“Chica, get your ass over here!”
I looked in the mirror at my bruised knees and prickly legs, “Maybe, I should change…”
“Nuh uh, c’mere let me see.” I walked quietly towards my friend so as not to wake the tight mess of black spandex that advertized as a dress. She raised her finger in a spinning motion.
“No, what you see is what you get, if I move too much it may fall off, or become a crop top.”
“It’s supposed to be like that! Embrace it, you look Hot, capital H.”
I grimaced, looking longingly towards my jeans.
“Stop, we’re going. We literally just got our fakes, so put me in robe and call me mother if we’re not going to this club tonight.”
“What?”
“Nevermind, let’s just go.”
---------------------
The club was on a strip of street sandwiched between a self service dry cleaners and a bakery-slash-hookah lounge.
“Um, are you sure this is the place?”
“Yeah, of course it is. Donny raves about this place.”
We both looked at it, big and grey and quiet, it appeared to be empty.
“Well, where’s the bouncer?” Marissa shrugged, walking ahead. The door was shut, but apparently it was supposed to be.
“Donny says to knock six times and say ‘Drogan’”
“What’s it mean?”
“I dunno, just do it.” she nudged me with her hip, so I raised my arm and knocked.
A mail slot I hadn’t noticed below, peeked open and we knelt to see a fraction of a face looking up at us.
“Password?”
“Um, Drogan?” The mailbox slammed shut and for a second everything was quiet. There was a clicking sound, and then the ground beneath us began sliding apart. I screamed.
“Lisa calm down, this is the entrance.”
“Oh.”
It opened to a person sized hole in the ground and within it I could see stairs and red lights.
“Come one, let’s go.” Marissa gingerly stepped sideways on to the stairs in her five2 inch heels.
The stairs opened up to a wide room packed with wriggling bodies. There was a line at a navy door off to the side, and every so often people would stumble out and a new batch would be allowed in. The ones who came out seemed dreamy and shiny, either with glitter or sweat it was hard to tell.
“ID.”
There was a man standing above us with a scowl on his face and a markeet tied around his shoulder. I really, really hoped it was fake.
“Hm?”
“ID.”
“Oh right.” I elbowed Marissa to dig them out of our shared bag.
“Chantarelle and...Caberneta?” The bouncer looked at us suspiciously. “That you guys?”
“Yup that’s us!” I tried to smile past the nerves, why had I let Marissa choose our names?
He smiled, snapping his clipboard for emphasis, “Go on in! Don put you two on the VIP list.”
“Donny’s on the VIP list?” Marissa sounded offended.
The bouncer gave us a funny look, “Of course he is.” He motioned us through, pointing at the navy door, “That's VIP.” We pushed through packed bodies that tried to dance on us
like insecure sardines.
“Eee I'm so excited!”
“Omg Lisa calm down, we need to act cool.” Marissa knocked on the VIP door and
Donny opened it wearing a navy robe. The room was dark and bare with only a big globe light in the center of the room and people wandering around and giggling with silver c***tails in their hands.
“Hey guys.” He drew Marissa’s bony body to his velvet clad one, but he was looking at
me.
“Hi Donny.” I cleared my throat, something felt off. He was smiling but his eyes were
blank and complacent. His skin was dusted with silver and his robe had slash and swirl symbols on the neckline and hood.
“It's starting!” Donny said bringing his hands together in a childish clasp.
“What's starting, babe?” Marissa asked, lightly running her acrylic nails down his face.
They left two thin pink lines on his pale cheeks.
“The whole reason why we’re here tonight, the resplendent one.” He drew us towards a
circle of robed companions. They were tittering with anticipation and appeared to be waiting for Donny’s direction.
“The who?” I asked.
“It has many names.” Donny said, before joining the circle.
He raised his velvet robed arms so that the excess fabric hung down like loose skin.
“Arsfrazglin!”
More people had begun to file into the room, pulling on the same navy robe. They nodded along with Donny.
“Plurtz Glirb.”
I turned to Marissa who stood wide eyed and confused. “What the hell is happening?” I
hissed at her. Two people barreled through us, making clicking sounds in the back of their mouth.
“Suo Tuo Anitk Veim!”
“Was that…language?” I moved out of the way as another robed figure on twirled into
me.
“Marissa!” I pinched her arm, hard. She looked at me, face thin and drained of color. “I
think Donny may have mentioned something about powder and stuff.”
“Krevlorne Moira Turdligb?”
People were clapping and bowing to Donny’s words. Silver powder was on their finger
tips and the cracks in their lips. One person was kneeling on the ground in a circle of silver and making a hissing noise. Three people were huddled in a corner laughing maniacally in hushed tones. Donny stepped away from the circle and rested the tips of his fingers lightly on our backs. His robe was freshly gutted in the sleeve and I saw a few behind him munching their own sleeves.
“Donny, what's in that powder?” Donny brought his glittering pinky to my lips. “Here,
have a taste.”
“No thank you. Marissa, we’re going.”
“But you guys,” Donny reached for us, but his head lolled the other way and he swayed
in place. “We haven't gotten to the best part.” He reached into his robe and pulled out a remote and aimed it at the globe light that hung above all of us. There was a tap and then the globe opened.
Silver dust poured out onto the crowd.
I couldn't see through it, I couldn’t breathe, where was I?
It danced on the air. Like snowflakes! Like lemonade, or candy.
I think I would lie down now, get closer to it.
So sparkly, why had I been so sad?
Could I stay here forever, please could I?