Solstice - The Goddess Awakens

Lola strained to hear Orla’s voice over the music; all she could do was nod her head as Orla gestured towards the far corner of the house where Peter had disappeared.

‘OKAY, I’LL SEE YOU LATER,’ shouted Lola over the din.

Turning to speak to Clara and Ruby, Lola was annoyed to find her friends were nowhere to be found. It was impossible to see where she was going as she pushed her way through the sea of bouncing bodies. Searching for her phone in her bag, Lola suddenly remembered she’d left it on the bed back at the cottage. Cursing herself for leaving it behind, she scrambled through the mass in a vain attempt to find her friends. Suddenly she was brought to an abrupt and very painful halt. Slightly dazed, she thought she had been struck by something or by someone. Rubbing her head she looked around for a culprit, but the crowd seemed to be oblivious to her pain. It wasn’t until she extended her hand out in front of her that she found it. As if out of thin air, a spiral staircase materialised before her watering eyes. Fearing she was hallucinating, Lola took a closer look, and was relieved when she realised it was made from glass.

‘Stupid bloody staircase! Who the hell would have a staircase that you can’t even see?’ seethed Lola. Had there been a hammer at hand she would gladly have gone to work on the offending feature.

‘Tha happind da me a minute ago.’ Lola turned to see a boy about her own age pressing down on her. He held a glass containing a bluish liquid, which was now sloshing out. ‘Are ye alrigh?’ Judging by the accent, Lola could tell he was a local boy, and a quite intoxicated local at that.

‘Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks. It’ll maybe knock some sense into me,’ replied Lola, trying to laugh off her embarrassment. Not wanting to be rude, she continued to talk to the boy, but she could see where this was going. Then two things happened at once, which Lola had seen coming, but still couldn’t move quickly enough to avoid. Misunderstanding her congeniality to be an invitation to get intimate, the boy bent down in a futile attempt to kiss her. At the same time someone was trying to pass by him, and in the process practically knocked the young Lothario on top of her as the entire contents of his glass spilled all over her hair, dress and legs. Self-restraint had never been one of Lola’s strong points. Assessing her options, she considered the first, which involved punching the culprit right in the face. She decided, however, to settle for the second, and capitalised on the distraction. Making a quick exit, Lola dashed up the glass stairs, muttering the worst insults under her breath.

‘That’s it! I have had about enough for one night,’ she fumed, talking to no one in particular.

She was now standing at the top of a dimly-lit hallway with large black wooden doors leading off into numerous rooms. The walls were a crisp white, decorated with various works, all seemingly by the same artist. To Lola it just looked like a child had splashed paint along the surface of the canvas. It wasn’t exactly Caravaggio.

Kicking off her sodden shoes, the thick red carpet felt fantastic beneath her tired and cramped feet. At the end of the corridor she could see a door slightly ajar, the light spilling out into the hall. Assuming it was the bathroom, Lola slowly padded down towards the open door. As she approached the room she thought she heard someone talking. Stopping short, she strained to hear over the music filtering up from below. At first it was very faint and she couldn’t make it out, then suddenly the voice became louder.

‘Have you completed the job?’ quizzed the young man. There was an edge of authority to the polished American accent but there was no reply. Lola realised that whoever it was must be speaking on the phone. There was a sudden change of tone as the largely calm voice became more aggressive, with an edge of panic.

‘What do you mean, you didn’t get it? Very well, I will let my father know.’ It sounded more like a threat than a statement. Lola felt ill at ease wandering around a stranger’s house listening, albeit accidentally, to their conversation. Deciding to leave, Lola turned back towards the stairs. She didn’t hear anyone approaching on the cushioned carpet, so she let out a gasp when an iron grip clasped her arm.

‘What do you think you are doing up here?’ said a furious voice as Lola was twisted around to face her accuser. His beauty momentarily stunned her. Even though his face was contorted in anger, it was still perfectly breathtaking. His eyebrows furrowed over deep blue eyes as he spat the accusation at her.

‘Were you eavesdropping?’ Lola was shocked and mortified. Just when she thought her night couldn’t get any worse. She laboured to find her voice, distracted by this siren that held on to her.

‘I... I...,’ attempted Lola, shaking her head in a futile attempt to order her thoughts. She finally spat out her answer in a splurge. ‘I was looking for a bathroom. Someone spilled the contents of their glass down my dress, in case you haven’t noticed!’ Lola’s heart sank as she looked down at her handcrafted dress. The white cotton fabric with little red anchors had turned a bubblegum blue. Raising an eyebrow, Alex pushed Lola out disdainfully as if she were contagious. Lola watched as his arrogant eyes surveyed her dress, her wet legs and the absence of shoes. No longer detracted by his beauty, Lola allowed her embarrassment to be replaced by anger. ‘And by the way, I was not listening to your conversation,’ she shouted back at him. Her captor seemed momentarily taken aback by her delayed reaction. ‘Don’t be so arrogant as to assume that anything you might have to say would be worth listening to!’ Her angst was spilling out now. ‘And could you please, let go of my arm!’ she shouted pulling herself free.

Lola could feel the burn of his grip as he let go, leaving a crimson ring on her pale skin. For a moment Alex had forgotten he was even holding on to her. ‘The party is downstairs, you shouldn’t be up here!’ he said in a calm, now softened tone, as he stared down into the most wonderful pair of emerald green eyes he had ever seen, full of energy and defiance. It had been a stressful day for him and he felt abashed that he had lost his cool so easily. He rarely lost control of his emotions, but he had a lot on his mind, and there was still much to do tonight.

‘You look like you need to get cleaned up! The bathroom is at the end of the hall.’

‘You have the audacity to offer me the use of your bathroom after the way you’ve just spoken to me,’ snorted Lola disdainfully. ‘I’m not sure what sort of people you are used to dealing with, mister,’ she continued, poking him in the chest with her index finger, ‘but there is no substitute for good manners! Oh, and one more thing, you are right, I shouldn’t be here! So, shove your party and shove your bathroom, and you can take that stupid grin off your face and all!’ A broad smile spread across the boy’s gorgeous face, momentarily disorientating Lola. Forcing herself to turn, she strode up the hallway with her shoes in her hands.