"I just realized... today's my birthday," Aidan said out of the blue as he looked around my room, specifically at the calendar hanging on the far wall.
"You just realized?" Alyssa asked, running the hairbrush through my hair once again. I yelped as she tried to untangle the knots in my hair. "We've been saying 'Oh, the formal is on your birthday' for a week now, Aidan. Do you need to get your hearing checked?"
"Yes, I think so," Aidan said. "I keep on hearing this annoying buzzing noise but it's just you talking, Alyssa."
She shot him a dirty look as Jessica, Tyson and I snickered. "Ha ha, very funny," She said, annoyed.
"Okay, but what types of friends are you?" Aidan complained. "Where are the presents?"
"Greedy, aren't you?" I asked. Alyssa was now braiding my hair down the side, pulling tightly on my hair. "What gives, Alyssa? Be gentle!"
"You're hair is so light and long, I have to make sure this doesn't come out." She pulled on my hair again, causing me pain.
"Can't you just leave my hair out? That's probably what I'm going to do by the end of the night," I tell her. She didn't think I was keeping my hair like this all night, was she?
"Why do you girls always take so much time just to work on your hair?" Tyson asked, fixing his tie.
"Because we have to look nice for you boys," Alyssa said.
"Eh," Jessica and I say at the same time. We both couldn't care less on what they think of us. Alyssa was really the only one in the room who cared about this.
It was nearly 7:30 in the evening and there was still no sign of Cole. I forgot when he was picking me up, but he didn't even reply to any of my messages. I looked down at my phone once again, wondering where he could be.
"Why are you guys here, in my room again?" I asked the others. "You know I won't be going to the dance with you, right?"
"We're here to keep you company, Lauren," Jessica said. "And you seem to make our lives more interesting. We're bored, or at least I am."
"I'm waiting for birthday presents," Aidan said again. He managed to find some ball lying around my room and was bouncing that on the wall.
"Stop acting like a seven year old, Aidan," Jessica stated. "You're much older than that."
Aidan made a disgusted face. "Oh, God. I'm seventeen. Where has the time gone?"
"Okay, you want us to celebrate your birthday?" Tyson asked. "Okay guys, on three."
He counted down from three and somehow, all of us knew to belt out "Happy Birthday" from the top of our lungs. I was pretty sure you could hear us from three houses down, or at least downstairs.
"What are you doing up there?" Dad called from downstairs.
"Nothing, Dad. Just being teenagers," I yelled back.
"Keep it down. Couldn't you have gone early with Spencer?" Dad asked.
"I'm waiting for my ride. Plus, Spencer went to help set up. I'd rather not do that."
I get up from my seat and examine myself in the mirror. Alyssa picked out a nice, indigo blue dress for my to wear tonight, along with a matching set of earrings and a necklace. I insisted on wearing the bracelet Cole gave me last week along with the outfit, despite the fact that it didn't match.
"You look really nice," Tyson complimented. "But, aren't the heels a bit too... big?"
"That's what I said!" I turned to Alyssa. "Can I wear sneakers?"
"Shorter heels, sure. Sneakers, definitely not," She said. "Plus, I don't think you have time to choose new shoes, you ride's here." She pointed out the window and I glanced outside. Cole's black car was parked on the side of the road and he was heading towards the house.
Jessica tossed me a small purse which held my phone and keys, along with other essentials that were "needed" for the night, according to Alyssa.
"Have fun! We'll see you later tonight," Jessica said as both girls pushed my out my bedroom door.
I made it downstairs just as the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find just what I was expecting - Cole dressed in a black suit, smiling. "Hey, ready for our first school dance together?"
I fingered the bracelet around my wrist, nervous. "Yeah, I'm ready."
His gaze went up and down. "You look... amazing tonight, Lauren."
"You tell me that all the time, think of something original," I laughed.
Just then, Dad walked out of the kitchen, a tub of ice cream in his hands. When he noticed us staring, he spoke. "What are you looking at? It's just ice cream."
I bit my lip to prevent myself from laughing. Cole had a smile on his face as he spoke. "Is there a specific time that I have to bring her home?"
"Whenever her brother gets home will be fine," Dad told him. "Don't do anything stupid, kids. Don't drink and do whatever else teenagers do."
"Dad, are you okay?" I asked him.
"Yeah, yeah... I'm fine." He stumbled into the living room without saying another word.
Cole looked at me confused. I just shrugged in response. He held the door open as I walked outside, then locked the door behind him.
"Anyway, I was wondering, did you eat dinner yet?" Cole asked as I got into his car. I shook my head. "Great, so I could take you out for dinner."
"Oh, no, that's alright. There's gonna be food at the dance, right?" I said in response. I wasn't in the mood for dinner yet my stomach growled moments after he offered. He smiled, putting the car in drive and headed to opposite way from the dance venue.
"It's my treat, Lauren. For, um, getting my sister back," He said, the last bit in a smaller voice. "I hope I didn't get you in too much trouble."
This was the first time he really mentioned the trip since it happened. I could tell it wasn't easy for him to talk about it. I wonder what he saw after I left him...
As if he was able to read my mind, he continued talking. "I - I saw what they did to some of the kids. I - I'm so sorry, Lauren. I'm sorry you had to go through some of that."
"Cole, it's not your fault-"
"But I felt like I - or well, my sister was the reason why you were forced to go back-"
"I made the decision myself, Cole. It's not-"
He cut me off when he stepped outside after parking, with me only then realizing that we arrived to the restaurant. It was really big and by the looks of it, very fancy - the French name gave off a certain vibe.
"This seems way to expensive, Cole," I tell him as I step out of the car.
"I get a discount," He said in response. "I work here part time on weekends."
"Here?" I asked, walking through the door with him behind me. I could immediately tell that this was a pretty hushed environment, so I switched to a whisper. "What do you do here?"
"I'm a waiter."
"But don't the customers do most of the waiting? You're just busy serving people."
"Ha ha, Lauren. This is partially why I love you."
He greeted the host, who went by the name of "Layla." She led us to a table, which was beautifully decorated with a pale pink table cloth and a bouquet of flowers in the center.
"Order whatever you like," Cole said, handing me one of the menus.
"What's this for?" I asked him, opening the small booklet.
"It's just a date, Lauren. What's got you so worked up?" Cole asked.
"Nothing," I say instantly. "Nothing at all."
Cole reaches for my hand. "You can talk to me, Lauren. I have a better idea on what's going on now."
"I, uh, I don't think tonight will end up being that great. I just..." I paused for a second. "I just feel like something bad's going to happen."
"What could possibly go wrong?"
"Everything," I say simply.
"Lauren, just one night." Cole wraps his hands around mine. "Let go. Stop worrying for once."
I pull away from his grasp, instead fiddled with the bracelet. "I wish I could."
-- : --
T MINUS 90 MINUTES
The countdown appeared in front of my vision the second I stepped into the dance half an hour later, clutching Cole's hand. I didn't know what it was for, but I knew it had something to do with the Institute.
So much for letting go and not worrying.
"Everything alright?" Cole asked once we stepped in the dance. My vision cleared, revealing the dance. There were so many people there, dancing and laughing with friends. What would I ever do if all of these people got hurt because of me?
"Yeah, yeah, why do you ask?" I said in a heartbeat.
"Your grip on me got a lot tighter," He said, showing me our linked hands.
I let go instantly. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm just... there's a lot of people." In the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of Aidan and the others. "Um, do you mind if I go see my friends for a minute?"
"Not at all. I'll see you in a bit?"
"Sure." I pecked his cheek and headed off.
Alyssa is the first to see me. "Hey, Lauren, where have you been?"
"Cole and I had dinner together," I explained. "A nice, French restaurant. The food was really good."
I feel a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I find Aidan standing behind me. "Hey, could I talk to you for a second? Somewhere not so packed?"
"Yeah... sure," I say, unsure. Why did it feel like I already knew where this was going?
He pulled me away from the dance, outside into the main foyer. It was much quieter, with only a few people out here.
"T minus ninety minutes," He said, biting his lip. "What do you think it means?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. And I really don't want to find out. Do the others know about the countdown?"
"I don't think so, they seem normal. Spencer might have an idea on what's going on but-"
"I heard my name." My brother appears out of nowhere, Kassandra by his side. "What's going on?"
Aidan quickly explains the countdown. Both adults look worried.
"Keep an eye out for anything suspicious," Spencer said finally. "We can't let anything bad happen tonight."
Aidan and I nod, heading back to the dance.
-- : --
It happened during the slow dance. The one time the entire night I actually didn't think of anything but tonight.
Cole held me close to me, my face buried into his chest where I could smell his cologne clearly. The music played in the background, the sound of other's footfalls going in time with the beat.
He spun me around for the third time, me laughing as he did so. Cole's hand rested on my hip, as we danced through the song. I was leaning in for the kiss at the moment. It was going perfectly, nothing could ruin the moment.
Yet something had to.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Not one, not two, not three, but seventeen gunshots went off. One right after the other.
I pulled away from Cole the second I heard the first screams. We looked at each other, terror filling our eyes. I looked around - there were several people injured.
This is my fault, was the first thought that popped into my mind.
But why?
There was so much blood. Oh, so much blood now. People were bleeding all over, some others rushing to help the injured. Most were heading towards the front door. The exit.
I looked over to the doors. No one was escaping. They were locked.
"Help!" I heard someone scream. "Get us out of here!"
"I'm calling the police." I heard another say.
Cole grabbed onto my arm. "Lauren, we have to go."
"The doors are locked," I said. Besides, my feet were planted to the ground. I was so terrified I couldn't move.
I looked around again, my eyes them meeting Aidan and Spencer's. They didn't know what to do. They didn't know where the gunshots were coming from. And neither did I.
And then I saw one of them.
"Aidan! Look out!" I screamed from the top of my lungs.
He turned around only to be grabbed by a large, beefy man. A guard. The man squeezed his shoulders and forced him to walk towards the center of the room. Towards me and Cole.
"Ahh!" I heard, this time from right next to me. I turned around to find another guard. He grabbed onto Cole's shirt collar, not letting him move.
And I could sense the third gunman. Cole's frightened face could've let me know either way. I turned around, my body shaking. Looking up, I saw him. A striking image of Cole, standing in front of me.
Mr. Garcia grabbed a hold of my dress, not letting me move either.
"Let me go," I ordered.
In response, he pulled out his gun and shot it once in the air. The entire room went silent, looking straight at us. I looked up, seeing a small hole in the ceiling where the bullet went through.
The room was full of frightened, injured teenagers. They didn't move. The chaperons didn't move. They were all frightened, mesmerized by the sight.
I could see Spencer making a move.
Please, Spencer. Don't. I plead to him in my mind. I got this, don't worry.
He moved back, attending one of the injured.
"What are you doing?" I asked in my most confident voice at the time, which was still pretty shaky.
"Taking you back," Mr. Garcia muttered. He pressed the gun onto my forehead. I could see the same being done to the boys.
"You only want me," I said. "Let the boys go. Your son isn't even part of all this, he's innocent."
"Is he now?"
I couldn't look back to see Cole but I could feel the terror coming from him. He was scared. Frightened. He didn't belong here right now.
I got this, I told myself. If I could just...
I focused on the three men in the room. They obviously weren't frightened, I could feel that in their brainwaves. If I could just grab a hold of it... I could control them.
What are you going to do once you have them under your power? A voice said. Mom.
I ignored her. "You aren't going to hurt your own son, are you?" I asked Mr. Garcia, my voice small.
"Watch me," He said. But his voice was shaky.
I felt the click. I was in control of him, and the other men.
His finger was placed on the trigger. "Any last words, Lauren Olsen?"
I took a deep breath. They don't have to shoot. I don't have to make them shoot. I'm in control.
"Cole?" I said, my voice very shaky. Silence. "Cole?"
"Yeah Lauren?" His voice came out as barely a whisper.
"I love you."
BANG!
Shots fired.
The first grazed my forehead.
The second hit Aidan in the shoulder.
The third caused Cole to hit the floor.
And the three men fled.
-- : --
two very short (or, we'll see how long) chapters and an epilogue left, i'm positive. expected to be done by next weekend. see you then!