Harmless

When the Butler led them in, Hazel was waiting with a huge smile beside Ray.

"I'm glad you could make it." She said as she extended her arms and when Moira caught hold of it, she pulled her in and kissed the air beside Moira's cheeks heartily.

"Why won't we? I remember we dined together more often in the past." A broad look made its way to her face. Back then, the Companies had not grown to such lengths so, they had more free time to be together, but now, family and business and grown up issues had made them reduce socializing drastically. "So, it's really good to be doing this again."

"Come." Hazel held her hand and pulled her along, similarly leading them further into the house, Dylan followed with his hands in his pocket and Ciara stuck with him all the while. It was irritating! Especially when you didn't like physical contact with others.

Ciara was in awe of the house. The shiny glass windows started from almost the roof, extending to the ground floor and the white curtains had the same length. The chandeliers were gleaming even without the lights due to the gold they were made of and everything was just wonderfully amazing. If she thought the Smith house as beautiful, then this was extravagant. Everything just seemed to have been chosen by an expert. The house seemed empty apart from the to and fro movement of the servants. Her eyes caught the stairs and she eyed it as if she expected someone to come down from it in the next moment.

"Where are Kimberly and Jasmine?"

Hazel raised her head and her eyes followed Ciara's line of sight. "Probably somewhere around, I'm not sure." She shrugged, letting her eyes take a quick glance at everything. They were no longer babies that she had to worry about their every move.

Since it seemed like they were going to wait, Dylan didn't mind getting out for some minutes before dinner started, so he took the excuse to go for a kind of sight-seeing walk outside. And Hazel didn't seem to mind either, the elders just needed a lot of time to catch up on things. Especially - it looked like - Jayden.

The cool air beat down on Dylan when he stepped out of the house. It was still a bit cold, but it was bearably enjoyable, carrying the scent of the flowers from the garden and the little whispers of people around, it smelled of nothing but freshness and as he breathed more of it in, his nose caught a familiar scent.

"Don't you feel cold?" Ciara asked as she came to stand by him, rubbing her palms together to reduce the effect of the cool.

His brows creased. "No." But he answered her anyway, curtly, giving her side glances at the same time. If only she would get the cue.

Ciara pouted as she nodded, her gaze sweeping over everything at the same time.

"Geez, it's sick here!" She said over and over. Having been here for the first time, the intensity of the beauty of everywhere shook her to her being. How simple it was, not exaggerated, plus, she had always been a fan of fashion. "Do you think Kimberly designed this?" She asked as she remembered Kimberly again and Dylan sucked in a sharp breath at her talkativeness.

"How would I know that, Ciara?" She clamped her mouth shut and nodded again, getting the feeling he was irritated. Not talking was not something she liked doing very much and things to say where popping up in her head every now and then.

"I was wondering..." She was cut off as Dylan turned abruptly and walked away in quick, long strides as if he was running away from a Devil, making her bite her tongue as she watched his disappearing figure under the lights. She needed to watch her tongue if she wanted to get close to him, otherwise, she would stand no chance.

-----

"I hope you don't act irrationally." Amelia told Jasmine calmly. Since that day she acted so sinisterly, she had been on the lookout for when that thing in her would snap, but it looked like Jasmine fully had it under control. For how long was what bothered her. She had been chanting this like a mantra for her on a daily basis after that, yet Jasmine seemed completely fine with it, however, it only increased Amelia's worries. To her, it seemed a lot more better to let things out than leaving it all caged in and hurting you. Jasmine, just was never like that. She preferred to bury everything somewhere deep down and padlock the coffin, not expressing feelings, to Amelia, it was one of the things that made her be the way she was.

"Why would I?" Jasmine raised her shoulders slightly. "It's just a harmless, family dinner, so why should I act irrationally?" There was clearly a note of amusement buried deep in her voice. And there was something about the way she pronounced 'harmless' - so smoothly, yet so roughly, so slowly - that it made Amelia's survival instincts heighten, but again, "they're here, I have to go." And she walked away again before it could grow more.

Jasmine was walking out of the door, but before she could take another step outside, she was thrown back fiercely and as her legs moved back without anything to get a hold on, she hit her back against a chair, it was quite painful. Her back arched as all the air was sucked out of her lungs. What the hell was that?

Someone stepped into the light and when Jasmine saw that person, her face darkened.

"It seems like you forgot about us." The person flashed Jasmine a devastating smile and she looked away instantly.

"You think this is the right place to bring that up?" As she spoke, she noticed that her stomach was hurting badly. What did...

"I thought you didn't care about things like that."

Jasmine's eyes went round everything as she pursed her lips. "I just... Haven't had time." She bit out and the person let out a short laugh as she sounded ridiculous.

"I don't know what to call..."

"Ma'am..." Amelia was coming out, but she had to trail off when the feeling of someone else being there hit her hard, she heard a brief heartbeat. Her head whipped to the darkness immediately, but it was gone, like she had imagined it all. She must not have, she could swear someone was there and the feeling of checking it out was deep within her, but before she could move, the sound of Jasmine's low groan pierced through her imagination and her head flew to Jasmine.