Chapter 39 AT THE FRAT HOUSE
FRAT HOUSE
Liana marched through the crowd, her eyes glued to her phone screen, while Klara and Marisa trailed behind her.
"I won't be here for long, I have somewhere to be" Marisa announced, checking her reflection in her phone screen and smoothing down her dress.
Klara stopped mid-step, her brow furrowing. "Where’s that? The party is just starting"
"It's a secret" Marisa replied with a cryptic smirk. She wasn't about to tell Klara that she was counting down the minutes until her rooftop encounter with the mysterious Shadow.
Liana wasn't even listening. She dialed Anya’s number for the twentieth time that evening, only to be met with the same cold, automated voicemail. "Pick up, pick up, pick up..." she muttered, her frustration peaking.
Feeling the heat of the crowded room and the sting of Anya's disappearance, Liana marched to the makeshift bar. She grabbed a red plastic cup filled with a dark, amber liquid and gulped it down in one go, the burn sliding down her throat.
"Woah, woah! Easy. That's not water" a smooth, baritone voice chuckled nearby.
Liana coughed, the fire in her chest making her eyes water. She turned sharply to see a guy leaning against the wall. He was devastatingly handsome, with messy dark hair and eyes that seemed to find everything amusing.
"Forgive my manners, I'm Roman" he said, stepping closer and offering a charming, crooked smile.
Liana wiped her mouth, trying to regain her composure. "Well, Roman, maybe I wasn't looking for water"
Roman gave a low, knowing hum, stepping into her personal space."Drowning sorrows or just looking for a temporary exit from reality?"
"Both," Liana snapped, the alcohol already starting to hum in her veins. "I'm sick of men. Seriously. Why are they all so... cryptic? They ask for a date, you say yes. Then they disappear. Then you find them in their office with some girl who ‘has asthma.’ Give me a break!"
Roman raised an eyebrow, then chuckled.
"A doctor, I take it? They do tend to have a god complex"
"A god complex? More like a disappearing act complex! His name is Viktor, and honestly, if I see him again, I might just—" She stopped, swaying slightly as she pointed an accusatory finger at Roman’s chest. "And you! You’re probably just like him. Handsome face, smooth voice, and a heart made of stone"
Roman laughed.
"I can assure you, Liana, my heart is very much beating. Though, I can't speak for the doctor's. Why don't you put the cup down and let me get you something that won't make you regret waking up tomorrow?"
Liana’s legs felt like jelly as the world began to tilt. The pounding bass of the party seemed to sync with the throbbing in her head. She gripped the edge of the bar table, the red cup slipping from her fingers and splashing onto the floor.
"Is it a crime to just... like someone?" she sobbed, her voice cracking over the loud music. "I'm tired, Roman. I’m so tired of the games. I feel like I'm stuck in a one-sided love. He stood me up! And then today... he had the nerve to say he’s 'busy.' Not just today, but the whole week!"
Roman reached out, steadying her by the shoulders, but Liana didn't stop. The floodgates had opened, fueled by the whiskey and days of pent-up rejection.
"I suggested a do-over, and he shot me down again," she wailed, tears streaming down her face, ruining her carefully applied mascara. "He clearly doesn't like me. I’m forcing it. I’m making a fool of myself for a man who treats me like an appointment he forgot to cancel. I feel like I'm... like I'm nothing"
She collapsed against Roman's chest, her body racking with violent sobs. She was completely drunk.
Roman’s expression softened as he wrapped an arm around her, shielding her from the drunken students bumping into them on the dance floor. He leaned down, whispering near her ear, "You're not nothing, Liana. And if Viktor is too blind to see what's in front of him, then he's a bigger fool than I thought"
He looked over her head, his gaze turning sharp as he scanned the room. "Come on. Let’s get you some air before you get sick"
On the crowded dance floor, Marisa and Klara were moving to the beat, but Marisa kept glancing at the clock on her phone. The minutes were ticking down to 9:00 PM.
"I’m off" Marisa whispered into Klara’s ear, her voice barely audible over the speakers. Before Klara could protest or ask where she was going, Marisa disappeared into the sea of bodies, headed for the exit.
Klara sighed, the sudden isolation making the loud music feel more annoying than fun. She pushed through the crowd toward a quieter corner of the frat house and slumped on a leather sofa. Feeling a strange pull of memory, she pulled a small sketchbook and a pen from her bag.
Her hand began to move almost on its own. She wasn't drawing flowers or landscapes, she was sketching the terrifying creature that had slaughtered her friends in the woods. The memory was so vivid it felt like the paper was bleeding.
"Nice drawing, girl"
Klara flinched, her pen skidding across the page. She hadn't noticed someone sitting down right beside her. She turned to see a beautiful blonde girl leaning back, watching her.
It was Alina, though Klara had no idea who she was.
"I'm Alina, by the way" she said.
She gestured to the sketch. "Nice drawing. Have you seen a demon before, or is it just your imagination?"
Klara’s heart hammered against her ribs. "Umm... it’s nothing" she stammered, quickly slamming the sketchbook shut and shoving it into her bag.
"Is it?" Alina smirked, a look that sent a chill straight down Klara's spine.
"Excuse me," Klara bolted. She burst through the exit into the cool night air, gasping for breath. She had only taken five steps when she stopped dead.
Standing right in front of her, leaning against a pillar with a bored expression, was the same blonde girl.
"OMG!" Klara screamed, stumbling back and nearly tripping over her own feet. "How did you get here so fast? I... I just left you inside!"
"I'll explain that to you later" Alina said. In the blink of an eye, she reached into Klara’s bag, snatched the sketchbook, and ripped the page of the demon drawing out.
"But for now...?" Alina began shredding the paper into tiny, insignificant pieces, letting the wind carry them away into the dark.
She stepped closer and patted Klara’s trembling shoulder. "Nice to meet you, Klara"
With a wink, Alina turned and walked back into the frat house as if nothing had happened, leaving Klara standing in the dark, wondering if she was finally losing her mind.