Chapter 1

Everything, everything was gold.

The huge chandelier on the ceiling refracted light off of it’s clear cut diamonds and a golden haze flooded the ballroom onto the dancing people. The walls were painted liquid gold, as well as the golden tablecloths at each table, at which some of the partygoers were gossiping at. The confetti cascading from the ceiling scattered all over the floor, glittering gold.

Towards the side of the ballroom, a girl with voluminous, golden blond hair floated down the steps toward the dance floor, attracting everyone’s attention.

Her glamorously golden dress fluttered around her tan legs and she straightened her back, looking down on everyone. When she caught my eye, she waved and I waved back.

Today was Aria Brook’s eighteenth birthday, and she wanted everything on her birthday party to be perfect.

The chocolate fountain had to be perfect, the eighteen-layered cheesecake had to be perfect, the music had to be perfect and most important of all, Aria had to be perfect.

As soon as she made her way down the stairs, I stepped closer so we could hug.

“Nice dress,” Aria smirked and I smiled. I was wearing one of her old dresses that she didn’t want anymore. It was a plain silver dress with thin straps, much more simpler than her sparkling ballgown. After all, it was her birthday, not mine.

“Happy birthday!” I shouted enthusiastically over the loud roar of the crowd.

“Thank you, sis, but they haven’t even brought out the champagne yet!” She smiled deviously and I shook my head.

“Mom and Dad will kill you if-“

“If they ever find out, which they won’t. I mean, would it kill me if I drank just one glass, the birthday girl’s entitled to have some fun at her own party.” She gestured with her hand to follow as she headed to the bar.

I followed, but only to make sure she wouldn’t go back on her word.

When we got to the bar, she smiled at the young bartender with two different colored eyes, which made him particularly attractive.

“Champagne, please,” She asked in her sweetest voice while I awkwardly stood off to the side.

“Are you even old enough?” He asked teasingly and she pouted, leaning her elbows on the counter.

“A woman never reveals her age.” She winked.

“Give me your number and we’ll call it even.” He smiled at her, turning around to get a glass from the tray behind him. He handed it to her and looked sideways at me.

“Do you want one too or-“

“No, thank you,” I interrupted, “Someone has to be the responsible one.” I added, not wanting to seem uptight.

“Do you have a pen?” Aria suddenly asked the bartender and he handed her one with a slip of paper. Aria scribbled down her number and signed her name with a heart.

“Go easy on that one,” He eyed the champagne but Aria just laughed, waving him off.

We weaved back through the crowd, blending in with the dancing teens. Aria downed the whole glass of champagne in one gulp and put the empty glass in some random person’s hands.

“Have some fun, sis, you need it!” She cheered, moving to the nocturnal beat of The Weekend.

“I’m having plenty of fun!” I argued.

“You look like you’re constipated, Hazel.” She burst into laughter at my awkward dance moves. I couldn’t help it, I wasn’t spontaneous.

After a few more songs, I decided it was time to stop making a fool out of myself.

I followed Aria through the crowd to sit down and scanned the scene around me.

My eyes drifted to one of the guys leaning against the wall. He was well-dressed, very well-dressed, with short dark brown hair that complimented the gold glow in the room and captivating eyes-

That were looking right at me.

Or Aria, I couldn’t tell.

His stare was intense and it made me want to disappear.

Aria’s loud voice brought me back, “Hey, let’s request a slow song!” She grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the DJ.

I looked back over my shoulder at the wall where my eyes seemed to gravitate, but the mysterious man had disappeared.

After Aria requested her song, of all songs it had to be “#Selfie”, and then we sat down at one of the tables to catch our breaths.

“OMG! He just texted me.” Aria elbowed me in the stomach as soon as we sat down.

“Who?” I leaned closer to her, wondering who she was texting.

Aria squealed, “The bartender who just asked for my number.” She never got this excited over a boy, she must’ve liked him. To me, he was just another boy.

“Boys literally fall at your feet, what makes this one different?” I asked curiously.

“I’m into older men now.”

“What did he say?” She handed me her phone and I tried to read it but I somehow messed it up, ending up in the photos app.

“You suck at technology.” Aria laughed at me, taking the phone out of my hands.

“We can’t all be as obsessed with our phones as you,” I was terrible with technology. Computers, televisions, phones, tablets, even microwaves. I could mess up just about anything that needs electricity.

“Anyway, his name’s Ken and he just asked me to go out with him!” She held onto her phone like it was her life-line.

“Are you going to say yes?” Even though he was older? And she just met him?

Aria continued to scroll through her phone, a smile still plastered on her face.

“Our parents aren’t here so who are they to tell me no?” Mom and Dad left for another meeting in Seattle on Sunday so for the next week, Aria and I had the house to ourselves. They threw this party as an apology of their absence. . . not that Aria minded.

Someone tapped Aria on the shoulder from the behind.

“Excuse me, would you like to dance?” A good-looking boy asked. Aria smiled even wider.

“Sure,” She stood up and smoothed out her dress before turning to me, “You coming?”

“No, I’ll stay here,” I shook my head.

“Are you sure?” She asked again, “Maybe he has a hot friend.” She waggled her eyebrows in her admirer’s direction.

“No way, go have fun,” I told her and she shrugged, turning around on her heel to follow the boy.

---

I yawned, so strong that I had to close my eyes. I ended up eating some of the food and walking outside for fresh air.

Aria found me a few hours later after she ditched me.

“Wow, that was fun,” Her cheeks were flushed and her gold dress a mess. Her heels were strung in her hands with her phone in the other.

“Should we call a taxi?” I asked, peeking at her phone. It was midnight exactly.

“Actually, Ken offered to drive us home.” She raked a hand through her blond hair, the curls falling to messy waves.

“Can we trust him?”

“Of course, he’s totally trustworthy.” Aria looked me in the eyes and I looked at the bartender. He seemed okay but could we trust him to take us home safely? We barely knew him.

“I don’t think-“

“Hazel, stop worrying, he won’t kill us. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even own a gun.”

That wasn’t the point but I didn’t argue with her, Aria was stubborn like that.

Besides, he was only doing us a favor, he was trying to be nice.

Aria’s “older man” picked the both of us in his black Mustang. He was dressed in the same clothing, a pristine white shirt and black dress pants. His brown hair was messier, like he had just run a few miles before he got here.

But what really made him stand out were his eyes: one was brown and the other blue.

Aria took the passenger seat so I sat in the back, not that I minded. I didn’t want to be the awkward third wheel of my sister and her date again.

As I got into the car, I looked back at the ballroom and stopped breathing.

He was watching us. The man with the well-dressed suit and short brown hair.

A tall truck blocked my view for only a second but he had disappeared again, gone like he’d never existed. I could’ve sworn I saw him but maybe. . . not.

I was either hallucinating from exhaustion or going completely insane.

Hopefully, my mind was still intact.