The Night Children Series: The Fledgling's Feeding

1 The Awakening

“No,” I hear Sigrid say over and over. Not once have I heard a yes from him. This whole night, every time I want to do something, he always has to be the responsible one and stop the fun. He is like one of those uptight neighbors who calls the police on street parties. 

And don’t judge- I know, I know, my best friend is a guy. You are probably curious as to how a girl could be friends with a guyand not have any awkward moments. Especially at age eighteen. Well almost eighteen. You see, it is my birthday tonight. 

And I want to go to my first frat party.

“Please, Sigrid. If we get in, I won’t ask for anything else this whole night,” I plead to him. We are standing outside of one of those famous night clubs called Endless Weekends. There is a house about a block away that is hosting a frat party that my boyfriend, Jason, was begging me to go to. He wouldn’t shut up about it the entire week.

“We are going to get in either way with Jason.” He says.

I look straight into Sigrid’s hazel-green eyes, which isn’t hard because of his short height and my heels. “Sigrid, please,” I beg, and all of a sudden my tone changed into some adult-convincing-other-adults sort of tone. It sounded so reasonable, I couldn’t even believe they were my words. 

Sigrid noticed the change too, but strangely brushed it off. His face softened,“Alright,” he nods, and starts heading toward the street with the fraternity house.

When my brother Nathan and I moved in with our Uncle Jeremy, I went through a really hard time. Of corse any seven-year-old girl would if they were left to live with only men. Nathan would make fun of me for staying home for some of the parties I was invited to. Joke’s on him. While he’s in Michigan studying, I’m going to a frat party.

The loud music was already audible from a block away. I walked along the sidewalk, listening to the clang of my heels following the steady rhythm of the music. If I concentrated I could hear the murmurs and footsteps of college students. I could even smell the alcohol and smoke. It was so weird how I could from this far away, but it was a frat party.

I notice Sigrid panicking. We both never gone to college parties. Every time Jason asks us, we decline. This was our first time, and yet I wasn’t nervous. I was excited.

The house came into view. There was a walkway that went through the lawn to the entrance. The whole lawn was filled with mingling adults. Well, anyone eighteen and up. Everyone, with an exception of maybe two people, were holding plastic cups, probably filled with alcohol. Their voices filled my head, and I tried my best to block them out.

I felt a little insecure with how I was dressed. Sure, I didn’t have many friends, but I wasn’t a loser and I certainly knew how to “dress to impress,” but I didn’t know how college students “dressed to impress.” 

I wore black fabric shorts that were flowing, and not too short, but higher than mid-thigh. With a blue shirt that was also flowing, but was tucked in. It was basically sleeveless besides the many strings intertwining over my chest and shoulders. The outfit was nice and made me look more mature with my four-inch heels and extra height.

 When we got to the door, I was flooded with relief when I saw one of Jason’s frat brothers I actually knew. “Hey, Elijah.” I say to him, I assume he was the “guard” and checking on everyone who came into the party. 

“Hey, Aubrey. Happy birthday. Jason won’t shut up about it.” He smiles and scoots away from the door for Sigrid and I to walk in.

Oddly, every single person there was pale, thin, and tall-- Like me. There were about ten people there that weren’t, including Sigrid.