"Girl, hurry up!" Janice insisted, placing the cup on the closest flat surface. "Let’s get you dressed already." Grabbing Raven by the hand, they pushed through the crowded living room and headed to her bedroom. They took a moment to shush a lingering couple who had started to hook up in the hallway. "Ugh, move it somewhere else, people!" she fussed, pulling Raven into her room. "That’s one of the annoying things about hosting a party." She flicked the lights before grabbing the perfect shoes from the closet to match the pre-selected outfit arranged on her bed complete with accessories.

"Goodness, Janice. You’re three steps ahead of me," Raven grinned, happy that she wouldn’t have to take time to pick an outfit for the night.

"Okay, well, I’ll leave you to it. Pleeeeease try not to take more than 15 minutes!" Janice begged before leaving the room to return to the party. Raven chuckled to herself as she heard Janice fussing at the couple, who apparently decided to ignore her request for them to take their lovefest elsewhere.

"Okay," she thought, undressing and placing her wild hair in a bun before getting in the shower. "Let’s just have a good time." She sighed and closed her eyes as the warm water of the shower hit her back, tempting her to spend an hour letting the water clear her mind. Thoughts of the lingering presence crept into her mind. A chill raced up her spine and her eyes opened, bringing her back to reality. "I’m going to have a good time," she said aloud, quickly finishing her shower, remembering that everyone was waiting for her.

She looked into the mirror, releasing her hair from its constricting bun. She raked her hand through her bountiful curls, twirling the ringlets about to frame her face. Making quick work of her makeup, she rushed to put on her clothes. She fastened her last bracelet and looked into the full-length mirror in her bedroom and smiled, satisfied with her look. The loud rapping of a knock came out of nowhere, startling Raven. "Rayyyy!" Janice burst into the room. "Oh my! You look so beautiful!" She squealed in delight, admiring her friend's beauty. Excited about the party, she grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her toward the music. "Tonight will be a night to remember!" She yelled as they entered the crowd.

***

Dante growled, looking at the crowd of drunken people dancing and walking around foolishly in the middle of the night. The sound of breaking glass followed by cheers annoyed him more as he watched impatiently from the shadows of the trees across the street. "I might as well join in the fun," he thought sarcastically, as he stepped out of the trees and headed toward the party.

His footsteps left almost no sound as he entered like a shadow into the crowded yard. Leaving but a gentle breeze in his wake as he glided past the guests, too quick for them to really notice that he had passed. "Hmm," He thought with distaste as he inspected a couple glued to each other on a couch in the living room. "Just the type of filth I expect from them." His eyes grazed the room. He could feel her presence but he did not see her. Suddenly he felt a flush of heat spread over his face.

She’s coming.

He turned his head sharply as the crowd erupted, singing "Happy Birthday" as loudly as they could, drowning out the music as the guest of honor was pulled to the center of the room. He could hear the sounds of his heart beating like a drum as he laid his eyes on her. "It’s her," he thought, as his body was suddenly filled with the urge to go to her.

Taking a deep breath, he gained control of his emotions.

I have to wait.

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Keeping to the shadows of the room, he found a spot on the wall and blended into the crowd. He kept his eyes fixed on her, ignoring the women around him hinting that they wanted to dance, or perhaps something more. He frowned, disgusted, turning his attention to the crowd who had just brought out a huge cake. "Make a wish!" the crowd yelled in anticipation as she prepared to blow out the candles.

***

The crowd exploded with cheers as Raven blew out the last candle on the ridiculously huge cake. She could feel her heart filling with emotion, so happy to be celebrated for the first time in her life. She grinned at her best friend, this time grabbing her by the arm and pulling her into the crowd onto the dance floor. "Let’s party," she yelled, as the DJ responded by turning up the music as people began to dance to the beat.

The rhythmic beats took over as Raven and Janice rocked their hips to the beat, downing another glass of bourbon and coke before they let themselves get lost in the music. Raven threw her head back and swayed to the music, letting her body move naturally. She could feel the heat rising in her body as she danced to the fast-paced music. "I want to dance with a man," she thought mischievously as she glanced around the room, hoping to find someone to dance with.

Her heart seemed to stop in her chest when she noticed a set of dark eyes already looking at her. She felt the hair raise on her arms and before she could think, her legs were carrying her across the room to him. "Get 'em, girl," she heard Janice cheer, but could not seem to find any words as she moved closer to him.

He smiled in the darkness, grabbing her hand and pulling her to him. He kept his eyes locked on her as she danced hypnotically around him, grinding her body into his to the rhythm of the music. Smirking at her bold moves, he tightened his hand around her waist, spun her around, and pulled her closer to him. "Don’t stop," he whispered playfully into her ear, noticing that his bold movement had surprised her with his movement. "Dance for me."

Heat rose in her face but she let the music take over as she wound her hips to the music, careful to follow the slight cues from his tight grip. Her heart was pounding like it was when she was running earlier. She felt so alive and free. "I guess this is 18," she thought, surprised at her actions. Never would she have imagined that she would be at a party dancing with a stranger, especially... like this.

There was a loud crash as the DJ’s table and all his equipment were flying across the floor. Several women screamed as the music was suddenly halted. The crash halted the music. Raven scanned the room, trying to assess what happened. "Your party is over," a loud baritone voice rang over the sounds of confusion filling the room.

Chaos began to unfold as several figures emerged from the crowd, their imposing presence overshadowing the festive atmosphere. Among them was the tallest one, his unnaturally glowing yellow eyes piercing through the darkness. These figures were no ordinary party crashers; they bore an air of authority and purpose, causing an unsettling tension to settle in the room. They moved with a deliberate sense of command, positioning themselves in front of the scattered equipment as if to mark their presence. Raven's heart raced as her intuition signaled that these strangers were not here for a typical party.

They are staring at me.

Raven stood, frozen, unsure of what was happening. She felt the unfamiliar feeling she had felt earlier when she was on her way home now enveloping her. Her stomach twisted at the realization that she must have sensed them following her earlier.

The tallest one smiled in the darkness, his eyes seeming to glow yellow in the darkness, fixed on her as he took a step toward her. "What do you think you are doing?" Janice screamed as she stood in front of him, angry that he had ruined the party she had planned for a friend. Annoyed, the man pushed her effortlessly out of his way, sending her flying into the living room wall. Shocked, people began to run and scream, realizing that whatever the visitors wanted, it wasn't good.

Raven felt anger and shock as she watched her friend's body hit the wall with a loud crash. She was horrified. "Why is this happening?" she thought as she tried to rush over to her friend despite the chaos around her. "Janice!" she yelled, nudging her friend who was groaning but not moving. She could feel the men getting closer to her. "Ow!" she groaned again. Someone stepped on her fingers as they tried to run out of the house.

Remembering that she kept a big baseball bat under her couch, she frantically reached for it as the men moved closer to her. "Back up," she yelled viciously at them, scrambling to her feet, desperate to defend herself and her dear friend. She could see nothing but red as she stared them down, filled with the courage she had not felt since she was a child.

Suddenly, a white light entered the room in a flash, followed by a cloud of smoke. Raven felt a tightening in her throat as the smoke entered her lungs. She started to panic.

I can’t breathe.

She could feel her energy start to leave her body, and it felt as if her grip on the bat was slipping away. Sinking towards the ground, she was on the brink of collapse when a sudden force yanked her back onto her feet.

"Come. Now," a voice commanded firmly, piercing through the cloud of confusion that enveloped her senses. Despite the fog in her brain caused by the smoke, her feet moved with an almost instinctual determination, following the urgency that coursed through her veins. She was propelled away from the unsettling chaos that had consumed her surroundings.