(CW: use of drugs and alcohol, therefore some light dubious consent)
"A rave?! You must be raving mad."
"Ha. Ha. Clever, but it's not a rave. It's a music festival."
"At night."
"Yes."
"In the woods."
"Well technically-"
"And there will be body painters."
"I don't know-"
"No, I'm telling you there will be. I looked up the website to this thing. It's a rave. A drug-fueled, dangerous, sex fest."
"Oh Elle, come on. Don't be so dramatic." Alice was used to her sister's dramatics, but usually she was a spectator to them. Unfortunately, this time, she was the subject as she sat on the stool at the kitchen counter. Her sister launched into her morally superior speech.
"Alice, I can't believe you even thought of going, let alone actually purchased a ticket!" Eleanor paced the kitchen again. Her third or fourth lap, Alice couldn't remember. She tried to listen calmly to her sister's rant, but her mind drifted away as it usually did. Eleanor and Alice had been quite close growing up. Only three years apart, their mother had given them equally old-fashioned names, then promptly left them to the foster care system and disappeared.
Eleanor had internalized the rejection and took on the role of mother. The two girls were kept together as much as possible, but there were some periods of separation. The minute she turned eighteen, Eleanor got her license, got a job, and got custody of her little sister. That was six years ago. Of course Alice was grateful for everything her sister had sacrificed, but she sometimes regretted that Elle couldn't just be her sister instead of mother too. Alice sighed.
"...And on top of all that, you are going alone? ALONE ALICE?! Have you lost your mind? Are you listening to me?"
Alice reluctantly tuned back in, "Elle, I will be fiiiiine. And I'm not going alone. I'm meeting Kyla and Fernanda there."
Elle wilted, "Your internet friends?"
"I've met them in person before!" Alice protested.
"Fine fine, but when you die in a mosh pit or get murdered at your campsite, don't come crying to me!" Eleanor stomped out of the kitchen and Alice heard her bedroom door slam. She sighed again. She'd have to make up with her sister before she left and find some way to reassure her of her safety.
For the moment, it was best to let Elle cool down. Alice plodded to her bedroom and started pulling clothing out of her closet to pack. She had an old duffle sitting on her bed ready.
To be fair to her sister, the outfits she had in mind for the weekend were absolutely "rave outfits". She didn't have a lot of money for clothes, after helping with bills and groceries, but she'd saved enough for a few things. Plus it helped that she was petite and could often still find items in the girls section. Her shoes for example were from the youth section of the local department store.
Alice threw several pairs of underwear, socks, plain t-shirts, and shorts into the bag first, then added her more risqué clothes. These included a blue romper with short shorts lined with white lace and lace spaghetti straps, a white crop top with a sweetheart neckline, and a pleated skirt with hearts on the hem. She also had white fishnet stockings and a stack of ribbons to weave into her blonde hair if she found the time.
Gathering her stuff from their small shared bathroom, she dumped the necessities into the duffle. An array of wild-colored makeup followed. Finally, her pillow and a few blankets since she didn't own a sleeping bag. Her friends did have a tent they all planned to share at the festival campsite.
After packing up her pride, Alice made up with her sister. Elle was still unhappy, but took some comfort from Alice's reassurances and promises to call often.
_ _
The festival site was already bustling when Alice's ride share dropped her at the gate. After her ID and ticket were scanned, she threaded her way through the field of people to her campsite. Kyla was instantly visible with her wild, red hair and lanky build. She was puttering around the site, setting up chairs and putting out a cooler. Alice adjusted the strap of her duffle on her shoulder and trudged toward her friend, who did a twirling leap and started to dance a jig when she saw Alice.
"Alli, Alli, Alli!!!" She rushed over to intercept her friend. Kyla had on a purple romper with a huge sun hat covering her red hair and fair skin. Her makeup consisted of green eyeshadow, green lipstick, and long, fake purple lashes. She was as fabulous as she was ridiculous.
"Hi Ky, nice hat!"
"Thank you. Can't risk sunburn you know." She grinned and tipped her head so the floppy hat flounced over her eyes then back.
Alice looked around, "Where's Fern?"
"Over there," Kyla gestured to a nearby campsite. "She made friends already."
Fernanda could be spotted in a throng of other ravers, laughing and passing a blunt. Her all white outfit stood out among the more colorful crowd. She had on a white, fishnet top which showed off her sports bra. Her white bike shorts came down to about mid thigh and she topped off the whole ensemble with long, white rabbit ears affixed to a headband.
She caught her friends' stares and broke into a wider smile, "Alice! Ky! Come meet our neighbors!"
Kyla nodded and waved before turning to Alice, "Get your stuff in the tent and then let me do your makeup!" Alice smiled and followed her bossy friend's instructions. She then submitted to Kyla's creative whims and twenty minutes later found herself with red eyeshadow, glittery mascara, and strangely, a line of hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds painted down the side of her cheek in black and red.
"Why the designs? I love it but it's odd isn't it?"
Kyla grinned, "Not at all, Alice. It SUITS you!" Then she took off toward Fern cackling away.
Alice rolled her eyes, but followed. She'd chosen the powder blue romper with lace to wear for the first night. Its femininity contrasted with her black combat style boots. According to Kyla, serious shoes were more important than fashion because of mud.
The crowd Fern was standing with had shrunk a little, so when Alice joined, she was introduced to them quickly. The first was Rod, a tall man with skin so dark and smooth it was almost reflective. He wore more lime green than anyone had a right to own and when he smiled, it lit up the whole campsite. Jenna was far less flamboyant in her choice of rave outfit, just a pair of red overalls and a yellow baseball cap. She had a wicked glint in her eye as Alice said hi, but the uneasiness faded as the rest of the odd group were introduced.
"Rod has graciously agreed to share his joint with us as long as I share my stash too." Fern held up a baggy of pale, pink pills and grinned.
"Fern!" Kyla grabbed her hand and shoved the bag down out of sight. "We don't need to get arrested to make this weekend count! Keep your pharmaceuticals out of sight around the masses please."
The group laughed as Rod lit another joint and began passing it around. Alice wasn't much of a smoker, but she took a polite puff and followed the conversation silently. Suddenly, music blared from the next field over and squealing festival goers began making their way toward the cacophony.
"Let's go! This first band is supposed to be shit, but I want to experience said shit from the mosh pit!" Fern gripped her friend's arms and steered them away.
