New Year’s Eve
7:03 p.m.
2004
New York
Hershey Ave.
Building #106
Home to Beth J. Anderson
In this house lives a woman who will save eight of fifteen people from a serial killer in a locked building. She will risk her life to help people she doesn’t even know. If you were to ask her if she had the strength to do this, she’d probably say no. But she can. She just doesn’t know it yet.
*    * *
Beth Anderson leaned over the bathroom counter to check her makeup.
“Beth! You ready?” called her friend.
“Almost!” Beth called back. She straightened up and looked at her reflection. She smiled and left. She walked to the kitchen and found her friend leaning against the counter, flipping through a magazine. When Beth entered, she looked up.
“’Bout time,” she said. She looked Beth up and down, “You look nice.”
“Really? You think so, Mary?” Beth looked at herself. She wore a red vest over a white satin shirt and black slacks. She had black, strappy heels on her pedicured feet. Her hair was up in a half pony tail, pinned with a gold brooch and gold hoops dangled from her ears and a matching necklace around her neck.
She looked at Mary, “You look nice too.”
Mary wore a red cocktail dress that ended just below her knees. She wore matching sandals and had red nail polish on her fingernails and toenails. Her curly, light brown hair was tied back with a red hair tie.
Mary handed Beth her purse and jacket and picked up her own. They put their jackets on and walked outside.
Marywaited while Beth locked the door and they hurried to the car to get warm. Beth started the car and turned the heater on full blast.
“Tell me again why I’m coming to this party,” said Beth.