A/N: Hey there friends! Thanks for all the support and constructive criticism. It really boosted me up!
"Already told you that a million times. You guys didn't arrange a proper funeral for me, so now you have to throw a decent party instead!" Jill said in an entirely professional tone, peeling an apple as the table knife swerved between her two long fingers.
"We already are!" Chris smiled warmly, sitting across her on the table.
"Chris! Don't sit on the table! You might screw my masterpiece!" Claire shouted from the other side, still in the kitchen. She was referring to the colorful meals on the table.
"Don't worry, not gonna happen!" Chris shouted with a louder voice, soon turning his face to continue speaking with Jill.
"By the way," Jill started, "where's Sheva? We haven't heard from her again ever since Kijuju."
"Yeah Africa's a mess after all that happened. I haven't got any news from Sheva, but the spotlight is on Jessica now."
"Jessica?" Jill breathed out. "You mean Jessica Sherawat?"
To Jill, she wasn't the most gracious of companions with her over-flirty demeanor; especially the times when she tried to stick herself to Chris, the way a relentless fly lands on animals' fur. She felt really insecure and anxious when Jessica approached Chris.
"Yeah, Sherawat."
"So what's about her?"
"She's stolen some precious data files from the BSAA."
"You can't be serious! When did it exactly happen? "The curve of her eyebrow ascended with concern and disbelief.
"Been almost a week, comrades are trying to retrieve the files before it's too late."
"And you have a clue who she's working for now? Cause Tricell went to pieces after the recent occurrences."
"Well, that's not clear yet."
"How disappointing." Jill said as she peeled the last pieces of the apple's skin, her face already etched with discontent.
"Didn't mean to disappoint you, but don't worry. Trained agents will fix it, they always do." Chris said as he dangled his feet in the air, "anyway, this party's in honor of you tonight, so you'd better keep a happy face."
Jill's sky blue eyes darted back to his,
"Actually, I've smiled so much that my cheeks hurt!" her fingertip moved up to touch the corner of her lips.
"Consider it some high-intensity exercise," Chris said, his eyes bright and a radiant smile on his lips.
"Chris, Jill, the clock reads six. It's high time you got ready." Claire emerged from the kitchen, evidently exhausted by all the back-breaking work she had carried out.
"Absolutely, and thanks for everything Claire." Said Jill, her hand resting on the refurbished gleaming bannister, ready to move upstairs.
"Yeah, you went to extremes today. We'll make up for it." Chris agreed in unison with Jill, getting ready to buy drinks and tend to other necessities.
"That's nothing, but I'll make you guys pay for it! Ten bucks each spoon!" Claire shouted playfully, "if I'd done this since adolescence, I'd be a billionaire by now!"
"I'll eventually learn to cook one day!" Chris shouted as he left the house.
Jill entered Claire's room to dress up. Beside the single white bed stood a tall mirror, a cherry-wood drawer under the window, and a small self-contained bathroom. She decided it would be a good idea to take a shower first. Her eyes moved out the window, to the far away trees, their branches tangled up as if it were a prison, those in tales which consisted of spikes, skeletons and a cursed forest. It didn't take her long to notice droplets of water on window, and a grey sky which wept bitterly, sending down its tears on houses.
She locked the door and turned on the tap after pulling the dark red velvet curtains, boiling water pouring into the spacious white bathtub, filling the warm-lit bathroom with hot steam, a delicate aroma of coffee from candles wafting through the air. Soon Jill began to undress in front of the bathroom mirror, pulling the zip of her jacket down to her intricate black bra, revealing her pearly white skin, and the fading scars of P30 on her chest. Her fingers slid across it, the surface was still a bit craggy compared to the rest of her flawless skin.
She regarded herself in the mirror for some time, leaning her wrists against the sink, staring directly into her own eyes; those questioning, accusing blue orbs. There was a tiny narrow window on one of the walls, almost in a towering height. Curiosity struck her hard and she rapidly grabbed a little wooden stool, placing it under the window, getting on it to view the scene outside.
Chris was there, fading into the forest. Her eyes fixated on him for a long time before the sound of water brimming over the bathtub jerked her awake.
"Damn!"
The full-length ticking clock read eight. The guests were expected to arrive one by one.
The doorbell rang after a second, causing Claire to race towards the door.
"It's Leon!" Claire exclaimed.
"Leon, honestly I didn't expect you'd come." Claire's lips stretched to a full-length smile, her head tilting sideways, making her even more enchanting with her purple décolleté, golden embroidery outlining its beauty. Leon was well-dressed; a smart black suit, and a brown noble tie perfectly fitting around his neck. Same went for Chris, save for the tiny fact that his tie was a blazing blue one. Leon had brought an umbrella out of habit. A sick habit of always weighing pros against cons.
"Yeah I was busy as hell, but I had to attend this wonderful event!" For a second, he wanted to imitate Claire, returning her one of those special winks, but he refrained from doing so.
