Free Hades by Alexandra Adornetto

“Where am I?”
    “There’s no need for alarm,” he replied. I wondered if he
    might be trying to reassure me, but he wasn’t able to pul it
    off and only ended up sounding condescending. I looked at
    him not even trying to conceal my skepticism. “Relax, Beth,
    you’re in no danger.”
    “What am I doing here, Jake?” It was more a demand
    than a question.
    “Isn’t that rather obvious? You’re here as my guest, Beth,
    and I’ve taken care of everything to ensure your stay is a
    pleasant one.” There was such an uncharacteristical y
    expectant look on his face that for a moment I didn’t know
    how to reply. I looked at him wide-eyed.
    “Don’t worry, Beth, this place can be a lot of fun when
    you’re with the right people.”
    Almost to il ustrate his point the ground beneath us
    began to vibrate. A song I recal ed from last summer blared
    so loudly it ricocheted off the wal s. It appeared to be
    coming from behind solid steel doors at the far end of the
    lane. They looked how you might imagine the entrance to a
    maximum-security prison. Only it wasn’t a prison but rather
    a venue of some sort, indicated by a neon sign flashing
    above the doors. PRIDE. I saw the tail end of the letter P
    trail off across the roofline in what was meant to represent
    peacock plumes.
    “Pride is one of our most popular clubs,” Jake explained.
    “And it’s the only way in. Shal we?” He indicated via a
    courtly flourish that I should walk ahead of him, but my legs
    seemed rooted to the spot and refused to cooperate. Jake
    was forced to take my arm and escort me. The fog cleared
    to reveal a young man and woman standing outside the
    doors. The woman was insect thin, pale, and dressed in
    nothing but sequined black shorts, a leather bra, and the
    highest platform shoes I’d ever seen. Fine silver chains
    hung via silver hooks from her bra down to her navel,
    creating a mesh curtain in front of her torso. Her platinum
    blond hair was cropped short, and a cigarette hung from
    black painted lips. I was surprised to see the young man
    was even more heavily made up than his female
    counterpart. His eyes were boldly outlined and there was
    black polish on his nails. He wore a leather vest over a bare
    chest and checkered pants that tapered at his ankles.
    Piercings were visible on every body part exposed. The
    woman traced the outline of her lips suggestively with the
    tip of her tongue on which I could see a silver stud. Her
    eyes had a hungry look as they traveled over my body.
    “Wel , wel ,” she purred as we approached the entrance.
    “Look what the cat dragged in. It’s a glow-in-the-dark dol .”
    “Good evening, Larissa … El iott.” Jake’s greeting was
    acknowledged by a silent and simultaneous inclination of
    heads.
    El iott smirked and cast an approving glance in Jake’s
    direction. “Seems someone took something that didn’t
    belong to them.”
    Jake’s face broke into a gloating smile. “Oh, I think she
    belongs to me.”
    “Wel , she certainly does now.” Larissa’s laugh was low
    and guttural. She’d outlined her eyes so the liner curved
    upward, giving her a feline look.
    The way they talked about me as if I weren’t there was
    unsettling. It made me feel like some kind of trophy. If I had
    been less disoriented, I might have expressed my
    disapproval. Instead, I asked the only question that sprang
    to mind and my voice came out sounding childish and waif-
    like.
    “Who are you?”
    El iott clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “She obviously
    don’t get out much.” That made me angry.
    “It’s real y none of your business!” I retorted, causing the
    pair to break into peals of laughter.
    “She’s entertaining, as wel ,” commented Larissa. They
    cocked their heads and continued to study me with an
    unsettling intensity. “What else can she do?”
    “Oh, just the usual,” I snapped back angrily. “Backflips,
    knife throwing, that sort of thing.”
    Jake sighed with sudden boredom.