The Half and the Whole: Tori by Nicola Collings (fiction novels to read TXT) 📕

The bartender eyed her while pouring her drinks. “You don’t look like you fit here...” he murmured.

Tori regarded him with the same, nonchalance she gave everyone who’d said that to her in the past- and that was pretty often!

He past Tori her drink over the counter. “If I didn’t know any better,” he started, under his breath and well below the beat of the music. “’d say you were from The Wynde.” He raised his eyebrows.

“Well, that would be one hell of an accusation, since I’ve lived on Boundary my whole life and have several people that can vouch for me.” She replied, however, Tori felt her facial expression giving the truth away.

“If you say so.” He leant back and started to clean a glass. “But I’ve been bartending my whole life, and I’ve never pegged someone wrongly. Never.”

“Whatever.” Tori mumbled, turning away and sitting at a table on her own. From there, she surveyed her environment. She saw the venue slowly fill, couples snog, girls giggle, bitch fights happen, then broken up...

The whole cycle of a party slowly taking place before her sober eyes.  And not once did a single soul pay any amount of attention to her. They were too entranced by the electronic vibes pushing through the thick air, how their high heels hurt, dresses sparkling in the colours of the darkened room, the alcohol sinking deep into the minds of Boundary.

A black sheep...

The black sheep among the flock sat in silence, unnoticed, until her still figure caught the alcohol-blurred attention of someone who’d been the bane of her life for years.

“Hey! Look, it’s that bitch-sucker! Hey bitch-sucker, listened to any depressing songs recently? Ahaha!” The shrill laughter could only belong to Penelope; the daughter of a rich businessman and designated popular girl in Tori’s year. She went out of her way to make Tori’s life a personal hell, but on the bright side, she’d never know how unlucky she was to own a laugh as loud and shrill and embarrassing as that.

Tori looked away; her efforts to avoid attention were futile. Penelope, flanked by a gaggle of friends who didn’t know any other colour other than pink, staggered over to her table and proceeded to throw insults at Tori.

“The lil’ emo bitch doesn’t even know how fugly she looks!” cackled Penelope, her friends finding it immensely funny. “I’m surprised she’s even here, in public!”

Tori only listened to the echoes from her friends.

“Such a ‘tard...”

“Ugly cow...”

She didn’t need this. It wouldn’t be long now. Tori got up and moved away from Penelope and her friends, who hadn’t noticed her departure at all.

It was almost midnight. She counted down the minutes. The room was in a state of euphoria, things moving in slow motion, almost.

The party was in full swing. Everything was going fine...just fine. Just a normal, everyday...party...

As soon as the big hand reached the 12, Tori looked around for signs.

There were the sounds of a commotion from the entrance, and dark figures with large cases appeared in the doorway. The music continued as the people of the party moved out of the way, some shocked, some angry.

Yet the figures kept moving towards the stage, the people creating an easy access. They reached the stage, then leapt up onto it. One of the band members tapped the DJ on the shoulder and punched him, square in the jaw as he looked round. The music stopped.

Silence fell over the room. Tori braced herself.

Within seconds, the band had assembled. Then, with on, long, heavy chord, they began. When the people heard the music, they recoiled in shock, some shouted, threw bottles, but deadlight carried on.

People began to leave, but Tori caught sight of other people, dressed the same- black clad, black hair spiked up or covering faces, piercings, guns strapped to backs or nestled in holsters. There was only a couple of them, but they seemed to Tori as if they were a small army. Tori smiled as her brother took centre stage, a microphone in hand and a box in the other.

Tori went to him and took the box, looking over her shoulder to see Boundary authorities trying to get in, to intervene, but the gang members were having none of it.

With almost all of the party disbanded, Tori took off her dress in the middle of the floor. She didn’t care whether she was noticed or not, but no one seemed to stop or say anything. She kicked off her shoes and reached into the box. Stood there for a moment in her bra and knickers, she donned the silky darkness of her black dress and shoes. She looked up at Drug, who smiled and shouted the lyrics to the song.

“Tori! I knew it! I fucking knew it!” Came a shrill, familiar yell form behind her. She saw Penelope, staring wide-eyed at her.  “Oh my God, I knew it!”

Tori cringed. This was it. Now everyone would know. Not that it mattered...

“So, what’s it to you, bitch?” Tori spat in her direction.

Penelope blinked through her drunken haze, seemingly confused at Tori’s hostile reception. Tori had always been so quiet and accepting of the life they’d given her. Until now.

“Hey! Don’t you talk to me tha’ way!” her voice slurred, her small group of friends slowly diminishing around her. This was a fight not worth the breath. “You’re the one that’s a low-life emo cunt! Go crawl back to The Wynde!”

Tori raised an eyebrow- it wasn’t like sophisticated Boundary aristocrats to use language such as that.

“Go die in a hole, I’m beyond caring.” Tori muttered beneath her breath, turning away from Penelope and facing the full force of the heavy music emanating from the stage.  She didn’t even notice Penelope drift form the room, her friends in tow.

Gang members flanked the room; Tori knew a few of them, but none of them closely. She knew her brother, rocking out on the stage. As far as she was concerned, she was alone on the dance floor. She began to dance, without really knowing what she was doing; she went where her body and the music took her.

Part 2: Obey

The music had died down and Drug looked at Tori, who stood looking up at him. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have the freedom she felt at her finger tips. The night was still deep and the room still dark and buzzing with the life of The Wynde.

“Want your last prom dance?”  asked Drug, putting his mike to the side and hopping form the stage.

She nodded as Deadlight began to play a slow, acoustic track. Tori drifted into her brother’s arms as he gave her what she wanted; both a goodbye and a hello through the transition from one life to another.

Despite the obvious distance, Tori and Drug had been close siblings form the beginning. After the death of their parents in a raid, Drug had vowed to take care of the 3 year old Tori, but she was snapped away from The Wynde and all that she loved by her aunt and uncle. As far as Tori was concerned, the couple were already angry at the fact that her parents had chosen to live on The Wynde in the first place and when there became the idea that an orphan would need looking after, they’d jumped on the chance. Her aunt and uncle had never been able to conceive. Maybe it was a sign from a God, or punishment for being so subjective and discriminative of The Wynde. Tori was just angry that it had to be her they’d seen and taken away. And the fact they’d left Drug on The Wynde added to Tori’s pain and hatred for her aunt and uncle. Apparently he’d been too ‘conditioned from being on The Wynde’ to start a new life. Tori new better. They didn’t want to contaminate her with anything that could mean her turning back to her heritage.

She had no pity for them. Not anymore.

Tori danced in her brother’s arms, feeling the weight slowly being lifted off her shoulder. She was only saddened when it was over.

“Tori, we have to go. It’s almost dawn.” Drug whispered. Tori nodded and watched the band members packing away equipment. Outside there were Boundary authorities already starting to show up. Cars with flashing lights started to appear from the darkness, so Tori followed the gang members through a back entrance and into the darkness of the perfectly polished maze that was Boundary.

It soon became time to turn and say her final goodbye to Boundary. The city centre was gathered behind her, as if it was waiting.

She turned slowly. Instead of gazing upon the city centre and Boundary beyond, she saw the huge figure of the Condor and it’s soft purrs. One of the doors opened smoothly and out came her aunt. Tori could make out the shadow of her uncle in the driver’s seat.

“Victoria! Oh, goodness, your safe!” her aunt cried, almost tearful. She moved towards Tori, ready to pull her into a hug. Tori stepped backwards, making her aunt stop, the signs of feigned confusion creeping across her face.

“Victoria? Come home!” her aunt said, her voice less relieved and in the zone between feigning alleviation and anger.

“Sorry aunt, I don’t belong on Boundary anymore. I never did.” Tori wasn’t going to let them take her back. She wasn’t going to let them take away her freedom, not when it was within her grasp!

Her aunt’s face changed. “Victoria, you are not going to take one step on The Wynde! Steve!”

Steve got out of the Condor, taking off his gloves. Tori watched him, cautiously.

“Anything the matter here, Tori?” came her brother’s voice from behind her.

“I was just saying goodbye, Drug, I’ll be along in a minute.” Tori replied.

“You!” shrieked her aunt. “Get away from her! It’s you whose doing this, isn’t it? You’re poisoning her mind, aren’t you? We won’t let you take her from us!”

“It’s not me, it’s Tori’s choice. You can’t keep her from having free will, you witch.” Spat Drug. Out of the corner of her eye, Tori could see him reach for the holster at his hip, fingering the black handle of a pistol.

“I’m sorry, he’s right. I’m going home.”

“Victoria...? But, we took you in, we treated you like our own daughter, tried to give you a good upbringing, give you more than what you would have got on The Wynde! Are you going to deny us that?” her aunt’s face turned sad and for a split second, Tori almost felt sympathy. Almost...

“No, I want to go home, to my real home! All my life, you’re the ones who have been denying me what I want most! A real home!” shouted Victoria, angry now. “Leave me alone! Go back to the Boundary, where you belong and never come near me again!”

Tori expected them to shout back, expected them to put up a fight, try to force her, to cause her pain...something, but never did she expect the events that followed!

Her aunt and uncle turned and began to walk away. Just...walk away! Just like that. They didn’t even take the Condor!

Tori and Drug watched the pair of them disappear into the purple night, dumbfounded.

“What...? They just...walked away!” muttered Drug.

“I’m not complaining, but...why?” Tori turned to him. “Do you think...it’s because I told them to?”

Drug shrugged. “Hey, let’s not wait for them to come back, ok? Come on!”

Tori followed him, into the night and onto The Wynde.

Drug’s house wasn’t big. It was a small flat on one of the main streets of The Wynde, one the top floor of a long, terraced building. From the outside, it was the same, old black brick and a black slated roof that rose up five floors, causing the street to seem claustrophobic. The flat itself, however, was cosy and well kept.

Tori expected it to be worse, a guy living on his own, yet upon closer inspection, Tori caught sight of a photo of her