Morrigan’s mouth dropped wide open at Elizabeth’s suggestion. “Really? Like, right now?”

Elizabeth fervently nodded her head and gave a vigorous thumbs up. “Why not? Stay sober if you’re boring,” she said as she quickly exited the room and ran toward the liquor cabinet.

Alyssa didn’t object and instead said, “I have some board and card games. Oh, and Twister, too.”

“Your parents won’t get mad?” Asked Juro nervously. The last thing he wanted was for elite families to accuse him of stealing their alcohol stash.

“They wouldn’t even notice,” she said, giving him a reassuring smile that lifted her eyes. Juro realized whenever Alyssa smiled, she never smiled with her eyes. Instead, it seemed like they were forced upwards by her cheeks; he quickly brushed off the observation when she left the room to grab some games.

Elizabeth reentered the room, loudly clinking large glass liquor bottles together while howling with laughter. “God, I love this place. I really could stay here forever.” She put one of the bottles on the table and popped open the other, chugging it straight from the bottle. She stifled a cough while brashly declaring, “that stings like hell. I don’t even know what I grabbed.”

Despite not looking like one, Morrigan was quite the alcoholic. She quickly took the other bottle and drank a bit. Although she was small, she was by no means a lightweight.

The group's attitude quickly lightened, especially after Alyssa brought back some games. Alyssa and Juro decided to remain sober — both of them recalling their babysitter joke earlier — but the hazy and carnival-like atmosphere was getting to them.

Getting paired up with Juro for Twister was Elizabeth’s worst nightmare. Despite avidly complaining she got onto the colorful mat while a tipsy Morrigan was uncontrollably laughing while reading out their next move.

“You’re on my side, Juro! Move over!” Elizabeth angrily protested as she awkwardly contorted her body.

“I can’t,” he whined, “I’m stuck here.”

Juro’s body shook as he tried to move to the next step but he finally toppled over into Elizabeth who let out an annoyed shout and promptly kicked him off the mat. Juro lay defeated on the floor while Elizabeth declared her victory and offered herself up for more challengers — all of whom declined. Bruno avidly shook his head much to a disappointed Elizabeth who proceeded to take another shot.

Dinner time rolled around, and Alyssa scrambled to get enough food for all of them. “My chef is going to be dropping off some food soon,” she said nervously. “He won’t come inside, so don’t worry about being seen,” she reassured them.

“A personal chef?” Elizabeth cried, burying her face into her hands. “I wish I was this rich. Do you think you can pull some strings?”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“I already am,” replied Alyssa. “We’re going to the fundraiser, remember? It’s basically a giant ball, just don’t get drunk there.”

As soon as food arrived, the friends stuffed themselves with various dishes: bright orange crabs, the perfect medium-rare steak, fresh fruit plates, and countless deserts ranging from chocolate lava cakes to classic black coffee. They flitted like moths through the glowing lights and drew shadows across the cold floor when they walked about, their laughs echoing among the stars. For a moment, they could forget the dread that loomed over them like expansive walls and suffocating ceilings and could breathe in the aroma of champagne and cakes.

The groups split into two bedrooms segregated based on gender after Morrigan enthusiastically advocated for a sleepover. As the groups wished each other goodnight, their two bedroom doors became the only divider in a solemn, dark hallway, with only the moon to provide a faint glow through the paneled windows.

“I’m rather attractive, don’t you think?” Elizabeth blurted out, admiring herself in the bathroom mirror while she played with her brown, waist-long hair. She ran her fingers through the strands and pretended to tie it into a ponytail or would curl it in her hands. Waiting for a response, she met Morrigan’s eyes through the mirror.

“I think so,” said Morrigan, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol. “You are very pretty.”

Alyssa grabbed some pillows and blankets and set up makeshift beds on the floor.

“I’m going to marry a Leith,” Elizabeth declared, still admiring herself. “Then, I can—” a hiccup barged into her words, “live like this. I want to live like Alyssa.”

Alyssa tensed and stopped setting up the beds for a moment. Her shoulders drooped, and for the first time, she seemed to almost refute someone’s point.

“Many ordinary citizens who marry Leiths aren’t happy,” she said, a harshness thickening her words so much that they almost seemed suffocating to Morrigan. Elizabeth was fully unaware.

“I would be. That's all I need. A house in a nice neighborhood.” She suddenly let out an exaggerated yawn, not bothering to cover her mouth, and jumped into the large bed, ignoring the other two on the floor. “Do you guys remember the time I jumped into that red ant hill because you two told me not to?”

Morrigan let out a boisterous laugh while Alyssa let out a soft giggle. “You were so annoying back then,” said Morrigan, clutching her stomach.

“Name someone braver than me,” Elizabeth retorted, and Morrigan could almost imagine her determined expression in the dark.

Suddenly Elizabeth went silent and the other two girls were left wondering if she had finally fallen asleep. Their suspicions were confirmed when a grotesque snore suddenly echoed throughout the room.

Morrigan rolled over on the floor, choking on her own laughter, as she squeezed Alyssa’s hand in a desperate attempt to stop her hysteria. Alyssa’s body heaved as she suppressed her own laughs until they finally blurted out. The two girls playfully laughed beside each other while Elizabeth remained knocked out, continuing her violent snoring.

In the other room with Juro and Bruno, Bruno was barely awake as he constantly hiccuped; despite only having a small sip, he was completely out of it.

“You’re an honest drunk, right?” asked Juro, a mischievous grin appearing on his face as he crossed his arms.

Bruno would be heading home soon to make sure everything with his grandma was okay, but there was still time before he had to go.

Bruno nodded his head at Juro’s question, only stopped by another hiccup as he tried to cover his mouth.

“This is going to be fun.”