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Present Day...

•T–––M–––V–––P–––L•

Elizabeth stood in front of the mirror, tugging at the hem of her short yellow dress for what felt like the hundredth time that evening. She frowned at her reflection, her unease growing as she studied her appearance. The dress, which had been a gift from her mother on her twenty-second birthday just two months ago, felt like a stranger on her body. It was one of those pieces that had stayed in the back of her closet, tags still attached, never worn—until now.

She sighed heavily, her eyes trailing over the dress that left little to the imagination. Her cleavage was on full display, her long legs and thighs were exposed, and the fabric clung tightly to her every curve. It wasn't that the dress was unflattering—it was stunning, if she was being honest—but it was so far from her usual style that she felt like an imposter. Her mother, the former prom queen and ever the fashionista, had adored the dress. Elizabeth, on the other hand, had always been more comfortable in hoodies and jeans, preferring comfort over fashion.

“I look really bad, right?” she asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty as she glanced over at her best friend, Freya, who was perched on her bed, meticulously fixing her lashes as she held a hand mirror in hand.

Freya looked up, momentarily abandoning her makeup to assess Elizabeth’s appearance. With a shake of her head, she set the mirror aside and crossed the room to stand beside her friend. “You know your mom would be thrilled to see you in this dress,” Freya said, her tone both comforting and encouraging. “You look like a princess, Eli.”

Elizabeth sighed again, this time more out of resignation than discomfort. “I guess,” she muttered, still tugging at the dress as if that would make it magically grow longer. She caught Freya's gaze in the mirror, searching for reassurance. “Are you sure? I feel so... exposed. What if it’s too much? What if my breasts are too out there? And my thighs—this dress is practically painted on!”

Freya gently turned Elizabeth to face her, placing a hand on both her shoulders. “Calm down, Eli. The dress is perfect. Look at me—my whole back is exposed, and I’m not freaking out,” she said with a wink. “Believe me, once I’m done with your makeup, you’ll turn heads at that party. Everyone will be captivated by your beauty and your perfect shape.”

Elizabeth smiled. That was one thing she loved about her Freya. Even at her lowest point, Freya always found a way to make her feel on top of the world.

“You sure?” Elizabeth asked again, her gaze meeting Freya’s baby-blue eyes, which were filled with nothing but confidence and affection.

“Excuse you,” Freya scoffed, playfully rolling her eyes. "Have you seen yourself, Eli? Are you sure you looked in the mirror?" She spun Elizabeth around to face the mirror again, their reflections staring back at them. “Look at the beauty staring back at you—those gorgeous honey-colored eyes, and the yellow dress just kisses your chocolate complexion. I haven’t even done your makeup yet, and you’re already stunning. I bet every guy at that party will be drooling when they see you.”

Elizabeth didn't say anything in response to her best friend. She only nodded, taking in intervals of deep breaths as she closed her eyes, envisioning how her time at the party would go. Perhaps, she'd make a lot of friends or maybe she'd even meet the one. At the same time, she still felt uncomfortable with her dress — although Freya had told her she didn't look anywhere near bad and rather, she looked enthralling.

“So, can I order a Lyft now? Well, after I do your makeup,” Freya’s voice broke through her thoughts.

Elizabeth opened her eyes and nodded, albeit hesitantly. “Yeah, sure.”

It took some few minutes for Freya to do Elizabeth makeup and once she'd done that, she ordered a Lyft. In less than ten minutes they were both out of the house, but not without promising Freya’s parents that they wouldn’t drink too much and that they would call if they weren’t going to make it home that night.

•T–––M–––V–––P–––L•

Music could be heard as the car reached its destination. Elizabeth knew the place they were, it was the downtown side of Svetyland — the beautiful street they were was the Beverly hills in Svetyland, which was inhabited by only the rich and elites, nevertheless, little was known about the occupants of the estate.

Apart from the estate being famous for its rich occupants, Elizabeth knew it was also famous for people mysteriously disappearing. And Elizabeth remembered her mother had warned her to stay clear of that particular street because of everything that had been going on within.

From the car window Elizabeth watched the people on the well illuminated street; they could be seen moving around the street with bottles of beer and soda in their hand.

“We've arrived!” Freya sang in a singsong tone, tapping her best friend enthusiastically. “I can't wait to Party!”

“But what are we doing here?” Elizabeth asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Freya! Don't tell me you aren't aware of everything going on here?”

Freya waved off her worry with a dismissive hand. “Nothing is going to happen, Eli. My new friend assured me of that.”

Elizabeth only shook her head. If she'd known that the party Freya was planning on dragging her to was downtown she would have insisted that she wasn't going.

After paying the Lyft driver, they both got down from the car and suddenly, Elizabeth felt cold and tried dragging her gown down. Freya noticed it and placed her hand on her friend's shoulder as a way to reassure her.

"It's just a party, and I promise I’m going to stick to you like glue," Freya said with a comforting smile.

Elizabeth nodded, clutching her purse tightly as they walked towards the entrance of a massive mansion where the party was being held. The music grew louder as they approached, the heavy bass reverberating through the ground. Freya led the way, weaving through the crowd with Elizabeth in tow, but as they passed, Elizabeth couldn’t help but notice the strange looks they were getting. The gazes felt unsettling, almost predatory, and she wondered if Freya had noticed them too—or if it was just her imagination.

When they reached the backyard, the music faded into the background, replaced by the soft murmur of conversation and the gentle splash of water in the pool. The backyard was beautifully illuminated, with fairy lights strung up in the trees, casting a warm glow over the scene. Some people lounged by the pool, red cups in hand, while others soaked in the hot tub, laughing and chatting as the light from the moon bathed everything in a silvery glow.

“Gabriel!” Freya suddenly called out, letting go of Elizabeth’s hand to wave at someone across the yard.

Elizabeth followed her gaze and saw a young man, probably a bit older than her, standing with a group of friends. He was tall, about six feet, with a slightly chubby but cute frame. His bright red hair stood out against the night, giving him a distinctive look.

“I’ve been expecting you,” Gabriel said as he broke away from his group and approached Freya, pulling her into a hug.

Elizabeth stood awkwardly to the side, watching the interaction. She had never heard of Gabriel before, but it was clear that he and Freya were already well acquainted. She wondered if he was the friend Freya was hinting at.

“How are you?” Freya asked as she pulled back from the hug.

“Great! And I’m guessing this is Eli—your best friend, right?” Gabriel replied, his gaze shifting to Elizabeth.

Freya nodded and introduced them, but Elizabeth remained quiet, only offering a polite nod as she shook Gabriel’s hand. Freya and Gabriel quickly dove into a conversation about college, debating which one was better. Elizabeth had nothing to add but noticed how Gabriel kept glancing at her, especially at her exposed cleavage. It made her skin crawl, and she wished she could just disappear.

“So, Elizabeth, your college or mine?” Gabriel asked with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Elizabeth shrugged, pulling her dress down a little more as she tried to avoid his gaze.

“Oh, come on, it’s definitely LU!” Freya chimed in enthusiastically, picking the college she and Elizabeth attended. “It’s way better than that private college of yours.”

“Well, if you say,” Gabriel laughed. “Anyway, let me introduce you to my crew.”

“I think I’ll just skip,” Elizabeth interjected, desperate to get away from him and his weird gaze.

“Why?” Freya asked, clearly surprised.

“I need to find the restroom,"/” Elizabeth lied, not wanting to meet Gabriel's friends—especially if they were anything like him.

“Should I come with you?” Freya offered.

“No, no. Just go with Gabriel. I’ll be fine... I promise!”

“If you say so. But call me if anything happens,” Freya replied, her concern evident.

Elizabeth watched as Freya left with Gabriel, leaving her alone in the backyard. She quickly made her way back inside the crowded house, but the atmosphere was no better. The strange glances from before seemed even more intense now, and she felt as if she was being watched from every corner.

Holding on to her purse, she sighed. If only Freya had let her stay home she wouldn't have had to be at a party she wasn't welcomed at.

“Hey!” Elizabeth knew the voice that had called her. It was Gabriel's voice.

She turned back and mustered up a smile at him, wondering where Freya was. As far as she knew they were meant to be together.

“You've gone to the toilet?”

“Erm, I don't need to use it anymore.”

“Okay,” replied Gabriel as he stood next to Elizabeth who wasn't comfortable with him. His gaze on her body made her think of him as a pervert. “So what are you doing out here?”

“Nothing, just enjoying the night breeze.”

Gabriel snorted. “You know, this is my house and I have an AC in my room, I bet it would be stronger than this breeze. So you want to go up to my room?”

“No, I'm okay with the breeze,” Elizabeth knew where he was heading to and that made her more uncomfortable so she shifted away from him but he filled in the gap. “Um, I'd like it if you don't come any closer to me.”

“Why? I just want to be friends.”

“I am not interested,” Elizabeth replied flatly. “What about Freya?”

“Enjoying the party, and you should.”

Elizabeth ignored him and brought out her phone from her purse. She checked the time and she saw she hadn't even spent up to forty minutes at the party. Either way, she had to leave, even if it meant leaving Freya behind.

“Please tell her I'm leaving.”

“You can't leave!” Exclaimed Gabriel as he held on to Elizabeth's hands.

“Leave my hand alone!”

“No!”

Gabriel dragged Elizabeth closer to himself, grabbing her by her butt.

Elizabeth's eyes widened like a saucer. Never in her twenty two years on Earth had she been groped. She shoved Gabriel on his chest and landed a slap across his face.

“What do you think you're doing!” She yelled at him, earning the attention of some people who were lurking around. “How dare you grab me by my butt?”

“And how dare you slap me?” Gabriel growled as he scowled at Elizabeth, while she fell squarely to the Grass as fear clouded her emotions.

Gabriel's eyes had turned from black to yellow in a flash, and she saw two protruding canines which looked more pointed — they were fangs.

She looked around the front yard and saw people gathering around them, and they all had the same look as Gabriel. She moved back with her butt dragging on the grass as Gabriel moved slowly towards her. Her eyes were already tearing up.

She wanted what was in front of her to be a nightmare.

It couldn't be real; she thought. Perhaps she was dreaming, but she wasn't when a sharp claw dug into her hand, making her release a loud screeching scream.

To Be Continued…