4 - Dimitri

*Adrena's point of view*

''A mating call, by Adrena Calero.

A mating call. All animals have their own little procedure, their own little secret on how to get laid. Male peacocks show off their colorful tail to attract a female. Male frogs grow pads on their forelegs. Seahorses begin their courtship with an elaborate underwater mating dance. In so many prospects, humans are different from all other animals.

We don't have tails to show off, we can't grow pads on our legs and we won't dance underwater. It's more simple.

Men can attract women by the digits on their bank accounts. Women can attract men by the digit in their bra size. A nightclub resembles a jungle in so many ways, that animal planet should make a documentary about it.

I see men everywhere throwing their overprized bottles up in the air, and women who are waiting in line to get a sip. I see women dancing with their friends, and hungry men standing behind them waiting to attack. I see the hunger in their eyes, the same a tiger shows as he is about to catch his prey.

The human mating call is called lies. The more lies you tell, the more successful you make yourself seem, the better. You don't even have to remove the hidden price tag on the dress you purchased only yesterday for the occasion. You don't even have to blend the vodka with water, you still fooled everyone in the room.

But no man or woman can fool me. I've known lies for years. I've consumed them like I consumed the books I read as a child. I've been called boring, a prude, a nobody by so many men whom I rejected. They hate me for separating their mating calls from their reality.

This is why I am still a virgin. Not because of my virtue, or because I'm saving myself. No. It's due to the fact that I would rather live a life alone, than a life as a prey.''

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Only seconds after accepting the drink from the mysterious man, whose name I still didn't know, we were walking towards a door by the end of the huge club. A man, much taller than anyone else in the room, was guarding the door.

He didn't even look at me, as we faced him. He simply opened the door and said ''come in''.

Inside, i was met by what i think was the VIP lounge. The first thing I noticed was the lightning. It was dark red, and there was a strange smell.

Not a bad smell, but a smell I hadn't encountered before. It reminded me of pinewood. We were greeted by a man, who led us to a table by the end of the room.

As we made our way through the lounge, I glanced at the surroundings. Everyone was wearing suits and the women that were here, were wearing either long or short dresses. I was the only one wearing jeans.

It seemed like everyone had a great time. I could hear laughs, people clapping, whistling and stumping the floor with their feet.

Every table had their own small collection of empty bottles, as well as full ones. There wasn't an empty glass in the room.

The only thing higher than the permille in this room, was the digits in their bank accounts.

I noticed a man sitting with what I could only imagine being his friends. He was staring intensely at me and the mysterious man i'd entered the room with. The man who sat with his friend, was wearing black suit pants in a white t-shirt.

He had tattoos up his arms and a silver necklace hanging from his neck. Their table was covered with playing cards, empty bottles and cigars.

We were seated at the table right behind him and his friends. As we sat down, I finally got to know the name of the man whom I was about to have drinks with.

Dimitri.

It wasn't until then, that I noticed his accent wasn't American. I asked him where he was from, and he told me that he was Russian. He also asked me, if I had a problem with that – I told him I didn't.

Ten minutes later, I learned that Dimitri was twenty-four years old, and lives in New Jersey, same as me. He was very excited to tell me about his job. He told me, that he was a headhunter for a big company, whose name he couldn't tell me – it was classified. I asked him what the job implies, and he said:

''I find the right people for the right jobs. Sometimes their heads don't match my expectations, and then I cut them off. I am very strict. So you better hope I don't be your headhunter one day.'' He laughed as he finished the sentence.

As a joke, I asked him if he cut the heads off his clients – he simply started laughing again, and told me that was crazy. I guess he was right.

''What about you, beautiful – tell me about you?'' he said, as he poured himself another shot of vodka from a bottle he bought ten minutes ago.

'' There's not much to tell honestly. I'm eightee-… twenty-one, live alone and work as a waitress.''

I decided to lie about my age, in fear that he would kick me out or tell the guards. Not that he seemed like the type that would do that.

''Adrena, there must be more! You're eyes tell a story that I need to hear, yes?''

I decided that it was easier to lie, than to tell the truth. Every time I tell anyone the story about my childhood, people feel sorry for me.

And I hate that – because they tell me that they're sorry and that they wish that they could have helped, but I know that they don't mean that. Which is ok. They only think about themselves in that moment, and about how grateful they are, that they weren't in my situation.

So I told him, that I grew up with both of my parents and still have a very close relationship with both of them. That they both moved out of New York to pursuit their long-life dream of being campers. I don't know why I said the last part, but I thought that it made my lie seem more real.

''I can't wait to hear more. Five minutes, I need to piss.''

As Dimitri left the table, I took my phone out again to see if Naomi had tried to contact me – she hadn't. I wasn't worried, this has happened before.

I felt an mild breeze on my neck, so I turned around only to discover that the man with the black suit pants was sitting right behind me. His face was turning me, as he said;

''You need to leave.''

I looked at him, then at his friends, then back at him. He looked serious, but I couldn't take it seriously.

''Sorry, I think you have the wrong girl. I don't know you?'' I replied, as I turned my head back to face the table I was sitting at. Suddenly he was sitting right across from me at my table, as he leaned in and signaled that I should do the same. He said:

''This is not a joke, you need to leave. I won't tell you again.''

I couldn't help but laugh. Was he being serious?

''Look, you can see my ID if you want? I can assure you, I'm twenty-one and the doorman led me in here.''

He clenched his jaw, and I noticed how defined it was. He got up and walked past me. Before he seated himself at the table behind me where his friends were sitting, he leaned in and said: ''don't tell me I didn't warn you.''

As he reseated, Dimitri returned. He brought another bottle with him – a bottle of whiskey.

''Let's party'' he said, as he took my glass and poured the whiskey in. I noticed how he didn't pour himself a glass, instead he poured a shot of vodka.

'Za vas!'' he said, as he raised his glass. Out of politeness, I did the same. I grimaced as I swallowed the whiskey. I hate whiskey.

We spent the next twenty minutes or so talking. Dimitri wasn't shy to tell me about how wealthy he was. The entire conversation consisted of him talking and me listening. Several times I tried to change the subject but I quickly realized that it was impossible. I couldn't help but think about how poorly his pick was.

He thought I cared. He thought that it would make me more interested. The poor man almost fainted as I told him, that I didn't care. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair and took out another cigarette from his denim-washed out jacket. He nodded at one of the waiters who quickly ran over to him and handed him a lighter.

''You are beautiful, Adrena.'' He said, as he blew out the smoke. It circled between us, and vanished. He dried off his lips, that were wet from the vodka. He got up, and walked towards me and seated himself next to me on the couch I was sitting on. His facial expressions changed, as he leaned in and whispered:

''You are coming home with me tonight –'' he groaned intensely as he continued: ''I have some friends who wants to join us. We will fuck you so hard, that you won't be able to walk for a week.''

I gasped and moved a few inches away from him.

''I don't think so. I was actually just about to call it a night, so it'll be a no from me.'' I tried to get up, but I suddenly felt dizzy. The room around me was spinning, and I couldn't feel my legs.

''Wh-where-s m-m-my j-ack-jacket?'' I couldn't speak, my voice was slurred and I was unable to move.

''You don't look well, here, have a seat.'' Dimitri said, as he pulled me back onto the couch. He placed a hand on my thigh and squeezed it. He licked his lips and inhaled deeply. The whole scenery changed, and I was suddenly in a jungle.

I was a helpless deer, unable to run from the tiger that was inches away from taking my innocence. I felt trapped, but I couldn't get up. I did my best and with a weak and desperate tone, I led out the word no.

The scenery changed again. I was sitting on fifth avenue with a sign that said: ''me and my daughter are homeless. Help us with a dollar, God bless.''

I was freezing, as it was snowing. I was back in my twelve year old body. It was weak and I could feel my bones inside of me. My mother wasn't around, so I was holding the sign on my own, but it was almost too heavy to carry. People in long dresses and suits walked by me, with a disgusted look on their faces. There was music.

A song with a heavy bass filled my ears. The pedestrians stopped their walking and stood right in front of me, without moving their lips. They each had a bottle of liquor in their hands, but they never opened the lids. They just stood there.

''Don't feel sorry for me. My mother will keep the money.'' I whispered, as I fell asleep on the carpet that I was sitting on, on the cold, hard asphalt.

I woke up from my dream, unable to recall how many hours I've been out. I opened my eyes and looked up. Red lights. I could still smell pinewood. I was still in the couch at the club, but Dimitri was gone.

I had no strength to pull myself up, so I kept still and tried to figure out my next move. But it was as if a wall was put up inside my brain, I was unable to think straight. A sudden noise gave me a sense of reality. With all my strength, I was able to turn my head to the side where the man who approached me earlier used to sit.

The noise came from him and his friends. He was kicking something that laid still on the ground, and his friends were laughing, while something that looked like guns rested in their hands. What kind of dream is this?

Red liquid sprayed the walls, and it blended so well with the red lights in the room. A strong smell of metal filled the air. Seconds later, the door that led me into this nightmare, opened aggressively. I couldn't see anything, but I could hear loud yelling in a language that I couldn't understand.

I closed my eyes, as they were too heavy to keep open. And then everything around me silenced. I was finally free.