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The Voice of Nothing

Ravenbrook

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a part of The Voice of Nothing, by partially-stars.

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partially-stars holds sovereignty over Ravenbrook, giving them the ability to make limited changes.

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Ravenbrook

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Ravenbrook is a part of The Voice of Nothing.

10 Characters Here

Tessa Salomon [5] "Make them wonder how you're still smiling."
Jay Harris [4] "I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me. All day I feel its soft, feathery turnings, its malignity."
Robyn North [4] "I'm not okay, but it's okay."
Matthew Summers [4] "U-U-Um! Smile!"
Reid Putnam [3] "You have to work for what you want. At least, that's how my life has gone."
Nathan "Twitch" Dyer [3] "Life's too short...I have to smile."
Sharon Jackson Arnwine [3] "Every day is a short story: rise, climax, and then the crippling fall."
Evelyn Beth Campbell [3] "Wow, I have a QUOTE. So edgy. Don't get cut on my edginess!"
Theo Pierce [2] "Survival is more vital than happiness."

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Setting

10 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Nathan "Twitch" Dyer Character Portrait: Matthew Summers Character Portrait: Zaria King Character Portrait: Jay Harris Character Portrait: Evelyn Beth Campbell Character Portrait: Theo Pierce Character Portrait: Robyn North Character Portrait: Sharon Jackson Arnwine Character Portrait: Tessa Salomon Character Portrait: Cynthia Durante
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An uneasy week or so had passed between the last message, and all had gone worryingly quiet. Everyone was forced to the edge of their seat, braced for something to happen. Or, at least, everyone who had got the texts were. Everyone else was perfectly chilled out- still throwing parties, at least.

The party Jay was at was definitely more his type of party. The music wasn't all pounding bass, and it was turned down to a volume where you could actually hear the conversations around you. There was a cup in everyone's hand, but nobody was throwing up or passed out anywhere. People were dancing, but not just grinding on each other with the hope of getting lucky. He'd been to all kinds of parties in his time- from the mind-numbing social events that barely passed as parties and that he'd been obliged to attend, but that did have free alcohol, to the wild parties that the models had somehow found or started themselves afterwards. But these chilled out, laid back ones were always his favourite.

Taking a sip out of his drink, he pulled out his phone and sent a few texts.

To: Theo
i'm inside whenever you get here- let me know when you're nearly here and i'll snag you a drink


"Jay, my man!" Someone yelled, and he grinned as he realised who it was. A fellow model, one he'd worked with and had shared a hotel room with a year or so previous. Jay'd heard that he was coming to town, but hadn't known when.

"Mikey! Still have that inbuilt talent to find parties, then," Jay said, standing up to hug the other guy, careful not to spill his drink. Mikey shrugged, grinning a little. "Hey, dude, you either have it, or you don't. I brought alcohol, where should I leave it?" He asked. Jay pointed the place out to him, and sat back down on the couch, checking his phone again.

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1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: [NPC] Bartender
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Though it was late Sharon couldn't convince himself to sleep, he just laid on the soft green grass and stared up at the dark blue sky. What a sober night, he thought ironically to himself. For he wasn't sober, but nor was he that drunk. He could still process things pretty well, well for the most part. "Reid," he spoke almost in a whisper, "are you awake?" The silence of the night was beginning to weigh on the young man's shoulders, he couldn't take it for much longer. At this moment he needed noise, he needed something that wasn't quiet.

"Yeah." A dreamy exhalation carried the word from his lips. He'd been curled up on his side, facing Sharon, his eyes closed and his features peaceful, as if in repose. It wasn't a wonder the other boy thought him asleep. He wriggled a little, for comfort, and shifted the balled up hoodie he was using as a pillow. His eyes drifted open, slowly, and his lips pulled into a sleepy smile. He was far from drunk, but very stoned. Together, the effects of the intoxicants resulted in a pleasant warmth that pooled in his stomach and overflowed to spread throughout his body.

He wriggled again, this time laying his head on Sharon's chest. It was innocent enough. The same way Sharon craved noise, something to disrupt the quiet night, Reid needed contact. He needed a conductor, somewhere for all that warmth to go. Listening to the dull thrum of a heart beat, he closed his eyes again. It was easy to forget, on a night like this, how utterly fucked everything was. "Did you want to go to that party?" It was almost absurd. Some kind of psycho-killer had their number, but the teenage world kept turning. Beers were bought by older kids, drank by younger, virginities were lost and relationships imploded. In the immortal words of Adore Delano: "Party".

Sharon thought about the offer on the table. A party sounded nice to him, more alcohol, more drugs. He loved both of those things. Looking over at Reid he lazily smiled, "Maybe, the noise would be nice."

"I think some of the others are gonna be there," he added, nuzzling his head into Sharon's shirt. The other what? Potential victims. He couldn't help it. He snorted grim laughter. "I figure maybe we can, you know, figure something out."

When the other boy continued to snuggle up against him Sharon cringed. Normally he enjoyed this kind of behavior, but with the amount of alcohol in his system it wasn't really the best mix. Pushing the boy off him abruptly from annoyance. "Don't touch me unless it's you giving me some," saying so sharply without even looking at Reid. This was the mild side of his crude behavior when intoxicated: sharp tongue, harsh, and slightly brutish. "Actually that sounds nice. Me using you for your body and then us going to the party." Following his response was a prolonged laugh, as if what he said had been a joke though it was far from it.

Reid hadn't been expecting it to start so early. Warm as he was, he shivered when Sharon shoved him away and he lost access to his body heat. He rolled onto his side, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. He couldn't be surprised, could he? This was what they did- the foundation of their friendship. Step 1.) get fucked up, Step 2.) Sharon gets mean, Step 3.) Sharon gets it out of his system, and Reid gets to be treated the way he deserves.

He regarded the cruel smile that followed Sharon's laughter. He considered the prospect. Still thrumming with warmth, it was appealing. But if they were going to a party, they'd have to take it easy, otherwise there might be marks to explain."Let's wait," he said quietly."Until after the party?" He knew it was out of his control at this point. Control had shifted."That way we can take our time." The shift in tone was remarkable. Soft, unsure, and above all, submissive. It was odd, because Reid could probably have overpowered Sharon easily if it came down to that sort of thing.

He shifted to sit up and ripped a clump of grass out of the ground, watching Sharon carefully. He wasn't too messed up right now, so there probably wasn't anything to worry about. Probably.

"Good idea." Sharon said in a slight coo thinking that taking their time would be a better idea.

Raising up swiftly he looked over at Reid. "We can take my car to the party if you'd like, but I mean you'll have to drive, I'm not in good enough shape." He may have been slightly intoxicated, but he still carried some intelligence. When under the influence the only thing that really changed about him was that he couldn't help but take out aggression on the people he cared about the most, other than that he's the same old Sharon.

Sitting silently for a moment the blond boy could slowly feel his buzz dialing down, still there but faintly weaker. Feeling less on the aggressive side Sharon playful hit Reid and smiled sweetly, "You ready to get going?" Asking so in a relaxed tone, he then stood up and held at his hand to assist Reid.

The smaller young man let the blades of grass he'd collected sprinkle down between his fingers, trying on an uneasy smile. He couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. There's was at least one part of him that had hoped Sharon would ignore his reasoning and carry out what he'd threatened. Sharon rose, and for a while, Reid remained on the ground, looking up at him.

Was he good to drive? That was an interesting question. He hadn't drank much, but he was pretty blazed. The feeling of body-suffusing warmth seemed to have gathered and streamed upward and downward, localizing in his head and his groin. When Sharon cuffed him and then extended a hand, he couldn't help the boyish grin that followed. As much as he liked Sharon mean, he liked him sweet too. It was those rare little moments that made him wonder if they might be able to forge something less fucked up one day.

That is, of course, if they didn't have their secrets exposed and end up murdered in the meantime.

He pulled himself to his feet with the offered assistance. His hand stayed gripping Sharon's for maybe just a second or two longer than was absolutely necessary before he peeled it away. Extending his arms out to either side, he folded each elbow in turn, touching his nose in the fashion of a quick field sobriety test. "Yeah, I'm good. Let me text Z." He dragged out his cell phone - an older model Samsung Galaxy - and fired off a quick message.

'bout to head to that party with Sharon. see you there?

He stowed his phone, then stretched. Even standing, he had to look up at Sharon. The height disparity was real. He definitely seemed to have mellowed, which was good. As much as he enjoyed the aggressive results of Sharon boozing in private, he didn't really like the idea of managing him in public. "A'right, let's go get rickity-rickity-wrecked." He flashed a grin, then grabbed his hoodie and pulled it on. Shoving his hands into the pockets thereof, he ambled toward Sharon's car.

Reid's response made Sharon laugh, he slightly found the short boy funny. He watched as the other boy walked over to his car, almost admiring him. He was something else to Sharon, but Sharon couldn't put his finger on it.

A breeze came by causing Sharon's hair to tickle his face, resulting him to sneeze. "I hate sneezing," he murmured before following Reid. "Help me not to get too wrecked," jogging swiftly to Reid's side. Once making it over to him he lazily slung his left arm around Reid's shoulders and pulled him into his side. "I actually want to be able to remember tonight." Sharon had an excellent memory, but if overly intoxicated he'll forget so much, which he hates completely.

It was a little scary how quickly the pendulum swung sometimes. "Gesundheit," Reid chimed, in the wake of the sneeze. He heard Sharon moving faster and tensed slightly, but the tension abated immediately as he was pulled into a sidelong embrace. A dopey, stoned smile twitched to life on his lips as he let his right arm curl around Sharon's waist, drawing them together. Sharon would find him warm, radiating warmth really, but that wasn't unusual. Reid liked to joke that, like a werewolf from Twilight, he "ran hot".

"You got it. And it's probably a good idea if we're going to figure anything out about..." He trailed off, unsure how to actually describe the situation. If we're going to talk about the crazy person who knows what really happened with Ollie. The thought deflated him a little. Would Sharon be capable of this sort of fondness toward him if he knew the truth? Would Z still be trying so hard to help him pick up the pieces? Being murdered almost seemed like the more palatable option than being shunned by the few people he'd managed to keep in his life.

"Sometimes I forget how short you are," saying so teasingly as he looked down to the boy he had his arm wrapped around. What he said was true though. Normally Reid was under, or on top of, Sharon, height was never apparent in those situations. Standing next to him then just reminded him of the difference. Sharon was a boy that stood about 6'3", he was far from tiny.

Reid had gotten lost in thought- not uncommon for the stoner- but Sharon's teasing dragged him out of it. He wrinkled his nose, looking up him, and stuck out his tongue. "You certainly don't let me forget. Don't make me go all Gavroche on your ass." He playfully bumped into the taller boy, but not with enough force to really amount to much. By then they were at the car, so the hand that had been resting on Sharon's hip dug into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He lingered in their embrace, shifting so that he was facing him, and got onto his tip toes and meeting Sharon's gaze. He looked as if he were about to say something, and he was, but a lot of words came to him, and when they all tried to get out at once, they sort of got wedged up. "Our public awaits us," he finally intoned.

Nodding his head in agreement, Sharon walked over to the passenger side of the car and got in.

There wasn't anything really special about the boy's car. It was an old beat up silver Jeep Wrangler, but he did love it dearly. He had some pretty good memories in that jeep, most of them involving trips to the mountains. It was his first car and a part of him hoped it would be his only car, but he knew how unlikely that would be. With all the slightly reckless things he did in his car he would be surprised if it lasted another year or two.

Leaning back against the seat he closing his eyes, taking in a deep breath, and then let it out. Whenever Reid entered the car as well Sharon turned his head to face him. He thought about speaking, but all in all he couldn't really think of anything to say. What was there to say? There wasn't really much to say, maybe sorry for always treating Reid bad would be a good thing to fill the silence? Sorry? Sharon wasn't the one to really admit to his mistakes and saying sorry would be him having to realize how much of an asshole he is and in honesty he wasn't in the mood for self loathing. Someone as horrid as me deserves to hate themselves. Grunting he pushed the thought out of his mind. Sharon wanted to have a nice time tonight, enjoy some time with Reid, not be consumed in his own mind.

"When we get to the party dance with me so I don't have to be by myself," the words came out carelessly, but he did of course care. Clingy wasn't who he was, he just didn't feel like being alone all night at the party, though he liked alone time he never enjoyed feeling alone.

Reid was fidgeting about, finding the right levers to adjust the seat. With it set for a Sharon-sized person, Reid's feet couldn't even brush the pedals. Finally he found it and scooted forward until he was comfortable. He glanced Sharon's way and found the other looking at him, looking like he was about to speak. When he didn't, Reid offered a simple, shy smile and set to adjusting the mirrors. Once everything was good, he slipped the keys into the ignition and familiarized himself with the headlights. It wasn't the first time he'd been their designated driver, but he didn't drive often. Cars were expensive, so he tended to just walk or ride his bike unless he could borrow his mom's.

He cocked an eyebrow as he got the engine to turn over, in the wake of Sharon's request. He hit the radio, dialing it to medial volume, and then scanned to a pop station. Some Taylor Swift bubbled out of the speakers, and he smirked. "Perfect. We don't even need to wait till we get to the party. We can dance all the way there." With that, he started bumping about in his seat as he backed onto the dirt road that would take them out of the woods. He was looking back, over his shoulder, but flashed a grin to Sharon as he started singing along. Well, sort of. He only barely knew the words."I'm dancin' on my own, mm mm, I make the moves up as I gooo-oo-oo, ooh ooh." His singing voice was alright, but he was a bit tone deaf. His fingers drummed on the wheel as he cruised along toward the party, still grinning. They were on their way.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Matthew Summers Character Portrait: Jay Harris
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Matthew silently sat in his room. His dark brown hair kept out of his face in a black beanie. His dark eyes would look at his computer screen. He typed away at the game he was playing, well not a game. His life. He was playing some MMORPG he got into when he was in Art III. He would look at the screen and feel an endless bout of boredom. His left hand moved into his pocket, as he would silently check his phone. No notifications. Something he was used to. He would blink and then start to type a text to Jay. His 'elder brother'.

~ To Model Boy ~
Hey? You busy tonight? I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come over and play some video games?

He would type the text then press send, his hands hovering over it. He didn't want to bother Jay, he was somewhat the closest person he was tied with. He would hate to ruin it, like most of his own relationships. His sister, Bianca, didn't even talk to him after she told him to go see a therapist. He never had made really any friends. He wanted to. Man...he wanted to have a plethora of friends like most of his siblings. But he wasn't socially inclined. He was afraid they would hate him, and find out about his...issue. Then they would back away from him, and not talk to him. Worse...tell his parents. That's why he somewhat kept his secrets from everyone, even Jay. He thought about telling the male. He thought about it for at least a month, after becoming close to the man. But he decided against it in all honesty. It could wait.

Setting

1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evelyn Beth Campbell
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Evie sat politely in her seat, not quite listening to what her bland conversation partner was talking about. Shopping or something of the like, probably. She was feeling particularly grumpy -- she'd once again been trapped in the dining room at one of her father's dinner parties. Her brother, the clever one he was, fled upstairs at the first opportunity. Evie, however, had not been so lucky. One piercing stare from her mother and she was back in her chair at the counter.

She shifted awkwardly. Everyone here seemed to have alcohol of some sort, and the one who had just staggered out of the bathroom, face flushed, was halfway drunk. Evie seemed to be the only one who couldn't drink, with a glass of Ribena in her hand. The plate of tiny sandwiches on the dinner table was practically untouched, while the macaroons were all out. She really wanted some tea, but it would be rude to get up and make some without making tea for everyone else, right?

Her gaze focused on a figure outside in the garden. A cat. Her neighbour's Scottish Fold, to be exact. He had a tendency to clamber over the fence, and Evie would always feed him treats when he did. "--Doing in the garden!" Stated the woman opposite her. She wasn't even quite sure of her name
"Pardon?" Evie said, having no idea what this person was talking about.
"I said, what's a cat doing in the garden?"
"He wanders in sometimes, I'm sorry. The door is closed, so he won't disturb anybody." She followed the cat with her eyes, feeling disappointed when he disappeared from view.
"Yes, alright, I was just wondering. Will you direct me to the bathroom, dear?"
"Oh, it's just this way." Evie showed her to the upstairs bathroom, and took the chance to slide back into her room instead of going back to the kitchen.

Once in her room, Evie turned on her phone, checking if she had any messages. Nothing. Her finger lingered over one particular message, a week old, before tapping on it to view it once again. It was a very menacing text, threatening to basically ruin her life. How this person had found out her secret, she had no idea. She paused, hesitated, before placing her phone onto the desk and slouching down in front of her computer.

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Zaria King Character Portrait: Reid Putnam Character Portrait: Sharon Jackson Arnwine
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Location: Her House, Town
Interacting With: Reid Putnam (texting)
Mentioned: Sharon Jackson Arnwine
Outfit: Shirt, shorts, shoes

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Zaria sat in her room, toying with one of the lighters she owned. She watched as the flame came to life, only to cease once she'd released the button. She doubted that she would ever cease to be amazed (or obsessed) with fire. It occurred to her that it had been a few days since the last text from the tormentor of the group of local young adults. Thoughts of the person, whoever they were, having given up the game crossed her mind. However, she knew this was unlikely but it didn't hurt to hope, right?

Her phone buzzed and her eyes shot to it. What were the chances it was the person behind this game? She picked it up and unlocked it. She smiled as she realized it was a text from Reid, or as she had put him in her phone, "Reeeeeeed." It was a short text about the party tonight. Z didn't respond immediately, instead getting off of her bed and cleaning up the mess of items on it. The party had completely slipped her mind. It sounded like a lot of fun, but first she needed to hide or discard of all traces of the items she'd stolen over the past few days. Nothing was of real value, but anything useful she kept in case she ever needed it.

Once she was done with that, she put on her bright pink converse, grabbed her car keys and phone, and headed downstairs. "Hey, I'm gonna go hang out with Reid," she called to her parents. After getting their approval, not that she really needed it, she left the house. After getting into the driver's seat of her black Hyundai Elantra GT, she replied to Reid. Yeah, I'll meet you there. Tell Sharon I say hi! Zaria placed her phone in the cupholder before backing out of the driveway.

She began the drive into town-- her family lived slightly outside of Ravenwood-- eager to get to the party. She loved being out with people and just having a good time. Personally, she rarely drank. She just didn't find the taste of alcohol appealing. Some might suggest she couldn't have any fun then, but she had a great time at all the parties she'd gone too. It was also fun to talk to or mess with people who were out of it. She was excited to hang out with Reid too. Yeah, he'd be with Sharon, but that probably wouldn't matter. Zaria turned her radio on and began to get herself pumped for the rest of the night.

Setting

1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Nathan "Twitch" Dyer
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He was high, which wasn't really anything new these days, but it was a decision he was already beginning to regret. It was funny, because Nate had never really dabbled in drugs before the accident...he was an athlete, top of his game, but afterwords...well, swimming hadn't been quite as fun when he didn't have a twin brother he was trying to best. He'd never really managed either...

Thinking about him never did any good. It either reminded him, vividly, of who he really was, or made the tears come. And sometimes, even after all these years, once he started crying...he couldn't stop. Missing a twin was like missing half his body...like he could still feel phantom limbs, but nothing was there. It was crushing.

Now that he wasn't an athlete, he knew the pleasures of pot. It was fantastic because it...calmed him down. As long as he was stoned, people didn't call him Twitch so much. It wasn't that he really minded the nickname...he was twitchy, and being able to laugh about that made things better somehow. It was more that he...hated the difference. Hated something else being applied to him that fit in the after Nick category.

There was a lot of stuff about to be in that category though. A lot.

He's lonely, and that's an odd feeling, if only because he normally has people around him. Not friends, exactly, because he doesn't have a lot of those...not like Nick had. But people. People who liked his upbeat spirit, even if they wondered how the hell he managed it.

Tonight, however, he's not feeling very upbeat.

His phone is in his hand, and there's a few people logged in there he can text. Reid, for sure. Except that on a night like this, his friend is probably busy. He also knows Jay is inside, and though a part of him is basically itching to be near the other boy, he can't really seem to make himself move.

He unlocks his phone, pulls his texts up, and freezes.

Yeah, he almost forgot why he was so stoned tonight.

The text is still there, taunting him, saying that whoever the sender is knows his secret. At first, he'd thought it had to be a joke. One of his friends was fucking with him...but then he'd remembered, he didn't really have friends like that anymore.

What he did have, however, was a pretty big fucking secret.

One he'd been holding onto for almost a full three years now.

Nate swallowed thickly, closed his phone, and lit up another blunt.

Lonely as he was, he thought he was probably better off by himself tonight.

Setting

1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tessa Salomon
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Tessa's feet sunk slightly into the soft damp ground after jumping over her brother who attempted to tackle her. With her lacrosse stick in hand along with the ball she ran across the field dodging her brothers friends like a football player. Her brother, Nathaniel quickly recovered from his failed tackle and was after her once again closing the distance pretty fast which only made Tessa kick it into high gear. Her breathing was turned into panting as her eyes quickly scanned the field from behind her helmet for another one of her brothers friends. One of them thought he could flank her form the left and he almost succeeded to but Tess managed to fake him out at the very end having him eat dirty and grass instead.

The lights above the field illuminated bright as Tessa grew closer to the goal. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her panting was fast. She lifted up her arm and with one quick fling she sent the ball flying but at that exact same moment she felt a force against her back that both knocked the wind out of her and onto the muddy ground. That force just so happened to be her brute of a brother who quickly rolled off of her and stood up. "I didn't think I was going to catch you, you okay?" he asked as he held out with gloved hand towards his sister. Everything seemed to be blurry for Tessa for a few seconds before she snapped out of it, turning over so that she was on her back now. She looked up at her brother, panting heavily as she did eyeing his hand before grinning and taking it, pulling herself up.
"Yeah you caught me," she paused unstrapping her helmet and taking it off revealing her slightly dirty and sweaty face and hair that was pulled up into a bun. "but not before I scored." her eyes looked over towards the goal and her brother followed, scoffing when he saw that the ball was indeed in the net. "You are one fast little thing you know that?"

Tessa only smirked and walked over to the benches into order to take a breather as her brother began speaking with his friends. Behind the bench sat five duffle bag one for each of Nathaniel's friends including himself and Tessa. She set her helmet next to her on the bench and reached into her bag pulling out her phone. She checked through her messages and responded to one that was from her mother asking her when she was going to be back from practice. Aside from that her message box was looking quite lonely but a certain unknown number on her phone caught her attention. An old text she got about a week ago that still frightens and angers her till this day. Someone knew her secret and they threatened her with it calling her a coward.

Her eyes read over the message multiple times as her finger lingered over the delete button. She was a coward . . . she still remembers how she felt that day. The panic and pain that ran through her veins like gasoline. The guilt that she still carries and that eats away at her day after day. She stood like that for a good minute before deciding not to delete it. She locked her phone once again and with a reignited fire tossed it in her bag, strapped on her helmet and ran back out onto the field towards her brother. "Hey guys, let's go one more time."

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Nathan "Twitch" Dyer Character Portrait: Matthew Summers Character Portrait: Jay Harris Character Portrait: Theo Pierce
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Jay leaned against the wall, tilting his head back and sighing. He was pretty sure that he'd had a little too much to drink, but he also couldn't care. He was so relaxed that he didn't want to worry about something small like that. And besides, he could still walk and talk, and he could remember his name and how to flirt, so he'd be fine. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he grinned as he pulled it out. It was a text from Matthew, one he quickly replied to.

To: Matt
Sorry dude, I'm at a party right now. You know, you could always come along. You won't have to drink if you don't want to, and I promise I won't leave you alone. Well, for too long anyway. unless you get lucky and want me to, that is ;)


He was pretty sure that Matt would be able to tell that he was more than a little drunk, but he honestly didn't care. He took another mouthful out of his beer and grinned as one of his friends emerged from the bathroom. They went back to the main room, where someone managed to drag him up to dance.

He was gone to get a drink when his phone buzzed again. Expecting a reply from Matthew, he took it out and unlocked it without reading the message preview. When he read the actual message, however, his heart stopped.

From: Unknown
This person has kleptomania and pyromania. That is, they're a thief and a firestarter. Just how close did you let this person? 72 hours. Then the hunt starts.


His first emotion was relief. It wasn't him. His secrets weren't going to be revealed, and he wasn't going to die. Then came the guilt. But somebody's secrets had been spilled, hadn't they? Somebody could die. One of his friends.

Panic suddenly gripped his chest, and he closed the message, typing out a few rapid texts.

To: Matt; Theo; Nate
Did you guys get the text?

He very nearly asked if it was them, but deleted that and instead sent the same message to the three of them. The panic wasn't clearing, so he forced out an apology and made a beeline for the bathroom. The nearest had a queue a good few people long- but he was friends with the host and knew where there was another bathroom, a quieter one. He got in and locked the door, his hands and breath already starting to shake. What if it was one of them? He honestly didn't care about the secret itself, but he was terrified that they were going to get hurt, or worse, killed.

He sank onto the floor and pulled his knees to his chest, running his hands through his hair and pulling at it. His thoughts were racing, he couldn't breathe, and he was all alone. Oh god.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Robyn North Character Portrait: Tessa Salomon
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Robyn was a big fan of driving. Whenever things got too heated up at home she'd storm out of her house and drive away in her car trying to take out her anger and frustration on the deserted streets at night. Today was no different. Her step mother and her had gotten into another stupid argument, ending with the lady slapping Robyn in the face and leaving her a nice red handprint as a reminder of the abuse. Her cheek stung, her head hurt and her heart was beating a thousand miles an hour. She was running on a lot of adrenaline, and the poor car was feeling all of it. And to top it all off, the creepy texts and the recent murder were making her go slightly insane.

Robyn didn't even know where she was driving until she parked in front of a liquor store near her school. She had gotten some money from her dad the day before because he was leaving on a business trip for the weekend and he wanted her to use the money on food for her and her step mother. "Fuck that woman, I'm spending this on alcohol," she told herself, determined.

Robyn exited the shop a hundred dollars poorer, carrying in her arms three 12 packs of Smirnoff Ice cans, a bottle of Bacardi and a bottle of some cheap red wine she had seen on her way out. Placing the bags of alcohol in her back seats she made her way to the front to start up her car and drive again. So far she had no idea what to do with the alcohol and with her life.

But as she started driving past the school, she could spot out figures in the football fields running around, one of them being a girl Robyn knew all too well. Tessa. A smirk made its way into the girl's mouth and she quickly drove into the school's parking lot closest to the fields. She grabbed her bottle of red wine, opened it, took a long drink out of it just for the extra confidence boost. Still carrying the bottle she walked to the bleachers of the fields and sat down to watch her best friend play. She could wait until the girl finished, and after that she'd force her to keep her company while she drank and drowned her feelings away with alcohol.

Taking out her phone she was about to text one of her drinking buddies, hoping they'd know of a party or some event Robyn could go to tonight to keep her mind off everything that had been going on lately, but instead she spotted a new text message from an unknown sender. The hairs in the back of her neck stood up and before opening the text she took another swing from the wine bottle.


From: Unknown
This person has kleptomania and pyromania.
That is, they're a thief and a firestarter.
Just how close did you let this person?
72 hours. Then the hunt starts.


"Holy shit... fuck," Robyn muttered, running a shaky hand through her hair. The texts where starting again. She quickly stood up from the bleachers and clumsily made her way down to the field, calling out for her best friend. Now this couldn't wait, she wasn't getting killed, and neither was Tessa, not on her watch. She felt horrible for feeling relieved it wasn't her the text was exposing but she still had to figure out who the secret was about.

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2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Matthew Summers Character Portrait: Jay Harris
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~ From Model Boy ~
Sorry dude, I'm at a party right now. You know, you could always come along. You won't have to drink if you don't want to, and I promise I won't leave you alone. Well, for too long anyway. unless you get lucky and want me to, that is ;)

The male hesitated a bit. Should he? He thought about it for at least three minutes. Yes, he was going to. He needed to get his mind off of some stuff anyway.

~ To Model Boy ~
Um sure. Are you drunk? Anyway, where is it? I'm telling my parents I'm going to a study.

He typed back as he would continue playing his game, before ending it and moving his rolling chair back. He was well off, not rich, but not poor. He would sigh and look at his body sized mirror, and grunt. "Ugh, what am I going to wear?" he thought with a huff. He would get up and move to his closet, and look through it. He took a black denim jacket out, and just put it over his own black Nirvana t-shirt.

He would hear his phone go do-do-dodo-do, a ringtone he set for unknown numbers. He looked at it and unlocked his phone to see it. His dark amber/green eyes would blink widely.

~ From: Unknown ~
This person has kleptomania and pyromania.
That is, they're a thief and a firestarter.
Just how close did you let this person?
72 hours. Then the hunt starts.

What the? The male thought before shaking it and hearing a reply from Jay.

~ From Model Boy ~
Did you guys get the text?

~ To Model Boy ~
Yep. What do you think it means?

The male replied before he walked out of his house, his hair covered by a beanie. "Mom. Dad. I'm going to a study group. I'll be back tomorrow, Jay's letting me crash at his place.". Not a complete lie. But not the complete truth either. After a few mumbles and groans saying okay, he would walk to his scooter. After starting the ignition, he realized he had no address to go to. So he sat in his driveway waiting for a reply from the male.

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Reid's song and dance number didn't last long; it proved a bit too much of a strain on his TCH-addled concentration to bop about in his seat, sing, andmaneuver two tons of Jeep along the roads of Ravenbrook. He lapsed into quiet, focusing for the most part on conveying them safely to the party, but occasionally tossing glances Sharon's way. His grin had diminished into a less luminous, more thoughtful version of itself. He couldn't help but wonder how long Sharon's affectionate mood would last. As much as he hated the idea of chaperoning his... friend?... it probably was for the best that he keep him from getting too fucked up. Just fucked up enough that he'd make good on his promise to use Reid's body sounded about right.

His train of thought derailed when his cell phone chimed. It was the "discovery sound" from Legend of Zelda, the series of four tones that played whenever Link found a cool treasure or secret passageway. That meant it wasn't anyone in his contacts, since he'd assigned all of them individual ring and message tones (for reference, Zaria's texts were announced by the Tinkerbell sound effect, and on the rare occasion that Sharon called him, "Wasted But Ready" by Ben Kweller played). He wasn't about to fiddle with his phone while he was driving, though.

Every so often Sharon would lazily open his eyes to catch Reid looking at him, this could only result in Sharon smiling. He enjoyed seeing the boy dance, it was soothing? Sharon couldn't understand how his friend always seemed so bubbly and happy... especially with what was happening to them. For the most part it seemed as if Reid wasn't even fazed with the fact that someone was stalking him. Sharon admired it. "Ah, why'd you stop dancing?" The question came out as a whine of disappointment and caused him to frown. His little ray of sun was now responsibly driving.

Reid wasn't so much fazed by the fact that someone was stalking them than pissed. Anger came naturally to him; he'd been in a state of nearly perpetual self-hatred for the last few years, and it tended to bubble out. Tonight he was in a good mood- mostly because things were going so well with Sharon- but it wasn't uncommon for his emotional state to take an abrupt turn. He could sympathize with Sharon's mood swings, and that was what made it easier for him to deal with them. “Too stoned, babe,” he responded, but he did toss a glance Sharon's way and shared a sort of sleepy smile.

A odd chirp let out from Reid's side of the car, "What's th-" before he could finish his sentence his own phone vibrated in his pocket. Not thinking much about it he wiggled around in his seat until he was able to pull his phone out. Who could this be? The thing was Sharon kind of only had one friend, Reid, and he already knew Reid couldn't have been the one messaging him. Maybe it was his family? He deemed that unluckily, they rarely messaged him at night from fear he might not be at his best.

Sliding the message on his phone to unlock it; he squinted in order to be able to make out what the message said. Wha? He repeated the message three more times in his head, trying to completely take in what he was viewing. "Reid," if he hadn't been sober now he was, his voice stayed calm and conveyed from his mouth peacefully, though peace wouldn't be the best way to explain how he was feeling. He was feeling, relieved that it was him, relieved it wasn't Reid, but worried that perhaps it would be him that was next. "This person has kleptomania and pyromania. That is, they're a thief and a firestarter. Just how close did you let this person? 72 hours. Then the hunt starts... I'm assuming that's the same message you just received." After reading it allowed for Reid to hear he placed his hand on the other boys leg and began to rub it in a comforting way. "Everything's going to be ok-" cutting off quickly he took in a sharp breath to collect himself. "I assume that it's not you... whatever your secret is I'm here for you."

Reid's brow furrowed a bit when Sharon's phone went off. He was aware of how isolated the older guy was, and with the texts happening in such quick succession...

Reid's expression etched with concern as he watched Sharon read the text for what seemed like ever. He had to force himself to pay attention to the road, and was just about to ask what the matter was when Sharon finally read the text aloud.

It was like Reid's brain had a stove coil running through it, and suddenly that coil went red hot. His fingers tightened their grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles went white. Sharon's hand on his thigh registered dimly, but the words he'd read kept playing through Reid's head. He could feel tightness building in his chest and forced himself to draw a deep breath. He had half a mind to pull over, but they were close enough to the party that it didn't make much sense.

“No,” Reid said after another deep breath. “It isn't me.” He was... thankful wasn't the right word. There was no way he'd ever be thankful to the fucked-up creep who was putting them through this. Relieved, sure. But how long would it be before his text came through? This person killed their little brother...[i] Unconsciously, he'd stepped harder on the gas. In a few seconds, they were going nearly 80 in what was definitely a 35. He realized it and took his foot off the gas. “Sorry.”

At this point Sharon gave the best reassuring smile that he could. Reid knew of Sharon's [i]unsettling
side, but he gratefully didn't know the fact that Sharon also treated his family that way. A part of Sharon thought if Reid were to find out he wouldn't leave him, but another part wasn't so sure. Regardless of how horrid of a person Sharon was he already knew he'd stick by Reid. He happened to be his only friend... he wasn't planning on losing him, no matter how awful his secret may be. Sharon had already decided to look past it, he knew how bad he need his relationship with Reid even though it was toxic, he knew he couldn't lose it.

“You're right though.” His voice was cold, and he looked over at Sharon, making eye-contact. “It is gonna be okay. Because we're going to make whatever sick fuck is doing this pay before anyone else gets hurt.” And before any other messages could be sent.

Sharon nodded his head in agreement, he wanted to punish whoever was doing this as well. When he locked eyes with Reid he could see the anger his friend possessed, it was a little unnerving. Reid was a strong boy, though Sharon usually was the dominating one, it was clear that Reid possessed great strength. Sharon would never want to be on the receiving end of his anger.

Squeezing his leg a little tighter he gave him a fake warm smile. "For tonight let's just pretend that nothing bad is happening. You and I have both been through some pretty fucked up things, and this will just be another to add to that list." Though Sharon was upset as well his anger wasn't matching Reid's. The thing was that Sharon didn't much care about the others that were being tormented, just Reid and himself is who he was worrying about in this mess of things. Sharon's mother left he lost value in other people, so if others were hurt in this process he didn't much care.

"We're going to party this night away, just you and I and a whole bunch of other people." In his best efforts he was trying to make the mood more light, but he was sure how well it was working. "You know, one day we'll look back at this time in our lives and laugh about how stupid this all, that we were slightly being stalking," he took a small break from talking to lightly laugh. "this will all be over before we know it." Though he was talking to Reid he was more or less trying to convince what he was saying. Sharon wasn't extremely worried about people discovering his secret, maybe if he was lucky he'd be chosen next and end up dead, but he still didn't want anyone knowing what was private to him. To most people he was fake: happy, bubbly, caring, and sweet as could be. Sharon wasn't sure how people would react to his truth, the only person that really knew of his addiction aside from his family was Reid, but not even Reid knew of the torment that he put his own family through. Sharon didn't much care for what people thought of him- he didn't want people thinking he was an evil person for how he treated the people he should be taking care of, yet he was a monster for it.

Reid knew that Sharon was just trying to help. He did, really. It didn’t help though. If anything, it only added fuel to the fire. They were close enough to the party that he decided to park. They could walk the couple blocks it would take to get there, and thereby avoid any driveway congestion. Having to walk back to the Jeep also made for a chance to check their relative sobriety before getting behind the wheel. Once the car was in park and off, he looked over at Sharon intensely.

“That’s just it though. That’s what makes me so…” His fist thudded against the dashboard. “So mad. That whoever it is has so much power that one stupid little text has us acting different. Being people who we’re not.” There was a note of the accusatory in his voice as he regarded Sharon. Drawing another deep breath, he relented. “I’m sorry. It’s just getting to me. I mean, who the fuck do they think they are? Everyone has secrets, and I’m guessing ‘stalking a bunch of teenagers and making murder threats’ is worse than anything we’ve ever done. It’s hypocritical bull-shit.”

"Tonight you can get as fucked up as you want, I've decided for one night I'll be the responsible sober-ish friend. I'll watching over you." Allowing his hand to slide from Reid's leg, he then positioned his body to look out the window, letting his head rest on the glass. He wasn't all too sure what to do anymore, he just wanted to cheer Reid up.

Reid had folded his arms across his chest, probably to keep himself from inflicting any more abuse on the defenseless automobile. He needed to calm down before he went inside, he knew that. He dug into the pocket of his hoodie for his vaporizer, then put it to his lips and inhaled hard. He could feel the heat building in his lungs and closed his eyes while he held it in. Eventually he pursed his lips and expelled a stream of steam. “I’m sorry,” he repeated before opening his eyes and managing a thin smile to Sharon. “We can both try to enjoy tonight, okay?” The apology was earnest enough, but Reid didn’t really care so much about partying. He wanted to get to the bottom of this. He wanted to find out who else was involved, and what they knew. There was no way it wasn’t someone that one of them knew.

After taking another hit off the vape pen, Reid finally dragged himself out of the Jeep and waited for Sharon to join him.

Sharon quickly hopped out of his side of the jeep and made his way over to Reid. A few things to say came to mind, but nothing came out, instead he just smiled, took Reid's hand in his, and started walking in the direction of the party.

Looking up ahead the place where the party was being head wasn't that far away anymore, they were close enough that a quick job would have them there within a minute, "C'mon, let's go have fun." While still holding onto Reid's hand he picked up his speed, he wasn't in the best of moods, but he still wanted tonight to be something worth his time.

Reid's brow wrinkled up as Sharon took his hand and led him to the party. Sharon was seldom so affectionate, and never in public. What did it say that being harassed by a crazy person was what it took to get them acting like their relationship was remotely normal? For that matter... did Reid even want this to end up something remotely normal?

He gave Sharon's hand a single squeeze before pulling his away, ostensibly in order to adjust some settings on his vape pen before taking another long draw off it... and offering it to Sharon.

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2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evelyn Beth Campbell Character Portrait: Reid Putnam
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Evelyn, who was sitting in her room on her computer like a typical teenager, had just remembered that she had a party to go to. After seeing so many facebook posts -- 'At the party!! Sooooooooooooooo much fun!!!!!!' was the most common caption -- she had realised that she was also supposed to be there. With a groan, she looked around her room and wondered how she was supposed to get out. It wasn't that Evie had to sneak out, per say, since her parents already knew about the party, she just had to find her own way of getting there. She glanced towards the window, contemplating for a second if it was too high to jump out of? 'Yes, it definitely is, debiel! I can probably just sneak out the front door when there's nobody in the hall. No need to make this overcomplicated' She thought, looking out of her door to check if the coast was clear. It was not.

Evie sighed and looked into her closet, trying to remember what she'd decided on wearing the night before. 'A floral skirt and a white blouse, huh... I'll have to wear shorts underneath the skirt, it's not long enough.' She wondered for a moment if her outfit looked too formal for a party, before opting to just act extra classy and nobody would question her choice in clothes. 'Besides, the skirt is short enough to not seem like a prude, yet long enough to not look slutty... This will be fine.'

Once she was dressed, Evie took another look outside. The hall was empty. Taking her chance, she grabbed her bag and phone before creeping down the stairs and out the door. Mission success! Getting into the car, Evie was about to drive before she received a text. From a blocked number, possibly the same one that sent the previous text.
From: Unknown
This person has kleptomania and pyromania.
That is, they're a thief and a firestarter.
Just how close did you let this person?
72 hours. Then the hunt starts.


Evie sighed, 'I should really try to trace these texts or something... Ugh, at least it's not my secret that's been revealed. Let's pray I'm not next.'. Evelyn had no concern as to who this person with kleptomania and pyromania was, simply glad it wasn't her secret being sent out. She paused for a moment, taking out her phone and sending a quick text.
To: Reid
reid u will probably find this annoying but did u get that weird text? if not, plz ignore this thx.


'I wonder will he even respond' She thought irritably, thinking of his extra hostile behaviour as of late. Shaking her head, Evie started to drive.

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Zaria King Character Portrait: Robyn North Character Portrait: Tessa Salomon
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A familiar body approached the field in the middle of Tessa's practice and she couldn't help the grin that crept over her lips. She managed dodge her brother with a nice little spin then two more of his friends before she shot that last goal pulling off her helmet and smiling as the ball whizzed by the goalie and hit the net with a decent amount of force. "Alright guys I'm done for tonight." she said as her brothers friends patted her shoulder praising her and saying goodbye before running back out on the field to do their thing.

Tessa had just turned to join Robyn by the bleachers when she found her best friend half way to her already. She began calling out her name and her face looked worrying so Tessa kicked it in high gear and jogged over to Robyn to see what was up. Now standing in front of her Tessa noticed the faint red on Robyn's cheek and reached out brushing her thumb gently over it. "Hey, you okay?" her brows furrowed in concern before noticing that her friends eyes were glued to her cellphone screen. Tessa shifted a bit so she was standing next to Robyn now and looked down at the text that was displayed across the screen. "The hell . . .?"

There was suddenly a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that made her both sick and nervous. A bit panicked Tessa ran over towards the benches and tossed her things down and dug through her bag pulling out her phone. She saw that she had a notification, 1 unread message and with a hard gulp she unlocked it and read the same text that was on Robyn's phone. She shook her head slightly in disbelief before letting out a shaky breath. The message wasn't about her which was the second thing she noticed after the fear toned down a bit but she still felt scared because it could be about one of her friends and Tess wasn't going to let another friend die on her, especially not Robyn. Still worried Tessa decided to hit up Zara to check if she got the same message and if she was okay.

To: Zari
Zari, did you get that message too?
Are you alright? Where are you?
I'm with Robyn, want us to come over or come get you or something?


Even through text Tessa's concern was obviously seen. After sending the text she locked her phone and jogged back over to Robyn. "I texted Zari, I needed to know if she was okay. I asked her if she wanted us to come over to where she's at but she hasn't texted back yet. Mind if I hit the showers real quick?" Tessa rubbed her knuckles as she spoke, clearly still nervous and shaken up. Although she was scared she wasn't about to leave all sweaty and sticky though, that wasn't Tessa. Even if the world was going to end she would rather die clean than dirty.

Setting

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Zaria King Character Portrait: Reid Putnam Character Portrait: Robyn North Character Portrait: Sharon Jackson Arnwine Character Portrait: Tessa Salomon
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Location: Town
Interacting With: Tessa Salomon and Reid
Putnam
Mentioned: Robyn North and Sharon Jackson
Arwine

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Zaria almost didn't hear her phone vibrating from its spot in the cupholder, as she was preoccupied with driving and singing along with the radio. Not one to check her phone while driving, she waited until she had come to a red light to pick it up. Just as she was about to unlock her phone, the light changed colours. She set it back down and continued driving. As luck would have it, there was not another chance for her to check her phone until she had reach the house where the party was. The pink haired girl opted to park a block away due to the narrowness of the street the house was on and the group of cars already there.

After turning of her car and unbuckling her seatbelt, Zaria picked up her phone. As she did, it vibrated again. Well, wasn't she just so popular tonight? Actually, it wasn't much of a surprise to her. Given her friendly and bubbly personality, she had little problems making friends with others. This equated to a having a lot of contacts in her phone. However, tonight was the night the one contact she didn't want to hear from had sent a message.

Accurately named in her phone as "Stupid Fucking Asshole," the invisible tormentor of her and an unknown amount of other teens in the town had decided tonight was the night to send out another secret. Zaria unlocked her phone, feeling her heartbeat increase. She ignored Tessa's message for the time being, instead opening up the text message from the asshole who was toying with her and the others. She hoped that it wasn't her secret next. God help her if it was.

Her eyes read over the text before she closed them hard, trying to contain everything inside her that wanted to come out. It was her secret. Why, why did it have to be her? Her thoughts and feelings were swirling. Angry at the asshole behind this all, worried about her friends finding out it was her, and terrified about the impending hunt. 72 hours-- the time she had before she was at risk of being murdered. Maybe the psychopath behind this all would be nice and not murder her. Maybe he would just break one of her limbs instead of snapping her neck. Wasn't that a pleasant thought? Zaria opened her eyes, checking to make sure nobody was near her. She let out an anguished scream, a stream of curse words running through her thoughts. What the hell was she supposed to do?

She was sure that nobody (besides the group’s tormentor) knew her secret, as it of course wasn’t something she was very keen on sharing. She also did her best not to exhibit her kleptomania or pyromania around others, especially her friends. If they found out, what would they think of her? That she’d steal from them if they ever turned their backs on her? That she was some crazy person that wanted to watch everything burn? She wasn’t those things, as terrible as the terms “kleptomaniac” and “pyromaniac” sounded. Yes, she was a thief and a fire starter, but she’d never stolen from her friends or caused anybody else harm. Still, she didn’t want her friends to know it was her and she sure didn’t want her parents or the police to know either.

Zaria let out a sigh, looking back at her phone. She exited the message which sealed her fate as the next victim of this malicious game. As she read Tessa's message, she couldn't help but feel a little better. Her friend's concerns about Zari's well being was evident, which was always nice in times like these. Of course, she was far from alright at the moment. Thankfully, texting required only words, not facial expressions.

To: Tessa
Yeah, I did. I can't believe this is starting again! I'm fine, I'm at a party with Reid. You and Rob could come if you're not doing anything.

Though the message lacked the usual energy found in her texts, nobody could really blame her since this wasn't a situation to be taken lightly. Zari ten got out of her car, locking it before walking to the house where the party was at. On the outside, she seemed very much herself. She was smiling and saying hi to everyone she knew, but her mind was preoccupied with how the next few days would pan out. At best, nobody would figure out it was her secret and she would avoid being killed. At worst, everybody would find out, disown her, and she would end up in a body bag. Hopefully it wasn't the worst case scenario, though she was unsure of how she could ever hope to outsmart a killer who she knew nothing about. She'd think of something.

Trying to distract her thoughts, she began looking for Reid or Sharon. Though she would prefer to find Reid or the two together, at this point she wouldn't mind locating just Sharon. She didn't know him too well, but she knew that where he was Reid likely wasn't far away. She hoped the two were actually at the party and weren't busy canoodling elsewhere. After an initial quick sweep of the first floor, she pulled out her phone and texted Reid.

To: Reeeeeeed
Yo I'm here, not sure if you are.

She purposefully did not ask him if he'd gotten the message containing her secret, knowing he would have. Zari also hoped that he'd be too stoned to bring it up at the party. She was hoping to forget the impending doom while here.

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