Argent Eye II

29

I smiled, although began to feel a little nervous that she'd seen me. I could sense Ronan shift uncomfortably, clearly unimpressed that I'd been spotted. "Hey, Ellie." I said.

Ellie came and hugged me. "So glad you could make it." She said. "And who's this?" She looked at Ronan.

"Oh, this is Robert." I said, linking my arm through his. "He's..." I wasn't sure what to say.

"Good acquaintances with Doctor Geralds." Ronan finished. "But you won't remember that."

I could see Ellie's face change a little as the words sunk in, before she shook it off, seemingly forgetting about the fact that she'd just been introduced to someone who shouldn't be here.

"You look amazing, by the way." She said, motioning to my dress. "I almost didn't recognise you!"

I mean, that was good. I smiled. "And you- I love that dress!"

"Thank you." She grinned, giving a little courtesy. "Come, I'll introduce you to my friends." She said.

"Actually, we have some other people we want to speak to first." Ronan interrupted.

"Yes." I said. "We can come speak to you later?"

"Okay." Ellie said cheerfully, and then returned back to her friends.

"We should take a look around." Ronan suggested quietly, bending down to my ear.

I nodded, scanning my eyes around the room, looking for anything that could be suspicious. There was only one other door on this floor, which had a man standing outside with an earpiece in- did that mean it led somewhere that ordinary guests weren't allowed in?

"Good evening, everyone!"

Doctor Geralds' voice echoed round the entire room, cutting into everyone's conversations. All faces turned to look at the doctor, who was still standing in the middle of the balcony. The lighting was far brighter up there, which made it more beneficial for me- it would mean he'd find it harder to see people's faces down here in the dark.

"I'm so glad you could all make it tonight." He continued. "As you all know, tonight marks the celebration of an extraordinary discovery. Most of you are here on business, and are expecting to see something spectacular happen- well, let me tell you, you are not going to be disappointed. The rest of you know exactly what's going on, and will assist me in presenting my findings. In about an hours time, I will invite you all to see what I've been working on. But until then, I hope you all have a splendid evening. Help yourself to refreshments, and enjoy the music."

Everyone in the room clapped, which only widened the grin on Doctor Geralds' face, before returning back to their conversations and helping themselves to more champagne.

"I hope this is better than the last one." I heard a woman say behind me- she was speaking to a couple of other men. "Do you remember how disastrous that was?" She chuckled, as did the men.

"I've been assured that this time, it's something big." One of the men responded. "That it could change the world as we know it."

The woman scoffed. "I'll believe that when I see it."

I turned back to Ronan. "Did you hear that?" I whispered.

He nodded. "Anything that can change the world as we know it combined with Doctor Geralds can't be good."

"I'm betting that whatever it is, it's behind that door." I said, motioning to the guarded door.

Ronan nodded. "I'm going to have a look. Stay with your friend. Blend in."