In Ecstasy by Kate McCaffrey Page A

tightly to stop them chattering. The front door was open. I tried to move silently but every noise seemed magnified a thousand times.
    I took some deep breaths and tried to feel some control but my body wasn’t responding well. My head thumped and my neck screamed in pain. I had to get out the door. I knew Glenn would stop me. I inhaled and ran. Past my bag, past the couch, straight into an invisible flyscreen door. I hit the mesh at full force and bounced backwards.
    I staggered forward again, trying to keep my footing, terrified. Behind me was the sound of laughter.
    â€˜You gotta open the door first.’
    My hands trembled as I turned the handle. I expected to feel his hand on my shoulder. Nausea filled my throat. But the door opened and I staggered out. Cold wind hit my face and blew my hair into my eyes. The steps down looked too long and steep. I clutched the railing tightly.
    â€˜Sophie.’ Glenn almost sang my name. I was shaking uncontrollably. He was right behind me. My vision doubled, and I felt myself rocking, about to fall. He was coming out. I tried not to panic. I edged one foot off the top step.
    â€˜Here!’ My bag hit me in the back of the head, knocking me off the step. My ankle twisted underneath me and I went down, still holding the railing.
    â€˜Watch your step,’ he laughed, swinging the door shut.
    He was gone.
    I had to get home. The idea of home filled me with tears. I limped down the stairs and picked my bag up. I looked around, confused and terrified. I had to walk back up the alley, past the derelict shops and druggies and rapists. I couldn’t do it. Everything was menacing. I hobbled to a street light. I wanted to call my mum but the face of my mobile showed 3.30am. I held it tightly in my hands. I looked back towards the alley and Glenn’s apartment, then I started walking in the opposite direction, Glenn’s laughter still echoing in my ears. Through the shadows I walked and walked. Up ahead were shops. And on the other side of the road a brightly lit fast food restaurant with people moving around inside. I whimpered in relief as I limped closer to the light and the people, flipped open my phone and pressed D. I prayed as I listened to it ring that he would pick up.

mia
    When I got up on Saturday afternoon Mum was waiting for me in the kitchen, wanting to hear all the details. She seemed pretty excited, and not annoyed with me for sleeping away most of the day.
    â€˜What time did you get in?’ she asked. I figured it was a test. She and Damon had stayed home—she’d probably been awake. I didn’t want her to catch me out in a lie.
    â€˜About four,’ I said. ‘I’m really sorry but we had no idea of the time. It was just such a great night and Lewis and I were talking so much we didn’t realise how late it was.’
    She frowned. ‘Yeah, well—don’t make it a habit. Four is too late—even on the weekend.’ She put a cup of coffee in front of me. ‘So tell me, what happened?’
    Later that day Lewis messaged me.
    my house tonite U & me Pic u up @ 6
    I texted him back immediately.
    C U soon
    Mum didn’t mind at all when I told her I was going to Lewis’s for dinner. She liked the way he called her ma’am. She saw him as perfect boyfriend material.
    Lewis pulled up in front of his amazing Mediterranean-style home overlooking the beach. The sky above the ocean was a swirl of pink and blue. I walked up the footpath to the front door, two steps behind him, gawping at everything. He disarmed the security system and flung the door wide.
    â€˜Come in,’ he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the gigantic entrance hall.
    The kitchen was the size of a small apartment—my mum would have been in heaven. They had a fridge you could walk in and a pantry larger than our bathroom. Lewis made bourbon and cokes. I’d drunk more in this last week than the whole of my life. I sipped at