Chapter4: Pulsate

The sun was just fading beyond the horizon when Jaxx finally awoke to find herself back in human form and shivering in the moss-covered vegetation. Memories of what happened only hours ago flooded her already confused mind and she sat up, holding both sides of her head.

“What the hell?” she mumbled through chapped lips.

And yes, that was the question, what the hell had happened? She replayed the argument with her father, the conversation with her mother, and then the fight with Jessup all in succession. There had never been a time before that had caused her to shift so wildly.

Her mind raced, uncontrolled, inundated with chaos and resentment, embarrassment, and guilt. Then she suddenly remembered. There had been one time before when she had lost complete control. The night her brother died.

“I…” Jaxx said aloud to herself as she took a breath and slowly pushed to her feet. “Need a drink.”

**

Jaxx’s jade eyes reflected at her from a smudged mirror as she stared deeply, trying to find a trace of what the hell was wrong with her. As if something as simple as a reflection could tell her that.

She leaned forward and dabbed at her nose with a wet paper towel, removing the dried bits of blood. Jessup had got her good. She would pay him back for that.

Behind her, the door to the bathroom crashed open and two women stumbled in drunkenly.

Yes, she was in the city, and yes, she had half-promised her father that morning that she wouldn’t go back, but that was before she had gone rogue and attacked Jessup in wolf form. She couldn’t very well go back to the village. Not that soon after, not right now.

When she had woken up from her emotional deluge about an hour ago, she made her way down from the Crescent Mountain and used her cell phone to call a ride-share. That way, her motorcycle and Jeep were at home, and with a bit of luck, no one would be the wiser.

That was her hope at least. Whether it worked out that way or not, she wasn’t in the mood to linger on. There was too much stress at home, at the village, and now all of that had been intensified by her unexpected outburst.

Jaxx snorted, cleared her throat, and spat a wad of blood into the dingy sink.

A soft growl passed her lips as she looked back into the mirror. Her left eye had begun to swell, a sign that a full-on blackening probably wasn’t that far behind. Jessup’s meaty fist must have clipped her eye when he punched her in the nose.

Such a low blow. Not the punch itself, but what had led up to it. There was no way he would have been able to land such a shot had he not opened an old emotional wound first.

A knot of anger welled in Jaxx’s stomach, and she tossed the paper towel into the already overflowing trashcan. Half of her wanted to just go home and pummel him on the spot. The other half of her, never wanted to return.

“Wow,” a voice rang from behind her. “You look like shit.”

Jaxx’s brows dipped as she glanced over her shoulder and saw the woman from the night before standing in the doorway. The one that had so casually stood her up.

“Uh,” Jaxx stammered.

“Looks like you’re the one that could use a drink tonight,” the woman said with a chuckle. “Can I buy you one?”

**

Different club, but the same scene…Bodies grinding on a too-small dance floor, patrons flooding the bar waving down drink after drink, and the usual high-energy dance music blaring over cheap, crackling speakers. It wasn’t fancy, but it was reliable.

While Jaxx waited at the corner of the bar, she silently wondered why it was always the lowbrow places she frequented when she had copious amounts of money to blow.

The people were interesting and uninhibited but average all the same. Normal people doing normal things, no expectations, no deep-seeded responsibilities, just people being themselves. Maybe that was the pull.

She was drawn from her thoughts when the woman leaned across the bar and slid a glass of brown liquid her way.

“Here,” the woman said. “I can’t join you just yet, but I get a break in like thirty minutes.”

“I should have said,” Jaxx remarked smartly. “I don’t drink brown liquor.”

“Ah, very funny.”

“Just returning the energy from the other night.”

The woman pursed her lips and then let out a laugh. The sweet, easy sound caused Jaxx’s lips to curl at the sides and soon she was laughing too.

“I’m Charley, by the way,” the woman stated. “And I apologize for my attitude last night. It’s just…being new in the scene, and all.”

“Well to be fair, I was definitely trying to pick you up. It’s nice to meet you officially, though, Charley. I’m Jaxx, Jaxx Lorient.

“Jaxx Lorient, hm? With a name like that, it sounds like you’d have people lining up for you to buy them a drink.”

“And yet you’re the one that bought me one,” Jaxx said as she tipped the glass and took a swig.

Charley opened her mouth and then closed it, a small smile blooming across her red-painted lips. Rather than comment, she simply nodded and wiped down the bar top with a loose rag.

“I gotta say,” Jaxx started. “I didn’t expect to see you on that side of the bar when you offered to buy me a drink.”

“Why is that?”

“Not sure,” Jaxx gave a shrug and leaned over her glass. “You don’t give off bartender vibes, I guess.”

“Oh?” Charley lifted a brow curiously. “What type of vibes do I give off?”

“I don’t know, judging by that catsuit the other night I’d say undercover spy.”

“Hah!” Charley snorted and tossed the bar rag over her shoulder. “Only on the weekends.”

**

In front of Jaxx, several empty glasses had accumulated, and as the liquor flowed so did the conversation. The only problem was, it wasn’t between her and Charley exclusively.

Patrons kept interrupting to order drinks and chat, each of them wanting to get a piece of the new bartender in town. She couldn’t blame them for giving their best efforts to impress. Charley was easygoing and attractive, treating each customer like she had known them forever, which made her even more desirable in the eyes of the club-goers.

Seated at the bar only a few feet away, Jaxx casually eavesdropped as she sipped her whiskey. The endless stream of pickup lines and compliments were entertaining to witness, but it was even more enjoyable to watch Charley field each one with a smile and a laugh.

No one could touch the woman, and it made Jaxx feel a bit special that Charley had been the one to invite her over. Honestly, she needed the confidence boost after everything that had happened earlier in the day and this was a pleasant distraction. Even still, she silently counted down the minutes until Charley was able to go on break.

“You doing alright over here?” Charley asked as she gathered the discarded glasses in front of Jaxx and set to washing them.

“Much better than earlier,” Jaxx replied with a nod. “I have to admit, it’s kind of hilarious watching all these people hit on you.”

“Remind you of yourself from the other night?”

Jaxx blinked and then laughed. She hadn’t thought about that, but it was true, wasn’t it? She had been just like the others.

“I feel an apology is in order,” Jaxx admitted and rubbed the back of her neck.

Charley held up a finger as another customer approached and ordered a complicated mixed drink. Jaxx silently watched as the woman deftly gathered several liquor bottles and began tossing shots into a mixer. The woman had a way of moving so effortlessly, like everything she touched was simply an extension of herself. It was intriguing in an odd sort of way, and Jaxx found she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

How was it that this woman could make mundane tasks so enjoyable to watch? She felt her heart tick roughly inside of her chest and finally managed to look away as she gulped down the last of her whiskey.

“You wanna dance?” a voice called out.

Jaxx furrowed her brows and turned to face the short, stocky woman that had just ordered the mixed drink. She was older, with speckled grey and brown hair that was tied up into a messy bun. Not Jaxx’s usual dancing partner to say the least, but before she could object, Charley piped up from behind the bar.

“This is my friend, Jaxx. She’s had a hell of a day, I’m sure a dance would do her good.”

Jaxx’s eyes widened, and her mouth went slack, but she couldn’t formulate a rebuttal. Charley chuckled dryly as she poured multi-coloured liquid from the mixer into a tall glass and slid it into the older woman’s awaiting grasp.

“Take her for a spin,” Charley said. “This one is on me.”

She waved off the woman’s cash and went about filling another drink order from a different customer. Jaxx looked over at the older woman, noting the charming, albeit drunken smile curling her mouth. A sigh pushed from her lungs and with a roll of her eyes, she slid off the barstool and followed the eager woman onto the dance floor.

Oh, she would have to pay Charley back for this one.

**

Two songs in and Jaxx realized she wasn’t having the worst time dancing with this older woman. She had moves, though also being a masculine woman, it was a struggle to figure out which one of them was leading. When the second song finally died down, Jaxx excused herself back to the bar where she found Charley waiting with a huge grin plastered on her face.

“Did you enjoy watching that?” Jaxx mused as she slid onto the barstool.

“Almost as much as you enjoyed doing it,” Charley snickered and sat another whiskey down in front of Jaxx. “Don’t get comfy, I’m taking my break now.”

Jaxx wrapped her hand around the glass as Charley made herself a gin and tonic and came around the side of the bar. She nodded toward an exit door at the back of the club that led to a small patio, and Jaxx followed without a word.

The rush of cool air was a welcomed relief from the stuffiness inside the bar, and Jaxx momentarily closed her eyes and let the breeze wash over her. Charley zig-zagged to an empty table at the back of the patio and sat her drink down.

“You have to admit,” she said as Jaxx came over and joined her. “The woman has moves.”

“Totally,” Jaxx agreed with a chuckle.

“Feel better?”

“A lot less tense.”

“That was the point,” Charley said and took a sip of her drink.

“You did that on purpose?

“Absolutely. The best distractions are sometimes ones you would never think of on your own.”

“Genius,” Jaxx marvelled. “Thanks for that.”

“My pleasure,” Charley said as she grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the back pocket of her jeans and fished one out. “Now that we’re alone, you wanna tell me who you hit on that got you all smashed up?

Jaxx watched the lighter flick to life and wondered how Charley had managed to fit a pack of smokes in those jeans. They were basically painted on her.

“Ah, it was more a family matter actually.”

“Are you going to elaborate, or do I have to trudge through the mystery a bit more?”

A smirk curled the side of Jaxx’s mouth, and she licked her right canine. This woman was just as fiery as the lighter she held in her hand.

“Come on,” Charley said as she slapped Jaxx’s shoulder. “Share a little bit.”

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Jaxx replied and ran a hand through her long black hair. She’d left it down tonight.

“The beginning is normally best.”

“Well then, when I was just a small child…”

“My God,” Charley laughed. “If you don’t want to tell me, just say so. This isn’t an interrogation.”

Jaxx studied the delicate curve of Charley’s mouth and then her gaze drifted to the night sky. She had spent so much time bottling everything up, it seemed odd to pop the top now.

“F*ck it,” Jaxx said as she reached over and grabbed Charley’s smoke. She inhaled, paused, and then let it all come tumbling out. “My family is complicated. I know that’s cliché to say, but it’s the truth. I’m the only daughter of someone important, and I don’t behave the way they wish I would. Everyone around the family sees it, and they use it as an excuse to rile me up whenever they get the chance. Today was one of those times, and well, this happened.”

She motioned to her face and took another drag from the cigarette. Charley didn’t reply right away, which made Jaxx a little nervous. When she locked eyes with her, though, Jaxx could see the empathy radiating from her.

“That sounds like a load of bullsh*t if you ask me,” Charley finally admitted and looked away. “I hope you didn’t take that lying down.”

“Hah,” Jaxx snorted. “He definitely got the brunt of it. The only problem is, I let myself lose control, and people saw it. Now, I’m here.”

“Avoiding the issue, are we?”

Jaxx didn’t respond right away. Instead, she studied Charley’s face and subconsciously licked the corner of her mouth. Eventually, she glanced out toward the parking lot and sighed.

“It’s better than the alternative. I just needed some time to think.”

“If you ask me, the best place to think isn’t an overcrowded nightclub,” Charley said as she took her cigarette back. “It’s at home.”

The words hit Jaxx hard, almost taking the wind out of her. It was the truth though, wasn’t it? She ran away like she always did, and every time that happened, nothing was ever resolved. This was just another casualty of her faulty decision-making skills, and deep inside she knew it.

A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts and Jaxx glanced up to see Charley looking at her with an expression she couldn’t quite place. It was soft, concerned, and made her chest constrict to the point it felt like she couldn’t pull in a breath.

For a long moment, they remained just like that, silent, staring into one another’s eyes. There was a pulse there, a singular beating that caught them both off guard. Charley was the first to look away, and she dropped her hand from Jaxx’s shoulder.

“Look,” she said softly. “We all have our baggage. Life is difficult, and we don’t always make those around us proud. The point is, we never stop trying to make the best of this wild, weird life. I think you should consider that a little more.”

Jaxx almost couldn’t bare the way Charley spoke to her. It wasn’t annoying, or irritating, but rather the woman’s voice soothed the ruffled edges of her wary heart, and she didn’t know what to do with that.

“Take my number down,” Charley finally said. “Call me if you need to talk later, but for now…Maybe, just go home?”

“You’re right,” Jaxx admitted after a short pause.

They caught eyes once more and the air between them suddenly seemed supercharged. It took all the restraint Jaxx could muster not to lean in and claim the woman’s lips for her own. Instead, she steadied herself, knocked back the last remnants of whiskey in the glass she held, and without another word spoken, she headed for the exit.

**

The door to the Ford Escalade slammed shut and Jaxx stepped off to the side of the unpaved road allowing the vehicle to pass. She had called a ride share from the club and asked it to drop her off about half a mile from the Crescent Moon village.

It was her intention to sneak back onto the property and act as if she had just been prowling the woods this entire time…but something was different inside of her, a feeling she couldn’t shake, like something uncertain was just around the bend.

It sent little shockwaves through her nerves, rattling her senses, and forcing them to come alive. Maybe it was the conversation with Charley, or perhaps it was residual energy from all the happenings of earlier. Whatever the cause, every sense seemed heightened.

She was on the edge of the backside of the village when she finally heard it. The sound of beating drums and chanting.

For a moment, her brows furrowed in confusion, and then all at once a chill ran down her spine and her eyes widened twice their size.

The Blood Moon Ritual had already started.