Chapter 42

The group arrived at the Le Grande Hotel and made their way up to the ballroom where Natalie's party was held. This was Ana's first time in the massive hotel, so she held on to Khai's arm, sticking close to him.

Stepping out of the elevator, the group collectively walked on the crowded red carpet leading to the ballroom. The entire ballroom was decorated with accents of old Hollywood glamour. Gold and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, but the room remained dimly lit. The décor featured a color scheme of gold, black and white with dramatic flower arrangements, crystal lights, velvet drapes and sparkling crystal accents. The whole party screamed chic and glamourous. A classical jazz band was playing live music at one corner of the room.

Natalie stood on stage in a jaw dropping costume of princess jasmine. Her costume hid very little of her lean but voluptuous body. A single spotlight followed her everywhere she moved, making sure she was the center of attention in the otherwise dimly lit room. People couldn't help but stare when she moved, amazed by her beauty, her appeal and her ability to pull off such an extravagant party.

Everyone was dressed in elaborate costumes and the air was filled with heavy excitement and laughter. Austin ushered them to the bar so they could all get some drinks. The lively atmosphere made Ana's mood slightly better, but she still refused to drink as she was in no mood to be intoxicated.

Natalie approached them, the spotlight still on her as she made her way to the bar. Ana saw her coming in and smiled at her. But her smile was met with a glare so hostile that Ana took a step back, feeling intimidated. When the rest of the group turned around, Natalie's expression quickly changed into a friendly smile. She hugged everyone as they wished her a happy birthday. Ana hid behind Khai, knowing that Natalie would not want to even speak with her.

"Khai, you look so handsome." She gushed after he practically shoved her away from her tight hug.

"Ana designed the costume." He smirked.

"Well, she has good taste, I'll give her that." She delivered the compliment with her eyes still on Khai, as though Ana didn't exist less than two feet away from them.

"Who's your Aladdin, Nat?" Austin blew the smoke from his clay pipe directly onto Natalie's face, causing her to go into a coughing fit.

Khai used the opportunity to disappear from her line of sight. He quickly grabbed Ana and took her to the other side of the ballroom to get some food.

A few feet away from Austin, Maeve was gulping her third vodka shot within the first thirty minutes of entering the party.

Elliot chuckled softly as he stopped her from taking the fourth. "Maeve, stop. You're tempting me to take advantage of you."

Maeve gave him a frustrated glare. She couldn't believe that he was teasing her despite the situation he had put her in. She looked around for a distraction as he casually leaned against the bar to stare at her. "I found at least three girls eyeing you in the last ten seconds. Why don't you go speak to them? That hot nurse over there can't seem to take her eyes of you."

Elliot didn't bother looking away from her. "I can smell your jealousy and I prefer real doctors over fake nurses."

Maeve's expression turned troubled. She didn't know if she was blushing because of his words or because of the grin on his handsome face. Unable to take his advances anymore, she tried to walk away from him.

Elliot held his arm out to stop her from moving forward, but quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I won't flirt anymore. I'm sorry, please stay."

Her intentions to leave crumbled like a sandcastle in the tide. She laughed at herself internally, wondering how she was going to get through the night with her sanity intact.

"How's Tristan?" Elliot asked, as he motioned to the bartender to refill his drink.

Maeve's head snapped up in surprise. Tristan was her fiancé. She found it odd that Elliot would ask about him when he was flirting with her only a few seconds ago. A pang of anger started to build in her heart at his lack of jealousy, but she suppressed it, alarmed at her own hypocrisy. "He's doing well. His automobile business is picking up back in Orestes."

"Sweet. I was planning on upgrading my Jeep. Do you think you could talk to him to get me a good deal?"

Maeve's anger only seemed to grow. She narrowed her eyes at him, but simply nodded, trying her best to stay calm. Luckily for them both, the topic quickly changed.

"Have you noticed something different about her?" He asked gesturing towards Ana and Khai as he picked up his bourbon.

Maeve observed Khai and Ana from across the room. Her brother was tirelessly presenting Ana with every available dish at the party, urging her to eat more. Despite his persistent efforts, Ana only took small bites, her lips curved into a gentle smile as she tried to assuage Khai's worries.

Maeve couldn't help but notice that Anaya appeared distant and unengaged throughout the entire car ride to the party. Her laughter in response to Elliot's jokes lacked genuine mirth and her responses to attempts at conversation were brief and courteous, yet hollow.

She also noticed how Khai moved around her, as if he was holding her together, dreading that she would collapse like a card castle. The two of them stuck close to each other, as if seeking comfort from an unknown fear.

"I do. Something's wrong." Maeve said.

Elliot nodded in agreement. "I think so too. Did you know Ana started defense training lessons with him?"

Maeve didn't know this, but that didn't surprise her. She was not privy to every detail of her brother's life, neither was he interested in knowing about hers. She was completely at peace with this arrangement because her bond with Khai ran too deep to worry about surface distances. She only wanted him to be happy, no matter what he was doing with his time.

She was however curious as to why Ana was learning self defense. She was a Healer who was only starting out at Arcane with no impending war on the horizon.

"I trained her all of last week because Khai had soccer practice right after legacy training. She was pretty intense." Elliot continued.

"Intense? What do you mean?"

"I took her to the boxing gym for our last session. She had he fiery energy in her as she went at it on the punching bag. It was almost like she was attacking someone while fighting for her life. There was a sense of urgency in her movements and she had this angst in her that seemed so unlike her usual self."

Maeve could sense the worry in Elliot's tone. It was evident that he cared for Ana and this care stemmed from the close relationship he shared with Khai. Maeve was grateful for the presence of both Elliot and Austin in her brother's life. They were his pillars of support, helping him navigate through some of the most challenging times of his life.

The summer after Maeve and Khai had lost their parents, Khai wouldn't leave his room, too broken and numb from all the pain he felt. Other eight year old boys would prefer to play outside instead of sitting with their broken friend, but Elliot and Austin refused to leave Khai's side.

"You're a good friend Elliot. I'm glad Khai has you in his life." She smiled.

Elliot snorted, before his gaze turned somber. "You have me in your life too, Maeve. I'm serious. I know I lost you and I only myself to blame. But if you ever need me, no matter where we are in life, remember to reach out."

Maeve's lips parted at the sincerity in his words. She could tell that he wasn't flirting, or playing around like he was earlier. He genuinely meant these words. She gave him a brief nod, suppressing the urge to hug him tightly. She walked over to the rest of the group, who seemed to have now moved to the dance floor.

Ana and Khai joined everyone on the dance floor as well. The party suddenly seemed to gain momentum as everyone surrendered to the alcohol. The music got louder, more energetic and upbeat. George and Meghan, drinks in hand, joined the others on the crowded dance floor. Meghan pulled Ana away from Khai and spun her friend around. Ana laughed for the first time in days as she danced away with Meghan.

As Meghan and Ana danced with each other, someone bumped into Meghan aggressively. She turned around angrily to see a guy dressed as the Joker from Batman sheepishly apologize to her. Scared that she would spill her drink on Ana, she quickly guzzled the whole thing down, wincing at the odd taste of the alcohol. They continued moving to the music, finally allowing themselves to enjoy the moment after the long week they all had.