Aurelia

54

As I continued walking in, ignoring all the stares thrown our way, I heard footsteps behind me. I knew it was Elijah and Messiah.

The others would enter the ball later. We couldn't all enter the building at once, especially with not knowing where Maxim was and identifying his people. It would draw attention on us more than there is already.

Severs smiled at us; others just stared. Either in awe, envy, or just curiousness.

"Messiah, don't be Aurelia's shadow. Give her some space," dad said through the mic. "We don't want it to seem like she has a bodyguard."

I spared Messiah a glance, catching him nodding me and walking away. Elijah had already disappeared, and I started to move my eyes around the court, hoping to find him somewhere.

I caught sight of a familiar figure at the huge bar where many people were. I made my way over there, casually smiling at bystanders.

I needed to make sure it looked like I fit right into this.

I sat on top of the barstool two chairs away from Elijah. I didn't even spare him a glance as I waved the bartender over.

The red-haired male looked about as old as me, probably a few years older. He grinned at me politely.

"What would you like to drink, ma'am?"

I laid my elbows on the table and folded my hands under my chin, squinting my eyes at his name tag.

"Hello, Shawn," I flashed him a smile. "I have a question before I order a drink. Do you mind answering?"

He shrugged but seemed interested anyways. "Depends on the question," he told me. "But...since you're a beautiful and polite lady, I'll answer either way."

"What the fuck are you doing, Aurelia." Nic groans through the mic. And from the corner of my eye, I see Elijah look at us curiously.

I ignore them both and lean in closer, my smile widening. From far away, we should just look like we're flirting. No biggy.

"What am I in for at this ball?" It was a truthful question none of us knew the answer to and hopefully Shawn knew the answer.

"Well," he drawls, "none of us quite know. They do something different every time. And it always ends up with something bad happening."

I nodded as I took in the little information he was giving me. Something bad was going to happen, that I already knew.

I went on and told Shawn to make me a whiskey neat, and he did. I watched him as he did, making sure the polite boy wouldn't slip something in my drink.

And when he returned with my drink, I took it and gave him a wink, to which he just grinned as I got down from my seat and walked away.

I sipped on my drink and I made my way across the huge place, observing. Everyone looked...normal. But that was exactly the plan: to be normal, act normal.

But this was anything but normal.

I knew some of Maxim's few men was along those normal people. I would be a fool to think otherwise.

The music changed and I inwardly groaned people began finding a partner to slow dance with. I quickly spotted an empty booth and walked over, dropping myself in the booth with a sigh.

I try to busy myself by swirling the continents in my glass, watching as Elijah gets up from his seat and looks around. For a second I think he's looking for me, but then I see him walk up to a woman, no doubt three years older than us.