Auriella woke with a gasp.
Her throat was raw, burning like she'd been screaming for hours. She sat up quickly, her head spinning, and immediately reached for her nightstand.
Empty.
No water.
She stumbled out of bed, her legs shaky, and rushed to the fridge in the corner of her room. She grabbed a bottle of water, twisted off the cap with trembling hands, and gulped it down desperately.
The cool liquid soothed her throat, but it did nothing for the confusion swirling in her mind.
What happened last night?
She remembered the party. The security guards bursting in. Running. Losing Penny.
And then...
Nothing.
What the hell happened?
And then it hit her.
Penny.
Her heart lurched. She dropped the water bottle and ran to the door, yanking it open.
She flew down the stairs to the second floor, her bare feet slapping against the wood. She didn't care who heard or saw her ,she didn't care about anything except finding Penny.
When she reached room 227, she knocked on the door but got no answer , luckily enough she had grabbed the spare key had given her weeks ago ,she fumbled with the spare key. Her hands shook so badly it took three tries to get it into the lock.
Finally, the door opened.
The room was empty.
"No," Auriella whispered, stepping inside. "No, no, no."
Penny's bed was unmade, but there was no sign of her. Her phone wasn't on the nightstand. Her shoes weren't by the door.
Fear gripped Auriella's chest like a vice.
What if she got caught? What if she's been expelled? What if something worse happened?
She was about to turn and run to find penny —when the door opened behind her.
Auriella spun around.
Penny stood in the doorway.
Relief flooded through Auriella so powerfully her knees nearly buckled.
"Penny!" She rushed forward and grabbed her friend by the shoulders. "Where have you been? What happened? Are you okay?"
Penny winced, gently pulling away. "Auri... not so loud. My head is killing me."
Auriella stepped back, really looking at her friend for the first time.
Penny looked rough. Her hair was a mess, her makeup smudged under her eyes. She moved slowly, like every step hurt.
Penny walked past her and collapsed onto the bed with a groan, pressing her hands to her temples. "God, I feel like I got hit by a truck."
"Where were you?" Auriella demanded, her voice shaking. "I came in and you weren't here. I thought—"
"I don't know," Penny said, her voice muffled against the pillow.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Penny turned her head to look at Auriella, her expression genuinely confused. "I woke up in a room downstairs. I don't know whose room it was or how I got there. I just... woke up and walked back here."
Auriella's stomach dropped. "You don't remember?"
"No." Penny sat up slowly, wincing again. "I remember the party. Dancing. Drinking. And that cute guy I was dancing with and then... nothing. It's all blank."
Auriella stared at her, trying to process this.
And then she noticed what Penny was wearing.
It wasn't the dress from last night.
It was a shirt. A man's shirt. Oversized, white, hanging off her shoulder.
Auriella's eyes widened. "Penny... what are you wearing?"
Penny looked down at herself, as if just noticing. "I... I don't know. This isn't mine."
"Oh my god." Auriella's voice rose in panic. "Penny, what if something happened? What if someone —"
" Nah I don't think so," Penny said quickly, but her voice wavered.
"How do you know?" Auriella pressed. "You don't remember anything!"
"I just... I don't feel like that happened, I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep with anyone . I need to use the bathroom ""Penny stood up, swaying slightly.
She walked into the bathroom, moving slowly, and closed the door behind her.
Auriella stood there, her heart pounding, hands clenched into fists.
Please let her be okay. Please.
Several minutes passed.
When Penny finally emerged, she looked better—steadier. She'd changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, and her face was freshly washed.
"Well?" Auriella asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm fine," Penny said, sitting back down on the bed. "I'm pretty sure nothing happened."
"How can you be sure?"
"You just... you know if you know,don't worry when you get a boyfriend you'd understand" Penny said with a weak attempt at a smile.
Auriella didn't find it funny. "Penny, this isn't a joke."
"I know." Penny's smile faded. "I'm sorry. I'm just... I'm okay, Auri. I promise. I don't know what happened last night or whose shirt this is, but I'm okay."
Auriella wanted to believe her. But the knot in her stomach wouldn't go away.
Penny looked at her then—really looked at her—and her eyes widened.
"Auri... what happened to you?"
"What?"
"Look at yourself." Penny stood and walked over, gently turning Auriella toward the mirror on the wall.
Auriella's breath caught.
She was covered in scratches. Her arms, her legs, her face—all marked with thin red lines and angry welts. Dirt streaked her skin. Her dress was torn in places, filthy and stained.
She looked like she'd crawled through a war zone.
"Oh my god," Auriella whispered.
"What happened?" Penny asked, her voice full of concern.
"I don't know." Auriella touched one of the scratches on her arm, wincing. "I remember running from security. I remember losing you in the crowd. And then... nothing. I don't remember how I got hurt. I don't remember how I got back to my room."
They both fell silent, staring at each other in the mirror.
"Did you drink?" Penny asked quietly.
"No. You know I can't handle alcohol." Auriella shook her head. "But I don't know why I can't remember. It doesn't make any sense."
Penny bit her lip. "What about Celeste?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen her since I started looking for you at the party."
Penny sank back onto the bed, running her hands through her hair. "This is so messed up."
"Yeah."
They sat in silence for a long moment, both of them trying to piece together fragments of a night neither of them could fully remember.
Finally, Penny spoke, her voice quiet but firm.
"Well... at least we didn't get caught."
Auriella looked at her.
"And nothing really bad happened to us," Penny continued, though she didn't sound entirely convinced. "We're okay. We're here. We didn't get expelled."
"This time," Auriella said quietly.
"This time," Penny agreed. She looked at Auriella, her expression serious. "No more parties, Auri. I mean it. That was way too close and crazy and a bit fun but no more parties"
"You're the one who said that," Auriella pointed out.
"I know. And I was an idiot." Penny shook her head. "If we'd been caught... god, it wouldn't have ended well.I could only imagine what my dad would do to me"
Auriella nodded.
But something nagged at her. The missing memories. The injuries. The strange shirt Penny had been wearing.
"We need to find Celeste," Auriella said suddenly.
"Why?"
"Because maybe she knows what happened. Maybe she saw something. Or remembers something we don't."
Penny hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. Yeah. Let's find her."