There were a lot of cars carelessly parked outside Caleb's house and loud music was pounding violently through the building. Cassie and Phoebe stepped out of the car and walked into the house which was full of people rhythmically bumping their bodies against strangers, lovers and friends. The ambiance in his house was very lively and it passed its energy to everyone that stepped in. Both girls danced their way through the crowd in search of any of their friends.
Cassie scanned the room and she smiled once her eyes landed on Tyler. He was wearing a button-up checkered shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his hair was a bit disheveled, giving him an edgy look. Her eyes widened in glee and he smirked at her as soon as he took notice of her presence. Cassie tapped Phoebe on her shoulder and motioned her to where Tyler and the rest of the guys were sat. They were sitting on a black L-shaped sectional sofa which was big enough to fit the group of six. Bottles of alcohol and the snacks which Cassie and Phoebe bought earlier in the day were scattered at their feet.
The guys acknowledged their presence and quickly returned to their previous conversations. Cassie walked straight to Tyler and sat comfortably on his laps placing her legs in between his. "Hey babe," he said breathlessly as he admired every inch of her body. "You look so sexy in that dress," he whispered in her ears seductively.
"And you don't look bad yourself," she said. She leaned in to kiss him and nibbled playfully on his bottom lip. She looked up to notice Phoebe and Tucker in a similar position only that they were much too aggressive and passionate in the way they made out. It was quite an uncomfortable sight to behold, so she looked away.
Tyler picked up a bottle of vodka and poured a little amount in a cup for Cassie. She took it happily and quickly downed all of it. She looked around to see Jesse and Matt hitting on a set of blonde and beautiful twins that she didn't recognize. Danny was with a girl he liked from their school called; Allie, and Caleb was walking alongside a beautiful leggy blonde, they were headed for the backyard.
"Wanna dance, babe?" Tyler asked and motioned his head to the kitchen where most people were dancing. She nodded and got off his lap. Phoebe and Tucker stood up too and followed them. A very upbeat song came up and everyone on the dancefloor instantly went crazy. Cassie kicked off her heels and danced like she was in a competition. People had cups in their hands and were shaking their bodies vigorously and unskilfully to the music. Cassie laughed at how funny some of the drunk people looked while they were dancing, most of them were embarrassingly offbeat and uncoordinated in their movement. They were bound to have throbbing heads when they woke up the next day. Another upbeat song came on and the craziness continued.
Some girls were swaying their hips seductively to the music in snake-like movements, others like Phoebe and Cassie were jumping up and down. It was evident that everyone was having the time of their lives. Caleb had once again thrown a great party, thus, retaining his position as one of the best party throwers at their school.
Cassie soon got tired of dancing and left the rest of her friends on the dance floor, she went back to the couch and found Danny alone with a can of beer in his hand.
"Hey Dan," she punched his bicep.
"Hey Cass baby," he greeted back and then he took a swig of his beer and twirled the can around.
"So I saw you over there with Allie earlier," she said pointing to where she saw him standing.
"Yeah," he sighed. He had been trying to get her to go out with him for months but he had been unsuccessful.
Cassie pouted. "She's crazy for not realizing how amazing you are," she said and ruffled his hair playfully "I hear she has terrible taste in guys, you should be flattered that she's not interested in you." she chuckled.
"Thanks, Cass," he twitched a smile and sighed.
"You're welcome, kid. Now let's gets go shake what our mama's didn't give us, you're missing out on all the fun," she stood up and stretched out her hands to him. He dropped his beer on the floor and placed his hands in hers, she pulled him up and dragged him to the dance floor which now had a lot more people. The smell of alcohol and sweat filled the air.
Cassie noticed Matt and Jesse dancing with the twins. Matt caught her gaze and gave her a playful wink which she returned. She scanned the room in search of Caleb but he was nowhere to be seen. She shook her head in pity of the leggy blonde she saw him with earlier.
--
Hours had passed by and it was already midnight. A group of people sat in a circle and played a game of charade, any team that lost had to take a shot. Cassie who was paired up with a guy she did not know well had lost many times, which meant she had taken more shots than she could handle. Her head pounded so she got up in the middle of the game and sauntered out into the backyard to get some fresh air. Cool breeze whirled around her as she stepped out and caused strands of her hair to dance gently in the air.
There were red solo cups and passed out people all over the ground. Cassie tiptoed over them, trying her best not to wake them up. The grass pricked her bare feet and caused them to itch. She still felt a bit lightheaded and decided to go to the pool house to wash her face.
She got the pool house successfully without tripping over anyone who was lying wasted on the ground. She washed her face, unbothered about her makeup, and decided to sit by the pool for a while. She sat down at the edge of the pool and dipped her left big toe inside to check the temperature of the water. She flinched and pulled out her leg once her toe came in contact with the cold water. She decided to just sit down 'Indian style' and relax by the pool, she leaned back on her her elbows and looked up to admire the glistening stars.
She sat there for a while just admiring the house and anything that caught her eye. She redirected her attention to the pool and watched the slight movement of the water, but then she noticed something else in the water. She could not make out what it was because of the darkness. It was at the other end of the pool, and so she untangled her legs and got up to investigate. She walked towards the image and then she could see perfectly what it was; it was a person -a girl, lying in the pool with blood surrounding her unmoving body.
Cassie screamed at the top of her lungs. She widened her eyes in shock and placed her hands on her chest which pounded hard. Cold sweat trickled down her face, her palms got sweaty, and her body started to shiver, her breath was ragged.
"Cassie?" She could hear someone yell her name from behind her, she recognized the voice as Tyler's and quickly ran into his outstretched arms. She didn't even realize that she was crying until the tears rolled down her cheeks. She had never seen a lifeless before and from her recent experience, it definitely wasn't a pretty sight. She noticed her other friends looking at her for some sort of explanation, as they moved closer. A small crowd began to form outside.
"Babe, what's wrong?" Tyler asked her with concern and worry evident in his eyes. He hugged her tighter, and she wrapped her hands around his waist, not wanting to let go. Her words failed her and so she pointed a shaky finger to the pool. Tyler walked around her to see what she was pointing at.
"Holy shit!" Tucker exclaimed in horror and placed his large hands on his head.
"Crap," Jesse added.
"Someone call 911," Phoebe urged, and Matt got out his phone from his back pocket and dialed. Tyler took off his shirt and jumped into the pool. He grabbed the girl by her waist and pulled her out. Danny walked to the light switch and turned on the outside lights so they could all have a clear picture of the scene. Tyler placed the girl on the ground beside the pool and checked her pulse for any sign that her life could be saved.
"I'm pretty sure she's dead," he informed them with terror in his eyes. People gasped in response, some started crying, some threw up, and others stood unmoved. Tyler was dripping wet and he had some of her blood sliding down his skin. "She's not breathing and she has no pulse," he added.
Cassie could see Phoebe looking at her in horror and guilt, and she understood why; they should have listened to what Sydney told them earlier that day.
"Hey, guys come check this out," Jesse called and waved his hands over to where he was. They all moved to where he was knelt down beside the girl but Cassie stayed still, she still couldn't move her legs. It was like the shock froze her in time and she couldn't think clearly anymore.
"What?" Matt asked, placing his phone back in his pocket.
"There's something in her hair," Jesse said.
Cassie watched from where she was standing to see what they were talking about.
"It's . . . it's a rose?" Tyler said a little bit confused and he tilted his head sideways to get a clearer view of the rose.
"Yes, and it's badly burned," Phoebe said in a horrified tone. "Do you have any idea what this means guys?" she asked, her voice shaky.
"The killer was here, at this party," Tucker said, his voice was also shaky.
Cassie registered everything they said in her mind. A burned rose? The killer? It rang a bell and then it clicked, she remembered hearing on the news and reading in the newspaper that a burned rose was placed in the hairs of the past three victims. Fear paralyzed her, she couldn't help but think; did I see him? Was he at the party? Did I dance with him? Did I share a drink or a laugh with him?
Cassie moved her weak legs and finally walked to the girl's lifeless body, and then she crouched in front of the girl to get a better look at her face. She widened her eyes in recognition, a gasp escaped her quivering lips, she had seen the girl before but where? In an instant the epiphany hit her. She was the leggy blonde she saw Caleb walk out with a few hours ago, and now she was lying down lifeless on the ground.