Violet Eden Chapters 04 - Endless

said, walking into a dark tunnel that went right through the middle of the pillar. It was the kind of shadowy underpass that the pre-Grigori me would’ve avoided like the plague – one that even the Grigori me wasn’t thrilled about. But when Zoe skipped after Spence with a wink in my direction, what else could I do but follow?
    Halfway through the tunnel, which was acting as a shelter for a number of homeless people, I started to feel a familiar buzz.
    ‘Are there Grigori here?’ I asked, when Spence stopped and knocked on a door that was almost hidden in the midnight black of the tunnel.
    ‘You could say that,’ he said.
    The door opened, and a woman looked all three of us up and down before giving a small nod. ‘Masks or not?’ She didn’t introduce herself but she was obviously Grigori.
    ‘Masks,’ Spence said.
    With that, the woman stepped aside and we walked in. As we passed her, our hair changed colour and she handed each of us a small crystal mask. Spence’s was black, Zoe’s was pink – much to her satisfaction – and mine was gold, to match my top I guessed.
    I looked at my new hair – it was still high in a ponytail but when I pulled the ends around they were at least a foot longer and now a dark burgundy. Zoe’s hair was completely pink, another thing that had her beaming, and when we looked at Spence we both burst out laughing.
    ‘No way,’ he said to the woman. ‘Anything but orange!
    ’ Zoe and I were in hysterics, gasping for breath and holding our stomachs. The woman at the door laughed too, but must’ve taken pity on him because she waved her hand and his hair changed to marine blue. He put on his mask. It fit so well, like a second skin. If I didn’t know it was Spence, I would never have guessed.
    Zoe and I positioned ourown masks.
    ‘You know the rules?’ the woman asked.
    ‘No forcing identities, no powers, no photos, masks off only by choice, no fighting, no drawing weapons,’ Spence replied.
    She nodded and gestured to a set of stairs. ‘Have a nice night.’
    We walked up, the buzz of Grigori now surrounding me.
    ‘What is this place?’ I asked when we reached the top of the stairs. We were now inside the bridge’s pillar, and the space – which was far larger than the impression given by the outside – was filled with people. No, Grigori . On the outer edges, tall metal scaffolding spiralled up for what must have been a hundred metres, parting at one point into three separate columns. Overhanging balconies and small rooms embedded into the high walls overflowed with Grigori, all drinking, laughing, dancing, partying. Most with masks, some without.
    ‘This is Ascension . New York’s Grigori-only club,’ Spence said.
    ‘Why the masks?’
    ‘Cause this is a place where we’re supposed to be able to let loose. A lot of Grigori are positioned in the military or within the government and don’t want their identities to be common knowledge. Some are the Rogue. Others just like to come here and not have to be who they are in their normal work. This is strictly off-duty. Let’s get a drink. Morgan and Max said they’d meet us at the bar.’
    ‘We don’t have ID,’I said, following in starry-eyed amazement. This place would make Dapper salivate.
    ‘Doesn’t matter,’ Zoe threw an arm over my shoulder. ‘They don’t check ID. Half the Grigori here look like they’re underage and are definitely not. It takes too much time and an all-Grigori club has its own laws,’ Zoe had to yell over the music.
    ‘Nice,’ I said, my smile growing as the bass beats of the music reverberated through the floor and all around me. The vibe was incredible and I found myself laughing as Spence passed me the first of what would become many drinks. Looking around, I realised for the first time since arriving in New York that no one was watching me. No one knew who I was and no one cared to find out.

    Okay, just because a person is Grigori. Just because that means they are warriors that fight to protect humanity’s right to free will and existence – does not mean they are responsibly recreational.
    My eyes bugged out at some of the things I saw. Once let off the leash, Grigori partied hard. I could understand why. Some of them would have been hundreds of years old, constantly caught up in the battle against exiles. I guess they figured that if they couldn’t completely let go when among their own people, then when could they?
    Once I’d managed to sneak off the dance