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Alena's Wish

Chapter 1. Transparent

She watched him tonight, just like every night. He danced on the stage and flashed a grin as he spun and fell to the ground, his fur bristling like he was going to pounce. The last chords rang out and he leapt into the air, sparks bursting in fountains from the sides of the stage as he hit his last high note.

He bowed his head at the end of the concert and smiled at his fans. There weren't many for his theatrics, but he didn't care. He never cared. That was the lemur's favourite thing about him; He did his own thing. It didn't matter that he only had forty or fifty actual fans to begin with, or that most of the people were there for different bands. He didn't mind opening for bigger shows, it just meant he could perform. She loved that about him.

"Thanks, everyone! I hope you enjoyed our show!" the lead singer grinned, wiping his face dry. "My name is Trysten Knight, and we are The Bloody Felons! Thank you so much for coming out!" The rest of the band stood up and bowed, then headed off stage, waving at the crowd. Alena clutched her purse close to her and started weaving back and forth as people began approaching the stage for the next band.

As Alena stumbled out into the lobby of the venue, she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror. Her short, thick hair was up in spikes, and the dark circles around her eyes seemed to add to the mystery that her almost gothic outfit conveyed. Her deep red lipstick hid sharp teeth, and the polish on her claws made them look almost bloody. This was the night she was going to speak to Trysten, finally get him to notice her.

She pulled the fake press pass from her bag and put it around her neck, making sure her jacket mostly covered it. If she was going to do this, it had to be right. She brushed down her clothes and primped her tail one last time before heading to the stage door, keeping her head bowed. She barely showed the pass to the security guard, but he was so busy trying to keep fans at bay that he didn't even really look. He waved her in and called, "Press pass!" before slamming the door shut behind her.

With a sigh of relief, Alena smiled, and nearly started hopping as she strutted down the hall, trying to look like she belonged there. She passed a few people on her way down the hall, but none of them took any notice. Her ruse had worked! She grinned to herself as she watched the people disappear around a corner, thanking the gods that she had decided to do this, when-

"Hey! Who're you?" a man called from down the hall, where a mass of people were gathered. Alena glanced up in fear to see a security guard walking towards her, and she tried to look comfotable with where she was.

"I'm, uh, I'm press!" She stammered, trying to hold up the pass in a way that he wouldn't see it too well.

"Oh, yeah?" the boar asked, looming over her. He held out his hoof for the pass, and she slowly took it off, regretting she'd ever tried to do anything like this. He glanced at the pass, then back up at her. "I.D.?" he boomed, holding out his hoof again. Alena sighed, knowing she was caught, and extracted her wallet from her purse, and handed over the I.D. The boar stared back and forth between both, before looking her in the eye.

"Alright, here's my problem," the pig said quietly, lowering the two documents. "According to this press pass, you're twenty-six, 6'10, your name is Molly, and you're a girraffe from Switzerland. According to your ID, you're nineteen, 5'4", your name is Alena Jackson, and you're a ringtailed lemur from Clementine, Ohio." The boar stared at her as she started stuttering, trying to explain herself.

"Hang on, hang on. Now, one of these isn't real. I might be willing to bypass this one," he shook the I.D., and Alena smiled up at him hopefully, "But only if you're willing to, uh... Do a few... 'Favours' for me.." The security guard grinned wickedly and leered at the lemur, making her shudder at the thought.

"I'm- er, I'm sorry, but-" She stuttered, starting to back away from him as he continued leering and started moving toward her.

"Aw, c'mon, now, sweet thing. I'm not that much older than you," his perverse smile grew wider as he backed her into a wall. "I'll make you feel good."

"Eugh!" Alena cried, grabbing her ID and shoving him away from her. "Get away from me, you freak!"

"You wanna be that way, little girl? Fine," The hair bristled on the boar's neck, and he stood up straight. "Security breach!" he called down the hall to his buddies, waving them over. The other guards dropped their conversations and ran down the hall to the pair, flexing their muscles and trying to look intimidating. It worked, Alena was absolutely terrified. She had no idea what they did to trespassers, and she really didn't want to find out the hard way.

"Pl-please, I'm sorry, I just wanted to get in to see the Bloody Felons and tell them what a fantastic job they've done and that I've seen their every show and pelase don't send me to jail I won't survive in jail I'm so so sorry please don't hurt me!" Her voice raised in pitch with each word, until the final word came out as a squeak. The two security guards each grabbed one of her arms, and looked to the boar.

"What should we do, Jerry?" the hippopotamus asked, his teeth glinting in the bright hall lights.

"Should we make an example of her?" his friend, one that looked like a leopard with bleached-blonde fur asked, wondered aloud, glancing at the young lemur's chest.

The boar, Jerry, stared at her for a moment, a look of disgust on his face.

"Take her out back."

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The guards led Alena down a side hall that looked like it was for maintenance use only. The cement walls were streaked with water stains from the pipes running along the ceiling, and lights flickered here and there.

"Please! No!" she cried, trying to wrench her arms away from the guards' vice-like grips, hoping beyond hope it would work. "I'm sorry! I'll never do it again, I shouldn't have tried! Please let me go!"

"Relax, girly," the hippo groaned, rubbing his head. "It'll all be over soon, don't you worry."

"Please, I didn't mean to deceive you, please! Just-"

The leopard raised his hand, looking about to smack her. "If you don't quiet down, I'm gonna make you!" he growled, making her mouth shut closed. Tears started running down her face, and her silent sobs almost shook her body.

"What a mess," the hippo whispered to the leopard over her head, acting like she couldn't hear him.

"Whatever, once we get rid of her, we can go back to the party," the leopard purred, yanking Alena further down the hall with more force than was necessary. They turned a corner and came to a set of heavy doors.

"This is where your journey ends, little girl," the hippo said gruffly, pushing her towards the door.

"I... What?" she asked quietly, looking up at them with wide eyes.

"We mean, get out! We can't leave until you do, so get the fuck out!" The leopard kicked open the other door, revealing a dimly lit back alley.

"So... I can just... Go?" she asked, still confused.

"Yes!" the leopard cried, grabbing his hair in rage. "Leave, dammit!"

"Calm down, Jack, she's almost gone," the hippo said, making 'shooing' motions at her.

"I, um.. Right. I'll just go." Alena held her purse tight and headed out the still open door. "Thank you so much for not hurting me!" she called as the door closed. She heard Jack scream with rage just as the thick door clunked shut.

Alena looked around, trying to get her bearings. This was a new city, in a new state. She'd never been in a city of this size. She was just following her band, like any good, loyal fan ought to. She looked to her right and left, hoping to see something somewhat familiar, when she heard a voice.

"What are you doing out here?"

Golden eyes gowed at her from a shadow, and she shuddered and started backing away.

"Just, uh, just heading home, I guess," she stuttered, trying not to trip over her heels. The eyes started moving toward her, and a figure came into the light.

He was tall, probably seven inches taller than she was, and sleek, a panther, with his hair bleached in stripes and a ripped tee-shirt. He had snake bites and a large gauge in each ear, and his tight jeans hugged his body just right.

"You..." Alena's eyes widened at the figure before her. "You're Trysten Knight! Of the Bloody Felons!" The panther covered his eyes and groaned, taking a drag from his cigarette, "... and you're smoking?" she asked, looking at the cancer-stick.

"You know what?" he mumbled, almost so quietly she couldn't hear, "You live this life and decide to quit, I dare you..."

"I'm not judging you or anything. Got a light?" she asked, pulling a pack from her own purse. He looked up at her, then smiled, handing her his lighter.

"So, who'd you come out to see?" Trysten asked, leaning against a wall and letting his eyes fall closed as he relaxed.

"I-I... I came to see you," she whispered, almost hoping he wouldn't hear her. His ear twitched at her, then he smiled again.

"Right, sure. Look, it won't hurt my feelings, you don't have to lie to me," he said grimly, puffing on his cigarette once again.

"I mean..." Alena's voice wavered, when suddenly a wave of confidence washed over her. "No, I did. I came to see you." She smiled and looked at him shyly, trying to keep her confidence. "I see all your shows."

"You see all my shows, huh?" The panther asked, smirking at her. "For how long?"

"Ever since you first played at ClubMax, in downtown Evergreen, Iowa." Trysten's eyes widened for just a moment, before his face settled back into it's calmer state. "When I found out you were from Ohio, just like me, I had to learn more about you, and then I found out that you performed regularly just two towns away from mine." Her voice grew quieter with every word, and she could see that he was straining to hear her. He stared at her in silence.

"I haven't missed a show since," she whispered, looking down at her cigarette as it burned away, the smoke dancing for mere moments in the alley before the wind whipped it away.

"That was three years ago," Trysten responded quietly, looking at her. "I remember that night. Our biggest crowd ever. We'd sold about thirty cds, for us, a new record. One girl bought five, and had all of them signed..." He looked down, then back up at her face. "That was you, wasn't it?"

Alena almost fell over. He remembered her. Trysten Knight, lead singer of the Bloody Felons and the hottest panther this side of the Mississippi, remembered her, Alena Jackson, most plain lemur on this side of the world.

"I've seen you before, I think," Trysten said out of the blue, taking another pull from his cigarette. "You always watch me... You stare me in the eyes, every time." He looked back at her, an almost accusatory expression on his face. "Why?"

Alena stood in silence, trying to find the words. They finally came to her as he finished his cigarette and flicked it down the alley.

"Well..." She started, making him jump, "I guess... You're beautiful." The panther stared at her in shock, and in one quick motion, she leaned up and brushed her lips against his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

Then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone from the alley, back on the busy streets and in the histle and bustle of a big city. Alena's wish had been fulfilled.

Fin

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