Fate's Return (Twisted Fate, Book 2)

Chapter Forty-Five

"Aly?" Suzie stuck her head out the door, and I swivelled my head to meet her gaze. "What are you doing out here? Everybody else has started to arrive."

She was glowing with happiness, at ease in the spotlight that shone on us tonight. But out here, I felt at peace with my invisibility, like the year of forgetting hadn't happened, and I was back to being... me. No Suzie, but with Tina and David at my side. Would I trade them for her? It wasn't a choice that I could willingly make, but there must have been a better solution than this. But that wasn't my decision, and I didn't know who to ask about it—it definitely wasn't Suzie and right now I needed to make an appearance.

"Are you coming?" she asked, letting go of the door to cross her arms and hold it open with her foot.

With a sigh, I stood, and Suzie watched me approach as my low silver heels clicked against stone. When I reached her, I said, "There better not be cake."

She laughed.

"And no announcements." I pulled my fingers up between us and made air quotes, and then leaned forward, narrowing my eyes. "I'm serious! If my name goes on that microphone, I'm leaving."

"But—"

I shoved my finger in her face, stopping just before smacking her nose. "I mean it."

She slumped, rolling her eyes, and then slapped her hands to her side. "Fine."

I smiled. Leaning back again, I tilted my head and shrugged. "Good. Glad you understand." Then, just because I could, I tapped my fingers against her nose.

"Hey!" She tried slapping me back, but I dodged away, slipping back inside while we both laughed.

The guests had doubled in size since supper had ended and I had gone outside to the garden, and the temperature became a desert of heat generated from all the warm bodies. The main light of the center chandelier had been muted while the others were darkened. Music played softly—the mixed song from Jason Derulo and Imogen Heap—and the concession stand was now acting as a bar. Everyone who provided proof that they were eighteen wore bracelets. There would be no more than three drinks per legalized person, and for each one they received, they would be given a stamp upon their wrist. Three strikes and they were out.

It didn't mean some guests hadn't brought their own form of indulgence—high school wasn't over yet.

"So how long do you want me here?" I asked, turning my head to glance at Suzie on my left.

Suzie hooked her arm through mine and smiled, keeping her gaze ahead. Stupid question. Don't give her an opening.

"Let me rephrase," I said, pulling my arm away, and she finally looked at me. "How long until I'm not considered rude for leaving?"

Her smile dropped, plummeting downwards like the Drop of Death ride at a carnival. "Leave?" Suzie's eyebrows knitted together, and she gestured to the crowd. "Why would you want to leave? It's our party."

"Look, I showed up. I smiled and mingled and, frankly, it's a miracle I made it through dinner. I want to go home, Suzie. With my mom getting locked away tomorrow, it feels wrong to be here, no matter what my dad said. Plus, it's more your party than mine. Go. Mingle. Have fun. You really don't need me here to do that."

Heck, she'd have a better time without me.

"You cannot leave, Aly," she said and dropped her arm. "I'll leave if you do. Twenty minutes until you turn eighteen, girl." She nudged me with her hip. "Why would you want to be alone for that?"

"If I go to the hospital right now, I will be with my parents."

"Right." She rolled her eyes and glanced back to the crowd again. "Well, they don't count." Sighing, she turned to face me, gesturing with both hands. "You need to celebrate with everyone here!"

"So I'll stay until 10:48 and then go." It was only twenty-one minutes. I could handle that.

"You're not leaving!"

"Who's leaving?"

The deep voice swelled to be heard over the crowd, whose individual whispers shouted as one. I inhaled and held my breath. With slow movements, I closed eyes, and turned around. I exhaled, lifting my eyelids one at a time. Dammit.

Why wouldn't they leave me alone?

"Alyssa wants to leave," Suzie shared, sounding like the goody-two-shoes everyone hated in elementary school. A tattle-tale with a love for rules, they couldn't be counted on for fun, and if they caught you attempting it without them... Well, it was lose-lose. Either way, they always spilled secrets, got everyone into trouble, and then never understood why no one wanted to be their friend.

"Why?" Raffy asked. "This party is fun."

I rolled my eyes. "Then why don't you take Mike and Gabe with you and mingle?" Anywhere but here will do just fine.

"We need to talk," Mike said, and pinned me with a glare for emphasis.

I didn't want to talk, though the questions I needed to ask were eating away at me, begging to be voiced. Maybe now I would be ready and everything I had remembered would be digested enough to make room for more. But then, I could just take a nap and ask David, and never have to talk with Mike, Gabe, or Raffy. David was the one who'd told me to prepare, and he'd been right.

Even if he was a figment of my imagination, I could trust him.

"And I need..." I paused and watched them, feeling indecisive. It isn't worth it. Shaking my head, I pointed ahead, not knowing where it led, and said, "I just need to be away."

Pivoting, I walked away while Suzie called out my name. I ignored her and heard Mike asking her to talk, and just before their voices faded in the distance, I heard her say okay. Pausing, I glanced over my shoulder to look at the spot we'd all been standing, but they were gone. A once-over around the room didn't help. Weird.

If I wanted to be left alone, why did not being able to see them leave a pit in my stomach?

I started moving again, determined to enjoy the extra time to think. The smaller number of questions I had to ask, the more I could drill them for answers to the ones I hadn't been able to figure out on my own.