Cleopatra Complex [editing]

01 - the insiders

Well Manhattan, I can't say it's been a boring summer but I certainly cannot wait for the halls to fill and the bell to ring. Drama always spills through the cracks of bathroom stalls and into courtyards, especially where The Six are concerned.
Consider this as The In officially opening its doors for a wicked new school year.
Spill some blood.

•   •   •

In the months before she forgot how to sleep, Cleopatra Renaux preferred to wake up to complete silence as the darkness of night poured in through the windows. There was a certain calm to the silence against the screaming darkness. The night was never completely night, it was always distorted by the incessant beeping and shouting that was never-ending city of Manhattan.

    She didn't care about the noise as she roamed the city in her own spectacular way, prowling to and from penthouses belonging to the fabulously wealthy in the black of night.

    It was nearly two in the morning when she stumbled home bleary-eyed, and passed out a couple yards from the elevator. An uncounted amount of time passed and Cleo woke to the ding of the elevator and the tile seeping its cold into her face. Cleo heard the clicks of shoes against the marble and stifled giggles receding towards Cain's bedroom. A flash of blonde hair and an impossibly glittery dress was all Cleo saw through slitted eyes before the door closed with a soft click, hiding acts better left undiscovered.

    She had laid there for a time, frozen flat against the floor, unable to get up or fall asleep. If she listened closely, she thought she could hear the activities going on behind her brother's closed door. She counted seconds in a hushed whisper to pass the time, but lost count somewhere in the hundreds because her phone was buzzing. Cleo crawled over to her bag that was splayed across the floor. She quickly sifted through her purse and dug out her phone.

    Cleo picked up the phone and was greeted by a faint crackle before the caller spoke up, "Cleo?" She couldn't string together a sentence, instead she groaned into the phone. "It's Ike. Cain fucked up."

    Cleo sighed and slumped against the wall, folding her aching feet underneath her. She responded quietly, "Again?"

    The line went silent for a moment more, "He went to the Pierpoint party," Ike said. Cleo froze, her heart slowly sank into the depths of her stomach.

    "Okay, I'll talk to him," she huffed into the phone before hitting the end button. Cleo hauled herself off the floor and walked to her room, her thoughts plagued by worries. Only five hours into the day and it was already turning into a memorable way to kick off the school year.

    After washing the night's adventures off of her body and making herself presentable to the world, Cleo headed down the stairs and into the bright kitchen where the aroma of freshly brewed coffee sat heavy in the air. As she sat down with a mug, footsteps thundered down the stairs and Cain rushed into the room. "Quiet please," Cleo groaned, clutching her pounding head, which was the only reminder of last night's thrills.