The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Twelve (this scene will move to a later chapter)

San Francisco of the 20th-something century. The Nth revival of disco fashion imported from across the Pacific, shining hovercars made in Baghdad bought by the wealthy, anti-Darkling propaganda picked up off satellite from European stations, no one cared: in America horror was still in. They called them Darkling now, a long ago misunderstood play on an everyday term of affection had all humans thinking those who are different liked to be called Darkling. Of course, in the south there were still those militant groups who knew the word and used it hatefully, and so in those steamy cities those who would be called Darkling whispered to each other in their clandestine meeting places, "Dar-ling, I am the very limit of differentness." But in San Francisco, they had no trouble. California had always loved the Darkling, Vampyres especially, or so it seemed then to people living there.

San Francisco exported great gothic horror to the rest of the world, independent music labels, a small population of very talented writers, several hit TV shows, and, most importantly, it was the home of GothWorld. Happy mice forgotten, everyone wanted a figure of Crowley the skeleton that they could bend and torture in so many ways, preferably one that came with Crowley's cousin Raym T. Raven, Prince of Hell and Portent of Evil. Every kid wanted to have the next Raym poster or the next Raym bedsheets, the next Raym studded collar. And the children never had to worry about the teenagers teasing them, because the teenagers loved Raym and Crowley too!

The park itself was a short monorail ride from the city, just a couple hours from LA on the same train system. Its artfully designed facades changed style as one walked through the park. Real working gaslamps, false Victorian storefronts, and fog in London After Midnight; everything crooked and colorful in the Neither World, In Neverland there were mirrors down beneath the feet and clubs were filled with dancers all night long. GothWorld didn't close at Night, only for several hours each morning to make repairs and tidy up.

And hidden away in some office in San Francisco office, men, women, and Vampyres with money said: Put Raym in a movie, make bigger bendable Crowleys, design a female GothWorld character!

She was in the planning.

Even on the worst days of the year, GothWorld was open, and crowded. On the worst days, the guests shelled out money for large black and white spiraled umbrellas, or purple ones with dangling Raym's at each spoke, to walk the streets all named after famous horror writers. The raven with the star in his eye was America's anti-idol. "He's so evil, he's so smart, he despises people of all colors and creeds with equanimity." And, everyone loved poor put-upon and clumsy Crowley, with his tough biker boots and spiked collar.

When GothWorld first opened, they got the group Velvet to play in the clubs, but with being world leaders and all, the members couldn't hack it, so the money makers signed a contract with Velvet herself, and got permission for a cover artist to perform her songs and wear her trademark black velvet dresses. The name she went by was Cinnamon and she had been discovered in a tiny club in Karachi by Morpheus. He had connections with the money makers.

Cinnamon, who's real name was Jaya Tagore, played three shows a day, more during some seasons, always at the Neverland club they called Usher House. Every so often, they'd get another act or two, that was good. So, when Opium planned her solo release and signed up to play at GothWorld a while, Cinnamon was ecstatic. To think, the Darkling who had spawned dear sweet Morpheus would share the stage, the Darkling who was known to the world as the lead singer of Robert's Pill, the group Morpheus had played guitar for.

Cinnamon was used to Darkling; she had seen the Brits try to push them out of England. Cinnamon's family had moved to Pakistan. Karachi was what they called a Haven city; it was host to one of the seven Havens the Darkling had held from the time before the Union. So, as soon as Cinnamon had moved there, she met Morpheus. She still thought he was sweet. But, the new gig meant she had to put up with Vampyres slipping backstage, past security, to lick their lips and say, "You almost look like Joy."