A broken art

A broken art

Josh hadn't come home that night. The rooftop apartment was lonely and silent, only a vague humming too easily passed on as white noise could be heard.

And here I was, soloing in the couch, browsing for new toys to add to my collection on a brand new Ipad I borrowed off school.

With another tab I check the social media and the almost obligatory dating app. A picture of me was on display.

Claire Kelly

In the picture I'm close to six feet tall, I've got long jet-black raven hair. And within the bosom of night my eyes look almost green as they bounce off the moonlight.

The picture was taken on a summer vacation in Venice. On a moonlit night with life running through our veins.

And by "our" I mean Josh and I. We used to be so close. That was before all this.

Two years ago we met at a club called the Dark Desire. An old friend of mine, Juniper invited me over. It was a masquerade of sorts. Everyone was clad in costumes and feathered masks. Juniper made a point of creating a bit of an alter ego. A character.

It was the first time I would use the moniker Vanessa Lionheart, but certainly not the last.

My costume to which Juniper had meticulously helped me assemble was a work of art. I didn't quite perfectly match the lines like all those commercials on television, but her craftsmanship really brought out a voluptuous aspect to my body I didn't even know I had.

It' made me feel slightly uncomfortable but very, very sexy.

The location of the club changed every now and then. And invitations were only by word of mouth. I felt like I was walking straight into the mansion in Eyes Wide Shut. If you have not seen the movie all you really need to know is that under the innocent facade of  the name and the masquerade; there are things going on, things the outer world is better off not knowing about.

Things I was eager to get down and dirty with.

The white marble entrance was lit from the side and under, almost giving the archway with the open door an angelic appearance. If it wasn't for the little she-devils in the outer garden having a wild and bloody threesome it looked like heaven.

But I knew right from the start that heaven was not for me. I knew deep inside of me that I belong here with the dark and the twisted. Yet I hesitated. Juniper was long gone already inside somewhere and like an automaton I just passed right by temptations playground.

In my sudden state of confusion I heard a voice approaching from behind. A deep, raspy voice.
"Are you alone miss?"
"No I'm trying to find a friend of mine." I said as I turned around.
Suddenly two hands grab a hold of mine. And I'm met with the voice once again.
"You've found him." to which my response was an evasive motion I had picked up from an old military acquaintance. And then a well placed punch to the chin. "Don't touch me, if you ever touch me again I will defenestrate you!" I had meant to say castrate but thought it too vulgar. Call it a reflex. The guy had one of those simple yet elegant upper half, face masks. Leaving a pair of beautiful lips bloodied red and a curious but well rounded nose, he was dressed sharply not that it served him any good now. He fell on his back seemingly surprised. I added. "And should you ever talk to me again, you address me as Miss Lionheart, understood?"

The night still had a freshness to it. Like a fancy candy, Juniper was nice enough to join me moments later to unpack the evening in such a fashion.
"What's this?" She exclaimed when she saw the man slowly getting to his feet.
Before I could talk the man waved his right hand dismissively. "This.. Is nothing."
I looked at Juniper with the kind of eyes only a best friend can read.
"You tried to force yourself onto her you creep! I'll report you!" Juniper always showed such strength of character, but I was nothing less. "We will." I said reaffirmingly. "This can't go unpunished now can it?". The man made it to his feet.
"Don't report me, I meant no harm. I thought...", I Interrupted "Thought what? That you can just have at it all you like with anyone in here? Who do you think you are.. some kind of wannabe Christian Grey? the likes of you don't belong here."
"I thought you were someone else."
"That's a shallow excuse, where in the world..." He interrupted. "Behind you Miss Lionheart." I looked and there she was. almost a carbon copy of me. She could play my double any day. And then she opened her mouth.

While I carry my voice with a certain authority and respect, her voice was more like a stereotypical screamy teenager. "Ben!" She exclaimed, "Been looking all over for you, come here darling". Her clothes were similar to mine, but she was also clad in a complementary leather harness.