𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 [𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘹 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳]

001

leaving the frigid city street and descending into the club below felt like entering a parallel universe.

as you went down the stairs, the air gradually became thicker with the mingled breaths of the bodies below. you no longer needed your thick winter jacket, heat seeping into your body from the densely packed dance floor. 

the dimly lit street you'd entered from transitioned to darkness, red bleeding into the shadows, illuminating the forms of the countless people pressed against each other.

this place felt like sin.

"are you sure this is the right place?" you shout at your friend hoping she can hear you over the heavy bass that was reverberating through the floor. you had a tight grip on her hand, it felt scarily easy to get lost in here. you coughed as someone's secondhand smoke clouded the air in front of you, giving you no choice but to breathe it in.

"absolutely," your friend responds. you can hear the smile in her voice, this atmosphere definitely suited her.

anna was your roommate of three years now, you guys met while training at one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the country.

at first you'd disliked each other, having been randomly assigned each other as roommates and then finding out you had completely different sleep schedules and habits. you tried your best to be quiet in the morning getting ready but anna was a light sleeper. anna tried her best to be quiet while doing her homework late at night, but you often had trouble sleeping.

both of you were mutually exhausted with preparing for your school's next recital. the crushing pressure and high expectations taking a toll on both of you mentally and physically. it had been your final year and this recital would determine whether you were recruited by a reputable company. you'd been working your entire life for this and you refused to settle for anything but the best.

it only got worse when both of you had trouble with a specific part of the routine and were humiliated by your coach in front of the rest of your class.

later that night you both wound up running into each other practicing after hours to perfect the routine. you helped each other and by the time the recital came around you felt entirely confident in your performance.

that night you'd both been scouted out by one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the country, having produced some of the most highly regarded ballet dancers in recent history.

after that night you'd both found a kind of middle ground and got along much better. you considered her one of your best friends. you were questioning that label now though.

"i feel like we're about to be murdered," you say loud enough for her to hear over the pounding bass in your ears. how could people even think with music this loud?

"let's just find something to drink," she shouted back at you over her shoulder, tugging your hand in the direction you assumed the bar was, "you need to loosen up a little bit".

you let out a long sigh. you really should have rejected her request to go out like you usually do. your legs were bruised and aching from practice earlier and all that you really wanted to do was take a long warm bath to ease your aching joints.

you reached the bar and anna said something to the bartender who nodded and walked off to make the drinks. you still had a vice-like grip on her wrist, unease still filling your mind.

it was less crowded near the bar but the atmosphere still felt suffocating. everything was red, save for a few accent lights that were more white, but still did nothing to cancel out the blood red that saturated almost every surface.