Ace
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Though the plane ride was rather uneventful, other than the coy stewardess, I was inexplicably excited to touch down in Virginia. Since I’d never had an abundance of money, I’d never had the opportunity to travel. And, while the nightlife and women of Hoboken were both wonderful, New Jersey just wasn’t a good place to be stuck.
However, as I realized how quiet this state was, what with its abundance of dense forests, I began to regret my decision. But I still hoped this lifestyle would be better than the one I’d always lived.
Since I didn’t have any luggage beside my carry-on—a bag stuffed with clothes—, I got off the plane within a few minutes and stood in the waiting area of the airport. The vampire had told me someone would be here to pick me up and take me to the mansion, but, of course, he had failed to tell me who or what they were.
Luckily, I didn’t need to worry.
After a few minutes of standing in the center of the area, I spotted a small sign with three letters printed in bold letters on it, spelling out my name.
Figuring I had nothing to lose, I shrugged my bag over my shoulder and made my way over to my greeter, a grin spreading on my lips as I spotted the long hair and feminine figure.
“Why hello the—” I began, but, with a fiery glare, she cut me off.
“Save the crappy formalities and flirting for the others. I assume you’re Ace,” she growled, her red eyes flashing. Blinking once, I stared at her, stunned by her harsh response. From what I could recall, no woman had ever treated me that way. Guess I had to try harder.
“My.. sincerest apologies, ma’am,” I murmured, bowing my head. “I didn’t mean any disrespect. I merely wanted to be polite.” At that, she rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she turned away.
“Whatever. God, you’re annoying,” she barked, tossing her sign into a garbage can. It took but five minutes for us to leave and find her car, and, after tossing my bag into the backseat, she sped off, leaving me grasping the sides of the seat in a slight panic.
After a few minutes of silence, I cleared my throat, unable to bear it any longer. Out of the corner of her eye, she shot me a look that told me to keep my mouth shut, but, naturally, I didn’t obey. What can I say? Not talking for this long had never been my thing.
“So, do I get the pleasure of knowing your name since you know so much about me?” I inquired, tapping my fingers on the dashboard.
“Akira, and, before you ask, I’m a werewolf,” she snapped, and, after freeing one hand from the wheel, she tugged off her cap, revealing her furry, black ears.
“Whoa, I wasn’t expecting that,” I muttered. Well, we had something in common after all. “So is the whole club made up of characters from Twilight? I really hope not.” She snarled in response. “Kidding! Relax, sweetie.”
“You call me that or anything else you deem a ‘cute nickname’ again and I’ll rip your throat out. I’m not in the mood, alright?” she growled, her nails lengthening to points. Biting my tongue, I kept quiet the rest of the trip. I’d get her to loosen up eventually.
I spent the next hour in silence, peering out the window at the dark forests that loomed overhead, envisioning an idea for a story. God, how long it’d been since I’d written, since I’d felt safe enough to do so. Maybe in this club I could find some peace.
As I stared into the trees, a title sifted into my mind, something that hadn’t occurred in quite some time. The Midnight Wizard: A Tale of Deception and Mystique. Unusual and fairly lame but with potential. Yeah, I could work with that.
I barely realized that we’d stopped until Akira threw open my door and jerked her thumb, ordering me to get out. Shaking my head to snap myself from my thoughts, I obeyed.
“Welcome home,” she snapped snidely, tossing my bag into my hands. She’d have to come around eventually. They always did.
When we reached the door, she patted the pockets of her khakis, groaning once she stopped. With a sigh, she rapped on the wood multiple times, her knuckles connecting with the surface fiercely.
After a few uncomfortable seconds, the door cracked open, revealing a small, blonde girl with a cute face and fluffy bunny ears.
“Hi, Akira!” she chirped, throwing the door open wide. “Forget your key again?” She giggled, her voice pleasant and childish. “Oh, you must be Ace! Come on in!” Moving aside, she gestured for us to enter. “I’m Karin.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” I smiled, stepping away as she closed the door. “You’re such a cutie. And so sweet!” Blushing, she swayed on her feet, eying the floor.
“Back off, Ninetails,” Akira snapped, pushing me away with an open palm. I couldn’t decide what to be more offended by, the fact that she called me the name of a feminine Pokemon or that she had felt she could push me around. “She’s taken.”
“Yeah, I’m with Sebby—uh, Sebastian,” Karin confirmed. Shrugging, I kept my grin on my lips.
“That’s fine with me. I was only paying her a compliment,” I defended, staring innocently into the werewolf’s red eyes. Growling, she rolled her eyes.
“Whatever. Look, there are a few rooms open on the second floor. The last few in the hall are available, and the stairs are down that way,” she instructed, gesturing to her right with one hand and massaging her temple with the other. “I can’t deal with you anymore. Karin, come on.”
Waving over her shoulder, the bunny-girl hopped cheerfully after the moody werewolf, her puffy white tail twitching in the slightest as it peeked from her shorts. How... interesting.
With a shrug, I returned the wave before following Akira’s directions and taking the stairs. Even though it’d seemed big from the outside, the house truly was a mansion. The hallways seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions. Compared to all of the houses I’d spent time in—and there were a lot—this place was unbelievable.
At the top of the stairs, I was greeted by two more girls, one dressed in all blue and the other in a dark yet simple outfit and laced boots. When they saw me, the girl in blue—who also had long blue hair, I realized—, grinned, her blue eyes wide and sparkling.
“Hey! What’s your name? I’m Kateri, and I’m a water nymph, and this is Alice. She’s a—” she began quickly before I could open my mouth, but the other girl interrupted.
“I’m a vampire,” she finished, flashing her fangs. “Sorry, she’s a bit... talkative.”
“Well duh, I love to talk! How else would I get to know anyone?” the nymph countered, planting her hands on her hips. Turning to me, she leaned forward. “I didn’t quite catch your name.”
“That’s because I didn’t get a chance to say anything,” I murmured with a laugh. “I’m Ace. You’re rather... bubbly, aren’t you?”
“You bet I am!”
“So what are you?” the vampire interjected, peering at me with red eyes. Jeesh, and I thought I had strange eye colors.
“Why, my dear, I’m a Fennec,” I grinned, lifting the corner of my cap to display my ear. Kateri wrinkled her nose.
“What is that? A cat? Or a dog? Kinda reminds me of a bunny like Karin but not really,” she blurted, furrowing her brows.
“A fox,” I chuckled, my smile growing broader.
“How... charming,” Alice muttered, her expression blank.
“But of course, babe,” I replied with a wink. “What else would you expect from a sly fox such as myself?” The vampire didn’t react aside from a twitch of her lips. I took that as a positive sign. Beside her, Kateri giggled.
“You’re funny. I like you,” she admitted, fluttering her eyelashes.
“And I like you. Both of you,” I answered. “But, if you two dolls wouldn’t mind, that flight sure tuckered me out. I’d like to get some rest, but I’ll be sure to talk to you later.”
“Sure. It’s good to meet someone new. See ya around,” Alice responded with a hint of a smile. Nodding, I made my way past them, glancing at each of the doors as I passed them.
Akira had said the last few rooms were open, but, of course, she had failed to mention specifically which ones. Well, I had a good chance of finding an empty room, so it was worth a shot.
I tugged on the handle of the closest door, glad to find it unlocked, but my smile faded as a green-tinged hand shoved me away with a surprising strength.
“Que diable que tu fais? Qui la baise êtes-vous?” a sharp, feminine voice demanded from the confines of the room.
“I... don’t speak French, but I apologize for bargi—” I began, eyes wide, but, without hesitation, she cut me off, pushing me back into the hallway and stepping into view. She was completely green.
“Non, save it. I don’t know who you are, but you have pas le droit to simply enter a room without permission!” she snapped, her different colored eyes glinting with fury. Hands raised in surrender, I backed away.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. Honestly, I didn’t know anyone had claimed it, especially someone as... unique and colorful as yourself,” I admitted, offering a soft smile. Narrowing her eyes, she raised her hand as if to strike, but, thankfully, a new voice interrupted her.
“Acacia, he’s new. Don’t kill him,” an Italian man instructed gently. Sighing, the woman—Acacia—lowered her hand, pursing her lips.
“Thanks,” I added shortly, glancing at his tall frame for a mere moment. “Well, now that my life isn’t being threatened, I think I’ll find an empty room, if that’s alright with you.”
“Yeah, go right ahead. Right across the hall is one,” the man replied, gesturing in that direction. Nodding my gratitude, I followed his movement and entered the room.
It was plain, with tan walls, brown carpet, and a dark blue rug at the foot of the bare bed. A single, mahogany dresser dominated the wall adjacent to the door, and, beside the bed, there was a small, untarnished nightstand, a simple lamp set upon it. Along the far wall, a lone loveseat sat between two, small bay windows.
In short, it was rather perfect.
Once I dropped my bag on the bed and threw the few articles of clothes I’d brought into the drawers, I laid on the loveseat, gazing out the window at the forest below.
Yeah, with this view and the few kind people I’d met—ignoring the werewolf and green chick—, I could definitely get used to being there.
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Sorry it's been so long since I posted. I hope this is alright and that I portrayed everyone's character fairly accurately. And I'd appreciate it if you'd include Ace in some of your posts then, but you don't have to. :) Critiques are welcome!
