Night Children

I still remember clear as if it were yesterday the day that Brodie told me about the underground club. That was the beginning of the end. Night Children it was called and that's exactly what we became.

We'd all led a normal life before that place came into our lives, we all went to the same school and had our hopes and dreams; we all had futures. Then the circus came to town and all of that was whisked away in seconds.

Suddenly we were became part of them and all we did was live to party. School and life during the day just became an endless routine that we were all so eager to escape from. We sat in our seats like ghosts of the people we used to be just waiting for the day to be over so that we could go back to Night Children. Everyone else at school called us the 'druggies' and they were right, that's exactly what we'd become.

But Night Children was taking over our lives; it was draining us, like sucking colour out of a picture and watching it melt.

But I didn't want to melt away, not living like this anyway.

♣♣♣

"You coming back to Stevie's tonight?" Brodie asked as I got in his car after school, throwing my backpack into the back seat with all his other junk.

I looked over at my best friend, surveying his face. He looked terrible. He'd once been this vibrant boy, the class clown who was friends with everyone. I used to love the way his floppy dark hair would fall into his sparkling brown eyes, they were always sparkling, and happy, he would light up a room as soon as he walked into it.

Now he was all grey and lifeless.

"No." My response came out as more of a gasp then a word.

Brodie stared at me in shock. "What?" He looked so confused, like he hadn't quite heard me properly.

"I said no," I repeated, sounding infinitely surer of myself.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Brodie asked. "You don't say no to this kind of thing Elle."

"Well I just did. I'm not going back to Night Children," I said, turning away from his penetrating glare. "And I don't think you should either."

I'd been thinking about it for so long now, it had all started back when I'd been too sick, a while ago, to even get out of bed let alone go to rave club.

"Whatever. I'm dropping you home on the way to Stevie's, you mustn't be feeling well again, and you can't stop me from going," he said, a muscle in his jaw twitching as he clenched his teeth together, his gaze focused determinedly on the road now.

"Think about it Brodie. What do we live for now? We live for partying. Where is that going to get us?" I reasoned, turning in my seat so I was facing him.

He glanced at my briefly before looking back at the road and speaking. "I don't live for the future, I live for now. Just like you used to."

"Yeah, that's what they tell you and what we've repeated a million times. But now is going to be over soon and you're going to realize, just like I have, that we can't continue like this –"

"Elle –" Brodie warned.

"We're going to fail school, Brodie and then the future's going to catch up with us and we're going to be lost –"

"Elle, jus –" Brodie started again, but I was in the middle of a rant.

"And then what? We can't rely on Stevie for the rest of our lives, how are we going to get jobs and –"

"Elle! For fucks sake, just shut up, would you!" he snapped, I stared at him in shock. "You can't change my mind. I'm going to Night Children, just like I always have." That car went dead silent and stayed that way until he came to stop outside my door.

"If you change your mind, text me. Otherwise, I'll just see you tomorrow," Brodie said, not looking at me. I watched him for a second and then climbed out of his car.

I turned back before shutting the door and said softly. "And if you change your mind, you know where to find me." He finally turned to look at me, our eyes meeting and holding for ages. He gave a firm nod and I shut the door, watching as he drove away from me.

♣♣♣

It took me half an hour to walk out to The Peak, the highest outlook above the town. I'd been there so many times I could walk there with my eyes closed, there were so many memories at this spot, back when times were good though.

It was about 7:30 by the time I got to my favourite spot, the partying at Night Children would be starting in a few hours. That's where Brodie would be and all my other friends too; in the morning I'd be the outcast who's ditched the club.

I sat down on the grassy spot overlooking the whole town, listening to my mp3 player the whole time. I'd been wanted to come out here again, but my dedication to the club had taken up too much time – now I felt free, but I hardly doubted Brodie would even turn up or if he'd even remember that this was our place.

It was a while later when I heard a noise behind me. Bright headlights shined in my eyes as I turned to look back at what was coming up the road.

It was Brodie's car.

I stood up quickly and watched him jog over to me. He stopped a few feet in front of me.

"You were right, I haven't been able to stop thinking about what you said ever since you got out of the car. Elle, I don't want to be lost," he said breathlessly.

"Are you going to give up the partying though?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest, not quite sure to accept what he was saying.

He stepped closer to me and reached out putting both his hands on my arms and leaning down to my level, staring straight into my eyes.

"They always said we should live for the now and let the future sort itself out, but I realized I already know what I want in my future and if giving up partying means that I get that, then yes. I need you in my future, Elle and I don’t want to lose you."

I stared at him in shock.

"I'd give up anything for you. Elle, I love you –" he started but was stopped by me grabbing the front of his shirt and pressing my lips against his.

When I woke in the morning I was cramped from sleeping in the back of Brodie's car. I sat up slowly and looked around, the sun was just rising over the hills on the far side of the town making the sky look orange in it's rays.

Standing on the bolder jutting out was Brodie, staring out at the view.

I got out of the car and walked over to him. He turned to look back at me and smiled, there was one thing about him that was different that immediately made me smile back and know that everything had changed.

His eyes were sparkling again.