Nowhere Girl

Elliot

Author's Note: I have changed my main character's name from Syra to Nora, and this is what she will be referred to throughout the story now. Sorry for the confusion!

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To call the Lee's abode a 'house' would have been a disservice to the place. As Nora looked upon the building from her car window, the word 'mansion' came to mind. A white fortress of glass stood in the centre of the neighbourhood, artificial light shining upon it from every angle and crevice. She didn't know what she had expected- after all, the Lees were famous in her school for their status as influential oil tycoons.

She sat in her car for several minutes, contemplating her situation. Even from the confines of her black Toyota, she could hear music booming very faintly in the air. The city's strict laws ensured that no party could become so riotous that its presence would disturb the entire neighbourhood, but inside the house was a different story. She highly doubted that Laura's party would be controlled in any way.

Nora shook her head, mustering up her courage. In and out, she told herself. She'd step in, retrieve Ash, and bolt. She exited the car, feeling the warm Singapore air smother her. Her hands had become sweaty in the damp air- or was it just her nervousness? She longed for the chilly weather in Innsbruck; the small Austrian town she'd lived in before coming here. Singapore had its charms, but the perpetual heat of the tropics certainly wasn't one.

She walked towards the gated entrance of the house, beyond which she could see the sprawling expanse of a garden, complete with a marble fountain. The gate was open, which she found strange, but after all, this was Singapore. Her father had once called it utopia.

In a matter of seconds, she was at the front door. Nora turned the handle and stepped in.

Inside she saw her worst nightmare come to life.

It was everything she had expected, and worse. The halls were teeming with crowds of bodies, all glistening with sweat and spilled drink. Almost everyone had a cup of amber liquid in their hands, and those who weren't were dancing to Party Rock Anthem in a frenzy. The music thumped around her, ringing through her bones, but not nearly loud enough to drown the noise of blood rushing through her ears.

She swallowed, taking shaky steps inside the house, her eyes scanning the throng for her friends. Her hands wrung her shirt, and she suddenly felt very underdressed. Everyone in her vicinity was clad in beautiful ensembles, and she had literally just jumped out of her bed. She shoved the thought away. She wouldn't look good in a dress anyway- Evie had told her as much, very cautiously, when they'd gone shopping together and she had tried one on.

She grit her teeth as she pushed her way past the crowd. Where were they? She had already made two dizzying rounds around the first floor. The world was swaying beneath her feet, and still the incessant booming from the stereo would not stop. Her fingers reached for her phone, fumbling with the keys until she found Evie's number.

But when she brought the phone to her ear, she could barely even hear the line ring. Cursing, she moved out of the crowded hallway- only to accidentally slam into a couple entwined into each other.

"I am so sorry." she blurted out, her hands in the air. The couple hardly gave her a second glance before they resumed their activity unfazed.

She sighed, glancing upwards. The second floor seemed relatively quieter.

That much was obvious when she clambered up the steps. The lack of furniture and people rendered the second floor even more cavernous than the first, and soon she was lost in the maze of its hallways. At least it was quiet. She brought her phone up to her ear to call Evie again, but stopped dead in her tracks.