Ten Thousand Needles

It really did look like a rave party. Aside from the fact it was supposed to be a future theme party, it did fit, but this was beyond crazy. People were all over, dancing, splashing their drinks on the floor. The lights swam around me, blinding me. Bodies were crushed against together, and it was unbearably hot.

I was currently in the middle of the dance floor, trying to get my way across. It was jam packed, and I had no idea how I got there. But I was, and it was too tight. I couldn't breathe. Someone bumped into me, their alcohol barely missing me.

"Sorry!" the person slurred. Where did everyone get the drinks?

I couldn't seem to formulate an answer, so I went ahead, pushing past several people. Red lights, blue lights, white lights – it was too much. Noelle went a bit overboard with the decorating.

It didn't help the party was held in a club in the first place.

Speaking about Noelle, our relationship was on the rocks. I hadn't managed to get a chance to talk to her for the past week, but for a couple of weeks, the Billings girls' would have a break from all the party planning. Until then, I would have to wait for Noelle's wrath to diminish.

I didn't know what prompted the sudden outburst. But she ended up exploding on me, and I felt horrible. Underneath the deep, thick metal, Noelle was an insecure person. Of course, I felt completely sorry for her, but then I realized she didn't need my sympathy. The best way to handle our friendship was to . . . have me apologize?

Noelle was strong. But she was very stubborn, and she would never apologize; she would never explain her reasoning. Therefore, it was my duty to do so. I didn't have to apologize for everything, but Noelle would get the hint sooner or later.

Currently, my mission at party number two was to talk to Noelle. It wasn't going so well as of now. It was taking forever to walk through. I didn't even know half of the people here; at least one-third of the party goers were not from Easton, but from neighboring boarding schools. They obviously came for the drinks and the dancing. There were also some Easton alumni here, but I had yet to meet them.

"Ugh, move bitch," someone said to me. By the time I turned around to find the perpetrator, they were already gone. I continued, rolling my eyes as I did so and moving people aside.

Finally, I got to the other side of the club, sighing in relief. This scene slightly reminded me of my dreams, disoriented, blurry, but still there. My nightmares had lessened considerably over the past month, but I would still have them on occasion.

There – she was leaning against the wall, her piercing eyes watching everyone. Noelle looked breathtaking, as usual. She was wearing an Alexander McQueen dress, one she bought before he died. For once, she was wearing bright pink.

Timidly, I came forth, not sure what to expect. She obviously sensed me approaching, for she instantly stiffened, still looking straight ahead. I gulped, giving myself a little pep talk about how this was going to be alright.

"Noelle?" I squeaked out.

Ever so slowly, she twisted her head to the side. Her dark hair fell over, slightly obscuring her face. "Hello, Reed."

An awkward silence swept over us. I rocked back and forth on my heels, not sure what to say. I knew I couldn't move because the whole point of my mission would have been a total waste. So instead, I mustered up some courage to talk to her.

"Noelle, is everything alright? I'm sorry if I have ever done anything wrong, but-"

"Just forget it."

My mouth hung open for a good minute. I was completely shocked. I didn't want to say anything stupid to ruin the moment, so I kept my mouth shut.

"It's just, what am I doing all of this for? And, I don't know, I'm kind of tired. I don't even know if we'll be able to get Billings back, and . . ." She paused, finally looking at me straight in the eye. They were slightly twinkling, and for once, I had a good feeling.

"It's not a big deal. I'm getting Senioritis; not just for homework, but for other things, obviously." Noelle shifted her feet nervously, and I smiled to myself. She was finally opening herself to me.

I smiled like a goofy kid who just got candy. I was elated. Our friendship was OK! I wanted to shout out to the whole party that Noelle and I were cool. However, I knew Noelle was most likely going to bust my ass if I ever did, so I asked, "So, we're cool?"

She nodded briefly before she gave her attention to the dance floor. I happened to see a smile creeping on her lips, and instead of letting things be, I went over and gave her a big hug. She staggered a bit by my enthusiasm, but I didn't care – I loved Noelle, and she was my best friend.

"I-I think you can let go of me now," Noelle said. Reluctantly, I did, but I was still smiling like a little kid.

"I'll go get some drinks!" I shouted over the music. Noelle nodded back, but I could tell she was restraining herself to smile. As I turned around, I quickly realized I had to walk back across the room to get some "punch". God, this place was insane.

So I walked. I walked alongside the wall in a big square, still managing to bump into several people. As the lights flitted, I caught an image of Gage grinding on some random girl, Vienna and London dancing crazy, Sawyer shyly moving back and forth with Trey, Graham, and another group of girls. Ivy, too, was dancing with a large group of people. I smiled inwardly, glad she was having fun.

Thinking about Ivy made me think about Josh. I hadn't talked to Josh at all. I received neither text nor calls, and I in return didn't send anything. I knew it was unhealthy to ignore Josh, but every time I was around him, I couldn't seem to think. Every time we talked, we ended up making promises or yelling at each other. I needed a break.

And lastly, thinking about Josh and Ivy made me think about the Billings folder. Sooner or later, I was going to find out what was in there no matter what. Something sinister was going on, and I didn't like it.

After several minutes, I finally got to the drink table. The bar was closed off, but of course, someone spiked the juice and others brought their own drinks. It was kind of hard to get the glasses, for they were far from me, and my future-looking dress, courtesy from Astrid's closet, was preventing me to do so.

"Looking for this?"

I whipped my head to the side and saw none other than Hunter. Yes, Hunter, the man who talked about himself all the time and guy who I walked out on the middle of our "date". He was looking pretty smug about something, and he seemed a little tipsy. Hunter was dressed in head to toe black. It vaguely resembled a jumpsuit, although it seemed like a very expensive jumpsuit.

He handed me a plastic glass. I smiled and said, "Thanks." I poured the juice inside the glass, willing for Hunter to leave. I barely talked to the guy.

"Hey, why don't you dance with me? You seem like you need the fun," Hunter added. I could feel him coming closer.

"Um, sorry, I can't. I was going to hang out with Noelle so . . ." I trailed off, gesturing that I needed to leave. Hunter only came closer, his mouth forming a mischievous grin.

"Come on, one dance – please?" he begged. His breath smelled like alcohol and something else. I couldn't seem to pinpoint it.

I just shook my head, feeling a little bit nervous. "Sorry, I really am."

"No, you're not. Fine, why don't you just talk to me for a few minutes? This party is awesome," he drawled out.

I leaned against the wall, focusing my attention to the dance floor, trying to ignore him. "Thanks," was all I could say.

An uncomfortable silence followed, and I wanted to run. I never talked to him, and I certainly didn't want to talk to him now. He seemed really drunk and I didn't have a good record with drunks and hard partying. I nervously tapped my foot.

"Want some?"

I gaped at the sight in front of me. Hunter had a few, small tiny pills in his hand. He smirked, brining a white pill to his mouth. He closed his eyes, swallowing in the drug. I couldn't seem to say anything. I was beyond shocked.

First off, this man was doing hardcore drugs. Second, I didn't have good history will small, tiny pills. Third, I did not want to talk to a guy who was high. I was in complete unease.

"No need to be shocked, Brennen. People do it all the time. Last chance, sweetheart." Hunter continued to look at me, his eyes becoming a bit unfocused, yet somehow managing to scare the crap out of me. The pills were still laid out on the middle of his palm. I gulped.

"Sorry, no t-thanks. I-I'll see you around, Hunter!"

With that, I practically ran off. Half of my drink was gone, due to my haste in leaving. I shook my head, trying to rid the image of those pills and Hunter's plea that I join the fun. I shuddered at the thought of doing something irrational.

I turned around a corner, narrowly missing a couple heavily making out. I wrinkled my nose in distaste when I felt my arm being tugged into a dark corridor. I stumbled inside, panic settling in. What was going on?!

In an instant, I felt something covering my eyes. Everything was now opaque and pitch black. I struggled to say something, but I was scared shit. The drinks that I was holding were gone, my hands aching for some sense of normalcy. Someone roughly grabbed my hands, twisted them around my back, and began to tie them together.

Oh no.

"W-who are you?" I asked, my voice cracking. I was so close to crying. Who were these people? And didn't I get rid of a stalker a mere two or three month ago?

"Shut up. Let's take her outside, shall we? Hopefully she'll be quiet by then," I heard someone say. It was a female, and it sounded very familiar. Before I could think, I was shoved to move along. I tripped, and the person caught me. Their arms unwillingly steadied me; their arms seemed to belong to a strong man.

I was scared, angry, and I had no idea what to do. My body was shaking uncontrollably. The man behind me smelled of strong cologne, and the girl's scent washed over me, mingling with the man's. I recorded the smell, remembering my incident with Mrs. Ryan, knowing it would help me sooner or later.

I hoped this wasn't going to be another episode like Mrs. Ryan.

The person behind me forced me to move along. I knew the girl was talking, but I could barely hear her. The music was pounding in my ears even though I knew we weren't in the main dancing area.

"God, she's walking too fucking slow. Drag her ass out of here," said the girl. Instantly, I felt my feet being lifted up from the ground, and I yelped. The nameless person wrapped their nasty hand over my mouth, muffling my cry. He strengthened his hold over me, covering me tight. Tears poured down, and the person carrying me seemed to think my tears were gross.

What were they going to do? Were they planning to kill me? What was Noelle thinking? Was she wondering where I was at? What about Josh? Ivy? Sawyer? All of my friends?

Out of nowhere, I felt cold air blast through me and the sounds of cars running past my ear.

Ohmigod, I was outside. They probably had a van out there, waiting to kidnap me.

Before I could think, the person who was dragging me dropped me on the floor. My knees buckled underneath, but I managed not to topple over. Blindly, I turned my head side to side, trying to discern where exactly I was at.

"I think it's time we show her how worthless she is, right? Bye, bitch."

This time, it seemed like the girl pushed me, and again I almost fell. The ground seemed to be shaking and the cars seemed to be surrounding me. Horns honked, but I wasn't doing anything! I was standing still!

I was standing still in the middle of a busy New York street.

I sob escaped from me, and I tried to run. Where, I don't know. Besides, where was the sidewalk? Which way was I walking?!

More honks could be heard, and I did everything in my willpower to stand still and try to ignore the cars. I could feel my heart pounding, its sound deafening my ear. I felt several big gusts of air past me. Oh God, I was for sure in the middle of the road.

I had to get the blindfold off of me now. It didn't help that my hands were tied; so, I resorted to using my arms. Moving side to side and trying to stay clear of the cars, I tried to remove my blindfold. My body was shaking in fear, as were my arms. I couldn't get it off!

After a couple more tries, I managed to lift the screen a little bit from my left eye.

Good thing I did. Because there was a semi-truck running at me, giving me no time to think, promising me that I would get crushed if I didn't leave soon enough.

sorry for not being able to update in a long time, and pardon me if there are any mistakes.

so, i know a couple of you told me that you wanted to see this story end, but frankly, i'm not feeling the love. i'm not trying to push you into reviewing, but it lets me know there are still people out there. these require a lot of time and effort, and believe me, i want this done as much as you do. i DO NOT write for reviews. it's just letting me know how often i need to update and what not. thanks for taking the time in reading this.

also, playlist number 3 will be coming up. check it out if you're into techno. :)