“Did you know that Reece Parker is going to this party? Reece freaking Parker!” My friend is squealing from a guest bedroom on the third floor. I wince at the audacity of her voice, but also the words that come out.

“I know! Damn, he hasn’t gone to a party in like, a year,” my other friend, Hannah, calls from the ensuite where she is brushing on her make up. My other two friends, Laney and Quinn, are sitting on the king bed with me, doing each other’s nails as I watch.

Laney works at a beauty salon so she prepares everyone for the parties we go to. Well, everyone except Hannah who likes doing everything herself.

“Why do you think that is?” Quinn asks as Hannah struts out of the bathroom. She is wearing a fitted navy dress that reaches her mid-thigh, an outfit that will be complete with heels and a winter coat.

Laney shrugs but doesn’t say a word, too focussed on applying the second coat of polish to Quinn’s nails. I glance down to my bitten down, plain nails and frown, scrunching my hands into fists.

“Maybe he just needed a break from the intense partying?” Hannah asks, taking a seat against one of the four bedposts. I try not to roll my eyes but don’t succeed, catching Hannah’s attention. Reece Parker would never take a break from partying just because he went too hard at it.

“Or maybe it’s just because too many people got scared of him,” Laney says, putting the cap back on the nail polish with a frown creasing her forehead. I know what she means; Reece Parker is someone you never want to be alone with at a party, let alone anywhere less crowded. He is very… Intimidating.

I nod in agreement as Quinn stands up, careful not to touch her nails to anything in the room. As she walks past me she gives me a quick squeeze of the shoulder in encouragement before turning back to the bed to face the three of us. “I need to decide which dress to wear. Can you quit gossiping and help me?”

That’s all it takes for the other two to drop the conversation. I give Quinn my best smile, although I know it is still dismal. Out of the three of them, Quinn knows me the best. She knows everything, which is why she picked this exact time to decide she needed help on deciding what to wear.

I mouth a ‘thanks’ her way and she sends me back a sad smile, before being dragged away by the other two. I flop back on the bed and sigh, looking up to the white netting above the canopy bed.

When will I get better? I wonder, as my eyes roam the cloud-like net. At this stage, it feels as though I never will. With my parents it is a lingering feeling of sadness hanging over us, while with my friends it is accidental comments in conversation.

As if reading my mind, I see a flick of blonde hair out my peripheral vision, and a moment later an impact on the bed.

“You’ll get there,” I hear Quinn’s voice from beside me as she squeezes my hand. “But for now let’s go to the party and have some fun. Okay?”

I breathe in a shaky breath and nod, before Quinn pulls me up and smiles. “Great. Let’s go.”

.

The car is filled with this horrendous ‘music’ as we drive through the thick of the trees. The dirt road makes the ride bumpy as the strong bass comes through the car speakers. At least it seems like a suitable place for a party; trees surrounding us on all sides.

After a few more bumps and squeals we pull up to the house where the party has clearly already started. The music is pumping through the speakers, probably vibrating the whole house with it. People are flowing out of the house and into the vast, empty space surrounding it. As I said, it is a brilliant place to host a party.

Hannah drives the car to the edge of the clearing that the house is situated in and parks, switching off the car so that there is only one music source now. She is the first to get out with Laney not far behind, both of the girls already dancing their way to the house. They don’t seem to feel the cold outside, in only their dresses and coats. However it is probably ten degrees outside and will only get colder. I know I’ll be cold in my dress, thin high heeled boots, tights and coat. Thankfully I have my gloves in my pocket too. This may sound warm but with this weather it won’t be much protection.  

Quinn and I get out of the backseat and are greeted with a wind, biting at my face. Despite the warmth that inside the house would bring, Quinn and I follow our party ritual and look around, linked by the arm so that we don’t get separated.

We first go to the sides of the house, observing that there are puddles of water everywhere from where the snow has melted over the last few days. Next, Quinn leads us to the backyard where there are people standing around, all with red cups in their hands.

I don’t think there is anything of interest until my eyes catch sight of an old farm house maybe two hundred metres away, hidden in the edge of the clearing. A shiver sets through my spine as I turn away from it, pulling Quinn into the warmth of the house with me.

My ears are immediately assailed with the music and as I suspected, the strong bass is vibrating the house. So much so that I think the glassware in the cabinets along the wall will shatter.

“Come on,” Quinn almost shouts. “Let’s go suss things out.”

We began looking around the house, searching for good places to stand, necessary rooms – like bathrooms – and rooms to avoid. We only get to the top of the basement stairs before the stench of smoke overtook our noses.

Quinn’s nose scrunches up on her pale face like mine does and we retreat to the bottom of the stairs, the quietest place in here. Again I’m caught wondering why I’m here, until I think of going back to my house and the reason is clear.

“Looks like Reece is a no show,” Quinn says, her back to the wall of the stairs. Her eyes dart around the room and then return to me, searching for any expression on my face.

Even though she is my best friend, I’m not going to let her see my relief. After this long, it shouldn’t make a difference whether he is here or not. But it does, of course it does.

I flash my best fake smile but it feels wrong on my face, as if my muscles should not be stretched that way.

Quinn doesn’t buy my smile but keeps talking until the party reaches full volume. She looks down to her watch as a frown darkens her face, her eyes moving around the room in search for someone.

When she finds who she is looking for she waves and they walk over. I recognize her when she’s a few feet away, another girl from school.

“Ready to go?” She asks Quinn, looking down on both of us from her height, only made higher by the heels she wears.

“Yup,” Quinn responds, before turning back to me. “Sorry but I have to go to my cousin’s 21st. You know how it is,” she smiles at me apologetically before continuing. “Go find Han and Laney. I saw them go outside a few minutes ago.”

I nod and go to find them, but Quinn stops me. “Hey. You’re still coming back to mine after though, yeah?”

Again I nod.

“Great. I should be home by the time you get there. If I’m not, Mum will let you in. You can just hang out in my room ‘til I get there.”

With that and a hug she walks out the door with the girl from school beside her. I can’t remember her name but figure it’s not important. What is important is finding Hannah and Laney. So I descend the few stairs and get to the edge of the dance floor. I have to squeeze through the dancing bodies to get to the back door, getting knocked around in the process. I break out of the crowd and see the open door, so I take a few steps towards it.  

When I get to it, the cold hits me like a brick so I slide my gloves on and shove my hands in the pockets of my coat. Just as I start to walk outside I hear a commotion coming from the basement, where all the druggos have been hanging out. I turn back to see what’s happening when I see someone vaguely familiar come out of the basement, followed by a surge of my other peers, completely stoned.

But that isn’t masking the fear on their faces, nor the words voicing it. “FIRE!” The first guy yells, his voice louder than the music, than the vibrating of the house, but even more so than the screams that follow.

“FIRE!” He yells again, this time it sinks in. My eyes widen in panic and I’m pushed back out the sliding door just as sirens sound in the distance. Fire-fighters? Cops? My heartbeat picks up as I get squished in the swarms of people spilling from the house. I’m trapped in a daze until the sirens come closer and the music cuts out. That’s when I run.

I sprint off, pushing through the crowds of people in the opposite direction to the sirens. It’s all a blur of confusion and my heart is pounding as hard and loud as the bass running through the house only minutes ago.

My legs take me to the right of the house and my eyes catch the old farm house I had seen on my tour of the place with Quinn. My destination changes and I run toward the place, even though an old, abandoned house seems like a bad idea. Especially in the pitch black of the night. But my survival instincts have kicked in and it’s the safest place to go.

I get to the border of the clearing where the farm house is hidden in the shade of the trees. At this time of night it would be invisible to the naked eye from the main house. I slow my pace to a walk and move towards the door, made of an old wood that looks like a cut down tree. There’s no handle on the door, but it has been left cracked open. I push through the door, letting it swing shut behind me, but only when I found the handle on the inside. My back finds the support of the door and I stop, sliding down to the ground.

I’m safe.

That’s all I need for my heartbeat to slow, calming from its erratic pulsing. I’m okay. I let my eyes fall shut to help me focus on my breathing.

Ruffling sounds from the corner and my eyes flash open, darting around the room in panic.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” A voice asks, deep and emotionless. No, not emotionless; angry.

Oh shit.

My eyes struggle to adjust in the darkness but when they do, I find a figure looming in the corner, just a tall shadow leaning against the wooden wall. I stay sitting on the cold dirt that is the floor, peering up at him from under my lashes.

“Rainy?” His voice is a grumble piercing through the silence. “Jesus fuck. Out of everyone at that dumbass party it has to be you?”

I fold my arms across my chest and glare in his direction, the sirens no longer coming closer. They must have stopped at the house. If they are cops, well, I just hope everyone is hiding. If they find the drugs in the basement and the people responsible, they would be in serious trouble.

After a minute of silence he curses under his breath, before taking a step back to lean against the wall again. He looks like a creep, leaning against the wall like that. If I was any other girl I would be screaming, but I'm not.

Despite not being scared, the adrenaline has cleared out of my system and the cold of the winter’s night is starting to set in.

And just to make matters worse, I am stuck in an abandoned farm house until the authorities leave, with the one person I truly hate.

Reece Parker.