*/ 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲.

— FOR A MOMENT , SHE resists , wriggling hopelessly in her captor's cage of steel limbs . one hand is around her wrist , heavy like an iron cuff , and another muzzling her venomous tongue . maybe if eliza was not struggling so fiercely , whining in muffled protest against their palm , she would have caught the familiar scent of cedar & mint lingering off hot , freckled skin . or the rumble of amusement in his chest as it came flush to her spine . though , it is not until thomas's lips part , bidding her to submit , does eliza settle in his arms ( finally recognizing who's they are ) . dragged down to the grassy floor and between bent knees , eliza tries to win back her voice , only to be silenced once more by leaves crunching in the distance . heavy footsteps ( two ? no , three pairs ) shake the earth . their opponents show no effort at caution or tactic ; luke must have thought the game was being played in his favor .

as startled as eliza is, so are they, as they step out of the abandoned corpse of a house and onto a brittle twig, met with the unexpected presence of life. water splattering across their face, they laugh breathlessly "um, yeah. how'd you know?" they point a thumb toward the house behind them "fuckin' mountain of issues with that family."

— CURIOUS EYES GLEAM WITH something other than green . they linger on milo , tracing over him for a second or more , before obediently following the path of their pointed thumb . back and forth , back and forth ; her gaze flickers between the skeleton house & its last living occupant .

finally , after some quiet consideration , a thin , manicured brow arches upward . " oh , so you're clairvoyant now . of course you would be . watch ' sixth sense ' one too many times , or did all those dru —— " drugs finally melt your brain . eliza bites the tip of her tongue , hiding the comment behind a syrupy smile . she had promised camille to play nice . luckily for the both of them , milo was , for once , proving themself to be . . . bearable.

the shell of her world had been cracked wide open. luke — of all people — had done this to her. he had done the flaying and isla had taken to laying in the grass, barefoot in the underbrush just to feel anything other than red hot. at the very least, she hadn't been alone. isla had eliza to accompany her. just two girls sunbathing in their bereavement. isla lifts the back of her palm to shield low eyes from the sun, rolls her head to eliza, rattled by a certain unshakable feeling — grinning despite. " it feels like we walked into a mistake or somethin'. "

— CAMPING . IT WAS NOT the way eliza had hoped to spend one of the last weeks of summer break . in fact , she was openly ( or , as some might argue , loudly ) opposed to luke's proposed ' birthday getaway ' . and yet , there they all were — roughing it in the woods for three painfully slow days . still , eliza was nothing if not an ingenue . born for the warm glow of a spotlight , poised atop a grand stage . bred by the elite , etiquette and grace written within her very makings.

or , , , maybe that flag meant SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK .

the empty beer is polished off , the can being crushed beneath his furled fingers as the pad of his free thumb swipes along his lower lip to collect any stale , watery ale that remained . " you're somethin' else , liza , " he mused , adding the ravaged container to the graveyard that had been erected on the cracked , kitchen counter ; splintered laminate with bubbles building beneath its uncleaned , poorly kept surface .

a look to his sister's best friend , followed by the limp shrug of a shoulder . he looks down at his fingers , rubbing thumb across calloused pads . like they were covered in dirt instead of glitter . " i think ko deserves better than just playin' house with me . " thomas believed kody deserved more than him entirely , but that same sheer stubbornness was why he still held on so tight . because he knew she'd dismiss that thought if he were to voice it .

— THE DIP IN HER waist notched comfortably against the island's granite rim , her head lazily tilting to the side , too , as she leaned away . there was a blankness cast over her face , like not a thought existed behind those glittering , drink-glazed eyes . she'd gotten so good at playing dumb , it was sometimes hard to forget she wasn't — not entirely . empty pupils , large splotches of spilled ink , gave the man a quick once - over , narrowing only when they dragged back up to meet his own pools of thick , malted chocolate . " what's that supposed to mean ? " an perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched upward , matching nicely with the hand placed atop her other hip . " i'm the same-old liza , aren't i ? "

he smiled limply at her , lazily , submitting to the floaty feeling as he hummed in reply to her chastising . eliza's voice was like spider silk ; clinging to his skin , slipping beneath it , creating webs between his bones . it felt like each vibration caused by her speech was tickling him . " i'm not an artist , " he retorted with a theatric scoff , shaking his head . " — i'm a man who studies artists . i have a sketchbook but i'd hardly classify anything in there as art . it's , , , entirely different . " he thought he was making a point , a solid one at that , but the minute each syllable curled his tongue and each consonant sounded against his teeth ; any word thomas spoke had lost all meaning to him . fluent in a language he didn't understand . swelled pupils ventured once more across the kitchen , overwhelmed by the way it warped beyond recognition , gaze seeking out eliza's to ground him again as he inched closer , knocking his beer can against the cap of her bent knee . " bottle feed me beer ?? i mean SHIT , i dunno , " he replied , a playful song to his coo as he raised his brows at her , his smile spreading across drunk-flushed features ;

— THE DRUNKEN BUZZ OF his voice was lost to her , blended within the untamed dissonance that encased them . blaring music , faintly muffled by thin walls . the sharp ring of laughter & screams slithering in through an open window . red solo cups snapping under careless feet while glass bottles jostled atop the counter's growing landfill . eliza purposefully distracted herself with the subtle , tinkling tune of the party's soft minutiae ; the small details she always seemed to miss , too busy spinning through the nights' in a daze .

it was not until he leaned in — the lip of an empty can tapping her knee and drawing dulled attention back — did eliza's neck loll , turning a sage gaze back on him . then , a manicured nail was dragging across the marble counter , sliding up the can's smooth metal side & tap-tap-tapping against . for a moment , the only answer she gave was that empty echo .

" say ' please ' . "

however , eliza's kittenish simper , practically sewn to doll-like features , slowly unstitched . despite the haze , the blurred vignette accenting her peripheral , painted by a mixed cocktail of substances , a hum of consciousness remained . she was reminded who exactly stood beside her . and with that slow recognition , his question ( coated with a cruelness he could never understand ) held a bite . the sharp pinch of a needle .

❝ OKAY, FINE. I'LL ADMIT IT. ❞ her heel had barely made it up the last step when reeve, draped over the landing rail overlooking the crowd, caught eliza out the corner of his eye and called out. ❝ you had a couple of good ideas. ❞ more than a couple, but even with how unlikely either of them were to remember this conversation come morning, reeve had a hard enough time getting his own fair dues to feel comfortable relinquishing much credit. still, with the party stretched out before them— laughter sounding from the kitchen over shots of cherry schnapps, dance floor balloons exploding into showers of glitter confetti, a game of suck and blow gathering on the living room floor— he felt he had to give eliza something.

— FLOATING LIKE A FAIRY , eliza soundlessly hopped from one step to the next , winding up the seemingly endless stairwell to heaven ( aka luke's room , where she planned to take a brief catnap ) . however , invisible angel wings froze , eyes snapping to the side where an all too familiar shadow lingered in the hazy vignette of her peripheral .

a cheshire smile curled , and , suddenly , the featherbed's tempting call fell quiet ; praise — as small as the sampling had been — was her favorite sweet treat , and she didn't dare miss out on a single bite .

eliza sauntered closer , taking up the spot beside him . practically liquifying against the wood railing ( hips propped against its slim bars , an arm hanging over the open edge , head tilting sideways ) green eyes glowed beneath the thick of heavy lashes . " my oh myyy ! high praise from THE reeve aziz ? i might blush . " the curl of precocious lips loosened , her grin melting away into no more than a subtle , arrogant smirk . " well ? don't stop there . any other sweet things you wanna say to me before turning back into ' hyde' ? "

they don't have to make a move, rip the hand from her waist like they're reaching to do, because eliza does so first. they watch the brother skulk off, grin a mixture of humored and impressed. they snort, shoulder lifting in a shrug as their eyes shift ahead, downward at liza "cute." but now that the eye candy is gone, the slow working cogs of their mind grasp onto her words before : my favorite, and all mischief in their expression is gone. what remains is a softness that'd get them killed in the seedy underbellies they somehow slip through. but milo was a cockroach, the malleability of their heart working so little to adjust, and surviving despite. besides, this was a safe space, and eliza was a friend. it was a word they hesitated to use with her most days, but rang true tonight.

being the favorite was why they did this, an unloved child who found the hack to the otherwise indifferent parties' affections. they don't smile with teeth anymore, find baring fangs like an excitable, feral mongrel too harsh for the gentle wave washing over them. that, and something about eliza always made them want to hide crooked teeth, certain the gem glued to one in the front would do nothing to distract her from their— his imperfections "yeah, yeah, i got you." and they did.

— MAYBE IT'S THE WAY her head was spinning , or heat glowing within the marrow of her bones — blood bubbling & boiling from hours of endless movement , spent melting between bodies sticky with sweat & evaporating like mist from one room to the next — but eliza was antsy as soon the little room's door clicked shut . it felt too cramped , too quiet , too close . milo's voice practically boomed as it rolled out of his throat and rumbled the laundry room's littered array of dirty clothes & dust bunnies . ' cute ' . " was he ? couldn't tell —— wasn't really looking at his face . "

restless & jittery , muscles quivering at the same frequency of a hummingbird's manic wings , eliza's pointer and thumb shot out . she pinched milo's cheek , her voice rising a few octave's too high — whining with the same adoration reserved a little puppy . " but you're cuuuter ! cammi's lil' cutie patootie . cute cutie cute . . . "

the string of nonsense spilled from cherry-red lips . her stream of no - consciousness , each word growing less coherent , more mumbly than the last . the sing - songy hum continued ( 'cutie cutie . . . sweet as pie . . . my lil' snow fairy . . . ' ) as she hoisted herself atop the washing machine . bare heels — where the hell had her shoes run off to NOW ? she seriously had to stop bringing designer into the frat — bounced against the box's side , clunking along to the rhythmless tune .

then , with ceremonious grandiose , she announced : " the most fun ! and now —— even MORE !! " peering through thick lashes , head tilting down to see them better from atop her old , metal throne , eliza added , " but where the hell have you been ? slithering around ? keeping my cam from me . " a pout . " i've been aaaall on my lonesome . "

clumsy fingers fiddled with her waistband , the rim of her belt , the edges of her skirt . searching for something that wasn't there . shit , why couldn't bikinis have pockets !? her own remodeled altoid tin ( containing a prized contents dior lip oils , virginia slims , a nail file , and — most important — the snuff spoon ) must have slipped away somewhere between her last lip-locking dalliance , the dance floor , and now . she'd have to improvise —— thankfully , the actress was no stranger to that .

❝ hmm let me see… ❞ they leaned in closer to their best friend, chipped black nail polish against her perfect complexion. ❝ i don’t think you’ve ever looked more YOU than you do right now. ❞ their laughter continued even as they recoiled from the barbie attack against their cheek.

— CAMILLE'S STICKY SWEET BREATH kissed the curve of eliza's neck , and , in response , the soft slope of her nose bunched - up into a rabbit's . instinctively , her shoulder tightened , its blade coming up to meet the edge of her jaw , whilst pearly whites did a poor job at biting back the canary's song of girlish giggles . " n o o o ! i'm ticklish !! " , eliza practically shrieked . when camille did pull away , the subtle gleam in glazed eyes would have looked almost accusatory if not for the mirth swimming amongst muted hues of sage & sky .

not often did luke sinclair find himself shrouded amongst the shadows , the golden boy's light not easily dimmed as every step brought forth praise and incessant attention . not that the man minded it , quite the contrary ; each morsel of inebriated accolade happily sipped from a silver spoon . however , there was one who wasn't quick to satiate his hunger for admiration , , , one who skirted along the outer edges of his peripheral and easily entangled herself amongst the masses so as not to be spotted . yet , despite her best efforts to remain undetected ( not that he truly believed them to be her BEST ) - luke's eyes were well trained in the art of knowing precisely where eliza marquis was at all times . if not his eyes , then one of his many , loyal disciples' .

once more drawn into their common game of cat and mouse , luke stepped from where he had been quietly observing and parted the red sea of tacky , glittered skin and entangled limbs . he moved on quick , motivated feet and rolled his tongue along the backs of his teeth , a twitch to eager fingers as he trailed her blurred figure as it danced through the halls . a curtain of chestnut rounded a corner , and luke followed in quick pursuit , a knowing hand flying out to catch her delicate wrist just before she could evade his reach as he tugged her scarcely clad frame into his own .

— IT HADN'T BEEN HARD . in a sea of swinging limbs , sweaty skin , shifting hues of neon , eliza had simply melted beneath the waves . the woman was an actress , after all . taking on the role of a shadow was no more difficult than any of the others she had already played . not that eliza particularly wanted to hide — her calling had always been center stage , beneath the spotlight's warm glow . unfortunately , without camille's discernment to ground her , eliza had a long history of royally screwing herself at parties . well . . . not h e r s e l f exactly ——

she smelled him before she heard him . musk & amber , with notes of sandalwood . hadn't she told him to ditch that cologne ? nose scrunching , eliza curled within his arms like a turtle tucking into its shell . " l u k i e . " , she echoed , not entirely reaching the same level of pleasure that reverberated in his greeting.

twisting in his hold , the hair on entwined arms tickling at her bare waist , eliza's face met his . a foot closer than she would've liked . " well , maybe you just weren't looking h a r d enough . plus , i've been BUSYYY . it's almost midnight !! and this princess has a looot of things to do before she turns into a pumpkin . "

“ eliza, ” isla calls,   breathless in the chill of the night,   “ you’re gonna kill me,   you know that? ”

isla watches her,   the light from the party flickering across eliza’s face,   her eyes wild and glittering,   too bright,   like something untouchable.   it’s not a dare.   it’s a way of life.   “ .. fuck it.   what’s the point of living if you’re not feeling it all the way,   right?” not that isla believes it,   but because its what she wanted to hear.   needed to hear.   still,   something unsuspecting piques in moonlit visage when she tilts what's left in her cup into the cavern of her mouth.   “ wait—there’s a contest .. besides beer pong? ”  

— " AT LEAST YOU'LL DIE HAPPY ! ! which is e x a c t l y how i plan to go . " the stars found a home in eliza's eyes , a celestial brilliance sparkling within two black holes . her growing pupils had all but eaten up any green that remained in now-obscured irises . still , despite the elation that rippled within their deep , inky pools , the party animal took a brief moment of pause from the wild antics she had subsequently dragged the lesser versed , wide - eyed doe into . however , much to eliza's delight , that ' deer in the headlights ' daze had begun to dissipate from the other's gaze , and , what remained was a hungry glimmer to match her own .

nodding like a bobblehead — a few dips too many on a neck made of rubber — she chirped , " you catch on fast . . . i guess isla wardwell IS as smart as people say . " not that eliza wasn't already sure of this . aside from their few ( sometimes off - putting ) interactions , mixed with luke & reeve's passing comments , she had painted a picture of isla long before the woman had been given a chance to let any other colors show . fortunately , it seemed , there was more than what meets the eye .

" what ?? oh - yeah , " he laughed after he had harshly swallowed , lowering the now empty can from his mouth , an awkward sheen coating his words as he took a step back and glanced down at himself . " kody's idea , , , i wasn't sold on it at first but , i trust her and her artistic vision , as she put it . i do feel bad for stretchin' out her shirt , though . this was one of my favorites on her . " he set down the empty can and tugged on the cotton's hem as if proving some kind of point , , , that and he suddenly felt insecure about its cropped hem and the exposal of his midriff despite the fact he had been shirtless all but an hour ago . looking up at his sister's best friend once more - at her face , making a strenuous effort to keep looking at her face - he furrowed his glittering brows ;

— IN PERFECT SYNC , SOFT hands flattened atop the counter & pushed her small frame up onto the smooth ( albeit , a tad sticky ) surface beside thomas's abandoned beer can . bare legs dangled over the side , manicured nails holding its dripping edges , while a crown of uncharacteristically wild curls tilted to the side . with it , the world began to spin on a topsy - turvy axis .

" kody has good taste , " she replied — spoken like a sure fact rather than soft assurance , quick to catch his subtle change in disposition . she had , after all , known him for nearly a decade . memorized the man's tick's , and learned to anticipate his tock's . swift as an arrow , her hand shot off its perch & swatted fiddling fingers away from the hem of his ( or , rather , kody's ? ) cropped tee . a chiding tongue clicked in warning . " stop stretching it m o o o r e ! don't want to ruin her ' vision ' , do you ? "

eliza's scolding touch retreated back to its place atop the counter , and , mindlessly , two fingers waltzed along ( what was once ) white marble , stepping out of beat with the music's muffled blare . when her gaze returned to his , two thin brows knit together , wrinkling at the center . thomas's stare bore a deep hole between her eyes , and eliza was almost certain he hadn't blinked in at least a full minute . w e i r d o . how high was he ?!

she scooped up the sheer fabric of the spindly pink scarf wrapped loosely around her neck , lifting the accessory over her head like a hood — & casting a shadow over the faint flush of roses budding atop her cheeks . all night she had been dancing , mingling , partying without worry . now , though , under the scrutinizing gaze of her best friend's big brother , she felt transparent . not like he hadn't seen her in worse before . between the pool parties at their childhood homes , and many oversized t-shirts she'd been forced to borrow in high school after an impromptu night out , this dress - up doll's bikini top & mini - skirt were nothin' . not like she c a r e d what HE thought about her fashion choices . prude .