briar chase is a girl constantly held back by her overbearing mother, forced to hide away from anything dangerous. anything fun. but one day briar is invited to a hen party in vegas and is more than eager to leave. somehow her mother Demeter chase b...
briar had expected it but the word still vibrated through her causing ancient rage to bubble and beg to be released, for unsaid words to be shouted, for violence to be introduced, but Briar shoved those emotions deep down into the fiery pits inside her, forced her face to relax and become neutral, forced herself to be reassured that the party would have been terrible.
"maybe I could-" briar paused as her mother cut her a cold gaze from across the kitchen island and released a sigh she didn't realise she was holding.
Briar, this time, attempted to warm her mothers icy features by suggesting takeout and a movie, this seemed to relight the fire within Demeter's frosty blue eyes. this time. for once briar wished she could go out partying or even leave the apartment without her mothers overbearing presence smothering her until she could barely breathe, forcing her to be swimming in a stormy ocean with only Demeter's love to keep her afloat. no party's. no social life. and especially no men. was it wicked to wish her mother gone? kidnapped or whisked away? yes. yes it was. what a horrid daughter she must seem.
a knock at the door gave Briar an excuse to leave her mother to her vogue magazine. the sticky leather stool clung to her thighs as she lifted and made a crude sound when it released her, she wished her mother had more comfortable furnishing around the house. steering out of the kitchen and past the photo covered walls of the hallway, Briar discovered at the navy blue front door, a pink and black envelop half hidden beneath other unimportant letters and postcards for her mother from her aunt Mabel. must have been the postman at the door she thought bending down to retrieve it. Briar lifted her eyebrows and widened her ivy eyes at the pink and black envelope that had her name inscribed on it in neat cursive handwriting. no one ever wrote to Briar Chase specifically, no one would dare to incite Demeter's wrath with silly love confessions.
"who is it dear?" Demeter called curiously from her seat In the kitchen. Briar rapidly grabbed all the envelopes and the postcard strewn across the greeting mat and ran to the kitchen barely reigning in her excitement. now back in the kitchen, having given the post to her mother and sat once again on the sticky leather stool, she opened the pink envelope, careful not to rip it in her hurriedness.the contents read:
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the fire that lit inside briar at the thought of going to vegas, drinking and gambling and seeing all the sights ( and by all the sights she meant all the well dressed men in fancy suits her cousin Sasha could introduce her to, since she's marrying one.) Guttered and died as she realised her mother would never, in a million years, let her-
Her thoughts were cut short by a sharp ringing released by her mothers phone. she watched as the ruby painted nails wrapped around a mug that read "don't talk to me before my coffee" slowly released its prey and lifted the loud machine. Briar once again began to puzzle how she was going to trick her mother into letting her go Las Vegas of all the places. a place she could be kidnapped, married in some Elvis chapel or never be seen again. she'd drifted so far into her own mind that she hadn't noticed her mothers ended phone call nor the predator gleam in Demeter's eye as she studied her daughter.
"are you alright doll?" her mother questioned in that thick British accent. Briar nodded, silent as prey hoping not to be noticed by the predator.
"that was your cousin Sasha, she is to be wed to some hot shot casino owner its disgusting if you ask me I heard they had only known each other for 5 months! and I always thought she was such the lady" her mother declared disappointedly. "anyway, she's invited you to her hen week in Milos," huh? Briar thought, she could have sworn it said vegas on the invitation? her mother continued oblivious to briars inner conflict
"its some island in Greece her mother assures me its safe and that aunt Mabel shall be there too. I've decided to let you go, I believe you deserve it after your behaviour and...."
her mother continued to bang on about excuses as to why she was allowed to go probably trying to convince herself that if she didn't let her daughter go some kind of resentment would build up and she would hate her mother forever, which she probably wasn't wrong about believing. but briar had stopped listening. she was leaving. a bird free of its cage and shoved into the most vibrant life filled jungle a stark contrast to the dull grey prison it had known all its life. freedom her mind sang freedom at last, even if its only for a week. a lot can happen in seven days.
later that night within the safety of her flamingo pink and dove white room Briar called her cousin Sasha, who relayed the most cunning, devious and epic plan she'd ever heard. a plan that could get her killed. Sasha had lied to Demeter, the hen party was in fact not in Greece as her mother suspected, she really was going to vegas. vegas! she had let out a squeal that shockingly didn't wake her mother nor the dead when she'd heard it confirmed. it took a while to digest, an hour and a half to be exaction hour she spent sitting on her fluffy pink carpet ripping up tiny chunks. in a week she would be in vegas and as she sat there staring at the many books jammed onto her shelves, at all the stories of brave heroines embarking on dangerous adventures she promised herself that this would be hers. promised to finally have fun and let loose. to maybe even fall hopelessly in love.....
make sure to read chapter two which contains ace hades's POV and how briar and Ace bump into each other literally.
