Word Count: 1,851
Written: 12/19/23

The crowd dimmed at the edges of my vision. My eyes locked onto the woman in the blurred-out photo from my phone. No smile tonight.

Bella the Witch wore denim—perhaps the same jacket from the picture. With her loose waves splayed all along her collar and back, she really gave off the vibe of a biker woman who shouldn't be messed with. Though she was as short as I was, she effortlessly moved through the crowd. Something about the firmness of her shoulders made her noticeable. Made others be aware.

Kakashi wrapped me in a giant bear hug, his lips resting just on the outer curve of my ear. Every breath inhaled the lavender body wash I bought him and that woodsy scent that just seemed to emanate from the man. Everywhere his breath landed caused a flurry of goosebumps to rise in response, and I wondered what I had done to be tortured like this. How could I not be used to him yet? How much longer did I need?

"I think it's best if you approach her first, and I'll be in the background," he said, each word a vibrating hum against my cheek. I nodded. Or tried to, pressed up against that beige sweater.

Kakashi released me, and it was like the world had been put on play after accidentally sticking it on pause. The yelling underneath the TVs sounded much louder than it had before. As did the music pounding the walls upstairs. All this noise...all these people...

I reminded myself to calm down, but I'm not quite sure I managed it. Fuzzy black spots danced at the edges of my vision, but I pushed past them, moving slower in an attempt to not run into people like a pinball game. I was getting tunnel vision, something I'd learned to blame on my anxiety. It wasn't good enough for my head to try to eat me alive in the dark, under the guise of quiet. No. Sometimes, when I got overwhelmed, the world took on a tilting quality, and my peripheral vision went completely black. I felt like a giant blow-up doll, dramatically turning my head this way and that just to see, my reactions delayed and expression stuck in a somewhat unsettling position.

If I didn't dislike children, I could be one of the Friends at Disney.

I waded through the people, not sure where Kakashi had run off to. It was his fault that I ended up like this. Already, my body had gotten used to him being around, shielding me from the things that made me uncomfortable. With just his existence, my mind was quelled, my anxiety tightly leashed. Well.

So much for not depending on him too much.

Bella clunked her way upstairs, not moving fast, but not dallying, either. Each stride was borne from purpose, and I had to wonder if it was just because of the boots she was wearing.

I followed, moving much slower and more disoriented. For those who've never experienced tunnel vision, they can't imagine how difficult it suddenly is to move amongst the people without any peripheral sight. Everything was just on you with no warning. I'd never been to the Wolf Den, either, so I didn't even have familiarity on my side. My hands white-knuckled the knobby, light-wood rail as I ascended above the TVs and poker players. We left the smog of cigarette smoke behind to enter a new kind of smoke, one that came from machines hidden somewhere among it all.

Great.

I didn't bother not acting suspicious. I knew I was suspicious as hell. I pursued Bella doggedly, even through the smoke, just following that purposeful silhouette with the tangled waves stuck in the collar of her jean jacket.

The people on this level were altered. At least, I thought so. Maybe they moved so sinuously because they were fully diving into the whole "dancing" scene. I wasn't a dancer and hated when people looked at me, so I couldn't relate. I couldn't be sure, but their blissed-out faces certainly looked altered. Also, everyone on this level was beautiful. New goosebumps rose to my arms, erasing the ones Kakashi had put there with his warmth.

Eyes peered from dimly-lit alcoves, and I realized. I came to a stuttering halt, looking at the silhouettes peering from under the green light on one side and the red light on the other. Cigar smoke lit orange streaks of brilliance beneath all the dim, but I got the impression of bulky bodies. Certainly not the beautiful men and women and otherwise who were dancing it all out in the middle of the floor.

Like a fool, I'd stepped right in the middle of a herd of prey. Predators lined each wall alcove, hidden beneath the guise of privacy. But it was really just a way for them to stare, and stare hard enough that I could feel it through all this smoke and pounding tempo. The music was the type that made your heart move slow, slow, each resounding beat weaving deep inside your soul, until it popped, all of a sudden, forcing you to change momentum if only for a moment. It was a music best served with sensual dancers like these folks.

Now what?

In my temporary shock, I'd lost sight of Bella. I straightened my spine and tried to look as if I hadn't just stumbled up here without giving it another thought. I started toward the bar at the very back, done up like some Hawaiian tiki bar with the grass ruffles, the swinging coconuts, and more. It definitely did not fit the rest of the floor's vibe, but maybe it was intended that way. A refuge for people like me, who had made an enormous mistake in coming up to this level.

Although, with the balcony doors pushed open, and the available stairways, I could be making an even bigger mistake than if I just took those exits and left. Ah, well, it wasn't like I was in any real danger with Kakashi lurking somewhere nearby. Sure, the eyes in the smoke unsettled me, and I didn't want to overthink the drug-induced bliss on the faces of the dancers. But I wasn't in danger.

Popping up out of the smoke, I saw the full scope of the "bar," which was really just a neon-lit table. And who did I see leaning on it with one elbow?

Bella.

I approached cautiously, clearing my throat. I may as well not have bothered because the music was so loud that my tiny, guttural noise vanished in an instant.

Nobody else was at the bar, so I mirrored her position, tapping my fingers against the shiny glass surface. A pretty, crystal-like blue.

I smiled like a weirdo. Probably. "Hello."

Bella stared at me from beneath those strong brows, her expression almost unreadable except for the slightest twinge of disgust. She didn't move a muscle, waiting for me to tell her who the hell I was.

"So," I started, knowing I just had to push past the awkward because I didn't have any other social skills to miraculously pull out of my bag of tricks, "my name is Gracie. Gracie Abrams. I came here tonight to talk to you."

Bella's free hand slapped at her jacket, unearthing a pack of cigs. Shifting her weight off of the table, she lit one. Unlike when I had cleared my throat, the first inhale Bella made was very audible. She filtered the smoke out of the corner of her mouth, looking me up and down.

"My old man owe you money?"

I blinked.

"How long you been in the business, kid? Don't you know you need to get payment up first?"

I blinked again. Red chased at my cheeks, but I decided to ignore it.

"No, it's nothing like that." I waved it off, chuckling a bit, even though I was terrified at the implication. A sex worker who couldn't stand men touching her? Yeah, right. Nice try. "I came here to see you, Bella. Sam sent me—"

All at once, a spasm rippled through Bella's demeanor. She quashed the cigarette out on the beautiful glass table. Then she crossed the span of it in a mere millisecond, grabbed me by my own jean jacket, and yanked me behind the bar. Within moments, I was through a hidden door covered in more of that fake dried grass, Bella's forearm pressed against my throat.

And within moments of that, I was freed, and a solid back was in front of me, the beige sweater a relieving sight. I rested my head against Kakashi's back, grabbing the sides of his over-large shirt to steady me. After a few stabilizing breaths, I realized the tunnel vision had gone away. Had it been from the adrenaline of the sudden action or Kakashi's return?

I really hoped it was the former.

"I'm warning you right now," Bella said, not thrown off at all as she righted herself against the opposite wall. Here, the lights were more of that blue neon that felt more like emergency lighting in a theater. In the dimness, her firm brows slanted into something dangerous. "You don't want to fuck with me. You don't know what hellfire will rain down on you."

"You're a witch?" Kakashi asked, though I couldn't see his face. I dared to peek out around his side, feeling like a toddler who'd just been saved from falling into a toilet by an overworked, but diligent, parent. Surely, I could've handled that better? I could've been a little more helpful?

What if Kakashi thought I'd sabotaged his possible return home? Or that I'd done it on purpose?

Bella gave an abrupt laugh, sharp and grizzled. "Sure am. Why? Want some proof?"

"N-No need," I said, edging my way around Kakashi's side, though I couldn't seem to make myself let go of the fabric in my hand. Now, I was clinging to his side like a baby monkey. Again.

But this time, there was no deranged anime character chasing after us, just a biker witch.

"I'm sorry if I said something I shouldn't have," I said, lamely, "but it's true. Sam sent us here because she thought you could help us."

"And how do you know our dear Select?" Bella paused at the word "select," inching it out of her mouth like a swear word or some other hideous slur.

"I—" I stalled, forcing myself not to ask what a "Select" is, "we're neighbors. I met her in person pretty recently. I hadn't realized how young she was..." I stopped, getting hold of my thoughts. Those words weren't helpful at all. And based on the stiffness in Bella's shoulders, I needed to move on and get to the point. "Look. This guy here? His name is Kakashi Hatake. He's from a completely different world. He doesn't belong here."

Bella's gaze moved over to assess Kakashi. Silence descended as she stared at the shinobi, hard.

"What's this got to do with me?" Bella shrugged, and something inside of me deflated.