Edited.
Music blasted itself into my eardrums as soon as I entered the house. I closed the door just as several bodies pressed up against mine, rubbing across my exposed skin. With a scowl, I looked around.
The house, although fairly large, was covered in sweaty, hormonal teenagers. Multicoloured lights flashed to the beat of the music and red, plastic cups littered every surface. Everywhere I looked people would either be making out, dancing or throwing up.
I'm in one of these cliché young adult books as the loner who discovers herself at a cool kid's party, I thought with frown.
I strode forwards nonetheless, my mind full of one incentive. Find Aleena. I ducked under moving limbs, weaving through dancing strangers until a cat whistle halted me. I turned in my spot to see a tall boy whom I didn't recognise, his lips twisted into a drunken smile. I rolled my eyes and kept walking, the smell of cigarette smoke burning the back of my throat. I couldn't help but feel a bit surprised by the amount of teenagers in Brookefield who remained in the small town and were willing to break the strict curfew. I felt my eyebrows furrow as I narrowly dodged a guy's swinging arm. This was the Mayors home and yet he allowed his daughter to break the curfew he created. Double standards.
A lady wearing black and carrying a tray full of shots ambled past. I quickly manoeuvred my way around people to reach her before snatching two glasses from her tray. She shot me an alarmed look but I downed them before she said anything. Hopefully the alcohol will keep my nerves in check.
The lady continued to stare at me with wide eyes, like grabbing two shot glasses had been illegal in her opinion. Out of spite I grabbed two more and threw my head back to allow the burning liquid to travel down my throat.
"I don't think that's a good idea—"
I slammed the now empty shot glasses back on the tray, silencing her. "My life, my problems."
She looked at me worriedly before shuffling away, casting me a backwards glance of concern. God, whoever hired her made a stupid mistake.
A slurred voice interrupted my judgement towards the woman. "Hey beautiful. Want to add to that little collection of yours?" I spun around to face the boy who had cat whistled at me minutes before. His brown eyes were fuzzy from alcohol; however, his full lips were parted into a large grin.
I forced a sly smile to touch my lips. He held out a plastic cup to me, nearly dropping it in the process. I took it out of his hands in the hopes of saving the spilled contents.
"One, don't call me beautiful. Two, I'm now claiming this as mine and three, you need water." I said, attempting to hide the disgust out of my voice. He was looming close to me, enough to burst my personal bubble. I brought the drink to my lips and allowed it to slosh in my mouth before swallowing it.
He watched me drink with his darkened gaze that suggested he was thinking of something quite sinister. "I would like to formally introduce myself as Henry, your new root." He said, swaying like a leaf in the breeze. I idly wondered if he would fall on me.
I mustered a high pitched laugh. "Look Henry, you seem lovely but I'm not interested—"
"Are you going to tell me your name?" He interrupted to breathe heavily.
"Do I need to?" I said with an arched eyebrow. He was progressively getting closer to me and my patience was wearing. Henry's breath smelt of alcohol, his body radiating heat.
His eyes travelled over me, trailing over my body like a hawks. "No you don't," he said with a widening smile. I fought down the irresistible urge to rip his eyes out.
"And why is that?" I responded, carefully taking a step backwards however he followed me and closed the distance.
Henry's cloudy eyes searched mine, his pupils dilated and large, rimmed with red. "Because I don't need a name when I can easily just recognise your pretty face."
I felt my façade slip off my face, my pupils narrowing into thin slits. Without another word he moved a hand to trail it up my exposed thigh, leaning forwards to angle his mouth towards mine.
I didn't think before I brought my hand across his face, the sound of skin to skin contact competing with the music. His reaction time was slow, so by the time he realised I had slapped him, I had turned away to blend into the surroundings teens. What a horny little bastard. As I moved forwards I stumbled slightly, only just managing to catch myself. Had the alcohol already gone through my system? I had only just took those shots moments before. The thought whisked away when I heard Henry call out for me, his voice mixing with the slurred noises of others. My heart surged with the sudden heat around my body and I turned away to search for some fresh air. I have to get my bearings; I need some water.
It took me several minutes to find the outside area and by the time I got there, my hair was clinging to my flushed face, and my hands were trembling. I looked down at them, trying to understand the meaning behind their unsteadiness but the thought didn't linger and soon my worry disintegrated. I should be feeling something, I should concentrate on finding Aleena, but the prospect of my intentions seemed to be one of effort, and all I could concentrate on was cooling my body. I heard a splashing noise and whipped around to see a large pool, full of people laughing and cheering. Water, coolness, a form of liquid that would quench the heat of my body. My veins were singing, causing sweat to trickle down my spine. I bent down and took off my shoes, letting them slide off my feet. I unzipped my dress clumsily, ignoring the way my fingers shook with the effort. I heard a couple of guys cheers and I glanced up to see them grinning at me from the pool. I attempted to smile back but my vision clouded slightly. I blinked it back to stride towards the pool.
"Now this is a sight I didn't know I needed until now," I heard someone yell from the sidelines of the pool. I scanned my eyes to see the speaker, identifying one of my classmates from HPE smile at me. I knew I should be reacting to his words, I knew I would never allow myself to be spoken like an object but my mind was only concentrating on the pool in front of me and the way blue lights under water turned the bubbles purple. I climbed in, relishing the way the water lapped at my feet. I didn't think, didn't second guess myself as I tumbled into the pool, feeling the water sweep me into its embrace. I allowed myself to delve in the coolness before rising back to the surface. Plastic cups were dully floating on the surface. As soon as I sucked in a breath all the guys roared with delight. I felt a bubble of laughter escape my mouth and I pushed at the wet from my face. Although my body still radiated with heat, the water had cooled me down significantly.
My toes scathed the bottom of the pool and I glanced behind me to see a stranger approach me. He had soft blue eyes that seemed like a juxtaposition to his curly black hair that streamed with water. He was slightly taller than me, his movements rippling the water as he neared. His pale skin reflected in the moonlight, illuminating the droplets that cascaded down his chest.
He flashed me an amused smile. "Like what you see?"
Normally I would snap back a sour comment but my words slid out of my mouth without a second thought. "Yeah actually." My confidence was alarming but I told myself I shouldn't be complaining.
He laughed, a loud, stocky laugh. It didn't sound as nice as Aarons laugh. His made you want to join in, this guy's made me blink rapidly.
His eyes scanned my chest, his pupils blank with drunkenness. "What are you going to do about it?" He asked smugly and stepped closer to me. I smelt chlorine mixed with a sickly sweet substance.
Don't do it Renee, you will regret it! I disregarded the tell-tale voice in my head to bit my lip teasingly. "This," I breathed softly and reached up to kiss his neck gently. I felt his body relax slightly, his neck titling against my touch. My breath hitched in my throat. What are you doing Renee? This isn't you.
Shutting down the thoughts, I pulled away to encounter his intense blue gaze. His eyes travelled down my body again before trailing back up to meet my eyes. The darkened look in his gaze matched Henry's, but it didn't bother me as much.
"Like what you see?" I grinned and a smirk pulled at his lips.
"Yes." His voice was deeper, huskier against my touch.
"What are you going to do about it?" I asked him softly, the repetition of his words causing him to let out a strained noise.
His eyes narrowed onto mine. "This," he titled down, his eyes fluttering closed. I leaned into his touch, feeling his hands snake around my waist. He pulled me closer, his lips parting to brush mine. I tasted alcohol and the saltiness from the chlorine. His lips were soft and confident as they pressed against mine, his fingers tightening around my waist. I didn't know what I was thinking, or why I was kissing this stranger. My thoughts had whirled away into a blank mess, tumbling over each other.
I rose on my tip toes to wrap my arms around his neck, drawing him closer. I could feel his heart thump loudly against his chest, sending mine into wilder fits of heavy breathing.
His hands moved to trace down my legs before moving upwards to my back. His fingers paused on the back of my bra strap, working at it. I instantly recoiled, stepped away from him. I stared to see his eyelids flash open, an expression of annoyance embed into his eyes. Both him and I were breathing heavily and I could feel my lungs wheeze for the effort to take in a decent breath of air.
"Why did you pull away?" he asked, his voice rough with frustration. He didn't look like the confident boy I had kissed moments before. He looked dominate, his eyes looming hungrily on mine.
"I need something to drink," I replied hastily to move away from his outstretched arms. I lifted myself up from the edge of the pool and immediately my body hummed with heat. I tripped on my own feet but kept moving forwards. What's happening to me? Why do I feel like this? Why can't I control my body?
The strangers voice floated back from the pool. "I'll be waiting!"
I kept walking, my direction fluctuating as I staggered. Various people shot me questionable glances, taking in my semi nakedness.
My head was swimming and my vision kept shifting to cloud into darkness. My heart was thumping against my ribs painfully, matching the throbbing in my temples.
I saw another waitress walk casually through a crowd of teenagers. I reached her with shaky legs and retrieved the full bottle of vodka sitting on the tray.
She turned and her eyes widened once she realised I had stolen her beverage. "Miss—"
She began but I had turned away, doing what I did best to melt back into the crowd. Tipping the bottle upwards to feel the liquid burn my throat, I shoved my way through various teenagers. My eyes stung gingerly and the bottle in my hand felt increasingly heavy. I felt my fingers loosen, the bottle smashing on the hard ground. Shattered glass slashed across my bare feet, drawing blood. I realised I couldn't even feel a thing.
Nobody seemed to take much notice, only a few let out whoops of laughter. I glanced down at the blood stained glass and decided it wasn't worth my time to clean up. I went to take a step forwards when I swayed, catching myself on a stranger by wrapping my arms clumsily around their waist.
"Renee?" A memory tucked into the back of my mind from the sound of the voice. I knew I should recognise it somehow. I squinted my eyes against the harsh glare from the multicoloured lights.
"Aleena!" I slurred after recognising her blonde hair. I took an unsteady step closer to her, somewhat conscious of the glass that dug into my heel.
Her face was twisted into a mask of shock, her eyes blazing in horror. "What are you doing here?"
She had her arms wrapped around a boy, buy before I could identify him with my blurring vision, he had disappeared back into the crowd.
"I wanted to see you," I said loudly, my own words ringing in my ears. I began to wonder why she had two heads growing out of her shoulders.
Aleena looked flustered, her eyes bothered.
"Are you drunk?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. She angled herself away from me which resulted in me overbalancing. She caught me before I fell head over heels. I couldn't suppress the giggle that over took my body. I nearly fell over on my face, the thought amused me.
Aleena pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. "Renee, you're burning up." Her hands felt cool against mine, matching the temperature of the water.
I glanced at her, narrowing my eyes to see her features. They were all blurred and mushy.
"I think Henry thought I was hot," I mused. I could barely understand my own words, however Aleena managed to catch on.
Her lips thinned. "Who the hell is Henry?"
Her questions stunned me and I paused to recall who Henry was. I couldn't put a face to his name –
"Don't answer that," she hissed. "Renee look at me." She gripped my chin, hoisting my eyes up to meet her. I blinked repeatedly, scrunching up my nose in rebuttal. "What have you drunk?"
"What, I'm not drunk!" I snapped in horror. I couldn't ever imagine getting drunk, the idea disgusted me.
"Renee!" Aleena's fingers tightened on my skin. "What have you drunk tonight?"
I closed my eyes briefly, trying to recollect what I substances I had allowed into my stomach but my thoughts were slipping away from me like water. "I want to go back," I mumbled, moving to pull weakly against her tightening arms.
Her expression changed to one of confusion. "Back where?"
"To the pool," I sighed glumly, looking in the direction to where I knew the dark haired boy was waiting for me.
Aleena's eyes widened at this. "What were you doing in the pool?" I opened my mouth to reply, my brain fuzzy for an actual legitimate answer. "Don't answer that either," she snapped, her eyebrows furrowed in thought.
My skin was continuing to sear with heat, sweat trickle down from my hair line. It felt like my whole body was a human torch.
"Aleena," I breathed, my chest shuddering lightly. I couldn't see, my vision was flashing in out of focus. I could feel each breath pass through my lungs like I was a ghost in my own body.
I felt her move closer to me, her dress brushing my leg. "What is it Renee? What's going on?" I knew the situation was bad if she asked questions that weren't tainted with sarcasm.
My mouth was salivating, my heart jittering in my chest. "Somethings wrong," I croaked, my voice barely audible.
Her expression changed drastically, her eyes darkening in worry. "Renee, what is it—"
My legs buckled underneath me, unable to support my body weight. I felt my body launch backwards as I fell before I hit the ground, my head cracking against the concrete with a sickening thud. The glass from the broken bottle shattered into my back. With my vision disappearing, I was left to drown in a cloud of black. Something sticky clumped against the back of my head, causing my hair to cling to my neck. My heart slammed into my chest, my lungs screaming. What was happening?! I heard muffled voices, as if the occupants were speaking under water. After several seconds, my vision shifted back into a blurred focus. Something was immensely wrong.
My body was rocking in spasms, my limbs jerking involuntarily. I could feel my eyes roll back into my head, foam collecting in the corners of my mouth. My spine arched in agony, and I couldn't control my bodies movements. I could make out people towering over me, nothing but faded shadows staring down at me ominously. My body twisted and turned into fits of torment, no longer associated with my brain. If I could scream, I would however my jaw was clamped down, biting hard on my tongue until I could taste blood.
Voices cut through my conscious, booming painfully against my skull. "She's having a seizure! Someone call the ambulance!"
I forced my eyes to peel open. Through my eyelashes, I could just make out tricoloured eyes watch me, the terrified look matching a blonde haired girl beside him. Could barely identify who they were in my state.
Isaac pressed his fingers to my neck, checking for my heart beat. I wished I could tell him it was roaring in my ears. However, even I noticed its beats were slowing in rapidity, its pumps weakening. I struggled to take a breath despite my lungs screaming for the oxygen.
Isaac pressed a soft hand against my cheek, leaning in closer. I couldn't capture any detail in his expression, all I saw was faded colours. "Renee? Can you hear me?"
I wanted to respond, despite everything I wanted to say something, anything, to break this unbearable wrath of pain but I couldn't do anything except allow my body to jerk in vicious motions. A figure rushed over from the crowd and attempted to still my legs as they jostled. His face was twisted in fear.
Isaac whirled, his face contorting in fury. "Don't touch her," he snapped. He drew back to hoist off his shirt, bundling it into a clump of material to then lift up my head. He stilled my movements with steady hands, his pupils narrowed in concentration. The darkness was flooding back, flickering in and out in frequent intervals. I felt pressure at the back of my head, with pain immediately bursting against the insides of my eyelids.
Sirens cut into my eardrums, swirling around me in one distant faze. I closed my eyes briefly, relishing the sudden wave of closure.
"Renee. Stay awake." I slowly opened my eyes to see Isaac again, his eyes on mine. "It's going to be okay."
I responded with a violent jerk, sending myself into another wave of pain. Foam dribbled down my chin, causing fear to explode within me. I tried to breath, to suck in air but my lungs weren't responding despite the efforts from someone pressing down on my chest.
"Renee, look at me." His hands moved to cup my cheek, gently tilting my face to his. I could barely see him through my slitted eyes. He looked different, his face paler. His eyes were wide with uneasiness. I couldn't comprehend why.
He searched my eyes, desperate to get a reaction. I felt my eyes flutter closed before Isaac shook my head. They flitted back open, blurring from the movement. "Stay with me Renee. You have to stay awake."
I barely even heard him before my body exploded into a massive fit of seizures, the worst wave of them all. The glass crackled into my skin, the sticky substance coating my back. I couldn't see anything, couldn't control anything. All I felt was the sense that my limbs were manipulating my thoughts.
Isaac recoiled, his face one of immense alarm. His eyes raked over me before he shouted. "We need to get what she's drunk out of her system!" His voice was painfully close, sending my head into another wave of pain. Then, in a softer voice, I heard him say. "Hold on for just a little longer Renee. It'll all be over soon."
I felt something gather in my stomach, a set of hands driving into the flesh as Isaac pressed down. My jaw seemed to unhitch, a scream erupted from deep within my chest. My lungs groaned with the effort, barely catching up on air.
Isaac glanced down at me, his face pained and his eyes soft. "I'm so sorry," he whispered as he added more pressure onto my stomach. My entire body jerked again, my teeth grinding down on my tongue until it grew numb. Bile rose into the back of my throat, burning like acid. Figures rushed over but Isaac flashed them a look. "Give her some space, let her breathe!"
My body trembled furiously, my stomach knotting before I retched. Isaac reached over and moved me on my side, his hands firm against my spasming. Vomit cascaded out of my mouth, the substance pooling on the concrete. There were several gasps, with people covering their mouths in looks of horror.
With immeasurable concentration, I tried focusing on what they were looking at. I watched blurrily in terror as a murky silver substance spilled from my mouth, splashing on the hard ground. I tasted a metallic substance and realised that blood stained my lips and flowed in my vomit.
"Renee?"
Isaacs face appeared in front of my vision. I could feel myself slipping, feeling my sanity fade away. My seizures had died down temporarily, but I knew they would return and this time, I wouldn't be able to fight them off. My blood covered his bare chest, streaking his face. I tried to reply, to speak of the pain but nothing responded to my wishes. My body was numb from my neck down. "Please, stay alive."
The words stirred something within me, a memory of some sort but the moment left as quickly as it came. His tricoloured eyes swirled into a dark mist, my consciousness echoing dully. I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head just as the darkness returned, dragging me into its strong currents. I wanted to keep fighting, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't resurface into reality. I felt the last bit of my energy drain away before my eyelids flickered close, my chest shuddering with one long, ragged breath. And then I was gone.
Everything after that was a blur, a flicker of action, a change in voice. I saw colours and shapes, but nothing held detail.
"We need to stabilise her immediately!" A female voice shouted, the noise hurting my ears as something circular pressed around my mouth. Air was forced down my throat and I blurrily stared upwards to see strangers wearing masks hovering over me. Their all wore looks of concern and concentration. A siren was going off in the distance, adding to the severe headache grilling into my brain.
"She's regained consciousness," another voice said. "Add more fluids, she's losing too much blood." A women leaned over me, adjusting something that rested under my neck. I tried to focus my pupils onto any detail but my eyes wouldn't allow it. Instead I was encased in a cocoon of numbness, strange sounds and whirls of colour. But what I could pick up on was a familiar set of tricoloured eyes. They remained on mine from a far, watching me intently. I didn't question why they were there, they brought me comfort. Comfort in knowing I wasn't alone.
"Renee, can you hear me?" a voice practically shouted in my ear.
I tried to reply, but I was already flickering back into unconscious.
"We're losing her again!" I heard someone call before I drowned back into the welcoming darkness.
....
"Let me see her!" I recognised Aleena shoving herself forward, her hair tangled and makeup splotched. She was still wearing what she wore to the party. She dodged past a doctor and dug her nails into the railing along my stretcher. Everything remained a blur, I was stuck between a space of reality and unconsciousness. A painful throbbing from the back of my head and lower stomach concluded that I was once again conscious.
Blinking slowly, I tried to understand where I was and the strangers around me who silently steered me into a larger hallway.
"Miss, its past the curfew. You shouldn't be here." A figure assured Aleena, gently tugging at her from behind to detach her from my bed.
She let out a noise similar to a hiss. "The curfew is a bunch of crap." There was a pause before the sound of something hitting flesh echoed down the hallway. "Touch me again and I'll make sure I aim lower," she growled.
Other figures disregarded the commotion to call out instructions to one another, their words mumbling into a jumbled mess that I couldn't identify.
Aleena's face suddenly appeared into my blurred eyesight. "Renee, you better be able to hear this. If you die on me I swear to god—"
"Miss I'm sorry but you need to allow us to take Renee to a private emergency sector," a calm voice interrupted.
"I'm going with her," she said back stubbornly. There was the sound of whispers.
"She needs to be sedated and treated immediately. Please wait here, we will inform you if anything happens," they reassured but Aleena spat in their direction.
"Over my dead body am I waiting here. I'm staying with her so don't tell me otherwise."
I briefly heard someone mutter that the girl was intoxicated. It pained me to smile but I wanted to.
"Amy, can you call in Sheriff Pincel and say there's a commotion in the left wing of the hospital," a second voice whispered.
Aleena picked up on their hushed voices. "Like the Sheriff is going to scare me away you bunch of –"
My eyelids closed shut, blocking out the swirling lights which left me to once again relish the sudden darkness.
....
"Ma'am my name is Officer Perry, I just want to ask you a few questions regarding your daughters involvement of the party –"
"This is the last time I'm going to say it. Get out, I'm not speaking to you until I have a lawyer." My mother's voice was hostile.
I heard someone shuffle their feet impatiently, the sound of a pen on paper filling the room.
"Do you have any idea of the drugs that your daughter took?"
I heard Mum sigh in frustration. "She didn't take any drugs."
There was the sound of furious writing before Mum spoke again. "Get out, otherwise I'm calling security."
There was a long pause before the woman spoke again. "What's Miss Argents relationship with Henry Grey?"
There was another long pause, the only sound being the dull beeping of a machine near me.
"I don't know who this Henry Grey is," she snarled, her voice snapping with impatience. "So get out and mind your own god damn business or so help me I will do something to you that I'll regret later."
I heard the sound of a squeaking chair which I guessed was Mums. After several seconds the door opened before slamming back closed. Silence ticked over for several minutes before Mums voice floated towards me, sounding weak and defeated.
"You better not die Renee," was all that she slipped out of her mouth.