This. This is completely crazy. The small door leads to the biggest room I’ve ever seen. It's one open ballroom. But instead of formal candles, every light source is neon, so the chandeliers are pink and purple. There are spaces off the sides, filled with booths where you could get water and soda, providing an opportunity to get off the floor and slightly away from some of the noise. Though, there is no way to really escape it. There are people everywhere, everyone covered in some kind of shiny material. The natural hardwood ballroom floor has been replaced with neon squares. The whole entire place screams ‘crazy’. At the far back of the room, there is a big stand where most of the lights are housed. Standing on top of it all, controlling the music is, you guessed it, Elias. “Oh my god,” I breathe. Nico, whose side I've been stuck on pulls me towards the dancefloor and says, “C’mon, it's not a real party until you're dancing!” And then, we are surrounded by everyone.
It's peaceful in a sense, Margo, Ivy and Violet jumping up and down singing the lyrics to the songs pulsating through the room, Nico trying to pretend he's better than Taylor Swift but eventually caving. There's something about being one with the crowd that's all-consuming, that makes you want to follow someone else for your whole life. Something in me wants to be angry, wants to hate my mother, and already does. But another part of me wants nothing but to be present here as I scream along with my new, crazy roommates. And I think the majority of me is happy. I know it.
Words are lost in the chaos, pulling each other to new people, and pulling old friends together. I was lost, constantly saying, “hi, I’m Eliza,” and being greeted with another friendly face. Slowly but surely we surge towards the front of the room, where Elias still stands. Though, now he is ballroom dancing with another guy while they both were tripping over their feet. I smile at the sight. I always remembered him this way, free, funny, and kind. But most of all, incredibly silly.
Suddenly a goat races past me. A goat. I turn sharply, towards the goat, who is now being chased by 3 other people. When it gets within grabbing distance, the goat opens his mouth and lets out a yelp. My eyes widen and all my breath is immediately lost. No way. This isn't real, it can’t be. I'm definitely drugged. Somehow. I feel a whisper behind my ear. “Just one fire-sneezing goat. Last time, there were a dozen.” I felt two confident hands turn me toward the voice. “No way,” I breathe, looking straight at Elias, who now stands in front of me. “A fire-sneezing goat,” I say. I look at him with shock. “No-” I pause. “No way.” he smiles and shrugs. “They’re native to this area,” he says like it's something you would see all the time. “Not in New York, though,” I say, shooting daggers at him. My death glare breaks into a small upturn of my lips. “You would know,” I add, sending a smile his way.
He laughs lightly and waves over some people I don’t recognize. “Grace-” he starts, smiling at me. “-this is Eliza.” I smile and give Grace a wave.
“Hey, girl,” she says as she pulls me into a hug. “So I hear you helped raise little Eli,” she continues. I just laugh, stepping out of her bone-crushing hug. “You could say that,'' I add. Between my workaholic father and his practically non-existent mother, we helped each other survive for most of our lives until my dad died when I was 13. “Grace is one of my friends, she's the mom of our group,'' Eli starts, smiling at me as Grace pulls away from the far-too-long hug. “So, I'm happy to meet you, but being sent here, court ordered… how does that happen?” Grace questions, as she motions for Violet, Margo, Nico and Ivy to follow. “Well, it's a long story including a high school prank and a very scary locket,” I say, grimacing as the old memories flood into my brain. Grace looks at me sympathetically as our group wanders around the room. I take a breath and ask, “So, where are we going?” A random blonde boy pops up by Grace's side and answers before she could. “The roof.” He smiles, two dimples appearing in the corners of his cheeks. “Leo,” he states, holding out a hand. “Eliza,'' I say back plainly, shaking his hand. I would have given a longer introduction, but I was still slightly disoriented from the noise echoing off of the lofty hall, and the blaring coloured lights aren't helping.
“So how do we get there?'' I question, and Margo sighs behind me. “Stairs,” she groans. “Lots of stairs.” Violet stifles a laugh as we walk to the left side of the hall. Elias pulls out a key that was hidden beneath his shirt. He looks at me, wiggles his eyebrows, and opens an invisible door with the said key. Everyone begins to file through this invisible door, and when they pass through, they become invisible. “Where are you guys going?'' I ask tentatively. ''Just go through!” Violet says. She pushes me towards the door only for me to be stopped 2 inches away from it because of another fire-sneezing goat racing past us, while two other people chase after it. I wander through the door once the goat and people have passed. People say architecture is cool when you design staircases, and with this staircase, I can see why.
The mahogany walls are covered in crown mouldings and the staircases themselves are marble with real gold finishings. It looks like something from a movie, and if you look upwards, you're greeted with a pink and purple cloudy morning sky painted on the ceiling 4 staircases upward. “Woah,” I breathe. “Yeah,” Leo agrees. I slowly head up the stairs, taking the lead in the group. I let my fingers trail against the cold bannisters. I can feel the energy created from this wood and rock. I can feel it through my veins, the energy absorbing me as I slowly, one could say dramatically, make my way up the stronghold. This staircase is simple but beautiful. The wood complements the marble which complements the gold. I let my lavender A-line dress flow behind me. I slowly push myself forward, still simply awestruck, the dark cavern of the main hall is nothing compared to the lighting here. It has lanterns set at different intervals, creating this mismatched look while still creating a warm glow. When I make it up to the top of the staircase, my mouth is open, letting a gasp fall out. I look out over the bannister, down at my group of friends. “You didn't tell me this place was a palace,'' I whisper, but my voice echoes down to them. “Everyone is always such a fan of this stairwell the first time they see it, just wait until breakfast tomorrow morning,” Violet says, slightly amused. Elias finds his way up the stairs, and in his brown pants, white button-down, and flannel, he couldn’t look more out of place, while still pulling it off at the same time.
“Well,” he mutters quietly, finishing with a smile. “Shall we?” he chuckles, extending an arm to me. I smile, meeting his eyes. “We shall,” I laugh190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpDbowAk7Z
