Page 32 of Dying in Flames (Reborn 4)
Maya
“This is so cool!”I admitted, shouting over the music blasting through the speakers as Jordan nodded eagerly next to me. We were currently perched on a balcony overlooking the massive spread of the club, where hundreds of bodies moved together in one joint effort. In contrast, the private suite beyond the glass doors behind us was far more comfortable and intimate. This balcony allowed me to experience both, and I knew my mates had done that on purpose.
Of course, I’d been nervous about the media, especially seeing how many had been there at our arrival, but once we had taken a back staircase up to this room, the entire night had turned into a dream.
Unlike the chaos below, which I loved watching, the private suite was all black leather and velvet, set up in a way that allowed for everything anyone could want. There was a massive television that a series of couches faced. There were chairs facing the balcony, and even a separate connected room that consisted of a buffet table, an entrance to a private bathroom suite, and a door that I had a feeling led to a kitchen since food kept being brought out from there. It had dim, comfortable lighting, and the music and fog from below drifted up, allowing us to feel part of the experience without feeling overwhelmed.
My eyes ran over the black gothic interior of the club, wondering if it was always like this or if this had been done specifically for this holiday. Either way, it totally worked, and while the music wasn’t from a band I’d heard before, I found myself moving to the beat as the railing I hung onto vibrated from how loud it was below. Live music—how exciting. I could see Anani and Ledger watching the performance a few feet away, and I wondered if they ever missed being on stage like that. I would have asked them if I wasn’t so enamored with watching the rest of the club.
I thought I heard my name called, and when I turned back to look into the private suite, I found Henry staring at me while talking to Marco. I flashed a smile before looking back at Jordan, her eyes hyper-focused on the crowd as if looking for someone as well.
“What are you looking for?” I asked. I mean, I didn’t think we knew anyone here, and Jordan’s mates were all spread out throughout our suite, talking to my own and having a beer. Her mates seemed a bit stressed out, but Jordan didn’t seem overly concerned. In fact, something about it seemed a bit amusing to her, and I had to wonder if it was because of her outfit. Something I wouldn’t have normally assumed if I didn’t notice her mates randomly narrowing their eyes at the dress as if it was upsetting them. Honestly, it was a bit funny.
“Anyone we know.” Jordan shrugged and then flashed me a smile. “There probably isn’t anyone, but in such a big crowd it’s fun to pick out people.”
I nodded and then asked, “What do most people do on Halloween?”
She shook her head, smiling. “The kids at school are holding some ridiculous party. Not nearly as cool as this, trust me.” Jordan offered me a ‘cheers’ motion with the glass of bubbly we each had. I wasn’t super interested in drinking tonight, especially not more than a few sips, but I loved the sound of the glasses tapping together, so I met hers, finding it so cute that someone had decided that it was a fun way to signify celebrating. Mind you, I had been very confused when she first explained it to me, but now I completely understood.
“What are the ones at school like?” I asked curiously.
“Drunk kids from our class all slobbering over each other and trying to get laid.” She winced. “Not very fun, especially when you aren’t into any of the people there.”
“That is gross,” I muttered and then tilted my head. “Did you go to a lot of parties?”
“After my mom died.” She nodded and then smirked. “And that was how I found out that everyone is just trying to— Cupcakes!” she suddenly declared, her eyes darting over my shoulder before offering me a tense smile that had me super confused. “We need cupcakes.”
Following her gaze, I turned around and jumped, moving out of the way when I found one of her mates standing there staring at her. It wasn’t Marcellus. No, this guy was bigger and scarier…and way quieter. He just stared at Jordan as she put her chin up and stared back. The tension between them was pretty darn noticeable, and I wished I had paid better attention when she introduced all of them, because right now his name was pretty much just ‘Scary and Intimidating’ in my head. Jordan didn’t seem fazed at all, though.
Then again, my friend was pretty tough, so that didn’t surprise me.
“Cupcakes?” I hedged, trying to help.
“We need some,” she agreed.
“Who?” His voice was clipped and dark.
“Who has cupcakes?” Jordan blinked. “Well, that is a good question—”
“Who tried that at the parties?” he demanded. His voice really sounded like he didn’t talk very often.
Jordan scowled. “Nope, not telling you anything. That’s how someone ended up dead.”
“Someone ended up dead?” I asked, my eyes widening.
“Sort of dead,” Jordan amended.
“How can someone be ‘sort of’ dead?” Ledger asked, appearing behind me and making me smile up at him.
“I snapped his neck and he came back to life,” the man stated, keeping his eyes on Jordan.
“These are humans, so I am not telling you.” She crossed her arms.
Suddenly, Jordan was up and over the man’s shoulder as they disappeared out the suite door to the hallway. Well then. I looked up at Ledger, who smirked at me, obviously finding the interaction funny.
“I sort of want cupcakes now,” I admitted and went up on my toes, adjusting his ears. “I absolutely love these on you.” So much so that I’d taken pictures on Marco’s phone when we first got in here so that I would be able to print them out. I mean, I couldn’t let an opportunity like this go to waste, and now I also had an adorable one of Jordan and me. Jordan had sent me some of the photos from the people outside that had been posted to social media, and while they were nice, I much preferred my own.
I knew Atlas was stressed that the photos exposed where we were for the night, even if there was a security team outside in the hallway. I tried to put that to the back of my mind, not wanting to work myself up to not having a good time. I was safe with my mates, so I wouldn’t overthink it.
