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HER by Amanda (c) 2001
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Thank God for pharmaceutical companies!
Brian stared down at the little bottle of Serax in his hand, holding it as if it were priceless. He smiled wryly. Well, in a way, it was. Without those little babies, he would have been climbing up a wall, ready to call the nice men in their white coats to come get him. Borrowing them from a crew member, he had taken one just an hour ago. Amazed at how much calmer he felt, Brian buried them deep in his coat pocket. I ain't giving these back!
He wandered down one of the many hallways in the First Union Center, wondering where everyone was. They were probably hiding from him, positive that he was losing his mind. Not that he could blame them. He probably was. At first he had been angry, pissed that they had all laughed at him. It had taken a whole night of restless sleep, along with a few drinks to realize that he probably would have laughed too, if it had not happened to him. Not having a clue in what to do next, he found himself at the arena, earlier than required for tonight's concert, searching vainly for someone, anyone to talk to. He spotted their bodyguards huddled in a conference and called out a hello.
"Anybody seen Nick? Kevin?" he asked.
The tallest, largest of the group pointed a massive hand down another hallway, too engrossed to reply verbally. Hoping he wouldn't get lost, Brian wove his way through another passageway, hearing faint hoots of laughter. He followed the noise and entered a room, a makeshift game room, temporarily built for their enjoyment during their time here in Philadelphia.
"Dude, check this out!" yelled Nick when he saw Brian enter, waving him over. He was sitting on the edge of a couch, laughing so hard he could barely keep from falling over. AJ was standing a few feet away, looking pleased, grinning at the strange girl who was next to Nick, holding his hand. Brian took in the scene before him and shook his head. Nick and AJ never seemed to be at a loss in keeping themselves entertained. He flopped on the couch next to Nick, giving the girl a curious look and nod.
"Wassup?" he asked, eyeing the girl's strange clothing. She was dressed like a gypsy, her brightly colored clothing and heavy makeup making her seem older than she probably was. She held Nick's hand, almost possessively. Brian sighed. Nick! Where do you pick up these girls? Haven't I taught you anything?
"Rok, meet Sabrina."
She smiled, showing a pierced tongue, matching her pierced nose and ears. Brian groaned inwardly. "Like the teenage witch?" he asked politely, grimacing at Nick's not-so-gentle punch in his ribs.
"Funny...not. She's a fortune teller."
"Oookay."
"No, really! I'm not messin' with you! AJ hired her. She's a riot. Come on, she's gonna read your fortune."
Brian gave him a sour look. "Nick."
"Brian."
"Nick!"
"Brian!"
"No."
"Yes."
Nick got up from his seat, shoving Brian closer to Sabrina. "Ooof. There." He reached out and grabbed Brian's reluctant hand, pulling it towards the silent girl. "Okay, sweetheart, he's all yours."
Brian turned his head to protest. "Nick! I'm really not interested!"
He looked back to Sabrina. "No offense."
Nick crossed his arms. "Briiaan..." he sing-songed.
"Niiicck..."
Nick smirked.
Brian glared.
Nick waited.
Brian sighed.
"Okay, here." He held out his hand.
Now curious, he watched as Sabrina slipped her cool hands over his, turning it over to trace his palm. She was holding his right hand lightly and he stared down at his palm, watching, waiting for her to say something. Receiving no response, Brian looked up questioningly and found that she was not studying his hand at all. Instead, she was staring directly at him, her eyes full of horror. Instantly she dropped his hand and began to hurriedly wipe hers, looking as if she was in pain.
AJ laughed. "Oooh, Bri's got cooties."
Sabrina quickly stood up, clearing her throat. "Uh, sorry, I forgot. I've got another appointment I have to get to," she rushed, grabbing her large purse. "Next time, okay?" Brian frowned, noticing that she was trying to avoid direct eye contact with him. With a rapid mumble of goodbye, she headed for the door.
Something was not right. She knew it and without understanding why, Brian knew it too. An uneasy fear crept over him. "Hey wait, wait!" he yelled out anxiously, but she was gone. He turned to view the surprised expressions on Nick and AJ.
"Maybe it's your breath?" offered AJ helpfully.
Nick gave a quick snicker and Brian was tempted to flip them both off. Ignoring them both, he stood up and hurried out the door, hoping he could catch her, talk to her. Brian located her standing near the elevator, punching the button impatiently.
"Sabrina?"
Startled, the young girl jumped, her eyes widening when she saw Brian jogging up to her. She took a step back, cautious, her hand held up as if warding him off. She twisted her head to the left and then to the right, chewing nervously on her lower lip.
"You know something, don't you."
It was a statement, not a question, and Brian scanned her face anxiously for any information. Shying away from his prying eyes, Sabrina reaching out to jab the down button a few more times. Irritation, mixed with fear, made him reach out and grab Sabrina around her wrist, desperate for an answer. "Tell me!"
She gasped a little, whether out of pain or shock, Brian wasn't sure. Yanking out of his grip, she backed away, alarmed, shaking her head. Scanning the hallway frantically, she located the stairwell exit sign and began to edge near it.
Seeing her panic, Brian began to panic too. "Please."
"Brian?"
Both turned to see Nick coming down the hall, a perplexed look on his face. "What's going on?"
Brian ignored Nick. Looking at Sabrina he pleaded silently, knowing she was scared. Scared of him. Why? Why would she be so terrified? And then he knew. Somehow, somehow it was linked to her. A cold fear ran through him, a dread so intense that he began to shake.
"Please," he mouthed in desperation.
Nick butted in, placing himself between the two. "Hey, what's going on?" he repeated, his voice filled with concern as he switched his attention from one to the other.
Sabrina saw the opportunity and took it. She turned and fled, slipping quickly behind the stairway door and vanished. Brian swore under his breath and moved to follow, only to find Nick blocking his path.
"Brian?"
"Nick! Get out of the way!"
"No, not until you tell me what's happening. Why were you scaring her?"
Brian sighed bitterly, realizing his chance to catch her was lost. "Thanks a lot, Nick. Now she's gone."
"So?"
"So, she knows. Sabrina knows about her."
Nick gazed at his friend uncomprehendingly until it dawned on him who Brian was referring to. He took a step backwards, rolling his eyes upward for a moment before laughed in disbelief. "Oh my God, not her again! Are you nuts or what? How would Sabrina know anything about your fake fantasy girl?"
It was too much for him. The stress, the fear and frustration caught up to Brian and he exploded, taking a furious step towards Nick. "Fake? Fake? You think I'm making this all up?"
Nick stared at him calmly, infuriating Brian further.
" Just because you guys haven't seen her, you think I'm crazy, that I'm an idiot, right?"
"Um… you said it, not me."
Livid, it took all of Brian's willpower not to punch Nick in the mouth. He backed away from Nick, shaking from anger and pointed an accusing finger at him. "Tonight. She'll be there tonight. I guarantee it! And I'll make you see her …so help me God, I'm gonna make you all see her, even if it kills me!" With a rough shove, Brian heatedly pushed Nick out of the way. He stormed down the hallway, ignoring Nick's pleas of "come on", disregarding AJ who had just entered the corridor, searching for the two.
AJ sauntered over to Nick, indicating a "what's-his-problem?" with a jerk of his thumb. Nick sighed heavily, shaking his head.
"Brian's determined tonight to show us the mystery girl."
"Her?"
"Yeah."
AJ smiled sourly, putting on his shades. "Oh, goody. I can hardly wait."