Celebrations (4)

After Erik left, people at the party started whispering among themselves. They noticed how Emily approached Erik to talk—something very unusual, since she normally turned down anyone who tried to talk to her.

The party's VIP guests knew exactly who Erik was. With their military connections, they knew well that he was the country's only awakener.

However, most of the guests—mainly relatives of those very same VIPs—didn't know who Erik was. Besides, even if they knew, Erik was still young, inexperienced, and, most importantly, weak, and they could bully him if they wanted. Not there, though.

Those who wanted Emily felt jealous, since she had never been so friendly with them before. They were determined to find out more about this Erik Romano.

Erik himself had no idea about any of this. Though he knew about the Stone family and their daughter Emily, he hadn't made the connection, especially since she didn't tell him her name.