[center][color=bc8dbf][h2]Caitlin Morgan Cade[/h2][/color][/center]

With a couple of hits off her joint, Caitlin had reached cloud nine. Snuffing out the burning end to save for later, she slid it into her pocket along with her lighter. She looked through the doors into the dining room, seeing that the party was starting to grow more lively. Not one to pass up the party favors, she crossed the veranda back into the house. Carlisle passed by her, escorting an inebriated Lilith. 

[color=bc8dbf][i]RIP, bro.[/i][/color] If Cait remembered the two properly, a stressed Carlisle and a drunk Lilith wasn't destined to end well.

The high was in full swing as she stepped inside.  The long table, stocked with drinks and snacks, was a treasure trove to the bloodshot eyes. She moved with a float in her step, stopping in front of the junk food buffet, surveying the plethora of options Carlisle had provided. Eyes darting back and forth, Cait finally found her refreshments of choice. She placed a bottle of water under her arm, then mixed a pour of cola into a splash of rum. From the snacks, she helped herself to a bowl full of Takis; the spicy, burrito-shaped tortilla chips had become a favorite. 

Stocked with snacks and sips, Caitlin journeyed from the dining room into the living room, giving Jaz a passing nod as she passed. Along the way she nodded in acknowledgement of the other party goers as well. She buckled slightly as the floor rumbled from an explosion in the basement. She scrambled to keep her treats from falling to the floor; relief settled when she managed to save her cocktail from spilling out. 

Arriving unscathed in the living room, she set her drink on the coffee table and flopped down into a plush armchair next to it. Snatching the cocktail up, she took a large gulp, downing almost half of it in a single go. Plunging her hand into her helping of Takis, she slowly snacked, savoring the spicy flavoring as it interplayed with her high. She kicked back in the armchair, stretching in a feline fashion before settling her arms behind her head. She rotated the armchair ninety degrees, and watched into the dining room. 

She had turned around at just the right moment to see party action unfold. Delaney, whom Cait remembered having frequented a few parties with in high school, had gotten caught in a ruckus with a girl Cait couldn't recall seeing before. So much as she wanted to look away, she couldn't help but observe the ensuing fight with the interest of fan watching their team play a home game. 

Before long, Serena and Erin had joined in; the home team was on a war path. Cait leaned forward, half excited and half terrified as the three threw the one to the floor. Her bloodshot eyes, glazed by the THC, widened beyond sensible size. Her chest throbbed; the half full glass of rum and coke trembled on the coffee table in perfect syncopation. 

Then the fire came, flaring in the hand of the new girl. 

Cait's stomach felt like it flipped as the exploding sensation filled the space behind her sternum. [i]Just like Venice Beach. Just like...[/i] 

She spun the chair back around in a one-eighty. Her cocktail glass, as though tied to her on a string, whipped across the living room and shattered against the wall, its contents left trickle down to the floor. The shrieks pierced through the rest of the noise. Cait buried a hand into her cargo pocket and jammed a pair of buds forcefully into into her ears. Pulling out her phone, ignoring a missed text, she dropped her thumb on the play button and let the ensuing tracks ease her back in. 

Deep breaths, and a silently mouthed mantra brought about a calming wave. [i]It's not like that.[/i]