Epiphany POV
"So when's party time?" I heard Marcus ask before I opened the door into the hall overlooking our mansion's grand entrance hall. I reached the stairs, seeing Levi smirking suspiciously up at me from bottom.
"No way," Julo frowned responsibly from the corner of the room. Then I noticed the rest of the siblings huddled by the sofas. Julo rested against the left wall; he was youngest of us at 14. Kayaltora or Tora, sat on the sofas, was the second youngest at 15. After Tora, came Abeeku and Marcus, both 16. Followed by myself and Lian; both 17. And then Levi, the eldest at just turned 18.
Yep, I know, there are a lot of us. We're the eminent Asher VII siblings.
"Yeah way!" Kayaltora gleamed from Julo to me. All of them seemed to be in on it except for Julo and me.
Offended a little by this recent exclusion, I gushed surprise to Kayaltora; "You are in on this too?"
I noticed her face fell a little; I smiled at my little sister to show I wasn't really upset with her. I could never truly mad at her, well not for long anyway.
"I only found out today, Pip," she explained. "I didn't tell because you're such an appalling liar, you wouldn't have been able to keep it from Gov." she giggled, and I saw Levi's mouth raise up a fractions hiding a grin. "And anyway, it's Levi and Lian who've been planning it for the last few weeks."
"Who would have guessed," I retorted sarcastically. "Weeks?" I gulped, "How big is this party going to be?" I asked looking at Levi slightly anxious.
"Don't you worry, Granma Pippy," he teased darkly. "I'll keep it under control."
I gave him the evil eye and said, "You better, because I will not be cleaning up in the morning."
I walked over to Julo, and leaned against the wall beside him. His hand automatically caught mine, intertwining his fingers through mine comfortably. "It's OK, Kiddo," I whispered to my littlest brother, "We'll plan the next one and tell none of them about it."
A wide smile, showing the ends of his tiny fangs, came to his pretty face, entrancing its beauty to absolute brilliantness. If I hadn't been so used to it, I would have caught my breath.
"That'd be some party," Marcus scoffed good-naturedly hearing my quiet comment to Julo.
"Come on," Kayaltora chirped joyfully, jumping up from the sofas - her heels tapping lightly on the marble floor as she crossed it to where I stood, catching my free hand.
"Where are we going?" I asked her suspiciously.
"Well, no offence Pip but," she chirped back hesitantly, dragging me away from the wall, "And I say this with only good intent, but you smell like you slept on the streets and crows decided it would be funny if they made the royal midget their shitting target. Just because Gov is away doesn't give you reason to stop washing."
"Yeah, um, no offence taken!" I replied back apathetically, my feet sliding as she pulled me across the shiny surface which was cool and smooth under my bare feet.
"And then we're going to raid my wardrobe to find you something to wear for tonight."
"Kill me now!" I whispered sinisterly to Levi while we were passing by. In response to my distress he chuckled, almost pleasingly.
Marcus POV
Levi and Lian seemed to have sorted everything out. One of Levi's minions had come earlier and set up the decks and turntables for the DJ coming. The others of Levi's squad brought a lot of drink and a lot more blood. At eleven, when the sun lowered enough for people to start commuting, people started arriving quickly. The house was already packed by twelve.
