Falling Like Snow

Two | The Party

A knock on the door made Lizzie pause her music and call, "Come in!"

She was sat on her bed, unpacking her bags into neat piles of things to put away, when Jane entered, elegant in her loose knitted turtleneck and long skirt. Perching on the edge of the bed, she took one of Lizzie's hands between her own. "I've missed you."

Lizzie smiled, but it was bittersweet. Now that they had gotten over the excitement of arriving, everyone had scattered to accomplish the various tasks required of them that afternoon. Lunch had dragged on, and it had been about three when she was finally free to steal a moment of quiet in her bedroom, astonishingly grand for a guest suite. Having peeked into Mary's room, she suspected that the grandeur was designed to entice her into becoming a permanent member of the household. However, even if that was what she was to become, she would still have to leave for a while to settle her commitments at her childhood home and gather her belongs - so her arrival was tinged with sadness, at the expectation of having to leave again, no matter how far into the future it seemed. 

"I've missed you, too," Lizzie admitted, unable to meet Jane's demanding gaze. "But you seem happy, so I can't resent you too much for leaving me."

"Oh, Lizzie!" Jane pulled her in for a hug. "I never meant to leave you - you know I didn't. I am sorry that you feel I have..."

Shaking her head, Lizzie insisted that she didn't, not truly. They sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying each other's company. Elizabeth returned to unpacking, finishing emptying her bags and standing up to begin putting things away in the drawers and wardrobe. A pile of books was placed carefully on the small table that stood in the middle of the two armchairs and the sofa. She deposited her two notebooks and pencil case on the desk, along with her phone charger and a bag of sanitary products.

"Are you on now? I don't know if there's a bin in your en suite." Jane asked.

Lizzie shook her head. "Not yet, but I should be next week."

"Well, I'll make sure that there's one in there soon, then," said her sister.

"Thanks." Jane rolled her eyes at the reply, and raised her eyebrows. Lizzie got the message - No thanks needed. "Jane," Lizzie said suddenly. "Which dress should I wear later? It's bad enough that you're throwing a party, but without telling me? Neither option is what I would have ideally chosen, but as someone didn't give me any forewarning, one of them will have to do."

As she spoke, she walked towards the wardrobe, and pulled out the two options in question. But Jane grinned, and shook her head. "I didn't want to ruin the surprise... But, I foresaw this problem, and took the liberty of buying a dress for you. And a matching pair of shoes."

"They better not be-" Lizzie began.

"Not heels," Jane assured her. "Boots. You'll love them - honestly!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lizzie paused, smoothing the dress again. It was a beautiful, deep blue affair, with grunge boots. Although she had condescended to put on mascara and eyeliner in a dramatic flare, she wore makeup so rarely that she had resorted to begging Jane to do the wings. Lizzie was confident that if she had done them herself, one would have ended up twice the size of the other.

The loud Christmas music shuddered through the floor, pulsing slightly in the air. Carefree singing and chattering emanated from inside the room, and whilst Jane had assured Lizzie that it was only a 'small' gathering, Lizzie knew that it would consist of around twenty people, many of whom she had either never met, or only met once or twice.