I listened and waited until I heard both Jason and Chelsea leave for dinner before I jumped into the shower and changed into something more comfortable for the night in. For a while, I thought they were going to change their minds about leaving at all, but I also knew Chelsea would never miss out on a dinner reservation, regardless of the discourse around her. And neither of them attempted to convince me to join them, which I gave them credit for. When I wanted to be left alone, they knew to do so.

I hadn't lied to Jason about the headache and the weariness, though I knew it wasn't because of the alcohol. My head was pounding with the strain on my memory that even a soothingly hot shower couldn't begin to combat. Changing into plaid sleep shorts and a black tank, I did attempt to get some rest, but to no avail. The conversation from earlier continued to bombard my mind and the restlessness began to pair with anxiety.

I glanced at my phone charging on the bedside table. I promised myself I was only going to use it for in-carrier texts between Chelsea, Jason and I so as not to accrue ridiculous roaming data charges, not to mention I actually wanted to enjoy my vacation and not have my face in my phone the entire time, but...

You mean beyond what your parents paid the local press...

If I couldn't remember what happened, maybe Google could.

Lying on my bed with my phone between my hands, I brought up the smartphone's browser and began to enter my simple inquiry:

'Tony Marino injured at graduation party'

Including my hometown to narrow the search, it didn't take long for the search engine to produce exactly what I was looking for:

LOCAL TEEN BRUTALLY ATTACKED DURING GRADUATION CELEBRATION

Settling deeper against the pillow, I clicked the link that brought me to one of the local newspapers at home.

Recent graduate, Anthony Marino was found severely injured during a graduation party Saturday evening. Sources say the party grew out of hand as the evening drew to a close, despite the storm and reported power outages in the area. Marino was suspected to be involved with local gang activity and the attack occurred during a potential drug deal. He remains stable at this time.

A drug deal... just as Chelsea had said.

But I was with him for most of the night. I didn't remember anyone coming up to him, or anyone mentioning anything like that.

The pounding in my head threatened to increase like a distant warning. Still, I let out a yawn and rolled over. I had every intention of reading more, taking a chance with the data charges, but between the lingering warmth of the shower and the soft comfort of the bed, both quickly had me drifting off...

***

Samantha?

I turned the handle and opened the door to the bathroom in Chelsea's parents' house, half expecting Tony to be waiting for me on the other side.

But no one was there.

Instead, I was greeted by an empty hallway, dark due to the power outage, illuminated only by sporadically placed candles on hallway tables and within nearby rooms. I could still hear everyone downstairs, singing and laughing and enjoying the evening as graduated seniors should. So it made sense that no one else would have heard the knocking or the calling of my name.

Chalking it up to the wind and the rain playing tricks as it stormed outside the bathroom window, I packed up my overnight back and made my way back to the guest room where I had left Tony.

The door to the room was ajar by the time I returned— hadn't I closed it behind me?

"Tony?" I opened it slowly, peering into the dim, candlelit room.

No longer lying on the bed as I had left him, Tony now sat hunched over on the far side of the bed, his bare back towards me as he hunched over his knees like he was looking for something on the floor.

He was eerily quiet.

"Tony?" I asked again, stepping into the room.

The creak of my foot on a loose floorboard had him spinning towards me.

His eyes were wide, panicked, in shock.

His skin was pale, even in the candlelight.

And his mouth was open wide like he was screaming but no sound came out.

It took me almost a minute for it all to register.

He wasn't screaming because he couldn't.

His mouth was full of blood. So much blood...

It cascaded down his chin onto his checks.

And his hands, cupped together like they were trying to hold water... they were full of blood too.

Blood and...

... and his recently severed tongue.

He tried to move towards me. Tried to speak.

Held his bloody tongue out to me like it was a divine offering.

And all I could do was scream.

***

I awoke with a gasp; my heart was pounding and I thought I was going to be sick.

I hear murmurings in the other room— had they returned from dinner already? My room was dark, but I couldn't tell if it was because of the storm or the time of day. Either way, the only light was emitted from my phone, which didn't seem to turn off during my earlier scrolling through the article about Tony Marino.

I wish it had...

One arrest has been made in the attack— eighteen-year-old and fellow graduate Jason Stenson. No additional information is available at this time. The investigation is still ongoing.