"There you go!" In a flash, a colorful mixed drink was in my grasp, while Jenny had a hold of my upper arm and was starting to steer me through the house. She gave me the grand tour, stumbling every once in a while as we navigated through the happy crowd. The people were so numerous that eventually they kind of blurred together as one big mass. The strong drink I was chugging probably didn't help. Occasionally I stopped short, having thought I saw a tall head of spiky black hair standing in a corner, but whenever I looked back, he was gone. The thought of Avery being here sent a thrill through me, even though I had barely exchanged four sentences with him.
Jenny and I made it back to the kitchen after a while, and after giving me another drink, she slipped off into the moving group of party-goers. I was left alone to my own devices, so I settled for standing in a corner of the kitchen, watching everyone making out, dancing, talking, laughing and just in general having fun. The desire to have more friendly and intimate connections crossed my mind, but just like the past 21 years of my life, I was too shy to do anything about it. Talking to strangers was never one of my strong points, especially when they were in such a big gathering as this. As loneliness started to infiltrate my mind, a flash of darkness to my left made me turn my head. In the doorway, I saw a tall guy with blue and black spiky hair moving into the living room. Something in my mood shifted, and a new reserve took hold as I downed the last of my sickly sweet concoction. Nearly throwing the cup onto the counter behind me, I strode towards the living room in search of Avery. I didn't want to stand alone at this party, and he had seemed friendly enough in the library. Maybe he would be interested in making friends.
It was hard wiggling through all the drunken people, but once I was in the center of the living room, I looked up and turned around. Avery was nowhere to be seen. How impossible, though. I had surely seen him enough times tonight to know he was actually here... The maddening feeling of needing to know I was right took over, causing me to move as quickly through the house as possible. I searched upstairs and down, scanning every room for a guy standing a head above the rest, but to no avail. Now I was really starting to feel foolish. Maybe I had drank those cocktails a little too fast. My vision was starting to wobble a bit, so I decided then and there to call it a night. In no time I had found Jenny and told her goodbye, apologizing at her protests that I had only stayed an hour. Eventually she understood that I was tired and hugged me. As I walked to my car, the brief thought nagged at me that maybe I shouldn't drive, but I wasn't terribly smashed. Plus, I only lived five minutes away.
The ride home was thankfully uneventful, and it felt so good to slip out of my clothes that reeked of alcohol. I put on a simple black sleeveless nightgown, brushed my teeth, and was in bed before midnight. The quiet solitude of my apartment was a stark contrast to the loud, busy environment of the party. It left me with a small bit of longing for more interaction, and I turned on my side while curling up so the ache in my belly would lessen. How hard could it be to make more of an effort to gain friends? On one hand, I had just moved to Idaho Falls not three months ago, but on the other, I knew I'd always had trouble making connections. Closing my eyes, I reassured my overactive mind that in time, things would be better. I did just attend a party, even if for only an hour. But it was a start, right? Positive mantras of that type continued to occupy my thoughts until sleep was inevitable.
My name. Someone was calling my name. As my eyes snapped open, I laid stock-still, straining to hear the noise I had just heard. I was in that place between consciousness and sleep where I had almost drifted off, but could awaken at a moment's notice at the tiniest thing. Which is exactly what happened. After a few moments, I heard nothing, and finally dared to breathe. Was I dreaming it? My name had floated through my mind drawn out and soft, like a Siren calling out to me. But it had sounded so distant.
"Ssaaaaaaddiiiieeee..."
I froze once again, every part of my body on high alert. There was no mistaking it that time. The voice was close; Too close. And nothing short of menacing. Quickly flipping onto my back, I raised my head and strained to see anything in the pitch darkness of my room. Nothing seemed out of place, but all at once I knew I wasn't alone. Even though I was unable to see, I detected movement at the foot of my bed. Some black shape was getting closer and closer, and the pulse in my head threatened to deafen me. I trembled like the ground in an earthquake as pressure on my mattress quickly pressed down all around me, and whoever or whatever was in my room covered my body with it's own. Whimpers like that of a scared puppy escaped my throat, while my eyes riveted to the outline of a pale face lowering itself directly to mine. A deep chuckle vibrated over my chest, and in that moment I thought I might faint.
"Hello, Sadie. You seem to have had quite the busy day. Maybe it would be a good idea for you to go back to
sleep
..."
That voice was so familiar. So deep and rich, unlike any man I had ever heard. Before I could put the obvious thought together, two eyes right above mine began to glow a bright red, much like those lit signs in shop fronts. I couldn't look away, nor did I want to. Something drew me into them, and even though in the back of my mind I was screaming bloody murder, my body relaxed completely as the man's red eyes burned intensely. The only thought I had was to keep staring, to melt into his gaze. His eyes were the only thing I lived for as they carried me into oblivion.
