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It was her first time attending a seaside festival.
Shen Yue had her senses on overdrive with all the flashing neon lights, the music reverberating from the large speakers and the sounds of shouting and laughter. The smell of the sea air mixing with the smell of alcohol and sweat from the bodies of strangers bumping and singing to the tune of the music made her head spin in excitement and anxiety.
If she wasn't too excited about arriving an hour before the festival was about the start, she might have been sober enough to remember she should charge her phone too as she looked helplessly at the sight in front of her. Her phone wouldn't probably last all day if she took pictures of all the artists before Mayday.
Sighing, she placed her hand on top of her head with her eyes darting around the area, sizing up the crowd. It would be hard to go in front without elbowing many people. She needed a better plan than winging it.
The neatly tied ponytail she had earlier was already a mass of messy hair bun and she wasn't even halfway nearer from the stage. The sweat that trickled down her neck and back was a bitter reminder that she should have also ditched her denim jacket before she went out of their hotel. It wasn't helping her tide through the heatwave. Nobody would have minded her crop top, anyway.
Lightly, she shook her head as if to rid her mind of bad thoughts; she reminded herself she wanted to have a good time. Mayday was playing later in the evening. She still had time to find her friends.
She looked behind her and assessed how far she'd gone from the end of the crowd and the gated entrance. The trellises of sunflowers acting as a barricade being her point of reference.
Not far enough.
The pit was much more packed than she expected, thinking this festival wasn't as popular as the rest of those her friends mentioned to her, she could only imagine how much more crowded were the other festivals they went to.
The adrenaline that pumped in her veins made her walk so fast that she felt like the squeak of her sandals would be enough to get heard from a mile away. It was too late when she realized she got swept away by the crowd, away from her friends. All along she thought they were right behind her as she weaved her way among the tangle of arms and legs, but before she knew it, she was already standing alone.
Worriedly, she tried searching familiar faces in the sea of people, darting her eyes back and forth, making sure she can't miss them if she found them.
She tried to tip-toe and crane her neck as much as possible to look for her companions.
Oh no.
If she knew she would easily get lost like this, she would have taken up Dylan Wang's offer to hold his hand before they entered the area.
"I'll be dead before I'll tell him that though," she silently berated herself. Knowing him for years would have made her more affectionate if she wasn't so used to being too careful and guarded.
