Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: "I cannot believe we are in Italy!" Ciara shouted from the top of her lungs, and threw her hands up in the air as they stood on their hotel balcony.

Natalie chuckled and looked out at the night.

The air was crisp and cool.

It whispered a soft and gentle caress over her flesh and she sighed with contentment. She still had lingering worries about her mother being all alone, but she knew that she needed to do this for her and that her mother would be perfectly fine with her uncle. She looked over at Ciara as she stared out into the night as Natalie had with a smile.

She was so beautiful. The type of beautiful that men of all ages fawned over.

She had this beautiful blonde, brown hair that always was wavy and perfect when Natalie always thought hers managed to get fizzy like a box around her head. Ciara turned to her suddenly and Natalie could only smile at her best friend.

"We should go out." She said with an excited grin.

Natalie hesitated.

She had never been for partying. Her whole life seeing what alcohol had done to her mother she hadn't really wanted any part in that.

"I don't know." Natalie said with a grimace and Ciara narrowed her eyes and pouted out a plump lip.

"Please, Nat! Please for me! We could find some really hot Italian guys..." Ciara wiggled her eyebrows.

Finally, Natalie sighed with defeat.

"Fine, but not for long." She said and Ciara squealed and latched onto Natalie's neck.

Natalie rolled her eyes and patted her best friend's back as Ciara skipped back into the room.

"Let's get you all done up!" she said with excitement and Natalie looked down at her jeans and converse.

"What's wrong with this?!" she asked, insulted.

Ciara winced as she eyed Natalie.

"You are NOT wearing that." She said and Natalie could tell by the determined lilt to Ciara's voice that there was no reason to argue.

When Ciara wanted to be stubborn she could be as stubborn as a mule.

Natalie nodded her head and sat down on the bed as Ciara began curling her hair and putting on her makeup. When she was done Natalie looked in the mirror and gasped.

Her long brown hair was pulled up into a messy bun with small ringlets framing her face. Her makeup was smoky and made the green in her eyes sparkle like polished emeralds. She turned around and kissed her friend's cheek.

"I love it, Ciara. Really. Thank you." Natalie said sincerely.

Ciara beamed and skipped over to the suitcase to begin pulling out an outfit.

Natalie was weary because both she and Ciara had two completely different styles. While Ciara's was flirty and daring, Natalie went with more safe and comfortable clothes. Ciara threw the clothes that she had picked and threw them at Natalie.

"Go get dressed," Natalie opened her mouth to protest but Ciara leveled a glare.

"NO BUTS." She growled and finally, with a sigh, Natalie turned and got dressed.

She stared at herself in the mirror, unbelieving of what she was seeing. She couldn't wear this! She felt exposed like she was preparing to go walk around a club naked.

The dress was a black see-through top mesh peplum dress and fell to about mid-thigh with heels Natalie was sure she was going to break her neck in and a studded clutch with gold bangles. She had to admit that it looked hot, but it just wasn't... her.

She sighed and stepped out of the bathroom to do a twirl for Ciara.

She squealed.

"You look so hot! H-O-T!" Natalie's lips twitched.

"You do too." She said and Ciara grinned and did a twirl of her own.

She was wearing a tight strapless floral dress with hot pink stilettos.

"Ready to go?" Ciara asked as she grabbed her purse.

Natalie sighed reluctantly, but nodded and followed her best friend out.

They called a cab and Natalie tried to stifle giggles as Ciara attempted to speak in Italian to the driver. So, instead she stared out the windows as the car slowly began moving.

Everything passed by in blurs of color and motions and Natalie, for the first time, felt a little excited.

She had never been out clubbing and she always wondered what the appeal of it was. She never saw it, but Ciara always had and maybe it was time for her to see what the big deal was about. Still, nerves fluttered around in her stomach in a frenzy tightening into a tight ball in her chest.

The car stopped and they paid the cab driver who seemed to be holding in laughs of his own behind his thick mustache. They got out of the car and Natalie shivered and looked over her shoulder as the feeling of being watched intensified. Ciara pulled at her hand with an anticipating smile as she pulled her towards the line.

As they waited, Natalie noticed a large black Escalade sitting, parked a few yards away. The engine was on, but the windows were tinted and it was dark outside. She nudged Ciara and pointed to the car. Ciara looked away from the Italian guy she had been flirting with and followed Natalie's gaze.

"Yeah, so?" she asked and Natalie sighed with exasperation.

"Look! They've just been sitting there and I swear I saw that same car sitting outside of our hotel." She murmured to Ciara as she watched the car as if at any moment it would strike like a poisonous snake.

Ciara snorted.

"You're just being paranoid. Don't worry! Have fun!" she grinned and Natalie finally gave in with a half-hearted smile.

The line began to move a lot faster and once they were finally in the club Natalie felt better to finally be out of the line of vision of whoever was in the car.

Maybe she was just overreacting.

Maybe it was just nerves from being so far away from home.

She needed to have fun. This was what the trip was for.

They got to the bar and Ciara ordered a couple shots. Music blared throughout the club, flowing through Natalie's blood, and buzzing through her. She realized it was 'I can't stop by Flux Pavillion'. The bartender winked at them and Natalie blushed as Ciara slid a shot over to Natalie and held up her own glass.

"Cheers!" she grinned and Natalie smiled, clinking her glass with Ciara's before she threw back her shot.

She coughed and spluttered, her eyes burned.

How in the hell did people like this stuff? Was this what her mom liked so much? She couldn't imagine it.

Ciara giggled and ordered another round as they sat down in a booth.

Natalie could already feel the effects and she managed a small smile down at her hands as the bartender brought over another tray.

They threw back shots until Natalie shook her head.

"I-I...no more!" she chuckled and Ciara pouted and then shrugged a shoulder.

"More for me!" she winked.

Two men suddenly came to the booth. They grinned flirtatiously and began to talk. One sat next to Ciara and one slid in next to Natalie.

Natalie looked at the man that had slid in next to her.

He was American, as well, with dirty blonde hair and a scruffy jaw.

He was pretty cute, Natalie conceded, but not her type. Did she even know what was her type? She pushed the thought away and looked over to find Ciara getting up and going out onto the dance floor. She began grinding her hips against the man and the man seemed happy to rub against Ciara.

Natalie blushed and the other guy scooted closer to her and ran a hand down her exposed thigh.

She scooted away and he just inched closer.

"How about we get out of here?" he asked and winked.

She wanted to vomit. How could he think that was sexy?

"No, I'm good. I think I better wait for Ciara." She said and his eyes narrowed but a smile was back in place a moment later.

"I don't think she'll mind." He said and nodded towards Ciara and the guy who were groping each other on the dance floor, their tongues shoved down each other's throats.

Natalie blushed again and was sure she was tomato red by now. The man inched closed until Natalie felt claustrophobic.

He gripped the inside of her thigh with a painful grip and she yelped.

"Come on... Let's get out of here baby." He growled and his hand began to go higher.

Disgust shuddered through her and tears stung her eyes.

She shot up and grabbed the shot nearest to her before throwing the liquid in his face.

He let out a bellow that was easily drowned out by the music and with that Natalie turned and began to make her way through the crowd.

She NEEDED to get out.

She NEEDED some air.

Finally, after bumping through numerous grinding bodies she finally made it to the back alley door and stumbled out into the night air.

She gulped in air, willing the panic that had gripped her by the throat to subside along with the rush of memories and the emotions they induced.

She was stupid to have come here. She walked out of the alley and suddenly found herself on the small bridge that sat next to the club.

Water streamed and golden streetlights reflected and sparkled off the shimmering surface of the water. Natalie leaned against the large banister and let herself calm.

She was about ready to go inside when she heard the screech of brakes behind her. She spun around and found men, all in dark suits climbing out of the black escalade.

Heart in throat she began backing up.

One man stepped forward, his hair was dark and thick, and his jaw strong and his nose looked as if it had been broken multiple times.

"Hello, Natalie." He said, and his voice was thick with an Italian accent.

Her heart, a tattoo against her ribs, stuttered to a stop.

"H-how do you know my name?" she choked out and he grinned, showing pearly whites.

"We will explain in time, Ms. Brown, but first you need to come with us." He said and she shook her head, adamantly.

"No. I have a friend. I must be going." She said and turned to begin running.

She heard a curse and had taken no more than three steps when an iron grip went around her waist and lifted her off the ground.

She kicked her legs out and twisted, thrashed, in the hard grip.

She opened her mouth to begin screaming.

"PLEASE SOMEONE! PLEASE HELP ME!"

Dread was a corrosive acid that fled through her system.

No, no, NO!

"PLEASE! HELP ME!" She screamed.

"SHUT UP!" The man snarled and she didn't listen.

She opened her mouth to scream again when something covered her mouth and nose.

She thrashed harder as a sweet musky scent filled her nose. DON'T BREATHE IN! She saw stuff like this in movies.

What was is Chlorine? Chl-chloroform!

She tried not to breathe, but soon her lungs begged and burned for oxygen.

She sobbed in a breath, unable to stop it and instantly dark encroached her vision and her head got light and dizzy. She tried to kick out more, but her legs suddenly felt way to heavy and limp.

So tired.

So, so tired.

Darkness reached for her, twining around her like the terror she had felt until she was in its relentless, unforgiving embrace...

*************

I hoped you liked this chapter as much as I liked writing it! Sorry for any errors! ^^^ Dress Natalie wore at the top!!! Vote and comment! xx <3