For a long pause Leon, Wes and Christian's glances flickered at each other, swapping silent thoughts, such as "What are we going to do now?", "We can't attract too much attention, especially at a public event like this", "What is Reed up to this time?" Only Emmerich did not join their tacit communication, his murderous gaze escorted the bad guy all the way out of the room.
Kira anxiously observed in the direction of the patio, seeing Reed come out first. He sent an unfathomable smile at her, and then joined the Coleson's table. Seconds later she saw the Therks, sauntering impassively to their places. Their expressions were serene but the girl knew better than to believe that nothing happened inside. She hastily scrambled for her cellphone in her purse and texted Emmerich:
'Is everything alright?'
Almost instantaneously she received a reply from him, 'Yes.' Dissatisfied with the answer, she cast a demanding glance at him, but he could only shake his head slightly in response. The blond host took the microphone back into his hands during the second course of dinner with a cheery voice, announcing the beginning of the auction. In quiet whispers everyone examined sheets of papers with various bids written on them, like a vacation in Hawaii, tour to the Grand Canyon, ticket to Paris, etc. Kira watched her father sign one of the bids, glanced at Leon scribbling down on his papers and at Reed who was courteously smiling and conversing with Mr. Coleson. Once the guests were done, the waiters took their bids on their trays and hurriedly retreated. The host merrily roared over the mike for the party to continue. The DJ began to play electronic music, blaring from the loudspeakers and captivating mostly the youth. The dance floor was instantly swarmed with people, energetically moving to the beats of the modern club mix. Lauren and Alyson were encouraging Kira to take part which she agreed, seeing the Therks stand from their seats. With the corner of her eye she spotted Reed offering Mrs. Coleson to dance with him. Bashful at first yet in the end she could not resist his charm and accepted his hand.
For the sake of the party out heroes resolved to temporarily forget about Reed, resigning to having fun at the party. Emmerich found Kira in the midst of the throng, looking genuinely relaxed and began to dance to the music. Right beside were Lauren and Alyson, bouncing vigorously with their hands up. Leon and Wes were also enjoying themselves, surrounded by lovely young females. The outside lights were dimmed and a strobing effect added some flavor similar in the clubs.
The youth indulged itself under the fast lurid beats, screaming and woohooing with joy. The elderly sat by the tables, observing them with a smile on their wrinkled faces, recalling the times they were young and active. The parents strolled around the garden, marveling the animal-shaped shrubs and conversing about work. Lauren noticed Christian sitting alone but didn't come to his table straight away, insecure and afraid he might reject her company. After the second song she fit all her courage into her fist and find elbowed her way out of the crowd.
Christian was blankly staring at his half full glass of whisky.
'Mind if I join?' Lauren asked.
He looked up at her, his expression unreadable, and shook his head. Lauren took a seat next to him, quietly exhaling, and said:
'So, is the glass half full or half empty?'
Christian made a quizzical look. 'Is the glass half full or half empty for you?' she repeated, emphasizing the two new words.
'Oh, analyzing me?'
'Just curious. Bad day, eh?' Lauren glanced at his glass of whisky.
'I've had better,' he answered blandly, continuing to stare at his drink.
Lauren took a huge gulp of air and after a beat asked, 'Wanna dance?'
'Not really,' Christian said dryly, sipping his alcohol.
