Sy and I continue our adventure through the Graves family manor. With every room we pass, the likelihood of my finding somewhere to kill Aubrey grows less likely. How is there not Tinkertech or some kind of defense system I can use to create a situation where the only possible outcome is her death? This situation is just a problem that needs to be solved, and I have never met a problem I couldn't solve. Whatever I end up doing has to meet three criteria. It needs to look like an accident or a suicide. I need an airtight alibi to the point where there is no possible way I could have had anything to do with it. And the final is that it has to be one hundred percent fatal; there can't be any hope of her surviving.

The last room we pass before we head upstairs to the second floor is the pool room. Of course, the Graves have an Olympic-sized swimming pool in their house that they never use. Sy stops, standing in the doorway, admiring the crystal clear water. I encourage him to step through the doorway, and I follow him into it. There are only a few overhead lights on, and the warm glow gives the place a moody, welcoming vibe. As we get closer to the water, more and more lights flick on, illuminating everything. Could I drown her in a way that makes it look like it was an accident? Everyone is drinking at the party, so I could encourage everyone to overindulge. We could play a drinking game where I rig it to make sure she gets wasted. But then I need a way to get her down here without anyone else and get her to willingly swim. Aubrey is a very competent swimmer, and she's not an idiot; the odds of her drowning are slim to none. But as of right now, it's the only lead I've found.

Think. Think. The place probably has a state-of-the-art fire detection system, so I can't just start a fire hoping Aubrey dies in it. Not to mention that Violet is fast enough to get everyone out of here, and Sydney could just put the fire out by depriving it of air. The same thing goes for creating any kind of chemical gas or explosive device. Should I involve someone else? Isaiah knows my identity, and he'd do it, no questions asked. But then we're back to square one when it comes to surveillance. This place has to have an insane security system, and whatever I do here is bound to be recorded and saved. I am stuck in a position where I need to murder Aubrey, on camera, in front of witnesses, without any of them realizing what I've done. I got away with what I did to Maria; this is just that, but slightly harder.

______________________________________________________________________

"Hey, I appreciate you doing this for me, Eryk. Seriously, with everything going on with my family, it's nice to have someone I can talk to," Sy said suddenly.

"That's what friends are for. Plus, I have to be there for you. I still haven't gotten that grilled cheese you promised me," I said.

We both stop in the middle of the hallway, and he turns around to look right at me. His eyes are intense, and his face is emotionless. Did I somehow strike a nerve?

"You're a funny guy," he said, bursting into laughter.

"I've told no jokes and I tell no lies. I want my grilled cheese motherfucker."

"I haven't forgotten. I've just been busy, man, you gotta forgive me," Sy begged, dropping to his knees. "I promise I'll make it up to ya."

"You're lucky that I'm such a nice guy."

"Sweet! Besides, I have to see how good a chef you are tonight to figure out whether my grilled cheese is even worth serving to you," he admitted.

"You have talked a big game about it. It'd be a bit of a disappointment if it ended up being mediocre," I joked.

"Well, great, now you've gone and added all this extra pressure to it. This is quickly spiraling out of control," Sy said, gripping his head, pretending to freak out.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You ready to go back?" I asked, checking my phone. " We've been gone twenty-five minutes already."

"Oh shit, really? Sorry. I can't believe I've been holding dinner up," Sy said.

"Agreed. They might have already devolved into tribalistic sacrifice and cannibalism," I said dryly.

_____________________________________________________________________

We trace our steps back to the common area everyone is in, and as we walk through the aquarium room, I can hear laughing, talking, and some light music in the background. Looks like Emma hasn't started anything. That's good. A small part of my brain, the part that prepares for the worst outcomes, did consider the idea that I'd get back with Sy and Emma would have murdered everyone. I can't ignore the knowledge that she murdered so many people for no reason. There wasn't a goal in sight or any motivation beyond that she could do it. To achieve my goal, my body count will likely exceed hers by several zeroes, but it is for a purpose that all of them will die.

I turn the corner to find everyone hanging out and no dead bodies in sight. Despite us only being gone for less than half an hour, they've already finished three of the bottles. Violet is lying on a chair sideways, draining the last drop from a wine bottle she seems to have drunk entirely on her own. She's not interacting with the others at all. Aubrey, Raf, Anika, Vivienne, and Emma are all sitting around a coffee table, laughing and playing Uno. She sees me, winks, and goes right back to the game. What a good little chameleon my girlfriend is. Dappur and his date are making out against the wall, despite being surrounded by so many people. Stay classy, Dappur. The final pairing of Sydney and Jean-Luc is an odd one, but the two of them seem to be getting along while they go to town on one of the charcuterie platters. At least someone appreciates my hard work.

"Do not worry, friends. The dynamic duo is back, and now we can commence with the festivities. I hope everyone is still hungry, I made a lot," I announced as we returned.

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"Finally!" Aubrey exclaimed.

"Oh, relax. I made snacks, so it isn't like anyone was starving," I countered.

"Unlike Jean-Luc, I didn't plan on getting full on cheese and wine," she replied.

"Whoa, what'd I do?" Jean-Luc asked, crunching on a cheese and salami cracker sandwich.

"Violet, I forgot to ask, but are we eating in the dining room?"

"Yeah, that's what the plan was. It's through the kitchen. There's plenty of seats and space there," she responded without looking at me.

What is her problem? No one seems to notice her irritation, and the group begins to migrate to the dining room. Jean-Luc sways a bit as he walks through the kitchen. Is he already drunk? You can't be getting this sloppy, this early. I want everyone significantly inebriated; in fact, my plan requires it, but he has a habit of getting messy when he drinks. Is the universe conspiring to make my life as difficult as possible? Is there a Neuvohuman out there who can affect fates, and that's why this shit happens to me?

The dining room is one of those that has the too-long table with high-backed seats. There are thirty seats, fourteen on each side, and then one on each end. There are plates and silverware already out. Violet must've done it when I was cooking earlier. There are even trivets for me to put the food on; if Violet weren't on my shit list, it would be a nice gesture. But at this point, I'm tempted to kill her too. It's too early for that, and I still need Violet for certain schemes I have.

While people are picking seats, I turn around and head back to the kitchen to start bringing food in. Checking the roast with a meat thermometer shows that it's still at the perfect temperature. The ovens having a keep warm feature really are a lifesaver when it comes to keeping everything warm until now. I grab the salads and other cold dishes from the fridge, and then Vivienne comes into the room.

"Hey, Eryk. Holy hell, it looks as good as it smells," she said.

"Thanks, V. Sorry for dipping as soon as you got here. I'm really glad you and Anika came. Hopefully, I can win her over with my cooking."

"All good. I'm not even going to argue against her disliking you, but just know it isn't just you; it's most guys. But that's just because she hasn't had the chance to get to know you like I do. And I don't mean that like it sounds, I mean that once she gets to know Eryk, she'll quickly understand why we're friends," Vivienne said.

"I knew what you meant. I know you wouldn't cross that line, but speaking of Anika, how are things going with her?"

"DUDE," she squealed, grinning and moving side to side. "Everything's going so freaking good. She's so much fun, and I know I've never really dated anyone but I'm so happy all the time, even when we're not around each other. And it isn't just the obvious stuff like how she's drop-dead gorgeous and hot as hell. It's how she commands people's attention when she speaks to them. She has a way with words and, honestly, I didn't even consider it til right now, but it's like how you do. You can be the quietest person in a room, but your words ring the loudest; you two have that in common."

Oh, she's head over heels for this girl. She sounds like she's in love with Anika already. I did not expect this development. Maybe I could have seen it happening in the future, but not so fast. I need to ascertain Anika's intentions. If my second in command is going to be seeing this woman in a serious capacity, then I can't remain in the dark when it comes to her. If you asked me a month ago, I would have said that Vivienne would never betray me or share my secrets. But love makes people do things they wouldn't normally do.

"I didn't realize that you felt so strongly about her; I've been a bit of a shit friend for not asking earlier. By the end of tonight, I'm going to make her like me so that we can all hang out more," I promised.

"Thank you. For what it's worth, I think you guys are going to get along really well," Vivienne said. She pauses, pursing her lips. "Soooo, Emma."

"Soooo, Emma?" I said, repeating her statement as a question.

"Where's she from?" Vivienne asked, eyes narrowing.

"She's from up north."

"Whereabouts up north?" She asked, pressing on.

"Just some faraway small town you haven't heard of." Why is she busting my balls on this?

"Okay, so then how did you two meet?"

"The same way anyone meets anyone nowadays: technology," I said.

"I figured, but thought it was best to ask you. I might be the first person to ask you how you met, but I doubt I'll be the last. You two need to have your stories locked before you mess up," she said, strangely serious. She leans in to whisper in my ear. "It's not you I'm worried about."

Ah. She thinks Emma will cause complications for me. I shouldn't dismiss her suggestion; different points of view offer different angles. I can only view Emma from one angle.

"I appreciate the concern and the recommendation. It would be stupid of me not to take your advice."

"Yeah, it would be. Now hand me a tray and let's get this food out there," Vivienne ordered me.

The two of us take five trips to get everything moved into the dining room. All the food looks great, and it seems my opinion is the universal one. Every face I see is oogling the feast I've crafted. Yes. All of you should be grateful for what I've provided. Dappur and his date have even stopped touching each other to admire it. I don't even think I've heard her name yet. Did someone tell me, and I wasn't listening? Violet is sitting at the head of the table, flanked by Sydney and Dappur. Dappur's date is next to him, while Raf and Aubrey are next to Sydney. Vivienne is across from an empty spot, which I can only assume is my seat. Jean-Luc is next to Aubrey, and Anika is sitting beside Vivienne. Sy is on my left, and Emma is on my right, which just so happens to be the furthest seat away from Violet. Surely that's an accident, and we aren't being petty. Before I sit down, I grab the empty glass in front of my seat and pour red wine into it.

"Before you all dig in and devour this to your heart's content, I'd like to propose a toast to Violet for gracefully offering up her home to everyone," I said, making eye contact with her. Cheers of thanks and agreement come from everyone as we all take deep drinks of the wine. It's at least better than beer. Violet looks shocked at my toast, blushing faintly. Whether due to embarrassment or alcohol, I don't know. "And to Aubrey, for organizing everything and being the one to bring us all together to do this."

A repeat of the Violet toast happens, and now everyone is more than halfway done with their glasses. On track, but not enough just yet.

"Happy Friendsgiving. I can't think of a group I'd rather spend my time with, and I treasure all of you, even if we only just met," I joked, waiting for people to finish chuckling. "I'm thankful for all you. Let's make this night one that none of us will ever forget, and eat and drink until we can't move.

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