Anastasia and the others walked out into the garage, except Pietor and Iliana, who had left early to go help set up at the dance.
"I am so excited!" Shelby squealed.
"I wonder if there will be cute guys there." Laura said back.
"Yeah, that would be amazing." Shelby elbowed Wing, who raised an eyebrow.
"Do you want to drive?" Anastasia asked Nero, swinging the ring of keys around on her finger. "I don't really like too, particularly in Pietor's truck."
"Sure." Nero replied, taking them.
"Can I drive?" Raven said, turning around.
Nero raised both eyebrows "Go ahead."
"Yes!" Raven grabbed the keys and went over to the driver's seat. Anastasia got in the passenger's side next to her.
"When was the last time you drove?" Darkdoom asked her from behind as everyone settled in.
"A little bit ago." Raven admitted "But it's all good. I remember." she scooted the seat forward so she was right up next to the steering wheel.
"Whoa." Anastasia slightly reached a hand forward "Why are you so close?"
Raven glanced at her. "This is how I've always driven."
"Why?" Anastasia asked, looking at the cramped space in which she was sitting.
Raven glanced all around herself "It's comfortable, and I have better control over the wheel."
"If you wrecked, that airbag would kill you." Anastasia said.
"That's why I don't wreck." Raven replied. Anastasia gave a nervous smile back at the group behind her as the assassin started the car.
"She just can't touch the pedals." Darkdoom said for her and smiled. Raven shot him a look, but didn't say anything.
"You're going to have to tell me how to get there." she said. Anastasia clicked the little screen on the panel of buttons in front of them.
A voice came from the speakers "What is your intended destination?"
"3476 Convit Building." Anastasia said to it. On the screen came a loading sign then a map appeared and there was a long orange arrow on it that pointed in the obvious direction they were supposed to go.
"There you are." Anastasia pulled on her seatbelt and snapped it into place.
###
There were several cars joining them as Raven pulled into parking lot. There were dozens of people walking into the doors that were extended with a long red awning.
"This looks like a lot of people." Raven commented.
"There will be more." Anastasia assured her. They hopped out of the car and started toward the building.
Iliana and another woman rushed around, stamping every ones hands. She spotted them and hurried over. One her face she had a glittering purple heart with little shining gray fireworks.
"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!" she grabbed all the students hands first and quickly stamped them. "There is food inside. We're going to start dancing soon, so get in there and have fun!"
"Have you seen Pietor?" Anastasia asked her as she finished stamping.
Iliana glanced behind her swiftly "Yeah! He was in the building."
"That's very helpful." Anastasia replied.
"Well sorry, there's kind of a lot of people in there!"
"I'll say." Anastasia agreed and the group continued inside.
Music played loudly from the speakers and people were walking around, finding seats and getting food.
Anastasia scanned the crowd, looking for her brother. Pietor was talking to another man, a little shorter than him, and with dark brown hair. She waved and he pointed at a table a few feet from his left. She nodded and they walked over.
"I'll be right back." Anastasia said after they sat down. She went over to her brother.
"We should get some food." Shelby said. Laura shook her head.
"Nah, I don't want any."
"Come on!" Shelby asked.
"I'll go with you, Trinity." Raven said, standing up "We can search the joint out."
Shelby looked satisfied as the two of them went over to the food section.
Pietor and Anastasia came back over to sit.
"Is this all the members of the Convit?" Nero asked, looking at the people still flooding in, eyes a bit wide.
"Oh no!" Pietor waved a hand "We invite everyone to come so that we can…..broaden our variety in the Convit." he twirled his finger in a circle "Supposedly."
Nero smiled without turning around.
"Will there be other teenagers here?" Laura asked.
"There should be lots." Anastasia said, looking around.
Several people came up and congratulated Pietor as they filled the place up.
"It's like they think it's a good thing." he said.
"It is a good thing!" Anastasia told him, smiling "Be happy!"
There were some yells from the door to the hallway next to them. All heads turned to look and a man with very dark hair ran out, arms in the air, with a whole bunch of teenagers following.
Then song switched and the lights changed colors so the room was darker. The multicolored lights flashed in their direction every few seconds. (Please use your imagination a lot for this part)
The man led the children through the maze of tables until they were up on the dance floor. The music blared from the speakers.
"Teenage dreams in a teenage circus!
Running around like a clown on purpose!
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?
No givin' up when you're young and you want some!"
"Running around again!
(Running around again)
Running from running!"
"Waking up in the midday sun!
What's to live for?!
You could see what I've done!
Staring at emotion!
In the light of day!
I was running from the things that you'd say!"
They ran around in a circle arms flying. The man in the lead sang the words with a microphone piece on his face. The kids would yell with him at the chorus.
"We are not what you think we are!
We are golden, we are golden!
We are not what you think we are!
We are golden, we are GOLDEN!"
At that time all the teens would jerk their arms at the audience. One of them unrolled a sign that read:
"We are Golden! Children rule!"
Nero and Darkdoom watched silently, eyebrows raised. Anastasia was smiling and Pietor stared at the man, slowly shaking his head in amused-what-the-hell .It was clear they both knew the leader of the teenagers.
After a few more minutes of that, the dance floor exploded with colorful sparks, the kids all hit the floor, and the room plunged into darkness.
The people hesitated a second, before breaking out into a loud applause. The lights slowly came back on and everyone stood up, clapping.
"Thank you for watching and have a wonderful night!" the man shouted.
The kids and him ran off the stage.
"David." Pietor muttered, turning back around in his seat. Anastasia smiled again, shaking her head as she gazed at her brother.
"That was eventful." Darkdoom muttered to Nero, who nodded at him.
"That was David." Anastasia explained to them "He's the guy who entertains the children who have Convit parents and really…anyone else. He loves kids and he kind of believes they should be a little rebellious."
"And he teaches them that?" Nero asked. Anastasia tipped her head back and forth.
"Somewhat. He's a funny guy so….." she shrugged.
Iliana came through the door, looked around for a couple seconds and quickly came over to the table, smiling "Hey!"
"What's up?" Pietor asked.
"Nothing. I just got tired of stamping." Iliana said.
"There are still people coming in." Anastasia pointed out "Shouldn't you be stamping still?"
"Is that your way of telling me to leave?" Iliana asked, with a bob of her eyebrows.
"No. Just wondering." Anastasia replied.
"Hi, children!" Iliana waved happily at Wing and Laura. They waved back slowly.
"You saw that awesome performance with David and those kids?" she asked "You guys and the other one…" she looked around until she spotted Shelby with Raven "Aw! That one! With the one chick who has problems being complimented."
"She has a name." Pietor told her.
"Yeah, I know. Raven or somewhat." Iliana said, waving a hand.
"You can call her Natalya." Nero said to her.
"Oh fetch, pretty name too. What is with this girl?" Iliana shook her head "Dang. Anyway." she looked back at the students "You guys can totally go and hang out with them. They are awesome."
"Is that your way of telling them to leave?" Anastasia asked sarcastically, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"No! I'm being nice!" Iliana replied, with a good-natured tongue stick-out.
"Yeah, jeez, Ann." Pietor muttered, with an amused glance at Iliana. She gave him the same look.
"I'm just saying." she said.
The crowd around the doors was thinning down a bit more as people were taking their seats.
Shelby was coming back over. "Wow. I couldn't pronounce anything over there. Raven had to freaking guide me with everything! Russian desserts are weird!"
"What did you get?" Nero asked, looking at her with a half-amused scowl.
"Something with chocolate and something with caramel and something with something else on it." Shelby held up a pudding cup type thing.
"Ah! Don't eat that!" Pietor said, quickly. Anastasia looked at it and Iliana pointed a finger in breathy laughter.
"What?" Shelby asked, glancing at it.
"That's a pudding shot. You don't want that." Anastasia struggled not to smile "It's ninety-five percent alcohol."
Shelby gaped and set the cup back on the table. Nero turned and looked back at Raven who was still at the other table.
"Dr. Nero, please tell me you're going to pummel her!" Shelby asked indignantly. "She gave that to me on purpose!"
"You did say you wanted to try it at the safe house." Darkdoom pointed out, smiling. Nero turned back, shaking his head.
"You need to pummel her!" Shelby said. "Now I don't even trust this other stuff."
"The rest is all fine." Anastasia assured her, but the student gazed at it untrustingly.
As they spoke, the man same man, who had been leading the children came over to their table. He put two hands on Anastasia's shoulders, letting out a deep breath. "What's all fine?"
She looked up "The dessert."
Pietor watched him from the corner of his eye "Get...your hands off… my sister."
Anastasia slapped her brother's leg playfully.
"Gosh, you're grumpy." David said, releasing Anastasia.
"I know right! He's a freaking stick in the mud tonight." Iliana said. Pietor grunted.
"Anyone would think I was creepin' on your sister." David said, smiling and pulling up his own chair.
"Are you?" Pietor asked.
"No. Was I being creepy Anastasia?" David asked her.
She shook her head "Not to me."
"Exactly." David turned to Darkdoom, and offered his hand "I'm David."
Darkdoom accepted it "Diablous."
David smiled and turned to Nero, who also shook hands.
"Max."
"Nice to meet you." David nodded.
"You recognize him right?" Iliana asked. He glanced at her.
"Should I?" he looked back at Nero.
"Oh my God, Nero. The prisoner who escaped! It was you!" David pointed a finger at Pietor.
"Yes, me." Pietor nodded with mock pride.
"And then you replaced Gabdin." David clapped his hands "That's ironic."
"Wait what?" Anastasia waved her hands "How do you know him?" she gestured at Nero "I am so confused."
"I'm the second counselor. I kind of know what goes on. Gabdin captured him." David said, with a wry smile.
Anastasia shook her head "But…."
"David is….helping us as well." Pietor said, with a glance at her.
She looked back at David for a second, than smiled and shook her head. "So you have the first andsecond counselor in the presidency planning against the Convit?"
"Yes." Pietor said and David gave her a thumbs up.
"But….shhhh…." David put a finger to his lips.
"I just don't understand why they didn't move you up to first counselor and leave me down." Pietor said, slapping David's arm.
"Cause I take care of the children and they love me, so I couldn't leave them." David replied, with a smile.
"You do not take care of them, you entertain them." Pietor corrected.
"Not much of a difference." David replied, still smiling. "By the way, who's your friend?" he pointed a thumb behind him at Raven. "You guys came in with her."
"Natalya." Pietor said. David nodded and turned towards her.
"Oh no." Pietor covered his mouth "I just set her up."
Nero and Darkdoom were both smiling and watching David go up to Raven.
"Yeah you did!" Iliana patted his shoulders, laughing. He shook his head.
"She should have a guy hit on her." Shelby said "I hope it makes her uncomfortable."
Everyone at the table glanced at her and she put her hands up "What! She just tried to get me drunk!"
"That she did." Nero muttered, shaking his head.
"Raven's coming back!" Laura sang as the assassin came over. She set down her plate.
"Guys, I just had a really….confident guy…come up and introduce himself to me." she said, looking a little confused still.
They shared a laugh for a second.
"What?" Raven asked sharply, looking around at all of them.
"That's David. The second counselor in the Convit." Anastasia explained, smiling.
"He was kind of eying you from over here." Darkdoom said.
"Then Pietor gave him your name." Iliana told her, still holding in laughter.
"Why?" Raven snapped at him.
"He asked. You need to be kind." Pietor said, matter of factly. "David's a nice guy."
"I wasn't saying he was mean." Raven exclaimed "He was actually….really attractive." she admitted with a final smile.
Iliana's jaw dropped and she clapped excitedly.
"No!" Raven pointed a stern finger at her "Don't get all girly on me. I only said he was cute."
"Cute?" Anastasia half-squealed. Pietor looked at her.
"No! Maybe…I don't know." Raven scratched her head.
"Where'd he go?" Pietor asked, looking around.
"I don't know. Out the door." Raven replied, waving a hand. Darkdoom looked at her a little mischievously, eyes narrowing.
"I think someone's a little love struck." he said.
"I am not!" Raven rebuked him instantly. She glared at him.
"Okay. Okay! I believe you." Darkdoom said, grinning.
The lights around the room suddenly dimmed to a gentle glow from the disco ball. A man's voice came over the speaker.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to ask everyone to grab a partner so we can get this party started."
There was quiet collaborating between the groups in the room as people grabbed others of the opposite sex. Soft piano music started playing.
Iliana stood up "Come on, Pietor."
He looked at the table, tiredly "But I'm already having so much fun."
She grabbed his hand, pulled him up and over to the dance floor.
Anastasia smiled and shook her head slightly at them. Darkdoom went over and offered a hand out to her, eyes amused. She took it and they walked to the floor where dozens of other couples were now gathering.
Nero and Raven turned their heads and looked at each other. They both laughed softly after a second, before Nero stood up, hands clasped behind his back.
"Natalya. Would you like to dance?"
Raven dropped her head, before looking back up, eyes sparkling. "Of course, Max."
Nero held out his hand and escorted her out to the floor.
In just a few minutes everyone was dancing vigorously with their partner.
Pietor spun Iliana around and she smiled as her shirt frilled and they came back together. He almost smiled fully back, but shook his head at her as she laughed. They swayed back and forth, weaving between people.
Nero and Raven both seemed to be enjoying themselves, smiling as they frisked away together.
The music leaped up in intensity and the men lifted the women up in the air. The girls all let out happy "whoos" as they did so, laughing as they continued dancing.
Wing, Shelby, and Laura were watching in fascination. A few teenagers were dancing together, but a lot were standing around the food tables, socializing.
"Iliana's really pretty." Shelby said, wistfully.
"She is." Laura agreed.
"I mean the caramel hair. It's the perfect color!" Shelby gazed at her from across the room.
"Look at Dr. Nero and Raven." Laura said, eyes going into that girly "aww….." look.
Shelby smiled, but grimaced "That's weird. She's his assassin, it-"
"Dancing with one another doesn't claim two people to be in love." Wing pointed out, with a slight frown.
"I know, Fanchu. I'm just saying….." Shelby turned back to look at the dozens of couples.
The song ended a second later and everyone broke apart, clapping. The same man came over the speaker again.
"Now, everyone collaborate in your own groups and everyone must have a different partner."
All the people split up to find each other. Anastasia went with Nero, Iliana went with Darkdoom, and Pietor and Raven stared at each other.
"Don't make this awkward." Raven said, smiling smartly.
"I'm not the awkward one." Pietor replied, with a cheeky raise of his eyebrows.
Raven squeezed his shoulder with her hand, eyes challenging. His hand slid around her waist, still looking amused.
"You're a little short." he said, as they started to twirl.
"No, you're just really tall." Raven replied.
"Fine. We are both a little over and under average. Fair?"
Raven grunted "I suppose."
Pietor almost seemed to be gazing elsewhere as they danced, eyes narrowing every few seconds. When he lifted Raven up, he almost smiled.
"My word! You could be my paper weight." he said, shaking his head.
"Shut up!" Raven growled.
Pietor spun her.
Nero did the same to Anastasia, who seemed to be acting more of a woman than Raven. She smiled in excitement every time he twirled or lifted her up in the air.
"Do you dance often?" she asked Nero "You seem like a professional."
"Often enough." Nero replied, with a wry smile.
When that song ended, everyone grabbed different partners and a Christmas song came on.
"La la la la la….
I'm wishing on a star
And trying to believe
That even though it's far
He'll find me Christmas Eve"
Anastasia found her brother and grabbed him. Pietor smiled and slightly shook his head as she wrapped her arms around his neck and laid against his chest. He swayed back and forth with her at the soothing music and she smiled in contentment.
"The best time of the year!
When everyone comes home
With all this Christmas cheer!
It's hard to be alone…"
Iliana and Nero were now together, her hands on his shoulders and his hands on her waist. Everyone in the room danced slow and gently, changing the mood.
"Presents for the children
Wrapped in red and green
All the things I've heard about
But never really seen"
"No one will be sleeping on
The night of Christmas Eve
Hoping Santa's on…. his way!"
###
7:30 pm that night
The group had settled down at their table, listening to the now jazzy music playing. A couple people still danced on the floor, but it was mostly empty.
"Should we all go to my house?" Iliana asked "I've got homemade hot chocolate there."
"Oh god, yes." Anastasia glanced at her "Do you know how good that sounds?"
"Pretty dang good." Raven agreed.
"Then we can talk without a crowd around us." Iliana said, standing up.
"That is, if you can get the men to stop talking about economies." Anastasia jutted a thumb back at the four men together.
Nero, Darkdoom, Pietor, and David all sat at the table next them, holding out hands and explaining their view on things. Every once in a while two of them would get into a rather heated argument, particularly Darkdoom and Pietor.
"Just tell them we're leaving and they'll come." Iliana said, going over.
She put her hands down on their table "Hey, fella's, we're going to my house."
They glanced up at her, before standing up, while still discussing things and pushing in their chairs.
"Nice." Anastasia said, nodding. Pietor walked over and him and Iliana walked out together to her car.
"See you guys there!" David called as he also left.
"Well that was fun." Darkdoom said, as Anastasia grabbed her coat from the chair. She nodded as she came back over.
"Mind you, I think Pietor was a little annoyed when we switched partners." Nero said in amusement.
"What do you mean?" Anastasia asked.
"Well when I was dancing with Iliana, he was watching us like a hawk." Nero told her.
"Yeah me too, now that you mention it." Darkdoom said.
"I thought he seemed a bit out of it." Raven added.
Anastasia's smile was huge "Really?"
Nero nodded "It was kind of funny, because I think Iliana noticed too and she put on a big show for him."
Anastasia laughed quietly "Oh boy. I can just totally see those two together, but Pietor won't budge."
"You mean he doesn't like her?" Darkdoom asked.
"Oh I'm pretty sure he does, but he always denies it." Anastasia shook her head, grinning "Oh, my boy."
It….is…over. This took me so long to write so I expect LONG reviews and a lot of them too. Over the WHOLE chapter. Thank you for reading and I hope you like it. I hope it isn't too quick