Witchery

Chapter 20

“Elise!” The word escapes my mouth, and, without hesitating, I run to her side to hold her short hair. 

At first, she doesn’t really react to me, just keeps throwing up in the sink. I try to pad her head, telling her everything is going to be fine. She doesn’t answer me, just continues to throw up in the sink. A foul smell reaches my nose, but I manage to ignore it, keeping up stroking her hair. 

When Elise is finally done, she looks over at me with glazed eyes, frowning.

“Luna?” Her voice is rough and shaky. “Is… is Ariana here, too?” 

“Well yes.” I say, frowning too. 

“She can’t see me like this. She can’t know I am here.” Elise almost yells, panicking. 

“Okay don’t worry, she is busy drinking shots anyways. But why can’t she see you?”

“Because she doesn’t know. She doesn’t know how bad I am.” 

“Bad? What do you mean?” I am getting more confuse with every sentence she says, and I frown. Instead, I nudge her towards a bench standing in the end of the toilet rows against the wall. When she is sitting, I start cleaning up the sink, finding paper towels to help her clean her mouth. It smells pretty bad, and looks gross, too, but I find that I don’t really mind it.

“Are you okay? Do you want some water perhaps?” I suggest when I am done cleaning. 

“Oh, yes please.” She nods.

“Okay wait here.” I escape through the door and make it unnoticed to the bar where I ask them for a glass of water. Hurriedly, I take it back to the bathroom, where Elise is now sitting with her head in her hands. She looks up slowly when I step back inside. 

“Thank you, Luna.” She whispers, tears in her eyes. 

“So, what is going on, Elise?” I ask her, looking her directly in her eyes. 

 “I… I… I took too much.” 

“Too much? Of what?”

“Molly.” She whispers, sipping on the water, but soon leaving it beside her. 

“Molly?” I don’t know what it is. 

“Ecstasy, Luna.” She says. It’s like I can almost see her head spinning. 

“Ariana can’t know.” She cries on. 

“You have to talk to her, Elise. This isn’t good for anything. It isn’t healthy. And you are destroying your relationship with Ariana. Is it really worth it?” I am almost yelling at her now, and she looks terrified at me. 

“No… no I don’t want to lose Ariana. I just… I don’t know how to handle all this. Orh!” She yells too, throwing her head back in her hands. 

“Please, Elise, you have to talk to her. I can get her for you. You need help.” 

“Won’t you help me?” She whispers, taking a hold of my wrist. Her grip is much tighter than what I had thought, she looks so fragile right now. But it almost feels like my blood can’t run to my hand, and I twist myself out of it, feeling an odd sensation running down my spine.  

“Yes, I want to help you, Elise, but the best way to help you is if you start talking to us. We are always here.” I say, while sitting down next to her, stroking her hair. 

“Don’t you want some more water?” I ask, holding up the glass. 

“No, I am good. You shouldn’t… shouldn’t drink too much water.” She mumbles. 

“Please, Elise, let me get Ariana for you.” I say again, feeling rather uncomfortable with the situation. 

I know nothing about drugs, other than it can be very addictive.

Elise just nods and I take it as a “yes”, getting back up on my feet, leaving the bathroom again, heading for our table. 

Tinka has her tongue way down Tobias’ throat, and Ariana is basically dancing on the table. The mood is lit, but I do not feel it at all. 

“Ariana.” I yell to get her attention. 

“Esme, there you are. I was starting to wonder if you had fallen asleep in the bathroom. Look, I won. I took the most shots.” Proudly, she points to the empty shots tray.

“Come dance with me, get a drink.” She grabs a drink, putting it in my hand. 

“That’s nice, but will you maybe come with me for a second? It is important.”

“Oh of course, what is up?” She asks, stopping her dancing. The boys around her look displeased that I lead her away, but they don’t complain. I head towards the bathroom again. 

“What is going on?” Ariana asks again, taking my hand to try spinning me around to look at her, but I just tell her to come see for herself.

I push at the bathroom door, opening it up, but Elise isn’t sitting at the bench anymore. One of the stall doors, however, are closed and when I look down, I can see feet in the crack between the stall door and the floor. 

“Elise.” I say, knocking on the door. 

“Elise?” Ariana repeats, looking around in confusion. “Esme, what is going on.”

“Elise, please open up the door.” I hammer again. 

“Is she in there? Elise?” Ariana knocks too, all her drunkenness gone in a second. There is no response. 

“Oh my God, I think I have to kick down the door. Is she hurt?” Ariana looks around, panicked. 

“She… she threw up in the sink, not ten minutes ago.” I tell her. 

“Okay, Elise, please open up the door, or I’ll have to kick it down.” 

When there is still no response, Ariana catches my eyes, before telling me to step away a bit. I retreat to the bench, watching Ari get in position, before launching two hard, precise kicks on the door. The second kick has the door springing open, revealing Elise sitting on the toilet, eyes closed. Her head is on her knees, it looks like she is fast asleep.

“Elise!” Ariana exclaims. “Oh my god.” She hurries inside the box, shaking the girl. Elise wakes up with a small shock, starring at Ariana like she doesn’t really believe her own eyes. 

“Elise? What has happened to you?” 

“She told me, she took too much, uhm, ecstasy.” I whisper. 

“Ecstasy? Elise.” I can see Ariana’s eyes filling up with water, but she angrily wipes them away. 

“Please, Elise, get up, we need to take you to the hospital.” 

“No.” Elise whisper. And then, all of a sudden, “NO!” She yells, and gets up, bursting past Ariana, running for the door. 

We are both in paralyzed for a second, not able to react before she has left the bathroom. 

“s**t, we have to follow her.” We both run for the exit, just in time to see Elise running through the open front door. 

We run through the room, past our table, where Benjamin calls out to us in confusing, but we don’t respond. Outside, Elise is bending over a trash bin only a few steps away from the Pink Flamingo, throwing up again. 

“Please call for an ambulance.” Ariana says, before running to Elise’s side.

Not thinking twice, I take out my phone, dialing the hospital number, soon getting through to the PSAP. Explaining the situation and where we are, the lady in the phone immediately agrees to sending an ambulance. She then tells me to stay put and try to help Elise as best as we can until they are there. The woman also tells me what to do, if Elise faints, and how to do first aid if needed to. 

After thanking her and hanging up, I notice that Adriel has send me multiple texts and also called me once, but I decide to leave it for now, it is more important to help Elise. 

I walk back to the two girls, finding Elise is still leaning over the trash bin. Ariana is stroking her, telling her to relax and just get it all out. She looks frightened at me, asking if the ambulance is here soon. 

“Yes, they would hurry as much as possible.” I answer, also patting Elise’s arm. Then I offer to go get some more hand towels for her, and Ariana nods. 

I hurry back inside, asking for a hand towel. The bartender lends me one, saying, he doesn’t need it back. I thank him and go back outside. Elise is finally done throwing up, and I help cleaning her up once again. 

It is like Ariana is frozen, she just stares at me helping Elise, clutching her hand, tears rolling down her cheeks. Extending my arm, I pat Ariana, too. This seems to wake her up a bit, and she helps Elise sitting down on the pavement. 

“Elise, how did you end here?” Ariana whispers, kissing her cheek. 

“I don’t… my mum.” Elise just rambles. 

The ambulance rolls up next to us, and two ambulance drivers hurry to us. They help Elise to her feet, carrying her inside the ambulance while asking what has happened to her. We try our best to explain, but we don’t know how much she has taken, and when she collapses on the ambulance floor, the end up deciding to just hurry back to the hospital, taking Ariana with them. 

All of a sudden, I am standing alone in the streets, outside the noisy night club. I don’t feel like partying on, and I remember Adriel’s call and texts. All the messages are him asking, where I am at and if I am still out and if I still am with Tinka and Ariana. I suddenly remember my irritation with him, and I have just decided to head back inside the club, when he calls me again. 

Picking it up, I make sure I don’t sound too drunk or shaken up by the situation with Elise. 

“Hey.” My voice is bright and happy, at least as bright and happy as I can force it to be. 

“Esme, where are you?” 

“Uhm, out. Like we agreed to.” I answer, instantly dropping my happy voice. He knows what I am doing. I even arranged with him that I am going to sleep over at Tinka’s, so why does he need to know every little step I take? 

“I am pretty sure I told you to not go to the city afterwards.”

“And I am pretty sure you just advised against it.” I fire back. 

“Advised? Esme, you don’t know all the people who you could meet in the night life.” 

“I. am. not. a. child. Adriel, how many times do I need to tell you this?”

“I don’t think you are a child, but I do believe that you could be in danger and I would hate myself if something happened to you. Please tell me you are at least still with Ariana and Tinka?” 

“Uhm, actually.” I say, deciding to tell him about Elise and Ariana. 

“What? She just left you? Okay that’s it, I am coming to pick you up, I can tell you are drunk too.” 

“No, you are absolutely not. We had an agreement, Adriel, that I could sleep at Tinka’s, so you are not picking me up just because Ariana isn’t here anymore, and I might be a little drunk.” 

“A little drunk?” Frustration is all over his voice, “honestly, it doesn’t really matter if you are f*****g sober or as black out gone as Elise, I am coming to get you. Where are you?” 

“I am not telling you.” I yell, hanging up the phone, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down. 

I hadn’t realized that I had started walking down the street while talking to him. 

He immediately calls me up again, but I take off the sound, dumping my phone back in my back. Then I continue to walk on through the lively street. There are lots of people, standing outside the clubs on the street to smoke or drink their own alcohol before going inside. The mood is great, but I am not affected of it at all. My hands are clenched, and my heart is racing. 

The moon is low in the sky above the different shops and apartment buildings lying about the streets. The weather is brisk, a cold breeze following me. I realize I have forgotten my jacket back at the Pink Flamingo, and I shortly consider going back, before brushing the thought out of my head. I don’t want to confront my own rational thoughts just yet, I want to be angry with him. 

Deep down, I know he is probably right. I should at least not be wandering off like this. Tinka doesn’t even know what has been going on with Ariana and Elise for the last half an hour, she has been too consumed with her new catch. But Adriel just makes me so mad. How can he keep deciding like that? I am a grown woman, out to have a bit of fun and he just manages to spoil all of it. It would be such a stab in the heart if I had to tell Tinka that I am not going to sleep over at her place because Adriel is picking me up, deciding what I do and what I do not do.

I have made it to a crossroad, and I take the right, heading for a small grocery shop on the other corner, which is still open. Before going to the party, Adriel gave me some money to pay for drinks or whatever I might need. I haven’t used them though, having had enough with the wine and strong drinks I got at the Pink Flamingo. But I realize, my throat is dry. I need water to cleary thoughts.

It is an elderly woman who is behind the counter. 

“Are you out by yourself, sweetie. You should be careful, it can get dangerous for such a young, pretty woman as you.” 

I lie, telling her my friends are waiting outside. Then I hurriedly pay for the water, leaving the store. But I feel a bit more unsure about walking away from Tinka and safety, wondering, once again, if I should just head back. But no, I know I won’t have fun when I come back, I reason with myself. So, I continue on. 

Soon enough, I find myself in more deserted streets. Laughter and music can still be heard, drifting through the air, but it all of a sudden feels far away. I tuck my arms around myself, regretting I didn’t bring that jacket. Then I take a sip of the cold water, letting the ice run through my stomach.

And this is when I notice, that I am not entirely alone. Behind me, I can hear chatting voices, apparently all male, and when I think about it, they have been talking for some time, I just haven’t really noticed before. 

I take a peek back, seeing a group of four boys. Are they following me, or are they just heading the same way? I wonder, taking a turn to my right, pretty sure it will eventually lead me back towards the party streets. But this street is even more deserted, and hosting office buildings instead of apartments and shops. I strain my ears to listen for the music, so I can follow the sound back, but all I can focus on is the voices of the males, who are still behind me. I can’t tell what they are saying though, but I start pacing a bit faster than before, my heart going up in my chest. This is exactly what Adriel was talking about a little voice snickers in my mind. I shake my head. No, they are just going the same way as me. There ain’t no way in hell I am going to call Adriel to tell him, he was right. 

But my hand has already gone for my purse, fumbling to get it open. 

“Hey, Esme, where are you going?” Someone just calls out to me. 

I freeze for a second, before I slowly turn around. The group is now close enough for me to make out who are following me. It is Benjamin and three of his friends, Jonas, Vincent, and Tommy. 

But something feels wrong. Why would they be following me for this long without calling out to me before… before we are in a deserted street, and they see me going for my phone? 

I turn around again, continuing to walk while now frantically trying to get my stupid phone out, without dropping the rest of my purse’s content. 

“Hey baby, why aren’t you answering us?” One of the others call. 

I continue straight ahead. 

But I can hear, that they, too, put up their pace. They are close to me. I start freaking out, forgetting about the phone. Instead, I start running, but my heels aren’t making it easy for me. my feet hurt and I can tell that they started running too. They will catch up with me in no time. 

I make a turn to the right, not really caring if it will lead me back the right way or not, as long as it leads me away from this deserted area. 

However, it just takes me to another deserted way, closer to one of the ring roads of the city. 

Someone grabs my shoulder and yanks me back. I scream in hurt and suprisement. Without even looking at the person, who is holding on to me, I try to twist myself out of the tight grip, but it is impossible for me. 

Soon, I am spun around, face to face with Benjamin. I am out of breath and completely frozen. None of my arms or legs want to react, even though someone in my brain is screaming at me to fight. 

“Don’t run, sweet girl. It’ll make our job much easier.”

“You’re… you’re job?” I manage to get over my lips. 

“Yes, baby doll, a certain Warlock misses you, and we have volunteered to help him bring you back.”