The Abyss

Chapter 4: The Bonfire Party

August 22nd

I arrived at the party at 8. After our super secret mission at the high school Chris had driven me home, found my laptop and phone, and then handed me the keys to one of the family cars saying, "I ain't a taxi service. Drive yourself."

I pulled my black and blue duffel bag and laptop out of the trunk and started toward Michael's house. Well, I say house, but that's a massive understatement. The giant, stone-brick castle soars 3 stories tall with balconies jutting out from every bedroom. Front and center are the massive wooden double doors which allow entrance to the house. Leading away from the doors was a cobblestone pathway which curved around various bushes and plants eventually connected to the asphalt driveway to the left of the doors. In the right corner of the house was a tower made of stone bricks and extravagant carvings in dark wood panels. The carvings framed the windows which faced the road and were almost stacked on top of each other as the tower climbed into the sky. The engravings were my favorite thing about the house. They were mostly of dragons and legendary battles between warriors and beasts. Michael's mother had specifically requested them built into various locations of the house in memory of her trips to Europe incorporating its architecture, history and literature. The engravings also decorated the edges of windows as well as the garage and front doors. The garden around the house was also fine tuned to the medieval theme. Scattered hedges at strategic locations were perfectly trimmed by hired workers to resemble knights, stallions, and dragons. Bright flora sat in front of the windows and the entrance to the house.

I love Michael's house. Every time I stay here I feel like I'm at a resort because everything is just so beautiful. The best thing about this resort? No adults or annoying siblings. Michael's parents frequently travel on business trips so no one ever disturbs our parties. Which is nice, because our parties get pretty wild.

I reached the door, set down my duffel bag and rang the doorbell. After a few minutes Michael answered the door.

"Oh my god, Sarah! I didn't think you were coming! How is your nose? What happened? I thought you were definitely grounded."

"One question at a time, Mikey. First, my nose hurts, Angelica broke it. Also, I am grounded but I managed to get Chris to help me get out. Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah, here let me help you." He picked up the duffel bag on the ground.

"Thanks." I said. I stepped through the doors and took in the majesty of the interior of Michael's home. The entrance hall was huge and stretched from the front doors to the set of glass doors in the back of the house which led to the backyard. The inside was made completely out of wood. Entrances to various rooms were marked by pillars which had carvings of vines slowly snaking up. Other than that, the walls were pretty plain, just wooden panels with paintings and pictures of Michael's parents in various tropical locations. The floor was covered with a big purple rug that ran all the way from one end of the house to the other. Up high, hanging from the ceiling was a fancy gold and glass chandelier. Running up the right side of the hall was a large wooden staircase, its handrails again engraved with vines, which ran all the way to the third floor. At the second and third floor it met a carpeted catwalk which crossed over the entrance hall like a bridge. Several potted plants overgrowing their pots hung lazily off the catwalk, their vines dangling like a curtain over the railing.

"You want me to just tell you about the room arrangements now?" Michael's words stopped me from gaping any longer.

"Sure."

"Okay, so you and Raven will be sharing the master guest bedroom. I'm sleeping in my room, obviously, and Hunter and Aiden are sharing a room. I owe Jesse money so he gets his own room, and then June and Taylor are also sharing a room."