Trinity - The Prophecy (2 page)

Chapter Two

The afternoon had dragged on. Foster
monster did not stir once as I made myself a quick stove pasta. I was extremely happy about that since all she would have talked about was all of my failures and how I would not amount to anything.

I had put some pillows under my sheet to make it look like
as if I was asleep, if she even decided to check on me. Then I went and waited on the footpath of Nikkee’s front lawn. She did not need to sneak out. She would just tell her parents where it was she was going and they were ok with that. They had a good relationship with Nikkee. She was already eighteen and she could go out and have fun the same as Sky. All three of us had been kept down in school, although my besties came from different ones and we all met up in grade five. It had been an almost instantaneous friendship and we have been inseparable since.

The night air blew past my face as I waited. A sweet chill ran down my spine. I looked to my phone to see the time just as Nikkee came bursting out her door and ran down the path to me.

She stopped short with a look of annoyance on her face.

“Really, you’re wearing that?” she asked.

I looked down at my clothes to see what she was referring too. I was in tight jeans and a loose black hip top. I thought I looked ok, but clearly Nikkee thought otherwise.

“What
? It’s all I have that’s nice! You know that,” I replied.

“Hmmm. Definitely taking you clothes shopping, but I say that all the time, don’t I?” Nikkee said with a hand to her mouth, as she looked me over once again.

Her family was rich. They didn’t show it off though. You only knew they were if you were already aware.

“Well never mind, you look great in anything, I’d just like you to have more flare
,” she added.

I shrugged and started walking with her.

“You know me, always room for disappointment,” I said with a cheeky smile so she knew I was not being serious.

“We can’t all be as awesome as you. Can we?”
she retorted.

We erupted in laughter as we walked around the corner heading towards the taxi stand.
The first stop was dinner at Subway. We still had two hours before we were meeting Sky and Mark. I tried to eat but I just wasn't that hungry. It didn't help that I had eaten that pasta not long ago.

#

“You have got to be kidding me?” I spat out as neon lights flashed across the building I stood in front of.

“Oh no
we are not kidding,” Sky said.

“Crap. How are you supposed to pull this off
?” I asked.

“
Zain is working the door tonight so he will let you in,” Sky added trying to ease my mind.

I was standing in front of the local nightclub where Mark and Sky had met us.
Huss it Out
! It was one of the more common clubs for teen tarts. I had no idea why they would have brought all of us here. Sure enough, Zain, Sky’s brother, was standing at the door admitting people after checking their ID.

This was going to be a nightmare!

We lined up behind the queue. I felt nervous and my palms started to sweat. I rubbed my hands down the side of my pants to wipe it off. I felt so sneaky, but Nikkee just put her arm around me and walked me right up to Zain like I had nothing to hide.

After
Zain let us in, we walked through a large crowd to be met with lights everywhere. My eyes tried to focus. There were people everywhere and there was not much room to move. Smells erupted in my nostrils. I inhaled the deep scent. I started to sway a little from the aroma. I did not know what had come over me. I had never felt like that before walking into a crowded room. I pulled my phone out and looked at the time. 10:23pm. It was nearly my birthday, and with the atmosphere I decided to let myself enjoy the sounds and smells to their full extent. Mariah Carey came on over the thumping speaker system. One of my favourite songs “Obsessed” pumped loudly around the whole room.

We pushed ourselves through the crowd. I spotted a lot of people I knew and some I did not. Like that guy standing near the rest room. He was cute. Really cute, yet there was something about the way he stood there. Just watching everyone. Maybe he was a security guard in disguise.

We made it to the bar. Nikkee ordered Sambuca shots. I just wasn’t sure if I should have one.

Nikkee must have seen the look on my face when she said. “You are 18
,” she paused to look at her watch, “in an hour and a half.”

Should I do it? It was technically underage drinking. I couldn’t. It was bad enough that I had snuck into the club.

“No, I can’t. I can have fun with a coke. In an hour or so I will,” I said to Sky, Nikkee and Mark.

“That is so like you
,” Sky said as she downed her shot and leaned in a little closer to Mark.

I just rolled my eyes and ordered a coke.

Sky and Mark started to dance and Nikkee was off talking to some guy I had never met. I was standing at the bar by myself. That was ok. I was aware of every little thing that was going on
, like the fact that the hot guy that was standing near the toilets was not there anymore.

“Are you drinking
?”

A dark
, husky voice vibrated through my eardrum. A shiver erupted down my spine and slithered its way down to my toes. I froze. I could not move for a split second as my body reacted to the voice next to me. I turned around, half in a daze and the other half of my head off somewhere else.

My gaze fell on deep brown eyes. Or were they black? He raised his eyebrow as I studied him. My eyes drifted over him, taking note of the black hair no longer than Marks, and the black eyebrows that matched; lips pink, smooth and very kissable. I shook myself mentally. What was I thinking?
I had just met this person. Well, not even that but he was the one I had seen standing near the rest room earlier.

“No, not for thirty more minutes
,” I replied.

His eyebrow raised again.

“Really? Why the time frame?” he asked me.

“That’s when I’ll be 18
,” I answered him feeling stupid and immature. Half of the people in the room were probably under age.

“I just don’t want to drink until its official
,” I explained.

A slight smirk rose on his face. I just wanted to lean in and kiss his lips. What the hell? And what was with his sexy
cologne? I started feeling woozy.

“Are you sure about that? You could have one with me
,” he said as I watched his lips move.

God, he
smelled so good, and his clothes were sexy as hell with jeans and a black button shirt. I mentally slapped myself.

“I need some air. I will be right back
,” I said as I pushed past him.

Temptation at its worst. I knew that, so I left to get some fresh air to clear my head.

I found Nikkee and Sky near the pool table.

“I’m going to go outside for a few minutes. I’ll be right back
,” I said as I started walking away, not giving them a chance to reply. They knew I would be safe since security would be outside.

Fresh air hit my face and I sucked in a deep breath. It felt good in my lungs and on my skin and the scent of the mysterious man started to fade away.

I looked around at the empty car park and started walking towards the edge.

What was with that guy? I felt an instant attraction to him. I almost fell for that player’s pick up line. I sat down on the ground for a long time just enjoying the night and listening to the slight echo of music that came from the club. I liked sitting alone.

After a while
I got up. The others would start to worry and I wasn't sure how long I had been out side.

My ears picked up a noise as I walked past a bush.

I stopped dead in my tracks and listened.

A
nother sound came from behind the thick shrub.

“Hello?” I said and kicked myself mentally because that is the scary movie cliché, why on earth would a villain reply if they were trying to kill you?

There was another rustle.

My feet started moving before my head could think. A low growl came from between the leaves, then came the sound of the door to the club opening. Nikkee stood in the doorway. She started walking towards me. I turned to go and meet her, glad for the company.

“Ow!” I said loudly.

As I had turned, I must have scratched my arm on the bushes.

“What happened?” Nikkee asked as she reached me.

I looked back to the bush and then down to my forearm at the deep gash that was bleeding freely.

“I must have snagged a thorn,” I replied.

Nikkee looked around me at the bush and said
, “It doesn’t look thorny.”

I shrugged and put my hand to my arm, feeling blood slowly seep through my fingers and drip down.

“Oh no, Trinity,” she said in horror.

“I’ll be fine. You know what I am like, my blood runs like water.
It’s not that bad. Really.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes I’m sure.”

She threw her arms around my neck and squealed
, “Happy Birthday Gorgeous!”

Chapter Three

I groaned and rolled over on my bed. My head was pounding a little, along with the gash on my arm. I did not drink much the night before, yet I was feeling a little queasy.

After Nikkee had come out and gotten me from the club car park, we had swiped a bandage from the first aid kit behind the bar for my arm, then I
had let her buy me a few drinks. We had a shot of Tequila and then I had two rum and cokes. My eyes had scanned the room for the cute dark haired guy that I had been talking to before I went outside, but I had not seen him again.

I sighed a little to myself. He was really cute.

We had all caught a cab home and dropped each other off until I had been the last one left in the taxi. I had gotten the driver to stop at the corner near my house so I could sneak back inside, undetected. I didn’t feel too well when I had gotten out of the taxi. I was a bit baffled. Was I really that much of a lightweight?

#

I sat up a little resting on my elbows and blinked a few times as I looked at the crack in my blinds where the sunlight was rudely poking through. I hung my head in defeat and let the sun win the stare off. My stomach churned but I was not sure if it was because I was feeling slightly ill or if I was hungry. Maybe both? I have never really drank much alcohol, only tost a couple at outings so I wasn’t sure of the effect it should have on me.

Feeling torn between more sleep and eating, I decided to get out of bed and take a shower. I knew Nikkee and Sky would ring me soon so I had better be at the top of my game to handle the birthday screams I got every year.

The shower had been a comfort. Yet, when I had taken the bandage off my arm it looked wrong. I had held it under the shower to clean it but more blood started running out. I started to freak out a little that it may be infected on a massive level or worse. Was I going to get Leprosy?

I wrapped the
washcloth over it to dry the gash out. It was about six centimetres long and sat diagonally across the middle of my forearm. The bleeding had slowed again to a slight weep. It made my heart rate drop slightly. If it was not any better by Monday, I would go to the doctors to have it looked at.

I stood in front of the mirror. The steamy mist had fogged it all up.
I reached my hand out, touched it and swiped my hand down and back up a few times till I could see myself. I just looked. I was not sure what I was going to find. Did I look older? No I looked like crap. Under my eyes were dark circles and my eyeballs were so bloodshot. I hadn't even been out that long. I was home before two am and had a good sleep. Why did I look like shit on my birthday?

“Eighteen suits you Trinity,” Sky said as she came barrelling through my room towards me.

They did not ring. They had actually come to my house. I felt privileged. I knew they didn’t like coming here to see what I had to live with. I couldn’t blame them, I didn’t want them to see it either.

“My baby girl is all grown up,” Nikkee fake cried as she was right behind Sky and then both of their arms were around me. Suffocating my 18 years away.

“How do you feel?” Sky asked.

“Ok. Better now that I had my shower,” I told her.

They mustn't have noticed my tired bloodshot eyes.

All three of us sat down on my bed.

“Did you have fun last night?” Nikkee asked.

I thought for a moment and then replied, “I actually did.”

“I can’t believe you are finally 18. We are going to have so much fun now
,” Nikkee squealed in excitement.

“What’s all this noise for
?” the foster monster spoke from my doorway.

We all stopped and froze. I wasn’t sure if she scared me or if I just did not want to listen to her. I always just said sorry and carried on with what I was doing. I did not know why she would want to be a foster parent if she hated it so much. I had been with some great foster families, but they were never long term. Why did I have to get the bad one in the bunch of good ones?

Nikkee piped up and looked her square in the face then said, “In case you don’t know, its Trinity’s birthday today.”

Her eyes widened a little as if she may have been happy, but then her look turned sour. “So that makes you 18 now. My payments will be cut off. You better start looking for a job so you can finally start to pull your own weight around here.”

“Ummm, school is nearly finished. Can’t I wait until after that? You know I wanted to go to college,” I spoke up all of the sudden feeling fierce.

“And I will have to support you for free until then
won’t I? How will food be put in the fridge Trinity?” she spat out.

“What food? Trinity has to eat at my house and sneak out just to have dinner. Meanwhile you are passed out in your stale moth smelling lounge room most of the time. She doesn’t need you, she has
us. It is you that needs her,” Nikkee said with conviction and stood up grabbing my hand. “Come on Trin, let’s go enjoy your birthday. We’re not going to let this old cow bring you down.” I stood up as my foster monster’s eyes bore into me.

“You want to bring friends here that will speak to me like that? If you leave now, don’t bother coming back. I do not need you, or want you. You will never be anything important and I will not waste a single cent more on you.”

Nikkee took a step forward ready to lash back but I put a hand on her shoulder and said, “Don’t. It’s ok. We will just go. I’ll grab a few things.”

It was quite comical, as I packed my things. There was not a lot that she had ever given me so it was just a sports bag with some clothes and a few trinkets. One in particular was very special to me.

My EX
- foster monster ranted on the whole time; I was going to be nothing, I was lucky I made it to adulthood, I caused her nothing but grief, I was the worst thing that ever happened to her!

Nikkee fired back the whole time, giving
back her own piece of mind. Fifteen minutes later, we left and Nikkee drove us back to her place. She barged through the front door and told her parents. “I got Trinity kicked out so she is going to stay with us, OK?” She then grabbed my hand pulling me out to the back yard towards the granny flat they had. It was pretty much the size of a regular house.

Her mum came in and gave me a hug, wishing me a happy birthday and that maybe now things would start to look better. They had been trying to get me to move in for a few years but I
had not wanted to walk away. I had wanted to try to have a good relationship with the only mother I had been given. It was too late now. Too many bad things had been said and now it was over.

My shoulders felt lighter from leaving the weight of disappointment behind in my old room. Now my heart swelled with love for the friends and second family that I had.

I sat down on the couch. Well more like flopped. What
a way to start my 18th birthday and it was only nine in the morning!

Nikkee sat down on my left and Sky on my right. We watched as Nikkee’s mom, Mrs
. Jane, busied herself by pulling sheets out of the linen cupboard, heading for the three bedrooms down the hallway.

“This is awesome. What an epic birthday you are having. Although I think I feel like it is more my birthday than yours,” Nikkee gushed with a look of excitement.

Sky had been quiet most of the morning. I looked at her and smiled but she only gave me a half smile back. I wanted to ask how things were with Mark but I felt I should leave it for now.

“Tonight is going to be so much fun Trin. First, we will go back to the main house with mom to open your presents. Then we are going shopping. I want you to look fantastic for tonight. And I won’t take no for an answer,” Nikkee said excitedly.

She was rattling off a list of things I would need to get ASAP. Her comment had caught me short. I knew she was talking about celebrating my birthday but it felt like it was going to be the last day of my life!