Bloodletting - The Beginning

June 18, 2015 (Part 1)

I am getting really sick of waking up clueless. First it was in my own room, then once in the forest and another time at the playground. Today it's in a car. I feel myself move into consciousness and open my eyes. I take in my surroundings quickly, but I it takes me a while to remember how I got here. Forest, gate, police man, car, San Francisco. Ok, got it. I turn my head and see Damien lounging in the seat next to me. He has one hand on the wheel, but for the most part he's relaxing into the chair, barely focusing on the road. 

"Hello, love." Damien says without missing a beat or looking in my direction. 

"Um, hi." I reply awkwardly. I blink a few times, trying to drive the sleep away. "What time is it?" I ask Damien. I'm not sure why I care, but I've always been fascinated with time. If you time something right, you can get around almost anything, or anyone. I've been able to avoid my step-parents for days with the right timing. 

"12:02." Damien tells me smoothly. 

"So I've been asleep for..." I'm thinking out loud, trying to get my drowsy brain to calculate for me.

"3 hours." Damien interjects quickly. "You slept through the entire ride."

"The entire ride?" I ask. Only then do I notice where we are. The green hills I'm used to have disappeared, replaced by tall buildings, dark cement and bright lights. "We're in San Francisco. Like, actually here." I say in awe. I've never been to a city as big as this one. The large cement buildings tower above me; the ever-bright lights shine through the darkness, blinding me, but I don't mind. I strain through the lighting to see the buildings as we pass. I take in every billboard, every stop light and every bus stop. I've heard of bigger cities, of course. New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo; but I've never actually been to one. As I peer out the window, I feel Damien's gaze on my neck watching me, but when I turn back to look at him he's got his eyes on the road, like nothing happened. 

"So..." I say. "Where exactly are we going?" 

"Around." Damien answers vaguely, as if that clarifies everything.

"Do you have an address?" I ask him, trying to pry the information out of him.

"Yes." he says. Wow, cryptic much?

"And..." I say, gesturing with my hands. Nothing. "Where is it?" I request blatantly. 

"About 3 miles that way." Damien says, pointing back the way we came. "That's not where we're headed now." Ugh, I give up.

"Whatever." I mumble quietly.

"Huh?" Damien says teasingly. "Didn't catch that." I scoff. 

"You're not funny." I tell him.

"I beg to differ." he says. I just roll my eyes and continue to count the billboards outside my window. Too soon, we begin to slow and quickly stop. Damien pulls the car into a space on the side of the road. I rest my hand on the door handle, eager to explore the city, but not quite sure if I should leave the car. Damien removes the keys from the ignition and pushes his door open easily. I turn back to my own door and push the handle down. I feel the lock click beneath my fingers, milliseconds before the door creaks open. I turn back and unfasten my seatbelt with another satisfying click, before pushing the door open with my foot and stepping out into the artificial light. 

Oddly, there is barely any light on this street. A few flickering street lamps are the only light that shines on the dark hill.  Out of all of San Francisco, of course Damien managed to find the street without any neon signs or lighted windows. I don't need the light though. I can see perfectly, even though the sky is pitch black. I feel Damien's hand on my shoulder.