Worlds Between

Angel Intro

Ann Klein was going about her every day life.

Ann finished applying her eye liner and pulled up the zipper on the side of her black corset. "Off to work?" Her aunt asked as she trudged down the stairs, a messenger bag over her shoulder. "Yeah, see you later, Aunt Lynn." With that, she was out of the house and walking down the street, hair still wet from her shower.
It was almost a mile to the shopping center she worked in, but she didn't mind, she liked the walk, it helped her to clear her mind. She ignored the strange looks she got as she walked through town. Socially, people back east were a lot more conservative than she'd grown up with in Southern California. She'd been renting a room from her aunt for almost a full school year and the woman still looked at Ann oddly when she realized every Sunday morning that the younger woman wasn't wearing nylons under one of the two "normal-looking" dresses she'd bought so that she wouldn't get run out of the church. It stood to reason that people weren't very used to seeing a "goth" walking around, not one over high-school age, anyways.

Not long after, two men approached the house that Ann had just left. They were both reasonably unremarkable as they approached on foot. Their clothing did not draw the eye like Ann's did, and they were both of average height, of middle years, and had short-cropped brown hair. They exchanged a glance, and began to stroll down the road in the direction of the shopping mall.

By the time Ann unlocked the door to the little second-hand shop, her hair was nearly dry. She re-locked the door behind her and started going about getting the shop ready to open. By eleven the register was sorted out, everything had been straitened up, and she unlocked the door and turned the hanging sign to "open" just as the second employee walked up. "Morning Ann." The greying woman eyed the younger's choice of long black skirt with a black corset over a dark purple blouse but did not comment. "Morning Clara. There's a whole stack of stuff in the back that needs priced." The older woman nodded and moved off to the back room. Ann moved through the racks of clothes and other items, moving things that were out of place and overall just killing time until customers started walking in.

The two men observed impassively as Ann entered the second hand shop.

"Do you think she is one of them?" One man was slightly smaller and softer around the edges than the other; he spoke these words in a quiet but casual tone.

The taller man frowned, as if this thought process was a greater effort than he would have liked. "The Diathesi Odigos claims there is one here. She does seem to fit the description."

The shorter man nodded, and his expression was anything but soft. It said 'I will watch the door, you take care of the girl'. And so the taller man entered the second hand shop, and did his best to appear interested in the items for sale.

Ann looked up from the rack of pants she was sorting through as a man entered the shop. "Hello, anything I can help you find?" She asked, pleasantly enough.

"Yes actually," the man answered, looking her over as he spoke. His face was bland and polite, but there was a hidden intensity in his stance and a glint in his eye. "I am looking for a key."

"A key..." Ann looked around herself thoughtfully, "What kind of key? I think we may have an old antique looking one around here someplace..." The young woman's eyes moved back to study the man for a moment and she realized that there was something about the look in his eyes that made her uncomfortable. Her hand instinctively moved to rest over the pocket that held her driver's license, ATM card, pocket knife, and cell phone, but her face betrayed none of the uncertainty she felt about this "customer".

His thin lips quirked into a smile that did not touch his eyes as they surveyed the location. One obvious exit to the street, and one to the back of the store. He didn't see any security cameras; not that they would have been an issue. "That would do."

Ann motioned for the man to follow her as she strode over to a shelving unit that held old-looking odds and ends. "I know I saw it here a couple days ago. I can't guarantee that it hasn't been sold though..." She scrutinized the shelves for a minute and then found what she was looking for. "Ah, here." She pulled a antiqued silver key from the shelf and held it up by the dark blue ribbon it hung on.

Before Ann could turn back to face him, the man stepped forward and trapped her arms against her chest with one solid arm and clapped his free hand over her mouth. "Come easy, and this doesn't have to hurt" he growled quietly into her ear and began to pull her towards the exit where his companion waited.

Ann's eyes went wide when the man grabbed her. She immediately tried to pull away, attempting to break his grip before it was secure, but to no avail. She let the man pull her towards the door, intending to break away once they were outside in the open where there would hopefully be people around. She also hoped that if she struggled only weakly, that he would underestimate her strength.

The man nodded grimly to himself and he walked her calmly towards the door where the other man waited. The smaller, softer man opened the door for his partner and sent a furtive look around as the girl was guided firmly through the doorway.

Once she'd been forced out into the open, Ann swung her foot back and up, slamming it into the crotch of the man who held her. She grew up in Riverside, California, she knew how to fight dirty. She immediately screamed the first thing that came to mind, "Rape!" and darted for the door of the deli next door to the second-hand shop.

The man groaned and crumpled from the waist, gritting his teeth with rage as the other man screamed "She can't get away!". The dumpster beside Ann exploded into flames as she ran past, the heat searing and nearly consuming her. Suddenly, Ann felt a pulling sensation in her gut, as if the ground had dropped out from beneath her feet.

Then the world went black.

There was a sharp cracking sound and a shadowy wood formed around her. She barely had time to notice that she was in the mud in the center of a worn dirt road before a galloping horse and carriage were upon her. Her vision was consumed by flailing hooves and horseflesh before her world again went black.

Continued in: European Intro 2

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