The trip felt endless. Finally, the mountains came into view, ominous in their look but signalling they were close to Shinama. And close to the Quarter. The only place where gambling and drinking were legal. Adelaide felt a burst of giddiness.
"I think our first mission should be to conquer the Quarter" Adelaide announced.
"I don't think that's such a good idea" Victoria said.
"Come on Vick, you never let yourself have any fun" Nicholas said.
"The last time Adelaide drank alcohol she ended up swimming down the banks of Freymoor Lake" Victoria said. She rolled her eyes but she had a smile on her face.
Rosaline laughed, no doubt remembering pulling Adelaide from the lake when she only wanted to paddle.
"But that won't happen this time" Adelaide protested. "There are no lakes in Shinama anyway".
As soon as the ship docked, they made their way to the hotel. The hotel was a huge white skyscraper in the middle of a brightly-lit street. Inside everything was plush and bright. Music pulsated from every corner of the building, trumpets and pianos all whirring around like the chaos of insanity itself.
They made their way into their rooms and Adelaide began unpacking her clothes. Victoria came into her room with a scowl on her face.
"Don't unpack too many things" she said. "We won't be staying long".
Adelaide hurled her shoes on the bed.
"Why don't you let yourself be happy? Have a little fun. Do you remember what that is?"
Victoria just crossed her arms and looked to the floor. Adelaide continued to sift through her clothes until she picked up a red sparkly dress.
"I think I'll wear this" she said.
Adelaide expected a snide comment from Victoria but all she said was "great" and walked out the room.
An hour later Adelaide walked down the stairs wearing a red flapper dress and a feather headband. Rosaline, Kiyan and Nicholas were sitting at the bar.
"Have you seen Vicky?" Rosaline said.
Adelaide scoffed. "She would not be seen dead in a place with such debauchery" she turned to Kiyan. "In all the years that you were a teenager, I bet you never had as much fun as you will tonight".
Kiyan laughed. "And you can guarantee that?"
"Yes, if your idea of fun is gambling all your life savings away" Nicholas said.
"The roulette is really bad for that" Rosaline said. "I once lost the deposit for a pool playing that game".
"Oh well it's a good thing I don't have any money to gamble away" Kiyan said.
"You might after tonight" Adelaide said. "Come on, I'm going to teach you how to play poker. Everyone should know how to lie".
Throughout the game Adelaide was becoming more exasperated with Kiyan.
"You're not supposed to tell me what cards you have" Adelaide said. "You're supposed to lie".
He gave her a blank look.
"But I don't want to lie to you"
"Then you won't get any of my money" Adelaide said.
"Speaking of which" Kiyan said. "You promised me 2000 Sterlings if we didn't make it out those tunnels by that night. And it was after 12 by the time we left. So..."
"And here I was about to praise your morals" Adelaide said and then shouted, "Bartender, bring me another drink I'm down 2000 Sterlings".
"Actually you're down 5000 Sterlings" Kiyan said revealing his cards to be a straight flush.
Adelaide could only gape.
"You...you-you must have played this before" Adelaide said.
Kiyan just laughed. "You don't take losing very well, do you?"
He took an electric blue drink and began sipping it. Adelaide rolled her eyes and stood up. She walked over to the bar where Nicholas was sitting.
"I'm out 5000 Sterlings because of Kiyan bloody Cadalian" Adelaide said.
"That's a shame" Nicholas said. "Now you won't be able to buy that gold car you were after".
"Very funny. Come on you've got to lend me some 'ling" Adelaide said. "I want another drink".
Nicholas put his arm around her and said:
"Don't you think you've had enough to drink?"
"I'll be the judge of that" Adelaide said. "Victoria!"
Victoria strutted over with a huge grin on her face. She wore a blue dress that stopped at her knees and her hair was pinned up in a bun apart two little curls at each side of her face.
"A little birdie told me that I apparently can't have any fun" Victoria said.
"Well you usually don't"
"I'll have you know I partied with The Delangos"
Adelaide looked at her sceptically. "You don't even like swing music. You wouldn't know how to dance to it".
"Really? There is a dancefloor next door" she said. "That is if you can still walk".
"Of course I can" Adelaide replied.
They went through to the ballroom where the lights were too bright and the was music too loud. It combined to make the night a whirling pool of chaos. She danced and spun until the nausea took hold of her and she sat at the side.
Kiyan came over to her table and sat down. He still wore his trainee black trousers and the shirt. Adelaide wondered if he had many good clothes. Not that it mattered. Kiyan had a way of catching her eye no matter what he wore.
"Should you be drinking that?" he asked.
"The blue ones are dodgy but the pink ones are fine" Adelaide said. "In fact, they're an aphrodisiac".
"Really?" Kiyan said. "Well I don't about you, but I think I'll retire for this evening".
Adelaide smiled and leaned forward.
"I don't know how I'm going to get up those stairs. I think you'll need to carry me".
Kiyan just laughed as he helped her to her feet.
Adelaide stumbled up the stairs towards the hotel room, holding onto Kiyan.
"Are you okay? Can you take it from here?" he said.
Adelaide attempted to jam the key in the door, but the key refused to go in.
"The thing won't go in the door" Adelaide slurred.
Kiyan pushed open the door and they walked in.
"Damn these heels" Adelaide said.
She took her shoes off and cast them to the side as if they didn't cost her an atrocious amount of money.
"That's better. Oh I could've danced all night. And you know who can really dance? Nicholas".
"Yeah you two seem close" Kiyan remarked.
"Oh yeah we are. Nicholas is a great guy. We get along" Adelaide said. "Oh but not like that. Let's just say I'm not his type"
"I find that hard to believe" Kiyan said.
"How can I put this: he doesn't like women that way".
"Oh okay" Maybe it was her imagination but Kiyan looked relieved.
The amount of times she'd imagined kissing him was ridiculous. Especially when the drink melted away all her worries. She was not a person who stood by and let opportunities go by. Adelaide and walked over to Kiyan.
"What's your type, Kiyan?" Adelaide said, circling her arms around his waist.
"What? I don't really...I mean I don't..."
"I bet you like brunettes. With blue or maybe green eyes. Tall but not too tall. Slim but not too slim" Adelaide said.
She grabbed the front of his shirt and brought his mouth to hers. Kiyan pushed away from him.
"Okay I think it's time for me to go"
And then he walked out of her hotel room leaving her to drown in her own humiliation.
Adelaide woke with a pounding headache. For a moment, she remembered nothing of the night before. Then it all came back in awful clarity, clear as broken glass, cutting and scarring. Victoria came into her room with a suitcase.
"Ahh good, you're up. Just in time for us to leave" she said.
"What? We're leaving?" Adelaide said.
Adelaide sat up with a groan.
"We've only got the rental car for ten days to get there and get back so we have to leave today" Victoria said.
When Victoria left the room, Adelaide attempted to change into her uniform, she found she even struggled to do that. If she couldn't do that, how would she face any imps or bandits out in the desert? Her head was swimming. After being sick twice in the bathroom, she downed a vial of Metraproxiphine.
Adelaide dashed out the hotel and into the car, where the others were waiting for her.
"Hello" Adelaide said, cheerier than she felt.
"You've changed your tune" Victoria said, as she started the engine.
"Can't keep Adelaide down for too long, eh?" Nicholas said.
"So I've been told" Adelaide laughed.
After an hour or so, the euphoria from the drug was starting to ebb away, the full force of the hangover coming into effect. It didn't help that Victoria and Nicholas were constantly arguing.
"Just admit we're lost" Nicholas said.
"Nick, we are not lost. I followed the map" Victoria said.
Adelaide smiled and turned to Kiyan. He looked away and she felt a pang of disappointment. He hadn't spoken the whole trip just stared out the window. Adelaide felt the humiliation come back in full force. She'd thrown herself at him and he'd pushed her away. How could she have misread the situation so badly? She'd spoiled their friendship and scarred poor Kiyan in the process.
Victoria finally got them to a hotel. It was a run-down place from the outside and it didn't look much better from the inside. The wallpaper was peeling off. Sand was everywhere. A foul stench lingered and refused to dissipate.
"This place smells like death" Adelaide said.
"Yes, well it's not your usual 5-star hotel, but unless you want to sleep out in the desert, it'll do" Victoria said.
"And it doesn't appear to sell alcohol" Nicholas said and turned to Adelaide. "Luckily for you".
She usually would've brushed off the comment but for some reason it irked her. Was she that much of a joke?
They checked in and stuffed their bags in their rooms. Victoria sat on the twin bed across from Adelaide's. Nicholas and Kiyan were in the other room, and Rosaline had been forced to sleep on the small couch.
"What is with you today? You seem...quiet" Victoria said.
"I don't feel that good. It's just the hangover I guess" Adelaide answered quickly.
Victoria nodded. "But Kiyan has been pretty quiet too. And he didn't have that much to drink".
Adelaide's heartbeat quickened. Victoria had her interrogating tone on and those hard eyes - she couldn't lie to her.
"I-I tried to seduce Kiyan" Adelaide said.
Rosaline squealed. "I knew it"
Victoria grinned. Adelaide felt her face burn.
"It's not funny" Adelaide exclaimed.
"Oh I think it is" Victoria said. "Look, everybody does stupid things when they're drunk. You needn't worry about it".
"But I've ruined our friendship" Adelaide said. "It was so awkward today. He couldn't even look me in the eye, he is disgusted with me".
Victoria continued to laugh. "He is not disgusted with you, Adelaide".
"He is. He probably thinks I'm a drunken slut who throws herself at anybody" Adelaide said.
"Addie don't speak like that" Rosaline said.
Victoria just shook her head.
"Maybe he thinks more of you than just a one night stand".
Now it was Adelaide's turn to shake her head. Victoria didn't know the half of it. Those drowsy mornings after those drunken nights, waking up with strangers. Adelaide would not go back to that. She meant it this time.
"Look your friendship with Kiyan is not lost" Victoria said. "When I was fourteen, I had a crush on one of my trainers but nothing ever happened. It was a little awkward at first but now we're really close".
Adelaide matched the pieces together.
"Are you talking about Nicholas?" Adelaide said.
"Nicholas" Rosaline cried.
"Shh" Victoria said.
She blushed, actually blushed. "Not that he could ever like me and I'm not interested in anyone like that so please don't feel sorry for me".
"Victoria I had no idea" Adelaide said.
Victoria was becoming more flustered and it was amusing to watch her squirm.
"Yes so you see things will be back to normal and you and Kiyan will be friends again".
Adelaide smiled, but it was plastic. Underneath she thought - what if I don't want to be just friends? She could still feel him squirm away from her, shoving her as far away from him as possible. It hurt. She'd been rejected before but this was different.
Sitting in the pool of life
Adelaide felt herself sink
The water filling her ears and mouth
Pulling herself out, the taste was bittersweet
Across the field, everything was so white
So bright
People ran around, chasing each other like children
Each with halos on their head
Pink, blue, yellow
The purest white
Was only on the children's heads
Adelaide rose out the water
She pressed her hand to the glass wall
Wanting to join them
Wanting to be free
Dreading what that would mean
A girl with curly blonde hair stood at her side
"Whatever path we choose now decides our future lives" Cecelia said.
"The halos are representations of this".
Adelaide paused, the question on her lips before she could stop herself
"What colour is mine?"
Cecelia pursed her lips tight.
"Maroon red"
She finally said.
Adelaide was abruptly shaken out of her dream. She fell to her knees her hands slamming into the sand. Sand?
"It's okay, you were just sleepwalking" Kiyan said helping her to her feet.
Sleepwalking? Adelaide didn't sleepwalk. Certainly not outside.
"I don't understand how..." Adelaide said, looking out towards the far stretch of the desert.
They walked back into the hotel. Adelaide still felt like she was floating, like she was still in a dream.
"It's a good thing you caught me when you did. If I walked much further out, there I could've died" she said.
He cringed.
"See - that's the thing. I dreamt we found you out in the desert the next morning" Kiyan said. "You were – you were not in a good way".
Adelaide stopped walking.
"Kiyan you might've changed fate" she said.
"I know it was wrong to intervene..."
"Yes, how dare you save my life" Adelaide laughed then she paused. "You should write these dreams down. One day they might make sense".
"They're mostly about people I don't know, people I'll never meet" Kiyan said.
Adelaide nodded. They were nearly at their rooms. If she didn't say it now. She would never say it.
"I'm sorry for the way I acted last night" Adelaide said.
"It wasn't the kiss I objected to" Kiyan said. "It was just...I didn't want to take advantage of you when you were clearly more intoxicated than I was".
Adelaide was speechless. The idea had never occurred to her. That someone could think she wasn't in the right state of mind to make such a decision. That maybe she was only coming on to him because she was intoxicated. That wasn't true but still. No one had ever given her that much respect.
"Kiyan, I didn't kiss you because I was drunk. I kissed you because I like you" she said. "I just didn't want to ruin the friendship we had".
"We haven't been friends that long. I mean it wouldn't be that weird if we went on a date or something?"
Adelaide smiled. "I'd like that".
"I should probably get back to my room"
"Yes. Of course. Although, you should probably put a chair up against my door" she said. "Wouldn't want me getting away again".
Adelaide kissed him on the cheek. He didn't push her away although he did look to the side and cough.
"Thank you again"
Though she tried to sleep that night, she was restless. If she drifted off, she could end up harming herself or another, totally oblivious. That was enough to keep Adelaide wide awake.
A?Tb3