Chapter Text
Friday, 2:01 am
Chloe
I don’t know what brought me here in the first place. A party too loud for my ears to consume; excessively crowded for just a birthday–A day to remember the creation of a man no one seems to know or acknowledge. An unappreciated soul. Humans are funny like that. Everyone is merely here for the free food and drinks; for the fun of it all. No one cares who they’re celebrating. In fact, people here only think of themselves.
Sure, this really cute, weird Connor kid–who is clearly gushing over me–invited me here with his warm, big smile, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t have just refused. Just because I work for his rich father doesn't mean I have any business here.
However, Connor is good business alright. Nerdy. Fit. Sweet. A desired dream for many women, including myself. He’s a chance worth taking–My reward for the sacrifices I made to stay amidst the chaos.
I'm holding my empty paper cup whilst wondering whose party this is. Connor went to refill our drinks by himself, accepting my request to wait for him outside. How kind of him. The house is but a roar and buzzing turmoil, especially that I’m not so fond of the freaks in there. Yes–with all the half-naked barbarians–it’s more noisy out here by the pool, nastier even, but at least I’m not breathing in everyone’s evaporated sweat and saliva. It stank, and got even worse when some kid pathetically started hitting; because, apparently, he and Connor are ‘rivals’, and he’ll gladly ‘steal’ Connor’s ‘girlfriend’.
I don’t exist in this. I have to tell Connor I have a boyfriend.
Nines
“Con, what do you think you’re doing?!”
Little Connor is pouring himself and this Chloe girl two glasses of flavoured liquor, and it’s not just any liquor. It’s the damn final boss kind of liquor. Vodka, mixed with some stupid soda, like it’ll actually help with the bitterness. I hate alcohol.
We just turned 21. Isn’t it too early to get enthusiastic? I know it’s almost part of our spoiled white-ish culture that one shall have their first hangover as soon as they hit the ‘legal’ bar, but this is my Connor. I cannot stand watching him take such hazard blazing footsteps. I was there once.
“Did she ask for it?” I inquire.
He nods, looking like the first time I caught him talking to his ex-partner, all embarrassed and humbled. His face is flushed, and he isn't meeting my eyes. I know he feels ashamed–Something I never intended to induce. He is so precious to me.
I feel bad for him. My little brother–only by two minutes, but he’s still little–must still feel horrible after his first relationship failed miserably. That twenty-three-year-old bastard from our college lost a true gem, but then made Connor believe he was the loser.
My Connor isn’t like the others. My Connor is the reward.
And now this poor child–I know we're the same age, don't nag me about it–must be hoping this time things will actually work out, but me believing in this new relationship is just as powerful as me hoping for our dead mother to respawn, and then kill Hank.
I called my father by his first name, but who cares? I know you don't, and neither do I. Hank Anderson is Hank Anderson. Never dad. Never father.
Markus
“Twenty-three-year-old bastard speaking here.” I hit send. I’m mentally clutching my pearls for this to work. Do I even know what she looks like? What she favours or disdains. How her brain performs and evaluates. When her heart encourages or scolds.
I realise I know nothing.
I’m texting the big sister of this triplet of morons, and she’s definitely ignoring my messages right now. “I hated it, if you’re asking about how Connor and I went.” I send it.
I'm drunk, and this whole family is driving me insane that I take more drinks–Expensive for-free booze from the party I don’t even belong to. Who even slipped an invitation for me? I wonder, but I don’t care.
I think I like Kara, or not. Either way, I'm not letting her coddled little brother ruin my chance with her. I saw her, I admired her. Now, I want her, and I will get her. Ariana's wisdom speaking here.
Sixty
This party is straight-up mid. The chef had all the ingredients to make good pasta, but he chose to put sugar in it. I'm thinking where all the salt-music is at. All the ‘sweetness’ in these songs is like a pineapple acting up on my pizza, refusing to leave because some tomato glued it onto the bread-
“Glad to see you made it,” says Nines. He sits beside me and dips his feet into the water. I mimic. The pool is surprisingly hot in this freezing weather, and it soothes an ache I didn’t even know I had, or maybe I did.
Nines looks like there is more he wants to let out, the silver in his eyes blends with the water's reflection beautifully. He's the only triplet with eyes of silver. Intimidating ones that hold rivers of kindness. Nines is special.
“You good?” I ask, my own boring brown eyes not leaving this one dude in Hawaiian shorts. I like the scar on his nose, I think. He has a strange pull to him; a force. I don’t know his name.
“Sure. You didn’t come back home last night.” He sounds pissed, but this is Nines. He’s always pissed. Most of the time, it’s because of me.
“I was at a friend’s,” I conclude.
“Who?” As if I don’t get enough mothering from our big sister already. Simply because he crawled out of mom's womb minutes earlier, he thinks he’s older than me and Connor. I don't argue with him about it anymore. I’m sick and tired of the overprotectiveness.
Gavin
This is a horrible day to be human. To exist as a bare hairy skin instead of fur. To have consciousness and be aware.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m enjoying myself. Surprisingly, of course. I was never the party guy. More like the ‘party pooper’.
The issue lies in something entirely different–This guy that won’t stop checking me out, or judging me. I don’t know. I can’t exactly tell the difference between admiration and scrutiny–An issue I always encountered. In a way, he scares me, and in another, he intrigues me–A contrast leaving me unsure of what to make of him. All I know is that he’s a sight alright. Pretty, I observe.
His honey glazed eyes. Warm ones. Too warm, perhaps; since I can feel them from this far. I think he’s making fun of the Hawaiian shorts my some girl gifted me. I told her it was a stupid idea to wear them tonight, but she said she needed to match her swimsuit with mine. Insisted I put them on. I couldn’t say no to the look she gave me. Not because her eyes are so innocent that you feel guilty saying no. Hell. Far from that.
She has the most sharp, intimidating eyes I have ever encountered. And maybe the most mesmerising ones too.
I have a thing for beautiful eyes, if you couldn’t already tell.
Kara
I finish moping Connor’s filthy bathroom when I get a call from my best friend. I smile and throw everything I was holding, unbothered by the new mess I just created. This is exactly what I need after the triplet ditched our movie night to hang out at a birthday party.
I hope she’s not also there, or I’ll actually feel betrayed.
“Hey, girl!” She shouts into my ear, and all I hear is the trash music in the background.
She’s also there.
North
“See?! I told you! Gavin is totally into me,” I yell, hearing gibberish on the other side of the phone before her adorable laugh reaches me. That sweet, soft giggle of hers that always brings me peace. Kara is the gift I never deserved in this lifetime–Tranquility I worked barely enough to own. “What are you doing?” I talk so she doesn't think I'm offended by her mockery. It is always welcomed to me.
SPLASH!
But now this is pissing me off worse than my little sister Alice does every single day. My whole body is dripping wet. This idiot birthday kid jumped into the water from the roof! “Kara?!” And my cheap ass phone really dared to break on me now. “Fuck!” It’s the water. I know it’s his damn fault!
I run towards the pool, my phone already forgotten on the ugly artificial grass. I’m so ready to jump onto this kid and throw hands; to tell him he owes me a new phone or he’s dead tonight...
But all I see, before I accidentally trip and slip into the water, is this kid's horrid crimson blood. Slowly, it reddened the glowing blue pool, soon forcing horrifying screams out of everybody. It scattered the attendees around, their blurry silhouettes swimming in my vision. I was then making out the huge body floating before me–Another hazard threatening to pull me towards it too. A dead person. A human’s limp form just floating above me.
Me, fighting to breathe and swim back to the surface, only for this kid's blood to sneak a good portion of itself into my throat. It plunged inside. Metal and deathly in taste.
The water felt like it was swallowing me, punishing me whilst I cried into it. Screamed where no one could hear me. Somebody. Anybody.
I can’t swim.
This is it–What I deserve. I manifested a kid’s death on his own birthday. I drank his blood freshly out of the deep cut in his head. And then I slowly approached my doom alongside him.
All without even trying.