The Escape Room

Invasive

I tossed yet another dress out of my closet.

"Althea, you're not even helping!" I sigh in desperation. The party was in less than two hours and I hadn't even picked out something to wear, let alone done my makeup.

"Okay, okay." She says, still solely focused on her phone. She texts another message before locking her phone and sweeping her dark hair out of the way. She gets up and primps in my mirror for a brief moment before crossing over to my closet and shifting through the clothes.

"Who was that?" I ask, a smirk clear in my voice.

"The love of my life," she replies, sarcastically, "I just can't get enough of him." She adds jokingly.

I couldn't help but notice she was dressed to impress. Her long, silky hair hung freely and framed her face perfectly. Even though she was well over 5'7, she still wore wedges with a yellow sundress that complimented her tan skin well.

We were both excited to go to the beach party today and there was no way either of us was going under-dressed.

Althea turns around and hands me a white skater dress. I eye it as if I'm not sure I want to wear it but I eventually crack a smile.

"Oh, shut up and just put it on." She said, rolling her eyes. She knew it was my favorite.

I stripped and pulled it on over my bikini before joining her next to my floor length mirror.

My makeup bag was on the corner of the counter immediately next to the mirror although most of its contents were scattered all over the place. We both took turns using the many mascaras and lip glosses.

After that, we looked ourselves up and down one last time.
Next to her, we could appear as sisters at first glance. We both had dark hair with tall and skinny yet muscular builds.

I grab my car keys and close the door before leaving my room. We walk down the hall and out the front door without being bothered.

#

It's at dusk that we're driving when I get an unsettling feeling in my stomach. I look around the roads but don't see much movement or any cars for that fact. It's just us.

"Great." Althea says from the chair next to me. She begins to search underneath her car seat.

"What's wrong? What did you lose?" I pry my eyes away from the road, and look at her. She returns to her normal state and looks ahead.

"I left my phone at your house."

"That's alright, I have mine... Not that we'll need it." I say winking. I reach into the console to show her my phone but I don't feel it.

"...that's weird, I'm almost positive I grabbed my phone when I got the car keys." I say, frowning.

"Whatever, we're just here to party, what could go wrong?" She leans over and turns the radio up more.

Soon we can smell the saltwater and hear the seagulls in the distance. The powdery white snow from the east coast is soft and we practically glide over it. The sun finally sets somewhere beyond the ocean and illuminates the sky with a golden glow. Just below it, a huge orange fire burns.

That's when the smell of smoke reaches our noses and the music greets our ears. I smile at Jessica and she returns it as I park the car and grab our things.

"Ready?" I ask.

"Always."

Leaving our shoes in the car, we grab our things and head toward the mass of bodies surrounding the bonfire. They sway to the electronic sound of a summer dance mix.