spades

chapter 15| Cas

"See, you were right it's not that bad"

I didn't answer her as we walked into the club level section. I looked around and just like she said, there were orgies happening in the corner. I stepped around a very clearly drunk woman who was mumbling about 'losing everything tonight' with disgust on my face.

"No I was definitely wrong, this place is a shit show"

Some people looked like they hadn't seen sunlight in days. People were ordering drinks but by the looks of it, they weren't planning to pay any time soon. The music was louder than my thoughts but no one seemed to mind as they grinded on anything with a pulse.

Revulsion was an understatement of what I was feeling.

I looked down at Hibi to see how she felt. Her face looked passive but her eyes were cloudy as she blindly walked through the crowds but she seemed to know where she was going so I wasn't too worried. I walked up to the bar and was about to order a drink when Hibi stopped me.

"The shit here is straight poison, a single glass of water here is probably mixed with several drugs and who knows what" She looked at me up and down "And besides you look like a lightweight"

I couldn't help but feel offended by her blunt honesty. I mean she was absolutely correct but it still hurt.

I saw her glance at a falling-apart neon sign that hung above stairs that led down to heavens know where. I noticed Hibi practically started levitating towards it and I immediately grabbed her arm, making her eyes snap down to where our skin met.

She glared at me "Let me go," I tilted my head at her.

"Where are you going?" The look of defiance on her face told me that she wasn't going to answer my question.

"Why the fuck would you like to know?" I was a bit taken back by her harsh answer "You said you wanted to explore right? this is the perfect opportunity. If you're going to see anything you're going to have to stop being my shadow. Stay out of trouble and Stay out of my way" She bit at me.

I blinked in shock. Never had anyone ever spoken to me that way, and I didn't particularly enjoy it. I felt my face freeze over as I let go of her arm and dusted invisible dirt off of my clothes. "Okay, have a good time" My tone came out so formal, and so familiar.

I felt myself entering the stone-like facade I built up by being royalty for a majority of my life.

She rubbed the part of her arm where I touched with a weird look in her eyes. "We'll meet up here in an hour" She mumbled in a monotonous tone before walking off without hearing my answer.

As I watched her walk towards the exit, as if she was compelled to go down those stairs I knew one thing. She was lying.

Meanwhile, I tried to keep myself busy. I went onto the dancefloor to keep myself occupied but as soon as I stepped on it. People of all sexes gravitated towards me and it didn't take long for me to feel as if I was being harassed.

I tried to ignore it by focusing on a dark-haired woman with green eyes and tan skin. She was extremely beautiful and had the confidence to match. I danced with her for a few minutes but I wasn't really into it as every time she'd twirl I'd be expecting to be met with dark brown playful eyes and coffee skin.

She quickly caught on that I was no longer interested and went to partake in much more interesting activities such as sticking her tongue down a blonde woman's throat.

Then I found myself walking back to the bar. Already tired of the place. Part of me contemplated going to find Hibi and leaving her but my pride and dignity didn't allow me to do so. The bartender then came up to me whilst I was sulking and gave me a look of understanding.

"You good?" He didn't wait for me to reply as he continued "Look I get it okay, I've seen that look on enough losers faces to know how shitty you must feel right now." I raised an eyebrow at him as he babbled on about a situation I was not going through. "But see, this place will be good for you. Tulip has a place for empty bastards like you."

He used his hand to clasp my shoulder. And I've never felt like removing someone's limb so strongly until now.

"Here" He slid me a square glass filled with red liquid. It didn't even look consumable but the way it was slushing around looked pretty convincible "Just take a drink, I know the stories you must've heard bout' this place but look, the stories don't lie. Tulip will heal you".

Or put me in a casket.

"Now just down this. Don't worry about the price. Just taste a sip" He bargained "The drinks here are made from liquid electricity, they'll electrify your cells and shock you to life" He chuckled "Even a drop from one of these will get you on a high you'll never come down from".

Caspian knew he was being told bullshit. Of course, he was, the bartender was a dark-skinned man with bright blue hair and gold teeth, the smile he had was anything but friendly but goddammit was he being really fucking convincing. He hesitantly took hold of the glass that was cold to touch.

"Don't worry, the drink will warm you right up" And Caspian looked the freaky man dead in his freakishly blue eyes as he took a gulp of whatever was in the cup.

I don't remember much after that.

I remember drinks, pink ones, blue ones, green ones and a yellow one that tasted like shit. And the bartender was correct, I felt alive. I felt my blood running faster than the speed of life as different emotions spiked at me from beneath my skin. My head had a strange buzzing that didn't seem to stop anytime soon but I ignored it.

I felt numb.

But a good numb. Not the kind you feel when you're hosting balls for your mother but the kind where you could eat glass and still smile.

And here I found myself. Aimlessly wandering up stairs that I had no idea how I found. As I reached the next floor my eyes closed as the adjusted to the sudden change of lighting. Unlike the dark, dimly lit club downstairs this place was light with a golden light. Giving the whole place an expensive but grand feel. Nausea and nostalgia his the back of my throat as I examined the place.

Back to the brightly coloured drinks I go. I muttered to myself as I immediately turned around and started stumbling back down the stairs.

"Fuck!"

My head turned at the use of vulgar language and I was met with a table. I could vaguely see what was going on as my vision was blurred but I tried to focus my eyes as I turned back around a walked towards a table that a bunch of people that were crowded by people who were cheering them on.

From what I was seeing they were gambling. With money non of them clearly had. But that didn't stop them as they continued to throw cards in the middle of the table, yelling words I didn't bother to listen to.

Even through my drunken state, I could feel myself deciphering the game and figuring it out. My mother used to play all types of games with me as I grew up, I used to think it was quality time she wanted to spend with me but really she was just building the critical thinking part of my brain as she fed on my competitive spirit.

She would play with me for hours, beating me over and over again. Changing up the game as we went and bending rules to her will. I had no chance of winning. Until I did. That's when we stopped playing, she didn't find fun with me after that and played with her much less intelligent guards and maids.

But the deed was done, I know thought like her in every way possible.

Which made it pretty easy for me to look at the cards of the bald fat guy in front of me and chuckled. I looked at his opponent's cards and observed the sweat running down his face as he was about to lose his life savings. I pointed at his deck.

"You've lost".