Chapter 1: The Night I Stopped Being Invisible

Aria

“Aria, you are coming with me tonight. No excuses"

Erica’s voice rang through the room as she stood in front of me, already dressed as the night belonged to her. Her red lipstick complemented her red short gown. 

I didn’t look up immediately. My eyes stayed glued to the book in my hands, even though I hadn’t turned the page in the last five minutes.

“It’s just a party,” she added, softer this time. “Your last night in high school. You can’t spend it reading.”

My fingers tightened slightly around the page.

Last night.

The words echoed in my head longer than they should have.

Four years of sleepless nights, silence, distance and survival. And now it is over.

The latest Valedictorian of Wesley Fall High.

I had done it.

Every sacrifice… every moment… it had all paid off.

Maybe, just maybe, I deserved one night.

“I’ll go,” I said quietly.

The reaction was instant.

Erica gasped as I had just told her. “Wait, seriously?!”

“But I don’t have a dress,” I added quickly, already regretting my decision.

“That,” she said, spinning dramatically toward her closet, “is not a problem.”

Erica never had problems with dresses; she bought one for every occasion and sometimes just because she felt like it. Unlike me, her father could afford anything she wanted.

Dresses flew out like confetti—red, black, silver, short, tight, revealing. I wasn't used to that.

I stared at them, unsure of what to pick.

"Aria, pick one, or we’re going to be late!"

“Okay, okay," I sighed. “But I don't want any of these”. I muttered 

“It's a club, not a church," she shot back. “You have to show some skin.”

I hesitated, then walked closer to her closet.

Then I saw it, tucked among the other garments; the gold dress refused to blend in, its glow piercing through the nylon wrap and drawing the eye instantly.

“Can I take this?” A wide smile spread across my face like I had found a trophy.

Erica glanced over. “Perfect, now hurry.”

I slipped into it. 

The dress fit as if it were made for me.

The long gown hugged my body in a way I wasn't used to, the slit brushing against my thigh as I moved. My back was exposed, revealing my skin, but my hair covered most of it.

I applied light makeup. It was my first time doing it myself, but I had watched Erica enough times to manage something decent. 

I stepped out and turned for Erica's approval. She froze.

“No. No, no, no,” She said immediately 

My heart dropped. “What?”

“The glasses.”

Instinctively, my hand went to my face.

“I can't read without them”

“You are not going there to read”

Before I could argue, she took them off. 

Sit, her hands gesturing to the chair. She dipped the brush lightly into the blush and swept it across the apple of my cheeks, and lightly tousled my hair.

“Now, you are ready.” She moved from the mirror and gave me time to assess myself.

The air felt thin; the small touch-up added color to my cheeks, and for a moment… I couldn't recognize the girl staring back. 

She looked beautiful. Different. Like someone who didn't belong to the life I knew.

“Now,” Erica said, satisfied. “You’re ready.”

I swallowed. Maybe… just for tonight.

Erica's boyfriend was already waiting at the hostel gate. I still wondered how they had always sneaked out with CCTV everywhere. They had been together since she was sixteen.

We got to the club, Erica's boyfriend showed the tickets and we were let in immediately, bypassing the long queue outside.

I could hear their grumbles as we walked past. 

The club was nothing like I expected.

The moment we stepped in, everything hit me at once. Loud music vibrating through my chest, lights, heat, bodies moving too close, too fast.

The air smelled like alcohol and something heavier.

Girls danced half-dressed as the boys threw money at their bodies. On the stage, I saw strippers, completely naked. 

It was my first time seeing something or being there.

I instinctively reached for my glasses… then stopped.

I had forgotten I wasn't wearing them; it felt strange, like I had left a part of me behind. I had never taken them off except in the bathroom.

I pushed deeper into the room. Everywhere I looked, people my age were tangled in ways I couldn't even process.  

The club had two floors. Upstairs looked like VIP, but it was open; people downstairs could still see everything happening above.

And then I saw him… Noah Sterling.

Surrounded…always surrounded. Even from a distance, he stood out.

Girls pressed against him, like he was something to be claimed. One feeding him a drink, two at his sides with his hands on their shoulders, their hands stroking his chest, others sitting close, giggling at words he barely said. 

Noah's eyes were cold, as always. He seemed detached, like nothing in the room mattered. They gave me an eerie feeling every time I saw him. I never understood what girls liked about him.

I rolled my eyes in disgust and searched for Erica amongst the crowds. 

A hand pulled me—it was Erica's, dragging me towards the bar, shouting something I couldn't hear over the music. 

She handed me a drink. “Here…have some!”

“I don't drink!…” I shouted back.

“You have to loosen up, Aria! Just one!”

I hesitated… then took it. In just a swoop, gulped it down; it burned slightly and tasted flat.

Erica grinned. “Go, girl!”

She waved at the bartender, and another drink came in before I could respond. 

“I'm okay,” I said quickly.

“Just one more, I promise.”

I shouldn't have, but I did. This was my first, but my gut told me I couldn’t hold liquor.

A few minutes later, the world felt off…

Too loud. Too bright. 

Erica had been pulled to the dance floor by her boyfriend, laughing as nothing else mattered.

I sat alone watching them, a small smile spread on my lips. They had always looked adorable together.

But then dizziness crept in.

I stood up to find the restroom, pushing through the crowd. My steps were uneven, my head light.

A gasp escaped my lips; a hand had grabbed my butt.

“Hey, get your hands off me!” I half yelled, but my voice disappeared into the air.

My face burned with embarrassment as I quickened my step.

Almost at the door, a hand grabbed me. Hard.

A body pressed me against the wall.

A sharp inhale slipped past my lips in the sudden silence 

I looked up, and it was the same guy from the dance floor.

He was breathing down my neck. His breath, heavy with alcohol.

“You are too beautiful to be left alone,” he slurred.

He leaned in, my heart slamming against my chest.

I closed my eyes in panic.

No one can save me now. 

A fist flew past me; I felt the sudden rush of the wind. 

A sickening crack echoed. And he dropped to the ground. My eyes snapped open.

I stumbled forward with shaky breath—

And when I turned.

I found myself staring straight into Noah Sterling's eyes.