PASTGRESSIONS IN DENIAL

The club is starting to calm down, friends are dragging other friends out the door, and items are piled up in the lost and found bin near the entrance. The music had simmered with couples slow dancing on the dance floor. 

Nieko has finally made her way back to the bar. She noticed Mika was nowhere to be found. After looking around in a quick panic, she decided to ask the bartender, Zale.

“Who are you?! What happened to the other guy?”

“My name is not you, it’s Zale, and the other guy’s shift is over. I’m the bartender for the rest of the night.”

Nieko took a minute to gather her poise.

“Sorry for sounding rude; I’m just in a rush.”

“But did you see a girl with a curly, dark-blue afro wearing a yellow dress and a denim jacket around here?” Nieko asked with a sense of urgency in her voice.

“Lots of girls come to the bar. You expect me to keep my eyes on just one girl?” Zale said while cleaning glasses and making no eye contact.

“Come on, man! You'll tell me you didn’t notice a pretty girl sitting in a bright yellow dress and unique blue hair at the bar? If I was a guy, I’d fear something as unique as her presence would be either a miracle or a red flag.”

Zale stopped cleaning his glass as he glanced over to Nieko. She’s glaring at him, waiting for his following words, to be honest.

“Sigh! Fine, I may have seen your friend sitting at the bar and told her about the VIP Rooms in the back.”

“What!? Why would you tell her about that—”

“She looked tired waiting for “her friend” all night, so I told her where she could unwind for a bit.”

“Well, it’s my fault for taking so long, even though I had no luck with my exploration.”

Nieko frowned for a moment.

“I should have learned from the last few situations to not leave her alone. It’s like spirits are constantly testing us.” 

“Sigh!”

“How can I find the VIP rooms? Ummm…Zale?”

Zale spoke without looking up at Nieko.

“Just around the corner, look for the big–-”

“Thanks!”

Nieko took off down the hallway without hesitation.

Zale side-eyed her as she left the bar, not saying a word.

He started cleaning the counters as he overheard a fuss near the club entrance. He watched intensely at the group walking through the double doors. His eyes grew big as he realized who was coming into the club.

“I guess that’s my cue to call for tonight. I’m not really in the mood for more meet and greets.”

Zale disappeared in the back of the bar.

Nieko found herself in a hallway with dimmed scones and fancy carpeting. The carpet led to a bouncer standing in front of a door surrounded by neon. The bouncer looked at Nieko as they stood, staring at each other for a moment.

“You’re a big one,” Nieko said, sizing him up.

“Pass, please.”

“Oh, Zale didn’t tell me about a pass or anything. I just—”

HAVE YOU MADE YOUR PEACE?

“Made my peace? What are you talking about?”

The bouncer stared at Nieko with no expression.

“Yeah! Look, I just need to get in there, okay?”

The bouncer opened the door for Nieko.

“You have been warned. Rave Palace is not responsible for any situations after crossing through these doors.”

“Why are you being so Meta right now?”

Nieko walked through the glowing door before it quickly closed behind her. The area became pitch black except for a slither of shining light peaking through a curtain.

“What the hell is going on?”

Nieko pulled the curtain back and unveiled a room resembling a studio apartment. Nieko gasped as her eyes grew wide from realization.

“Wait, don’t tell me this is that apartment—”

Nieko tried to go back through the front door, but it was locked shut.

“How the hell am I trapped in here? This shouldn’t even be possible!”

Nieko suddenly stopped talking and covered her mouth with her hands. She started to listen closely to the disturbance.

“Oh, no….Is that humming?!”

As she slowly crept down the small hallway to the kitchen, the rattling of pots and pans started to orchestrate.

Nieko started to look tense and stressed.

“Please don’t be, please, don’t be–”

Nieko prepared to peek around the corner, hoping not to find what she feared. When she turned the corner into the kitchen, she found nothing.

She noticed the wind from the opened window was breezing through the bright kitchen, causing the ruckus. Nieko released all the tension in her body as she took a deep breath.

“Sigh.”

“I guess I had my guard up for nothing.”

Nieko held her head to ensure she didn’t suddenly get a fever or something. She then walked to gaze out the wall-sized window behind the mustard Ladlow couch. She laid her head on the sofa and bathed in the sweet silence; as she closed her eyes.

“I truly missed this nostalgic atmosphere.”

Well, you could always stay here with me. Forever.…

Nieko’s eyes went on full alert as she heard those words spoken into her ears. She felt all of that tension returning to her body.

“I can’t move! Why can’t I–”

Nieko realized that she was being held down by a heavy object. She couldn’t run away, not this time.

“This must be the spirits showering me with a blessing, seeing that my favorite person has finally returned to me.”

SOMEONE….PLEASE….HELP ME….