Darling Belle

Seven

Maisie needed out of the house as soon as possible, and the only remedy available at the time seemed to be to attend Elise's party. Ivan offered her a ride there, she didn't want to face Nico or Noah right now, and for some reason, Ivan could tell. He was always so observant yet his attitude was the polar opposite. Still, Maisie didn't understand him.

She didn't know who to trust but without much of a choice, she accepted his gallant offer. While driving, he was informative, answered any questions she had without a question of his own.

Another reason she'd decided to go, was to talk to Efa. She was curious on what the girl knew, not only about Maisie, but the case. There had to be a reason why she was on the list, why they were all on it.

Once Maisie and Ivan arrived, they quickly parted ways, he'd set out to find Odessa Flores. And she'd slipped on a pair of gloves that she'd stolen from her mother while looking for familiarity amongst the swaying bodies. Dancing to the beat of the music.

Others hung out by the food bar, either piling pastries into their mouths or making conversation. Some cliques stayed in the corners, drinking themselves to death.

Someone sent a nasty look towards Maisie before she looked closer, Knox was there with another boy. Both deliriously drunk. Should she approach them? Comfort them? They'd lost a friend after all. Or was the alcohol swimming in their swollen veins meant to be their form of solace? Apart of their mourning process?

But out of the corner of her eye, she located Efa. A purpose. 'Effy!' she called out, Efa turned, a grin painting her mouth. She liked when people called her Effy, Maisie had noted it in their first interaction.

Efa approached, a plastic red cup in her hand. Handing it to her. 'Maisie,' she cooed, the sigh in her voice sounded like the gentle flutter of angel wings, seamlessly soaring through lavender fog. Leaving a cloudy trail of sweet poetry behind...

Generally, Maisie would decline. However, to make the target more comfortable, she took it with a smile. 'Thank you, Effy. What is it?'

Efa's grin widened, voice rising. 'Just water. By the way, I love your gloves! And you're so very welcome, Maisie. Huh, did you know your name has a Scottish origin and means pearl,' she rambled.

Her grip tightened on the plastic, her smile slowly descending into strained. She hid it with the cup. 'Is that so?' God, she was gonna hurl.

Efa blushed, the music almost swallowed up her next words but Maisie was good at lip-reading. She shrugged. 'Sorry, I'm a name nerd, I guess.'

'What does your name mean?' Maisie inquired.

Efa looked overjoyed. 'Well, Efa means alive in Hebrew, Juniper tree in French. But I prefer the first meaning. Juniper trees are unsettling to look at. The twisted trunks make me wince. It'd be brutal if I was one. And Effy in Greek means well-spoken, which sort of fits,' she expressed enthusiastically, the words shooting out of her chest with the hopping rapidity of a frightened bunny.

'I think you're a great conversationalist, Effy,' she lied.

Her muddy eyes lit up. 'Do you mean it?'

No. 'Yes.'

Efa looked pleased at once, but her expression quickly turned somber. 'About earlier, did I upset you?'

'What?'

She shifted onto her other foot nervously, looking down a bit. 'When we were in the headmasters office, you looked disgusted, I thought you didn't like me.'

Graham shook her head, remembering the event. 'I was just overwhelmed about something else, Effy. It had nothing to do with you,' she reassured.

Maisie was suddenly pulled aside by the arm.