The Island by Catherine Cooper

Author:Catherine Cooper [Cooper, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2023-08-28T17:00:00+00:00

May, 1990

Xander

‘I’m going to go and get you some water,’ I say, ‘I don’t think you’re drinking enough.’

Ashley is holding her arms above her head, swaying with her eyes closed and with a blissed-out expression on her face which is covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

‘Ashley! Did you hear me? I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.’

She nods and continues swaying, her eyes still closed. Her annoying friend is now next to her, dancing in the same way, possibly even more out of it than Ashley, being periodically groped by some random. She doesn’t seem to mind and anyway, she isn’t my problem.

Thank God I hadn’t taken anything before this happened. I need to make sure Ashley’s OK, keep an eye on her.

Part of me doesn’t want to leave her side but I need to get her some water. Again, it takes an absolute age at the bar but eventually I manage to get to the front. There is no bottled water because it’s not meant to be that kind of party, but I get her a lukewarm glass of tap water.

I hold the extortionately priced glass above my head as I push back out through the bar throng to the centre of the dance floor, where I left Ashley.

She’s not there. I feel a lurch of alarm. Where is she? I look around wildly to see if there’s anyone I recognize that I can ask but there’s no one.

‘Did you see a girl in a red dress? Where she went?’ I shout at the person nearest to me but they either don’t hear me or choose to ignore me, turn their back and carry on dancing. It’s a pointless question anyway, there are loads of girls in red dresses. I look around to see if I can see her mate or her handsy boyfriend but they’re not there either.

Shit. I need to find Ashley. The dance floor suddenly surges and becomes even more crowded as Soul II Soul’s ‘Back to Life’ starts up and it becomes harder and harder to push through the throng.

Someone knocks my elbow and most of the water spills. Fuck. I push through to the edge of the dance floor and look around wildly. I spot Thalia – one of Ophelia’s lot. I grab her arm.

‘I’m looking for Ashley, have you seen her?’ I shout, trying to make myself heard over the music.

She wrinkles her nose. ‘Who?’ she shouts back.

Fuck’s sake. This is pointless. Thalia probably doesn’t even know Ashley’s name – Ophelia’s set are only interested in each other. Everyone else is considered unworthy of their attention.

I barge my way around the crowds of the party, desperately looking for Ashley but it’s useless, I can’t see her anywhere. Why is it so hot in here? Why are there so many people? Did some of them gatecrash? I need to find Ashley. I don’t know where she is. I don’t know what to do.

And then it occurs to me. Maybe she’s gone to the loo.

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