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The bottle went slack in Eli's hand. Lynn was putting on a little light show, whether she knew it or not. It was captivating. Like the illusions Eli created when she was in her room and lonely. Except this was real life. It was [i]real[/i].

[b]"Eeli?"[/b] Lynn slurred, pulling her back into reality. She blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the light of Lynn's face. Both of her eyebrows raised as she waited for Lynn to continue. Wow, she was feeling shitfaced right now. Maybe she was enhancing Lynn's light at the moment, but it seemed to absorb the area around them. As if she was her own little bonfire. [i]The bonfire.[/i] How were the rest of them doing? Did the newbies find someone else to talk to already? [i]Eh. We'll find out later.[/i] The night was still young.

[b]"Thanks."[/b]

Eli smiled at her sickly friend, giving her a light little shrug. Bringing her water was the least she could do. She couldn't count the amount of times that she'd held a friend's hair back while they upchucked into a toilet or by a tree. Lynn's next garbled comment proved her point. All Eli could do was laugh, her shoulders shaking and her body leaning backwards a bit as the laugh spread through her body. It was the first genuine laugh in a while, and it felt good. [color=E5D0FF]"I'll tell everyone to look out,"[/color] she mused.

[b]"Eli."[/b] Lynn continued. Eli pushed her hair back from her face, brushing the joke away before she continued to laugh. She adjusted her knees below herself, getting comfortable. It looked like Lynn had something serious to let out. Maybe it was the reason she was so down all of the time, or just some sad observation she made tonight. Either way, Eli was there for her. She might have been almost as drunk as the girl before her, but she still had a grip on herself. She was prepared to comfort Lynn if needed.

Lynn's voice was quiet, and honestly difficult to understand. Eli's brows furrowed at first, and she leaned in a little closer to hear the younger girl's words. She never formed a full sentence; it was more like a bunch of little puzzle pieces were being spread out around her. There was a piece missing. Or three, or four. They were all connected somehow, but they were different scenarios. She was going so fast. A woman was going to do something to Archie? What woman? [b][i]Arianna[/i][/b]. . . [i]No, that's not it. Not her.[/i]

Eli felt her heart sink into her stomach as the girl continued. She knew exactly how Lynn was feeling, but in her own way. What did Lynn know about The Promise already? What had this place done to her in such a short span of time? She thought of the first day Eli met her, trying to connect these pieces to what she'd heard in the mall. The others would know, wouldn't they? Lynn mentioned not thinking about anything, but then she mentioned a he and she. Eli assumed that she meant Archie and Nat. She recalled Archie's burnt hand at the mall. At least she was able to connect [i]those[/i] dots. 

Eli pursed her lips and frowned. It was hard to see so many emotions flash across Lynn's face. Eli wanted to ask her [i]so many questions[/b]. About her past. About the scars. About who was going to hurt Archie. For now, though, she could only ask one. [color=E5D00FF]"What do you believe everyone is thinking?"[/color] She asked, her tone soft.

[b]"You know, I get the feeling you're too cool for the holding your hair back while you puke thing, but the offer stands."[/b] Another voice interrupted.

Eli turned her head to see Amelia step out from behind a tree. Her brow quirked as she realized that it looked like Amelia appeared from the opposite direction of the bonfire. [color=E5D0FF]"How...?"[/color] She thought aloud, but she didn't finish the question as Lynn made her own comment.

Eli let out a puff of air, one side of her lips pulling back in an amused grin. She was shaking her head as Lynn mentioned a lizard, and she quickly turned to give Lynn a confused look. [i]How the hell did a lizard bitchslap you?[/i] She thought, but didn't ask aloud. It was probably just some drunk Lynn mumbling.

[color=E5D0FF]"We're not going anywhere without you, fireball."[/color] She said back, looking to Amelia and rolling her eyes. She was giving her best "can you believe this?" face when she felt something warm press against her legs. It was Lynn's leg, and it felt oddly nice to be against a source of heat. Eli smiled at the girl and leant back on her hands. [color=E5D0FF]"Amelia and I are staying right here until you feel well enough to go back. Anyways, you're a lot warmer than the bonfire right now."[/color] She smirked.

[i]Pssh... shhnnk.[/i] Eli frowned, closing her eyes as she listened to the odd noise coming from the dark.

[i]Pssh... shhnnk.[/i]

Her brows wrinkled, and she opened her eyes to look between the girls. [color=E5D0FF]"You hear that? Sounds like a... like something weird."[/color] Her head turned to peer back in the direction of the noise. [color=E5D0FF]"Listen."[/color] She murmured. Subconsciously, Eli had already tapped into the girls' senses of hearing. The sound was suddenly much clearer and distant sounds of the party were muffled and quiet. She didn't even think that the girls would notice the difference. Hell, she couldn't even tell herself. Maybe the noise had always sounded like this. It was hard to tell the difference sometimes; especially when she was drunk.

Lynn and Amelia may have responded, or even made expressions, but Eli hardly heard as she felt something in her stomach tighten. Whatever this was... she was going to find out. It was all she could focus on at the moment. Her body left the warmth of Lynn's leg as she stood, her gaze still on the woods. She dropped her connection with the girls' hearing, slightly enhancing her own to find the source of the sound. [color=E5D0FF]"It's gotta be something."[/color] She murmured. [color=E5D0FF]"I'm gonna look for the source. You can wait here if you still feel bad, Lynn. I'll only be a second."[/color]

Eli began to step towards the dark, glancing back at the girls to see if they were following before she slowly continued into the forest. Her steps were light, but given the state of the forest and the state of her inebriation, Eli was only hoping that she was being stealthy.

[i]Pssh... Shhnnk.[/i]

The noise was getting louder. Eli didn't have to use her ability to hear it now. The further she went away from the bonfire, the better she could hear the noise. Her chest also tightened more and more as she left. She didn't know what to expect. Whether it was harmless or not Eli continued towards it. She could see movement in the distance through the trees, and then she heard something that made her freeze in place. A sound that made her heart drop into her stomach.

[i]’Alert: Target within 100 feet’[/i]