To be Maria (25 page)

            "I'm glad I have you too," Anya says, her eyes filling up with tears.

            "Well, I'm back. Hope you girls are ready to go," Alex says, appearing unexpectedly beside Maria in the doorway. He wears an angry expression on his face.

            "I didn't hear you come in," Maria says, turning to face him. She appears somewhat unaffected by his ominous presence.

            "What took you so long?" Marissa says.

            "Had to do some unfinished business."

            Anya's heart beat starts to quicken. "Unfinished business?"

            His dark eyes dance with malice. "Yeah. Some puke lied to me. Anyway, I dealt with him. He'll never screw with me again. So, are you girls ready or what?"

            "Getting there," Marissa says.

            "I still need to get ready," Maria says.

            Alex throws his arms up into the air. "Oh, come on! I thought you all would have been ready by now."

            By now, Anya's heart is racing and her legs feel like rubber.

            "Baby, we didn't know you would be so late," Marissa says, in effort to calm him.

            Alex glares at her. "You should know my business by now, Marissa. Maria, get ready. I want to get going."

            Anya turns back around so that she faces the mirror. She keeps her eyes fixed on the counter below. This is the first time she has seen him angry. And what is this 'unfinished business' all about? Why would this man lie to Alex, and what information is his lie based on? Alex has told her that he would never kill another person, but his words imply that he had inflicted harm on the person who supposedly lied to him. He may not have killed his victim, but what if he tortured him? The very thought nauseates her. She begins to believe that Alex has a side to him that neither she nor Maria yet know about; one that is cold, calculating and sinister. He is hiding the truth from them.

            The old roller dome is located in central Peach Valley, just three blocks east from the Preschnikov household. It is an area infested with drugs and prostitution. This used to be the better part of town several years ago, so Anya learnt. But the city spread out, giving rise to suburbs that have been built along the shorelines of Okanagan Lake. People from around the world are attracted to this little corner of Canada because of the surrounding, dessert-like mountains, warm, dry climate, booming economy and, of course, the lake. For this reason, the city experienced an exponential growth in population within the past decade, and it continues to grow at a fast pace. With the rush of newcomers, comes the desire to live next to the lake, or on acreage. This has resulted in a void, a void that needed to be filled by people. Central Peach Valley is that void. Unfortunately, the only people who choose to reside in this community are those who can't afford to live in suburbs and people who just don’t know what a good choice is.  

            A few people linger outside of the roller dome. It is easy to see them because they are all wearing plastic wrist and neck bracelets that glow florescent pink, yellow, purple and green in the dark. Florescent colored wigs adorn few of the peoples' heads. Music, as loud as the music inside of Solas Night Club, can be heard from inside of the building.

            As soon as Alex parks the car, he says, "I'll pay for everyone." Some of the edge has gone out of his voice, but not all of it.

            Anya can still tell that he’s angry. "Sure. Thanks," is all she can say.

            Neither Marissa or Maria respond to him.

            The four of them are met in the foyer by two bouncers: one beefy man whose head is shaved almost bald, and a taller, thin man who boasts a head full of long, bushy brown hair. Neither of them is physically attractive, yet they do not give off demeaning vibes. In fact, they greet the three young women with smiles. Neither of them seems to wonder about the brace around Anya's neck. Regardless, their welcoming attitude dispels all of the anxiety inside of her.

            "Ten bucks please," the burly man says to Alex. His voice is not as vibrant as the look on his face, Anya can tell. Maybe that's because of Alex's presence.

            "I'll give you forty. I'm paying for these three lovely ladies tonight," Alex says, shoving two twenty dollar bills into the man's outstretched hand.

            Anya arches her right eyebrow.
Do I detect a hint of jealousy here?

           
"Thanks man," he says, nodding curtly at Alex.

            "Yeah. Come on, ladies."

            Ignoring the bewildered look on the bouncer's face, Anya follows them onto the rink, but somehow, she gets separated from them in the process. The only lights that brighten the large space are the emergency lights, but even they are dim. Fast paced dance music blares from speakers that are presumably attached to two corners of the dome, high enough where people can't reach them. The music overrides every conversation on the rink.

            Anya's eyes scan the entire area. It is full of people. Their necks and wrists are adorned with the plastic glow-in-the-dark bands. Several of them even wear florescent colored wigs. The room is not too dark for Anya to notice that most of these people are under the age of twenty-one. Some of them, she guesses, are even a few years younger than she is. Most of the young women are dressed very casually. A few of them even walk around in baggy pajama pants and oversized hoodies. Anya could feel out of place in her fancy dress, but she doesn’t. She feels good about the way she looks, regardless of how everyone around her is dressed. She pulls down the zipper of her coat, then shrugs it off. Marissa is right. No one stares at her indifferently. A few young men who pass by even welcome her with whistles and playful smiles. No one seems to notice the brace around her neck. If they do, they don't care.

            "So, what do you think?" Marissa says from behind.

            Anya twirls around on her high heels. She admits that Marissa looks equally stunning in her black halter dress. "You're right. The people here are so care free."

            Marissa smiles at her. "Having fun?"

            "Yes." Anya's eyes fall to her coat. "Where can I put this?"

            "Give it to me," she says, taking it from her.

            A pang of anxiety beats against Anya's chest. "Where are you gonna put it?"

            "Come with me," Marissa says, nodding her head in the direction of the entry way.

            "Okay," Anya says with a shrug of her shoulders. Out of the corner of her right eye, she spots Maria talking to a young man. She must have seen Anya, because she calls her name. Anya makes her way over to where Maria is standing, leaving Marissa on her own. Maria is clad in the same dress she wore at Solas Night Club and her black curls fall around her shoulders in a tidy fashion. The young man can’t peel his eyes away from her bare chest. He is tall and lean in stature, and his tattooed arms feature reasonably sized biceps, like Alex. His head boasts a three inch long Mohawk that runs from the top of his forehead to the nape of his neck. The sides of his head are shaved almost bald. Despite the Mohawk, he is quite handsome.

            "Where is Marissa going?" Maria says.

            "To hang up my coat." She keeps her eyes fixed on Maria. Even that skimpy dress does not detract from her natural beauty.

            "Jason, this is my friend, Anya."

            For once, he takes his eyes off of Maria and focuses them on Anya. Anya knows what is going through his mind the moment a huge grin appears on his face.

            "Hi, Anya," he says, extending his hand to her.

            "Uh…hello." She becomes aware of her dress's plunging neckline. But then, her eyes are drawn to Maria's exposed breasts.
Gee, if Maria doesn't care about how she looks, then I shouldn't either. This is what I’ve always wanted: sexy clothes, admiration and popularity. And now, I finally have all these things. I'm friends with one of the most gorgeous, sought-after woman, and a cute guy is admiring me. Enjoy it and live for the moment.

           
"So, what happened to your neck?"

            She is brought back to reality in a very abrupt way. There is no way she can tell him what really happened. "I lost my footing on a patch of ice and fell," she says.

            He flinches. "Wow. That must have hurt. How long do you have to wear that neck brace?"

            "Well, the doctor told me that I have to wear it for at least three weeks. That was two weeks ago. My neck is starting to feel a lot better, so next week, it'll come off."

            "Well, you look really good in that dress," he says. The way he smiles at her is obvious that he is thinking about more than just her dress.

            "Thank you," Anya says, realizing that she is blushing deeply.

            "There you are," Marissa yells.

            Anya whirls around. She can’t help but notice the annoyed look on Marissa's face. And Marissa is not alone. Some young woman, who Anya has never met before, is standing beside Marissa. She is so short that if Anya removed her shoes, she would still stand an inch taller than that woman. Her thick, dark hair looks like it has been straightened by a flat iron. The skin-tight, ocean blue dress she is wearing reveals an athletic build and a pair of large breasts.

            "Charisse, these are my new friends, Anya, Maria and..."

            "Jason." His voice rings above the noise in the room.

            Charisse shakes Anya's hand briskly.

            Anya continues to study her. "I've never met you before. Are you Marissa's coworker?"

            Charisse surveys her coldly. "Yes." She then turns her attention over to Jason and Marissa, giving Anya no chance to say anything more to her.

            Her rude behavior takes Anya by complete surprise. She turns around so that she doesn't feel left out. But the moment her eyes fall on the group of people, she catches Charisse flirting with Jason. Jason appears to enjoy her company despite the fact that he's surrounded by three other attractive young women. Charisse talks to him and Marissa, but ignores Anya and Maria. Her snooty attitude infuriates Anya and she can tell that Maria is feeling the same way by the way she glares at Charisse.

            Anya inches closer to Maria. "Let's go find other men."

            Maria's eyes flash with anger. "Hell no. That bitch can be the one who leaves."

            Anya gasps.
I sure hope she didn't hear that.
She steals a glance at Charisse. She is still deep in conversation with Jason, but Marissa’s gaze connects with theirs.

            "Hey, guys, let's move to the center of the rink," she says.

            "Okay," Anya says.
Why? How is the center of the rink better than this spot? And doesn't it bother you that your friend is so nasty?
she wants to ask. But she keeps her mouth shut and follows them in silence.

            "Where is Alex?" Maria says once they find an empty spot between two groups of people.

            Anya scans the rink once more. She can’t find him anywhere. Fear grips her stomach.
What if he decided to leave? How would we get back to his apartment?

            "I don't see him anywhere," Maria says, sounding irritated.

            "Oh, he's around. He's probably somewhere talking to a bunch of his friends," Marissa says.

****

            Alex stares hard at his comrade, Terri. Terri is a short man, quite robust in stature. His black hair is shaved almost bald and his dark eyes are full of malice. He has been Alex's best man since he joined The Dark Soul gang. For a twenty-four-year-old high school dropout, Terri is intelligent. He’s also ruthless. Since former gang leader, "Big Boss" Mendoza went to prison three years ago, Terri has been the one who rooted out threats against The Dark Soul. Under his guidance, Alex and the other members succeeded in crushing their enemies. But now, the threat has become more serious. Adrik and his thugs are determined to find their grow-op, and they won’t stop until they have killed every member of The Dark Soul, including everyone related to Dark Soul members. To make matters worse, this threat has crept into The Dark Soul gang, dividing members.

            Earlier today, Alex found out that Max, a fellow gangster, had leaked information regarding their operation to a relative of a Blood Night member. When confronted, Max insisted that he didn't do the deed, but neither Alex nor Terri believed him. They tied him to a chair, beat him until his entire face was covered in blood. When he still didn't confess, Terri sliced off Max's left index finger with his Swiss Army knife. Alex knew, as he watched Max sprawled out on the cold ground, bleeding and screaming in pain, that if he allowed him to live, Max would fuel Adrik's hatred for Alex. The decision was easy. Alex pulled out his gun and shot him twice; once in the temple, then in the stomach for good measure.

            Alex and Terri have spent all afternoon and evening driving and digging. Max's body needed to be disposed of and hidden where no one could find him. And that is what they did. By the time Alex arrived home, he was exhausted, irritated and worried.