Blue Rose

Chapter 17

It was Tuesday morning and to say everyone's nerves were frazzled was an understatement. Nicholai had asked Alexander at least seven times where his glasses were, Sung-Ha had dropped two plates, and Flavia had almost set fire to the kitchen. Not to mention Adrian and Santiago were at each others throats, fighting like alley cats, or an old married couple, Alexander couldn't decide which fit better.

"Will you both shut the hell up?" Yan-Ting sat at the table, sharpening his already very sharp knives. Santiago and Adrian grumbled something under their breaths but nevertheless did as told. Alexander walked towards the control room, making sure to pick up everything they needed. Once done he dropped the papers on the dining room table.

"Sung-Ha, you picked up our clothes right?" Sung-Ha nodded, quickly returning his focus to the food on the stove.

"The clothes are in your respective rooms." Alexander hummed in approval, moving on.

"Let's go over the plan once more." He spread out a map of the estate where the gala was being held and beckoned everyone over. It took Alexander about half an hour of explaining to be sure that everyone had understood.

"Oh for fucks sake Alexander, we know the plan. We aren't a group of five year olds you're trying to keep from running away on a field trip." Complained Santiago, receiving a small, "sure feels like it though" from Sung-Ha in response. Santiago blatantly ignored him.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Alexander did feel bad. His constant nagging and worrying was probably driving everyone else up the wall. The only one who could slightly relate to him was probably Sung-Ha, who once again seemed to be trying his very best not to fret over everyone. They all ate breakfast in relative silence, save for Milena and Santiago conversing over some kind of defense tactic.

"I'm not really hungry." Spoke Adrian, moving the food around on his plate, only to receive a small glare from Sung-Ha.

"You can't function on an empty stomach." Alexander tuned them out. The plan was good, not fool-proof, but still good. This however didn't stop the dark thoughts crowding around in his mind. A hand found his underneath the table, effectively wrenching Alexander out of his thoughts. Nicholai squeezed his hand softly, a gesture that should have been reassuring. However it just reminded Alexander of how much he had to lose. His parents had never let him outside their estate, always making him dedicate everything to his studies. He'd never had a friend group, never actually loved anyone outside his family, whether platonically or romantically. The day passed much faster than he would have liked, hours turned to minutes and soon enough they had only an hour before it was time to leave.

"Yan-Ting! Help me." Commanded Milena, turning around, allowing her partner for the night to zip up her dress. She was wearing a floor length dress, the lavender color nicely complementing her tan skin. Milena seemed like an actual princess, the top of the dress a sort of lacy pattern while the bottom flared out. 

"I don't know about this Sung-Ha." Mumbled Flavia. Her sleeveless cherry red dress hugged her figure, showing off her curves, the fabric bellow her knees looser but not flaring out. She seemed much less confident in her dress. If Alexander had to guess it was probably due to the fact that she was comparing herself to her sister, who was skinnier. They both looked absolutely stunning though. 

"I think you look beautiful." Piped up Santiago, receiving a surprised look from everyone in the room.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. That just didn't sound childish for once." Santiago whacked Nicholai on the arm. Everyone else was to wear a black tuxedo, the only splash of color would be coming from Nicholai's and Santiago's brightly colored hair. While everyone else got ready, Nicholai was busy covering up Alexander's tattoos.