Galaxy Girl

Chapter 3

The clubz was a skyscraper with a cluster of nightclubs that varied in terms of luxury, music and adrenaline spike.
Standing in the dim moonlight, Miranda watched Jay expertly slip a card into the wall. They waited for a moment, then the card slid out, and Jay, collecting the card, opened the surprisingly inconspicuous wooden door.
Miranda was wearing a tight crimson tank top with thin straps, ripped blue jeans and silver sky high heels. She had salvaged them from the clotjes that the hospital claimed were hers. Apparently, she had been an emancipated minor since she was sixteen.
Well, it explained how the clothes looked brand new and still had tags. And how she had seen gucci handbags.
Very low priced for a girl who worked a shitty job at some restaurant called Freya's.
Entering the building, Miranda found herself in a room with sweeping escalators, and mediocre music that everyone was dancing to. People, mostly teens like her, swayed to the beat of the music, holding cheap plastic cups that they got from the drink vending machines. A deejay rocked lightly to the music in the corner. There was about a 50/50 chance he was an android, since they were mostly reserved for the army and medicare. Lights flashed around, but the room was otherwise dark. Miranda couldn't help but feel that the glittering moonlight outside did not quite represent night. These flashing gold lights, the laughter and the dancing, the intoxicating drinks-this was it for humans. The underworld.
Jay grabbed her hand and dragged her along to the escalators, where she spent 14 seconds journeying to the upper floor, where they curved on one half and on the other, continued up. Jay made no move to leave the escalator, and they continued on.
6 floors and wild music later, they were at the second to last floor. That was when Jay finally left the escalator and Miranda followed off it, noting that it ended at two double doors.
Jay had started dancing his way down the dance floor. Miranda just stood awkwardly by the escalator, and seeing Jay making his way towards the drink stand, followed him there.
Jay was pouring himself a glass of wine. He gave her a small smile as he saw her approaching.
Miranda waded her way through drunk bodies that swayed to the loud music to get to Jay, who had not yet moved from his position beside the drinks.
Miranda reached Jay, panting a little, and looked up to meet his slightly amused eyes. "What the hell am I supposed to do here?" She said indignantly.
"Daahling," Jay crooned. He gestured to the party "There is a loot to do here. Don't tell me you haven't felt the beat yet. Just... you know. Feel. Stop thinking for a second."
Miranda realized that she did. Have to stop thinking. Jay had recognized it, saw the weight of no memories to reach for, the inexplicable secrets that she felt got her to were she was. And he had brought her to the one place it could stop.
And at that moment, she stopped. And she could feel.
The singer's upbeat voice gave her a feeling of intense euphoria. She felt the steady vibrations and heard the excitingly fast beat and rhythm of the music. It was summoning her out of the shell she had built around herself and the outside world. You want to dance, the music seemed to scream at her.
"Now, now." Jay said cheerfully "Let's not get too carried away." He winked at her and  poured sparkly red wine into an empty glass"Want a drink?" Miranda nodded and took the wine glass. Then she let loose.
                                    *
Miranda let the music claim her. She was under its control, a subject to the raw wildness of the song.
Miranda giggled as she span to the tune. Bringing her wine glass to her lips, she saw that the glass was completely empty of liquid.
Oh, crap, she thought. And I was having so much fun.
Miranda carefully disentangled herself from the crowd of bodies in the dance floor and went to the bar. A few people lingered there, sipping drinks. Miranda, feeling woozy, said to the sour faced bartender "One more glass. Of whatever drink is the best."
The bartender smiled menacingly and made for the collection of alcohol behind him.
"Wait little Miss Dance!" A voice rang behind her. She spun to find Jay with  wine dripping down his shirt. "I think we need to leave."
"No! I'm having so much fun!" She replied, drunk. "No, no, no, no, no!"
"Listen here, princess," Jay said urgently. "You have amnesia. That's the hard truth, and I brought you here so you could actually stop obssessing over your old life, and start making new memories and living a new life to embrace your past. But girl, you're having your honeymoon and it's over. And guess what? It's over. But you learnt something about Miranda Bennett today."
With a start, she realized it was true. "I love dancing," she said tonelessly. "Yes. Now you've experienced what life is like, you can actually start having experiences that can help you learn who you are."
Miranda grinned at Jay. "Are you a shrink?" Jay gave her a small smile back and said "No, but I plan on getting a degree in psychiatry." Miranda let Jay drag her away.