Chapter 1: Morning Dripps

The flat was quiet except for the rattle of Ty's controller and the low hum of his game. Sunlight split through the blinds, striping the couch where he sat in his hoodie, hair a dark tangle. Seventeen, broke, fresh off another fight with Mum. He'd shown up at Riley's door with one backpack two weeks ago. She hadn't asked questions, just rolled her eyes and said, "Couch is yours. Don't eat my cereal."

He was still figuring out what it meant to live under her roof.

Her door cracked. The ring light glow bled into the hall. Ty had heard the muffled soundtrack earlier-breathless gasps, the scrape of a chair, the short laugh Riley sometimes made when she finished. He told himself not to think about it. That was the price of free rent: ignoring the soundtrack.

Now she padded out barefoot, phone in hand, hair mussed, drowning in an old band tee that hung to her thighs. A lilac g-string cut high over her hips. Her skin gleamed faintly in the sun slats, thighs slick in a way Ty noticed and immediately looked away from.

Riley collapsed into the armchair opposite him, scrolling. The chat buzz from her stream hadn't stopped-tips, likes, clips already circulating. She ignored most of it, flicking through private messages. Her mouth curved into a grin.

"Top tipper again," she said under her breath. She tapped out a reply, then read the next message and laughed. "Greedy bastard."

Ty didn't ask. He kept his eyes locked on the screen.

"Yeah, yeah," Riley said, thumbs moving. "One more, then you're cut off."

She didn't go back to her room. Instead, she hooked her fingers under her shirt and yanked it up to her collarbones. Sunlight painted hard stripes across her tits as she snapped a photo, sent it, and let the tee drop again.

"Fuck's sake, Riley," Ty muttered, finally looking up.

"What?" she said, grinning. Another ping. "See? Rent paid."

He groaned and sank deeper into his hoodie. "Do that in your room."

"I just did, for half an hour." She stretched lazily, still watching him squirm. "This was customer service."

Ty shook his head, pretending to refocus on the game. He'd grown up around Riley's shamelessness, but living with it was something else. She was loud, unapologetic, and always half-naked in the flat. He told himself he didn't care. Some days it was true.

"Anyway," she said, tossing her phone onto her lap, "Soph's party tonight. Remember Sophie? My old best mate from school."

Ty frowned, then nodded. Sophie had been Riley's shadow back in the day, copying her eyeliner and her laugh, orbiting just close enough to catch the glow. "What's the occasion?"

"Being alive," Riley said. "She's throwing a big one at her folks' place. Wants to pack it out. Thinks if I show, everyone else will too."

"She's not wrong," Ty said.

"She's not," Riley agreed, smirking. "She wants me to be the star without stealing the spotlight. Just... be there. Look good. Smile."

"You gonna stream it?"

"Maybe. Depends how boring it gets."

Ty snorted. He could already picture the lounge full of people angling for selfies with Riley, Sophie watching from the edge, proud and jealous all at once.

"You still talk to her much?" he asked.

"On and off," Riley said. "She's good people, though. Her mum let me crash when I got kicked out at sixteen. That's loyalty."

Ty nodded. He couldn't argue with that.

They fell into silence again, just the hum of the console and Riley tapping at her phone. She stretched sideways across the chair, legs draped over the arm, shirt riding up without a care. Ty rolled his eyes and focused harder on his screen.

After a while, Riley pushed herself up. "You'll be alright here?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'll grab noodles or something."

She picked up her mug, drained the cold coffee, and dropped it in the sink. "Take my card if you need proper food. Don't rinse it."

"I won't." He hesitated, then added, "I'll get work soon."

"I know," she said. No pity in her tone, just certainty. "Till then, I've got us."

It hit him heavier than any lecture.

Riley disappeared into her room. Ty half-expected her to flop back into bed, but ten minutes later the door opened again and she stepped out transformed. The baggy tee was gone. In its place: a slinky black dress clinging to her in ways that made his brain stutter. Thin straps, low neckline, hem cut high enough to flash the top of her thighs as she moved. She'd put on her face too-sharp eyeliner, glossy lips, hair pulled into waves that caught the light.

"Jesus," Ty muttered before he could stop himself.

She grinned, spinning once like she was her own audience. "Sophie wanted a star."

"You'll get her the whole galaxy."

"Exactly." She grabbed her phone, heels dangling from one hand, and slung a small bag over her shoulder. At the door, she kissed the top of his head, quick and habitual.

"Don't wait up," she said.

"I won't," he lied.

Riley smirked, already halfway gone. Ty watched her slip out into the bright afternoon, dress flashing, phone buzzing, energy radiating like she bent gravity wherever she walked. The flat felt bigger without her, but also emptier.

He turned back to his game, but the silence pressed harder than before.

Chapter 2: The First Glow

Sophie's street was a mess of cars, basslines rattling windows, kids spilling smoke at the letterboxes. Riley walked up the path in her heels, black slip dress clinging like it had been painted on, hair loose, lips glossed. She didn't need to carry anything; she was the thing people came to see.

The door swung open before she knocked. Sophie's face-lit up, buzzing-was all nerves and pride. "You actually came."

"Course I did." Riley brushed past with a grin, letting the heat and stink of RTDs hit her. The lounge was crammed, LEDs throwing pink and blue across a sea of faces. Conversations stalled, heads turned, then the noise spiked higher.

Sophie hovered close, trying to soak in reflected attention. "Told you she'd show," she whispered to someone, but Riley didn't care. She moved through the crowd like she owned it, letting eyes stick.

Drinks were shoved into her hand. Phones came up. She gave them looks, not poses-half smiles, bitten lip, a flash of thigh when she leaned. She wasn't here to work, but she knew how to tease.

That's when they appeared-Levi and Nate. Not boys, not really. Men in their mid-twenties, both built like they'd come from training or trouble. Levi was taller, lean with sharp cheekbones; Nate broader, ink up his forearm, jaw shadow rough.

"You're causing accidents," Levi said, gaze sweeping like he'd already stripped her.

Riley raised a brow. "And you're original?"

Nate laughed. "Heard you're fun."

"Depends who's asking," she shot back, sipping from her can.

Sophie nudged her, trying to play casual. "They're decent. Promise."

Riley looked between them, slow, unimpressed at first. She wasn't planning on fucking at Sophie's party. But the music was hot, the air sticky, and the boys weren't shy. The way Sophie kept glancing between them made it obvious she wanted Riley to light the place up.

"Ten minutes," Riley said finally. "If you're boring, I'm walking."

Nate grinned. "Deal."

They made for the hallway. Sophie hesitated, then followed-like she couldn't stop herself. Riley glanced back, smirked, and didn't shut her out.

Sophie's parents' room was bigger than the others, bedspread crisp, curtains half-drawn. The forbidden quality made it filthier.

Levi and Nate barely had the door shut before Riley pushed them onto the edge of the bed. She tugged zips, pulled belts loose, dragged cocks free. Both already half-hard, heavy in her hands.

"Lucky bastards," Sophie muttered from the doorway, face flushed.

"Shut the door then," Riley said, dropping to her knees.

She started with both at once-jerking them sloppy until spit ran over her fists, then taking turns sucking them down. Levi hissed when she gagged herself on his length; Nate groaned when she spat and smeared the mess over his shaft before swallowing him too. She worked them like toys, throat raw, spit stringing, eyes glassy.

"Fuck me, she's-" Levi cut off, hand gripping her hair.

"She's insane," Nate panted.

Riley pulled off with a wet gasp, drool slicking her chin. "Don't just stand there. Use me."

They didn't need telling twice. Levi hauled her up and bent her over the bed, dress shoved to her waist, g-string ripped aside. Nate moved in front, pushing his cock into her mouth as Levi slammed into her from behind. Spitroast-hard, messy, perfect.

Riley moaned around Nate's length, drool pooling on his balls, while Levi drove into her cunt with rough snaps that made the bed creak. Her mascara streaked as she choked and gagged; Sophie's breath hitched in the corner, frozen watching her best friend get used like a toy.

Riley pulled off Nate long enough to laugh. "Harder," she barked, voice wrecked. "Both of you."

They obeyed. Levi's hips smacked her ass, wet and brutal. Nate shoved deep into her throat until she gagged loud, spit and pre-cum bubbling at her lips. The room was thick with it-sweat, slick, the sound of bodies colliding.

Levi's rhythm faltered; he yanked out and shoved her down. "Swap," he grunted. Nate lined up behind her and pushed in, stretching her wider, groaning as he bottomed out. Levi fed himself back into her mouth, making her choke all over again.

It was chaos. Every thrust had her dripping, slick soaking her thighs, cunt clenching around Nate until she squirted across the sheets. Sophie gasped. Riley only laughed around Levi's cock, gurgling, proud of the mess.

Then it happened.

At first it looked like sweat catching the lamp-thin gold along her collarbone. Sophie saw it and froze, phone already in her hand before she realized. Riley blinked, confused, about to speak-

And then the glow poured through her.

Light burned under her skin, bright veins racing her ribs, hips, arms. Nate swore out loud. Levi pulled back, eyes wide.

"What the fuck-" Riley choked, panic sparking. For a second she almost covered herself, almost bolted. Then Nate slammed into her harder, and the glow pulsed brighter, heat fusing with orgasm.

Her eyes rolled, her whole body convulsed, and she screamed around Levi's cock as she came-squirting violently, light flaring so bright the room looked like day.

Sophie's phone was up now, lens shaking but steady enough to catch Riley glowing, gagging, dripping, getting split open and loving it.

The door burst open-two drunk kids stumbling in, freezing at the sight. Phones whipped up. "No way. That's her. She's fucking glowing."

Riley pulled off Levi with spit dripping, eyes blazing gold. For a beat she looked shocked, undone. Then she grinned, wild and feral.

"Film it," she snarled, voice rough. "Get all of it."

They did. Sophie did. Every angle of her glowing, thighs messy, cunt stretched, mouth wrecked.

Nate groaned and emptied in her, cock jerking inside. Levi tugged himself and spattered across her glowing back. Riley laughed, body shaking, covered in cum and light.

When she stood, she yanked her dress down over ruined thighs without shame. The glow dimmed but didn't vanish, humming beneath her skin like a secret she'd just made public.

Phones filled the doorway, voices buzzing with disbelief. Sophie stared at her screen, tears pricking her eyes.

"You're-" she whispered.

"Trending," Riley cut in, smirking, cum still sliding down her leg. She looked straight into the nearest lens. "Good. Let them fucking look."

Chapter 3: Seen

The front step was cooler than the house. Sophie leaned against the rail, phone clutched like a relic, pupils still blown. The party roared behind the door-new rumours hatching every minute, someone swearing they'd seen an angel, someone else yelling CGI, bro. Riley's dress clung damp to her thighs; her hair was wrecked; her lipstick was a memory.

"What the fuck was that?" she asked, half-laughing because the alternative was shaking.

Sophie swallowed. "I don't know. But it was real." She turned the screen and there Riley was again, raw and glowing, light skittering along her ribs while two sets of hands held her in place. The clip was already covered in comments. Private story, sure. Private for about thirty seconds.

Riley watched herself flare white-gold and bite down on a moan, and for a second her stomach dropped with something that felt like fear. Then it pivoted into hunger. "Send me that," she said.

"I already did," Sophie whispered. "Riles-are you okay?"

Riley leaned in and kissed her cheek, quick. "I'm perfect." She popped her heels back onto the path and raised a hand for a car. "Go be the queen of your first legendary party."

Sophie's laugh broke on her teeth. "You did that."

"Then wear it," Riley said, and walked to the curb like her legs didn't tremble.

The Uber pulled up with a judder. The driver glanced at her in the mirror, then looked away like he'd seen a crime. Riley sank into the back seat, dress sticking, throat sore, thighs still tacky where cum had dried. She didn't apologise for the state of her body; she didn't have to. She watched the city smear by while the clip downloaded-herself bent over, a bright vein of light threading her spine, the shout in the doorway, the camera tilt, Sophie's breath catching. The heat that rode up her neck wasn't shame.

Home. Ty's hoodie was a dark pile on the couch, his legs underneath it, controller forgotten. The TV washed the room in blue. He looked up, saw her face, saw the mascara, the wild hair, and then did what a younger brother does with no tools: he pretended none of that existed.

"You're already trending," he said, voice flat, eyes not quite finding hers.

"What are they saying?" She kicked her shoes off and padded in, trying not to leave a story on the floor.

He cleared his throat. "There's three angles from the-uh, from the room. People are arguing about whether it's edited, but it's the same glow in all the clips. You... lit up." He swallowed. "When you... yeah."

"When I came," Riley said, easy, to save him the stutter.

He nodded once, grateful and mortified. "They're freeze-framing your back. Someone slowed it to half speed-when the guy behind you-when he-" His ears went scarlet. "Anyway, the light gets brighter. And people are losing their shit. Half of them think it's special effects. The other half are swearing it's real."

Riley's heartbeat thudded in her throat. "You watched them?"

"Enough to know it's not a filter," he said, finally meeting her eyes. "I'm not... judging. I just-" He made a helpless shape with his hand. "It's you."

"It's me," she agreed. "And it was-" She stopped. She didn't have a word that didn't sound like religion.

Ty nodded, relief and embarrassment tangling. "I'm gonna... give you space."

"Thanks, little bro."

She took her phone and slipped down the short hall, shutting herself into the ensuite with a soft click. The light was harsh; the mirror unforgiving. She looked wrecked and beautiful: lipstick ghosts, mascara smudge, hair wild. There was a smear of dried cum on her thigh she hadn't noticed yet. She smiled at her reflection like she was a treat.

She perched on the closed toilet lid and opened Sophie's message. The video bloomed in her hand. There she was, on her knees at first, taking them both; there she was, bent and used; there she was, laughing with spit on her chin; there-there-the flicker at her collarbone like the first lick of flame.

Riley slid her dress up and off so she didn't have to fight it. No audience, no angle, just the mirror and the glass rectangle and the ache building low. She spat into her palm, slicked her fingers, and pressed two inside herself-slow, then faster, staring at the screen while she rode her own hand. Her breath fogged the mirror. Her thighs shone, wet again in seconds.

The clip hit the part where she begged them harder and the room had obeyed. Riley's mouth fell open. She ground her heel into the tile for leverage, fucking her fingers with short, dirty snaps. The sound of her own voice through the phone-wrecked, mean-made her whine. She added a third finger and curled, chasing the edge like it was prey. The mirror gave her everything: flushed chest, shaking legs, eyes going glassy.

"Come on," she whispered to herself, to the girl in the glass, to the light she didn't understand. "Come on, come on-"

It started as a pressure behind her breastbone and a prickle along her shoulders. When her thumb found her clit just right-hard, fast circles-the pressure broke. Light licked under her skin, a thin spill of gold racing her ribs. She gasped and nearly stopped. Habit said film it; hunger said ride it. She pushed harder, wrist burning, hips canting, breath fracturing.

The glow answered, brighter-veins threading the soft insides of her arms, a thin halo at her throat. Riley moaned, loud enough that Ty could have heard if the extractor fan wasn't whining. She didn't care. She watched herself turn into a live wire, hair sticking to her cheek, mouth open and greedy. She thought about Levi's hand on her hip, about Nate choking her until her eyes ran, about Sophie's lens shaking as if awe had a tremor.

The heat hit like a fist unclenching. Riley's body seized and broke; slick shot from her in a hot arc against the tile with a sound that made her bite her wrist to muffle it. Her fingers worked through it, relentless, dragging more out of herself because why wouldn't she. The glow blew white-gold, dazzling, veins of light pulsing with each aftershock until she slumped forward on one elbow, panting, dripping, laughing under her breath at her own ruin.

The bathroom light flickered. Her phone screen glitched-static and a white-out like a camera flash. For a second she thought she'd broken it with cum, which was funny, which would be so on brand, and then letters burned onto the white.

You have been seen.

Her pulse thumped once, hard. A link materialised under the words, crisp and impossible:

Road to Ascension - Apply Now.

The glow faded under her skin, banked like embers. Riley wiped her chin with the back of her hand and stared at the phone, heart still battering her ribs. She didn't believe in signs. She believed in angles and attention.

"Hi," she said to the empty room, voice still rough. "Nice to meet you too."

She tapped the link with a cum-slick thumb and smiled at the mirror like she'd just swallowed a dare.