A Coalition Story

Merry Christmas?

Christmas had always been Alice's favorite holiday, and this year was no different. Since Halloween, when Lev wasn't on his missions, the two of them had spent time together, just hanging out. They'd never hung out in private, something that made her feel more comfortable, but she also was starting to really trust Lev. That was part of the reason she was throwing this Christmas dinner: to help everybody else trust him, too.

Sure, Ravyn did, but that wasn't trust so much as it was hopeless infatuation. It was Ace who needed to open his heart the most. And then as for Torin and Cal, who she wasn't as close with but still could call her friends, well, they needed to be brought back together. There was nothing quite like a dinner party for having the hard conversations.

Laying down the last place card, a piece of cardstock with a name in calligraphy tucked into the top of a pomegranate, she sighed with satisfaction. The white table cloth with the tulle atop it acting as snow, the glistening candles (real ones, of course), the silver utensils (well, silver-colored; actual silver tasted nasty), and the porcelain plates with silver inlays made everything perfect. Throw in the pop of red from the pomegranates, and Alice had to admit she had pulled off a perfectly simple yet elegant dinner table.

The knock at the front door brought her back to her senses, and she rushed excitedly to greet the first guest. Ace was upstairs, and Alice was confident Ravyn was with him, but she may have just been on speakerphone with her brother upstairs.

Upon opening the door, Alice was more than pleased to see a beautifully dressed Lev before her. His suit was well-tailored and black with a skinny black tie. He looked, as Ravyn had called him many times before, delicious.

"Hi," she breathed out, awe-struck by his handsomeness and confidence. Lev offered a small yet genuine smile.

"Hello, moy myslitel'," he greeted, calling her his thinker. It was a sweet nickname she had earned after that first night. "May I come in?" He gestured past her, and with an easy blush, she nodded and stepped aside.

"Your house is beautiful." The compliment came as Alice led her crush, because she definitely really liked him, to the formal dining room.

"Thank you. My father let me decorate it when I came home for weekends last year." Those weekends hadn't been very fun. And it was really more that her father demanded she decorate and Alice chose to find joy in it.

"Sounds like something you'd enjoy," Lev chuckled, glancing at the table setting. He quickly found his name, right across from her's of course, and stood behind his chair.

"It was. Mostly." He cocked an eyebrow, curious but not openly inquiring for more information. Alice sighed softly before sharing.

"My father isn't the most gentle, so it was more of a command to decorate, but I chose to have fun with it anyway," she explained quietly. No need to let Atticus hear her allude to the abuse and harshness the two of them endured to Lev. Ace was particular about who came across the full truth, and so far Ravyn was the only person he fully approved of. But it was also Alice's story, and she could share it with whom she wished.

"That's admirable. You have more positivity in you than I do," Lev replied, pulling her back out of her thoughts. A sprinkle of pink covered her cheeks, and a shy smile pulled at her lips.

"I'm telling you, Ravyn, you just have to get Cal or Torin to take out your dad before you turn eighteen. And maybe take out your brothers, too. Then they can't marry you off, either," Atticus teased, coming into the living room with Ravyn hot on his heels. She, in her signature move, rolled her light eyes at Alice's brother.

"Because the Coalition would turn a blind eye to the remaining living members of my immediate family dying under mysterious circumstances, leaving me as the sole survivor. My dad isn't rich, but he's still valued," she scoffed, shoving Atticus. He didn't budge.