Project Bliss

Chapter One: It be like that sometimes

Ah. The joys of high school. It was Halloween at Grayson Gifted Academy and the weather was beautiful.

I could feel the bass thumping from my car. Inside the house, the music was booming, people were shouting, and I could practically taste the smoke coming from the dance floor.

Here in my lovely sister's new car, parked on the grass, under the stars. Their twinkling could almost distract me enough that they wouldn't notice my solitude.

At least, I thought, this area has good service.

So much to do, so little time. My phone's bluish hue lit up my face as I sat in the dark.

The occasional laser beam would prompt a glance up, where I could see couples laying on thin air, scantily clad Playboy bunnies prancing around on the lawn, and- gross- two people making out on the roof of the car a few rows down from me. Who hosted these parties anyway?

I looked back down to my phone, refreshing my snapchat yet again. Nothing. I tapped on Rose's story, quickly tapping through the outfits and meals to get to the party.

It looked as if everyone was drunk or high off their asses. Sammi, or Sandstorm, as most of the public knew her, was actually high- she was twerking on the ceiling. From what I could tell, Sammi was using both her dominant and subordinate abilities: screaming "My Heart Will Go On" into a microphone(that she didn't need) while floating above everyone.

Great, I thought, her enhanced voice is gonna get the Aurors' attention.

The Aurors were police for people like us who were 'special.' Their official title was something along the lines of 'Public Special Peacekeeper Force something,' but some Potterheads had come up with the name, which stuck. Members usually had abilities of their own, in which case they were serving a sentence, or they were desperate enough to risk death for the extra pay. Either way, Aurors were bad news for us.

Think of the devil.

A siren swept through the air, cutting off Sammi's ridiculous karaoke. We all knew what that meant.

Party's over! I texted Rose, aka Blume, aka my sister.

I'm not getting in trouble because of you, so I'm leaving. with OR without you.

No response. People began streaming out of the mansion, hurrying to get out before the Aurors arrived.

ROSE! ! ! Iron Man shapeshifted into a bird and flew off, just as a Witch sped off at super speed.

Rose was probably still in there.

This. This is what happened when I played truth or dare with my sister. She dared me to be the designated driver, and here I was, having to leave the safety and comfort of her car to find her. What a nuisance.

I waded through the sweet smell of booze, sweat, and perfume, opening doors to see where my sister was. 

"ROSE!" I shouted, "WHERE ARE YOU?"

No response. I climbed up the spiral stairs, all the way up to a balcony. Someone was standing behind those frosted windows.

"Rose, I found you."

"Not her, I'm afraid." The haze cleared and I saw Mason, aka Fox, my sister's newest boyfriend.

"Oh, Mason, it's you," I rubbed my eyes clear, "have you seen Rose? I can't find her, and this house is going to be crawling with Aurors any minute."

The siren got louder, proving my point. God, my ears hurt.

"Yeah, she should be around here somewhere, I think the bathroom?" 

"Alright, let's get her." I turned to see that Mason had climbed on top of the balcony railing. He waved and jumped. Of course, his ability was getting in and out of places silently. I groaned. 

It was times like this that I wished I had abilities. But no, my popular sister got to be the strongest our family had ever known while I got shut up in a cellar. When I was little, I played pretend and acted like I had abilities. Super-smell or Time-lapse would come in handy right about now.

I walked down the hallway, opening up doors only to find drunken couples asleep.

Outside, the siren stopped and I heard voices. The Aurors were here, which meant Rose and I were screwed. We were gonna be in so much trouble tomorrow.

Stepping over the shards of a broken vase, I reached the end of the hallway. If this last door wasn't the bathroom, then I was leaving. With or without Rose.

The world stopped.

Breathe. I can't-

Rose was there, in the tub. 

"ROSE! ROSE!" My throat told me I was shouting, but I couldn't hear anything.

I watched myself pull her head out of the water. The water was warm, but she was cold. The water droplets ran from her vibrant pink hair to the claw-foot of the bath. There should have been blood. There should have been blood. There should have been-

"Ivy! Ivy, get up!" My dad's face loomed over mine. "It was just a dream, dear. Now, come down for breakfast when you're ready. You have thirty minutes before school starts."

I struggled to get a grasp on reality, digging my nails into my arm. It had been a month. It was almost December. My nightmares about that night were getting worse, and it was getting harder to wake up.

My feet curled up against the cold bathroom tile. Even though it was dark outside, I kept the light off. Who knew what I'd see in the bathtub? I splashed water on my face as my eyes adjusted to the low light. 

After doing my normal skincare routine, I grabbed a scrunchie, twisted my hair up, and got dressed.

I walked upstairs from my bedroom in the basement, following the light, taking a quick picture of my cactus to send as my streaks.

"Make sure you don't have anything in your nose!" My dad called from the kitchen, and I paused to inspect myself in the hallway mirror.

I looked normal. Albeit, my bangs were getting long, I had a mess of blackheads on my nose, and my navy blue uniform was a little rumpled, but there was nothing wrong. On the outside, that is.

I sat down at the kitchen table, and my dad brought me a yogurt cup and some sliced apples. I scarfed down the food, mindful that I had ten minutes before I'd be late.

"I'll be in the car, dear."

Ever since Rose had killed herself, my parents didn't trust me to drive myself. So, my dad took the night shift at the hospital. 

It sucked. I grabbed my phone, put my backpack on, and walked out the door.

Shit, I'm gonna be late.