Monster

First draft, please read. Thanks.

Black, elegant curls bounced on Karen’s shoulders as she walked away from the woman kneeling on the cold tile floor with her head in her hands, the large overly priced rings on her fingers pressing into the bumpy flesh on her face. Water dripped onto the tile, a steady rain as the woman’s frame shook with sobs. Karen stopped at the ornately carved oak door, her fingertips resting on the golden handle, and tilted her head up slightly, the cheap florescent lights catching the specks of blue in her green eyes. She squinted her eyes slightly and turned back to the woman on the floor, feeling slightly guilty. It hadn’t been her fault, it had been her husbands. But there wasn’t anything Karen could do now- her husband was already floating at the bottom of Lake Erie. Karen adjusted the strap on her shoulder, gingerly touched the dagger strapped to her thigh. She stepped carefully into her dark leather boots by the rug in front of the door and turned the knob, stepping out into the cold snow. She put her gloved hand to her forehead and narrowed her eyes. She kicked the snow in front of her and started towards the large silver truck sitting on the curb, beyond the black iron gate that encircled Ms. Wilcox’s large, three story house. Karen’s boots found their way through the snow and were soon lifting Karen’s short legs into the truck. She closed the door, and just as she was turning the key in the ignition noticed that the fluffy white tail of her coat had been caught in the door. She yanked it out, ripping the material along her back. Her lips twitched slightly, but she coaxed the monster vehicle onto the icy road and turned the heater on. Karen’s eyes unfocused slightly as she drove down the slick grey pavement. A misshapen rogue snowball slapped against her windshield, pulling Karen out of her dream-like state. Her instincts told her to yank the wheel sharply to the left, but she ignored them and carefully stepped on the brakes. Her eyes scanned the yards to her left and to her right and upon looking she discovered that a group of maybe eleven young boys and three younger girls had gathered for a snowball fight. So, it was just an accident. Karen thought, shaking her head slightly. Her black droid pumped out sharp, little notes that barely resembled the song “I want you to want me.” Karen picked up her phone and pressed her fingertip on the green talk button and slid the phone delicately to her ear.

“I trust you did your job, Karen. Sadly, there’s not time for you to go home and curl up with a hot cup of cocoa. D.C., Washington. You need to be there within two weeks. I don’t care how many stops you make on the way there, so long as you get there on time. See you soon, my little mouse.” Karen dropped the phone in her purse and let her foot creep onto the gas pedal once more. Karen’s lips curved down slightly. She took one hand off the wheel and tugged the mirror until she could see her face. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and her eyeliner had smudged a considerable amount. Her lips were red from the lip gloss she had applied earlier to make her thin lips appear plumper than they really were. The black undershirt that kept her breasts in place when she ran also sucked in the little roll of tummy that popped out when she sat down or bent over. Sure, her stomach was nice and flat when she was standing straight or lying back, but it wasn’t always as pretty as she’d like to imagine. Her body was no where near ideal, her nose curved up and the bridge gently sloped inwards, giving her a nose that looked like that of a pig, just a bit thinner. She was short, five foot two, and she had to wear clothes from the petite section, which embarrassed her to no end. But in the end, it didn’t matter. She didn’t depend on her looks anymore than she depended on her father for love and support. She returned the mirror to it’s original position and looked behind her, at the house that belonged to the oh-so famous Ms. Wilcox. She wondered how she felt now that she was a widow. Would she lift her head to the press and go strong, or become a mindless vegetable as the whole word watched? Karen smiled and gently put pressure on the wheel, turning onto a new street. The house behind her would never invade her mind again. Her fingers found the knob on the stereo, and soon she was submerged in pounding notes that filled her ears.