Fallen

Chapter 26. The party [Caleb]

The air is clear.

Every step I take, the fresh breeze strikes. It seizes my skin almost in gentle strokes.

It's finally dark. The sun, giving up to the moon's advances. Letting the full moon shine brightly over the resting neighborhood. Well, except for one house in particular.

M and I walk down the street shoulder to shoulder, nearing the booming music. When we reach the end of the street, it's clear that the party is already in full swing. And before we even near the front lawn, someone is already stumbling their way to the curb. Like, a zombie. Draping themselves over the trashcan by the road. Puking all over it, and miraculously, in it.

M stops abruptly. Taking me by the hand and almost pulling me back to his side. I look up, his face pale and his eyes wide.

"Is he okay?" M asks, chewing at his bottom lip worryingly.

It's easy to forget that all of this is new to M, and other people might take notice of it too. I'm just hoping no one will get the wrong idea, or in this case, the right, and cause problems.

I squeeze his hand in mine. Dragging his attention away from the drunk guy hanging onto the trashcan for dear life and over to me.

I smile up at him, "Looks like a little too much alcohol to me," I proceed to lead him up the porch to the entrance of the house with a slight chuckle. "Someone probably has an eye on him, come on."

Although, M is hesitant. He nods, yet every glance he makes is over to the guy. Right now, I might not be the only one nervous, though, or worried even. I have to find a solution for that, for both of us. And it might include copious amounts of alcohol, at least for me.

We reach the entrance, the door gaping wide. Light sprouts out from every surface and in all sorts of different colors. The music is even louder from where we're standing. It should be almost impossible to hear M. Still, it might be my only superpower because somehow, I can hear him clearly.

"What am I supposed to do?" He asks me.

"Just follow my lead," I yell back to him as I enter, M following suit behind me.

We squeeze past people. Both by the entrance but also down the long narrow hallway. I've never seen so many people at a party before. Kyle must really be stepping up his game. But then again, the only thing I can compare it to is almost nothing besides, well, me and Tina, alone in my room, drinking.

Someone claps me on the back. I have no idea who, and all faces are starting to become one big blur. Someone else starts to greet me. Yelling my name from the crowd. I can't see who before they are gone, drowning in the sea of people.

I turn around to see a scared-looking M. Wide-eyed, gaping at people dressed in all sorts of costumes. Some slutty and some even sluttier. I catch some people staring at us, or more like staring at M. At his life-like wings. Hopefully, they're too drunk to question oddities.

I lead us away from the big crowd of mingling drunks in the hallway. We end up in a large kitchen. All with polished cabinets and glossy counters. Bottles of alcohol occupy the entirety of the kitchen bar.

Like a man on a mission, I go straight for the red solo cups beside the alcohol. I fill them up with a mixture Tina taught me when we hid in my room to try out different drinks and cocktails without my parents knowing.

I taste it, just to make sure it's good. The key is for it to not taste too much vodka.

I hand one over to M, who is standing awkwardly beside me. His eyes, stopping on every inch of the room. On the people dancing, talking, kissing. There's a group by the fridge, three girls, staring at him like he hung the moon, the stars. Almost like Lucy, although there's something more to it. An awakened hunger. It makes me uncomfortable thinking about it.