Bring Me To Life
Chapter One
She was sick of it. Sick of it all. Sick of crappy jobs with hours so long and pay so low that it should be classed as slave labour. Sick of damp, crappy apartments with bastard landlords that could smell a missed rent payment like sharks could smell blood. She was sick of living a life she hated and not having anything to show for twenty four years on the planet. She didn't even have her name in a yearbook. Riley Clarke would be the first person to admit it, she didn't live, she just exsisted. She didn't have much else. Right now, Riley was standing in front of her bathroom mirror, trying to scrape as much mascara from the tube as she could manage while the light flickered above her. Mascara wasn't part of Riley's budget, and neither was fixing the light. She knew how tonight would run. In about five minutes Alice would show up, looking perfect, they'd go out and Riley would blow her grocery money on booze. They'd end up drunk and and more then likely locked outside her appartmet all night. Riley threw the mascara tube into the cracked sink, she gave up, there was no way in hell she was going to get any out of it. She checked her watched and swore. Alice was going to be there any second and she was still prancing about in her underwear. Riley sprinted out of the bathroom, almost hurdled over the sofa and stumbled into her shoebox sized bedroom where her outfit of jeans and a shirt lay draped over a chair on top of all her other clothes. Whenever Riley got into a rush, things went wrong and now was no exception. She tried to jam both her legs into one and fell on her back. Then she buttoned her shirt wrong just as Alice began hammering on the front door.
"Clarke!" She shouted. "Open this goddamn door now!"
Riley heard another voice in the hall,a gravely male one and just before she opened the door she heard Alice shoot back.
"Oh fuck off you miserable bastard."
That was one of the things about them. Any other time they where mild mannered. The second they where in a ten yard radius, every other sentance usually began with fuck. Alice was still shooting daggers at whoever it was.
"Causing trouble with the neighbours?" Riley asked, faintly amused.
"They're causing trouble with me. Anyway, what the hell is up with your shirt girl? Fix it."
Alice pushed past Riley and as usual groaned. Even the cheap rent would never lure her to such a low as Paradise Heights, the appartment blocks name. She dropped onto the coach, which groaned in protest and looked at Riley expectantly.
"Questions. One, why is your shirt still fastened like that? Two, why aren't you wearing make up? Three, why haven't you asked me if I want a coffee?"
"One, I had to answer the door to you. Two, I have offically ran out of make up and three, there is no coffee. I can offer you a choice of tap water, or nothing."
"Ugh, no thanks." Alice dug her bag and threw Riley a tube of mascara. "Here, use that because you'll never get a guy looking like that."
Riley had already disappeared into the bathroom and shouted behind her "Thanks."
Alice was a writer, more precisly an agony aunt for a teen magazine. She hated it and was trying to work her way up, but the money was good and in Riley's books she shouldn't be complaining. Whenever she could afford it, Riley would buy the magazine and laugh everytime she saw the banner headline proclaiming 'Ask Aunt Alice.' Riley had an Aunt Alice, who was a hideous old hag who belonged in medevil witch stories. The flickering light reminded Riley of her overdue electricity bill, and the phone bill which she didn't have the money for. Jesus, life sucked.
The drinks in the club where ridiciously over priced and just as Riley expected, her shopping budget had been compleatly blown out of the window. Oh well, maybe after two weeks of surviving on rice and orange juice would work as a cheap detox and she lose some weight. Alice seemed to be taking her drink much better then Riley. The whole room seemed slightly fuzzy around the edges and the pounding music was muffeled. Alice seemed fine, she was scanning the room and dancing to the music. She suddenly reached out and hit Riley hard on the arm.
"There." she hissed pulling her close. "Look. You're being checked out."
Riley couldn't see to whoever she was pointing to. It was too dark and her eyes couldn't focus.
"Don't let me drink anymore of these." Riley said, motioning to her empty glass.
"You know you'll buy more whatever I say. Oh shit, he's coming over."
Alice gave Riley a push, forcing her to turn back to the bar. The bartender came straight over.
"Another one?" he asked.
"Erm....no, I think....mmmmm....go on."
"Told you." Alice muttered and then he was besides her. Handing the bartender a bill.
"This one's on me." he said.
Being so close Riley noticed his eyes first. They where brown, then his smile and then he came into view.
"Your hair's green." she said and then reailsed how stupid it sounded and silently cursed her weakness for cocktails.
He just smiled. "I'm Shane Helms."
"I'm Riley. Riley Clarkes."
"So, can I buy you and your friend another drink?"
Maybe it was her lowered inhabitions, maybe it was something in the air. But Riley Clarke said yes, and it was the end of everything she knew.
A/N: so, what do you think. Please R/R. It will get better!-Kiera
Chapter One
She was sick of it. Sick of it all. Sick of crappy jobs with hours so long and pay so low that it should be classed as slave labour. Sick of damp, crappy apartments with bastard landlords that could smell a missed rent payment like sharks could smell blood. She was sick of living a life she hated and not having anything to show for twenty four years on the planet. She didn't even have her name in a yearbook. Riley Clarke would be the first person to admit it, she didn't live, she just exsisted. She didn't have much else. Right now, Riley was standing in front of her bathroom mirror, trying to scrape as much mascara from the tube as she could manage while the light flickered above her. Mascara wasn't part of Riley's budget, and neither was fixing the light. She knew how tonight would run. In about five minutes Alice would show up, looking perfect, they'd go out and Riley would blow her grocery money on booze. They'd end up drunk and and more then likely locked outside her appartmet all night. Riley threw the mascara tube into the cracked sink, she gave up, there was no way in hell she was going to get any out of it. She checked her watched and swore. Alice was going to be there any second and she was still prancing about in her underwear. Riley sprinted out of the bathroom, almost hurdled over the sofa and stumbled into her shoebox sized bedroom where her outfit of jeans and a shirt lay draped over a chair on top of all her other clothes. Whenever Riley got into a rush, things went wrong and now was no exception. She tried to jam both her legs into one and fell on her back. Then she buttoned her shirt wrong just as Alice began hammering on the front door.
"Clarke!" She shouted. "Open this goddamn door now!"
Riley heard another voice in the hall,a gravely male one and just before she opened the door she heard Alice shoot back.
"Oh fuck off you miserable bastard."
That was one of the things about them. Any other time they where mild mannered. The second they where in a ten yard radius, every other sentance usually began with fuck. Alice was still shooting daggers at whoever it was.
"Causing trouble with the neighbours?" Riley asked, faintly amused.
"They're causing trouble with me. Anyway, what the hell is up with your shirt girl? Fix it."
Alice pushed past Riley and as usual groaned. Even the cheap rent would never lure her to such a low as Paradise Heights, the appartment blocks name. She dropped onto the coach, which groaned in protest and looked at Riley expectantly.
"Questions. One, why is your shirt still fastened like that? Two, why aren't you wearing make up? Three, why haven't you asked me if I want a coffee?"
"One, I had to answer the door to you. Two, I have offically ran out of make up and three, there is no coffee. I can offer you a choice of tap water, or nothing."
"Ugh, no thanks." Alice dug her bag and threw Riley a tube of mascara. "Here, use that because you'll never get a guy looking like that."
Riley had already disappeared into the bathroom and shouted behind her "Thanks."
Alice was a writer, more precisly an agony aunt for a teen magazine. She hated it and was trying to work her way up, but the money was good and in Riley's books she shouldn't be complaining. Whenever she could afford it, Riley would buy the magazine and laugh everytime she saw the banner headline proclaiming 'Ask Aunt Alice.' Riley had an Aunt Alice, who was a hideous old hag who belonged in medevil witch stories. The flickering light reminded Riley of her overdue electricity bill, and the phone bill which she didn't have the money for. Jesus, life sucked.
The drinks in the club where ridiciously over priced and just as Riley expected, her shopping budget had been compleatly blown out of the window. Oh well, maybe after two weeks of surviving on rice and orange juice would work as a cheap detox and she lose some weight. Alice seemed to be taking her drink much better then Riley. The whole room seemed slightly fuzzy around the edges and the pounding music was muffeled. Alice seemed fine, she was scanning the room and dancing to the music. She suddenly reached out and hit Riley hard on the arm.
"There." she hissed pulling her close. "Look. You're being checked out."
Riley couldn't see to whoever she was pointing to. It was too dark and her eyes couldn't focus.
"Don't let me drink anymore of these." Riley said, motioning to her empty glass.
"You know you'll buy more whatever I say. Oh shit, he's coming over."
Alice gave Riley a push, forcing her to turn back to the bar. The bartender came straight over.
"Another one?" he asked.
"Erm....no, I think....mmmmm....go on."
"Told you." Alice muttered and then he was besides her. Handing the bartender a bill.
"This one's on me." he said.
Being so close Riley noticed his eyes first. They where brown, then his smile and then he came into view.
"Your hair's green." she said and then reailsed how stupid it sounded and silently cursed her weakness for cocktails.
He just smiled. "I'm Shane Helms."
"I'm Riley. Riley Clarkes."
"So, can I buy you and your friend another drink?"
Maybe it was her lowered inhabitions, maybe it was something in the air. But Riley Clarke said yes, and it was the end of everything she knew.
A/N: so, what do you think. Please R/R. It will get better!-Kiera