Hearing that alcohol would be readily available wasn't exactly a selling point for Claire. Carter, bright eyed and practically vibrating in her desk chair, was doing his best to change that.

"I mean, I think it'll be fun, and you know that I'm never wrong."

That wasn't true. Claire knew of at least three separate instances in which Carter had been very wrong. In fact, since her mom happened to be a police officer, this particular instance had the potential to be a full blown disaster. However...

"Fine," she ceded. "But I reserve the right to say I told you so. And to pretend I had no idea about you bringing booze."

Carter's smile could swallow his face, he seemed so happy. It almost was enough to stamp the wriggling feeling in her gut that something was going to go wrong. Not quite, but she'd gambled on less.

The two of them had been friends since she and her mom had moved in next door a few years ago. Her mother had been under the impression that a change of pace in an idyllic country town would be just the thing to liven up their lives. And it was true. In a way. She hadn't thought about her dad near as often.

"I can see that look on your face. Don't worry." Carter chose to punctuate his next sentence while flexing his less than impressive bicep and winking at her. "I can make sure nobody goes nuts."

She tossed a pillow at his face. He made no attempt to duck.

"As if! Just... be careful. I don't wanna end up babysitting anyone." Then, as an afterthought. "Or being crucified by my mom."

"Aw, she won't find out. Nobody ever goes to that part of the woods anyway. As long as nothing gets set on fire, we'll be copacetic."

The forest surrounding Flickerdale, their 'own personal getaway' if the signs at the city limits were to be believed, were thick and easy to get lost in if you weren't familiar with the area. And while Claire knew that it was unlikely for police to be combing the forest looking for delinquents, it did little to calm her.

"Hey." Carter had placed his hand on her shoulder and was looking directly into her eyes. "Say the word, and I'll call off the beer. Or we just won't go. I don't want you to do anything you don't want to."

And he meant it. She knew that. But she also remembered how he looked when he'd been first explaining his plan.

"No, it's fine. I need to cut loose a little, anyway." She plucked his hand from her shoulder. Tried not to think about the dubious methods he'd used to obtain the alcohol.

His smile was dimmer, but he seemed a little relieved. "Cool. I can't wait for tonight. See ya there!"

He left her room, and she wished fervently that 'having fun' wasn't such an alien concept. That she didn't have to work so hard to maintain friendships. That she wasn't in Flickerdale.

"So, don't go. Sounds simple to me." Raina, ever the pragmatist. She was styling her hair into an array of braids while she spoke. She eyed Claire's hair for a moment. "If you're not gonna fix your hair, try pulling it back. You'll trick a few dudes into thinking it looks good."

Claire hadn't expected a terribly sympathetic answer. But that's why she was getting ready at Raina's anyway. She liked honest critique. Well, that and she was a surgeon with eyeliner. She tied her lank brown hair back into a ponytail.

"But Carter-"

"Is not a fuckboy. He's not gonna get pissy at you because you didn't wanna go." Raina's closet door doubled as a floor length mirror, and she eyed her current outfit critically. "He worships the ground you walk on. Lord knows why."

Claire, numb to Raina's unsubtle jabs, processed the meat of her comment. "I know he won't be mad. But I don't wanna rain on his parade."

"So, you chose to rain on mine instead?" She clicked her tongue at her reflection and began to undo the straps of her dress. Claire didn't know why. It looked more expensive than her whole wardrobe.

"Yes. Your parade is less... parade-y, anyway."

"Language skills, sweetie." This next dress was more opulent than the last. Silk? In the woods? "Maybe if you had those, you could communicate with the person you actually need to talk to. You're honestly just this side of pathetic."

Well. That stung.

And all of a sudden, it was a tangible pain. It began just behind her eyes. A ball of lead slid down her throat, settling into her gut. She collapsed onto Raina's bed with a groan.

"Oh, please. Don't be such a drama-" And Raina swung around. She rushed to Claire's side. "Sweetie? Hey!"

And Claire couldn't see Raina. She saw Carter. She saw him with a pale woman. It was the party. He didn't recognize her. Would've remembered her. So pretty... She was a full head shorter than him with delicate features and long platinum blonde hair. God, she's hot. Her eyes. Her eyes are so...

She soon had one leg wrapped around his waist. He didn't know when it happened, but he was enjoying it.

Claire didn't just see it. She felt the way she licked a delicate trail up his neck. Felt her push him against the nearest tree. She's too scrawny for that. Shouldn't be able to... Felt her hands slide through his hair and tug. Hard. She jerked his head to the side and sank her teeth into him.

It was sharp. And it was warm. And good. He didn't care. He was light headed. He was slipping down the bark. He was...

And Claire felt Raina shaking her. Claire opened her eyes to see Raina wide-eyed and frantic.

"You're not going. Not to anywhere but the hospital."

And Claire wanted to agree. But she still felt the bite on her neck. On Carter's neck. She reached for her phone and started dialing Carter, fighting through the feeling of barbed wire shooting through her eye sockets.

"I'm going," she said as Carter's voicemail played in her ear.

Just another night in Flickerdale.