Blame Me

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Jace

It was twelve o'clock and there was no sign of Elise anywhere. And Elise wasn't the type of person to bail out on someone without a solid reason.

Despite the late hour, the whole room was bustling with people dancing and laughing over drinks. The room was glowing with the fairy lights that were twinking and the fire that was cackling in the fire place. One of my uncles was now pounding away on the piano, filling the ballroom with an upbeat classical tune.

I was standing by the humongous Christmas tree, craning my neck trying to find Elise in the crowd of people. But there was no sign of her anywhere. I was sure to find her even amoung all the people in the room, she stood out like a light in the dark in this room. Or anywhere for a matter of fact.

Even when I was playing the whole night, if I just looked around the room, my eyes would latch onto her immediately without even trying. She look beautiful tonight, even more then usual, that it would be impossible for me to not want to look at her. But even with how gorgeous she looked I could tell that something was bothering her. Her usual flawless stance was lacking, her shoulders sagged down the tiniest bit and her usual smile was replaced with a flat line that only twitched when she talked to others.

Something was wrong.

"Are you alright darling?" Mom asked me as she emerged from a group of elder people that all looked to be bored out of their minds.

"Have you seen Elise?" I asked, still looking around the room. Maybe she was in the foyer?

"Not since she was talking with your father and step-sister," she told me, "I think she said something about finding Dani?"

I nodded, not really listening to her and made my way out of the crowded room. Automatically walking into the hallway it was easier to breath. There were only a few people lingering the hallway as I made my way down it, towards the stairs.

I still couldn't find her anywhere, I had opened every door on the way upstairs and knocked on each bathroom but she was no where to be found. Finally, I found Dani at the end of a hallway on the balcony, talking to some guy that I vaguely recognized.

"Dani," I called out, leaning against the door of the entrance.

She looked away from the guy towards me and gave me a smile. Subconsciously, I noticed the difference between her smile and Elise's. While Dani's smile always looked like she a secret, like she knew something that you desperately wanted to know the answer to, Elise's was an open book. Elise's smile held all the comfort and love that a person needed, and she gave it away so easily.

"What's up?" she asked, stepping away from the guy towards me. I noticed that the guy kept his eyes trained on her, fascination and wonder clouding his eyes.

"Have you seen Elise?" I asked, my desperation making it's way into my voice.

Dani looked up at me with surprised, "She's not here?" she asked with worry.

I shook my head, "I looked everywhere, I can't find her,"

Dani sighed and closed her eyes, "I knew that this would happen," she whispered to herself.

"What? What would happened? Is everything okay?" The questions slipped off my tongue before I could fully register what she was saying.

Dani looked up at me, her eyes filled with sadness that I never knew that she could carry, just like I thought Elise couldn't either. I've learned that I didn't know anything about these girls at all, they both were so much more than the words that they told you.