1 Part One

Avalon

The Moon was out and my soul ached to be freed. To be let out to bask in the deep bright moonlight, and walk the same paths as the night dwellers.

It was a late Friday night in my one-bedroom apartment. My best friend’s Cassidy and Frankie and I had a night at SilverLake’s most exclusive nightclub planned.

It had been an immensely stressful week, and a night out with the girls would ease my nerves of the past couple of days. I had a 4-hour job to keep up with my college lifestyle, and my classes at the college were getting more and more demanding. It was only my second year of college. Despite the stress I wasn’t ready to quit.

My girlfriends thought it would be a good idea to go out and get drunk in an illustrious nightclub.

‘I can't find my blue mascara, has anyone seen it?’ Cass asked.

I didn't carry around much makeup, though Frankie did. We decided to go with short tight skirts and tiny colourful tops. I wore the pink one with a black skirt, Cass wore a red long sleeve half top with a blue skirt. Frankie wore a black skirt and purple top.

My heart raced and palms sweat. It was my first time going to the Pentagon. It was the biggest club in SilverLake and the second most lavish in the world and not just anyone could get in.

‘Here use mine. It makes your eyes pop out more anyway.’ Frankie said, handing the stick to Cassidy.

Frankie was a makeup wizard or witch. She did my makeup all the time. If she wasn’t busting her butt to become a doctor to please her parents then she would have been studying cosmetology.

‘You're the best Frankie,’ Cass replied.

Cassidy’s a regular member at the Pentagon because of who her father is… he's an ex-politician turned global businessman. She and Frankie would go out together in high school almost every weekend.

My mom was overprotective of me in high school and throughout most of my life… she still, but she didn’t have much control since I'd moved out of her house.

To be honest I enjoyed my new life and independence, but there were times I missed her. Life got too much for me to handle. I kind of left home on a bad note. We had a huge argument about college and I just packed up and left. I stayed with my boyfriend until the new school year started. It makes me sad to think about it. But I’d been out of the house for nearly two years. We saw each other from time to time.

‘Let's go ladies!’ Cass yelled out the window, her scream echoed the empty streets of SilverLake.

‘Wait, do I look okay? Do I look… too exclusive?’ I said, momentarily glancing at the mirror.

Cass and Frankie stopped and stared at me.

‘I think you look fine,’ Cass said then started for the door.

I sighed, feeling the nerves in my stomach.

‘You look sexy babe. Now let's go we need a night out.’ Frankie said.

‘Let's go bitches!’ Cass yelled from the hall.

Gosh, what do my neighbours think?

She parked her grey Subaru Impreza on the sidewalk of my building. It looked majestic and super expensive under the street lights. My rundown second hand car was parked three cars ahead of hers.

I couldn't wait to get the night started.

‘I'm so ready. One night with my girls, no bullshit, no school and no boyfriends!!’ Frankie yelled, grinning as she turned up the volume in the car.

Cass screamed in delight I just smiled at them.

‘I can't relate to most of your problems Frankie, but yeah tonight's not for any bullshit so turn off your phones. We don't need Scooter calling us tonight.’ Cass said taking a turn off Johnson street.

Frankie sighed and turned away.

‘That means you too in the back seat. We don't need Rider calling to ask where you are either.’

I laughed as I pondered it, ‘oh please Rider isn't like that Cass.’

Rider and I had been dating for nearly two years. We began dating in our last year of high school. Something I kept a secret from my family.

‘Well, I know someone who does…’ she whispered. She meant Scooter… he's not the most ideal person who'd want anyone you know to date. He's a jerk and spoiled child.

‘Oh my gosh do you think Matt Leo will be at the Pentagon tonight I heard there was going to be a surprise guest.’ Frankie said, trying to change the subject and lift the darkening mood in the car.

I was happy to cooperate.

‘Surprise guest?’ I asked.

Cass drove down the oddly quiet streets. It was weird it was only nine o'clock on a Friday night. Which was abnormal for SilverLake, it could be like Vegas sometimes.

‘Yeah, Val. It's the Pentagon! They're trying to break into top spot so they've got celebrities doing surprise shows every Friday. Last week it was Usher.’ Cass said.

‘I've always wanted to meet Matt Leo he's so cute. Do you think we can meet him Cass?’ Frankie sounded like a child outside a toy store.

Cass and I laughed. Cass had met celebrities before that's why she's massive on Instagram and was the most popular girl in high school.

Cass drove passed a red light but it didn't matter at night especially in SilverLake. There's always some creep lurking about, ready to do just about anything. She got onto the highway and drove at 100 miles per hour.

The Pentagon was on a mountain, but not just any mountain it was on top of a cursed mountain. I know it sounds like a load of nonsense, but that's what the people of SilverLake believed. I personally didn’t believe in cursed mountains or anything of the sort. I got a bit nervous just thinking about it though. There were so many rumours about Barren Mountain, the mountain where roses never bloomed

So many deaths, then again it could all be coincidental. It's a massive mountain ancient and creepy, but not enough to be cursed. It was always dark up there all the trees were tall and hallow, grass never grew on its soils.

Cass started up the rocky and dusty road to the Pentagon. Cass drove at 120 miles per hour, the car shook violently, throwing me from side to side.

‘Damn Cass you drive like a maniac!’ Frankie said, gripping her seat.

‘A maniac that got us here in one piece,’ Cass smiled to herself.

I felt like a child on Christmas day for some reason. A bouncer stood in front of the open double doors, under the massive Pentagon shape sign which welcomed all night owls.

It was a massive three-story building, ancient looking, but still classy and rich. It was painted a deep brown with huge Victorian windows from the top to the bottom floor. The lights were all on in each floor.

It kind of looked like a hotel or a mansion, but the huge Pentagon shape sign said otherwise. The place felt oddly too open, there were cars everywhere, but there was no fence or brick wall to protect them from outsiders. The Pentagon was surrounded by a thick forest, it sent chills around my body.

Cassidy flipped her blonde hair in the mirror before climbing out of the car. Frankie touched up her eyeliner to make sure her blue eyes popped. My brown eyes looked good in the minimal eyeliner and my silky curly hair bounced gracefully down my back.

We walked up to the entrance, ‘Cassidy,’ the bouncer said as we stepped inside. I thought he'd give us some trouble for a minute.

There was another door after the long hallway we'd walked through. The door had been left open and led to a spiral staircase which took us down to the Pentagon. The loud music raged from the room to come. The Pentagon was full of people, filthy rich people and bodyguards lurking in the corners. Strippers who danced- barely dressed- on long silver poles in heels. My eyes bugged out at the bright red lights and armoury of liquor by the bar. I'd never been in a place like this.

Waitresses pranced around in black and red bikinis, serving old men in suits. A massive stage had been set for the surprise guest performances. A DJ played eardrum busting music from the balcony above the stage.

‘This is not all of it though!’ Cass yelled through the loud music.

‘There's more?!’ I yelled back.

‘So much more! To the bar!’

Cass screamed and through her hands in the air.

‘Indeed!’ Frankie agreed.

‘Three vodka shots!’ Cass ordered.

The male bartender with pale blue eyes and pitch-black hair nodded. He wore a decent suit, buttoned up.

‘And the bottle please!’ I added.

The guy came back with three small glasses and the whole vodka bottle. The shots were drowned within seconds.

‘Whoa,’ I said. The liquid went down quickly and burned my throat as it rushed down.

‘You'll get used to it,’ Frankie whispered to me. She knew I wasn't accustomed to drinking. I'd only gotten drunk once in my entire life and my mom almost did a backflip.

After hours of throwing up and stupid words, she helped me sober up and when I did. She slapped me across the face for being so reckless and foolish. She warned me about ever taking alcohol again and about going out with Cassidy. She tried to break up our friendship at one point but failed.

Cass and Frankie were my everything they were my two best friends, as I sat there by the bar watching them take more shots and giggle. I thought about how we'd been friends since we were kids and how far we'd come. When my dad vanished, they were my support system. When my mom trapped me in a cage, they helped me through it. We never managed sneak out nearly enough.

‘Val we're here to get drunk! Grab your shot and meet us on the dance floor.’ Frankie’s loud voice pulled me out of my thoughts. Cass dragged her by the arm all the way to the dance floor.

I swayed to the music, dancing with my girls to a song called Without you by Gems, the soft slow song streamed through the speakers. The band was gone now and the DJ had taken over. I actually found myself having a good time, dancing and giggling.

I wanted another drink and slipped past grinding bodies to the front of the bar. I noticed a familiar face and grimaced. Shane Norman. No, he was not my ex, I doubted I'd ever get together with him.

He and I were enemies and would be until the end of time. The girls and I used to make fun of him as kids, but we were just stupid little girls who didn't know better and he was and odd kid. So as revenge he made my life hell, not so much Frankie or Cass but me in particular. I was the more vulnerable one of the group. I guess I still was.

He looked different actually, cleaner and more masculine than high school. Shane moved away in the first year of high school to some prestigious private boarding school in Europe. He came back in the last year of high school. He'd dyed his hair silver and had gained some muscle. His piercing blue eyes locked with mine and a cheeky smile spread across his face. I tore my eyes away from him.

‘I don't even have to talk to him.’ I said to myself.

Several drinks later I felt as light as a feather and as free as a bird. We'd lost Cassidy to a group of men a few minutes ago. It was just Frankie and I now surrounded by some suspicious looking guys. I felt a little awkward since I had a boyfriend, but Frankie didn't seem to care because she let the guys get awfully close to her.

‘I'm going to use the bathroom Frankie!’

She continued to spin around. She'd more drinks than me.

I bummed people on the way to the bathroom which was up another set of spiral stairs. There were one or two people lingering the bathroom area smoking or making out. I struggled to stay on my feet, maybe I did have a lot to drink.

When I stumbled out of the toilet. A single man stood outside the toilet stall. I almost smacked into his protruding belly.

‘I'm sorry,’ I murmured.

He just stood firm with his arms crossed in front of him, blocking my exit.

‘If I could just get through…’

Instead, his massive gloved hand collided with my face and I landed on the tiled restroom floor. Chlorine filled my nostrils. The floor turned to ice. I gasped. My cheek throbbed as I lifted my face off the ground. I braced myself for more impact when the huge man march toward me. He had an eyepatch over his left eye and was covered in black leather clothing.

He picked me up by my arm. Was he going to kill me?! I screamed for help he only slammed his fist into my face again. I cried out in pain, cries no one could hear with all the loud music. Blood fell from my nose and landed on my pink top

‘Shut up Avalon!’ He demanded.

I wondered how he knew my name, but what I was concerned about was whether I was going to make it out alive.

He slammed me against the wall and drew blood from my face. My bones ached and my flesh cried out. I slid down the wall. I felt a surging force inside my gut. It tore me open, I screamed just before the man could punch me again a quick bright light manifested from nowhere and zapped him. I covered my face.

I heard a loud thud and grunt and the man lay motionless on the restroom floor.

‘What was that?’ I winced as I tried to get up. I expected someone to answer me but no one did.

He looked dead, his one good eye stared into nothingness and his mouth hung ajar. Goosebumps spread across my body and my blood turned cold.

There was no one in the room but me.