"I'm going to get us drinks!" Zain pulls away my curled hair to raise her voice in my ear, making me flinch. I feign enthusiasm and nod, watching as her small figure strides away, pushing through the mass of bodies.

The house is colored in hues of hot pink and purple, the dim lighting making it hard to label faces to bodies. I can only see them dancing, thrumming with energy in clusters around the spacious house. Others are strewn on couches with alcohol in their hands, making out or playing drunken games. They remind me of the beer bottles next to my feet: empty and useless.

Except they're expensive beer bottles; the air holds the same wealthy atmosphere as the school. Everyone here is in designer, stylish even in their lowest, drunken-high-school-party state. And it's clear that this house is not made for the parties, each decoration perfectly picked out with marble floors, walls, and counters.

"Amazing right?" Her hot breath tickles my ears. I turn my head to find her four shot glasses balanced in her hands, cheeks flushed and eyes wide, and I don't doubt that she's already had a few shots on her way here. She shoves two in my direction. "Bottoms up!"

I eye the cups, contemplating my decision. Tonight demands a clear head and sharp senses if I intend to get my hands on something useful without getting caught. I can't afford to soften my senses and lose control.

But the loud thrumming of the music and sticky bodies everywhere makes me rethink my choice. One shot would help me ignore the chaos and relax the pounding in my head.

She whoops as I tilt back the glass, drowning drown the intoxicating. Before I can protest, her hands pull my forearm, leading me deeper through the crowd. I dodge a few elbows and groping hands until we thankfully make it out of the tight, suffocating mass. She continues to lead me down a hallway until we reach a balcony that overlooks over some greenery. This part of the house isn't as crowded, with more familiar faces that I recognize milling around the trailing. Tave is among them.

His face lights up with a grin when he catches sight of us, and he hookes an arm around each of our shoulders. He's wearing a fitting white shirt that glows against his dark skin in the dim lighting, and the silver chain that often peaked through his uniform is on full display, glinting and sparkling. Upon taking a closer look, I realize that his eyes are hazed and his breath smells like the lemony scent of vodka.

"My girls," he drawls, "I was going to start thinking you wouldn't show."

I let him lead us to the railing and take in the familiar faces around us. Yvonne sits on Atlas's lap in a gripping hot pink latex dress as he caresses her thigh. His grey eyes pierce mine, and his lips curve in a scowl. Yvonne follows his gaze to look at me, eyeing my outfit before turning his head to her with a hand. A diamond ring glints on her finger.

Behind them are a few other people that I recognize from my classes and the lunch table: Emory Lopez, Grove Sullivan, Zale Hunt, and Idris Laurent. They seem to always hang around Yvonne and Atlas, like little wolves following their alpha and beta wolf.

Both Zale and Idris seem nice enough, the few interactions I've had with them harmless. They are nice bodies and pretty heads protecting empty skulls, agreeing on everything Atlas says. Grove is probably the nicest one out them all, always smiling at me without hesitation in the halls. And I have no clue what Emory is like. Her dad owns Cena De Lopez, the restaurant my mom works at, but she keeps to herself save for the few curious stares she occasionally throws at me.

Grove grins when we lock eyes and I watched in caution as she struts towards me, her sleek copper ponytail swinging behind her head. Her features are sharp and cutting, but her cherry red lips pull in a warm smile at me. I'm engulfed in a lavender perfume.

"Oh, my God Zain! I didn't know you were coming, you just seemed so quiet in school and we, like, barely talk except for American Lit, but ugh, your outfit is just stunning! Are you wearing this season's Carolina Herrera? It. Is. Stunning." Her blabbering puts me in a daze, words rushing out of her perfect mouth that I can't register fast enough. Her breath smells like mint, with no traces of alcohol which means she's just naturally bubbly. Her smile is dazzling and she has her hand on my arm, her energy so massive for such a skinny body.

"Uhm," I laugh nervously, "Thanks."

I'm not used to getting this much attention. I guess it's because I never had the opportunity to paint the prettiest picture of myself. But I knew I looked exceptional today having caught my reflection in the mirror of Zain's Audi before stepping into this house. My eyelids are shadowed and lined in a way that make my small eyes look lifted and sharp.

"You're welcome! I've always thought you were so pretty with your dark features and, like, mysterious aura, but I never got around to talk you properly. I guess I thought you were just too shy to talk to anyone other than Octavian and Zain. And, oh my God, Theodore Roman, too. Isn't he just so handsome and broody?" She gushes, giggling. "Just like you, actually. I guess that's why you guys got along so well."

Before I can correct her on Theo and I getting along, Yvonne's cool voice finally cuts through Grove's rant. I resist the urge to visibly exhale in relief when she lets go of me.

"Grove how about you stop kissing her ass and trying to jump Tave's bones?" She's playing with a strand of raven black hair, the mere glare from her eyes enough to insult Grove.

Grove's excited expression turns hurt as she looks down, her blush matching her lips and hair. I don't say anything as she mutters something about getting a drink before leaving the balcony. I don't know why I feel guilty.

Tave's laugh snaps my attention back to the two friends standing next to me. I'm surprised that he finds humor in the situation, but it looks like he hadn't even heard the conversation. He's cheering on Zain as she chugs down a bottle of alcohol that wasn't here a minute ago. Her voluminous coils are thrown over her shoulder, her side profile illuminated by the colorful lights in the room. In that moment, with her skin-revealing outfit and her wild state, I understand the admiring look in Tave's eyes. They seem too drunk to notice anyone around them.

I take that as my cue to leave but just as I turned around, I catch Yvonne's suspicious gaze. My heartbeat speeds as I realize that Atlas is also staring at me lazily. I feel like a deer caught in headlights.

"Where are you going, Sage?"

"I need the bathroom," I say nonchalantly, stepping out of the balcony.

"It's a big house. Do you even know where it is?" Her tone makes me stop short.

Thinking quickly, I come up with a lie. "Yes, Zain showed me it when we walked in. Am I supposed to ask before using the bathroom?"

She narrows her eyes at me but says nothing. I give her one last scowl before finally leaving the balcony. Not looking back, I make my way down the hallway we came from, watching as a couple stumble into a bathroom, hands entwined together. I keep walking, following the loud bass of the music until I'm met with the dancing crowd.

Finally, alone, I can't help but feel panicked again. I don't know how long it would take before they notice I'm not really in the bathroom. Hopefully, they don't care that much about my whereabouts.

Instead of pushing through the crowd, I walk adjacent to it and towards a hallway that is separated by a sliding glass door. The glass is tinted, making it hard to look through it at the end of the entry way. It's the only hallway that's closed off. Glancing once more behind my back, I slide the door shut, surprised by its heavyweight.

Immediately, the noise significantly dulls to a very low hum, as if I stepped into a different house. It's almost like this hallway is soundproof—

A surge of victory erupts in my heart at the discovery. A secluded hallway with soundproof barriers. I must be on the right track.

My heels click on the marble floor as I make my way down the hall, the music quieting more and more until it is barely audible. The air is much colder here, making goosebumps rise all over my bare legs and arms. My hands trail the blank walls until they feel the wooden frame of a white door. I push it open to find the disappointing sight of a storage room.

The rest of the hallway is useless, filled with white doors that lead to bathrooms or staircases and I consider going back to the party when something catches my eye. The end of the hallway isn't really an end; it's a corner leading to a second passageway. I follow its path to find something worth looking at: a black door unlike the rest of the white ones I encountered.

Quickening my pace, I secretly know that it will be locked, even as I foolishly try to open it.

Fuck.

For some odd reason, my gut tells me that whatever is behind this door, it's something that can help me. After all, it is the only locked door hidden deep in the house surrounded by soundproof walls.

I have no bobby pins keeping my hair together that I can use for picking the lock—Zain just curled it and let it frame my face. I search myself and my surroundings, looking for anything that might unlock the door but to no avail. I came unprepared with nothing but a few bracelets and—

My bracelet.

Hope fills me as I unclasp the gold band around my wrist. It is a thick piece of metal that divides into thinner pieces folded within each other in design. All I have to do is bend it to my liking and I would be able to wriggle it into the lock.

"Sage?"

My bracelet slips through my fingers and drops to the marble floor with a clank just as my heart drops to the pit of my stomach. A weird sense of déjà vu floods me as I look at Theo's confused face.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, my voice small.

He takes a few steps towards me. He is wearing a simple black jacket over his white shirt, but it's the expression he wears on his face that makes my heart hammer in my chest. 

"I was here to get cups from the storage room when I heard you. I should be asking you the same question." He takes a few more steps towards me.

I rack my mind for something to say but it comes blank. My excuses are no longer at a finger's reach, I can't think, can't move. I'm frozen and he is waiting.

His scrutinizing eyes dart from my face to the locked door behind me before landing back on me.

"Sage," his voice drops an octave lower as he crosses the distance between us in two steps. When he roughly takes my hands in his, I smell his distinct rosewood scent. "What are you doing here?"

I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. What can I say? Anything that comes out of my mouth would out me. Think, Sage, think!

"Sage!" His sharp voice and harsh eyes makes something snap inside of me, and I snatch my hands from his.

"I don't answer to you," I hiss, side-stepping him. "Don't talk to me like that again."

One step forward, and he pulls my forearm making me stumble back to his side. His hands are scolding hot on my cold arms.

"Right now, I could keep my mouth shut about you being here or you could tell me what the hell you were doing, trying to break into that door."

My hands shake in anger at his threat. I pull my arms from his embrace again. We're locked in a heated gaze as I feel the beginning of an ugly fury lashing inside me. And to think I thought he was different than the rest of them. That I can trust him. They are all the same.

"Is this your way of helping me? Is that what you meant last night?"

"I am helping you! You are way over your head here, dabbling with things that could hurt you."

"I don't need you to protect me, I'm fine on my own," I spat.

I take another step forward and this time, it's not him that makes me stop in my tracks. I look at him in alarm when we hear footsteps approaching from the first hallway, followed by Atlas's voice.

Atlas is coming.

In one quick motion, he pulls my hands in his, shoves open a storage room, and pushes us inside.