The Gemini

12. The Underworld

Lena Matthews

"So, are we going in or what?" Kiara asked.

"I... I don't know." Jane-Anne murmured.

"Okay, well I think I do," said Kiara, already reaching for the door. Carter grabbed her hand before she could open it.

"You're not doing this just to procrastinate going back to the penthouse, right?" Carter asked.

"It's not like I want to be left alone with my thoughts," said Kiara, her tone light as ever. She pulled the door open, allowing the bass to filter into the lobby. Taylor slammed the door shut.

"Seriously, Ki. Now is not the time for dumb decisions." She warned.

"It's the perfect time for dumb decisions!" Kiara argued. She pried the door open despite Taylor's efforts and slipped inside quickly.

The door closed, leaving the four of us in the lobby, too shocked to say anything.

"What now?" I asked awkwardly.

"We find her, right?" Jane-Anne asked.

"I can't believe Kiara is that much of an idiot," Carter grumbled.

"Setsuka kept a really tight leash." Taylor defended. "Kiara couldn't do anything, and this is the first time she's gotten to go to a party in a year. Encantados are physically drawn to-"

"So this is all Mrs. Pearce's fault?" I asked.

"Listen, I don't think it's a good idea to speak ill of the dead," said Taylor, her eyes quickly darting in Jane-Anne's direction.

"What?" Jane-Anne asked. "Don't let me stop you."

Carter tried to hold back a laugh but it didn't work.

"Guys!" Taylor snapped. "We need to find her!"

"Right," said Carter. I still saw the side of his mouth twitch into a smile as he opened the door for all of us.

Inside the club, spotlights swooped across the suffocating crowd of dancing bodies like hawks. I tried to maneuver through the mess, the thumping bass echoing in my chest.

"Everybody having a good time tonight?" a DJ called through a microphone. Everyone cheered enthusiastically as the obnoxious music continued. I spotted a bar nearby, with a couple of empty stools and a gentle blue light reflecting off of it. I squeezed out of the dancefloor, checking to see if Kiara was here.

"Hey!" said the bartender, smiling at me. He had a distinct accent that I couldn't quite place, like a mixture between Caribbean and Southern. "You want anything?"

"I'm looking for a friend, actually," I explained. "Have you seen her? Curly hair, unnaturally upbeat attitude, Yankees cap?"

"Doesn't sound like your kind of crowd." the bartender replied. "I thought they were waiting for you in there."

"Right." I agreed, confused. "And where are they waiting, exactly?"

"Behind the stage, past the curtain, front table." He cocked his head to the side, clearly suspicious. "Something wrong?"

"Still adjusting to the city," I replied, trying to sound casual.

"I know the transition's been rough for you. You'll be okay, though. You're tough. Never forget that first day. You took what was yours, no mercy. All you gotta do is keep those thirteen happy."

"Thirteen?" I asked.

"The fourth circle." the bartender clarified, pointing his arm to the back of the club.