Chapter 5

• Despite how early the girls arrived at the bar, it was already filled with people. They squeezed through a screaming and dancing crowd towards the VIP section. It helped that Isabella’s boyfriend owned the bar. Their shots were delivered to them before they ordered. Alexandra joked about Isabella being such a regular. They all took shots except Rose, she had to start a banking job the next day.
• Zipporah regarded the three girls she was so lucky to have as roommates in college. She laughed at their comments as they scoped out the male species on the dance floor. Alexandra, at first glance was the life of the party but the scientist’s brain behind the California beauty could be intimidating. She looked taller than her medium-height in her heels, her milk-toned skin matched her bright, blue eyes. Her blonde hair didn’t pass her shoulders and framed her slim face well.
• With Isabella, what you saw was what you got and as an event planner that helped her secure eligible clients. She was the tallest of the group and well built with a behind that attracted as much attention as her stunning face. Her long, black hair complimented her creamy skin and her mischievous, brown eyes. She was the oldest in the group but had the least morals when it came to a good party.
• When she met Rose, her first impression was a sweet, calm and reserved girl and her impression was right. But when Rose was amongst friends, she was a whole different person. She was loud, extroverted and absolutely crazy. The dress she wore showed off enough of her dark, fine skin. Her knotless braids were let loose and it slapped around her round, chubby face when she danced. She had the prettiest brown eyes Zipporah had ever seen. She was short even in heels and her mature, hourglass shape concealed the fact that she was the youngest.
• At the moment, they proved her right. Isabella was up on the couch twerking to a Cardi b song, Alexandra was simultaneously flirting with a Mexican waiter and hyping Isabella up. Rose came to drag her from the couch and they both sang, ridiculously, to the nastiest lyrics. They were young and troubled but tonight they let go of their troubles and partied hard. It was hard to hear yourself with the resounding echoes of the club. The bass of the songs, the screams and the alcohol melted their brain cells and all they knew was the absolute feeling of freedom.
• Several shots and group twerking later, Zipporah signaled to the girls she was going to the toilet. She wasn’t sure they heard her. She stumbled through the hot crowd, past several whistles into a corridor then the ladies. She rushed into a stall and moaned as her bladder released itself. She proceeded to wash her hands and sprinkle water on her face, she could barely stand up straight but in her book she was good to go.
• She tried to move but her legs gave out and she crumbled on the sink, she hadn’t drank that much, had she? Her eyes began to feel heavy and her chest felt like it was on fire. She felt no pain but it was almost like she should have. She was confused and tried to stand but her bones were liquid. Her brain was foggy and in a minute she wasn’t sure where she was.
• “Are you okay?” The question came from a beautiful Asian lady beside her. The lady washed her hands, her red lipstick smiled at Zipporah, “you look like you might fall.” Her voice was wicked and soothing like a drug.
• Zipporah didn’t hear her come in, her vision was blurry and the woman with white hair dressed in white and the greenest eyes seemed like a dream. Zipporah didn’t know who she was but with the way she smiled, something told her she was about to die on a toilet sink.
• The cold tiles under Zipporah’s skin burnt her flesh, her pores could feel everything and nothing at all. Her eyes were red with pooling tears. She cried for her mother and her father. She was still holding on to the sink before she couldn’t anymore. Her hands felt like they had become detached. She tried to scream but no sound came out. She began to crawl, her nails dug into the tiles and they bled with how much weight she pulled in just an inch. Her brain was rejecting every form of reasoning and emotion. She felt her heart sing its last tune as her eyes gave up on the light and yet she felt no pain. Only misery.
• A faint sound came from behind her, it called out to her and she tried to go towards it but her body didn’t fulfill her command, instead the floor felt like lava and she was sinking with nothing and no one to hold on to. A strange noise dived passed her senses, she felt a vicious exchange but wasn’t sure of what she saw or heard. The lady in white was muttering words that her ears rang to and the one stupid or brave enough to challenge her made her angry. With each anger that resonated from her words, Zipporah felt worse.
• She wanted to plead to be left alone to die with no pain, she yearned to plead for death but even that was impossible. Her heart felt too large for her chest and she was sure that in a second she would burst into blood and guts.
• Her teary lashes weighed a ton, it was heavy to keep them open. When she did for a split second, the bathroom continued to spin and the brawl she witnessed came in flashes and clips. She saw things that her mind would deny but her ears would never forget the sound it heard. It was vile and filled with rage like that of a beast. More tears cloaked her eyes as she tried to claw away from the war that waged around her. It was useless but her body continued to fight.
• The noise from the beast was drifting away, or was it her? The lady in white was leaving, she couldn’t see but she could feel the darkness fade. Leaving her to die in her own sweat and tears. She didn’t want to die here, not alone and so afraid. She had so much to do and had done so little. Her dad, she needed tell him how much he meant to her. Needs, wishes, wants and regrets flooded her soul and broke her heart. She felt suppressed and was ready to give up on whatever thread was keeping her alive. The room paraded like stars around her, she tried to scream for help again but her breath was fading.
• “Stay up sunshine, don’t sleep yet.” It was a buzzing sound that seemed like it resonated from miles away. Her body was raised half away from the lava, cradled and guarded. She struggled to listen but her fighting strength was no more.
• Whatever paralyzed her limbs had melted away with the lady in white, she forced her hand up to touch the blurred image before her. She frowned when her hallucination began to piece into focus, why should he be the last face she saw before she die? He began to soothe her and for a minute it felt good but she denied herself such feeling.
• She dragged her fingers away from a figment of her imagination. It came back with blood on her nails, she glared at it and wondered where she was bleeding from. Slowly, her brain couldn’t keep up with her thoughts and her heart felt weaker. She passed out listening to a panicked voice.
• For a long time, she believed she was dead. Anyone who walked in would believe her to be, but then Zipporah felt a cooling sensation on her ankle, her limbs were moving. She tried to put strength into them but failed, her eyes tripped open and shut. The lights were making her feel worse and she wanted to stop moving. It took her a while to realize she wasn’t moving on her own. She was being carried through lights and booming chaos, she tried to speak but her body felt numb.
• The chaos reduced and she heard chattering, familiar chatter. It was the girls, were they talking to her? She wanted to tell them to take her home to her mommy. Her body was placed on a soft bed but it began to move. The chattering followed and it ached her skull. She used the last energy she could muster and spoke, “take me home to my mommy,” she began to fade again, “she’ll protect me from the white lady.” Her words were only whispers which no one heard.