Shire Bottom Chronicles

Chapter Two

Bang!

A loud noise came from behind her. Rose's eyes shot open, her breath coming in gasps. Drenched in sweat, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. She tried to focus her eyes on something to identify where she was. She heard the bang again, and as her eyes adjusted, reality set in. She was back in her bedroom. The banging came from her roommate Cat's room.

She pounded her fist on the wall to let Cat know she could hear whatever was going on in there. Quickly, she examined her body for evidence that anything from last night actually happened. The scrapes from falling were absent. Her head didn't hurt, and her phone screen looked intact. It had felt so real. Could it have only been a nightmare?

She heard giggling in the hallway, and vaguely recognized the voice of Cat's boyfriend, Bane Morningstar, muffled through the door. Rose rolled her eyes, hoping he was on the way out and not staying for breakfast. It wasn't that she didn't like the guy. Quite the opposite actually. He was annoyingly charming, but she always felt like he was hiding something. She highly doubted Bane Morningstar was his real name. Cat, however, refused to listen and insisted Rose was being paranoid.

Rose rubbed her eyes and picked up her iPhone. How could it already be 9:45 a.m. when she couldn't even remember going to bed? There were three missed calls and several messages from her friend Allie.

Allie 10:00 p.m: Where did you go?

Allie 12:00 p.m: It's been hours, just let me know that you're all right.

Allie 12:30 p.m: You can't still be mad at me, I already said I'm sorry.

Allie 1:14 a.m: Just let me know that you made it home safe. I know you're upset, but I just need to know you're alive.

Allie 1:30 a.m: Please let me know where you are! I called Cat and she said she hasn't seen you either.

Allie 2:12 am: I'm hoping you just crashed somewhere for the night. Please call me when you can.

Rose couldn't think of any reason she would have been mad at Allie. They had gotten together on Saturday to eat and share work stories. The last thing she remembered was playing Truth or Dare with Allie, Jesse Foster, and a couple of their friends. Rose thought the game sounded juvenile, but Allie managed to convince her. There had been a little drinking, but nowhere near blackout levels. Maybe if she called Allie, she could figure out what was going on.

The phone only rang twice before a familiar voice answered. "Thank God! I am so, so sorry about last night! I forget how close you and Cat are, and I shouldn't have said anything. I was up all night worried to death, and when Cat said she hadn't seen you, I could only think the worst," Allie rambled.

"I'm fine, but I can't remember when I got home," Rose said. She honestly had no idea when or how she ended up at home. However, vague memories from last night flooded back. Sitting on the floor of Allie's basement, she had reminded herself that Allie's dares always got her into trouble, so she chose truth. Somehow, she ended up talking about Allie's theory that Cat was a prostitute.

Allie constantly tried to make Cat look bad. It all went back to a vendetta Allie had against Cat for an incident that occurred when they were in high school. Rose couldn't remember what happened, and neither Cat nor Allie ever spoke of it.

Rose suspected Allie was jealous of Cat's popularity around town, and her good looks. Cat was gorgeous: tall and voluptuous, with pale blonde hair that fell to her waist and clear alabaster skin. People were drawn to her outgoing personality.

Rose could see how Allie might feel threatened by Cat's lifestyle as well. Cat seemed to have everything—a wealthy boyfriend, a penthouse apartment, a fancy car. Allie, at twenty-five, worked as a dental hygienist and still lived at home with her mother and stepfather.