The Precise Art Of Staying Alive

Chapter 52 - The Precise Art Of Awkward Dinner Parties

We'd only been sitting on the balcony for another hour and a half when the snow began to fall heavier, coming in large waves of snow, cold and thick and fast. It was the beginning of what must've been a blizzard, the wind picking up and slamming into us, the freezing cold snow blanketing the world around us, making it impossible to see the town. River ended up dragging us into the warmth of the living room, shutting the door firmly behind them.

River had closed the door leading to the hall, and drawn all of the heavy red curtains closed, making the room feel small and cosy. A red and orange fire flickered in the fireplace, filling the room with the smell of woodsmoke and warmth. River was wearing the dress they wore to the ball, a long, soft-pink dress and a crown of tiny-white flowers in their hair. I wondered who they were dressing up for: Asher or Reid, or both. I looked to the sitting area, where the table had been set up with elegant wine glasses, plates and cutlery, as well as a red napkin beside each plate, folded in the shape of a swan.

"The table looks nice." I said lightly, breaking the silence. River shot me an appreciative smile, fiddling with the edge of their dress.

"Thank you. I got bored while everyone else was getting ready." I walked over to inspect the table, turning over a placard with my name written on it in elegant script.

"A seating plan? That's such a cute idea." I smiled, my eyes drifting over to where River and Asher's names had been placed together and I smiled a little wider.

"And sneaky. Subtle River, very subtle." River's cheeks went slightly pink, but their face remained impassive as they raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're talking about." River said. I opened my mouth to reply but River was saved from further interrogation by a heavy knock on the door. River moved to open it and Theo walked over to me, leaning back against the table.

"Do you trust them?" He asked quietly, jerking his head towards River. I hesitated, just for a second, before nodding.

"What about the others?" He asked. I paused again, my mind flicking over everything I knew about Asher, Catrin and Reid.

"I want to. I don't think they did it." I said carefully. Theo studied my face, before giving me a sharp nod.

"Okay. Shall we go and greet our guests?" Asher said smoothly, walking forward just as Asher walked into the room, followed shortly by Catrin and then, a little way behind, Reid. They all looked like they'd been caught in the blizzard for only a few moments, and whilst there was snow on their shoulders and heads, they seemed more or less normal. Asher brushed the snow off the top of his head, winking at River.

"We meet again. Unfortunately, you don't get to see me in a suit, but this is close enough." Asher said, adjusting the sleeve of his collared white shirt pointedly. He wore black dress pants and his hair was slicked back the way I'd seen it be once before. Darker eyeliner than usual ringed his eyes, and his collared shirt was rolled up his arms, but aside from that, he could've been a guest at one of his father's fancy, uptight parties. Luckily, he didn't look completely formal, and the grin he threw at River immediately melted any worries I'd had about him secretly being in league with his father or hunter.

Catrin followed behind Asher, clad in a slinky, dark red dress with a V-neck. Her eyes were lined with dark eyeliner, and there was a tiny white dot of eyeshadow at the corner of each of her eyes, before turning into black eyeshadow. Her hair was worn natural and out, her afro reaching her shoulders, and in the light, bits of her hair glittered golden brown. I felt my gaze stay on her for a second too long, and quickly looked to wear Reid was coming in.

He wore an ivory suit, stark against his dark skin, and a floral shirt beneath it, and grey and black necklaces glittered at his throat. Everyone looked so different, so formal that normally I would've felt uneasy in my short dress, but instead I sauntered by to the others, raising a hand in greeting.

"Welcome to the murder house." I said brightly. Catrin smirked, Reid jumped, shifting uncomfortably and Asher gave a slight laugh, but his eyes were too fixed on River to notice. I walked over to the table, where a tall bottle of wine had been set up, the cork already off. I'd expected there to be water, but apparently someone else had other ideas. Regardless, I poured the wine into all of the glasses set up, gesturing for everyone to take their drinks. I was left standing with two glasses in hand, one for me and one for Nicole, who had yet to make an appearance. I sniffed at the dark red liquid and wrinkled my nose at the sour stench, but took a sip anyway, trying not to make a face. I set Nicole's wine glass on a table off to the side and, after a second's hesitation and another less-than-good sip of wine, set my own down next to it.

I looked across the room, seeing people spread out across it. River and Asher were talking quietly, Asher's wine glass already almost empty, Catrin was talking to Theo and Reid was standing alone, off to the side. I walked over to Reid, what I hoped passed for a sympathetic expression on my face.

"How are you going, with the Hunter thing, and all of that?" I asked, carefully avoiding the words murder or death. Reid looked on edge, like he was going to run away any second as it was.

"I've been better."

"Where you two close?" I prompted. Reid shifted uncomfortably.

"Hunter used me to dispose of...things. Aside from that, we didn't really talk." Reid said awkwardly. I refrained from asking what things were, and instead looked to the door, where Nicole was walking in. She wore a two-piece black outfit, the top a tight, off-the-shoulder shirt, coming just down to her navel, and the bottom was a pair of high-waisted pants, flared slightly out below the knee. As usual, she wore her yellow leather boots, and her hair was tied up in a bun. She had on dark eyeshadow, but aside from that, her face was void of make-up.

"You're on time." Theo muttered sarcastically. Nicole shot him a glare, her eyes ice cold.

"My boyfriend got brutally murdered." She snapped. I winced, walking over to the table and trying to muster as much enthusiasm as I could.

"So, shall we have dinner?"