I woke up with a killer headache. Groaning, I rolled over, and spotted a small plate of food and a glass of water sitting on my nightstand. Two aspirin were also thoughtfully provided. I downed them immediately, then took in my surroundings.
I was in my room, though I had no recollection of how I had gotten there or when I had changed into pjs. I tried to recall last night. It was a fuzzy mixture of drinks and dancing with Steven and being forced to leave by Diamond. That was pretty much all I remembered.
For a fleeting second, I panicked as I thought of Diamond changing my clothes, but then I saw a note on the nightstand from Sophie and I knew that she had taken care of me. She was always a great friend.
I picked through my food, changed clothes and made myself somewhat presentable unto society, then reread the note. It told me to head to the library at 10:30am. I glanced at the clock. It was 10:34.
I shuffled out of my room and down the hall, then stepped into the library. It smelled of old paper and leather, and it was actually really nice compared to the lobby/hangout area. I walked past the shelves of books to a reading nook, where Diamond and Sophie were sitting and waiting.
"You're late," Diamond said irritably. I rolled my eyes. "Bite me."
Sophie gestured to the chair next to her. "You can sit here." It sounded more like an order than a suggestion, but I took it and sat. We all sat in awkward silence for a little bit, until Sophie said, "Amber, I'm worried about you."
"Is that why I'm here? An intervention?" I asked. "Look, I'm fine. I just had to get used to partying again. I know I got a little out of control, but I'm good now. I can control myself."
Sophie frowned. "I don't know, Amber. You were pretty drunk. You're lucky Diamond came and got you."
"Which, by the way, I still haven't heard a thanks for," he said grumpily. I could see the anger in his eyes, and I couldn't help but wonder if there was ever time when he wasn't angry.
"Excuse you," I said, getting a little angry myself, "but I was perfectly fine. I knew what I was doing. Steven was my friend."
"Some friend," Diamond snarled. "He tried to take you home for the night drunk. You know what that's called? It's called rape."
I scowled. "I knew what was going on! I wasn't going to let him try anything. He just offered me a ride home!"
"Who knows where he was taking you!" Diamond's voice raised a little more. "For all we know, you could've been murdered and left in a dumpster."
I stood, fuming. "Just let me live my life, damn it! I just got out of a controlling relationship, and I sure as hell don't need you trying to tell me what I can and can't do too!" With that, I stormed off. I heard Diamond call my name, but I didn't turn around or acknowledge it. Who did he think he was? My parent? Just because I had a shortage of those didn't mean I wanted him to step in.
I kept walking straight out the door, into the woods surrounding the hotel. Before I realized I had no idea where I was going, I was standing in the middle of the woods, lost, with no idea which way I had come from. Great.
I tried retracing my steps, but to no avail. While I thought about what to do next (I still hadn't gotten a new phone yet), I heard humming nearby. I followed the sound of the woman's voice until I made it to a small clearing, where a girl with long brown hair was weeding in a garden. When I walked up, she turned to look at me.
"You must be Amber," she said, but not in a friendly way. More like she was noticing something that she didn't really care to deal with.
"That's me," I said. "You are?"
YOU ARE READING
Flicker
ParanormalAmber's life was far from perfect, but it did have its good parts. Until she hit her 17th birthday. That's when everything started falling apart. Amber struggles to figure everything out, but between her new and strange friends, possessive boyfrien...