Black Skyy

CHAPTER 1 New York, 1977 Damn, I can't believe this shit! These heroin dealers are gonna come up in hereand try to play Zee like this.No tellin' what the fuck Zee's done now,thought Sandy. "Where's the fuckin' money, Zee?" screamed Six, who at six feetsix inches, towered over his intended target. His thick gold rope chains rattledas he shook with rage. Like a true addict, Zee trembled, either from fright or from her addiction. Sheeven couldn't tell the difference. Zelda was the poster child for heroinaddiction, waxy skin, ashy complexion, dark circles under the eyes, sunkencheeks, excessively thin, hollow expression, scratched up skin, matted hair. Itwas as if she and smack were "old friends"; there was nothing that Zee hadn'tdone with her beloved drug. She had done it all, injected it, smoked it, sniffedit. "I never got nothing," said Zee. "He gave me an empty bag! I keep t..., t...,tellin' y'all that," Zee lied through her rotting teeth. Zee prayed that she could convince her accusers that she really didn't have themoney. Zee glanced over at the cookie jar where they had already found some ofthe money that she had hid. She glanced past the thugs into the bedroom. Sheprayed they did go into the room and into the dresser drawers. What if theyfound the gold key to the locker at Penn Station? She closed her eyes andthought, I don't care if they rape, torture, or kill me, my babies are nevergonna want for nothin', they are gonna have the life that I should have had.That was the least thatLord Blesscould do for me. Got me hooked onthis SHIT! For a moment, Zelda closed her eyes, as she remembered playing the piano, abeautiful black baby grand. Her two long black pigtails swinging as sheplayfully bobbed her head as she went from "This Little Light of Mine" to "TheSting" to "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony." She was a child prodigy and could playany song by ear or read the most complex concerto. At fifteen, her gift from Godhad led her from a small town in North Carolina all the way to the Big City ofDreams, where she met the man who would change her life, forever. I held my breath so that no one could hear me, and pinched my baby brother astears rolled down his terrified cheeks. Malcolm was scared. Shit, so was I! ButI would not let Malcolm know it. I had to protect him from these crazed fools. As Malcolm and I hid in our tiny one-bedroom flat, no air conditioning, thecloset felt like a sauna. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift for a bitand tried to play like I was on a tropical island like Hawaii, or some exoticfuckin' place. Right now this sauna was the safest place on earth as me andMalcolm hid from a gun-crazed giant who called himself Six and Low Down, apsychotic, wannabe drug dealer. I was snapped back to reality when I heard thevoice of a TV newscaster say that it was the hottest summer on record. Summers in New York were always so hot, that the kids in the 'hood would have toopen the fire hydrants just for relief. Before the cops could get to shuttin'off the next hydrant, the youngins would turn them back on again. Of course,some folks were so poor that once in a while they would actually take baths inthe hydrant water. Awannabe drug dealeris the worst kind of brother, because he is toostupid to be a real drug dealer, but loco enough to try to prove that he shouldbe in charge. His whole game is about trying to prove something. Well tonight,Low Down, with Six's help, was sure trying to prove something. The outcometonight would make a point to the entire 'hood whether Low Down wasthe Manor not. It was simple, he either had to get the money and kick Zee's ass,or he had to kill her to make an example out of her. Either way, tomorrow,motherCook, Janet Stevens is the author of 'Black Skyy ', published 2007 under ISBN 9781593091132 and ISBN 1593091133.