Page 59 of Into The Darkness

“Hey there, I’m Cohen,” he said, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the music.

I returned the smile, feeling a mixture of excitement and curiosity. “Ember,” I responded, and my name rolled off my tongue with a newfound sense of confidence.

He told me he was a football player for Isles, his easy charm making me feel at ease. The question he asked next made me giggle, a rush of both amusement and a hint of mischief filling me. “So, Ember, are you single?”

The thought of Ash flickered through my mind, his complicated and undefined role in my life. But in this pulsating, electric moment, it was as if the worries of the outside world were silenced, and all that existed was this dance floor and this interaction. With a playful twinkle in my eye, I nodded.

“It’s . . . complicated,” I replied, and a sense of exhilaration surged through me. The truth in that moment felt liberating and invigorating.

Maddy and Beatrice shot me a subtle warning glance, their concern evident, but I waved them off. They exchanged looks before surrendering to the music, joining a group of football players dancing nearby. As I danced with Cohen, his energy and enthusiasm matched mine, our bodies moving together in perfect synchronization.

In that moment, under the colorful lights and the infectious energy of the nightclub, I felt free. The worries that had weighed me down were momentarily forgotten, replaced by a sense of beauty, fun, and excitement. This was college—a time for exploration, for letting loose, for embracing the carefree spirit that beckoned from within. College wasn’t supposed to be about waking up from being drugged, thinking you would die anytime you left campus, and worrying about a guy who only seemed to have time for you on his watch.

As the music continued to bump around us, I laughed, letting go of my inhibitions, and allowed myself to be swept away by the dancing, the music, and the newfound connection with Cohen. This was the experience I had been craving, the taste of freedom that had been eluding me. And for the first time in a long while, I felt truly alive.

“Your chest is buzzing.” Cohen pointed to my chest, and I knew my phone was buzzing, but I was purposefully ignoring it. I stuffed my phone in my bra because when you had big boobs, they doubled as good phone holders.

“Hold on a second,” I said because it wouldn’t stop notifying me.

Walking to the edge of the dance floor, I pulled out my phone. I narrowed my eyes at it, realizing that everything seemed a little fuzzy.

I couldn’t quite make out who was texting me so much but didn’t care.

“Don’t get sucked back in,” I muttered. “This is what college is supposed to feel like.”

I pulled up Ash’s number and texted him.

Me:

You suck.

This was out of character, but with the alcohol in my system and being downright upset with Ash, I just typed it out. I pressed send before I could even think it over. Fuck him. Maybe this alcohol was helping me realize I just wanted to be Ember, the college student. The text was dramatic, but blame it on the alcohol.

I was about to walk back to where Cohen was when someone tugged at my hand.

“Ember?” the person asked. They looked so familiar.

“Yeah?” I responded, trying to shake the strange feeling of familiarity. The guy was about my height, had the same golden skin as Ash and wore all-black clothing.

“My name is Alejandro, but most of my friends call me Ale.” He reached out, and I just looked at his hand with furrowed brows. We were at a club, not many people went around shaking hands, most people around here were swapping spit as a formal introduction.

“Uh, hi? Sorry, do we know each other?” I asked.

“Ha, no. I am part of the Den. I was sent here by Ash.” I looked around to see if I was being punked and maybe Ash was around the corner. Why would he send someone here?

As if to notice my hesitation, Ale chimed in, “He is busy at the party tonight, so he couldn’t leave to pick you up.”

“You are here to . . .pick me up?” I reiterated.

“Yup. Sent by Ash to pick you up and take you to the house.” I cocked my head to the side.

“He wants me to come to the house, but today is Saturday?”

“Oh, right.” Ale shifted to his other foot. “He wants you there tonight.” His tone was slightly more aggressive, but between the alcohol and the music pulsating through the area, I could have been misreading him.

“Okay.” I nodded, grabbing my phone and sending a quick text to Ash, telling him I was on the way.

“You need to give me your phone,” Ale demanded.

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