Chapter Text
The bass was loud enough to make the floor shake beneath your sneakers. The whole place was glowing. Neon lights and smoke in the air highlighted the people getting lost in the beat.
Oliver pushed through the entrance. “Okay, this place is actually insane,” he said, looking around like he couldn’t decide where to go first.
“Woah, Vex, you’re awesome,” Eva said to you, following Oliver close behind, “I can’t believe you got us in.”
You laughed, shaking your head.
“Neither can I. I only met her a few months ago.”
“Only you could become friends with the owner of the biggest underground rave in the city,” Eva teased.
“And then she tells you to bring whoever you want,” Oliver added, “She’s officially my favourite person.”
You rolled your eyes. “Don’t embarass me in front of her.”
“No promises!”
Scanning the crowd, it didn’t take long to spot Maya behind the bar. She was laughing with a guest while mixing drinks like she’d done it a thousand times.
The moment she noticed you, her face lit up.
“Vex!”
She waved you over.
“You actually came!”
“You invited me,” You laughed, walking around the counter to give her a quick hug.
A woman slid into a bar seat, grabbing a glass of whiskey. “So this is Vex.”
“Oh, Ruby!” Maya said, her eyes lighting up, “Vex, this is Ruby. She’s the co-owner of this place. I told her a bunch about you!”
“Oh?” You laughed.
“A lot,” Ruby laughed, “Maya wouldn’t shut up about the person who stopped a guy from robbing her! You’re a badass!”
You rubbed the back of your neck.
“I got lucky.”
Ruby slid three drinks across the counter.
“These are on the house.”
Oliver’s eyes lit up. “See? I knew coming here with Vex had benefits.” He said, turning to Eva.
“You’d say yes to free water,” Eva teased.
“I absolutely would.”
The five of you laughed.
“Enjoy yourselves,” Ruby said, “Everyone should be here now.”
You glanced around the room. She was right. There weren’t many people, maybe 20. Some were talking in small groups, leaned against the balcony overlooking the dance floor. A few danced together, but most seemed content just enjoying the music.
Oliver set his empty glass down.
“I was waiting for someone to say that.”
“Of course you were,” Eva laughed.
Without another word, Oliver headed toward the pool table in the corner.
“I’ll be back!” He called over his shoulder.
“You’d better not lose!”
“No promises,” He said, winking at you.
You watched him disappear, already striking up a conversation with the two people standing there.
One of them laughed and handed him a pool cue while the other shook their head, laughing.
Eva glanced towards the lounge area. “I think I’m going to go say hi to everyone.”
“Alright.”
With a small wave, she headed off. That left you standing alone.
Maya nudged your shoulder.
“Go on.”
“I’m going.”
You laughed and wandered away from the bar. The music grew louder as you got closer to the dance floor. Only then did you notice where it was coming from.
A raised DJ booth overlooked the entire dance floor, behind it stood two people.
The girl was laughing as she adjusted something on the mixer before smoothly transitioning into the next song. She had long black waves, adorned with crimson flowers, and wore a matching red outfit.
Beside her stood a guy dressed entirely in black. Gold emboidery ran across his jacket. Platinum hair peeked out from beneath a sleek visor that hid his eyes. He barely acknowledged the crowd, his focus staying on the booth in front of him.
“I don’t think you’ve met our DJs.” Ruby said, appearing behind you with two drinks in her hand.
She handed you a drink, and nodded towards the booth.
“That’s Adriana...”
Your eyes drifted to the guy beside her.
“...and Artemas.”
“He seems reserved,” You noted.
Ruby chuckled. “That’s one way to put it.”
Ruby took a sip of her drink before continuing. “They’re both incredible DJs,” she said. “Adriana’s the loud one, Artemas...” She paused, looking towards the booth. “...he let’s Ariana do the talking.”
You looked back up.
Adriana was waving at someone near the front of the dance floor, grinning as she mixed up the song. Artemas barely moved beside her, adjusting a few controls before stepping back.
“They make a good team,” you admitted.
“They do.”
A voice echoed across the room.
“Vex!”
You turned around to see Oliver waving you over from the pool table.
“Hurry up! We need one more.”
“You’ve been gone for like five minutes,” you laughed.
“And I’ve already made friends!”
“Shocking.”
Ruby laughed. “You should probably save him.”
“I’ll try,” you laughed.
You made your way over, weaving between small groups of people.
A guy with black hair and a dark green suit glanced at you as you approached. “Please tell me you’re here to save him.”
Oliver looked offended. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“You scratched the table,” the black haired girl in a blue leotard said. “I’m Elisabeth, by the way. This is Martin.” She said, gesturing to the man beside her.
“Nice to meet you...?” Martin said, turning to you.
“Call me Vex,” you introduced yourself, “Nice to meet you guys.”
You grabbed a spare cue leaning against the table.
“What’s the score?”
“He’s losing,” Martin answered immediately.
“I’m getting bullied.” Oliver defended himself.
Before you could reply, someone walked past behind you, lightly brushing against your shoulders.
“Sorry,” a quiet voice muttered before continuing on.
You barely thought anything about it. You watched the person disappear into the crowd before turning back to the game.
Oliver leaned over the table, carefully lining up his shot.
“This one’s going in.”
Martin crossed his arms. “You’ve said that three times.”
“It’ll work eventually.”
Oliver took the shot. The cue ball bounced off two cushions before barely tapping another ball.
Elisabeth sighed. “...Impressive.”
“That was on purpose.” Oliver crossed his arms.
“It was terrible.” Elisabeth laughed.
You couldn’t help but laugh.
Before Oliver could argue, applause broke out from the dance floor.
The song had ended. Adriana raised one hand above her head, smiling as she thanked the small crowd gathered around the booth.
Even from across the room, you noticed Artemas barely move. One hand rested on the mixer while the other adjusted a few controls.
“See something you like?” Elisabeth’s voice pulled your attention back.
“Hm?”
She nodded toward the DJ booth.
“I was just watching.” You smiled awkwardly.
“Watching who?” Oliver asked immediately.
“No one.”
“Mhm.”
You nudged his shoulder. “Focus on your game.”
“I am.” He answered, nudging you back.
“You literally aren’t.”
Martin laughed. “I like Vex already.”
“You’ve known them for, what... three minutes?” Oliver asked.
“Long enough.”
“Traitor.”
The conversation was interrupted by someone approaching the table.
“Mind if I watch?”
You turned to see a girl with long blonde hair and red clothing stopping beside Elisabeth.
“Go ahead,” Elisabeth said with a smile.
“Thanks.”
A second later, another guy, wearing a brown suit, joined her, crossing his arms.
The two greeted Martin like they’d known each other for years. You later learned that their names were Bella and Hudson.
The group around the pool table was slowly getting bigger. Across the room, you spotted Eva laughing with a brown haired guy and a black haired girl near one of the couches.
For such a small party, everyone seemed to have found someone to talk to.
You liked that. No awkward introductions, no one standing alone, just twenty people enjoying the night.
You glanced at your phone.
11:37 PM.
Still plenty of time before midnight. You slipped it back into your pocket.
“...Vex?”
You looked up.
Oliver gestured towards the table. “Your turn.”
You smiled, stepping around the table. “Watch and learn.”
You leaned over the table, taking a moment to line up your shot.
You sank the final ball into the corner pocket.
Martin sighed dramatically. “Well... I wasn’t expecting that.”
Elisabeth rested her cue against the table. “I think that’s enough humiliation for one night.”
“You say that like I lost on purpose,” Oliver complained.
Everyone laughed.
You leaned your cue against the wall. “I’m gonna go over to Eva.”
Oliver waved you off. “Go. We’ll get our rematch soon.”
You smiled to yourself and headed back across the room.
As you walked towards the lounge area, you caught sight of Eva still talking with the same two people from earlier. The guy noticed you first.
“Hey!” he called. “You’re Vex, right?”
You smiled. “Yeah.”
Eva looked over and waved you closer. “Come sit for a minute.”
You dropped into the empty seat beside her.
“This is Ryan,” Eva said, nodding toward the man.
“And Mia.”
The black-haired girl smiled warmly. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“You too.”
Ryan leaned back against the couch.
“So...” He looked at Eva. “This is the friend that got you invited?”
Eva nodded proudly. “The one and only.”
Ryan looked impressed. “Guess we all owe you one.”
You laughed. The conversation flowed easily. Mostly stupid stories. Ryan somehow managed to tell three embarrassing stories about himself in under five minutes. Mia apologized for every single one while laughing harder than anyone else.
“You are never living that down,” she said.
“I know.”
You smiled. Everyone here felt like they were old friends catching up after not seeing each other for a while.
Ryan glanced at the nearly empty bowl of chips on the coffee table.
“I’m getting food.”
“You’ve been eating since I met you,” Eva laughed.
“So?”
“So maybe leave some for the rest of us.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Mia rolled her eyes as Ryan stood up.
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t steal everything.”
The two wandered off toward the bar, still arguing. Eva looked over at you.
“I’m gonna go find Oliver.”
“Alright.”
She gave you a quick smile before disappearing into the crowd. Just like that, you were on your own again. You looked around. There were still people you hadn’t met. Might as well change that.
Near one of the windows, three people were sitting on a couch. One girl was quietly stirring the ice in her drink. The guy beside her was talking with way too much confidence for someone who clearly had no idea what he was talking about.
“...I’m telling you, I’d survive a zombie apocalypse.”
The other girl looked at him. “You tripped down the stairs when you came in.”
“That was one time.”
“It was five minutes ago.”
You laughed before you could stop yourself. All three turned to look at you.
“Okay, you definitely heard that,” the guy said.
“Maybe.”
He grinned. “Great. First impressions are important.”
“They are.” You laughed.
“I’m Theo.” He held out a hand.
You shook it. “Vex.”
The blondie with ponytails beside him smiled. “I’m Lily.”
The other blonde with the drink gave a small nod. “Cassandra.”
“Nice to meet you.” You smiled at them.
Theo leaned back on the couch. “So...” He pointed at you. “Are you the person Maya keeps talking about?”
You covered your face for a second. “Can she stop doing that?”
Lily laughed. “Probably not.”
Theo nodded. “She may have made you sound like a superhero.”
“I literally just helped her.” You mumbled.
“You chased away a robber.” Theo noted.
Before you could argue, someone suddenly wrapped an arm around your shoulders.
“There you are!”
You jumped. “Maya!”
She laughed. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“You’ve literally seen me like... three times.”
“And somehow you still keep disappearing.”
“I’ve been meeting people.”
“I know,” Maya said with a grin. “Which is why it’s time for you to meet a few more.”
She gently grabbed your wrist.
“Theo,” you laughed helplessly, “save me.”
“Oh, absolutely not,” he said, raising his drink. “Good luck.”
“Traitor.”
“I barely know you.”
“It was nice meeting you.” Lily giggled.
“You too!”
Maya didn’t even slow down. She led you through the crowd, weaving effortlessly between people.
“So...” you said, trying to keep up. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“Maya.”
“You’ll see.”
“...I don’t like that answer.”
She just laughed.
The music grew louder the closer you got to the dance floor. You looked up, and saw where Maya was leading you. The DJ booth.
“Oh.”
Maya smiled over her shoulder.
“I realized I never introduced you.”
“To the DJs?”
“Mhm.”
She climbed the short flight of stairs leading up to the booth and waved at the two figures standing behind the DJ booth.
“Adriana!”
The woman looked over immediately, a bright smile spreading across her face.
“Finally! So this is the famous Vex.”
“Oh, not you too...” You buried your face in your hands.
Adriana laughed.
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
Maya rested an elbow on the DJ booth.
“I’ve been telling everyone about you, Vex.”
“I noticed.”
The three of you laughed.
Adriana leaned across the booth and offered her hand. “I’m Adriana.”
You shook it. “Vex.”
“It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”
“You too.” You smiled at her.
Maya glanced beside her.
“And this is Artemas.” She nudged the guy standing next to Adriana.
He looked up from the booth. For a second, the flashing lights reflected off the visor covering his eyes.
He gave you a small nod. “Hey.”
His voice was quieter than you’d expected.
“Hi.” You replied simply.
Maya looked between the two of you. “...You’re both hopeless.”
“What?” you asked.
“I thought one of you would say something.”
Artemas looked back down at the controls. “I did.”
“You said one word.” Maya groaned.
“It counts.” He shrugged.
Adriana burst out laughing. “He’s got you there.”
You smiled, and turned to Artemas. “So...are you always this talkative?”
That earned the smallest hint of a smile from Artemas. “Only on special occasions.”
“Oh, wow,” Adriana said dramatically. “You got a joke out of him.”
Artemas adjusted one of the sliders on the mixer before glancing toward the dance floor. “Song’s ending.”
“Oh-right.” Adriana quickly slipped her headphones back on. “Duty calls.”
She gave you a quick wave. “It was nice meeting you, Vex.”
“You too.” You smiled as you gave a quick wave back.
Maya stepped back from the booth. “I’ll let them work.”
As you turned to leave, you heard Artemas speak again.
“Vex.”
You looked back.
“Hope you enjoy the party.”
You smiled.
“I think I already am.”
He gave another small nod before turning back to the mixer.
Maya nudged your shoulder with a smug grin. “I told you you’d like them.”
You smiled to yourself as you looked back at the booth one last time. “...Yeah. They’re pretty cool.”
The music shifted into another song, and you glanced around the room. Oliver was still with Martin and Elisabeth, losing at pool. Theo somehow still had jokes to crack, and Ryan still had some stories up his sleeve. Bella and Hudson stood near one of the windows, drinks in hand.
Your phone buzzed.
11:59 PM
“Almost midnight.”
Maya looked over, and smiled. “Time flies.”
You slipped your phone back into your pocket. The song reached its final chorus.
Then-
The music stopped.
A few confused laughs echoed through the venue.
“...Power cut?” Oliver called from across the room.
Adriana frowned, taking one ear off her headphones. “That’s weird.”
Artemas frowned at the mixer. “I didn’t-”
The lights went out. You couldn’t see your own hand in front of your face. The room had gone completely silent.
Then a voice echoed through the speakers as the lights flickered back on.
“Good evening and welcome, players.”
Players? You frowned.
“I trust you’ve enjoyed your evening.”
The voice was almost pleasant.
“Unfortunately, the party is over.”
Metal slammed somewhere in the building.
CLANG.
Another. Then another.
The unmistakable sound of heavy doors locking. Someone ran toward the entrance.
“It’s locked!”
“What the hell is going on?”
Ruby’s voice cut through the panic. “Maya?”
“I... I don’t know.” Maya admitted, looking around the room, searching for the person responsible for the chaos.
The voice spoke again.
“You may have noticed someone brushing past you throughout the evening.”
Your stomach dropped.
“Please check your pockets.”
The room fell silent. Slowly, everyone reached into their pockets.
Your fingers brushed against something that definitely hadn’t been there before.
A folded piece of paper.
“...What?”
Around the room, people pulled out identical notes from their pockets.
“On your paper, is your role.” The voice continued. “Do not reveal it. From this point forward, the game has begun.”