Child of Mayhem (sneak peek!)

1

If the Twin Towers could speak, there'd be lots of stories.

They stood majestically, overlooking the city bursting with people crossing streets and twenty-four-hour restaurants welcoming sleepless guests. Though it was nearing midnight, Kuala Lumpur was as alive as ever.

From the view of the country club, the two connected skyscrapers glittered like diamonds. Music blasted from speakers, drowning out every other worry. The party crowd was split into groups, one dancing to the beat by the swimming pool, another sitting on velvet sofas on the patio where it was quiet enough to talk and relax with plates of blinis topped with cucumber and fennel.

On one side, the loudest group of all was filled with cheering. Two young men stood within a circle of men and women, paper cups pressed to their mouths. Water trickled down their shirts as they struggled to finish them in one go.

One of them wiped his mouth. "Come on, just a few more," Teoh said.

Adi chugged down his fifteenth cup. "Easy for you to say. I'm getting bloated."

People were shouting as the clock ticked, throwing fists in the air for their chosen contestant.

"One more!" a girl carrying a large bottle shouted as she filled the cups to the brim.

While everyone rooted for Adi to hurry up, Teoh had already finished his. He squeezed his cup and smashed it with his foot in victory.

"That's so not good for your stomach," said someone as he made his way through the crowd, giving the two a look.

Adi stifled a burp. "It's just soda."

Teoh agreed. "Yeah, Wira. It's not like we'll ruin our liver." He elbowed Adi on the arm. "Are you forgetting something?"

He groaned. "Do I have to?"

"A deal's a deal."

With a reluctant frown, Adi raced towards the pool and threw himself in. Gasps exploded around them. Ten seconds passed until his head poked through the surface of the water.

Teoh leaned over the edge of the pool, laughing as loud as the music playing in the background. "Where's Ilham?" he asked Wira who was looking at the water. "He's coming, isn't he?"

A deafening rumble answered Teoh's question.

Heads turned as a black motorcycle zipped down the country club. Everyone moved aside to give way, all except for Teoh and Wira who waited as it rode forward. It stopped inches from Wira who lingered expressionlessly in the middle.

A young man in a red leather jacket stepped down and took off his helmet, revealing a wide grin.

"Took you long enough," Teoh said. "Batrisya's getting restless."

Ilham glanced at a brunette keeping herself occupied in between the crowd. She laughed when they laughed, lifting her drink up high.

"Sure she is." Ilham unwrapped a lollipop and stuck it in his mouth. "Where's everyone?"

"Adi's underwater."

"Akim?"

He gestured towards the buffet table. "He said he wasn't feeling well."

A long table stood on the other side of the pool, decorated with cakes and sandwiches. Akim used it to steady himself, his pale skin turning green.

"You good?" Ilham asked, coming up to him with the others.

Akim almost toppled over the table. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"You know you can't drink coffee," Teoh said, "so why did you?"