I didn't plan on spending my first night home from college at some abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere, yet here I am, completely out of my element.

Johnny and Krista, two of the most animated people in my life, somehow talked me into coming to this ridiculous party. The tattered warehouse looks to be on its last leg, and with the massive amount of people that are scattered about the place, I pray it doesn't collapse at any point in the night. Partying has never really been my thing, and I'd absolutely hate to be taken out unexpectedly while a Doja Cat song plays in the background.

"If I'm not home by one o'clock, we're going to have a problem," I start after Andrew, one of Johnny's friends, scores a decent parking spot near the front of the old building. "Well, you three are going to have a problem, and her name is Cleo Brumfield."

Johnny laughs and pulls me close after we exit the car. "Your mom loves me, remember? I know how to sweet-talk her out of punishing you if you end up in trouble, so don't even sweat it. We'll get you back home on time."

"I don't get what the big issue is if we don't," Krista adds. "You're literally twenty-one, Mags. A whole adult. Why do you even still have a curfew?"

"Easy answer," I laugh. "I'm black and still live with my very old-school parents. For as long as I'm under their roof and not paying any of their bills, I will have a curfew. I don't make the rules; I just abide by them... because I value my life and would like to make it to see thirty."

"Yeah, Krista. Some of our parents don't actually let us go out and do whatever the fuck we want," Andrew teases. "How is your mom doing, by the way? She still banging that cute banker guy, Jim? Or was it Tom?"

"It's Todd, asshole." Krista rolls her eyes, then roughly shoves her way past all of us. "You three figure out who the designated driver will be because it's so not me!"

Johnny grabs Andrew and then takes off running into the party. "Not us either!"

"Jerks!" I yell after them, not at all surprised by this outcome. Of course, I'm the designated driver. I'm the only one who doesn't drink or do any type of drugs. Even when we were back on campus, I was taking care of everyone after they got wasted. Acting just like someone's grandma.

Clearly, I'm doing my college years all wrong.

I wish I had the outgoing gene that everyone around me seems to have. It's embarrassing to admit in conversation when asked what I like to do for fun because my answer always revolves around me being somewhere alone with a good book in my hands. Often a lame answer to the people that have found themselves to be interested in me.

My friends often tease me for being too tame, when in reality, I'm just minding my business and studying hard to make sure that I graduate on time. By now, I've gotten used to feeling like the outsider in my clique. As the only introvert, Johnny and Krista have been peer pressuring me to step outside of my comfort zone since kindergarten. I only let them because I know their intentions are good.

The main reason why I decided to tag along with them tonight is because in Holloway, our sad excuse for a town, the options for keeping yourself entertained are extremely limited. I figured I'd have a better time at this party vs staying home to hear my brother yell for hours while playing his stupid video games.

I truly want this summer break to be filled with happy, unforgettable memories. Anything short of that is unacceptable. 

I put my phone on mute and slide it into my back pocket while making my way through the thick crowd of partygoers.

I'm not ashamed to say that my mother is my other best friend. We share a close bond. She struggled with fertility issues for years before finally conceiving me. For that, she likes to call me her miracle baby. I love her to death, and I understand she worries about me, all parents worry about their kids no matter how old they get, but I'm really not in the mood to deal with her overprotectiveness tonight. Times like these are when I wish she acted more like my father. He's less intense and more laid-back about the things that I do.

"Grabbed you a water." Krista appears from out of nowhere, startling me. "Damn. My bad." She laughs, eyeing me warily. "Didn't mean to spook you."

"It's cool, and thanks." I smile while taking the cold bottle of water from her. I always appreciate the little ways that she looks out for me. "Where'd the boys take off to?"

"Believe it or not, they're already flirting with a couple of girls," Krista says. "I've spotted a few that I like, but it's too early to make a move."

"Ten bucks says you'll snag at least five numbers before we leave."

"In the rare instance that I was to lose said bet, I'd otherwise take it if only I hadn't forgotten to cancel my HBO subscription last week," Krista replies. "Your girl is broke broke."

I laugh. "Trust me, I know the feeling."

Krista and I go to hang out with a group of punk kids that are huddled around a metal trash can, the inside on fire. Although I consider myself to be an introvert, depending on my mood, I have no problem making conversation with strangers. Krista and Johnny, on the other hand, were born to run their big mouths. It doesn't matter where we are or who we're around, those two always find a way to fit in with the crowd.

"You go to GSU, right?" the guy to my left asks me shortly after Krista and I introduce ourselves. "I feel like I might've seen you around once or twice on campus."

"You might've." I smile, being polite. "What's your major?"

"Going for journalism. You?"

"Computer science and programming."

"Sweet. That's where all the real money is."

"Basically." I chuckle.

After spending a half-hour standing and talking, my social meter dips below fifty percent, signaling that I need some alone time to help replenish it. I tell Krista that I'm going to step away to grab another bottle of water, having already finished the one she'd given me earlier, and then I head towards the exit. There are so many bodies for me to push through that it feels like it takes me forever to cross the gigantic warehouse and get the hell outside.

"Finally." I take a deep breath of fresh air, not having known just how badly I needed it until now. "Shit. I think I got a contact high from all that damn weed smoke," I mutter to myself while walking to Andrew's car. I didn't have any cell service inside the warehouse, so I can only imagine how many more 'just checking in' texts my mom sent but never came through. If I let my phone die and never respond before going home tonight, she'll probably send out a swat team to try and find me one minute after 1AM hits.

"Uh-oh. Creeper alert..."

A tall, dark figure stands several feet away from the row of parked cars nearby me. The moonlight isn't shining brightly enough for me to make out their features all the way, and I don't want to assume that it's a man based on their height and build. Of all the times for me to head back inside and return to minding my business, I pull my phone out and do the opposite.

"Hey!" I use the flashlight on my phone and point it in the stranger's direction, confirming that it is a man. A man in a long, dark cloak. A man in a long, dark cloak with black eyes that are as dark as the night's sky. I want to laugh, but I hold it in. What the fuck kind of party did he think this was? Halloween is still months and months away. Shame on his friends. They should've told him to leave the cloak and colored contacts at home.

"You seem to be the only one here that didn't get the memo for this not being a costume party." I take a step forward, and in the blink of an eye, the man takes several steps back. "What the..." I shake my head as if that'll somehow make me focus better despite not being drunk. I'm as sober as can be, so why is my mind suddenly playing tricks on me? "H-How did you move that fast? You a magician or something?"

I squint my eyes because my legs refuse to move, and I swear I see the man's lips curl into a sneer on his pale face. My stomach twists in knots, the hair on the back of my neck rising as bad vibes settle in the air. I don't know who this man is or where he came from, but I'm certain he's no college student. He has no business being here.

"Maggie! You still out here?"

"Krista? Over here!" I sigh in relief after turning around to see Krista jogging my way. I don't know why, but when she reaches me, I hug her tightly. "Do you see that man back there?"

"What man?"

"The man wearing the silly—" I turn around and see nothing but an empty field. "Oh, God. I think I'm losing my mind."

"Well, how about you come lose it inside? Somebody just dared Terry Wallace to eat this gross looking beetle for twenty bucks and he accepted! You can't miss this shit. It's pure comedy."

Eager to get out of the darkness, I let Krista drag me back into the heart of the party.