2. Ana
2
ANA
I huffed out a breath, feeling a mix of frustration and determination as I weathered Julia’s glare.
“I’m not going out tonight, Jules. I have to study, I have a midterm next week.” I explained.
Julia rolled her eyes, and I could feel the tension building in the air.
“Ana, you’re studying every second of the day. You can take one fucking break, one day to have fun. It’s the Red haze festival..” My mind scrambled to think of an excuse to get her to shut up.
“Fine, I can’t go today, but I’ll go to the Halloween party next week,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. Instantly, I regretted my impulsive words, but the wide grin that spread across Julia's face made me refrain from taking back the verbal commitment. I sighed as she squealed and did a little hopping dance. She walked up to me and wrapped her arms around me. Julia liked to play dress up with my body, so any chance she got to dress me up, she took it. You're hot Ana, I wish you would use that to your advantage. Honestly though, I’d much rather go to a costume party than go to the festival.
The Red haze festival was a yearly two week-long festival that was held in commemoration of the establishment of the town of Red Falls. The town’s name paying homage to the town's biggest tourist attraction; The massive red waterfall. A combination of elements such as iron caused the rocks around the area to oxidize to a bright red color, making the water falling over it look blood red. It was quite a sight. I went there a lot as a kid, completely fascinated by it. The festival wasn’t centered on the waterfall though. It was primarily dedicated to honor the founding families.
The town of Red Falls was established by a coalition of six families. The Shepherd Family, The Wolfe Family, The Hawke Family, The Fox Family, The Adders and The Bennettes. The six families' descendants hosted grand celebrations only attended by the elite, while the rest of the town organized many events and parties honoring the families. During the festival, people had the freedom to dress as any animal associated with a particular family or a random animal and participate in gaudy forest-themed gatherings.
It was honestly a little freaky. People kind of went crazy, their behavior taking on a wild nature. It was like the festival seemed to awaken a hidden side of people. As they dawned masks of animals, they let go their inhibitions and embraced their animalistic nature. I’d say it was some kind of supernatural event, but I wasn't very superstitious even though I loved all things paranormal, believing in the supernatural was a different thing all together.
I tugged on a pair of jeans and opted for a sports bra since I couldn’t leave the house without one. I pulled on a white tee and then slipped on my favorite coat. It was bright red with a small hood. Gran bought the coat for me after my parents died and right before she died.
I rubbed my chest, trying to soothe the sudden ache. That happened often—Every time I remembered that all the people who loved me were dead. The weight of their absence pressed down on me, made my chest tighten, making it difficult to breathe.
I didn’t want it to, but the rage that usually accompanied the sadness was dominant today. How could they do this to me? Leaving me all alone? I sighed, trying to expel all the anger in that one breath . I mean, I had Julia, but even though she was my closest friend, she spent most of her time at her boyfriend's house. She only really moved out of her parents' house because she wanted freedom to come and go as she pleased without her parents questioning everything she did. I didn't need a roommate either. My parents were well off, and what they left me allowed me to live a comfortable life. But no amount of money could erase the haunting memories that plagued me.
The day everything changed.
I slowly began to unravel after that night, the emptiness and loneliness slowly eating at me. I wished for death, all the fire of excitement I had for life, snuffed out by an even bigger blazing fire of despair and grief, then numbness followed. I became so numb I almost didn’t feel the grief for a while, then it hit me harder than it ever had before. I could no longer let myself be alone, too terrified that I would one day hurt myself. That’s when I decided I wanted a roommate and Julia suddenly showed up.
I sighed, but Julia was rarely home as I said, so I spent most of time home alone, anyway. I mean, I could always go out with Julia, but that just wasn't my scene, though I got dragged along now and then.
I let out a long, deep sigh before grabbing my bag and stepping out of the house. I made sure to lock the door behind me. Thankfully, I lived close enough to campus that I could easily walk to the library, where I spent most of my time.
Not for the first time, I marveled at the buildings I walked past. As one of the most prestigious schools of the state, the sheer scale of Red Falls University was staggering, with sprawling grounds and buildings that seemed to stretch on endlessly. It was monolithic.
After ten minutes, I was finally in front of the open library doors. I was a little out of breath but that was mainly because I had to briskly walk, no, more like jog, past a pack of drunk frat boys in wolf costumes. For some reason, a surge of emotion I couldn't explain caused my heart to pound at the thought of being chased by a wolf. One of the less drunk ones had tried to grab me, but I scurried away as fast as I could. I walked deeper into the library and sat by one of the large windows. Taking several deep breaths, I tried to calm my racing heart. It took a while, but eventually, the pounding subsided and I got to studying.
A couple of hours later, a sudden shift in the air broke my concentration. I looked out the window, a gust of cool wind hit me in the face at that moment, and I shivered. Was it because of the cold or something else? I shook my head and went back to studying.