Chapter 43

The spotlight no longer followed Natalie as she stood in a corner by the bar. Elliot spun Maeve with abandon, both of them laughing heartily as she stumbled into him. Alex was swaying with a girl dressed as Malibu Barbie, while Phillip danced with Shelby who was dressed in a lame fairy costume. Austin held Jen, who was Natalie's best friend, close as she moved against him, facing off with George and Meghan who were goofing around with the rest of the group. Her eyes moved to Ana and Khai, who were jumping to the music with their hands around each other.

She tightened her grip on her drink, the glass lightly cracking under the pressure of her anger. Her life was nothing like she imagined it to be at Arcane. Khai was completely captivated by Ana, always doting on her and dancing to her every tune. Even her friends back in Orestes seemed to be distancing themselves from her, finding new people to hold their interest. The feeling of loneliness consumed her as she frowned at the selfishness of those she once called friends. They laughed and danced, seemingly oblivious to her presence, even on her birthday.

Natalie felt like a stranger in her own party, the disregard and unimportance she felt only fueling her rage further. Her eyes zeroed in on Ana, who she saw as the root cause of her misery. It was Ana's friends that stole hers and it was Ana who had now stolen the love of her life. A sly smile spread on Natalie's face as she saw Sean walk toward her. She held out a key card that he took and slipped into his pocket.

"Tell me it's time." Her voice was leaking with eagerness as she wrapped her arm around him.

"Yes, my love. Everything's ready. Our plan is in motion." Sean's smile mimicked hers as he emptied his flask into his mouth. His heart rate increased rapidly, sending a rush of dopamine through his nerves.

*****

Ana let the music replace her thoughts as she lost herself in the beats. She danced in Khai's arms, slowly forgetting her surroundings. Khai watched her, grinning from ear to ear. He held her close to him, relishing in the moment, grateful for a chance to see her truly happy again.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Meghan, who looked like she was about to be sick. George was holding her as she struggled to walk.

Ana held her friend's face in concern. "Oh no Meg! Did you drink too much sweetie?"

Meghan nodded weakly, scared that she would throw up if she tried to speak.

"I'll take her to the bathroom." Ana took Meghan from George and tried to move through the crowd on the dance floor.

She frantically scanned the ballroom for signs of a restroom and found one in the far left corner. She hurried towards it, worried because Meg's face started to turn yellow.

"Ana!" Natalie called behind her.

When she turned around, Natalie rushed to her with a concerned look. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"She's just really drunk, we're heading to the restrooms though. I'm sorry, we have to rush."

Natalie stopped her. "This one is full, come with me. I'll show you one that's right outside."

Ana hesitated, but followed Natalie anyway. They walked out of the ballroom, taking odd turns as Natalie guided them. Their pace was slow, as Meghan struggled to keep up, but they kept walking for nearly ten minutes. Ana looked around nervously, as she realized that she and Meghan were lost in the maze of hallways. She clutched her friend tightly, hoping they would reach the bathroom soon. Suddenly, Natalie led them into a small, dimly-lit restroom, full of empty stalls.

"Here you go," Natalie said, her voice tinged with a hint of satisfaction. "Take care of her. I'll wait outside."

Ana nodded, suppressing her nerves as she led Meghan into one of the stalls. She held her red hair as Meghan violently threw up, unable to hold back anymore. She rubbed her small hand gently on Meghan's back, as she soothed her. "It's okay Meg. I got you." She murmured.

Meghan's head started to spin and her knees gave in as she collapsed on the floor of the bathroom stall. Panic washed over Ana as she shook her aggressively, trying to wake her up. Ana bit her bottom lip, realizing that Meghan had passed out. She carefully leaned her against the door of the stall and rushed out to get help.

As she stepped out of the stall, Natalie was nowhere to be seen. She heard someone open the door to the restroom and reflexively stepped back, feeling a cold wave of fear wash over her.

A familiar man wearing a mask of the Joker from the Batman movies walked slowly toward her.

"Who are you?" Ana asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

As he removed the mask from his face, Ana's heart pounded so loud that she could hear it over her own thoughts. Intense fear and anxiety overwhelmed her at the sight of Sean. Before she could even think to run, he grabbed her hand in a painfully tight grip and dragged her out of the restroom.

Ana trashed against him begging him to let her go. When she opened her mouth to scream, he slapped her so hard that she felt like her eye was going to explode. He spun her around, roughly forced a cloth into her mouth, tying it tightly behind her hair to gag her.

He then picked her up in a firm grip and sprinted out of the restroom. Ana's mind was consumed with racing thoughts and a sense of impending doom. She tried to see where he was taking her, but her tears had turned her vision blurry. She heard a small beep and a click of a door opening. Everything seemed to be happening too quickly for her to comprehend. When she felt her back hit the surface of a mattress, she struggled to get off the bed, her eyes focused on the door.

Sean yanked her back in such force that she was sure a muscle tore in her shoulder. She struggled out of his grip but his sharp nails dug into the skin on her arms as he pulled her back on the bed.

He pushed her down and quickly climbed her. His gaze was so spiteful that Ana's whole body started to sweat and shake. Her mind went numb as she realized what he was about to do. Her heart started to race at an unimaginable speed making her feel like it would burst in fear.

She wailed in helplessness as she felt Sean's hand pushing her dress up her legs. The horror that consumed her was all-encompassing. Death would have been a more merciful punishment. When she felt him sit on her bare thighs, her whole life flashed in images before her eyes, stopping at Khai's face.

Suddenly, it was as if a switch had been flipped. Adrenaline rushed through her as her thoughts became clear. Her mind raced like a wildfire as she recollected all the self defense lessons with Khai and Elliot.

She acted quickly, shifting her weight to one side, using her legs to push Sean away from her. Sean, who was busy unbuckling his trousers, immediately fell to his side, in shock at her sudden movements. His eyes widened in anger as he lurched at the space she managed to create between them. Ana reflexively reached for the anklet Khai had gifted to her. She quickly dislodged the small knife and stabbed it into Sean's eye just as he grabbed her hair to pull her back on to the bed.

The anguish from the scream that followed echoed the entire room. Blood spurted from Sean's eyes, flowing out like water from a broken pipe. He gnashed his teeth together in agony emitting a string of harsh curses at her.

Ana's legs pumped furiously as she bolted out of the room with a speed that matched lightning. Her mind was clouded with fear, but her body was fueled by the instinct to survive. She frantically searched for exit signs as she ran through the desolate hallways.

Her tumbling steps echoed through the quiet space as she stumbled over the plush carpet, but she quickly regained her balance and kept moving. Ana dared not to scream, already terrified that the sound of her ragged breathing was enough to give away her location to Sean.

When she heard the faint sound of footsteps closing in on her, her heart leapt into her throat. She didn't dare to look back, but instead pushed herself to run even faster. Her muscles were starting to ache and her legs felt like they were on the brink of giving out, but she refused to slow down.

And then, she crashed into someone so hard that she was momentarily stunned. She stumbled back in shock, looking up to see who she ran into. Khai stood in front of her, his face blanched in horror at the sight of her disheveled appearance.