Eventually, parties start to wind down, and sometimes that's the best part of them. The music gets dim in the background, you stand or lounge around, and it's so late that everything seems special. It's like you're keeping a secret from the real world, up so late.

And that's when Beth and Sonia fall in together for something other than raucous dances and thumping music.

"We could play a game," Beth offers. She's holding yet another cupful of mead, studying it thoughtfully. This far behind everyone else, it can't hurt too much to have a drink, could it? She'd just end up buzzed, where everyone else is falling down drunk, and it wouldn't make much difference in the long run. She hopes, anyway. She's been able to stay away from the nightly rounds of liquor without too much longing. She could probably do it again. "Do you know 'Never have I ever'?"