Prologue PROLOGUE The house music courses through Alexa. The hypnotic beat and melting layers of sound feel as if they come from within, as if her heart is the amplifier. And the warmth is so enveloping. Like being lowered into the most perfect bubble bath. The bliss is almost unbearable. Alexa can't lift her head off her chest, but she can move her eyes. With a quick sweep of the room, she sees all the friends who matter most to her--Rachel, Nick, Joshua, Grayson, and Taylor. The only ones who matter at all, really .
Taylor, her very best friend, is slouched at a weird angle on the couch beside her. Taylor had promised to ensure Alexa got some alone time with Josh at the party, even though she has a crush on him, too. Typical Taylor, always putting friends first. Her eyes are still open, but the pupils are tiny as pinholes. And her complexion! It's grayish blue, while her lips have turned almost purple. So strange, but so beautiful . Alexa shifts her gaze to the left and sees Josh and Gray sprawled out on the other couch, propped up only by their abutting shoulders. Josh's eyes are as glassy as Taylor's, while Gray's are shut altogether.
They're both so still. And Josh's exposed arms are mottled deep dark blue. Alexa wishes she could tell him just how much she loves him. Tonight was supposed to be the night. Alexa looks down at her own hands. Her fingers feel foreign to her, and the color of her nails matches that of Taylor's lips. She knows it's not right, but it's still so wild. The floating warmth intensifies.
Alexa feels as though she's falling off the couch, even though she's not moving. She's never drunk anything more than a beer or two in her sixteen years. How could one cup of Nick's punch make her so woozy? Somewhere in the back of her brain she can hear her mother's panicked voice--a distant scream--telling her to breathe. But her mom's nowhere near the party. Alexa finds it all kind of funny. She wants to laugh. She wants to tell Taylor how exquisitely wrong it all is. But she can't even move her lips.
Besides, dreams are stealing over her now. And she can't hold on any longer.