We sit outside of an old parking garage in the dark. Why in the world did they choose a parking garage for their party? It's just creepy.
As soon as I step out of the truck, my heart pounds in fear. I can feel something unpleasant. I can't quite figure out what it feels like. It just feels..dark. When Riley gets out of the truck, he flinches. I stare at him in confusion. Does he feel it too? He quickly covers it up and takes my hand.
"C'mon, let's go."
One of the levels of the garage is covered by a black tarp. I can see the lights illuminating the room. The music fills my ears as we get closer to the entrance of the rave, if that's what they call it.
A girl with glowing paint on her shoulders stops us as we walk in.
"Can't get in until you're painted." She says, handing us a brush and motioning us to the paints beside her. Riley takes a brush and dips it into the white.
"Take off your shirt." I reluctantly take off my t-shirt, leaving me only in my bikini top and shorts. The paint feels cold as he paints a design on my back, causing me to shiver. He smiles and puts the brush down.
"What did you paint?" I ask.
"I'm not telling." He smiles. I roll my eyes and let it go. I pick up the blue paint and he takes off his shirt. I manage not to stare and paint a pattern of swirls on his shoulder. As soon as I put the paint down, Riley and I start finding a way to get into the huge pit of people in the room.
There's a lot of people in the middle of the space, all dancing to the techno pulsing from the speakers. I'm taken aback by how cliche this moment looks. But also the beauty in it.
Riley leads me over to the dance floor and weasels his way through the crowd of glowing bodies so we're in the middle. He starts jumping up and down with the movement of the group. I stand there awkwardly, watching him get caught up in the music. The darkness that I felt earlier is replaced with everyone's energy. I can almost taste it.
Riley looks me in the eyes and smiles. I stare, mesmerized. He yells at me to join him and it snaps me out of my thoughts. I start dancing as best as I can. It is mainly just jumping but it's as good as it gets.
As a new song starts playing, I feel like I'm in slow motion. Riley dancing next to me and me with my arms on his shoulders, jumping and dancing. It feels perfect.
All at once, the music stops and a siren fills our ears. The lights are a bright red, staring all of us in the face. Everyone stops dancing and stands, confused.
"Ladies and gentlemen," A deep voice comes from over the speakers, "I'd like to get to the fun part, wouldn't you?" Everyone in the room answers him by cheering. "Okay! Let it rain!" The music comes back on, this time playing the chorus of 'This Girl is On Fire.' When it comes to the word 'fire,' water pours from the ceiling as if the fire sprinklers are going off.
I laugh and start dancing, this time voluntarily. I don't notice anyone anymore, getting caught up in the moment. I don't know how long I stay like this. The music rocks under my feet and the lights pierce my eyes, but somehow, it doesn't hurt. It feels...high.
I look beside be to share this feeling with Riley but he's no longer beside me. I don't let it bother me for too long, dancing again after a few seconds. The dancing doesn't stop, and it never will.
Out of the corner of my eye I see a familiar face. I look, but they're gone. Blinking a couple times, I look again. I gasp. There's no way that this is humanly possible. How can he be here? How can Jamie be here, alive? He smiles at me and nods towards outside the tarp. I follow without hesitation.
When I get outside the tarp, his back is facing me.
"Jamie?" I whisper. He laughs, making me jump. When he turns around, I see that it's not Jamie. With his blonde hair and muscular build, he looks the exact opposite of Jamie. He moves towards me, grasping my arm so I can't move away.
A sort of black vapor comes out of his mouth. It moves towards my open mouth. I'm too mesmerized by it to be afraid. Out of nowhere, it stops. I stare at the darkness in front of me, dazed.
Riley comes out from the darkness and punches the man. That's why he stopped. "Get away from her!" The man lays down on the ground, convulsing. He stops, laying there as still as a corpse. Did Riley just kill him?
"Riley?" I manage to squeak out. When he looks at me, I gasp. His forest green eyes are glowing. Physically glowing. I stare, terrified. "Riley?" I whisper.
He looks at me with a sudden sadness. The sadness is replaced with pain as he falls to the ground. His back arches like a cat and his fingernails are digging into the concrete.
"Get out of here!" He yells at me. I don't move, as if my feet are glued to the ground. "Now!" He roars. I swear it shakes the walls. I run, leaving behind the party and Riley.
A part of me, a rather huge part, wants to run back in there and make sure he's okay. And to find out what's happening to him.
But the more logical part of me tells me he doesn't want me to. So I don't.
