The music was thrumming, throbbing, pulsing. The laser lights were all over the place, and it was dim and crowded.
"Err. Are you sure this is the place?" Nerdy looked around aghast.
Layla beamed, already moving to the music, "Yeah! Isn't it great! I always wanted to come 'ere, but no one ever wanted to come!"
"I can see why," Ether sniffed the air.
"Whaat!" Layla shot a glare over at him.
A photographer started taking pictures of the group, and Layla forgot her glare as she grinned, posing for the camera.
"Layla is this place even legal?" Jiya inched closer to the Nerdy and Ether, away from some men looking worse for the wear.
"Yes! It's legit! Cmon Romeyo, let's dance!" Layla grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor.
...
Ether looked at Jiya. Jiya made a face.
"So, what do we do now?"
"I don't know.." Jiya looked around helplessly. "This isn't my kind of scene."
"What's your kind of scene then?"
"Well, you know. I like calm. Tranquility. Meditation and stuff."
"Okay then, we'll do what you like!"
"What? How? Here!" Ether tugged Jiya's elbow and they disappeared.
....
"HEY! Oh my God. Nerdy. Jiya and Ether disappeared!"
"What are you talking about?" Nerdy looked around the crowded floor. "How can you even see them?"
"I was watchin' them. I was feeling a li'l bad, so I was going to call them over! But they disappeared all of a sudden!"
Nerdy looked around. All he could see in the crowd was...crowd. He took Layla's hand and pulled her back to where they'd left Jiya and Ether.
"Hmm. Yeah, they've definitely disappeared. How the heck does that happen? Maybe they went back to the car to check on IQ?"
Earlier, they'd driven Ether's car to the back entrance of the hospital and carried IQ through unnoticed and had lain her onto the back seat. That was before they realized it was going to be a tight squeeze trying to fit everyone else in. Layla, of course, came up with the solution. So they had ended up bundling a still unconscious IQ into the trunk.
"Yeah! That must be it!" Layla turned quickly and marched to the entrance.
Nerdy sighed, and followed. "Layla, where are you going now?"
"Obviously I'm going to check on my Rasgulla! You think I will let anyone else show they care about her more? Those two are trying to beat me! Come on, let's go make sure she's sleeping sweetly."
"Err. I don't think she's sleeping, exactly. And even if she is, how sweet do you think she'd be in the trunk of a car?"
"Shut up Romeyo. Am tellin' you! It was for the best, what if someone looked into the car when we were in there? They might think that was a dead body and called the police! Imagine!"
They reached the car. No one else was around, the lot was empty and dark, but for the few street lights scattered around the lot.
"They aren't here, Lulu."
"Well, they must have gone to the loo! Great! So, we can check on Rasgullah! Give me the keys." She put out her hand like a doctor asking for the scalpel.
"Err, in case you didn't realize. This is Ether's car. I don't have the keys."
"What!" She tossed a look at Nerdy, standing there with his hands in his pockets. "Okay nevermind, that's not a problem." She pulled out a hairpin and stuck it into the trunk's keylock.
Nerdy did a doubletake. "Wha...Layla! You're breaking into his car now?"
"Oh come on. Don't be a sissy, Romeyo. IQ is in 'ere. We have to make sure she's fine." She twisted her hand as she tested the lock.
The lock clicked. She shot Nerdy a triumphant smile and gestured at the trunk. "Tada!"
The trunk opened up. Empty.
