** Date: 08.06.1029 PNT // Saturday **

** Time: 02:23 // 2:23 AM **

** Location: Ecosystem Mika // Habitat Melissa // District 7 // Sector 12 // Entricht Street 12 **

** The Time Machine // 12. Floor // Dance Floor**

Before they left, Rosa pulled Ellis away from the others, grabbed his hand, and smiled. He opened his palms to find a little heart-shaped pill in them. He hesitated. “It’s okay if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s just last time I had the worst hangover.” Ellis smiled and bit on his lip. “You wanna share?” Rosa smiled, took the little heart from his hand, and bit it in half. They downed it and joined the others. They walked towards the entrance when a man in a red suit ran frantically towards them. He bumped into Joel, and they both fell onto the ground. “Watch where you’re going, you imbecile!” He shouted, looked backwards, and started running again.

“You watch where you’re going, asshole.” Ellis helped him up. “Fucking weirdo.”

Upstairs was weirdly empty; no one was in the hallway, lounge areas, or balconies. They were all on the dance floor. A thick fog made it difficult to see. Not that there was much to see anyway; absolutely no decoration on the whole floor. Everything was plain and white. Apparently, that is how ril.0 wanted it. He wanted people to focus on the music.

They finally made it inside. ril.0 was playing an unreleased set. This was the first and last night anyone would be able to hear it. The sound was very fast-paced but melodic. A lot of religious choir singing and bells. Bass in combination with tribal drums, various string instruments, and some sampled animal and nature sounds.

But the clear highlight for many people was being able to see him—ril.0. Sometimes the fog would lift, and the crowd was able to behold him in his full grace. This went on for a while. Then the music turned off. The highlights went to him. The whole hall was quiet. He ripped down his mask. This was the first time anyone saw his real face. His spiky pink hair, piercings all over his face, and the whites of his eyes tattooed into black, contrasting his bright blue eyes. The men roared and stomped with their feet; the women couldn’t stop screaming.

At first, the group was still dancing in a circle. If you could call that dancing. It was mostly random moves, pushing each other, and laughing. But the later it got, the drunker they got. The group was mostly dispersed, and they were all swallowed by the combination of alcohol, drugs, and music that resulted in a dark but serene tranquility. Reality was gone. Only the music that gently but firmly made its way through their ears and into their souls. The vibration of the bass lovingly stroking their hearts and connecting them to each other.

In all of that, Ellis and Rosa were the only two who were still together. He looked into her eyes and could see. She could also see it in his eyes. Their hearts started racing, their bodies moving faster and closer towards each other until finally, their lips were touching. He grabbed her tightly by her hips. Like magnets, they were stuck together, their tongues dancing with each other in an ecstasy-induced tango, until finally Rosa grabbed him by the hand and pulled him out of the crowd.

She pulled him outside to the hallway, beelining towards the bathroom in the VIP area and into the first stall. The thrum of the club faded, leaving nothing but the sound of their breaths. Ellis pushed her against the wall, lifting her shirt and bra. Rosa felt gentle strokes and firm pinches on her breasts before his lips found their way to them. With every kiss and touch, she felt an electric sensation go through her body. Rosa pushed his head down further. He tugged down her pants. An intoxicating mixture of salty musk, heat, and the faint sweetness of magnolia. He leaned in and tasted her. Sweet and sour. Rosa gasped, her hands tangled up in his hair, and with every flick and swirl, her grip grew tighter. The warmth in her body spreading like a heatwave, an electric vibration coursing through her skin, and her heart pumping ever faster. The thrum of the bass still echoing in her chest was now indistinguishable from the rhythm of her heartbeat. A cascade of tremors shuddered through her body until she finally melted on him. Rosa’s legs lost their strength, and she slowly went on her knees. She kissed him again, smiled, and made a small motion with her index finger, telling him to stand up. So he did, and she started to unbuckle his belt. Right at that moment, both of their phones rang. Rey and Lua were calling, asking them to come to Emergency Room 2 on the 12th floor.

** The Time Machine // 13. Floor // Emergency Room 2**

When they heard emergency room, they expected the worst. What they got was Imilia, a little bit too drunk, throwing up in a bucket, and Vikka crying next to her. For two reasons. Her boyfriend broke up with her — the second breakup this month. And she felt guilty for leaving Imilia alone. She kept shouting how sorry she was and how much of a bad friend she was, and of course she is going to do better, and to finish it off: “I will never take this asshole back.” Vikka called her dad to pick them up. Rosa sat next to Imilia and gently stroked her back. Lua stood beside them. She looked up towards Ellis and caught his eye. She looked over to Rosa and back to Ellis, then smirked. He couldn’t help himself, blushed and grinned like a teenager.

It took Vikka’s dad another 20 minutes to arrive. Before they left, Rosa kissed Ellis. “I will text you later, okay?” He smiled and nodded.

Joel, Rey, and Ellis decided to watch the sunrise from the rooftop and then make their way to Arkas Kebap.

Upstairs they took a spot in the beach area. Rey rolled a joint, and with every toke, the darkness of the night and the light of the stars dissolved into a red ocean. The sun was slowly making its way up to the peak of the dome.

“You think it is just as beautiful outside?” Rey asked and passed the joint to Joel.

“Probably not. Everything is full of gas clouds; the sunlight barely getting through it.” He took three quick hits and passed the joint to Ellis. “And even if so, it would probably burn you up or give you cancer.”

“How long will it take until we can finally go outside?” Ellis asked.