Crimson

two

The sky has broken into a downpour.

Ivy squeals as she stumbles along beside me, arm linked in mine. Every now and then her heels catch on the cobbled street, and I have to try my best to keep her standing. As we navigate our way down the winding roads, there's more than one occasion when she almost takes me down with her.

"Left!" 

Ivy calls out to me like a human satnav.

I twist my body to the left, pulling her with me. The light starts to dwindle as the streetlights lesson, and a pool of darkness begins to shroud us. Ivy pulls out her phone and taps on the torch, shining it at the uneven pavement.

"Are we almost there? We've been walking for ages."

I groan, shoes feeling too tight for my feet.

"Almost...she said that as soon as you turn left at the bookstore you follow the path until the castle looks like it's right above you. And by then it's impossible to miss."

"She?"

"One of the girls in my Romantic Literature society. Apparently, everyone is going to it. It's hot right now."

Ivy winks at me, her charm like a warm blanket on a cold winter's night. I smile despite the ache in my legs and the nagging tension in my chest. I relax my shoulders. 'Bad things happen to good people.' The words my mother told me when I left ring through my mind. But that doesn't mean they will happen to you, my therapist likes to reassure me.

"Are you okay?"

Ivy nudges me.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

"About your brother?

I nod my head. Not really the truth, but not really a lie, either.

"Mhm," she nods gently, "Are your classes helping you understand him a bit better?"

"Not yet. We haven't even touched on Schizophrenia. But I'm planning on writing about it in my dissertation."

"You're amazing."

"What?" I laugh.

"No, really. You inspire me."

Ivy rests her head on my shoulder as I look up. The castle looms above us, spotlighted by the glow of the moonlight. A bird chirps as it flies by, dipping beneath tall stone structures and soaring into the obsidian sky.

"I think we're here."

Ivy untangles her arm from mine, and I follow her gaze to the building in front of us. The building is small, with windows clumsily positioned across it. Most of the windows are boarded with large wooden slabs, and I make the assumption that you will only be able to see out of them, as we have no clear view of anything from where we are standing. Not that there would be much to see; two girls stood with wide eyes and an aura of nervous anticipation, fumbling around for their IDs with a feeling that they may not even need them at all.

I hesitate, "Are you sure this is the place?"

Ivy stays silent, eyeing the building. I've never seen a place that looks so quaint, yet so conspicuous.

"Yes. It must be. I've heard that there are tons of secret bars and clubs hidden in this city."

The sound of a door creaking on its hinges catches our attention. Two girls stroll out, voices dancing in the air. Excitement laces their words, slightly slurred, as one slips a cigarette between her lips and the other lights a flame.

"Seems like we've found the secret."

I grab Ivy's hand and start towards the door. As we near, the sound of music climbs its way up the stairs and into the night air, and for the first time tonight I feel at ease.

I take another glance at the girls as we pass. Their eyes are bright, lost in conversation and the occasional pull of smoke. The blonde raises her hand to take a drag, and I notice a symbol stamped onto her hand. It's a triangle with two lines across it, one at the top and one at the bottom. The ink is becoming smudged, the rain making a good effort at washing it away. I frown, wondering how exclusive this secret bar may actually be.

They don't notice us as we walk past them, much like I don't notice the bouncer standing right at the entrance of the door, like a large monument. I stagger backward, having been seconds from slamming straight into him. Ivy shakes her head, laughing. 

"Sorry. My friend gets lost in her own world sometimes."

Ivy smiles up at the bouncer, blinking softly. His face is cold, arms crossed over his chest. Raven black hair is slicked tight against head, and his nails are painted a dark red.

"ID's please."

He puts one hand in front of my face, averting his stare from the door behind us to look at me. I hand it to him and watch him dissect it with his eyes; a pale hazel, awash with an almost golden yellow. A sudden burst of heat lights up my fingertips as the bouncer snatches my hand into his and presses a stamp down onto it. He presses it with force, holding it there. I chew down on my lip awkwardly and yank my hand back as he pulls away. He repeats this process with Ivy as I analyse my hand, before pointing down at the winding stairs behind him.

"Welcome to The Sanctum. Doors close at 4 am."

The stairs groan with our weight as we descend, music growing louder with each step. I can already see the spectacle of dancing bodies paired with bright lights, and my heart begins to speed up. I trace the ink on my hand. As suspected, I now match with the pretty blonde. 

"Ooh, The Sanctum," Ivy allures, "I think we're in for the night of our lives my friend. The party Queen has outdone herself once again."

Ivy has told me that, in America, she and her friends used to go out clubbing all the time. She said that since she's turned eighteen, her life has been a whirlwind of partying and late night chasing. She says she's addicted to that feeling of being alive, when everyone is dancing under the same lights to the same music, and life seems to still and speed up all at the same time. I have yet to experience a feeling of bliss as she describes. It's like a craving I have for something I've never tasted before.

I play with the fringe of my black dress, toying with the idea of getting the hell out of here, or getting a grip.

"I'll go and get us some drinks!"

Ivy's voice is loud now, fighting against the noise of the music. I nod, teeth gritted and heart pounding.

"What do you want?"

She shouts and I shrug.

"Surprise me!"

And with that, Ivy disappears amongst the sea of people, and I am stood alone in a room full of people. 

***