Dreamcatcher

3

It took more than two minutes for somebody to open the door. Surely if there were other party guests, at least one person could invite Aerial inside without a problem. However, there was only the distant chattering and chuckling that her ears picked up through the thick walls, and Aerial let out a weary sigh.

Maybe this was a mistake.

But before she knew it, one of the voices drew nearer and nearer. Aerial impatiently drummed her fingers along the porch railing, the metal ringing out until the sound was interrupted with the sharp click of the doorknob.

"You know the door's already open, right?"

Aerial was met face-to-face with a tall, skinny woman in her mid-twenties. The resemblance to Chase immediately caught her eye – aside from her hair color of pure white, their irises were the same ocean blue. But as far as the aura went, Aerial noticed her stiff posture, as well as the judgemental face she made that seemed permanent. At one glance, Aerial could tell that Chase and her were opposites.

"And you are...?" the woman asked, her voice trailing off into bitterness. Surely Aerial didn't look too drab. She had made sure her gray hair was extra slick and smooth for the day.

"I'm Aerial. I'm a frie – Chase invited me." She tried to put on a polite smile, which had the opposite effect she was going for. Instead Aerial looked like she had just bit into a lemon.

The woman stood at the doorway for a few seconds. Awkward silence filled the air around and between them, giving Aerial the strongest feeling of regret for coming to Chase's house. She shuffled uncomfortably from the woman's sharp gaze, until suddenly a shout came from inside...

"V, who is it?"

Aerial never expected to be relieved if she ever heard Chase's voice, but to her surprise a brief wave of joy hit her instantly. She took a deep breath before shouting, "It's me, Chase."

Moments later she also came face-to-face with the same carefree, smiling teen from yesterday. The only thing that changed was his hairstyle – it looked somehow worse compared to the day before.

"Damn, I never expected you to actually come, Aerial. You were that bored, huh?" Chase nodded at the young woman, then opened the door wider so Aerial could actually pass through. Oh, thank god for Chase. Aerial shot the woman a smirk before disappearing down the hallway of the two-story house.

After following Chase through the living room and kitchen, Aerial found herself in the backyard. Red beer cups decorated the classic white party tables, along with a singular stack of paper plates that remained unopened. The utensils were the only things that didn't look like the cheapest option at the store, being made out of clear plastic instead of white.

At least there's a birthday balloon.

Weeds covered the lawn except for the areas around the fences, which were surrounded with small green bushes neatly covering the perimeter. The occasional dandelion provided some stark difference in contract to all the overgrown green grass. Aerial could barely see her shoes as the long green blades covered them like snow.

"Neat, huh?" Chase's sarcasm was met with Aerial's blank face, who debated whether or not it was rude to ask the budget of the party. "It's not much, but at least it's not just me and Venus for now."

Aerial felt like teasing Chase about the party, but before she could do so, she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. Slowly she looked up. Above her was the towering woman with permanent V-shaped eyebrows, which ironically matched her nickname. The woman's hands felt like ice even through Aerial's shirt, and she didn't know if her trembling was because of that or the woman's glare.