Ordinaries

Chapter 1

I woke up to violent, throbbing bass and hot, sticky air.

My head felt like a rock weighing down on my body. Looking down, I saw that I was alone on a ratty couch in the corner of a club. I raised my eyes to find a building packed with people, most of whom filled up the enormous dance floor, moving with the thumping bass that was currently ripping through my skull. A girl in a short black dress on the floor danced alone, taking turns between hitting a blunt and drinking out of a bottle of rum, a group of teenagers in the corner sat smoking hookah, and a group of guys by the bar stood surveying the crowd for someone to go home with. A tattered banner over the bar read: 1st ANNIVERSARY OF THE EXTRAORDINARIES RIOT.

Cool. So everything was normal.

I noticed that my t-shirt felt cold and wet, like it had just come out of the washer. The knees of my jeans were ripped clean open, and my favorite boots were all scuffed up.

Great, I thought. Now I have to send a request for more clothes.

As if the Necrose would approve it. I could just go and get some, but it would be easier to get them delivered. I fixed my eyes on the camera above me, which held a small N insignia on its side, complete with 2 small snakes ringing the letter. If only they could see my thoughts as well as my life.

After a few seconds of reluctance, I convinced myself to get up. Waking up in an unfamiliar place wasn't a foreign experience for me. Following my usual protocol, I waded through a crowd of sweat and skin to the bathroom. I pushed the door open and stumbled over to the grimy sink, observing the state of my face amidst graffiti and phone numbers in the mirror.

"Shit," I muttered. I hastily raised my fingers to clean out the rims of my eyes and fix my hair. It didn't do much to help, but I looked slightly less homeless. My brown hair was still disheveled, my green eyes still bloodshot, my skin paler than usual. Knowing the kinds of things that happened to people that passed out alone in Ether, I was mostly relieved to see I still had a face—an Ordinary face, but a face nonetheless.

Suddenly, the door burst open and my friend Jade almost fell over in relief as our eyes met. "Thank god," she laughed, throwing glittery arms around me. She looked me up and down like she'd expected to find me in much worse condition. "We thought something had happened to you! Why haven't you been answering your phone?"

I pulled my phone out of my jeans and hit the unlock button, but the screen stayed black. I shot Jade a sheepish look. "I think it died. Sorry for scaring you guys. What the hell happened though? I can barely remember anything."

She tossed her long, shiny black hair over her shoulder and gave me a smile that I didn't particularly like. "You don't remember? Honestly, Luke, I'm not too surprised to hear that." She didn't say anything else, instead grabbing my shoulders and steering me out of the bathroom. "By the way, you look like shit," she finished.

I met her deep brown eyes, ringed with eyeliner as black as night, and rolled my eyes. "Well, I'm sorry, Jade, but not everyone can look perfect all the time."

It was true, too. Jade might have been Ordinary, but her face was anything but—even after knowing her for more than a year, Jade's beauty was striking. Her dark ebony skin glowed with health, and her face could have been crafted by Aphrodite herself; her sharp cheekbones and strong jaw gave her an air of fierceness. Her hair flowed perfectly over her bare back, and the black dress she was wearing hugged her perfect figure flawlessly.

"Shut up," she joked, rolling her eyes back at me. She led me over to the bar, where our other friend Eric was sipping on what was probably his fourth margarita. His black hair was shaped in a quiff and his muscles rippled as he raised the glass. His sluggish movements told me this wasn't his first drink.