Anna

A Chapter by Matienne Hoshi

This is the first chapter where I try to introduce Anna and her friends. Still a work in progress.

Chapter 1

When he entered the room everyone stared. He was used to the attention, it had become his addiction. He made his way past countless pleading eyes. Look at me they said, acknowledge me. But he gave no satisfaction.

The music pounded loudly and everyone swayed or bounced to the beat in a peculiar way. Anna thought, how odd of them but paid it no mind as she finished off the last of her drink. She had not noticed him. The man that had hypnotized everyone with his presence.

She hobbled off the bar stool both a little drunk and exhausted. She came here to have fun, but no one seem interested in dancing with her.

“You should have worn something sexier. ” her friend chimed in as if she had been listening to Anna’s thoughts.

“ Yea, and put your hair down. ” a second friend offered her opinion as well.

“I have makeup in my bag, why not try some?” friend one said shoving her purse onto Anna.

“Thanks but no thanks. ” Anna handed her friend the purse back and headed for the bathroom.

Thoughts swirled in her head, she could hear her friends voices on repeat. They meant well but often their words bit into her and left marks. She looked herself over on the mirror a voice in her head said plain ole Anna Jane. Jane was name for girls like her. Jane, a name even her friends let slip from their lips every once in a while. I don’t want to be the same she thought, nothing wrong with being a Jane. I can see me, why can’t they?

She spent a few more moments pumping herself back up to go out and join her friends, when she was ready she made her way back to the bar.

She pushed through the crowd and found where her friends had been.

“Where’s Marie?” Anna said noticing the empty stool beside Mona. “Some poor sap is about to be tangled in her web” Mona waved her drink in the general direction of the dance floor and then gulped it down. Anna could see she was beyond tipsy and shouldn’t be left alone. “Alright Mona, lets dance.” Anna took the glass from Mona and dragged her onto the dance floor. Mona swirled around Anna a few times before stopping dead mid swirl and staring off into the crowd.

“Mona?” Anna called out.

But Mona was transfixed on something in the distance.

“Mona!” “F**k!” Anna grabbed Mona’s arm and spun her around. “What is so damn important you can’t turn arou…”

In that moment their eyes met.