Chapter One
3.
Once Tess had bought another drink - which had been almost disappointingly easy; even though she was only sixteen, and looked it, the bartender had had no qualms about selling her alcohol - the two of them descended the stairs from the dancehall, and passed out through the double doors of the entrance.
They weren’t the only ones who had decided it might be good to get some fresh air. It looked as though almost a quarter of the entire party hung about outside, spread thinly across the area, covering the grass lawns that stood in front of the hall.
Quiet chattering, broken by the occasional bark of laughter, hung in the still air. The smell of smoke - and another, less legal substance - wafted about. Nearby, a main road trailed by. And even at this late hour, cars drove down it at irregular intervals, their headlights adding to the streetlamps, bathing the pavement, the well cut grass, the path leading up to the hall, and the teenagers in a dull glare.
On the other side of the road stood a number of flats. Tess wondered how they were coping with the noise blaring from the hall. Even outside the building it was still loud, and what’s more, it was also garbled. No enjoyment could be derived from the miscellaneous beatings and uneven tunes that managed to escape past the walls.
Walking from the cover of the doors, Tess’ eyes roved among the huddles of teens. Unusually, she felt loathe to join any of them. The lethargy that had been dragging her down all night refused to go away. And even though she tried to force a smile onto her face and a bounce into her step, inside she still just yearned to lay down and go to sleep.
She looked down at her drink. ‘You’re meant to make feel happier,’ she told it quietly.
‘You know,’ a voice said from beside her, ‘I’ve never actually tried talking to my drinks before.’
Tess looked up and to her left, recognising the voice. A guy from her form group - what was his name again? Tom? - was stood next to her, a light smile on his face. He held his hands up. ‘I know, it’s crazy I’ve never tried it before.’
Was he mocking her? It didn’t seem like it, although the pleasant tone and expression could just be a subtle façade.
‘Yeah well, now’s your chance,’ she said.
The guy peered into his half drunk beer. ‘Alright there, mate?’ When the beer failed to reply, he looked up again, and noticed Sarah for the first time. ‘Hey, Sarah! Haven’t seen you in a while.’
‘Urgh, hi, Tommy,’ Sarah mumbled back. Tess took a sip of her drink to hide the smile that had forced itself onto her face. Sarah was generally rather shy with other people - boys in particular.
‘How’re you doing?’ Tommy asked Sarah. ‘You know, I haven’t seen you since I dropped down a set in science.’
Tess felt herself slipping out the conversation as Sarah gave her nervous reply. Her gaze wandered, bored, around the scene. There wasn’t a lot to see. It was all the same, usual, uninspiring happenings that greeted her at every party: teenagers stood in huddles, chatting. She yawned, briefly wondering if she only found it boring because of the lethargy swilling around inside her.
Through the white-noise of the conversations, a single word stood out:
‘Tesss.’
She glanced at Sarah and Tommy, but they were still in their awkward conversation, discussing an old teacher they had shared. Certainly, Tess’ name didn’t fit into the subject. And besides, the voice hadn’t sounded like Sarah. It had been harder, harsher, but still feminine.
No one else seemed to be near enough to have said it though. She frowned, wondering if she had simply misheard something Sarah said, or perhaps imagined the voice altogether.
And then Tess collapsed.
Her body crumpled like a rag doll, dropping to the floor with a meaty crunch. She was still trying to work out who may have said her name - the numbness enveloping her body too fast to fully comprehend - when her head came into contact with the concrete steps.
Black.
But not unconscious.
Darkness. Surrounded by darkness.
Slowly, the sense of her body return, and she realised that she was no longer laying sprawled on the ground, but rather, was standing. But there was not a sound to be heard, nor any sight to see. It was like she had been blindfolded and left in an empty cell.
Fear gradually worked its way through Tess’ body, starting in her chest and then creeping into all her extremities. Piece by piece, her body shivered more as horrible thoughts surfaced in the ocean of her mind.
Maybe she was dead, killed by the blow to the head. Perhaps this was some sort of afterlife.
Maybe she was dying, not yet completely dead, and this was her body shutting down.
Maybe she was in a coma; maybe she would never awake.
Maybe she was blind and deaf, struck so by the fierce blow, and was really in a hospital surrounded by a family helpless to comfort her.
Her chest felt too tight, too small for her lungs as they gasped for air. She felt sick too. Never before had Tess known terror like this. She lowered herself to the ground, crouching. As she clutched at herself, she felt bare flesh riddled with goose bumps, and she realised she was completely naked.
A whisper echoed in the darkness:
‘Tesss…’
Even enveloped by fear, she recognised the voice. It was the same one that had said her name seconds before she collapsed. Rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, her blind gaze frantically searched the darkness. The sense that she was about to vomit increased. Desperate cries for help filled her mind, Oh God, oh God! Someone help! Help! Please, please, please! Someone! Help me! But she dared not open her mouth to utter her thoughts, fearing the worst from whoever had said her name. The hour-long seconds trickled past, and nothing happened, nothing was said.
Something brushed her arm.
And then Tess screamed.
(And that's the end of Chapter One. ^_^
Although, I can't help but feel I went a little over the top at the end there...
Anyways, opinions, everyone? Your advice helps me make my writing not bad.)
