VIVIAN

I slammed the shot glass on the bar counter and the group of people hooted around me. A wide smile spread on my face. It was safe to say I was a little tipsy, but the moment I decided I wasn't going to feel petty anymore, I turned my night around. Back at Paris too, I'd always been the life of the party.

The place was alive, even more now than it had been before, practically breathing with the number of people jammed inside. Music shook the walls, each heavy bass drop sending vibrations through the floorboards. Laughter and shouts mixed with the clinking of glasses, the sizzle of spilled beer on tile, and the thud of footsteps pounding up and down the staircase.

I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. My hair clung to the back of my neck, damp from the heat of too many bodies crammed into too small a space. Someone shoved a shot into my hand — sweet, sharp-smelling tequila — and the circle around me cheered.

"Vivian! Vivian! Vivian!"

Their voices rose over the music, urging me on, making me feel like I was on top of the world.

"Go girl, chug em out!" someone shouted. I giggled, wobbling a little on my feet, but caught myself against the sticky countertop. My head was fuzzy, my cheeks hurting from smiling. I didn't even hesitate — I tipped the shot back and slammed the glass down upside-down, grinning as the burn slid down my throat. The crowd roared their approval. Someone lifted me off the ground in a brief, dizzying hug before setting me down again.

I didn't realize, at first, that the room had shifted. That the circle around me had thinned, leaving more space than before. That the cheers had softened, fading into murmurs and glances over shoulders.

It was the feeling that tipped me off — a slow, cold awareness creeping up the back of my neck, threading through the drunken haze.

I straightened, blinking blearily, trying to place it. A cold shiver ran down my spine, and suddenly, all the voices around me began to fade into a distant hum. Maybe I was a little more than just tipsy. Either that, or the high was playing tricks on my mind.

Ignoring the crowd pressing around me, I fumbled with my purse, trying to pull out my phone. My vision blurred at the edges, and a slow, heavy pounding began to throb behind my eyes.

Before I could unlock it, someone yanked hard on my arm. A sudden flash of a camera seared my retinas, leaving white spots dancing in my vision.

I jerked back instinctively, trying to shield my face, but the grip was too strong—and the crowd was too thick. Another flash. Then another. A relentless storm of lights burst around me.

My breathing turned ragged, shallow. It felt like invisible hands were creeping up my neck, squeezing, cutting off my air supply.

"Please..." I whispered, but my voice was swallowed whole by the blaring music and the roar of the party.

"Please, let me go!" I cried louder, panic sharpening my words. I shoved against the wall of bodies surrounding me, but it was like swimming through wet cement.

I kept my gaze fixed on the floor; even the smallest flash of light stabbed at my temples like knives. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a narrow opening between the bodies—a small chance, a way out.

Without thinking, I sprinted toward it, bursting through the crowd and out into the cool night air.

The second I stepped outside, the noise dimmed to a low, muffled thrum. My heartbeat, which had been a frantic drumbeat against my ribs, slowed—just barely.

I bent over, hands on my knees, sucking in huge gulps of cold air. My entire body was trembling.

Lifting my head, I glanced around. The street was eerily quiet, despite the music still pounding faintly from inside. The night was thick and dark, the only light coming from flickering streetlamps. A few students loitered near the corners, smoking and laughing softly.

Something felt wrong.

My skin crawled with unease.

I unlocked my phone with trembling fingers, desperate to call Eli and get the hell out of here.

Before I could dial, a rough hand clamped around my wrist, yanking me backward toward the club.

A scream tore from my throat before I even registered what was happening.

"What are you doing? Who are you? Let me go!" I cried, struggling to free myself.

The boy pulling me wasn't much older than me—a fellow student, maybe—but he was drunk, his movements clumsy and his grip bruising. He muttered something incoherent under his breath, swaying on his feet.

Adrenaline surged through me.

With a burst of strength, I wrenched my arm free and stumbled back. He lunged for me again.

I didn't think—just acted.

I slammed the pointy heel of my stiletto down hard onto his foot.

He howled in pain, doubling over, and before he could recover, I drove my knee up into his groin with every ounce of strength I had.

He crumpled to the ground, groaning and clutching himself.

"Bastard," I spat, breathless and shaking.

I turned away, my heart hammering in my chest, but froze.

The feeling was back. Stronger this time.

I whipped my head around, scanning the dark street. The dark tress lining the other side of the road created shadows that could have easily been mistaken for a man. I wasn't that drunk, or was I? A soft rustle sound reached my ears, I turned around, my eyes searching every direction like a madwoman for anyone who might come out all of a sudden.

And that's when I saw it.

For the briefest second, a white blur—a flash like a face—appeared between the trees. Then it was gone.

"Who's there?" I shouted, my voice cracking, every nerve in my body stretched taut.

"Vivian," a voice said behind me, and a hand landed on my shoulder.

I whirled around, my fist halfway raised to strike.

It was Eli.

He stepped back, hands raised slightly, his expression darkening the second he saw the look of sheer terror etched across my face.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

I opened my mouth, glanced over my shoulder—

The spot where the drunken boy had fallen was empty.

"Nothing," I said quickly, swallowing the lump in my throat. "I just took a few shots. My head's killing me. Can you drop me off at the dorm?"

He didn't question me. He just nodded and led me to the car.

The entire ride back, neither of us spoke. I didn't ask where he had disappeared to earlier—and he didn't volunteer the information.

Even after I was safely back in my bed, the covers pulled up to my chin, I couldn't shake the feeling.

The feeling that tonight, I had seen something I wasn't supposed to see.

And someone had seen me, too.

-x-x-x-x-

This is the end of Chapter 4. Reminded you of someone familiar? Well, it's just the beginning. Even Vivian doesn't know what is waiting for her. Stay tuned to find out. Follow me on my Instagram (: authornephthys and paperhearts.x) for more updates. Don't forget to vote!

Thank you for reading!

Nephthys