Chapter Ten: "She is coming..."

"Where are you?" Sara says as soon as I pick up the call.

"At the Mendoza house, you?"

I run out and swing toward the exit and when I get out the cold autumn air hits me roughly. I look around looking for a familiar face to no avail.

"I'm surprised you went at the end."

"Yes, I'm still surprised to be here, too."

"I called you because I wanted to tell you that I'm not going to be able to go."

"What? You promised me that you wouldn't leave me alone."

You never are. I am always with you even if you don't accept me.

"They all dispersed, each with their companions." I roll my eyes.

"It's just that something came up at the last minute."

I wonder what you have come up with...

"What happened?"

"Ah, nothing bad. I'll tell you another day."

"Oh, okay..."

Dear Karla, for future situations of this type; don't answer that. * sighs wearily *. Makes you look like a typical person with no personality. You're welcome.

"If you want, I'll run away."

"No, take it easy." I try not to sound sad, forcing a smile to accompany my words. "You would ask for trouble and it is also not worth it. The party isn't that cool either if I'm honest."

Cool? How old are you? 10?

"It would have been better if we had a slumber party with alcohol and lots of chocolate."

"But you don't like chocolate." I hear her laugh through the cell phone.

"And who said I would eat? You like chocolate and I like alcohol."

We laughed and I wish I was with her without thinking about what Alex and Megan might be doing together.

Don't be a kid, please.

"Wish you were here."

"Yeah, me too."

We said goodbye and when she hangs up I stare at the mobile screen for a few moments. And now what do I do? I'm alone.

You never have been...

I turn around and stare at the outside of the house with weariness and with a frustrated sigh I return to the horror house. The smell of sweat and alcohol greets me and a grimace of displeasure is drawn on my face.

Not even two hours have passed since we arrived and I already want to go home. I watch how the others play, dance, and laugh and I am bored, sitting on a chair with the same amount of vodka as before.

Let me in...

I look at the contents of my glass and without thinking twice I drink the entire contents of the glass, noticing the burning in my throat and stomach. I have to have fun and do something that is out of my usual routine. Deep down I know that alcohol is not the solution but the idea that it helps me stop thinking so much about everything attracts me.

I look up and Megan's eyes and mine connect for an instant. The smile she has burns me more than all the alcohol I could consume in my entire life. Their bodies move to the beat of the fourth song and it seems that neither of them has tired of rubbing each other bodies, which makes me roll my eyes for the thousandth time.

Minutes pass and I feel the effect of the alcohol wreaking my brain. Everything is going in slow motion and the barriers that I have imposed in my head little by little crumble as well as my state of mind, which leads me to do the following; I get up from the uncomfortable chair and lean on whatever surface I see, I head to the kitchen for more alcohol.

I just want to stop feeling...

That's it... Keep it up...

I arrive and drink another indecent amount of vodka that makes me even dizzier. When I'm almost done with no fire coming out of my mouth and again without thinking too much I head to the makeshift dance floor. I start to move to the beat of the music without really knowing what I'm doing. The world around me stops caring and they disappear, I'm just focused on moving to feel the melody.

The song advances and I notice how someone approaches from behind and then hugs me and dances to the rhythm of my hips. I don't care in the least. I take his hands and squeeze them harder making his head end between my neck and my shoulder.

"You smell good, darling," he says hoarsely near my ear.

Seek her eyes, make contact with them.

I turn, as I can, getting too close to him. His body gets even closer to mine trying to brush his slobbery lips with mine which disgusts me but what I think and do are completely opposite. A sideways smile forms on my lips which he unconsciously copies. My hand goes to his chin and I force him to look me in the eye and when that happens relief floods my body, instantly relaxing me. My smile grows even wider and his gaze becomes even more arrogant.

"What do you want to do to me?" I say.

"I'm going to hit you so hard you won't be able to walk for a week."

Douchebag.

I look him up and down and raise an eyebrow.

"Let's see if you survive first."

His smile disappears and a confused frown forms on his face. His hand tries to get close to my face but it hangs in the air. I clench my teeth, fury growing with every second that passes. My smile disappears and I feel the fear of him grow in him which gives me more confidence in myself. The effects of alcohol seem to wear off the instant our eyes connect, my head being more clear. I put my hands on his cheeks, my gaze intensifying more and more. His eyes widen and I see how little by little their vitality is disappearing, his cheeks turn pale and his knees end up hitting the ground. His hands go to his neck and he starts coughing from lack of oxygen. His eyes and mine are never separated, I would not allow it either. Something inside me tells me that I cannot lose contact with them if I want to achieve whatever it is I want to achieve.

"Fuck, Karla." A voice fills my ears before I notice warm and cold hands gripping my face.

He positions himself in front of me forcing me to break my connection with the guy on his knees which infuriates me. My eyes go to that rainbow-colored eyes and without warning, my entire body relaxes, peace being the only thing I feel. His body is pushing me away from the situation between me and that slimy stranger, and he sighs with relief when he looks back and sees that the guy is fine.

"You almost scared me to death," he says and brings his forehead to mine.

Can you tell what the hell you're doing, Mendoza!?

I frown and he closes his eyes sighing against my lips again. I shove away from him and the image of him with Megan floods my mind. The anger returns to me and I have the feeling that all the blood that circulates through my body is burning.

I am too drunk for these dramas.

"And I would've liked to kill him."

He looks at me surprised and I walk away quickly, bumping our arms in the process. I notice his gaze crossing the back of my neck but I don't turn to check it. At a brisk pace, I return to the kitchen and rest my hands on the cold counter. Little by little the people who were there disappear and when I am left alone, I release the air that I was holding and close my eyes. Seconds and minutes pass and I don't move. I clench my fists outward, digging my nails into the palms of my hands and a tear escapes from my eyes and slowly slides down my cheek.

Because of him, I have not succeeded... When I free myself from this prison that you have built, I will kill him.

I regain my composure as best I can, forcing my brain to stop thinking about him and Megan. It shouldn't affect me at all, it hasn't been a month since I first saw it.

Get over it girl *She rolls her eyes*.

I leave the kitchen and stand on tiptoe to find the stairs; I need fresh air and a little privacy. I locate them and stagger to them. I shake my head in the hope of waking up my mind a bit but apparently, the effects of alcohol are running through my veins again, poisoning everything in its path.

I clumsily climb the stairs and see a long corridor with doors on both sides of the walls. With one hand resting on the left wall and the other on my forehead, I walk slowly to the end of the hall. I stop in front of a white door and open it without hesitation. Luckily for me, it's empty so I close the door behind me and lean my back against it until I hit the ground. The urge to cry can with me and I let everything I have inside come out. Sobbing fills the darkened room muffled by the faint hum of music.

I bury my head between my legs and try to regulate my breathing. I put my hands on my shoulders, hugging myself, to calm myself. I give small taps alternating between one hand and the other to trick my brain once more and not notice so intensely the loneliness that at this moment overwhelms me. I bite my lower lip to stop crying and with my eyes still closed, I lift my head and lean it against the door.

"Oh my God..." A well-known voice silences my crying.

I get off the ground so fast that I have to support myself with the handle to keep from falling. I look down and my hair obstructs my vision and I appreciate it as everything is spinning around me.

"Are you okay?" Ethan's voice hits my ears again.

"Perfectly," I whisper, dragging each syllable, an arcade accompanying the last consonant.

I cover my mouth to slow down the process and feel hands on my shoulders helping me balance. Slowly I look up and our gazes meet for a moment but it doesn't last long. My head is spinning and hopefully, I stay on my feet. With a delicate movement, he tucks a lock of hair behind my ear and his eyes darken as his gaze drops to my lips. His body moves closer to mine, watching.

"You're drunk," he says in a whisper.

"Tell me something I don't know, Sherlock."

I move away from the closeness of him and sit on the edge of the bed feeling every part of my body heavy.

Look around you.

I glance around the room and my heart skips when I see that it is the same one I saw in my vision. The same sheets, the same dark walls, the same furniture. I panic, my body freezing. My mind asks me, yells at me to run but my body doesn't move. My eyes go to Ethan who has been trying to get my attention for a while. His mouth moves to articulate words that don't get to be processed by my mind.

I feel my whole body burning, each time plunging me deeper into dizziness, feeling like I'm surrounded by quicksand. Ethan places his hands on my shoulders again and I get even more upset at his touch. Time seems to stop, Ethan's actions become fuzzy and slow. I try to focus on anything, on his lips trying to understand whatever he is saying to me without success.

At some point all anxiety begins to dissipate, my breathing returns to reality and relief overwhelms me.

All suffering will go away in a few minutes ... Be patient, my dear.

Aradia will return to stay this time.