Sunday, December 31st

Sunday dawned without a cloud in the sky. Jessie, Jonny, and Hadji were awake and dressed by 8:00, so they could begin preparing for that night's party. In the tumultuous affairs of the previous week, they had not had time to worry about the event, but they still had to buy and prepare the food, decorate, and tidy up the house a little before the guests began to arrive around 8:00 that night. They had invited almost sixty people, among the three of them, and they needed to make sure that there were enough chairs in the living and family rooms to accommodate everyone.

Dr. Quest and Race were working on security for that evening. IRIS knew of everyone who had been invited and had been programmed to allow only those select people through the front gate. Anyone else who showed up unexpectedly would be barred from entering through the gate and would have to announce him or herself at the intercom to the left of the gate.

Dr. Quest had also declared that his study and lab, the library, Race's suite (obviously), and the upstairs rooms were off limits. That left the living room, family room, kitchen, dining room, game room, and downstairs bathrooms as permissible. The guests were also allowed outside, as long as they stayed well clear of the lighthouse and the cliffs. Race had swept snow off of the patio outside the back door, in case any guest felt the need to stand outside in the frigid night air.

"Benton and Estella returned late in the afternoon leaden with grocery bags. "All right, kids," Estella shouted through the house, "Come in here and organize these groceries." Her announcement was followed by hurried footsteps approaching the kitchen.

The adults escaped from the chaos in the kitchen and retreated into the living room to enjoy the few remaining hours of peace. All three parents had agreed to stay out of the way when the guests arrived. In fact they would have volunteered. The thought of sixty screaming teenagers in one house was not Benton's idea of fun. He, Race, and Estella had planned on barricading themselves in Race's suite and watching Christmas classics all evening.

The guests began arriving at 8:00 and immediately headed for the snack table and music blasting from the family room. Jonny had already found his place in the center of a crowd of friends laughing hysterically at his jokes.

"Jonny certainly seems to be the life of the party," Scott commented to Jessie, who smiled, but then glanced over at Hadji, who too had a throng of people hanging on his every word. As the night wore on, Jessie introduced Scott to everyone at the party, who all wondered where Scott lived and how he and Jessie had met. Jessie told them simply that their fathers were friends, and that she and Scott had just happened to cross paths over Christmas.

"So, tell me," Scott whispered to Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji, after pulling them away from the crowd, "how did the three of you find us in the woods anyway. If you were skiing at least a mile away from where that cabin is, how did you hear us?"

"Well, we heard someone scream," Jonny replied, "but actually I forgot all about that after we found the cabin, and those guys attacked us. Who was the one who screamed?"

"Oh," Scott said, trying to remember what had happened. Then he began laughing and said, "That woman who was at the cabin with us stumbled over a rock and came face to face with a squirrel. She screamed, and the men rushed over to her, but the squirrel ran away immediately, and they all yelled at her for making such a ruckus. It's a good thing that she did though, if that's what led you to us. I don't know what I would've done without you and your fathers' help." The four enjoyed a good laugh at the memory, grateful that they were in a position to be able to laugh about it now.

A few moments before midnight, Jonny called everyone to crowd around the TV and watch the ball drop, as he, Hadji, Jessie, Scott, and Alicia handed out glasses of sparkling cider. Almost immediately people began to couple off, and Jessie was astounded at how some of her friends, whom she knew had not been dating anyone before tonight had suddenly found significant others. Before she knew it, Scott was standing at her side, and he smiled and said,

"Get ready." She knew that he was referring to the countdown, and at that moment she saw a digital counter appear at the bottom of the TV screen, but nonetheless she felt herself tense at the thought of what she wanted to happen at the stroke of midnight.

"Ten, nine, eight..." the crowd began to chant, and she chimed in methodically, automatically. "Two, one...Happy New Year!" Jonny had handed each guest a fistful of confetti, which now filled the room and glistened from reflecting the tiny Christmas lights. Couples all over the room began embracing each other, and suddenly Jessie found herself in Scott's arms. He looked at her intently, as she stared back into his green eyes.

"Happy New Year," He whispered, smiling at her.

"You too," she managed to answer and without waiting for him to make the move, she grabbed his head and pulled him toward her, kissing him hard on the lips. She had never done something so forward, but the feeling was exhilarating. When she opened her eyes, though, she heard amused giggling, and she looked around to see all eyes on her and Scott. She was sure that she was blushing furiously, but soon everyone had returned to their own matters.

"IRIS, secure the Compound," Jonny ordered.

ACKNOWLEDGED, IRIS responded. Jonny had just closed the door after the last of their guests had left, and he joined Jessie and Hadji as they began the cleanup process. The night had been a huge success, and although they were tired, the three teenagers were still reeling from the excitement of the evening. Jonny and Alicia had spent the entire evening together, and it looked as though Jessie and Scott were now an item. Hadji remained happily single.

"I will be glad to have a girlfriend, when the right person comes along. But for now I am quite content," he had told them. Jessie was in bed by 1:30, but she lay awake for several hours, remembering that kiss...