CANDOR ➳ LEO VALDEZ [1] o.h.

o. mistakes

PROLOGUE
mistakes.

Candor should have fled the minute the gunshot filled the sweaty, stale air of the party. Or at least within the hour that the victim of the fatal wound's blood was still warm. She should have hightailed it so fast from that penthouse all anyone would have seen was a blur. But Candor had made a lot of mistakes that night, and being there when the police showed up to investigate the crime scene; it was like the icing on the cake . . . .

Candor smirked quietly over her red solo cup, staring across the room full of energetic drunk people. The place was in full swing. Some techno beat blasted through black speakers, a bulky jock was being cheered on as he did a classic kegstand, and another group of shady teenagers smoked weed from a bong in the corner.

Taking a small sip of beer, Candor glanced up at a brunette girl approaching her. "Want a cigarette?" she asked bluntly, sticking a package of Marlboro under the redhead's nose.

Usually, Candor wouldn't have taken one. In fact, the last time she'd attempted to smoke a gust of wind knocked the cylinder shaped drug from between her fingers and an unfamiliar feminine voice said in her head: "Cigarettes give you wrinkles, darling."

But today, Candor needed something to take the edge off. She was on the last straw of patience with her current girls home; she'd seen a man with one eye wandering the alleyways of Brooklyn today, and her ADHD had been acting up lately.

"Thanks," Candor mumbled around the cancer stick, as her newly acquainted friend lit the end of the tobacco.

The ebony haired girl shrugged. "You looked like you needed it."

Candor didn't respond and instead took a drag. Her dainty fingers held flat as she exhaled smoke into the already stuffy room.

Abruptly, the music stopped. Loud groans chorused around the living space as everyone turned to see who the culprit was. Candor narrowed her eyes as she saw it was Ray — the exact person who'd invited her here tonight. Piercing her lips, the girl tried to ignore the unhinging look in his eyes as he glared at the group of celebrators, and added in with the other protesters to turn back on the sound system.

His voice was like a knife, cutting across everyone. "We're all going to die."

Nobody spoke. A few cast fleeting glances at the two side exits, somewhat wondering if their host was going to start massacring them. Candor took another hit from the blunt, her azure eyes glinting dangerously in the dim light as they rolled. Thanks captain obvious, she thought dismissively.

When the blonde teen had finally stopped scanning the room, he quickly pulled a .38 from the waistband of his jeans. The crowded room gasped in unison, backing towards the doors. A few girls screamed and cowered into their boyfriends chests. The dull ache Candor had been trying desperately to suppress, pushed its way to the surface when she saw that. Shaking her head, she focused her attention back to Ray who had turned the gun.

Towards himself.

Candor's chest tightened, fear finally trickling into her conscious. People around her whispered hungrily; feeding of off what was happening.

"What is he on?"

"I heard someone say he took his first tablet of LSD tonight."

"Yeah; he must be having a bad trip."

"Do you really think he'll shoot himself?"

The party feeling had completely left the guests. Even if Ray didn't pull the trigger, Candor knew they would leave anyway just in a not as panicked way.

"I might as well die now. Here," Ray continued, pressing the barrel of the pistol harder into his temple. The brunette girl who'd given Candor the cigarette whimpered, and rushed out the door.

Ray's eyes fixed on something overheard and he whispered, "Goodbye."

"No!" Candor let out a strangled cry, lunging towards the young man even though she was at the opposite side of the room. And then the gunshot echoed through the apartment.

Boys and girls rushed past the ginger, leaving quickly. Quiet sobs escaped them as they passed the bleeding corpse next to the stereo. Candor licked her tear salted lips. Her limbs seemed to be numb like she had suddenly become a victim of paralysis.

And there she stayed, staring aimlessly in shock. Never moving until a pair of metal handcuffs were slammed onto her petite wrists, and the police sirens blared their song into the night.

(re)published: March 18, 2016

is this any good? or is this shit? I'm conflicted lol

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