Unseen (Book 1)

6: Break Curfew

It's day 1 of being at Barnum. Classes haven't even started and I'm already breaking rules. I'm not even sure how Bam convinced me to do it, especially after I'd told my self that I had to follow the rules in order to not get expelled, but there I was following him through the halls at night.
I'm not even sure where we're going. Anytime I try to ask he shushes me and tells me that we have to be quiet in a whispered tone.
As we make our way through the halls we have to be sure to evade the security.
Security at Barnum are in charge of keeping the students out of trouble. That's a direct quote used during student orientation. The guards roam the hall dressed in all black. The leader, also known as the head of security, Marcos Dalton. He's supposedly ex-MI6 that was in British Special Forces before that. That's just the rumor I heard from X that I doubt is even true. I can't see a scenario where a skilled government agent end up working at a boarding school voluntarily. Whether it's true or not that doesn't make him any less scary.He's over 6 foot tall and muscular to the point that I can see how the rumor was started in the first place. Most of his visible skin is covered in tattoos including the back of his shaved head that displays an image of a skull.
As Bam and I creep through the halls I start to get worried. I'm almost certain we're going to caught. We slip through the corridors as the men in black patrol like toy soldiers marching in patterns. I follow Bam's lead. It's as if he has the pattern memorized. He's able to move narrowly staying out of view of the guards.
We make it to a shelf on a random wall.
"Keep watch."Bam says.
I turn to make sure nobody is coming.
Theres a sound of an old mechanism moving followed by stones sliding.
I turn around just as the shelf slides open.
"So I'm guessing this isn't your first time sneaking out." I say.
He scoffs.
"I've been doing this since I was your age. It's a tradition. Keep up, one day you'll be just as bad an influence." he says with a smile and a pat on the back before heading inside.
We start to navigate through the passageway.
It's behind the walls like a tunnel that's way more intricate than expected. It's like a maze within the walls with intersections and stairs and multiple levels.
"Stay close." he says as we turn a corner.
He undoes the latch to a door the size of a dumbwaiter hatch and crawls through to the outside. I follow.
We made it outside.
I stand there and look back at the dimly lit castle. The moon sit just above the hills in the distance. I take a moment to admire the beauty. My appreciation is cut short by Bam. "Lets boogie." he says trotting of into the woods.
The forest of Scotland is thick and nearly silent except for the sound of chirping crickets and frogs bellowing. It sounds like a real life version of an audio type someone might use to sleep. "The sounds of nature."
We walk for about 5 minutes, most of which I'm trying to keep up while also not tripping over any sticks or terrain. The ground is rugged but that doesn't seem to slow him down. A couple minutes in, my eyes start to adjust to the darkness. I look around and realize it's too late to reconsider following Bam, who I only met a half hour ago, into Scottish countryside on this frigid autumn night. At least now that I can see I'm able to do a better job finding my footing on the rocky hillside.
"Maybe we should turn back." I say prudently.
"Trust me. It's going to be fun."he responds.
I continue behind him.
Bam leads me to bushes with 2 huge pine trees on either side. The trees stand tall with branches that weave together as if they're holding hands.
He turns back with a mischievous smile.
"Shall we?" he says stepping through.
I climb through the shrub past the prickly bush, one of them manages to snag my shirt.
I keep pushing through.
Suddenly it's as if someone opens the door to a sound proof room. Loud thumping dance music fills the air. I come out on the other side to find a clearing filled with people dancing and lights flashing. Its a teen party in the woods.
What could go wrong?
Right when we walk out it's as if the clearing is warmer than the rest of the woods. Almost like sitting next to a campfire except there isn't one.
Dahlia spots us.
She skips over and grabs Bam by the front of his coat and pulls him in for a kiss.
I stand there awkwardly trying to avert my eyes.
When they finally manage to separate she reaches over and grabs me, wrapping her arms around my neck giving me a hug. I hug he back careful not to drift too low.
"You made it." she says staring into my eyes.
I smile.
Our faces are only a couple inches apart.
"Yea, glad I didn't miss this." I say.
She grabs both my wrist and Bam's and pull us over to a table set up across the clearing.
There's cups and drinks set up along with a phone that's connected to the speakers and lights that blink in synchronization with the music.
Dahlia hands me and Bam a small red cup made of glass.
"Drink this." she says yelling over the music.
I look over to Bam.
He downs his drink without hesitation.
"What is this?" I ask.
Bam doesn't respond. At that same moment the song changes to a rock ballad.
"I love this song."he shouts.
He reaches for Dahlia's hand and leads her to the dance floor.
I stand back and watch as they dance closely barely staying on beat.
I notice on the dance floor the girl with red hair from earlier.
She looks different.
Her hair is tied back out of her face.
She's wearing a white tank top that exposes her stomach and black shorts that don't pass her knees.
I watch as she dances.
It's like she's carefree. Unburdened by anything. Not even gravity.
She raises her hands in the air and it's like she's floating just above the ground.
I catch her eye for a second and everything seems to move slower.
Afterwards she goes back to dancing.
Bam steps into my eye line and waves me over to the dance floor.
Without thinking I down my drink.
It's like my body is filled with warmth.
I'm hot.
I take off my jacket and hang it on one of the tree branches nearby before making my way to the dance floor.
I look up and it's like everything is shining. The stars in the sky look like fireworks and fireflies. They glow brighter and more beautiful than anything I've ever seen. I start to stare at them, captivated by their radiance.
What was in that drink?
All of a sudden I feel something touch my chest. It's a hand. The hand slowly moves from my chest down to my arms and finally to my fingertips.
I look down and see the back of a head full of red hair. Her body presses up against mine as she moves along to the music. Swaying back and forth. She turns around and were face to face. I look into her eyes. It's looks like they're glowing.
She reaches her hand slowly and brushes my face. Her skin is radiant, glowing just as bright as the stars themselves. She pulls my head close to her. I close my eyes just as our lips make contact. For a second I lose track of everything around me. The music, the voices,everything except my heartbeat and hers.
The moment passes and we're back standing face to face our gaze interlocked on one another.
"What's your name?" I ask screaming over the song.
I could've sworn it was a slow song a second ago but now it's loud thumping dance music.
She smiles at my question.
"Let's go for a swim."she says softly.
I can somehow hear her clearly through the music.
She grabs my hand interlocking our fingers and runs towards the river nearby.
We go in fully clothed.
It's warm which is uncharacteristic considering how far north of the equator we are and the fact that it's autumn.
Standing the water is up to my waist but it's calm, it's almost still but there's a slight current.
I notice my hip bleeding from the bush scratch.
The mystery girl touches my chest. I put my hand over hers expecting for us to kiss again. Instead she drops down with her head below the water. I follow her submerging myself in the strangely warm water.
This place doesn't feel real.
Almost like a dream.