Hidden In The Dark (IN EDITING)

This Is Not Normal

The place looked so much bigger than I remembered, maybe it was the bareness from destroyed decorations and blood. A deep dark absence reeked in the room, every surface coated in a thick layer of dust that made my nose furiously itch. The kid in me wanted to take off running in the massive empty space, but I doubt I wouldn't be able to do so without gaining a few odd looks from my mother and the lady advertising it's temporary rent. It was used for dances and other celebrations at one point of time but now it just sits vacant.

The chandeliers had probably not been turned on in years judging by the little bits of cobwebs connecting from the metal to the tips of the lightbulbs. But through it less than new condition, it was massive and beautiful. All it needed was a few dusters and mops mixed in with some love and voilá, a magnificent ball room.

A woman, Everly if I remember correctly, was currently discussing the details of the space that my mother planned on renting for my 18th birthday. Although I tried to reassure her she didn't need to spend so much money on something I didn't really care about, she insisted without room for discussion. My eyes were currently addressing every corner of the room now that my attentions wasn't occupied by the disaster, I could finally see just how big it is. Does my mother really think I know this many people?

I mean I know a lot of people from school who I'm okay with but we aren't technically friends, definitely not someone I'd invite to my birthday ball. There are a few that I will invite though, but not the entire school. There were different high school cliche's, the nerds who everyone picks on, the jocks that everyone crushes on, the cheerleaders that terrorize all of the girls and date the jocks, the kids who mind their business in the background, and then there's me and Gray.

We couldn't be considered unpopular because everyone knew and respected us, but you can't consider us popular because that throws us in the same category as the jocks and queen b's. Those two groups of which we definitely don't belong in. Me and Gray stayed to ourselves too much to run with the crowds, but we had good social media platforms so we were known.

"What do you think Leaigh, this the one?" My mother pulls me from my thoughts, I look back to here with a smile on my face and a nod of my head. If I could exit my body and watch from nearby I would see nothing but excitement in my eyes, a bright genuine smile on my face from excepting that my birthday is going to be grand. Little did they know that the only thing buried in my eyes were fear, after practicing a fake smile for the past weeks I had finally learned how to master it.

If anything gows wrong that day I could very well die, I hadn't really dug that deep into it, but now it was getting closer. The possibility of me dying is becoming a reality and I'm freaking out. Life hasn't been the nicest to me, but that doesn't mean I want to give up in this world. I know I have a lot going for me, although it may not be clear right now. There's one lesson I've learned these past years, is that in order to see that beautiful rainbow and sunny day, I have to make it through the storm. All I focus on is finally being happy, settling down and doing the things I love, so it doesn't matter what the road is like. I just care about what my destination looks like.

Then there is the fact that I may not see what true happiness is, and the thought saddens me to another level. That would mean I've done all of this for no reason, but I can't give up, I won't.

"Okay so I will give you a call with all of the finalized information and we'll discuss payment. Sound alright?" Everly stood with a commercialized smile on her face, her hands clasped together in front of her. I must be paranoid with everything going on, but she seemed off. It may be the unusual shrillness in her voice or how she agrees with everything my mother says. It's probably just a professional technique used to sweet talk customers into indulging in their business for their own financial or social gain.