mans touch was so cold. Several thoughts ran through Brittney's mind; a ghost, a corpse, or some undead fictional creature that was just a figment of her imagination. She hoped to god it was the third choice. The man never moved his hand, and Brittney squeezed her eyes shut. Suddenly, the hand was gone.

Brittney opened her eyes to find herself cowering under the covers in her bedroom. She let out a sigh.

"It was just a dream," she spoke out loud, as if to make it official.

Climbing slowly out of bed, she felt a pang of unease. She looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The feeling slowly ebbed away as she showered and dressed for work, but a shadow of it lingered over her like a rain cloud. Something about the dream, she realized, seemed too realistic. But the more she stewed the thought, the more it became unclear as to what it was.

Brittney walked out of her apartment, and stepped into the lavish lobby. It made her feel more comfortable, knowing that it was busier. She pulled her mailbox key out of her purse and checked her mail. Flipping through it carelessly, Brittney found all of the same junk: bills, magazine subscriptions, letters from her parents and a plain white envelope.

Brittney stopped her flipping when she came across the envelope. Nothing was written on the front and it was heavier than a normal letter. Something about the envelope sent a shiver down her spine. She turned it over slowly, ready to open it. On the back was a wax seal, much too old fashioned for a modern envelope. She slipped the envelope, along with her other mail, into her purse and walked out into the busy New York street.

Work passed slowly and Brittney was relieved when she could finally go to lunch. Brittney couldn't have been more excited to get out of the small music store and walk to her favorite small coffee shop. The sidewalk was busy with fellow lunch breakers and it made Brittney feel secure. She hadn't taken the letter out of her purse since she first saw it that morning. But knowing that it was there made her feel like her purse weighed ten pounds heavier.

The small coffee shop slowly came into view, and Brittney rushed the rest of the way, eager to have her cup of coffee. The smell of coffee and flavored creamer overwhelmed Brittney as she stepped into the dim coffee shop. She walked up to the counter and ordered a coffee with French Vanilla cream and turned to sit at her usual table.

When she turned to sit, she stopped in her tracks, her breath caught in her throat. Sitting in her favorite over-stuffed chair was a man with blonde hair. He had his back turned to her, but a chill that ran down her back made her think that it wasn't just any man with blonde hair. Just as she was about to turn around, the man got up and turned, grabbing his jacket; Brittney relaxed immediately. The man was visibly older and had a grim look on his face.

"Regular with French Vanilla," the woman behind the counter called, holding a cup of steaming coffee.

Brittney grabbed the cup and sat down in her chair, taking a sip of the scalding drink. Her mouth burned but felt a nice rush of caffeine flush through her. Putting her cup down, she reached into her purse and pulled out the white envelope. It felt heavy in her hands, though it couldn't have weighed more than a few ounces. She took another sip of coffee before slipping a shaking finger under the waxed seal.

It popped open with ease, leaving behind a waxy red mark where it originally lay. Inside was thick, yellow paper, almost like parchment. Feeling slightly puzzled, Brittney pulled the paper out of the envelope and opened it. Written on the paper, in very neat, curvy script, was a little note, opened with Brittney's name.

She read through the letter, feeling her heart beat faster each time. That feeling she had early this morning had re-surfaced. That feeling of unease settled on her shoulders, and this time it didn't fade. It poked and prodded at her mind, until she finally turned around, unable to ignore the feeling any longer.

Sitting behind her, in the very corner of the shop, was the man from her dream. Brittney stared at the man, and didn't make any kind of movement. For several minutes, they stared at each other; neither blinking, neither breathing. The man gazed at her, seemingly trying to figure out what she was thinking. Which, even if he could, would be pointless, seeing as she wasn't thinking at all. It seemed that everything stopped while Brittney stared at the man. Nothing made sense, so there was no point in her trying to think of a way to make it make sense.

Finally, the man tore is gaze away and got up, walking into the men's bathroom. Brittney let out a sigh of relief. Needing to get out of there, Brittney stuffed the letter into her purse, paid for her coffee and walked briskly back to the music store.

It was dark all around her. She couldn't make out any shapes in the solid mass of dark. Brittney felt hard stone beneath her, and sat up slowly. A soft, flowing fabric gently swayed against her bare legs.

I'm wearing a dress, she thought, puzzled.

Suddenly, footsteps and rapid, unintelligible conversation erupted all around her. She was about to speak when all conversation and movement stopped. A bright light opened from above her, blinding her. Throwing her hands over her eyes, Brittney called out.

"Hello? Anyone there? Hello!"

Slowly, Brittney's vision returned, but it was still too bright for her to make a clear picture. Her eyes swept around her, and she could make out several figures standing around her. Some were tall, some were short. Some were muscular, some were scrawny. The bright light around her dimmed and the figures around her became more prominent.

Four men and three women formed a circle, closing her under the pool of light. Brittney's mind was frantic, trying to devise a plan to help her escape. She noticed the large gaps that separated the seven figures. A man and a woman laughed lightly, but neither offered an explanation.

Brittney stood up, carefully weighing her chances of escaping. They were extremely thin, but she thought she could do it. Just as she tensed to run, the group of people closed in on her, constricting the space between them, now making it impossible to escape.

Behind her, a footstep echoed. Brittney whipped around and came to face the blonde haired man. Her heart pounded behind her chest. A small amused smile appeared on his face, as if he could hear how scared and nervous she was. Just as she was about to scream, a wave of calm washed over her, making her feel peaceful and serene. The man walked closer to her, reaching out a hand.

Going against all instincts that told her not to, she reached out and took his hand, walking closer to him. The man took a hold of her other hand, and smiled at her. Mesmerized, Brittney continued to seek comfort in the mans arms. One of his arms wrapped around her waist as the other set itself securely at the base of her neck. Leaning in as if he was going to kiss her, he brought his lips to the side of her neck.