The leather couch was stiff and uncomfortable. The music blared. And every time Sofia looked up, bright neon strobe lights bore into her eyes.

So, Sofia stared at the floor. Into the black, dirty, cup-and-straw-strewn floor. Her head ached, and she pressed her fingers into her temple, seeking any amount of relief.

Below, a DJ shouted, “MOSCOW, PUT YOUR FUCKING HANDS UP!” and around her, hands flew into the air.

The song started to build, getting louder and louder. The tempo increased and the crowd below, hundreds of people squished together, started to jump. The building shook slightly. Sofia’s cup vibrated on the glass table, falling into a pile of white powder.

A man dressed in a sleek black suit immediately stepped up to the table and offered her another glass. Sofia waved her hand to deny it and clenched her teeth. Her head throbbed.

The DJ started to shout a countdown of numbers, and the song built. And built. And built. And then the beat dropped. Lights from every crevice of the club flashed. Smoke shot down from the ceiling. And around the DJ booth, plumes of fire erupted in intermittent bursts.

Sofia shouted and rose to her feet. Eyes followed her as she stormed out of the VIP section of the club and turned down a hallway. She surged past a long line of women, ignoring the dismayed cries.

She passed the door to the bathroom and ambled down the hallway. At the end, a tall burly man stood in front of a large red door and shook his head no.

“No entry. Turn around,” he said with a deep voice.

Sofia chuckled and dug her hand into her pocket. She pulled out a thousand dollars, and pressed them into the man’s chest, then walked straight out the door.

When the door shut, the music became nothing more than a muffled shaking. She leaned against the rails of the fire escape and took a deep breath.

The cold air bit against her arms, and she deeply regretted the sleeveless black top she’d put on. She looked around. The night sky was clear. Stars twinkled, and the soft rays of the moon hit her flesh, filling her with warmth. She closed her eyes and smiled.

She started walking upwards, following the steel-grated fire escape up a set of stairs.

The stairs only went so far up, stopping at a large red door that vibrated with the music inside. Not a chance she was going back in there, she thought. She inspected the wall. It was intricately carved from stone. Divots and ruts ran all the way to the top in ornate patterns.

She peeked down and whistled. The few passing cars were nothing more than distant blurs.

Sofia belched. Liquor nearly flooded out from her stomach, but she stifled it. The air around her smelled of vodka. She frowned.

And without another thought, reached her hand up to the wall of the building. She pulled herself up and lifted her leg to a piece of stone that jutted out. She climbed the wall recklessly. As if a prize awaited her at the top, she grabbed stone after stone and moved higher up.

It was a windy day, but it would always be windy this high off the ground. The wind violently tossed her long black hair and strands blew into her mouth and over her eyes. But she ignored it, completely entranced by the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

She paused, halfway to the roof, and leaned her head back. She looked straight into the moon and laughed.

Sofia reached for another handhold, and it slipped. Her heart skipped a beat. Her hand dropped, and her weight nearly tossed her backwards. She clamped down with her left hand, still on a firm stone, and caught herself.

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She pressed her chest into the wall and held it tightly. Seconds later, a distant thud echoed through the empty city streets as the chunk of rock hit the ground below.

She took a deep breath and climbed until she felt the flat base of the roof. Sofia hefted herself up and swung her legs onto the flat, black concrete. She jumped to her feet and pumped her hands in the air. “Yeahhhhh!” she cheered, her voice a whisper.

She ambled around the roof and looked down at the city. Nearly every building's lights were off, apart from the few late-night restaurants. Tall streetlights lit the mostly empty roads.

Then she looked up and spun in circles with her arms astride. The stars seemed to move, in a new place each time, but the moon remained constant, always directly above her head. She spun faster and her labored breaths turned to steam in the cold, forming a circle of haze around her.

She became tired and collapsed onto the floor.

“Moon,” she said. “Today was not a good day.”

“I overslept, and Mother and Father had left for America by the time I woke.” She held one hand out in front of her face and formed a circle with her thumb and index finger. She positioned it so the moon fit perfectly in the circle.

“Do you ever get lonely?”

Then she chuckled, “Don’t worry, it’s okay. You don’t need to answer.”

“Last night, I made a mistake. I blamed them for…” She hesitated. “Well, I blamed them for a mistake I made.”

“I wonder if you remember the things that happen at night. I hope you don’t.”

“If you do, I’m sorry.”

Sofia chuckled. “When I walked downstairs, Arthur, our butler, did this thing. He always does it… He, uh… he looks at me like he doesn’t think I can do any wrong. And he speaks so honestly.”

“He’s got this really white hair. And he has a British accent, so he’s kind of like Alfred. The guy from Batman. But he said ‘Sofia, you’ve grown so much.’ And he looked proud.”

“WHY WAS HE PROUD?” Sofia shouted.

“He… I’m sorry. That was rude of me. Arthur means well. I know he does. But how can he be proud?”

“I… I scream at my parents. I hide in my room all day. I sneak out every night to come to places like this. They all know it too. And I… I… I just make a lot of mistakes!”

Sofia’s chest rose and fell quickly. She breathed rapidly.

“It’s just… so boring. I don’t do anything during the day. I dropped out of Uni. I quit the piano. I just wake up and lay in bed. And every time I see Mother and Father, it’s like there’s some giant FUCKING WEIGHT ON MY CHEST!” Sofia bashed her fist into the roof.

“Fuck!” she said, then shook her hand.

A tiny bird landed beside her on the roof. Its tiny legs hopped along the stone, and it approached Sofia. She laid completely still, and let it get so close that she could smell it. She wrinkled her nose and nearly gagged.

The bird pecked her on the cheek with its beak, and she recoiled. The bird jumped back and took off into the night sky.

Sofia burst into laughter, “Even the birds are scared of me.”

She rose to her feet and walked to the edge of the building. So high off the ground. So clear. A car below honked, and Sofia startled. She smiled, then sat on the edge, her legs dangling over the side of the building.

The streets were quiet. Really quiet this late at night. Only the distant whirring of passing cars, and the faint thumping of the music from the club travelled far enough for her to hear.

She followed each car with her eyes. One of them sped through the street, and a streetlight flickered just as it was passing underneath. For a brief second, she lost sight of the car, and her heart sank.

Her headache returned in full force, and she hunched over. She shut her eyes, and memories overtook her in a flood.

Music. Singing. BANG. Violent shaking. Shattered glass. Blood. Blood. Blood. Bloo--.

She bashed her fist against the wall. Her head ached. She concentrated on the rhythm of the music below and calmed.

She held up her hand, and it was cut along the side. Tiny scrapes and cuts started to fill with deep, crimson blood. She held it up to her mouth and sucked the blood. Then spit it out.

“What the fuck am I doing?” she looked at the blood running down her hand, and her eyes turned soft.

“Moon,” she stared up. “Thank you for listening to me. And if you ever get the chance. Tell Mother and Father that I’m sorry for killing Eva.”

Sofia closed her eyes and pushed herself off the edge of the building.

She tried to count the seconds. But the sky flared. It lit up a blinding, harsh shade of yellow. A circle of light formed around her, and she collided into it. Her body spun uncontrollably through the air, bashing against the strange barrier.

“Take me…” she said, a faint whisper. Then she looked down. The ground was close, and she was falling fast. Light started to glow beneath her. And it shone more intensely with each passing moment.

The ground was getting so close. So close. She was going to hit it. She was going to die. “NO!” she shouted, and she braced her arms against the light barrier.

And then she was gone.