| "Alli" followed the gang of four to their party at a nearby house. The house wasn't much to look at on the outside but inside it was pretty. Yeah, pretty ugly, Maria thought to herself looking around. People were draped over the furniture that was scattered haphazardly around the room. Those who couldn't find a seat were sitting, or lying, on the floor. Everywhere people held some form of "escape" � Marijuana, hash, and mirrors of cocaine among them. Those who weren't busy getting high, already were, and held a cigarette between their lips with a drink nestled by their side. Kat moved swiftly through the body-littered floor, Cal right behind her. Kansas picked up Maria's arm and pulled her along through the crowd. Music was blaring from a stereo set up in the corner and she watched in fascination as Kansas' lips mouthed words to her, the sound drowning in the music before it reached her ears. Maria followed obediently behind her to the back of the room and into another smaller, darker room. Her eyes struggled to adjust as the door was closed, effectively blocking all light, and mercifully noise, from the front room. As she looked around she could see fewer people in here, all sitting on the floor. A girl sat in the corner playing a guitar, a guy by her side singing harmony to her melodies. Candles were the only source of light and Maria almost stepped on a few people before Kansas stopped tugging and pulled her to the floor. She sat back against the wall, pulling her bag closer to her side. As she surveyed the room she felt a peacefulness envelop her. Maria felt very much as she had when she emerged from her pod over 10 years ago. She didn't know a soul here, save for the motley crew she had arrived with, and no one knew her. In fact, not even her newfound acquaintances knew one fact of information about Maria Deluca. Alli, with an as-yet-undetermined last name, was a new girl in L.A., with no one to answer to, and no one looking for her. She was free to party here as long as she wanted and devil-be-damned what anybody had to say about it. A determination settled in her stomach at the resolve that she was going to experience every stimulation Alli's life had to offer. Any excuse at all to leave her old life behind for a little while. Kat sat down in front of Maria and Kansas, opening her clutched fist to reveal three fat, freshly rolled joints. Maria stared at the foreign objects for a few moments, before following Kansas' lead and selecting one for herself. She tried to light it, failed, and finally swapped with Kansas who showed her how to hold the flame in place while inhaling deeply. She sampled the merchandise, exploding into a fit of coughing as the first wave of acrid smoke brushed her lungs. Kat burst out laughing while Kansas looked at her with concern, rubbing her back until she got her breath back. "Here, let me show you," she offered. She inhaled deeply on the joint, holding her breath for a few seconds, before gently exhaling. "Now you try." Maria followed suit, this time at least managing to hold her breath before the same coughing fit took over again. "Chica, you never tried this before, man you've been missing out," Kat said to Maria. Maria smiled at her and took another puff. She was already beginning to decide who she liked in this little group she had met, and Kat was definitely not high on the list. The three girls sat in silence, listening to the guitar music, as they finished their joints. Maria felt fine, thinking to herself that marijuana wasn't such a big deal, until she was finished and tried to move. One twitch of her head and she was spinning. Kansas giggled at the sight of Maria's face turning a little green and the feeling of paranoia set in. Kansas saw that Maria didn't smile back and reassured her, "It's okay, you'll get paranoid something wicked on this stuff. I'm not laughing at you, promise okay?" Maria smiled back at her but the words did little to ease the voices shouting in her head. After about an hour the guitar player abandoned her post and Shiff retrieved the guitar from its stand. Him or Cal joined the girls in their corner of the room, Cal handing out cigarettes to everyone. Maria took one, setting it on fire when she held the flame against it for too long. Kat burst out laughing again and Maria decided that she definitely didn't like that girl very much. Shiff starting strumming on the instrument and Kat immediately joined in humming. Maria turned to look at her in surprise; she had never met someone who could hum like that� off-key! She took another puff on her cigarette, the smoke no longer bothering her already irritated lungs. She listened to Kat for a few more seconds before reaching over to take a sip of the drink Cal had brought with him. The song was familiar to her and when the next verse started she joined in, quickly drowning out Kat's pathetic attempt at entertainment with her clear alto voice. There's no one in town I know You gave us someplace to go I never said thank you for that Thought I might get one more chance So what would you think of me now? So lucky, so strong, so proud I never said thank you for that Now I'll never have a chance May angels lead you in Hear you me my friends On sleepless roads the sleepless go May angels lead you in Kat quieted as Maria's voice rang clear and true through the small room. Others turned to look as well, the veil of marijuana-induced happiness lifting for a brief moment as they allowed the blissful sweetness of her voice to wash over their sorry souls. Maria quieted as the song ended, only then noticing the awed faces of the people sitting around her. "Wow, you're really good, "Kat said appreciatively. "Thanks," Maria said, smiling. Maybe Kat wasn't going to be so bad after all. TBC |
| Part 12 |
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