Abyss: Darkness Descends

Hi Guys!! FreeSpirited13 here. Just wanted to say a quick hello to all who have ventured onto this page and a big thanks for even giving it a go. This is my first ever submission, so I'm pretty nervous. I kept it on the short side, just to test the waters first. If I get the green signal, then I can push full steam ahead. Hope you like it. ALL criticism is welcome. I'm here to learn and hopefully provide you lot with a good read.

Peace xx

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Tonight was the last day of Freshers Week. My twin brother, Alexander, had finally convinced me to go party with some of his new girl mates, and I knew it was a stupid idea as soon as he said so. His perception of a friend was totally different to mine. By 'girl friend' he meant someone he would eventually fuck and chuck. Those girls were usually airheads, with faces caked full of makeup, wore some kind of body sock for a dress and the tallest pair of heels they could find. All I wanted was someone who had my back. A person who I could rely on, share secrets and study with. A friend who wanted the best for me as I did them. A few times I had been stupid enough to befriend girls who only wanted to boast about their sex life, moan about their problems and forget the listener even existed. Thank god I was rid of them. Though I did genuinely care for them, they were a major pain in the neck. I would always be left emotionally exhausted and frustrated at how daft and whiney some of them were. We had only just moved to Wales two weeks ago; settling in and starting university was enough for my plate. This party was totally different to my normal routine and stressful enough. I would much rather prefer to sit at home and read up on Genomes, but my parents convinced me to go. Well begged really. I suspect they think I'm a little on the weird side. Which eighteen year old is keen to pre-study the years curriculum and skip 'fun' outings during their summer vacation? Errr, Me!!!! But, hey. I was going to a party just to make my parents happy. So I had showered and dried my hair. The waist length brown locks were now straight and flowing. I wore a burgundy dress which had a high neck line and a skater skirt. I teamed it with some thick black tights to ward off the winter chill and some sensible block heeled Chelsea boots. A chunky floral necklace rested upon my chest and my favourite Rotary watch adorned my wrist. I hated makeup usually but wore some on special occasions. A little mascara to bring out my hazel eyes, a sweep of blush on my apple cheeks and some moisturising lip gloss. Done. I guess I looked presentable.

'Hey, Sophia, you done preening?' Alex popped his head through the door and gave me a teasing wink. It angered me instantly.

'Don't wink at me! You know I hate it' I felt like kicking him in the shin. Unfortunately he wasn't in reaching distance.

'I know I know, you're not man bait. Men shouldn't see women as sex objects, blah blah blah. Just spare me the lecture and tell me if you're ready to go. The engine's running outside. Wanna pay me for the waiting time?' He wiggled his brows at me. Boy, he knew how to piss me off.

'Firstly, it's my car. Secondly, I pay for the petrol. And lastly, I'm driving. You do know you're this close to having no ride?' I inwardly laughed as his grin dropped into jaw-slacking shock. He'd forgotten.

'Oh, I forgot. My car's gone for repair. I'm sorry sis. Would you please be a darling and transport your dear brother to what seems to be the grandest dance of this entire year?' Alex walked into my room and bowed as if he were in the presence of royalty. I'm sure he did it in good spirit, but it kind of hurt. I didn't want him to think I'm some kind of snooty bitch. People often perceived me wrong; not my own brother too. I grabbed my purse and phone and quickly ran to pull him back up.

'You don't need to beg me, Al. You're family. I'd do anything for you.' Emotions clogged my throat. I really didn't want to cry. Alex sensed my change and pulled me into a bear hug.

'You're my sister, Sophe, my twin sister. If I don't get you, no one will. Now don't spoil your face. We all know how nice you are, goody-two-shoes.' He chuckled lightly and kissed my cheek. 'Let's go, we have some raving to do.' I followed him down to the kitchen, said 'bye' to mum and Eliza and met my eager brother in the driveway. In no time at all we were drifting down vacant roads, making our way to the Dragon Cave bar and club.

I knew my brother was heavy on the (-OH) liquids so I thought of warning him beforehand. 'Alex please go easy on the drinks. Hakim and Scott aren't here to clean your mess anymore, and I won't be able to drag you home.' He laughed at me.

'Oh I'll drink much less this time. And don't worry about taking me home. I'll be in someone else's bed tonight, gotta try out the local talent.' He grinned menacingly. God help the women of Wales. My brother was quite the catch to the female kind. With his Arabian, fair yet sun kissed skin, dark dishevelled hair, tall build and blue eyes, most ladies dropped at his feet. They passed out at his dimples. And many had mentioned their desire to be impregnated by him. They wished their sons to have his button nose, strong jaw and full lips. Most mistook him for Italian or Greek and tried to impress him with a language he knew nothing of. That was quite hilarious. I remember the time his ex tattooed 'Alexander, forever mine' across her arm in Italian. We only made out his name. The rest was plain gibberish. Hopefully we'd have fewer angry 'girlfriends' at our door this time.

'Why do you sleep with anyone? You'll catch a bloody STI at this rate!'

'I use condoms, silly. They protect me from the nasties. Maybe you'd know a little more if you got some action.' I'd ticked him off.

'I wasn't referring to Leyla, if that's what you think. And I don't need 'action'. I respect my virginity and happy to be single. Plus, call me prudish, but it's wrong.'

'Who says?' His voice was up a notch.

'Me, my values and errr, I don't know? Maybe our religion too?' I didn't bother glancing his way. My eyes were glued to the road in front of me.

'Yeah bring religion into it. You trying to make me feel fucking guilty? What's so noble about your hymen anyway? Why do you cherish it so much?' The guy was getting annoying.

'For God's sake! Alex it's not the hymen I treasure. I treasure the act of sexual intercourse because I don't want to lose it to any old Tom, DICK, or Harry. I respect myself as a woman and want to be respected back. Who'd actually love me if I whored myself around. You? Would you be proud of your slutty little sister? Mum, Dad? Did they protect me all my life to see my destroy myself? And Eliza? What kind of role model would I be, huh? Would you want her to roam the streets with her legs spread open in the air?' My cheeks felt red hot. I quickly loosened the intense grip I had on the steering wheel, ignoring the sweaty imprints pressed into the leather.

'Geez, sorry! I guess you have a point. I wouldn't like that. No. But you're making it way intense. I'm telling you to find a good guy you can lose it to. Not fuck any breathing thing that comes your way. You make sex sound like a sin.'

'I'm not' I felt myself cool down a little, ready to explain. ' I don't condemn it. I think it's wonderful for those who do it when their heads screwed on right. Like when couples are in love, I think sex is a beautiful thing for them. It's just, I've seen and heard of so many girls who go for it just to get some kind of status increase. They think that the more they fuck, the more popular they'll be. It's wrong. Each to their own, but why can't they respect themselves? Who wants to be known for how loose their vagina is, or the time slots at which their legs open?'

'Sheesh, now that does sound kinda bad. It's funny how it's always the chick who gets slated. Man whores like me get off scot free. Society sure works in a funny way. I've realised that no matter how much we move on and modernise ourselves, there's still that double standard regarding men and women. Most of us are stuck in the old days but just don't realise it.' He looked at me like I was a ghost. 'Shit. Did I just say all that?' Alex paused a little, to take it all in. 'I sound like I give a shit. You got me thinking like a noble man for once.' I simply grinned and punched him lightly against his thigh.

'Yeah. Now shut up before I crash and kill us both.' The remaining journey was travelled in silence. I'd given him some food for thought. Hopefully, he'd remember what he had learned and begin to respect women more. As for me. Well, I'd managed to lay out my story for once. I was certain Alex wouldn't push me to date or have sex in the near future.

We reached the club after parking and were spared the long waiting line because of our VIP passes. The bouncer checked our ID and ushered us in. I could hear the bass from the entrance but the music got louder as we walked further ahead. Alex kept me close by grabbing my wrist and literally tugged me along. I followed him blindly, not too sure on how to navigate around such a place. It was pretty dark and dingy, with occasional lights dotted across the ceiling and some along the floor. There were also several diversions that freaked me out. It was like we were in an underground holding cell or something. Dirty brick walls were covered with all sorts of posters and one or two randy couples who either couldn't make it the full way in to the club or the full way out. My eyes took it all in, my brain actively stimulated as it processed everything that I saw. Somewhere at the recesses of my mind, I acknowledged the song to be 'Timber' by Kesha. It was always on the radio and on t.v. I liked it. Finally, after what seemed like forever, we reached the heart of the club. Stupefied is an understatement. I was floored by the place. It was enormous! The dingy entrance was an absolute contrast to the extremely vast dance floor, second storey, lounge space and drinks bar. The rhythmic country beat was slowly starting to flow through me and I found myself bopping along to the tune.

'Close your mouth sis. They'll think your underage or E.T! Come on, let's go meet some new people!' I heard most of what he shouted and smiled back at him. I still couldn't believe that I liked the place. I was intrigued to explore it. I thought I'd be running back out as soon as I stepped in. We weaved through a huge crowd of party goers, crashing into random bodies and dodging their drinks. Their faces were a blur, but the smell was distinctive. The air reeked of alcohol, sweat and a mixture of colognes. It made my stomach turn to the point that I felt it, however we quickly escaped by walking up a flight of metal stairs and reaching the VIP area. I noticed that there was much better lighting here, less noise and fewer people too. Several males looked me up and down, women glaring at me like I'd stolen their boyfriend. My shoulders hunched forward and my hand found the opposite side of my waist. I pulled into myself, no longer excited, but rather a tad scared. Knowing that Alex was here for me was great consolation, but for how long? He'd leave me on my own sometime soon. What would I do then? My worries clouded my mind so deeply, I hadn't even realised I was being introduced to a group of strangers.

'Hey, Alex. Your sister alright there? She looks a little pale?'

What? Could he actually see so well in this mediocre lighting? My eyes shot up to meet the face of a short male. He looked to be the same age as my brother and I, with blonde slicked hair and a completely black outfit. He rose from his seat, extended a stubby hand and introduced himself in strongly accented English.

'Nice to meet you Sophia. I'm Caiden. You feeling okay?' My hand shot out automatically, returning his polite gesture. I nodded wildly to affirm I was fine. He smiled and took a seat as I flexed my hand to regain blood flow. His grip had been ridiculously strong.

'She's probably just takin' time to settle in the valleys.' I listened hard as he addressed the remaining three at the table. They all seemed to agree. In addition to Caiden, there were three girls. Eve and Ava, twin sisters with dark hair and chalky white skin. The last was Rochelle. She had amazing red locks that curled at her breasts and beautiful caramel skin. Trying not to stare at them was proving to be hard. I quickly lowered my gaze, feeling insecure in the presence of such beauty.

'Sit with us Sophia. Let the guys go get us drinks.' Alex gestured for me to take a seat and quickly disappeared with Caiden. I settled on the plush sofa nervously. My bottom remained perched on the edge of the seat. I don't know why, but I felt the need to run home. Since when had I become so antisocial? I smiled weakly and tried to start up a conversation.

'So, do you guys come here often?' My feigned confidence took tremendous blows when they laughed at me. It wasn't bitchy at all, but their reaction made me feel insecure.

'Yeah we're here all the time. In fact this has been our second home since last year.' Rochelle replied back to me and I sensed her one to be warm and welcoming. I eased back into the sofa, my actions portraying my emotions.

'Alex told us you're studying Biomedics. I'll be starting the course too. Maybe we can go to lectures together?' I felt my features scrunch in confusion.

'Erm, you're starting another course?' In normal circumstances, my brain would have supported me and I wouldn't have sounded so dumb. This time it was Ava who chipped in.

'Oh, yeah' she chuckled nervously. 'We failed Chemical Engineering last year, so transferred to Biomedical Science. We aren't stupid. We just had a lot going on.' I must have given them a weird look, because all of a sudden she grew defensive. My back sunk into the plush fabric whilst bile rose to my throat. First people I meet and I had offended them before I'd even opened my mouth. Years pricked my eyes. I felt sick.

'Yo girls. Stop freaking the new chick out. Back off a bit! Can't you see you're making her uncomfortable?'

I didn't even dare look towards the source of my 'aid'. Whoever it was sounded very American and as if he were mocking me. A tear shamefully escaped and ran down my cheek amidst my panic. I grabbed my clutch and phone, hastily making my way out of the circular seating arrangement to head towards the stairs. In a blind rush my dress snagged on the wooden table. I half turned and tugged at it furiously until the fabric broke loose, only for me to fling backwards as my legs became tangled and heels gave way. Unfortunately my foot was stuck between the table leg and sofa, so as I plummeted towards the ground, it remained in its awkward position and failed to completely adapt to my movements. I felt a sickening crack before landing on my butt and smashing my head into the balcony frame. My leg was still placed awkwardly and I guessed that it was broken. Hot pain pulsed through my head whilst vomit pushed up from my stomach. I tried to blink back the darkness and save myself from passing out. I attempted to take a deep breath when I heard a scream resonate throughout the top floor of the club. I scanned my surroundings, looking for the cause of such nuisance, but everyone seemed to gawk in my direction. And that's when it hit me. The girl who had screamed was me!