As We Burn

Twenty-Three.

"What do you think would happen if we got caught?" I ask Ava as the Uber driver stops at a red light. She shifts awkwardly in her seat, checking her hot pink nails for the hundredth time.

"We won't get caught - as long as we keep our masks on and only talk to people who wouldn't recognize our voices," she replies. She sounds confident - so much so that it seems forced, as if she's still trying to convince herself. I've never seen Ava this way and it makes me wish I never asked, because it only adds onto my anxiety. We both took a shot of tequila before we left, but the temporary buzz has already dissipated on the fifteen minute drive here. 

"Do you recognize the address?" I say, noticing the estimated time of arrival on the Uber driver's GPS has dropped to one minute. I force myself to take deep breaths. Ava shakes her head.

"No, but it's in the even wealthier part of Laurelwood, if that's possible." This information makes me hopeful that there will be an open bar like the last party. I don't want to get wasted, but I definitely need something to stop my hands from shaking so much. 

The car slows, turning onto what at first looks like another road, but it's actually just a massive driveway. What I see through the windshield is not a house, nor a mansion. The only way I can think to describe it is an estate. The white, colonial style building towers over us as the car follows the roundabout lane surrounding a garden full of professionally carved lit pumpkins. Trimmed hedges, small ponds, and a row of luxury vehicles make up the rest of the property, which is illuminated by bright lights, causing the place to stand out against the night sky.

"Okay, who the fuck can afford this?" Ava breathes.

"I think I might have an idea," I tell her as my eyes fall on an iron property sign hanging in the garden. Avery Estates is written in golden cursive letters. Ava notices the sign, and turns back towards me with wide eyes. The Uber driver tells us we've arrived at our destination.

"Parker, Mathias never has people over at his house - like, ever," Ava hisses with wide eyes.

"Well we're here now," I say, trying to hide my shock. I swallow, pulling my mask over my face as Ava does the same. I lift my red hood over my head as soon as I step out of the vehicle and into the night. Several other people are walking up towards the lit up entrance in masked costumes, and I notice all of their outfits are black - and I'm in bright red. Everything from then on happens in a blur; the golden toothed boy from previous parties checks our hands, making sure we're all wearing onyx rings. I have to remember to ask Crispen if he knows this guy; if we're even talking after tonight. Golden-tooth then leads us through a colossal entryway full of sleek yet old-fashioned decor, which gives off a sense of timelessness to the place - and royalty. We're just about to turn a corner when Ava subtly points out a massive painted portrait of the Avery family placed above a fireplace. 

"Up you go," Golden-tooth instructs, nodding towards a spiraling staircase. "Once you're up there, there's no coming back down unless you're leaving." Our small group nods in compliance, and we begin our ascent, the eyes of Mathias' portrait following me. I can't tell if it's our footsteps or my heart that's pounding in my ears, but I suspect the latter. The vibration is soon replaced by pumping music as we reach the top, where the symbol of a wolf head is painted sloppily on a door, white liquid dripping down it. A girl in a black cloak twists the door knob, and we follow her through it. 

I have to hand it to Mathias - or whoever he hired; the decorations are astonishing. The room is nearly the same size as my high school gymnasium, with tall ceilings and a wall of glass covered in artificial cobwebs. Neon lights of green, purple, blue, and orange drift along the walls, which are also dripping with similar paint to that of the entry door. The paint has been used to write warnings like YOU'RE NEXT and NO TURNING BACK. Only now do I realize the paint glows in the dark - in fact, all of the decor does. I turn my attention from the mesmerizing decorations and to the crowd of disguised people dancing and drinking feet away from me. I had no idea Onyxus spread this large; I always pictured Mathias and his friends sitting in a circle snorting lines and howling like wolves. The group of us newcomers has already joined in on the party, so only Ava and I stand off to the side.