The Party

(POV Andrea "Andy" Williams)

Winter had always been my favorite season. Not because I liked to curl up in my bed with hot chocolate, but because of the frosty, pleasing-to-the-eye scenery. I loved the look of the shining snow beneath the yellow lamppost during late twilight. The sound of said crunching snow was hypnotizing as was the picture of my own warm breath clashing with the freezing air. The icicles draping down from the rooftops and the children throwing snowballs and building friends. Something about this short, freezing era of the year made me so warm inside.

"You done 'taking in the scenery', Andy?" Easton laughed, jogging up to me. His light brown coffee colored hair was an awful mess, but the silly boy didn't seem to mind. If he tried to look nice, he certainly could; Easton had all of the right looks to be the golden boy of the school, or the scarily hot, seductive player, but instead he chose to be by my side as the dramatically rude, over protective, leather-jacket-minus-the-motorcycle scumbag. Really, I wouldn't trade him for anything. Well, maybe for his sweet little brother.

"Leave her alone, Easton," Blake grumbled, catching up to us as well. He was out of breath, huffing and puffing, his scrawny chest rising and falling dramatically. I smiled at the fourteen year old, only three years younger than me and four younger than his disrespectfully blunt brother. It wasn't fair that Blake was sick, but really there wasn't anything we could do about it besides let him live while he could. And that's exactly what Easton and I planned to do.

"So, where are we heading to?" I asked, breaking the rivalry. "It is Christmas eve, isn't it? Don't we have a party to attend?" Easton smirked and nodded towards a trail at the brink of the treeline. I gave him a hesitant look, but he assured me it was alright by grinning deviously from ear to ear and pulling me along. Blake sighed as he sucked in a huge breath and sprinted after us.

The trail did lead to a party, but not the kind of party I was hoping for. There were lights strung up along the trees in a demented circle. In the center of said circle was a clearing with no snow, only frosty grass, filled with dancing people categorized into four sections.

1) Drunk/tipsy,

2) High,

3) Both, or

4) uncomfortable

I wasn't sure which of those categories I wanted to join as Easton pulled me past a speaker blasting music toward a table filled with drinks. I didn't really want to join any, actually. Call me a party-pooper or an optimist, but I just wanted to dance and celebrate christmas with my best friend.

"Take your pick, Andy," Easton smirked, gesturing to three different cups. The red solo cup on the left was filled with a weird brown with white fizz around the top. The middle one was a tiny glass clear, like water, and the one on the left was an hourglass shaped cup with a very dark red liquid inside. Growing up without parents in a harsh christain boarding school really limited the knowledge I was supposed to know as a teenage girl. I bit my lip and looked around the area. Nearly everyone had a cup in their hand. If I didn't want to drink would that be weird? I didn't want to be weird.

I looked up to Easton with a worried face. He only smiled brighter and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Or, you know, we could skip the drinks and just go dance? It's ok if you don't want to drink. You're not legal either way," he laughed, basically reading my mind. He picked up the tiny glass, slurped it down, and winked at me. I chuckled at the boy as he shook his head like a wet dog, messing up his hair even more. "Let's dance, Andy."

I followed Easton out into the big clearing, the music blasting and the flashing christmas lights our only sense of light. We danced and danced to Chris Brown, Usher, Drake, and a bit of T.I.. Everything was perfect.

"Hey, where's Blake?" I asked Easton over the music.

"HUH?" he replied, a bit tipsy. I pulled his collar down and brought my lips to his ear.

"I'm going to go find Blake, alright?" I said, into his ear this time. Easton pulled back, his face flushed red, and nodded. I walked off, gently maneuvering through the crowd. I didn't want to push someone who was drunk and have them fall. That would be awful.

After I finally escaped, I scanned the area for Blake, but he was nowhere to be seen. I walked up to some boy who was sucking the face of a petite brunette girl and tapped him on the shoulder. He gave me a confused look while the girl glared, but I ignored it. "Excuse me, I'm looking for a little boy with golden brown hair and hazel eyes. He isn't supposed to be here. His name's Blake. Have you seen him?" I asked over the music. The boy was a bit shocked, I'm guessing because I wasn't drunk out of my mind, but he responded anyway as the girl began sucking his neck.

"Uh, yeah actually," he said. "I think I saw him dart into the woods that way." The boy pointed to the trail that kept going into the woods. However, there was no light to see where it went. I bit my lip and thanked the guy, pulling out my phone for its flashlight. Blake wouldn't have ran off into the woods by himself, would he? He wasn't stupid like his brother… was he?

I didn't call out his name as I wondered further and further from the party. If someone dangerous was out here and didn't see my flashlight, they would definitely hear my screaming. Though my school drilled the "everyone can be a good person if you say the right things' concept into our heads, Easton taught me to know better. There are bad people out there. Murderers. Kidnappers. Rapists. I wasn't going to get into a trap like that.

In the distance, I saw another light. A few, actually. Along with the lights were voices. I quickly shut my phone off and slid behind a tree closer to them, listening in on the conversation. There were three people, two guys and a lady. They didn't seem like they were from the party in their fancy suits and dress. I swallowed the lump in my throat to calm my thoughts and listen in.

"Elenora, what are we going to do with the body?" the tallest man, a strawberry blonde with big blue eyes, said, his voice a bit shaky. "If we get caught, the boss will--"

"Shut it, Sean. I'm not worried about the boss. I'm worried about the feds," the girl, silver dyed hair, heavy eyelashes and eyeliner, and beautiful silky silver dress and black jacket, snapped. Her pierced lip was quivering a bit, but she hid it well. I noticed she had a heavy british accent, but it was more intimidating than it was fancy. The boys quieted down, looking at the body in the shallow snow. "We can deal with my overbearing little brother later."

"R-right, but shouldn't we get rid of it?" the shortest boy, dark brown curls and caramel skin, added softly.

"No, Ty, we'll be ok. There's a party not too far from her--" Elenora, i think her name was, was interrupted by the sound of crunching snow, a slip, and a thud coming from behind a tree. When ordered to step out from behind their hiding spot, the mysterious eavesdropper turned out to be none other than Easton's little brother, Blake. Just the boy I was looking for. I almost chuckled at his inability to be wily, but my eyes suddenly widened, realizing the danger he was in. These four people were murderers and naive little Blake was spying on them. (then again, so was I.)

"What are you doing, kid?" Sean asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Who sent you?"

"N-no one sent m-me… I was just… I didn't m-mean to… I… I wo-won't tell--" Blake stumbled. He had always been horrible with meeting new people, and this situation didn't favor his shyness one bit.

"Damn right you won't tell! You won't live to be able to," Sean smirked. It seemed he was never afraid of killing, just of his boss. If this "boss" they keep referring to can scare these killers, he must be really something. Blake choked back a sob, slowly stepping backward. I debated whether or not to run in, swoop him up, and dart back to Easton's car. Blake was too young for this.

"Wait, Sean," Elenora said, putting a hand on his chest. She smiled widely and gestured for Blake to come forward with her polished index finger. "C'mere, cutie, I just wanna know more about you." I sighed, remembering compliments were Blake's weakness. He loved affection. The boy took a step forward, biting his lip. "What's your name, cutie?"

"B-Blake," he replied.

"Blake? That's a cute name. I'm Elle," the girl grinned, holding a gentle hand out for him. Sean and Ty tried to interrupt, but Elenora shushed them. I had a plan formulating in my head, but I wasn't sure when to pounce. I began the countdown in my head. "How old are you, Blake?"

"Fourteen," Blake nearly whispered. Three.

"My, you're awfully young, aren't you Blake?" Two.

Blake nodded. "What are you doing out here all alone?" Elenora asked, pulling the boy a bit closer, but not too close. One.

"Blake? Jeez, Blake!" I cried, jumping out from behind the tree and jogging up to the boy. He had wide eyes, probably wondering how long I'd been listening and what I was doing out here. I could ask him the same questions, actually. "Easton and I have been looking everywhere for you! Why'd you run off?"

"A-Andy? What are you doing out here?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Looking for you, Blake. First you follow us to a party when you're supposed to be home, then you run off, and now you're questioning why I'm worried?" I lied, hoping nobody saw my wobbly legs or noticed my dry throat. "C'mon, kid. Your brother is literally going to kill me!" I laughed, desperately trying to ignore the dead body in the corner of my eye. I grabbed Blake's arm and was about to tug him out of these woods when I was thwarted. Elenora had grabbed Blake's other hand, making both of us jump.

"I apologize. Andy, was it?" she smiled.

"Yeah. Andrea, but everyone calls me Andy." I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. I was never nervous to talk to people, but when faced with danger, I had no clue what to do. That was always Easton's job, protecting me and his brother.

"Well, Andrea, I'm not like everyone, if you couldn't tell from that lovely lady's body over there," she said, tugging Blake closer to her, farther from me. I was seconds away from panic. Easton taught me to lie and sneak around, but he never taught me to handle situations like this. I was sure I was walking into death. "I'm afraid you and dainty boy over here are stuck with three choices and leaving is not one of them."

"Wh-what are our, um, three choices, miss Elle?" Blake asked, fidgeting with her fingers. Somehow, Elle thought his timidness was amusing. It ticked me off a bit but I decided to keep my mouth shut. These people were dangerous and I didn't want to throw Blake and I their line of fire.

"I'm glad you asked, baby boy," Elenora grinned, lifting Blake's chin to meet her eyes. "Choice number one, die at the hands of Sean and Ty. Choice number two, die at the hands of my bossy, control freak of a little brother, or choice number three, Andrea over there is murdered by me and I get to keep you all to myself." Elenora planted a kiss on Blake's cheek, making his shudder and blush. I was more intrigued by her brother, their so-called "boss."

"Are Blake and I allowed to choose different… ending?" I choked out, trying my best to sound confident like Easton taught me. I fought back the urge to scold myself for agreeing to come to this party in the first place. It's Christmas eve and little Blake and I are going to die out in the woods.

Elenora smiled a bit. "Why? Do you not want to be killed by me? How considerate, Andrea! I just got a manicure." I bit my lip to stop myself from rolling my eyes. This girl was killing me. Well, no she wasn't. Her brother was, but that's not what I meant.

"I think I would like to meet your brother. He seems…" I trailed off, letting Elenora finish.

"Incredibly annoying and dominant?" she smirked.

"Horribly terrifying?" Ty shivered.

"Unbelievably bossy?" Sean scoffed and rolled his eyes.

I half-shrugged, breaking my eye contact with these goons. "I was going to say intriguing, but… you guys clearly know him better than me, so…" The lump in my throat returned and I failed at swallowing it. Fear slowly crept up my throat, demanding me to run away, but I couldn't leave Blake or endanger anyone else, so I stayed put, my insides burning in the cold, Christmas air.

"Seems fair to me, Elenora," Sean shrugged, the bloodlust in his eyes dying a bit.

"Yeah," Ty chimed in. "Plus, the boss might want a new toy. The last one died after only a week."

"That is true…" Elenora nodded. "Alright, it's settled then. The two of you will come with us to the penthouse. Andrea, you will meet my brother and Blake, you'll stay by my side." The British lady nodded, spinning on her heels and marching out of the woods with Blake's hand in hers. Sean was beside me as we walked out of the woods, silently drifting into his thoughts. He seemed slightly distant, maybe a bit scared. I decided to talk to him, maybe find out a little bit about what they do. Sean didn't look too intimidating when he wasn't looking for a kill.

"So, your name is Sean, right?" I asked, looking up at him. He certainly was tall, maybe about six or seven inches taller than me.

"And yours is Andrea?" he replied, no smile or eye contact. He was a bit colder than I inferred.

"Yeah, but, everyone calls me Andy. They say it suits me better," I said, basically repeating my introduction. Sean nodded to me.

"Well, as you know, Elenora, Ty, the boss, and I--especially the boss--aren't like everyone else, you know?" Sean shrugged. A slight smile crept on his face. "But, neither are you."

"What do you mean?" I faltered, slightly confused.

"Well, you're walking towards your death and probably the most dangerous, sadistic man in the country, but here you are, casually making small talk with a guy who tried to kill you not even ten minutes ago." Sean ran a hand through his hair, smiling even wider. "Honestly, I hope the boss keeps you alive, Andrea."

I smiled at that; his words filled me with a lot of hope. "Thank you, Sean. I'm sure this guy isn't as bad as you say." Sean only widened his eyes and put a hand on my shoulder, telling me that state couldn't be farther from the truth. We kept walking in silence this time as the nerves in my body began to shiver.

I've always loved the winter, but I never knew such a coldness could exist inside a person. There had to be a way to escape this. I wouldn't let myself die this easily. But what could I do? I closed my eyes and prayed that Easton was sober enough to realize his brother and I were missing. Please, Easton… get us out of here.