Chapter 22: Chapter 22

"Mom." I say into the speaker.

"Dear, um, your Dad and I are at his sister's place. She's sick and coincidentally we are here to comfort her. We will be back tomorrow." I should be annoyed that they didn't tell me any sooner, but with what's happened, I can't help but be thankful. The last thing I want right now is a panicking Mrs. Chloe.

"Send my regards to her. Later mom."

"Okay, dear." Mom hangs up the call, and I release a breath I hadn't known I was keeping.

"To my room?" Shade calls me back to reality.

"Yeah."

Shade's room is thoroughly stuffed up with frames of aesthetic works, and related equipments, all hung onto the wall, those not fit it are packed at a side that the floor is almost occupied. Paintings of beaches, and flowers of varieties, pictures of landscapes, hills and cloudy sky, photos of alluring animals and fine places.

"You've got it all loaded, haven't you?"

"Pretty much yeah." She laughs. I find it contagious.

"I met someone who's also into this. His name's Larry. But he does his like, er, comics."

"Hmm." Is her response.

Five days have passed since the frantic incident had happened. The following day, after a sleepover at Shade's place, also had an early breakfast before I go back home to find that the whole terrifying thing had been thawed somehow mysteriously; my pillows are neat and pure from any stain of the shark's blood, the wall has taken back it colour of sapphire blue. All is still baffling to me, but when Mom and Dad arrived by evening, I told them nothing as my actions gives nothing away. Yesterday, mom's started work again after hearing from the hospital that they need back their staffs. I can say this last few weeks has been the best for me. And I couldn't ask for more. Schooling has been a it's-your-choice thing where if you like you can go, and if otherwise, you can stay back at your house. Since the principal, Lydia's father is faulty at the moment and hasn't been changed to another, the duties expected of teaching has been tapered.

Today, I'll be going with Shade to a club party she's been dying to go to and in auspicious to her achieving in her talent, her parents have given her the chance to attend the club.

"What are you going to wear?" Shade ask as I walk out of the bathroom to meet her in my room. She's lying on the bed, pressing her phone facedown, but turns over to look at me. I shrug.

"I don't know."

"Okay, let's see." She jumps down the bed and walk over to my wardrobe, opening it, she mulls over the cloths. "Um..." With a hum, she swipes each cloths to a side, searching for the right one.

While she does so, I brush my hair and prepare to wearing an underwear.

"Hmm. What is this?" She teases, flipping the material in front of me. It is a red lingerie I got from a mall about two months ago. That was when I thought since I might soon be having a boyfriend, it'll help in making myself attractive and sexy. I was thinking antic that time.

"Put it back in. Mom might come in." I rush over to take the lingerie off Shade's grasp.

"Your mom doesn't know."

"Not that she'll get angry though, but you know, the sex-protective lessons." I huff as I return the material back to its place, behind my cloths.

Shade giggles as she pulls out a cloth. "This should do."

It is an onyx short gown, simple yet shining and elegant. I examine the dress in my grip, and nod in agreement.

"Yeah."

Shade helps me to apply a light makeup to conceal my big eyes and make my lashes more evident and somewhat long. I bade Dad a goodbye before getting out of the house with Shade.

"Do you want to stay here, while I go bring with car?" Shade ask, already intending on crossing the street.

"No, we are taking my car. I can't remember the last time I drive her." I dart my eyes over to the garage.

"Fine."

I reverse my beloved Camry out of the garage, and Shade enters next to the driver's seat, where I am occupying and pull out of the area. Shade leads the way abreast the help of the GPS. We pull over at the clubhouse where the party's going. The quaking music, running into my ears that it digs into the steel part of the car as well, making them quiver and reverberate.

Shade and I alight at the same time, and enter the building. The binding light, as the other time, makes me squint, but as the music changes, the light changes as well to blue light, majestically domineering the room that the view before me beautifies more. My skin lightens up under the light as well. Shade laughs at nothing, but I wouldn't have known if I hadn't look at her. The music is so loud that it overcomes every other sound.

"To the booth." I had to lean closer to Shade to hear her even as she's yelling loudly. Knowing I don't have that loud voice, I nod and follow her there.

She's ordering something for the both of us, which I have no idea about when Mia catch me off guard by her, shaking me on the shoulders and squealing into my ears.

"Christ, I pray you don't kill me tonight. What's up?" I say to her as I turn on the barstool.

She laughs, but then frowns. She did not hear me. "What?" I was able to decipher what she's actually saying faster due to her gesture.

"Sit." I flip down my hand to the last stool next to Shade, who's just finishing placing our order. Her mood lightens up on seeing Mia, who occupies the seat and ask.

"What have you ordered, Shade?"

"Two shots of bloody Marys."

"Wow. Just the name scares me." I say to the both of them, and they laugh. "I didn't know Mia would be here." I sound rather questioning unintendedly.

"Until ten minutes ago, I didn't know she'll come." Shade says matter-of-factly. I tsk. I remember when Shade was chatting with Mia during the drive, that must have been how she knew.

"Give us three shots instead, okay?" Mia says to the barman. He bends to add one cup to the two he's holding.

The barman pours us the shots and leaves the bottle beside the glasses. We grab one cup each and I hold mine with the tip of my fingers.

"Count, Rayne." Mia points her glass at me.

"No." I drawl dramatically.

"We are waiting, girl." Shade says in a sing-song time that makes me smirk.

"Okay." I sigh, defeated. "Hold it up, girls."

As I've commanded, they hold up their cup, waiting impatiently for me to call the numbers.

"One, two, three—and go." I count and at the same time, we take in the shots. I gnash my teeth and feel it chatter behind my lips. My vision blurries as I've anticipated, and I feel my throat alongside my stomach burn like crazy. Gosh, that was some crazy shit!

Followed by the first shot is another. And another. Then, another. Leading to another. Afterwards a clink is another. On the seventh count, I stop, while Mia and Shade takes one more. At this time, my throat is as though it's in hell as my lungs burn till it get to my stomach. I suddenly feel heat, crawling into my insides like a predator I cannot overcome. The music now aligns with my hearing. I don't feel it invade. It is as if the music has been lowered in audibility.

Something resembling a vibration jolts me up the seat and instead of being concerned, I am rather laughing from the action. Shade joins in.

"It's your phone ringing?" Mia points out. My phone is not ringing. I know the ringing sound.

"Oh, don't tell me Rayne's drunk?" Shade laughs off her arse, beating the counter like an insane person. Well, she looks like it.

"She is." Says Mia wondrously. For no reason, I laugh with them. The call cuts before I'm able to bring my phone out, but almost immediately, it's started ringing again. It's an unknown number.

"Who's this?" That sounded rude, but I don't seem to care in my state. I feel invisible and strong and bold in an undescribable way.

"You have had enough drink,, haven't you?" A masculine voice speaks into the speak. Mulling for a minute, I remember the owner's tone. How can I ever forget?

"Nicklaus?" I hadn't realized that I shouted his name above the music. Shade and Mia stops their chit-chat, faces me and whisperingly mouthed at the same time.

"The bad boy?"

I nod. For a second, I think I was sobered up. I gulp.

"I'm coming for you now." The way he says it shocks me. He's coming for me? Like, he's coming to take me out of here? Or to do what he did to Lydia on me?

Fuck! Lydia!

She mustn't know Nicklaus is coming for me or whatever it is suppose to mean by; "I'm coming for you now". The threats Lydia dawns on me...

"How did you have my contact?"

"Don't you take any more shots." It was firmly spoken in a domineering and authoritative way to make me subservient. I think it did. And he cuts the line.

"He's collected your contact?" Shade is quick to ask. I shake my head.

"I don't know how he has it. Maybe I was still drunk. Do drunk people receive call without actually being called?" I wanted every fact possibly gained to change my mind that Nicklaus hadn't called.

"I heard the ringing and so does Shade." Mia points out, much to my disadvantage. I grip my hair by the front and draw it to the back as I blow out air.

"True." I mutter.

Apart from Lydia's threat, I don't want to see Nicklaus. Why would he even call me in the first place? I did not give him my contact either. Did he collect my number from the school's record book as well? I'm already losing my mind and to meet him will only lead to haywire-ly losing the rest that's still intact. I can still remember his voice telling him that he's a killer. I am a killer. Who, in his right mind will say so about his personality? He's insane and not the kind I should be interacting with. My encounter with him the last time isn't a better one and I'm quite sure it can't be today as well.

I stand up with a tripping gait, my own legs like Jell-O. "I don't want to see him, girls. I'll go to the car, stay there till he comes here and hopefully leaves. Once he does, one of you should give me a call."

"He's such an asshole?" Shade question, looking at me with pitiful eyes, but I don't think she's pitying me, rather herself. Perhaps she's remembering some bad events. Drinking does assuage the senses truly.