"Happy Birthday, Sweetie!" Iliana's mom trilled. "Surprise!"
Iliana blinked. And then remembered - I'm eighteen!! I'm eighteen? Today's my birthday?!?! "Uh-thanks, Mom - guys!"
Chiara bounced up and down with excitement. "Surprise! Surprise! SURPRISE!!!!!! Happy Birthdayyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!" She ran over and bear hugged Iliana, squealing the entire time. "Aren't you excited!! We surprised you!!!" Dragging her behind, Chiara gave Iliana the 'grand tour'. "Here are your presents! And Dmitri! And Stella! And parents! And sister! And her husband! And the cake and ice cream!! I love fooooood!!" Chiara released Iliana's hand and began twirling around in circles around the food.
Dmitri shook his head, a slight smile on his face as he watched the ditzy blond run circles around him. "Silly girl, what goes on in that head of hers?"
Suddenly snapping out of her stupor, Iliana shrugged her shoulders. "How am I supposed to know? It's not like anyone can read any body else's mind!"
"If only I could read hers." Dmitri bit his lip in concentration.
Iliana raised her eyebrow, but didn't say anything before -
Ding-dong!
Iliana's mother turned to get it, but Iliana ran to beat her to the door. There was no one there. "Hello? Hello?" She scanned the yard, then the street, and then across the street. Nothing. Absolutely, completely, wholly nothing. "What on earth?" she whispered to herself. "I know I heard the-"
"What is it, kid?" Iliana's sister, Nora came up behind her.
Iliana spun around, very confused. "What's what?"
"Who rang?"
"No one..." Iliana trailed off when she saw her sister's lifted eyebrow. "Really! There was no one!"
"Mm-hm. Interesting." Nora surveyed the yard and looked all around, but she too found nothing. "Let's get back to your party. The ice cream's melting." And with that dispassionate sentence, Nora glided back into the dining room.
Iliana gave one last look around, then followed her back to the party.
"Who was it?" Their mom turned around expectantly. "Did they not come?"
Nora shrugged. "Some prankster, probably."
Chiara picked up on Nora's last word and began chanting it as she twirled around the room again. "Probably! Pro-Bob-Lee! Prooooooo-Bobbbbb-Leeeeee!" Stella jumped and joined her in her random dance, the two of them alternating syllables.
"Pro-"
"Bob-"
"Lee!"
Nora just shook her head and sat down by her husband, Charles Dirk. They both just sat in silence and shook their heads.
Soon, everyone had settled in comfortably and was enjoying the party. However, Iliana couldn't help but notice that Dmitri rarely tore his eyes away from Chiara's flitting form. Every now and then, he would type something onto his Band interface, always shielding whatever he had written from whoever he was sitting next to currently.
Hmmm...what is he doing? It's not like Dmitri to be so secretive, unless...he is breaking the rules!! But...why? He can't be a part of the Rebelution!! Or...can he?
Later in the privacy of her room while preparing for bed, Iliana mulled over the day's events. She strolled over to her vanity and began brushing her hair, and - what was that?! There on top of everything was a very small box wrapped in royal blue foil and silver ribbon: her favorite colors. Iliana ran over to the window and pulled it open, hoping to catch the intruder. No one. Of course not! It's probably a surprise from Mom or Dad.
YOU ARE READING
Refuge of Lies
Adventure"I think, therefore, I am. " -Renee Descartes What if there was a culture where philosophical thinking was not only admired, but demanded? What if in that culture, if you could not prove you could philosophically think, you would be executed...
