Rachel sprawled across the floral-patterned sofa. The fabric of her sweaty basketball uniform prickled her skin like a worn-out promise. The air hung heavy with the sharp sting of Pine-Sol, the greasy warmth of buttered popcorn, and the acetone bite of nail polish—a strange brew of teenage defiance and suburban decay. Glossy celebrity magazines spilled across the couch and coffee table, their edges curling like wilted flowers. Gloom pills and a Marijuana ash-filled bowl wobbled on the table's edge, tempting fate. A bulky television squatted on its wooden stand, its screen flickering with a teenage sitcom, the canned laughter buzzing like a distant swarm.
Sarah sat next to her, wearing a neon pink jacket with a zebra-pattern nylon hood and blue jeans. "I can't believe you haven't watched this show, Rache," Sarah chuckled as she stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "This guy in the show called Chad is like so hot. I wish a guy like him transferred to our school."
Rachel chuckled, her eyes red as she stared at the television with an absent-minded grin. "He probably would just be another Mike," she replied as she munched on popcorn.
"I could put up with it. Speaking of which, I know Mike cheated on you, but he is the hottest guy in school."
"And the dumbest," Rachel snickered. Sarah nodded and laughed. "Yes, that too, but he received a guaranteed football scholarship to any college. I am just saying. There is not really any money playing women's basketball. Like, is there even a pro league for women yet?"
Rachel shrugged. "I heard they are trying to make one on the news, but it's whatever. If basketball doesn't work out, I can figure it out later."
"So what are you going to do about Em? I am sure she's going to get expelled."
Rachel rubbed her neck and reached for another handful of popcorn. "I'm sure we will figure it out. Push comes to shove, I can always go to a college nearby."
Sarah shook her head and then ate some more popcorn. "Don't let her bring you down, Rache. Trust me, once you get to college, you will forget about her and Corwood."
"You say that like you've already been?"
Sarah smiled. "I've been to a couple of college frat parties."
"Is it like what's on TV?"
"Kind of; they got these Gloom parties that get pretty wild. Oh, we should go clubbing tonight!"
"On a school night?"
"They're just going to be retaking the ether tests tomorrow. Unless you plan on working at the reactor or joining the P.I.A., it's the perfect day to ditch school."
Rachel's eyes lowered as she stuffed some more popcorn in her mouth. She gazed at the Gloom on the coffee table. Static coming from the television redirected her attention as the sitcom fizzled in and out.
"Ugh, why do we even pay the cable company?" Sarah groaned as she got up and banged on the TV.
"Try changing the channel," Rachel insisted, remaining on the sofa and biting her lip nervously.
Sarah jabbed at the remote, flipping channels until the screen settled on a local news broadcast. The reporter's voice cut through the static, sharp and urgent, as the camera panned across Mel's Diner. Yellow tape fluttered in the wind like a warning, boxing in a parking lot swarming with police cruisers, their lights flashing red and blue across the asphalt. Officers barked questions at shell-shocked customers while a rotund P.I.A. agent lounged against the tape, sipping a Coke like it were another Tuesday.
"What the hell?" Sarah muttered out loud as she sat back down next to Rachel.
"We were just there," Rachel said, her eyes narrowed as she watched the news broadcast.
"A violent altercation happened early today at Mel's Diner. Eyewitnesses recount that Diego, CEO of Ether Tech, was shot by a P.I.A. agent after reaching for a weapon."
"Holy Shit!" Sarah yelled with wide eyes. "That's the dude everybody's getting Gloom off of. Word around town is he is the brother of a Mexican cartel leader."
"That P.I.A. agent was at our school, wasn't he?" Rachel asked as she pointed at the Rotund agent on television.
"Yeah, I saw another one take Emily to the principal's office after she pulled the fire alarm."
Rachel bit her nails. "My car is still there. What if they took Emily with them?" Rachel asked as she stood up. "We gotta go."
"I am high as fuck, Rache. I don't feel comfortable driving, let alone going to a murder scene. Let's get your car in the morning."
Rachel paced back and forth as the hum crept back into her mind. It buzzed around in her head like an angry wasp as her anxiety amplified. She rubbed her temples and frowned as reality sobered her up. She gazed down at her pager, hoping for Emily's response.
"Where are you?" The pager flashed from her parents.
"I think my parents saw my car on TV," Rachel said as she showed Sarah her pager.
"You can't go home looking like that. Just tell them you're here with me," Sarah insisted as she cleaned the coffee table of illegal substances.
Rachel sighed and responded to the page as Sarah instructed. "Fuck, Em still hasn't replied."
Sarah's grin flickered, her eyes darting to the Gloom pills for a split second before she forced it back into place. "Rachel, chill. The news would have plastered it all over by now if Em were in deep. She's fine."
Her voice was too bright, and her fingers twitched as she grabbed another handful of popcorn. Rachel let out a shaky breath, her shoulders loosening just a fraction. "Yeah, you're right. So … what now?"
"I guess we're having a sleepover, and if you want, we can still hit the club tonight?" Sarah said as she held a Gloom pill in her hand. "You look like you need another one," she insisted before putting it on the table. "But first, change clothes. No need to be in your sweaty jersey all night."
"I am taller than you, Sarah. Your clothes won't fit me," Rachel replied.
"I get my jackets and sweaters a little bigger. I am sure you can find one in my room."
"Is everything pink?"
"Yes."
Rachel sighed. "Fine, just remind me in the morning so I don't go to school wearing your clothes."
"Why not? Afraid what Emily might think?"
"More like afraid of what she would do," Rachel chuckled as she walked upstairs to Sarah's bedroom.
The door slammed shut just as Rachel walked into the bedroom. Her eyes widened as she gazed around her room, bathed in mulberry red light. Volleyball trophies, posters, and broken cassette tapes littered the floor. No windows existed, and the air was saturated with the stench of dirty clothes, drugs, and regret. Several Gloom pills hid in the carpet fabric and the bedsheets on her bed.
Polaroid pictures from another timeline cluttered the walls, depicting memories of her and Emily. Rachel shook her head, unable to recall when she took these photos. She picked up a Polaroid, and the image came alive in a flash of static, like a movie, as her hands rubbed across it.
"Em, how much did you bring?" Rachel, in the photo, asked as she flipped her backpack over her shoulder. "What is that?" She wondered as Emily grabbed a luggage suitcase from the trunk of a car.
"It's my art supplies," Emily replied as she dropped the luggage on the ground, then pulled out several bookbags before shutting the trunk of the car.
"Is all that necessary?" Rachel asked as Emily struggled to position her belongings on the suitcase.
"I am an art major. Gotta have my stuff for class."
"You're going to take up all our closet space with your junk! The professors would give you everything you need."
Emily rolled her eyes. "I have a specific type of colored pencils I like. I will not be using Crayola in college."
"What's the difference?" Rachel shrugged as they walked towards the college dorm rooms.
"You can only apply so many layers with generic colored pencils. The wax doesn't cut it for serious works of art. You go cheap, you get cheap results."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Whatever, just save some room for me, Miss Fancy Pants."
The Polaroid image stopped playing in a burst of static. Rachel let the picture fall to the carpet as she rushed towards the front door, pulling at the doorknob until the door opened.
Fresh grass crunched underneath Rachel's boots as she stared at the rolling hills in front of her. The scent of flora, honeydew, and machinery lingered in the air as she walked. Chosen reporters and citizens converged on a farmstead nestled in the countryside. Rachel's eyes widened as she gazed at the mulberry light enveloping the farm like a giant laser.
Rachel's gaze fixated on the girl wearing an oversized black star-speckled hoodie standing in a field of mulberry orchids. Her long, wet black hair, streaked with teal highlights, fluttered in the wind alongside the flowers, oak, and pine trees.
"Em?" Rachel asked, but got no reply.
Rachel's eyebrows raised as she plucked an orchid from the ground. The flower glitched, becoming almost intangible before shifting to a pearlescent color in her hand. She noticed all the orchids were glitching around Emily as she stared up at the ENGINE above the farm.
"Emily?" Rachel said as she approached.
Emily did not reply as she observed people walking in the field of flowers. The mulberry light hummed as the chosen sang and prayed. Rachel covered her ears and screamed as the ENGINE's hum rang in her ears. The bass rattled her body before settling into a low-pitched drone noise at frequencies no normal human could bear, as the chosen collapsed to the ground. All went black as Emily turned her head towards Rachel, both unaffected by the ENGINE's hymn.