Estranged [Completed]

Cocktail Hour

The sky was turning a deep shade of blue, and a couple satellites were already glowing on the horizon when they arrived at the base of Chodai Mountain, where the wealthy built their estates. The night was warm, but a cool breeze made the temperature just perfect. Shenaia and Kalei began their ascent to where Landen had built his abode.

On either side of the road, wide-open fields butted against thick stands of pine as the terrain sloped upward toward the imminent peak. Only one mansion was visible about a quarter mile back, its sprawling, four-storied expanse tucked within a lavish green garden and lit by strategically placed floodlights.

The mansion's property was circumvented by a seven-foot-tall, wrought-iron fence, which yielded to stone where it met with the boundaries of its neighboring properties. These other properties were similarly fenced, and although Kalei could not see the homes, presumably because they were tucked within the trees or behind hills, Kalei could count at least six other unique properties as they ascended.

Kalei looked from one imposing fence to the next, some ornately built with rocks from the mountain, others built as solid walls of granite, and she remembered what the manager had said about the rich wanting to turn Estranged. With that in mind, she couldn't help but wonder how many of these estates were miniature versions of Downtown: places where Estranged happily enjoyed their highs behind a secure boundary.

Kalei furrowed her brow and looked at Shenaia. "Wait, the manager said this party was invitation only. How will we get in?"

Shenaia kept her eyes straight ahead as she walked up the winding road. "Don' worry. They'll let us in."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Shenaia looked over her shoulder at Kalei, anger driving the words from her lungs. "Jus' what I said: don' worry." She turned her attention back to their path.

Kalei let it go. She was too tired to keep bickering.

The night was quiet. Their footsteps echoed across the pavement as an airplane hummed through the darkening sky above. Crickets were beginning to sing their song, and off to the west, a couple frogs added their voices to the melody. It wasn't until about fifteen minutes later that Kalei could pick out the sound of a muffled beat up ahead. As they drew closer, she could pick out more of the notes in what seemed to be a very upbeat, cutting edge song. Whatever they were doing up there, they definitely weren't sleeping.

They crested a hill and the gate to Landen's estate came into view: wrought iron like most of the rest they passed, but twice the size at nearly twenty feet, and elaborately wrought to draw out the three-star emblem of the Tusic Company.

As Kalei and Shenaia walked up to the grand barricade, two women stepped out through a smaller side gate to greet them. The women wore tactical combat suits, black from neck to toe, complete with black polyester gloves. Despite the seemingly practical nature of the outfits, the clothes were fit to each woman's body in a way that accentuated every curve. Kalei didn't doubt that these women could fight off intruders, but she suspected their function was more heavily weighted toward impressing guests. One woman was a brunette and the other a blonde. Although their hair was tied back into ponytails, the tails were long enough to fall around their shoulders in a soft cascade of curls.

The blonde bouncer called out to Kalei and Shenaia as they approached, "Good evening, ladies."

In an equally elegant tone, Shenaia replied, "Good evening."

Kalei caught her jaw as it dropped.

The brunette woman asked, "Shenaia? Is that you?"

"One in the same."