Possessed Soul

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Wow," Calum whistled as I climbed into the back seat of Ryan's car. Well at least I assumed it was Ryan's car, since he was the one driving.

"You look great," Ryan complimented me with a grin on his face.

The crop top that I wore was long enough to cover my bra, but not long enough to reach anywhere near my belly button and the jeans hugged my thighs tightly, showing off their shape. I was just about to thank Ryan for his compliment, before Calum chimed in. "Great?" he asked raising his eyebrows. "She's smoking." I don't know if it was just me, but his face looked like it had a bit more colour in it now.

Derek, who was in the passenger seat, swivelled around to see what all the fuss was about. He didn't say anything, but he threw a smile my way.

"She's my date," Ryan told his friends, a little bit aggressively.

"No one said she was up for grabs," Calum argued, folding his arms across his chest in a very childish manner. Calum had chosen to wear a white jacket, with red and blue stripes on the cuffs. His hair was dripping gel and it took all my self-control not to offer him a tissue to wipe away the gel that covered the top of his forehead.

"She's a girl, not a candy bar," Derek told Calum.

"Well, she sure looks tasty," Calum winked at me.

I wondered when they'd stop saying she and say you. It honestly seemed like they were talking about me like I wasn't there. I brushed it off as normal teenage boy behaviour.

I looked out of the window as the boys started talking about computer games.

The streetlamps provided just enough light to make the light from the moon seem yellow. It looked as if the whole city was shrouded in a veil of shimmery fabric. I could faintly hear the night insects making background music, to the sound of the light pitter-patter of rain. The raindrops looked like precious crystals as they gathered on the window. My reflection in the mirror made me think of the woman in the newspaper article. I didn't need to concentrate hard to remember her face, because all I had to do was look at myself and add a few ageing marks to my face. I was confident I hadn't seen her before, but she was just so familiar and for some reason, I felt like I loved her. Love was a pretty strong word, especially for someone you've never met before; but I loved her and there was no denying that.

Thoughts about the red-headed woman were brought to a stop as the sound of rave music erupted around us. The house we had stopped at was two stories high, and by the door stood two stone cladded pillars. The majority of the house looked as if it was made of clear glass and light streamed out from the house and onto the lawn. Green, blue and purple disco lights created elaborate patterns on the neatly trimmed grass. Cars were sprawled across the front of the lawn, no doubt leaving tyre marks behind.

Teenagers were everywhere. Some were smoking on the balconies, others were downing alcohol, but most were inside. Their bodies were slightly blurry through the glass, but it was clear that they were dancing. I had never been much of a dancer, but even I could see that none of them was dancing to the same rhythm. They were just waving their hands in the air and shaking their hips; there was no pattern to the way they moved, they just moved.

Calum held the door open for me and waited for me to climb out of the car. The path to the house was uneven and I was grateful I had worn flat sandals. I had never been one for heels. My hand was in Ryan's as he guided me to the front door. It seemed a little too soon to be holding hands with him, but I didn't pull away. His presence was calming, and I wasn't about to veer off into unknown territory without him. Calum tagged along behind us. Derek had already disbanded from our group and disappeared around the back of the house with a girl wearing a short sparkly dress and a boy with large glasses.

The minute we entered the house the smell of beer and sweat overpowered everything else.

"Don't touch that." A boy with a denim jacket swooped in to rescue an expensive-looking dolphin sculpture from being knocked over by a skankily dressed, drunk girl.

"Zach." Ryan held up a hand in greeting.

Zach waved at us before he was pushed over by someone else. He fell heavily against the wall but was somehow able to keep the sculpture from breaking by cradling it to his chest, like it was a new-born baby.

"This was not a good idea," he muttered to himself as he straightened up and brushed microscopic dust off his shoulders. Zach was a short boy who looked barely above thirteen. His fair hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. His denim jacket clashed horribly with the jeans he wore; he looked like a mannequin that had been dressed up with the only spare clothes that could be found. He headed off to the far side of the house, where another crash had just sounded.

I was going to offer to help him, but Ryan pulled me over to the dance floor. Calum grabbed my other hand and quickly whispered into my ear. "When you get sick of Ryan you know where to find me."

I was about to say I didn't know where to find him, but he was gone before the first word left my mouth. I shrugged and turned all my attention to Ryan.

"Do you want a drink?" Ryan asked, as he manoeuvred us to an empty spot in the middle of the living room. All the couches had been pushed to the side to create an impromptu dance floor.

I shook my head and placed my hands on his shoulders.

"Later then?" he asked.

I didn't know how to tell him I didn't drink, so I just nodded my head. I'd pour it into a pot plant or something, like what they did in the movies.

"Who's up for a game of truth or dare?" a male voice called over the loud music.

Ryan looked down at me. He was wearing his black leather jacket and his hair was pushed back. He looked like someone who would have girls swooning all over him. "Let's play," he suggested.

"I don't think that's a..."

He didn't give me a chance to finish, "Come on, it'll be fun."

"I've never played before," I told him, biting my lip. Truth or dare was a recipe for disaster. It was the one game that went wrong no matter what you tried. Or was that only in books?

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