Of course, my curious nature got the best of me. Within seconds, I was standing over the package. I ran because walking down the dark hallway felt like some sort of horror movie. I shot a quick glance around, then knelt and began to untie the complex bow. The package was literally wrapped like a present with sheer wrapping paper. After a few minutes of struggling with the damn thing, I finally just ripped off the paper. It was sheet music – stacks upon stacks of freshly printed music. My eyes skimmed over the pages as eagerly and guiltily as a man with his Playboy magazine. It was classical stuff, some opera, and a few pieces from musical theater. All were for a soprano singer, though there were occasionally a few duet pieces. For whatever reason, I ached to sing the selections. I hadn't seriously sang anything for over two years. It was a wierd desire. When I reached the bottom of the music, there was a sealed envelope. My dulled senses finally woke up and I realized how odd the gift was. How did the guy know I was (had been) a soprano? My voice might have changed over the two years without me realizing it. Still, I had to know what was in the envelope. Buzzed as I was, my shaking fingers managed to tear the seal off. I pulled out a lone piece of paper. A single word, written in some strangely beautiful calligraphy, was etched in the center of the page. It was done in a midnight black font that seemed to pop from the pristine white of the fancy paper. Simply, it said "goodnight."
It was at that point when I began to smell something. It was sweetly intoxicating, but not like any substance I had ever smoked. Faintly there was a sharp, bitter scent beneath the sweetness. I recognized that right when my vision began to fade. "What the hell?" I gasped, but it was like my mouth was full of cotton. I had been crouched on the floor, but I lost my balance. Like in slow motion, I fell. My limbs splayed out but I couldn't pick myself up. My ears were ringing and dark spots began to appear in my line of sight. My breathing began to hitch but my brain strangely didn't register my panic. For the second time in my life, everything went black.
A/N - shortest chapter ever, I know. Don't worry, more will come soon!