Before reading please be warned that this story is dark and twisted, there will be explicit scenes and scenes of a nature that could be triggering. Please take care when reading and stop if you find yourself struggling. Life is dark and scary, not just butterflies and rainbows. Happy endings don't always come from happy beginnings and this is Mia's story.
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"Lauren, calm down. Tell me again but slower what you are trying to say I can't understand all your squealing." Mia sighed as she tried to decipher what Lauren was trying to say "I said my great grandad on my mums side passed away suddenly leaving everything behind, he left the three great grandkids all his estate and money. Let's go to Vegas for a few nights, see if we can double it!" Mia groaned, she struggled to keep up with Lauren half the time. Her ideas were crazy, it was only last week she said she wanted to plan a trip back packing through Thailand. "I know it sounds crazy and you're probably rolling your eyes but come on, how often can you say you've got £50,000 to spend? A trip to Las Vegas could double it and we could finally move out and get a nice place together like we planned." Mia could hear the desperation in Lauren's voice as she pleaded with her best friend to agree to the trip. "Fine but I'm only paying for the flights, it was your idea after all! Where we stay is completely up to you. Fancy popping round later and we can get it all booked?" Suddenly the idea of leaving the country for some random fun felt like a good idea to Mia. It had been a while since she had let loose and enjoyed herself, working as a lawyer was tough even if she worked mainly from home. The clocked ticked by as Mia typed up her final emails for the day, a knock at the door pulled her out of her zone. She closed her laptop lid and went to let Lauren in.
"Oh My God, Mia you've got to look at this hotel. We will barely have to leave so your fear of getting lost in Vegas shouldn't be an issue. There is a casino and bar directly underneath and a pool too for when we are too hungover. You said it's my choice but I just wanted to make sure you liked it before I booked it, just don't look at the price!" She passed Mia her phone to show her the listing for the hotel, £4,500 for 4 nights was insane but wasn't down to Mia to complain, flights were a bargain for her compared to that. "It looks great! Get it booked we've got some shopping to do!" Mia grabbed her keys and Lauren followed as they drove to the clothes stores.
"Mia that dress is amazing on you, you've got to get it! My treat for coming with me." Mia rolled her eyes while secretly appreciating the dress, she loved it too. Her confidence skyrocketed as she stared at herself in the mirror, she looked elegant and classy. Exactly how she needed to look in Las Vegas to be taken seriously. Lauren tapped her card on the machine and let out a small giggle, Mia smiled knowing just exactly how much fun she was getting out of having this money. They packed up their items and headed towards to car. "Everything's booked! So in 2 days we fly out to Vegas!" Lauren's voice was ecstatic, she was so happy about being able to do this trip. "How about a glass of prosecco to celebrate? I've got work tomorrow though so only one, got to save ourselves for Vegas now!" Mia offered as they started to separate the clothes bags. "Sure, one won't hurt." After both of them agreeing to one it was only natural to finish the bottle, Lauren ordered a taxi home and Mia retired to her room to pack her bags.
Mia's head raced with excitement and nerves, mixed with the Prosecco, she started to feel nauseous. She sat on her bed twiddling one of her dresses between her fingers, thinking of all the things that could go wrong in Las Vegas. As two women in their 20's it made her nervous to go out without some kind of protection. She packed her safety key ring, equipped with a mini pepper spray, seatbelt cutter and a mini hidden knife all wrapped up on a small key ring, decorated with a fluffy ball key ring. She chucked it in her bag with the rest of her things. "Surely Vegas isn't that dangerous." She muttered to herself as she zipped up her suitcase. lying down on the bed she sighed, adventures were great until there was too much time to worry. She double checked her plane tickets, preordered the taxi to Lauren's house and made a fresh glass of water. As she sipped down the water, fighting with the urge to be sick she had a text. "All packed up and ready to go, will see you soon!" Lauren's text was short and sweet, Mia could tell she was excited to go. She curled up in bed as her consciousness drifted in and out, the alcohol in her system leaving her feeling dizzy. dreaming of the loud hustle of the casino floor, sounds of chips being stacked, slot machines chiming with winner sounds and a dark haired man in the background with a mischievous smile.
"Oh crap." Mia yelled as she jumped out of bed, she missed her alarms. She was officially 3 hours late. She called Lauren and explained she over slept, luckily Lauren was in the same boat. They agreed to take their things to Lauren's and get ready from there. Mia jumped in the shower and rushed through her routine of washing her hair and shaving her legs. The taxi arrived early, as usual Mia was not ready. she grabbed all her things and rushed to the door. As taxi rides went this guy was quiet, he said nothing to Mia as they drove the twenty minutes to Lauren's apartment. Mia uttered a thank you as she rushed out of the car with her bags, her wet hair wrapped up in socks, slowly developing gentle waves in her dark brown, shoulder length hair. Lauren greeted her with a smile and invited her in, her place was small but homely. She had spent hours redecorating and organising her ideas to bring them to life. Her small living room filled with comfortable chairs and sofas, her cats bed tucked in the corner. Mia settled herself on a chair and opened her bags. After an hour of getting ready, putting makeup on and repacking their things they were ready. Luckily they had managed to save time and wouldn't miss their flight. She ordered the taxi to the airport while Lauren checked with her sister on what time she was coming to watch the cat. They waited outside for the taxi, bubbling with anticipation.