Midnight Mercury was packed, and, with the dim lighting, I felt unsettled knowing that I could be mingling among beasts.

On our way here, we crammed ourselves into a car. Memphis seemed unbothered by the use of these foreign technologies, but I was hypnotized by it. Not only did the car get us to Midnight Mercury so fast, but it also had air conditioning.

The Outside was not shaping up to be too bad.

I was so mesmerized by the car itself that I spent no time looking out the windows at the scenery. Having only read a handful of books, I knew the future was riddled with things I could only imagine, but experiencing it was exhilarating.

A bright light flashed into my eyes, causing pressure to mount in my head. While experiencing new adventures was more exciting than I ever could have imagined, it was also extremely overwhelming.

As we walked closer to the bar, my eyes landed on a wall-mounted screen. On the screen, it displayed images of beautiful people smiling and drinking — realistic paintings. I tilted my head, feeling as if I was drunk — or what I imagined drunk feeling like — before I had even tasted any alcohol.

Natasha came up behind me, "TV. One of the wonders of the modern world. I don't know how you survive without it."

She patted me on the back, as she passed by so she could order us some drinks at the bar. My heart stilled at the sight of the bartender, fangs elongated from his mouth.

A vampire.

Looking around frantically for an exit, I wanted to plan my way out in case something went wrong. Not that I'd have any place to run to.

"They're fake," Memphis came up behind me, "he's human."

I turned to Memphis, whose body was naturally swaying with the music. "How do you know?"

He laughed, probably amused by my naivety. He motioned for me to look around and take a closer glance.

I did and was shocked to see other people dressed up as fairies, warlocks, and werewolves. I froze, thinking this was a bad idea, but I willed myself to take an even closer look.

Relief instantly flooded me as I saw the "fairy" had wings that were strapped on. The warlocks wand looked real from afar, but when he titled it over to pour its content into a cup, I knew that it was another rouse. It was fake. They were all fake, and I almost collapsed in relief. In response, I playfully hit Memphis on his shoulder.

"A little warning would have been nice," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest.

"And miss you nearly have a heart attack? No way," he smirked, guiding Si, Gracie, and me to the bar.

"Ah there you are," Natasha looked up from the cell phone she was holding, drinks already on the countertop for us. She laughed to herself before saying, "I'm guessing by the looks on your faces that my nitwit cousin didn't tell you this is a Supernatural themed bar? Anyway, I got us all a shot of Vampire Blood — don't worry that's just the name."

She passed out the red-colored shots to us all. Once everyone had one in their hands, we all downed the shots. The alcohol instantly burned my throat, and I almost spit it out, my body rejecting the putrid liquid. My face scrunched up, and I hoped that not all the drinks we would consume tonight would taste like that.

Si started to cough and had to take a seat, as his face heated up. Inside the Borderlands, we barely had any alcohol. It was hard to come by, and it was only brought out for special occasions. Most people never got the luxury of trying it, but I was starting to think it wasn't much of a luxury.

"This is poison," Si spit out, and I silently agreed. I had only ever drank water, a couple sips of some soda, and now Vampire Blood. My pallet was not refined, at all.

"Alcohol doesn't need to taste good as long as it gets you drunk. Fuck, you guys are more sheltered than I thought. I thought Memphis was sheltered, but you guys are like the Amish!" Natasha soaked in everything around her, appearing to have a good time.

"The what?" Gracie asked, and it made me relax to know that even Gracie seemed to be out of her element here.

"The Amish. You know, the people who don't rely on modern technology and ride around on horse and buggy. They're almost extinct now, but a couple communities exist in Pennsylvania," she spewed out like it was common knowledge.

"So basically us but on the Outside?" I asked, my throat still dry from the Vampire's Blood.

"Do they really not teach you anything inside the Border? I guess you literally do live in a bubble but still," she scratched her neck, and it seemed like Memphis had given her a false sense of what true Borderlanders were like. "I'm going to get us all a milder drink."

Natasha, dressed in a black dress that made her hair pop, went to the other side of the bar to get the fake vampire bartender. We loitered around the side of the bar she had left us at, unsure of what to do.

The bar, when we first entered, was packed but not too overwhelming, but more people (I hope) were being shuffled in. The electric-sounding music blasted throughout the room, adding to the pressure building in my head. Tables were off to the left of the bar and just beyond that was the dance floor. My cheeks instantly heated at the thought of someone seeing me dance.

Red, blue, and purple lights traveled around the dance floor in beat with the music, which had Memphis bopping his head alongside. Most everyone had a drink in their hand and shoes on their feet. It was odd seeing so many Outsiders. They looked just like people from the Borderlands, but they carried themselves differently.

Their shoulders were held higher and most of them wore a smile on their face. They didn't give a second glance at the television screens or multicolored lights.

Up above the dance floor was a loft area, where only the most exclusive club members could enter — certainly not us. There were only a few stragglers up there, silently looking down below. Memphis said that's where a lot of the important Supernaturals liked to hang out. When it would begin to get crowded, that was our cue to leave.

Natasha came back bearing drinks that looked more palatable. She said we would start out classic with a rum and Coke. I smiled, at least there was something a little familiar in this uncharted land. I'd only ever had Coke a couple times before, but it was the thing I was most familiar with here.

Taking a sip, I was glad it didn't have my throat screaming for water. It seemed like Si also could manage to drink this one better, too. Now, we wouldn't draw as much attention; maybe we could even blend in more, but I knew that was wishful thinking.

"Oh my fucking god," a high-pitched voice cracked from behind.

"Jess, I told you not to come here," Natasha moaned, her words mostly getting lost in the beat of the music.

"You think I would miss meeting Borderlanders—"

"—sh, Jess, you don't know who is listening," Natasha scolded her.

"Or what is listening," Gracie added.

"I like her," Jess said, "take a selfie with me, will you?"

"A what?" Gracie asked, confused.

"No," Memphis huffed out before sternly looking at Natasha. "Natasha."

"Relax, Mem, I was only kidding. Lighten up," Jess gave Memphis a side-eye, and then made her way over to the bartender.

"My big cousin has total Alpha energy right now, don't you think, Jess?" Natasha laughed, already finished with her second drink.

I turned to Memphis, "I think I like the Outside. The Almighty Memphis doesn't seem to get always his way."

Gracie smirked," And I think Outside Sage. She seems a little more bold than usual."

I giggled, "I think that's drunk Sage, but I think I like her, too. No love. I lo-o-o-ove her — no me."

We laughed together before I looked down at my empty drink. I guess I had liked it more than I originally thought. Should that be enough to make me drunk? I was unsure. I had never had alcohol before, and I knew my empty stomach and small stature didn't help.

What I lacked in height I made up in spirit is what Pa used to say. I would forever be his little girl, figuratively and quite literally, stuck at a measly 5'1. Oftentimes, I had to stand on my tippy toes just to reach something, but most of the time — even then — I wasn't tall enough to actually reach anything without a footstool.

As the night continued to wear on, a weight was lifted off my shoulders as I drank two more rum and Cokes. I was not as adventurous as Gracie or Memphis, who were eager to try things with names that I couldn't even pronounce if I was sober.

Dancing the night away, it felt good to not be afraid of the world that stood before me. It felt good to let loose like this, but I had to keep my thoughts from drifting so far. I loved the Borderlands — one night of fun would not change that.

Pa said the Outside was laced with beautiful, intoxicating glamour. It's all just a trick to make the Outside seem like it wasn't a Hellscape, but I couldn't help but believe that at least part of this glamour was real.

Life in the Borderlands was survival-based. Do what you need to to survive. Life out here seemed so different, and, in my drunken state, part of me didn't want to leave. A bigger part of me was sick to my stomach at that thought — how could I want to stay here?

"Woah, woah, woah, Sage, I think you need to be cut off," Memphis smirked at me, preventing me from adding yet another drink to Natasha's tab.

"You're no fun, Mempiss," I moaned, trying my best to look like a lost puppy. "It's my birthday!"

"Happy Birthday!" a few fellow drunk people yelled at me, barely heard over the loud repetitive music.

"Happy Birthday to you, too!" I shouted back to no one in particular before I stood on my tippy toes — still too short to reach Memphis' ear - and whispered, "maybe you're, like — I can't finish that sentence."

I burst out in laughter again, and Memphis' eyes bulged widely. He tried to grab me by the scruff of my tank top, but Si stepped in and called Memphis a misogynist before putting an arm over my shoulder, taking us deeper into the dance floor.

Imitating the others around us, we danced close together. His front rubbed up against my back. It felt strange, having Si so close, but I had to blend it. I had to appear as one of the Outsiders, not that I minded too much in the heat of the moment.

I was so caught up in swaying with the music, I hadn't realized that Si had backed away till I heard a bit of a scuffle behind me. Eyes closed, I decided to continue to dance along. I was afraid that if I stopped, I would throw up and spend the rest of my night emptying my stomach.

Lost in attempting to settle my stomach, I hadn't realized someone had come up behind me. I thought it was Si until they got closer.

"Mate," the stranger whispered seductively into the crook of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. Outsiders had a weird way of showing their affection towards strangers, but my body wasn't objecting to the close proximity.

"I think I'm going to throw up."