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"oh, wait a second!"
zoe grabbed the camera before they headed outward again. a mischievous little twitch in her lip. "gotta keep track of my adventures."
kaiyo let zoe hold their hand on the way down and through the party. there weren't flashing lights, but the constant moving of shadows almost made it seem that way. it was something out of a movie, rather unrealistic if they weren't here in the moment. like a sort of dream that still tried to claw and hold on to reality in some way.
once again, intoxication entwined itself in the air ; thick and uncomfortable.
for a second, in the middle of the house, zoe squeezed kaiyo's hand and looked back at them. amongst the various sounds, zoe's voice was almost lost. "hey, if you want to go back, we can," and in that moment, kaiyo realized why themself and zoe had become such close friends. kaiyo was never forced to talk, never forced to do stuff that didn't interest them with zoe. every time the teenagers spoke, zoe didn't push to do anything. unlike alec. who couldn't seem to just relax, but things always had to go her way.
alec was still kaiyo's best friend - obviously! they had grown up together! and alec had been through just so much, of course she wanted things her way. that made sense to want a sense of control. it was just... refreshing, to have another friend.
one step after another, kaiyo began to find themselves in a hallway, one that zoe clearly recognized. "that's the second half bath, that's my parents room, that's the linen closet," the girl in platforms listed, before stopping at a door with a lock.
"the basement."
"... zoe, it's locked."
"shush, not for long," zoe gave a wink before reaching above the door frame and pulling off a copper key. kaiyo gave her a look, asking for an explanation. "oh, i saw my parents put it there a while ago."
a second later, the key clicked in the lock and the door opened, stairs leading downward revealed. it got darker the further they went, and the only noise was their footsteps. no creaking, no speaking, not a peep or a crack. the flooring felt smooth ; almost like a plastic. it was cold and dry.
~
as zoe's met the real floor, she took a hollow breath, feeling along the wall for a light switch and quickly finding one. pupils adjusting to the sudden flash of light, they blinked rapidly before actually getting a good look of the under room. more like under house. it was huge. the andrews were well off, certainly - but there was more than their own stuff in there. it was impossible for all of it to be the families.
confused, zoe took her first picture.
"you guys have a lot of stuff," kaiyo mumbled, eyes wide. "uh.. yeah, i think we might be holding stuff for another family or something."
