The Lights of the Party

I didn't understand what was happening. The room grew louder, and then silenced on a dime. The room grew brighter, and just as quickly as it had silenced, the room was pitch black.

I could see nothing. Her, myself, my own hand in front of my face.

It was almost like I had died.

But I knew I wasn't dead. I could feel my pulse. I checked my throat anyway, and there it was, constant, dependable, thumping to its own rhythm.

I didn't dare try to spin around. I've seen way to many movies for that kind of nonsense. I was already confused, and not being able to find my way would have just made things worse. I could hear something in the darkness, a voice, I thought, maybe?

“Don't..........move.” It said to me.

Don't move? Was I standing to close to an edge? Was there a spider on me?

“What?” I calmly whispered back, although I am very certain that the anxiety rose in my voice.

“Don't..........move,” the voice said again, barely audible.

I felt the panic beginning to rise in my throat. I am not a fearful man, but I do fear the unknown. In my line of work, fearing the unknown is healthy, and keeps you alive.

And now, everything around me was unknown, and I didn't know what to do.

I decided not to move, like the voice said. What choice did I have? Everything that surrounded me was still in pitch darkness. I could move, risk it, but I waited, patiently. Something in my mind told me to listen, for once, just listen.

And so I did.

I listened so hard that I swore my eardrums were going to burst out of my head. My ears began ringing, with a pounding in my temple following shortly thereafter. I started to begin to think that something had been slipped into my old fashion, but distinctly remembered barely drinking any of it before I had been sent up to meet with The Countess.

That couldn't have been it. Had I been knocked unconscious?

No. pretty sure I would have remembered that much.

I listened some more, with the pounding in my temples ever increasing.

“Don't move, Wyatt.”

The voice was clearer, but I still couldn't make it out. A woman's voice, no doubt, but I didn't recognize it.

The lights began to slowly come into view right in front of me, as if someone was turning a dimmer switch all the way up. They were blinding, and I squinted as they came into full perspective. The spectrum of lights in front of my eyes made my head hurt more, and I closed them to keep the intense pain that was beginning at bay.

“Wyatt? Wyatt? Wake up Wyatt.”

Sheila. It was Sheila's voice. My doting, loving sister.

“Wyatt, open your eyes for me, please.”

I slowly opened my eyes as Sheila came into view. My vision severely blurred, it took me a moment to focus on the her eyes beyond the glitzy sequins and embellishments of her dress.

“Oh good, he's awake.” Sheila looked up at another person, smiling brightly. She looked back down at me, “You took a hell of a hit, bro. Some cheap skate knocked you with a rocks glass. I guess he didn't like what he heard up there.”

“What?” I groaned as I tried to sit up.

“No, lay back down. You've got a concussion. And yes, he hit you right in your temple with that glass. What a shit stain!”

I simply did as Sheila told me. I couldn't rise on my own if I wanted to. I also became very aware that there were several people hovering over me, along with the goosenecks that came to see what the problem was. A procession of people had moved in, with guards backing them off left and right.

“Where is she?” I asked in my stupor.

“Who, Wyatt?”

“The Countess. Is she alright? He didn't attack her, did he?”

Sheila smiled. “She's right here, with you. Your head is in her lap.”

I tried to move my head to see, I really did. But the intensified pain was reaching down into my neck, making it ever so difficult to move anything from my shoulders up.

She made it easy for me. She bent her own body over so that I could see her, her shimmering face, those perfect ovals for eyes. That long, glorious hair as it fell over her shoulder. “I'm here Wyatt. I'm fine.”

She turned away from me and spoke to Sheila. “Your brother will be alright, my sweet girl. You are very daring and caring for what you did back there. Are you full blood related?”

Sheila nodded, her voice gone now. The Countess had spoken to her, and my sister was in awe of her voice as it slipped away from her teeth and lips.

I was lost. I had no idea what was going on. I had never once in my life ever seen Sheila be star struck like she was that night. She was speechless, a child and putty in the midst of this woman's hands. Sheila attempted a smile, and nod, but her whole body was frozen at the sound of this woman's voice. She was entranced, but by nothing more than the whisper of words.

I tried once again to sit up, this time a little more slowly. I could feel several arms around mine, helping me to my feet. I looked around as my head spun in a dizzy craze. I was led slowly to a chair, with my sister hot on my heels. She sat with me, but still could utter no words.

The cute waitress who had brought me my drink bounced over with a bag of ice, some aspirin, and a glass of water. She smiled as she set them on the table next to me, patted my knee, kissed the top of my head, and prodded off to her next table.

“What the hell? Sheila? Say something. What did you do?”

Sheila's gaze slowly came back to me. Her eyes were fogged over, as if in a drugged-induced lament. She parted her lips, but nothing came from them.

A guard came over to check on me. He was a large man, one I hadn't seen earlier when I was checking everything out before approaching the Countess. He crouched down next to me and began to speak very quietly.

“She has chosen you. And your sister, if you are both willing. As soon as you are able to walk on your own, let me or one of the other guards know, and we will help you with what needs to be done. The man who attacked you is in our custody until the police arrive. Violence is strictly prohibited in these gatherings, and we find it appalling that someone would even try. Our sincerest apologies, and I hope you take that in all its fullness that we can offer.”

“What does that mean? This chosen thing, I mean?” I asked, swallowing the aspirin and the full glass of water.

The guard smiled. “All will be told to you in time my friend. Rest your mind. And breathe easy. You'll see that everything is going to be just fine.”

“Who hit me? Can you tell me that much? Can I least know who my assailant was?”

The guard pointed in the direction where a man was being held down by two separate guards. I looked in that direction, and couldn't believe my own eyes. I blinked and looked again. “Keith?”

It was about then that my sister bounced back from her trance. “Isn't that the guy you work with?”

“Yeah. Too many whiskeys, I suppose. The last time he hit me like that we were in high school taking boxing classes.”

Sheila rolled her eyes. “What a dipstick. All I remember was seeing a guy walk up behind you, raise the rocks glass, and I was nearby. About the time he hit you was about the time I round housed him in the stomach and knocked him backwards off the stairs.”

“You? You kicked him?”

“What was I supposed to do? He hit you.”

“I don't know, stand out of the way so the guards could handle it?”

Sheila rolled her eyes. “You're welcome, ass,” she said, her tone condescending.

“Thank you. I just can't believe that Keith would do that to me. We have been best friends for years.”

“Some people can't handle it. Anyway, did you hear? I was asked to be chosen with you! Oh my god I am so excited!! Do you know what this means?”

I looked at her palely. No clue flashed on my forehead like a Las Vegas strip mall light. She wasn't taking the hint though.

“I just can't believe it! Oh my God, to be chosen by the Countess! What an honor!”

Just as her excitement began to fill my ears, we were quickly surrounded by several guards. They stood with their backs to us, encircling us like a protective barrier.

Another guard came inside the circle, beckoning us to rise and follow.

I did, slowly, still spinning from the hard glass that had tapped me out. Sheila hung on to me, trying to support me, but her excitement was more than she alone could bear.

We were led to the top of the stair case that the Countess had descended when coming into the party earlier that evening. We halted, and they told us to turn around. We could barely see above the guards' heads, and suddenly, they parted like the waters of the Red Sea.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention. I introduce to you, the newest of the chosen!”

An applause erupted from the crowd, screams, hoots and howls came from every direction. I looked to where they had been holding Keith, but he was gone. I guessed that in all of the rambunctious happenings, they had gotten him outside to wait for the police. Beyond that, I didn't give it much thought.

Sheila and I both took our bows. We were turned back around and led up the stairs and away from the party. We could still hear the music thumping from behind us, but I was truly grateful to finally be away from all of it.

Leading into a large room, I realized it was an old smoking room. The room didn't smell like cigar smoke as I am sure it had back in the day, but I recognized the architecture and furniture right away. Dimly lit, the Tiffany lamps and chandelier cascaded through the room in their own tunes. The Queen Anne furniture looked like replicas, but upon being led to the chairs, I realized very quickly they were unique antiques. The red velvet had been refurbished and the wood polished to a glorious shine under the lamps. Wallpaper line each of the walls, with little cherubs dancing their way across the top border. For the first time, I finally felt like I belonged in this building, soaking in every detail of the room.

“The Countess will be in momentarily. Please help yourself to refreshments while you wait,” a voice said from behind me.

“Refreshments?” I asked as I turned around and noticed who the voice belonged to.

A shorter woman stood behind us both, beautiful enough to taste for a lifetime. She pointed in the direction of the bar, where small refreshments of wine, a cheese and cracker board, and miniature candies lay waiting. I smiled and turned back to the woman to thank her, but she was gone.

“What do you think of all of this, Wyatt?”

“I'll have to say, I am very confused and impressed at the same time. That is not an easy task. And what is it with this whole chosen thing anyway?”

Sheila shrugged as she stuffed a small block of cheese into her mouth and grabbed a glass of the wine. “I actually have no idea. But I know it's to be taken very seriously, and not to be knocked around with.”

“Wait, you're telling me that you received an invitation from an unknown person to be their 'chosen one', and you have no idea what the hell is going on?”

“Mmm, yeah, that about sums it up.”

“Sheila!”

“Oh shut up Wyatt. You're always bitching that you're not doing anything with your life. Enjoy it, whatever it is. Okay?”

I snorted as I gulped down a glass of the wine. She was right. Sheila was always right.