Evelyn Curie

As soon as Evelyn pushed the red door open, all she could smell was vodka in the air and all she could feel was music beneath her feet. It blared into her like fog horns. The vodka she’d chugged in the car was beginning to hit her now.

Mark’s shoulder was pressed against her as they entered the house. People curled around the two, everyone else that had gotten a ride disappeared as soon as Rory had put it in park. The lights were off, except the shifting white brilliance of party light placed in the middle of the living room.

She was sure that his red quarterback’s jacket would still smell like pungent alcohol by Monday.

Slipping her fingers between his, she led him over to a plastic table filled to the brim with tall and short bottles. She could feel warmth radiate from his hands to hers. While she always ran cold, he was the opposite. Like the sun even in the deep winter.

He poured a new drink for her like a gentleman, filling it with a lot more alcohol than the shitty name brand and room temperate juice that the party was using as a mixer. He didn’t pour himself one, instead Evelyn could see jumping ripples on the surface of his water filled cup.

He leaned in so tight she could feel his breath pulsing against her ear. It ran tickles up her spine, “Was your brother okay?”

His words sobered her right up. Heart battering in her chest far louder than the music, she asked, “What do you mean?”

She knew exactly what he meant, Rory looked like he wanted to through himself out of the car during the entire ride. He was three steps from crushing the metal steering wheel under his grip.

But he’d stayed calm. Rory was always extremely careful when it came to where he was from and what he could do. He didn’t say much about his past and she didn’t pry.

Mark shrugged, “He seemed super off in the car babe. Like more off than usual.”

“He’s just not a fan of crowds. Or drinking. Or loud music.”

Mark scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Is there anything he’s a fan of?”

Just as she was going to respond, a dazzling voice caught her attention. “Evie! Oh, My, God. Its so nice to see you! You look so pretty!” Laura was two steps from going into a drunk rambling.

Hugging Evelyn tightly she finally let go from her grip to wrap Mark in a quick hug. One hand sticking out as she held her red-solo cup by the tip of the lid.

Her beautiful bright blonde hair was tied into a tight braid that cascaded down her back.

She laughed at Laura’s antics and it sounded like sunshine. Tipping slightly off-balance as she did so. “Hi Laura!” She said with a slight drawl to her words. Or maybe it was more of a slur, “You look so pretty! Also I literally saw you hours ago.”

Not even. Evelyn had been with Laura in her politics class. Her last class of the day and the same class they sat together for.

“Party looks great!” Mark interjected as leaned in and whispered to Laura.

She laughed with an emptiness as though his words didn’t quite register behind her glassy alcohol-filled eyes, Laura yelled, “Wanna take shots?!”

This was her time to let go, this week had done nothing but drain her to the bone. Her teachers were assigning more homework than she could handle. Not to mention the worry that had wracked her when her mom had called and told her that Rory was in an accident.

He was fine. As always. But there had been something missing from his eyes when he’d returned home. His voice didn’t match its normal tone and all the colour in his face had drained. It was like he left something behind in the river. There was something he wasn’t telling. But, like always, Evelyn didn’t pry.

No matter how much she hated secrets.

Mark shook his head just as Evelyn yelled back, “I would love to!”

Laura led them into the kitchen near the back of the house. Most of the decorations were gone, leaving the white cabinet filled room looking bare. Most likely she didn’t want her parents things getting destroyed during the party.

An empty beer can cracked loudly under her step.

“Come on love! Let’s do this!” Laura cheered as she clinked her shot glass with Evelyn’s. Cracking the shot back she felt her throat burn and her cheeks heat up from the alcohol coursing wildly through her veins.

It burned like hell. Turning towards Mark she kissed him. Her arms thrown around her shoulders and holding him close.

His hair was slightly tousled, the sparse light in the house slipped down his carved cheekbones like a waterfall.

“God that burns!” She said, finally taking a breath.

His eyebrow was quirked, “So you decided to make my lips burn too?”

“Are you complaining?” She shot back.

“Definitely not love.” He taunted and placed a quick kiss on her temple.

Still holding Mark’s hand, she slipped between groups of jumping and dancing kids.

Nodding lightly to Jack Bailey, Evelyn kept going while he stopped. Soon she and Mark joined a large puddle of other teenager as they danced in a haze of smoke.

In his hand, he swirled his drink till the liquid caught the edges and drops of it fell to the floor like acidic raindrops.

Jack’s eyesight had gone far past blurry. It tipped and sloshed around as if he stood on the edge of a fishing boat in a wild storm.

Walking outside, the cold midnight of Bedlam breathed against him. Making his fingers grasp the cup tighter for any sense of warmth. A large bonfire curled into the black sky fifty feet from him, but Jack couldn’t bring himself to care.

Stumbling towards the tall grass fields, Jack stopped at the edge. Exhaling he could barely hear the music anymore. It had become softer and softer, dissipating the further he ventured from the house.

Looking into the field, something shiny caught his eye. Too drunk to stop himself, Jack pushed past the tall grass to find something sitting in the mud.

Kneeling, his hand hovered over the device before grabbing it as if it was nothing but a bundle of leaves or a thorny branch. Half of the object was covered in dirt and mud but a small sliver of the metallic thing caught the midnight light, it was no larger than his palm. As soon as his palm gripped the object, something in him changed.

Everything went red.