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Chapter 3

Asleigha forgot the room number and instead followed the loud rap music blasting through hidden speakers. She didn't bother to knock since the door was wide open. Asleigha glanced in feeling incredibly over-dressed. All the girls wore crop tops the size of a bra and shorts that invite their bare legs to feel a chill from the surrounding air. The guys all wore jeans or shorts with regular t-shirts or no shirt at all. Everyone was holding a beer (or two) in their hands while dancing. The floor was soaked and there was a strong scent of alcohol. Jackson spotted Azzy across the room and headed towards her.
"Hi," Jackson said while approaching Azzy.
"Hi," she replied, shyly.
"Do you want to come in?" He said after a long, awkward second of silence.
"Sure." She said
"Here, have a beer."

Asleigha took the light, aluminum can from Jackson. She should have told him that she doesn't drink, but she didn't want to look like a prude.
"You seem nervous," Jackson said, "do you know how to shotgun?"
"No..." she muttered to herself.
"So you poke a hole in the bottom of your can and open the top. Then you chug it."

Azzy pulled out a pocket knife that she had as a safety precaution and made a hole in her open beer can. 1 gulp, 2 gulps, 3... soon enough she had finished her can and all that was left was a repulsive taste in her mouth and a warm feeling in her stomach.

"Wow, you can really shotgun well for a girl who's only had a sip of champagne at a wedding." Jackson said.
"How did you know that...?" Azzy thought aloud.
"I guess I'm magical." He said with a grin.

Another hour had past and Azzy had downed 4 beers, 3 shots of tequila and vomited twice.

"So, can I see the elevator now?" She asked, slurring her words.
"Sure. Grab your coat." He replied whilst stepping over drunken and passed out people, a coffee in each hand.

The two stumbled out the door, still tippy, sipping their coffees.

"You know," Jackson said, trying to scare her a bit, "I had a brother, but one day, he went into the elevator and never ended up on the floor he was heading to. He is still missing today. I'm just glad he speaks Russian."
"You're just trying to scare me, aren't you?" Azzy asked, slightly nervous.
"No. His name was Joseph."
"Why are your names so English if you were raised here, in Moscow?"
"My mother was obsessed with trying to be more English, so when the school reopened, she forced my brother and I to go here. He struggled a lot because he doesn't speak very much English, but I have been studying English for years. What about you? What's your family like?"
"Well, I lived with my grandma until I came here. My mom died giving birth to me and my father was killed in a car accident. I don't have any siblings, but I've always wanted a little sister."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
She waved it away with a flick of her hand. Jackson stopped in front of a metal door.

"We're here." He said. Jackson was nervous, but he would never say that out loud.
"Have you used it before?" She asked, also nervous.
"Well, I tried, once, but the doors wouldn't close and it wouldn't move."
"Oh, I guess we'll see if it works, then."
The pair stepped into the opening doorway. Although the door was metal, the elevator itself was glass. There were beautiful painting on the walls. Azzy looked down and saw even more that ended in darkness. On the panel next to Azzy, there were 26 buttons.
"Wow, I didn't know this building has so many floors." She thought aloud.
Jackson, however, was not amused. Through gritted teeth, he said, "It doesn't. The ninth floor is the last, besides the roof, and the basement is only one floor. This isn't making sense."
Jackson moved to the panel and pressed the button to open the door. He jammed his finger onto the button with frustration. The doors wouldn't open. Azzy walked over to the panel to see what was happening, but tripped over Jackson's foot. She put her arms out to balance her and to find something to hold onto. Her arm found two things: buttons 23 and 26. They watched as the glass box slid towards the dark ceiling. Floor after floor, the elevator went up. At one point, the elevator flew out of the roof. They weren't seeing paintings anymore, they were seeing the outside of the school. The forest of Russia. They enjoyed the view, until the walls became opaque. They turned a light gray, then a dull color, then black. They couldn't see outside, let alone each other.

~*~

Professor Yarnykh was enjoying a glass of wine and the company of his ferret, Dominik when he looked out the window. A tinted, black box flew by his window.
"Oh, no. Not again." He said as he pushed open the redwood door.

Hi! It's me! Just wanted to let you know that I will be posting updates every Friday and I hope to stay on track. Please share, vote, and comment! If you have any questions feel free to write me a message. ^_^