7AM

The sun drifted over the horizon and the room began to glow, the cigarette smoke adding a romantic aura to the already misty room. What time was it? 4AM? 5AM? Who knew? Who cared? It was probably somewhere around 6AM…that indefinable moment in time when the darkness of night seemed to shift and morph slowly into daylight. Lily both dreaded and looked forward to the dawn of the day. Looked forward to it because it added another element to an already interesting night. Dreaded it because it meant that the weekend was closer to being over. And that was the worst thing on earth. Lily lived for her weekends.

What time was it now? She forced herself out of her reverie, and looked at the clock. 7AM. She sighed heavily. She was already being pulled back to reality. She raised her eyebrows wordlessly at Samantha, and as if by telepathy, she reached into her pocket for the little plastic baggie of bliss. She shook the baggie and squinting her blue eyes, examined its contents carefully. Beneath the silly smiley faces on the bag were 2 pink pills. Samantha ripped open the baggie, turned it over and passed one of the pills to Lily. Gingerly, she reached for a glass of water, and after placing the pill at the back of her throat, swallowed hard. After pulling her dark brown hair into a ponytail, Samantha did the same. She leaned back, sighing contentedly. Lily understood the feeling. Even though the pill would take at least half an hour to take effect, she already felt calm. Filled with anticipation, she reached over spontaneously and gave Samantha a warm hug.

Lily felt a familiar tingle starting deep inside her stomach, like the first warm rays of sunlight peeking over a dark horizon. Unconsciously, she took a deep breath and filled her lungs with the smoke-filled air. The tingle spread into her legs and arms, and out to the tips of her toes and the tips of her fingers, until she felt as if every cell in her body was newly awakened. She felt so alive! She inhaled deeply, and as she did, she felt the ecstacy take a deeper hold on her. Her limbs began to tremble. Her internal organs started to vibrate, as if dancing to some rhythm only they could hear. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to digest what she was feeling. When she opened them, the room seemed to be glowing. Her chairs, table, and walls were surrounded by a lovely yellow glow. She felt the music surrounding her like a vacuum. She was at the centre of a deep suction, the force of it almost too much to bear. She took another deep breath, and tried to steady her shaking fingers. Calm Lily, calm, she said to herself. She was rushing - the power of the pill inside her taking over her thoughts, movements and energy.

Lily sat up suddenly as the music lifted, as though she was being pulled upwards by its force. It was so beautiful, she thought foggily. The music was just so beautiful. Everything was just so beautiful. She felt as though the music had been written specifically for her. She looked at Sam, who had her eyes closed and seemed to be drifting off into the same blissful space. Lily knew they were feeling the same thing. She lay back again, and let the music wash over her. Someone handed her a cigarette. She took a long pull before wordlessly handing it back. She tried to smile her thanks, but her lips would only turn upwards in a strange grimace. She couldn’t talk. She couldn’t process. She couldn't move. She could only drift buoyantly atop the waves of sound.