The Darkest Song (The Eternal Darkness Duet #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A cold wind blew past me, and I shivered, mentally cursing myself for the millionth time for wearing a sundress. Jeans and a hoodie would’ve been the smarter choice, but I always got more tips when I wore a dress.

I was in my usual spot, by the fountain at the edge of the park, where tourists always stopped to take pictures. Restaurants and bars lined the opposite side of the street, and crowds of people milled about, waiting for the night to begin.

I was playing my violin, as I did almost every night, and was currently in the middle of a Star Wars medley, where I started with “Binary Sunset,” flowed into “The Imperial March,” and ended with “Duel Of The Fates.” It was one of my most popular songs, and a large crowd had gathered to listen.

I drew my bow across the strings in the final, dramatic note, and the crowd erupted into cheers. People began tossing dollars into the violin case at my feet, and I smiled in thanks, and immediately began to play again.

With the excitement of Star Wars over, the crowd quickly dispersed, and as I glanced down at the pile of money in my case, my smile grew wider. I needed this. Even working full time at the diner and playing my violin every night, I was still behind on rent. But it looked like my luck was finally changing.

I glanced down at the pile of cash again, then looked up and caught the eye of a guy standing at the edge of the street. Shit.

I quickly looked away, but it was too late, he was already coming towards me. I continued to play, pretending I didn’t notice him. He was accompanied by three other guys, and they were all obviously drunk.

“Hey!” he called as he walked up to me. I kept my face turned away, pretending to concentrate on my music.

“Hey,” he said again, as his group came to a stop right in front of me. They were standing so close I could smell the alcohol on them. No longer able to ignore him, I smiled tightly and continued to play.

“You’re real good,” he said loudly. “Real hot too.”

I took a step back, and he reached out and grabbed the skirt of my dress. I yanked away, my bow screeching as it yanked across the strings as I abruptly stopped mid-song.

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, gripping my bow tightly in my fist. I knew it would break if I struck him with it, but with my mace tucked away in my backpack on the ground, it was the only weapon I had.

He straightened and glared at me, then his friend slapped him on the shoulder and said, “Come on man, let's go.”

They turned and started walking away, and when I heard one of them call me a stuck-up bitch I had to clench my jaw to stay silent. My heart was pounding with anger, and I had to take several deep breaths to calm myself before I could play again.

It figures, just when I was finally having a good night, a bunch of assholes would have to come along and ruin it. I wanted to pack it in and go home, but I’d never cut a Friday night short. Weekends were my most profitable nights, and I couldn’t play tomorrow since I was going home to see Allie, so I swallowed my anger and kept playing.

But my night was already ruined. My emotions always flowed through my music, and my foul mood was obvious to the tourists passing by. I played for another hour before someone else stopped to tip me, and just as the woman was reaching into her purse it started to rain.

She shrieked and ran for cover, forgetting all about my tip. I swore and hurried to pack up, shoving my tips into my backpack and zipping up my violin. I shoved my arms through the straps of my backpack, grabbed my violin, and started walking home, but I only made it a few steps before it really started to pour.

I clutched my violin to my chest and broke into a jog. It was only four blocks to my apartment, but by the time I got to my street the rain was coming down so hard I could hardly see where I was going.

I’d just made it to the front steps of my building when someone grabbed me from behind and yanked me backwards. I screamed as I was spun around and thrown to the ground. I hit the street face first, my chin slamming into the wet pavement. The impact stunned me, and for a moment I couldn't move, or even breathe. I lay paralyzed as my assailant yanked my backpack off me, twisting my arms back painfully. Then he let go.

I scrambled to my feet and spun around to face him, but he was gone. I looked around frantically, barely able to see through the pouring rain, but couldn't see him anywhere. I saw my backpack on the ground a few feet away, so I grabbed it and ran up the steps into my building.

I bolted up the four flights of stairs to my apartment and fumbled to get the keys out of my backpack. I jammed them into the lock, looking over my shoulder in case I was being followed, and when I finally got the door open, I rushed inside and quickly slammed it shut and locked it.

Sobbing, I wiped my face with my hands then froze when I saw blood on them. I rushed to the bathroom to look in the mirror. My wet hair was plastered to my head and half of my face was covered in blood. I turned on the sink and frantically splashed water on my face, washing away enough blood to reveal that my chin and right cheek were scraped raw.

With shaking hands I wet a washcloth and tried to clean myself. Tears streamed down my face as I washed. It should hurt more . I realized I was probably in shock. I should call the police .

I went back to my backpack to get my phone, and that's when I realized I didn't have my violin. I dropped my backpack and ran to the window, but was unable to see through the rain. Should I go down to look for it? What if my attacker was still out there? The security door was broken, he could be in the building!

I stumbled to my backpack once more, got out my phone and called the police. They arrived 40 minutes later.

They came up to my apartment to question me, then went back down to look for my violin. But it was gone. They offered to give me a ride to the hospital to have my face looked at, but I declined. I didn't have insurance and a hospital bill was the last thing I needed right now. After they left, I crawled into bed and cried myself to sleep.