Chapter Text
It's six forty seven PM on a serene Friday evening, and your entire closet is on your floor.
"Are they just like…rich guys who throw a gigantic party sometimes?"
Skylar pouts. "That's so reductive, you know. They're very nice!"
"You know them?" You hold up something you probably haven't worn since high school. Skylar crinkles her nose in disapproval.
"Kind of…? We go way back, in a 'we existed in the same building for an extended period of time' sense."
"That's a really weird way of saying that you used to be coworkers…" You resurface with the top Skylar tasked you with finding.
"Perfect!" She claps her hands together in excitement.
"I don't know…for a house party?"
"I told you, it's a mansion. Like a hundred people show up and they all dress like it's a club." Skylar herself is wearing a dark blue dress and a furry white jacket that screams party animal.
"That's a lot going on, though. A party that's also a club sounds like it could get really chaotic fast." You slip the outfit on, and Skylar stands to help you. Not too bad, you decide as you regard yourself in the mirror, re-arranging your necklace and turning over the ring on it. It's nice to dress up and leave the house once in a while. You've been a bit of a homebody as of late, something Skylar seems determined to remedy. "I'm not used to just showing up to strangers' parties."
"Well, I'm one of the few who will actually be invited. They sent an actual paper invitation." Skylar pulls one out from some unseen pocket and hands it to you. You stare at it, dumbfounded. "And so are you!"
For a moment, you think your eyes must be playing tricks on you. But no, it's right there, printed on the pretty light blue paper: your name, inviting you to the party.
"Did you give them my name? Skylar, who are they? Nepo babies? Influencers?"
"They made their money in real estate. Listen, you probably won't even run into them. They're hosts of a huge party—they'll be busy, and we can lose ourselves in the crowd and just have fun!"
You sigh. "I'm sorry. I already agreed to go, I don't know why I'm being difficult." Ordinarily, you'd chalk this up to going-out nerves, but this time it feels like something more. Like destiny is at your door.
It's just a party, you remind yourself. One night will not change your whole life.
It is the kind of party that could change your life, though.
A million different movies play through your mind as the two of you pull up to the mansion. You'd been expecting a trim, skinny-looking influencer mansion: something boxy, almost flat, with too much glass and painted stark white. Instead, the place looks almost like a castle, with tall glowing windows set in stone walls topped by actual spires.
Skylar skips across the expansive driveway and right up into the house like she's been here before. You find yourself shimmying awkwardly after her, not wanting to look like an out-of-place interloper. But as you join the throng entering the cavernous hall, you quickly realize that everyone here is an interloper.
"Shouldn't there be people checking invitations or something?" You end up having to shout so Skylar can hear. There's a very severe-looking man in a suit who just screams bouncer by the front door, but he just gives you a mysterious smile before he disappears into the crowd.
"Nah! Most of these people haven't been invited. Like I said, they just show up!"
"That can't be up to fire code," you mumble.
The crowd spills into a huge main room, with a set of enormous double doors at the back thrown open to reveal an equally crowded courtyard facing the lake. There's music, drinks, and glitter everywhere. You find yourself relieved that Skylar made you wear something more formal. Sure, people look like they're at a club, but a nice one, like the unspoken dress code of a classy bar.
Speaking of Skylar. You turn to find her a natural social butterfly, spinning and greeting people that she can't possibly all know but who all seem to know her. You stand quietly by her side, petrified to be separated from the only familiar person in this enormous house.
"Okay, listen. Parties here are usually pretty tame, but if we get separated, just go looking for the host. His name is Volt." Skylar gently shuffles you to the side to make more room for people entering the house.
"I thought there were two hosts?" you ask, privately wondering how you're supposed to find just one dude in the case you can't even find Skylar herself.
"Yeah, but you probably won't run into Eddie. He tends to make himself scarce unless something goes wrong."
"Wait, so, his name is Volt? Is that like, an alias?" Skylar only shrugs in response, and you're left with more questions than answers.
Of course, you immediately lose track of Skylar. At first, you think your friend is playing a prank on you, but you know in your heart of hearts Skylar would never do such a thing.
You're not as anxious as you thought you'd be, though. Being surrounded by so many strangers, none of whom are paying attention to you, actually gives you a comforting shroud of anonymity. At least, until you feel a hand on your arm.
"Hey!" A woman with vibrant orange hair grabs your arm, but her touch is so light and her expression is so open and friendly that she doesn't feel threatening at all. Familiarity lights up her pretty green eyes, but it's gone so quickly that you wonder if you imagined it. "Come here! Have some drinks! I came up with these myself."
You're pulled along, like a raft on the river of this stranger's bubbly enthusiasm. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to find someone?"
"You're at a party! There's no rush. Sit and have some fun with me. Besides, I'm really proud of these new recipes." The woman sits you down at a bar with several other people already sitting and chatting with drinks.
You blink. Why not? It's not like Skylar would ever leave without you. You have all night, and you may as well enjoy yourself. "Sure…you're the bartender?"
"Oh! No, I'm a guest like you. But I run my own bar in town, and when I'm here Eddie and Volt kind of let me run wild. I think Eddie's glad someone else is taking care of the drinks."
"You know Volt? Skylar and I got separated, so I'm looking for both of them…" You haven't ordered, but the woman is already making a drink. She gives you an indecipherable look.
"For sure! He's great. He could charm the pants off anyone, and sometimes I kind of hate him for it, but it's also impossible to hate him." She slides a drink you've never seen offered on any menu before across the bar. "Give it a try. Let me know if it tastes familiar."
You stare down the drink. "It looks great, but, um…I don't think we've met before? I don't even know your name."
"Ah! Right, of course!" The woman bonks her forehead with her hand in an exaggerated manner. "Beverly. It's Beverly."
Beverly then proceeds to get you incredibly, wildly drunk. She's reasonable at first, starting you out with singles. But as the night wears on and the new acquaintances you're meeting all start to blur together in your mind, eventually, you have to admit that you've pushed yourself well beyond your limit.
"Oh, Skylar is going to kill me," Beverly sighs. "I can't believe this is happening again. C'mon, drink a little bit of water."
You're far too occupied to notice the glass of water that keeps being shoved your way, more than a little distracted by a new guy at the bar. He's wearing a red motorcycle jacket over a white turtleneck that very nicely shows off his physique, and there's an easiness to the way he leans back to talk to his conversation partners that's insanely hot. You're just about to put all that liquid courage to use when your stomach roils, and you realize with horror that said liquid courage has instead chosen to make a reappearance. Soon.
"Bev," You say unsteadily. "I think that tequila thing you gave me is about to come back up." Beverly's face whitens.
You can't recall the last time you threw up thanks to drinking too much, which you quickly realize is probably your own memory protecting you as you grip the bowl. Beverly tuts and rubs your back soothingly as you retch, offering you sips of water between heaves. Less than half a glass actually makes it into your system.
"Stay here. I'm going to get something to rehydrate you, alright?" You barely register Beverly leaving, laser-focused on recovering from the woozy spell keeping your head in a vise grip. When you finally feel a little more like a normal human being again, you walk to the sink and try splashing water on your face and rinsing out your mouth. It helps sober you up—at least a little bit.
Still tipsy, you suddenly find yourself back out in the party. The crowd sweeps you along, through the hall and out into the courtyard and right into a different wing of the house. It's kind of fun to wander around alone and explore. You're technically still looking for Skylar by doing so, right?
"Party's back that way."
You start a little at the sound of a man's voice. You tear your eyes away from the gorgeous light fixtures on the ceiling to find a handsome, tired-looking guy with dark hair and steely gray eyes that are almost green.
"I'm sorry?"
"You're forgiven." The man takes a sip from his drink. It's only now that you realize you've walked into another room with a bar, although this one is much cozier and completely empty. Well, except for the man nursing a glass of amber liquor.
You're at a loss for what else to say. "I was just wandering around. It's a pretty house."
The man raises an eyebrow. Interestingly, his are notched, so they look like they're growing in a zigzag shape. "By yourself? That's kind of suspicious, you know."
It takes you a moment to realize what he's accusing you of. "You think I'm looking for stuff to steal? I don't even have room for that!" That only makes the man snort in amusement. "I'm looking for my friend, Skylar. She knows the hosts, so she's the only reason why I'm here, but we kind of got separated…" For a moment, the man almost looks chagrined, but then he's taking another sip of his drink, and you wonder if you imagined it.
"No one in here but me. So run along." You bristle at the man's rudeness. What's this guy's problem? Is he just a drunk asshole?
"You could at least give me a direction to go in. Skylar told me, uh…the guy's name is Volt? She said to find him if we got separated."
An indecipherable emotion flits across the man's face, and his shoulders tense. "Take a left, head down the hallway, go down the stairs and to the right. He's in the backyard."
You blink. You weren't expecting such an exact response. "How do you know that? For all I know, you could be sending me on a wild goose chase just so you can be alone with all the expensive booze."
"Yeah, that's it." The man quirks a corner of his mouth, almost resembling a smile. "But it's the only lead you've got, so you'd better get to it."
He's right. So you go.
To your surprise, the man's instructions do, in fact, lead you to the backyard facing the docks. The lake is gorgeous, an inky black expanse glittering with moonlight. You turn the corner to find yet another enormous crowd of people, which just pisses you off a little. You decide to blame the anonymous bar asshole, even though you know it isn't his fault.
You must look like a little lost lamb navigating through the crowd, because someone squeezed in right behind you speaks in your ear as they make their way up the stairs as well. "Looking for someone?" asks the deep, accented voice.
You're sure if you turn to look at the speaker, you'll stumble on the stairs and probably cause a human domino effect, so you keep your eyes trained on the people in front of you. "Is it that obvious?" you pout.
"Ah, I'm simply more attentive than most. But you do look quite lost."
"I am looking for someone. I came with my friend Skylar, and she told me I could also look for the host if I got lost. I think he goes by Volt?" You have to shout to be heard over the din of the crowd. "She said he made his money in real estate, but this house—this party, it's all crazy. He must have some sort of old-money stuff going on. I've heard like, six rumors about him and his boyfriend. Or partner? Husband?"
"Husband! Happily married for several months now."
"Oh! Good for them."
The crowd shifts, pulling and pushing you as you fight to not topple over. The swell dumps you out onto a landing overlooking the backyard and lake, where you finally have room to move around. "I just keep hearing things about this guy and not actually seeing him. At this point, I doubt anybody actually has!"
A sonorous chuckle comes from behind you. "I'm afraid I've been slacking in my duties as a host, then." Your eyes go wide as you turn and take in who you've been shouting at.
The stunning man before you stands with his back to the railing, his hand outstretched in a gentlemanly greeting. He's tall and broad-shouldered, with pale baby blue eyes and long white hair that's tousled in a way that feels intentional rather than messy.
"I believe you've been searching for me. My name is Volt."