I put on a pair of glasses to finish the look.
"You look unrecognizable..." Rania said, trying to muffle her laughter. I glared at her. She had made me a vixen. I usually shied away from heavy makeup but Rania had piled it on. I looked at my doe-eyed, bold lip look and pouted.

"Ready to go?" Zaroon asked, from behind the door. I adjusted my top and fluffed my hair.
"Wonder what he'll think..." Hania muttered, her voice low.
Ignoring them I stepped out into the corridor. Both Zaroon and Salaar paused to look at me while Izzy groaned.
"Could you have tried to make her look a lot less conspicuous? We want to avoid attention" he said, his eyes darting to Hania. She crossed her arms at the comment.
"It's a club party... for young people. I look fine" I said.
"For young people... how old are you again?" He said with a slight laugh. We walked towards the car Uncle EJ had procured for us. Two guards stepped out of the shadows to open our doors.
I went over the plan in my head. Uncle EJ would be on the commlink, making sure to listen in to the conversation and make notes. Zaroon and the guards were to wait outside while Salaar and I went in. Aziz's friend was going to meet us at the door and he would introduce us to the group leader.
"You'll do great," Rania said kissing my cheek.
"Good luck," Hania said, patting my hand. Her eyes were guarded.
"Good luck Eli," Izzy said giving me a brief hug. "Knock them out" he whispered before he moved back, his smile back in place.

The drive to the place was nerve-racking. I was hoping and praying that Salaar could charm his way into the inner circle. The party was being held in an old university complex. The abandoned gym had been decorated to feel like a club. Students of all ages milled about, their expressions were eager.
"Great... hormonal twenty-year-olds" I muttered to Salaar.
"What else are they supposed to do? They have no jobs or careers"
"So partying is the answer? And we're the bad guys"

The car was parked in the furthest spot, away from the entrance. At Zaroons signal, we all placed our earpieces into our ears. He switched the main communication device on and ten seconds later I heard Uncle EJ's voice crackle in my ear.

'Hi... is this on? Can you hear me?'
'Can you hear me' I whispered.
'Yes, but speak louder'

I rolled my eyes. After the checks were completed, I grabbed the passes Aziz had given to us this morning and stepped out of the car. Salaar reached out to grab my hand and I slapped it away.
"You're my fiancée... I have to hold your hand" he said his hands held up.
"Trust me... the ring is enough," I said gesturing for him to walk to the entrance. He rolled his shoulders and we walked ahead.
"Oh Woah. Hi... uh, Aziz told me you guys were rich. Hi, my name's Jahi"
"Very nice to meet you," I said, ignoring his outstretched hand. Salaar shook his hand.
"My name's Sher and this is my fiancée" apparently I didn't have a name. Jahi nodded his eyes still on me.

'Sir, there's movement near the back doors... a black van is moving in' Joe, one of the guards, echoed in my ear.
'How many people?' Zaroon asked his voice tense.
'Three'
'Any weapons insight?' Uncle EJ asked.
"Nope..." I released a pent up breath.

"Are you okay? Trust me... it looks intimidating, but I'll teach you the ropes" Jahi said, puffing up his chest and leading us into the building.

'Why is Aziz friends with this guy' Uncle EJ commented.
'No idea' I muttered.

The entrance to the gym was lit up with small fairy lights along the walls. Jahi pushed the main doors open and we were swept into the most extravagant club setting I had seen in my life. The whole place was lit up with dark lights. Long single lights hung low from the ceiling. The stands had been placed to one end, stacked together to form a cubic formation. A fake balcony was placed in the middle with a black curtain obscuring the exit door. There were tables packed with food placed to the side. The whole gym was packed with people. The music blared out loud and bodies danced around one another. Happy, carefree.

"I don't get it... How is this political? It's college" Salaar said, leaning in to talk to me.

'Are we in the right place?' Uncle EJ said.

"Ladies and Gentlemen... welcome to the PARTY!!!" Loud cheers and howls echoed around the room.

Several people clapped, their faces expectant. "I'm your host, Jojo!" More hoots. "Tonight, we follow the great tradition of partying like there's no tomorrow because soon, we'll have to work like there's no tomorrow" I still could not see her. Where was this Jojo?

'Definitely at the right place' Uncle EJ's voice was sharp. Alert.

"You are the future of this country... the workers that will build this city! The New Revolutionaries! So dance, eat and drink up. The event will start in an hour. We have some new speakers here today... today we announce our new policy"

'They're closing the doors, I'm going in' Zaroon said, his voice urgent.
'Yes, get in... hurry' Uncle EJ hissed.
'How would you get in?' I hissed. I received no reply.

"Looks like we're stuck here for a while," Salaar said, his face tight.
"The leader will be here soon, I'm going to get some drinks," Jahi said and walked off. Salaar led me to a corner as people started to dance.
"I think I need a drink" he muttered after a while. "Will you be okay?" I nodded.

'Uncle EJ? Zaroon?' I got no reply. 'Joe? Mehmood?'

I jiggled my ear, worry gripping my heart. Pulling out my phone I checked my carrier. No connection, damn it. There was no way to communicate.

The music started to change into a more aggressive beat. The crowd started to get a bit more worked up. I pressed against the wall, trying to avoid the moving bodies. My heart thundered at the claustrophobic conditions. Panic threatened to crawl up my throat. We were trapped. Where was Salaar? How would I find him in this mess?

"Hey" Zaroon's voice made me jump. He moved to stand in front of me. How had he found me? Slash that, how had he gotten in?
"Thank God you're here..." I said, placing my hand on his arm.
"You okay?" He asked, his tone concerned. "Where's Salaar?"
"He went to grab a drink."
"Izzy asked him to stay with you..."
"Never mind that. Nothing is working. There's no way to communicate"
"They've jammed the place. They have also put it under lockdown. We're on our own" I looked at him, worried. His face was calm but his jaw was tense.
"How would we explain your presence?"
"We'll think of something," he said shifting slightly so he was leaning over me. I relaxed. That posture was not only shielding me from everyone's eyes, it was also protecting me from the wildly moving bodies. For the first time during the night, I actually felt safe.

The beat changed and the music became louder, more sensual. The mood in the room shifted to something more primitive. People started to move closer to one another.

The temperature started to rise and I reached out to untangle my hair when my arm accidentally touched Zaroon's face.
"Sorry" I muttered trying to minimize my movements. He blinked slowly, his eyes hazy but focused on mine.
"It's strange to see you with glasses..."
"I know. I thought I'd chucked them when I had my operation years ago"
"They hide your eyes. I like your eyes" I stared at him, my mouth open. Where had that come from?

He ducked his head, embarrassed. Somebody collided on to his back and his hand slipped from where it was resting on the wall. He ended up closer than he was before. We stared at each other, breathing in sync. Time seemed to slow down. Slowly, his fingers reached down to grab a piece of my hair. He looked at it, fascinated.

"So soft," he said, his voice deep and low. I stared at the scruff on his jaw. The scruff went down his chin all the way to his throat. Trying to find a safe place to set my eyes on, I looked up. Big mistake. His eyes were boring into mine. Somehow, on their own accord, my hands moved to his chest, feeling the pulsing music around us. I rubbed the collar of his shirt between my fingers. I could feel his heart galloping in his chest. He was nervous. I was nervous. I had no idea what I was doing. What was I doing? I felt heady. I felt free like I could do anything. Like I could do anything as long as he looked at me that way, with a hunger that caused my toes to curl. His hand brushed my waist...

"Woah Woah, turn down the heat"

Salaar appeared to my left. My hands dropped from Zaroon's chest and I looked away quickly, my cheeks flushed.
"I leave for a minute and you swoop in," He said, smiling at Zaroon. I glared at him. "No need to glare at me, you're my fiancée, even if we're pretending. Also, the drinks are horrible" we both looked at him in shock.

"That explains the hormones" I muttered.
"Not really," Salaar said pointedly. My cheeks flared red and now Zaroon fixed him with a glare.
"Where's Jahi?" Zaroon asked.
"Passed out."
"So... what now?" I asked.
"Well, I took the special pass that he had. So we can still get in... but we don't have anyone to guide us through it"
"Good job taking that special pass. We'll just have to wing it"