"Pretty girls like you get lost in these woods all the time, Alexa."
On the night of Sebastián's annual Beginning of Summer Bash, amiable and adventurous Melody Tryniski went missing. What might have appeared as a juvenile escapade - a casual incide...
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I'M LOOKING FOR MY red blouse, the long-sleeved one with a V-neck, to wear for Sebastián's bash. It ends just on the slight curving of my stomach, putting in full display the excess fat around my hips and the small pooch below my navel. Its texture is tight around my torso, squeezing my large breasts together to form a nice-looking swell. I'm usually not this bold when it comes to showing off my body, but it's Sebastián's bash, our summer tradition, and the notion of this makes me feel confident.
I read somewhere that red is the color of passion and seduction. Maybe it will make me stand out among the sea of beautiful girls and he'll finally see me as more than just a stupid friend. He'll see me as a woman filled with a burning passion, one who's capable of taking him to another world by just the touch of her lips. And, of course, the cleavage will show that I'm maturing - a peek to get his blood hot and running.
There's a higher importance to my appearance this year, apart from the celebration and his attention. I'm a senior now, I have to act the part. This may not be my last party by the riverbank, but it's an entrance to a whole new version of myself and a new social status. Graduates are bidding Levittown their last goodbye tonight by getting drunk and laid, celebrating their rebirth outside of our small town. My appearance will guarantee my rebirth next year.
My body tingles with curiosity, the mixture of the unknown and the familiar creating a sense of innocent wonder within me. I can imagine Sebastián's crowded river home, the smell of sweat and booze mingling in the air, the music blasting hard through the speakers. I can feel myself loosening as the booze courses through my veins, my heart pumping harder the longer I dance, my laughter after slurring some words, my vision becoming a blur of colors.
And then, our tradition at eleven o' clock sharp - our bare feet dipped inside the edge of the riverbank, heads tilted towards the sky as a harsh wind howls all around us, some fireworks blasting in the sky. Everything leading up to our echoing screams to let everyone know that we're here and we exist.
A chain of people holding hands and uniting, despite the looming darkness that rests inside each of their hearts. This is going to be our best riverbank party yet, and I can't wait for what it has in store for us.
As I shuffle through the clothing rack, a dazzling golden yellow light reflects itself across my room. The five o' clock sun hangs tall in the sky, illuminating our whole town with its sizzling rays and sharing with complete harmony the celeste blue of the sky. It's a strange change in the weather. We've become so accustomed to rainy days that we forgot how beautiful it is to have sunny ones. This can be a sign of summer's beginning, a good one that promises new adventures.
Still, there's a strange feeling in my chest that won't leave me alone. It's a nagging spreading across my body, leaving traces of goosebumps around my skin and an uncomfortable churning in my stomach. The atmosphere is heavy around us, something dark travelling through the air, just like it did when I was eight years old. When darkness comes, something follows after it. This I know by heart and soul.
