Chapter Two: Right on Time

Anna grumbled audibly as she paced the floor. Minutes had dragged on as she awaited the return of her friend, Snow. Come on, you'll be late to host your own party she thought anxiously, pulling out her phone every few moments to be sure that they had even a sliver of time to prepare. Snow had called her nearly two hours before in a massive panic – she'd conveniently 'forgotten' to get any party supplies and the day of her birthday celebration was upon her, she hadn't even begun setting anything up!

Being the kind and gullible soul she was, Anna had slipped into a comfortable pair of jeans and her favorite red tee and raced to Snow's aid. She'd only had a mere moment with her friend before she was left alone to 'rearrange things' as Snow had put it. It had taken a brief fifteen minutes for our 'hero' to move furniture into a configuration that would be most appropriate for a party. Any unnecessary seating had been moved to the side of the room to allow plentiful space for walking and mingling. Fragile and more costly things were moved to more safe areas, ones that would offer less of an opportunity for them to be broken, or worse.

Anna had planned for most any situation that could arise and was hopeful that Snow would approve of the arrangements that she had made – if she ever returned that is. Anna brought both hands to her head and gently rubbed her temples, willing the stress of the whole situation away. "How do I always get roped into these th-" she began, her words cut off by the sound of a door knob turning and the door itself swinging inward on it's hinges to strike the stopper with a loud bang.

Nearly leaping out of her skin Anna whipped around to see Snow accompanied by a few young gentlemen in the doorway. "I found some more help!" Snow chirped happily, her rosy cheeks practically glowing with pride.

Anna rushed to her side and started grabbing bags from Snow's overburdened arms and as inconspicuously as she was able to whispered "Do you know these people?" With a wink and a cheshire grin Snow shook her head as they trailed in, seven young men in all, each loaded to the brim with bags upon bags of supplies.

Moments passed with Anna growing more anxious as each new stranger passed through the doorway. As the final stranger crossed the threshold Anna finally cracked, dropping her bags to the floor and raising her hands in a 'stop' motion to them and shaking her head, "Listen up, we appreciate the help but we don't know you. You can't hang out here." Anna said, attempting to be gentle despite her rising stress level. Surprisingly most of them got the hint and in fact, seemed oddly happy to have simply helped out her friend. One, however, had a rather grumpy looking face and seemed as though he had something to say. Red and round with a nose too large for his bearded face he stood perfectly still in the doorway. "Didn't you hear me?" Anna re-iterated. "Get moving, buddy." The man's face visibly reddened as he uttered a shockingly sweet farewell to the two women before exiting the home as well. All seven young men waved to Snow as Anna exasperatedly let the door click shut, sure to lock it afterward.

"Snow, you can't just invite strangers into your home!" she chided, the displeasure clear in her voice. "They could have been murderers or have planned to overpower your or, or-"

"Oh, honey, I never intended to let them stay. You know I like the attention." The southern drawl in Snow's voice peeking through her sweet reassurance.

Anna grinned, "That'll never change. You're practically a brick of pheromones, when we find someone who can resist you I'll drop dead on the spot."

Snow chuckled, the sound light and airy as she stacked bottles in her arms, carrying them to her refrigerator with practiced ease. Anna was surprised at the amount of alcohol she had returned with, but only slightly. The number of times that one of Snow's 'small get togethers' had turned into a raucous drinking fest of Dionysian levels was beyond counting at this point and she was betting heavily that tonight would chalk another mark up for the rowdy party score.

"How much time is left?" Anna questioned, unceremoniously dumping bags of snacks and red plastic cups onto the counter. "I thought maybe I'd have time to run home and change before things got started here..."

"Relax, sugar, no one ever shows up on time to a party! There will be plenty of time."

The words were hardly enough to soothe Anna's worry, but she continued assisting nonetheless. Cups here, snacks there, alcohol...well, it didn't really matter where it started out, it would all end up being found one way or another. Anna had learned early on that, when drunk, their friends were like alcohol sniffing bloodhounds. No rum was safe, no vodka would go un-found.

Half an hour later and the redhead was standing awkwardly atop a chair that Snow held steady, reaching her arms out as she carefully extended to her tip toes. With a small grunt she pushed the tack into the wall as close to the molding as she was able to. Turning back to Snow with a smile, she felt crushed as her friend started to laugh almost hysterically. Her brows furrowed as she turned around, only to realize that this section of the streamers was significantly lower than the rest.

Frustrated, her cheeks flushed lightly, "Hey, I'm doing the best I can with the height I was given!" Unbidden, a lopsided grin made it's way onto her face, pulling one side of her mouth upward. "It's staying like that, I'm not getting up there again!" she added for good measure as she dismounted the chair.

Pulling out her phone Anna sighed, a hand coming up to wipe the sweat that had formed away. "You know, you're lucky that I love you so much." Walking back toward the kitchen she stopped in the doorway, admiring their handiwork. Streamers had been hung (albeit poorly), mixers were chilling in coolers of ice that had been strategically set out, cups and snacks were plentiful. All that remained was changing into more party appropriate garb and Anna would feel completely satisfied. "I think you can handle not destroying the place in my absence, oh great and powerful birthday girl."

Snow rolled her eyes and waved a hand as she slumped into a bar stool that had been pushed into a corner of the kitchen, "Go on, get yourself pretty. Who knows, maybe tonight you'll actually speak with your friends rather than being a lone wolf."

The jab was deserved and Anna sheepishly smiled as she waved goodbye, shutting the door behind her.

XXXXXXXX

Anna had slumped into her bed the moment that she arrived home, promising herself just a few moment's respite after the daunting task of last minute party preparations. I'll never know how Snow does this so frequently. An arm rose and draped over her eyes, soothing the dull ache that had begun forming before she had even left her friend's home. Her mind was peacefully blank, her breathing slowing as she lay in the stillness. Just a few more minutes, then I'll get up and change...

When Anna finally rose from her moments rest the sun had set and a slimy trail of drool had made it's way down her chin and onto her pillowcase, staining the previously light blue fabric a much darker shade. "Shit!" Anna leaped from her bed and rushed to the bathroom mirror, taking in her disheveled appearance with a slightly open mouth. No, no, no! I can't be late for this after making such a big deal about the set up! Frantically she ran a brush through her now tangled locks and her nimble fingers twisted and looped her hair into twin braids. It would have to do.

A splash of water on her face and a quick brush of her teeth and she dashed back into her room, throwing the closet door open. Teal eyes darted left and right as she mentally attempted to put together an outfit that would at least be halfway decent for the occasion. What am I thinking, no one is going to be too sober enough to care anyway. She grabbed a dark pair of jeans and her favorite blue tee and changed quickly, nearly falling to the side as she attempted to tug her pants up before her foot was completely through the leg. Damn it, universe! Just let me get there in time to not be the last one in!

Within minutes she was out the door, her car engine roaring to life in the night as she reversed out of the parking lot. Tires screeched as she pressed the gas a little harder than she anticipated. Rolling to a stop at the first intersection she took a moment to calm herself down. Snow certainly wouldn't care if she was late, but the thought of walking into a room already full of people made Anna just a tad queasy. Parties were easy enough but being there within the first few arrivals was certainly much simpler than having to push your way through a crowd of drunken party-goers.

The sound of her tires against the less than smooth road had begun to grate against her nerves just a few minutes into her trip, but she refused to turn the radio on for such a quick trip. Rounding a corner she gasped rather loudly (and perhaps a little unnecessarily) and pressed hard on her brakes - a bright red car had stalled off to the side of the road just around the bend. I'm nearly stopped already I may as well make sure they're okay... Anna eased her car to the side of the road and pulled up just behind the vehicle being sure to leave her headlights on, lateness had been pushed to the back of her mind.

More timidly than she might normally Anna opened her door and approached the vehicle slowly. She swallowed hard as her mind played out multiple ways this scenario could possibly end. Best case scenario it would be a kindly stranger and she would help them with what she could and be on her way. Worst case scenario, well, serial killer, rapist, some kind of horrible serial killer rapist combination. The possibilities were endless. Gravel crunched beneath her feet as she continued with slow and calculated steps.

"Is-...is everything okay here?" She called out, pausing her movements and anchoring her feet to the spot.

In the distance an owl hooted, the sound deep and eerie to her ears as it echoed in the quiet night. Following the hoot and it's accompanying echo came rustling from the underbrush nearby. Her mind has resolved to not take another step further, there was too much going on for her to feel like she would be safe. It was too much like the beginning of a horror film for her liking.

But after a few moments passed with no response from the occupant of the vehicle her body began to rebel against her common sense. Crunch... crunch.. crunch... the gravel seemed to scream in the night with each step. It's good that I stopped, they're probably hurt. Maybe they passed out or something. How else could anyone not hear me coming? A hand reached out and touched the back of the car, as though physically touching the vehicle would somehow calm the roiling storm of worry within her. I can do this, I can definitely do this. Why stop if I'm not going to follow through? Eyes wide, she mentally berated herself as she took another step, glancing in the open window at an angle to see a figure sitting in the front seat. This is it, this is how I die.

"Look, are you alright?" At the last word her voice quavered slightly, so much for appearing confident. That's what you needed to do in this situation, right? Make yourself look big and give off an air of confidence? Or was that for bears? No response from the mystery person. Swallowing hard, Anna stepped into the line of sight of the open window just as the person inside began to react. She jumped back and tensed, a hand clutching her chest in fright as the door of the vehicle swung wide open, a hooded figure slipping from the vehicle in silence and taking a step towards her.

"Anna?" Raising her hands to her ears the stranger tugged headphones out and smiled, a brow raised at Anna's impression of a deer very literally standing in the headlights. "Anna, it is you! Fantastic! I was hoping someone would pass by and stop for me, I'm just glad it's you and not some sleazy jerk. Looks like I should have had that 'check engine' light looked at after all!" The strangers hands raised again and lowered her hood at last, chestnut hair cascading well past her shoulders.

Anna unfroze and shook her head, bewildered but obviously pleased that of all the people to have run into on the side of the road it would be Megara. "Are you on your way to Snow's too?" Anna finally manged to say, her body relaxing now that she knew she wouldn't be on the next episode of some cheesy series about mass murderers.

"Where else would I be headed to in this direction? You know her neighborhood is too rich for my blood!"

The two shared a small laugh at the jape and Anna suddenly found herself feeling simultaneously disturbed and impolite, an odd combination to be sure. "I want to invite you into my car but first I've got to ask - are you out of your mind?" Anna could have very easily been mistaken for an angry mother chiding a young child for staying out too late on a school night, "You can't just sit on the side of the road with your windows down and wearing headphones! Someone could have abducted you or, or-"

Meg's mouth twisted as she fought back a grin, but the urge to laugh was too strong. Bubbly laughter soon rang out in the otherwise quiet night air, "Have you been watching those crime documentaries again? I thought we had an intervention a few months ago." she said in a mock serious tone. Meg couldn't hold the serious expression for long though and her mouth soon turned upward in a smile again as Anna struggled for an answer. "Come on mother, we've got somewhere to be. Or would you rather miss out to stay here on this creepy stretch of road and lecture me?"

At a loss for words Anna finally turned her back, halfheartedly waving a hand in a 'come on' motion back at Meg. Anna was in the drivers seat of her car by the time Meg had finished rolling her window up, the sound of her car lock chirping in the night made Anna jump. Meg grinned as she opened the passenger door and flopped into the seat. "Seatbelt." Anna said, her request was met with a short exhale followed by a click.

"Happy?" Meg huffed. With a nod Anna happily shifted gears and pulled them back onto the road.

"Hey..." Meg began fiddling with the radio, settling finally on a rock station before she continued, "Thanks. I know I gave you a hard time but I really do appreciate it."

Anna took a hand off the wheel and waved it dismissively before returning it. "Don't worry about it, I'm just lucky it was you and not some-"

"Don't!" Meg interjected with a laugh, "I know what you were thinking, you've got to chill out with your wild imagination. Not everyone ends up a damsel in distress, you know."

"Oh geez..." Anna muttered as they approached Snow's home. The streets were lined with cars as far as the eye could see, the driveway full. "I can let you out at the door." she suggested, turning her head to see Meg's reaction.

"Really, you'd expect me to let you walk? The queen of worry wants to walk alone at night?" Meg teased, her hands raising to the sides of her face as she mustered her best look of terror. Anna glowered in return, not bothering to voice an argument – it would fall on deaf ears anyway.

The walk was relatively short considering how far they had parked, but the pair was at the door in what seemed like no time. Anna raised her arm to knock but Meg scoffed at her and swung the door wide open, clearly excited to have arrived in the middle of the party. "Now the party can start!" she hollered over the crowd, gaining quite a few cheers from their already marinated friends.

An arm wrapped around Anna and she was immediately hit by the scent of alcohol as Snow shook her lightly, "You took my words to heart I see!" she slurred, "Arriving fashionably late and with a lady at your side no less!"

Anna stiffened slightly under Snow's drunken embrace and gently pried her friend's arm from around her neck, "If you hadn't worn me out earlier I'd have been here on time, thank you very much." Meg snickered at the comment, earning a solid glare from Anna, "You know that's not what I meant!" Anna hissed, rolling her eyes and throwing her hands in the air. "I think I need a drink." she added, bringing her hand up to her forehead.

In unison Meg and Snow grinned and shouted, "Shots!"

With a grimace, Anna forced herself to look into the crowd and soak in the inevitable fate she was faced with – she was certain that in less than an hour's time she would be just as obnoxious as the rest of the drunken crowd whether she wanted to be or not. As she scanned, her eyes settled on an unfamiliar figure and her heart skipped a beat..this was bound to be an interesting night.

a/n: Just dropping a quick note to let you know that I will attempt to upload biweekly, but if I finish a chapter early you may get weekly updates (it all depends on my work schedule). I hope you're enjoying it so far!