“You didn’t need to come with me, Mr. Benny.” I said stubbornly. I had been confined to this stupid wheel chair for the last two days. My body was healing as fast as it could, my leg injury was getting better and we had no explanation for why my side was healing much faster than it should.
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“If I left you alone, we both know for a fact that you would get out of this wheelchair since you are too stubborn to want to use it.” Mr. Benny said as he pushed me down the surprisingly empty street leading to the museum.
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“It is humiliating to be in this position. I already had to go and get a proper gown for this stupid secret meeting just to look a bit more grown up. Having to go in a wheelchair is just gonna make me look weaker than I am.” I said angrily.
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“You are the reason why you are in this wheelchair in the first place, you let your guard down.” Mr. Benny painfully reminded me. “I already promised you that you can stand up to greet those that might come to you but until you can put proper pressure on that leg without nearly falling. You are not walking around. I am surprised you haven’t begun the process of using amplification to quicken your healing.”
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“I have been doing in short bursts.” I admitted. “I just don’t like doing it since it takes most of my aura to do so and would leave me with Aiko.” That was both a truth and a lie. That technique used all of jepei aura to speed up the healing process but it also involved a lot of focus and I wasn’t really that good at focusing for the entire day.
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Mr. Benny took a turn and began to push me up the wheelchair ramp nearby. “Well you have some time today, why not do it at night and that way when you wake up you can at least resummon Aiko to your side.” He suggested.
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“Perhaps I will do that, Mr. Benny.” I said.
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As we pulled up the door there was a tall man waiting for us. He was wearing a plain black suit without a tie, as we approached he held up to stop us. “Private function, I need you to turn back please.”
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“My name is Ivy Oren, I was invited by Whitney Dawnbreaker.” I said.
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The man looked me up and down for a few moments. “Give me a moment to confirm with Whitney Dawnbreaker, did Chloe or Carter invite you or something?” He tapped his black earpiece. “Can you check with the boss, an Ivy Oren is claiming to be here for the exhibits tonight.”
I patiently waited for him to finish and judging by the look on his face he finally understood who I was. “Can I come inside now, or should I put a cute little bounty on your head for making me wait in the cold?”
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He quickly opened the door and stood to the side. “Please come inside, Lady Oren.” Mr. Benny glady pushed me inside of the museum, my body thankful for the warm air now spilling over me.
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Inside waiting for us was the boy I recognized from two nights ago. Her son was now clad in a navy blue suit and a bright blue undershirt that made his hair look even brighter in contrast. His bright orange eyes were warm to look at almost like two setting suns. I felt my face flush a bit just from looking at him. “Lady Ivy, my mother is waiting for you down below. She sent me to come and bring you myself.” He pulled his hands from behind his back and offered me a beautiful display of roses. “You look amazing tonight.”
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I took his gift and pretended to sniff at it to hide the blush spreading across my face. “I don’t look that great,” I said bashfully, looking down at the elegant red gown I had picked up specifically for this party. “Thank you very much.” I looked over at the empty spot where the large longed neck dinosaur used to stand. “Why hasn’t your mother put that dinosaur back up?”
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Carter followed my gaze and said. “My mother is actually looking to get a new dinosaur put in that spot. I suggested a spinosaurus to try and get a nice little Jurassic park three setting in here. Have you seen the movie or do the Oren not have time for movies?”
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“We have more than enough time once we finish training.” I answered. “I like the original much better.”
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Carter looked up towards Mr. Benny. “My mother also welcomes you to come to this party as well sir, she didn’t want you waiting in the car like last time.”
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“I graciously accept your mothers invitation.” It was a good thing that Mr. Benny always wore one of his many tailored suits at all times. This one brown in color. “Shall we get moving young man, I don’t want to keep missing this interesting party of elites.”
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“I wouldn’t say elites.” Carter said, spinning on his heels to walk towards the elevator. “Most of them are just boring men and women from around the world. My mothers private collection of relics are some that most people would love to look at. You are lucky to be here for free, normally just one ticket would cost you over a million dollars.”
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We entered the elevator and oddly all the other buttons that used to shine with a white color were darkened almost dead looking without their light. Carter reached into his shirt and produced a small key that he slipped into the first button. The elevator roared with new found life and I felt the uneasy feeling of falling and we were going very quickly. The door opened up and we appeared to be in a massive ballroom.
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The lights gave it a beautifully golden hue, the floors so clean that I could see my face in the polished brown wood. My wheelchair felt like it was moving on air as we entered it fully, five large cylinders with arrangement of small light bulbs were providing the light. On either side were large tables filled with food and punch bowls. As soon as we stepped inside a woman in a black suit rushed over to us with a tray of drinks. My was sparkling apple cider and Mr. Benny was given a small glass of some kind of vodka I think. The place had a lot of people inside of it all of shapes, sizes, nationals and genders. A few bored looking children were here as well.
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“Where are we?” I asked sipping this delicious drink.
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“We are in my mother's underground ballroom, it took about ten years for her to build it.” Carter explained as he walked beside my wheelchair.
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As we walked through the crowd a few people looked my way as we made our way through this crowd of many 50 or so people. All of them except for 5 people were giving off jepei energy. We were pushed to the front of this room where chairs had been set up as well as small cards with numbers on them. “Is this also an auction?” I asked.
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“First is the tour in the second room and then we have the auction of some pieces my mother does not want anymore.” Carter explained. “Mother,” Carter called out with a wave.
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Whitney Dawnbreaker looked stunning, she was wearing a violet dress with the left half open almost acting like a window to few her slim leg. Her hair had been put up in a wavy mix of curls with a single neat bun at the top. She looked away from the handsome man beside her, he was dressed in a black suit with a single red rose in his jacket pocket. “Excuse me for a moment, Mason.” She apologized before coming over to me, her purple high heels giving her an extra three inches to her height. “Lady, Ivy Oren, I am so happy you could make it. How are you doing?” She asked in fake concern.
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“I am okay, Ms. Dawnbreaker.” I greeted politely. “Your son has been very kind to me.”
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“I am proud to hear that,” said Whitney. “Mr. Lewis by all means relax a bit, here you are not a butler but one of my many guests tonight.”
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“Thank you for that, but I am the lady butler and unless she says I can leave then I will remain by her side.” Mr. Benny explained.
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“The Oren always keep such loyal help.” Whitney said with a gentle smile. “I hope you don’t mind hanging back with the younger crowd . I tend to have them sit aside for my private display. Many of them are not interested in history.”
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“Fine with me, as I said before, I am not that fond of history.” said Mr. Benny.
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Whitney brought her calm icy gaze back on me. “Look around Ivy Oren, all of these people are very close associates of mine. From the lakes of Minnosoda, to the plains of the African Savannah, all of which would love to hire out your family but don’t know the secret to it.”
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“There is a reason why we don't share the way to contact us with just anyone.” I said sharply. “The only reason so many in Atlanta know how to is because they know where our home is. If you truly need an oren that is part of the game, how much you are willing to spend to find our home and the means to contact us, prove you have the funds needed to truly hire one of my family.”
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“Such an interesting tactic, perhaps I should use a few of those ways myself.” I allowed this woman to place a hand on my shoulder. “Though while you have your certain ways, it doesn’t help to network just a tiny bit, and I assure you that these men and women can definitely pay for your service and then some.” She lowered her voice to a whisper sending chills running down my spine. “Have you found our problem yet or has not started looking?”
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“I know where she is.” I lied. “Once I am fully healed I will go after her, but I am interested in what you have here, perhaps it will give me a clue on what trap I can make to take her down.”
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“Than you are more than free to come to the back with the adults before the auction.” She lifted her hand off my shoulder and held her hand out. Her little raven flew down onto it and she gently tickled underneath her chin with one of her long lanky fingers. “Now I must be going to get the final preparations for things, feel free to eat and be merry tonight my dear.”
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As soon as she was out of hearing range I let out the breath I had been holding. That woman could go from kind and cold as ice in a split second. “Don’t take my mother’s personality personally.” Carter spoke up.
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“It is hard not to do that when she treats me like a little girl sometimes, I am 14 years old.” I said firmly.
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“Really now, you look younger than that.” Carter said in surprise.
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“With some tweaks I can pass for 10 years old if I have to.” I said, giving him a small laugh.
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“Are you hungry?” Carter asked, looking over to the tables of food.
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“I would love something to eat.” I said, holding my head up to look at Mr. Benny. “You can leave me with this boy if you want, Mr. Benny. I think I will be fine for a little bit.”
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“As you wish, Lady Ivy, just call and I will return.” I watched my butler walk away from me motioning towards a server with more drinks in the process.
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Several minutes flew by like seconds as I chatted away with this handsome boy. I learned that Carter was 16 years old making him older than me by two years. He was pleasant to talk to and made me laugh easier than I tried to let on. I nibbled on a few cuts of roasted chicken and turkey, as well as some pepper jack cheese and crackers. “Carter, I have been looking for you all over.”
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Standing before us was his sister Chloe. She was dressed in a very flowy black dress and matching heels. The dress seemed to sparkle like stars in the sky, the kind you could only see deep in the county. She had her hair in long braids a few wrapping around her head giving it the appearance of a crown. Her cheeks were flushed with makeup I presumed and she was wearing red lipstick. She dropped the edges of her dress allowing it to nearly touch the floor with its length. Her brother greeted her with a small smirk. “If you couldn’t find me in this small crowd than perhaps you were not looking close enough dear sister.”
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As I hid a giggle behind my hand she fully gave me her attention. “You are the assassin my mother hired, the one that got her quite cross the other day.”
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“Lady Ivy Oren to you,” I said slowly pushing myself up off my wheelchair, a brief surge of pain ran from my wound in my leg up into my body. She was taller than my by a good few inches and more developed than me in more ways than one. I stretched my hand out to her in a friendly way. “It is nice to meet you.”
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Chloe stared at my hand for a moment and completely ignored me as she looked at her brother. “Momma, wanted me to remind you that when the auction starts you are to stand by Mr. Mason’s side as protection. Your wolf spirit is also needed to help keep the peace tonight.”
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“I remember, Chloe and can you please stop being so rude to our guest.” he gently scolded.
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My hand was still outstretched to her and I refused to put it away until she shook it. “If you are hard of hearing, allow me to repeat myself. My name is Lady Ivy Oren, it's a pleasure to meet you.”
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Her face twisted a bit as she reluctantly shook my hand. She quickly let go of my hand and turned her back on me. “I am gonna go help mother finish getting things ready for the first part.” She said simply as she started to walk away from me.
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“Immature bitch.” I said as she walked away.
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“Now don’t be like that.” Carter said, putting a hand on my shoulder and helping me sit back down. “She takes these events just as seriously as my mother, but it doesn’t help that our mother was very mad at what happened.”
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“I already know how disappointed she was, I’m on strike one of three apparently.” I said with a long roll of my eyes.
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“Just know that when you make a promise to my mother or give her your word that things will get done, she takes that very seriously.” Carter explained grimly.
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“How come?”
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“People have broken their word to her before. People she thought she could trust, and that is all I can really say.” Carter answered. “So brief word of advice, if you wanna give her your word, be completely sure that you are sure you can get the job done.”
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A few more minutes passed and right as we were getting into a good discussion on the worst movie we had ever seen. Whitney Dawnbreaker’s voice sounded out. “Good sirs, beautiful madams, thank you for coming to my monthly showing, a time for the elite to be elite and just throw money away.” That earned some claps from these spoiled brats. “Now shall we begin the showings in the next room, and remember only the items with the red tags on them will be up for auction.”
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Behind the podium that had been set up, the wall began to open like two massive doors. I felt a surge of power run out of those doors as ghostly like jepei energy of different colors spilled from the doors like frost off an open freezer. It was so much that I had to use my protection technique just to stand the feeling without getting light head. “I should have warned you about that, my mother more private collection tends to have some access jepei that resides on them.”
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I took a deep breath to steady myself. “It’s fine, it just caught me off guard.” I explained giving him a gentle smile. “Shall we go, I wanna see what is so special about this special exhibit.” I attempted to stand up to walk inside but I could feel those lion like eyes of Mr. Benny staring at me. “Do you mind pushing me inside.” I asked quickly sitting down.
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“It would be my pleasure.” Carter said.
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As soon as we crossed into the room, It felt like we were in a completely different world. Around us were display cases, some as small as shoeboxes and others as big as large freezers. Some of these cases held old looking scrolls that probably would disintegrate if opened. A few books in leather cases and some covers had ancient symbols on them. One had Japanese kanji written on it but I could only make out a single word. God.
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We passed a few more cases that held netrix gemstones of different colors and creatures, some looking like the most common ones such as members of the cat and dog family. Some had been cracked not from damage but a sign of the dark order of the claw who saw their animal spirits more as weapons rather than a part of them or a friend or child in some cases. A few cases held weapons that had been left on the battlefield, if a jepei user died sometimes their weapon would remain in the physical world if it was outside of the gem if they died. Long deadly broadswords, short sword with dents and cracks, a few polearm weapons. Almost all of the weapons had tags on them, all of them except an old looking staff that was practically hidden by blue smoke. Under each display it held a tag of where it was found, what it was and how old it was supposed to be.
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“The staff of moses?” I read in curiosity.
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“One of my mothers most prized findings in the last ten years.” Carter explained with a great deal of pride. “You do now the tale of moses right?”
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“He made wine into water?” I joked.
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“That is Jesus,” Carter corrected with a small laugh. “Moses was chosen to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and he used that staff to do it. That staff is closely related to water and is rumored to be used by Moses, the one and only man to have had the spirit of the leviathan.”
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“Interesting,” I said, making a mental note of this artifact. “Where does your mother even get these relics from?” I asked, my eyes locking onto another powerful looking case. This one holding some odd looking crown, the name plate underneath it read. Crown of the first Queen of Atlantis.
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“She has a very big network of archaeologists that she sends across the world. If they find something of interest they call her.” said Carter.
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We explored this backroom for another ten or so minutes before a very loud caw of a raven caught our attention. That yellow Ravan didn’t stop until everyone had brought their eyes to look at her. It was only then that Whitney Dawnbreaker finally spoke. “Time is up, I hope you got a good look at everything because it is time for the best part. So by all means enjoy a few more drinks and please eat your fill tonight because we start the main event in five minutes.”
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As we left the room Carter whispered into my ear. “Where is your butler, I need to go and take my place beside the auctioneer.”
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His breath tickle against my neck and I felt my cheeks heat up a bit. I looked through the crowd and sure enough my butler was standing nearby chatting with a few people. Once he saw me trying to get my attention he began to make his way towards me. It was at that moment that a folded slip of paper was placed on my lap. “That is for you, hopefully you will accept it.” Carter explained, giving me one more smile before walking off, I couldn’t help but notice that his cheeks were flushed as well.
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As I opened the paper the only thing inside was a phone number as well as the words. Hopefully you call me, Lady Oren. I felt my smile start to grow a bit as I put the paper into my purse. Mr. Benny arrived shortly after and retook his position by pushing me to some of the chairs that had been set up. “Care to tell me what has brought such a smile to your face.”
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“Nothing,” I said. “Is there anything you might want from this auction?” I quickly changed the subject. “She has a few interesting relics inside of those doors.”
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“Anything that might help you figure out what your target is after?” Mr. Benny asked, sitting down in the seat beside me. “That was the reason we came to this auction in the first place.”
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“An odd looking crown that supposedly belonged to the queen of some city named Atlantis. That and the the staff that belonged to that Moses guy or something.” I explained.
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Mr. Benny raised an eyebrow at me. “That crowd could be anything, but I doubt she has the actual staff of moses.”
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“Care to explain why, Mr Benny?”
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“Because that staff was lost from the children of Israel when the first temple was destroyed.” Mr. Benny explained. “A lot of powerful relics were lost on that day, even if it was the true staff it would be a powerful weapon to have. Especially if he was rumored to have the spirit of that ancient beast.”
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“You mean the leviathan?” I asked.
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Mr. Benny slowly nodded his head. “Anything else that your target might have wanted from her display?” He gave me a small smirk before adding. “Or were you too busy goggling at your new boyfriend?”
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“Shut up!” I said, slapping him firmly on his arm.
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The auction so far hadn’t been that exciting. I had watched the occasional storage auction show on television but this was much more calming. Though I was surprised that some of these weapons and other boring scrolls seemed to rack up millions of dollars from some of these people. If things did seem to get a bit rowdy, Carter was quick to end things by simply bringing forth his carve hilted sword. Once they had finished with the last item, a solid black sword that supposedly belonged to Alexander the Great. The man who had been busy running this auction, a pudgy-faced man with a big belly and dark eyes, named Ralph Mason said. “Now for the piece that you have all be hoping for, the true main event of the auction tonight.”
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He clapped his hands a few times and a man brought out a case that was completely covered with a black tarp. “This relic has been passed down from generation to generation, a piece of a past long since forgotten. The first weapon to ever be created by one of the trinity of the beasts. The great flood that destroyed humanity was brought forth thanks to this weapon of destruction used by the angel Michael. The three points of the trident of the seas.” He placed a hand on the black tarp covering the case and pulled it off.
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There was an eerie silence over the place as everyone stared at an empty case of glass. I looked at Whitney Dawnbreaker to gauge her reaction and she looked absolutely livid right now, her wine glass shattered in her hand making everyone jump. Either red wine or blood raced through her fingers leaving black stains on her velvet gown. Someone had stolen something from her, and I was pretty sure I knew who it was.
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