The party had finally started, and with it came a storm of nerves, pride, and barely contained anticipation.
Laughter, music, and flashing lights poured out through the wide gates, echoing across the long driveway where expensive cars shimmered under moonlight.
Darcy, Jared, and Rudolf approached from the rear side of the estate— an angle less watched, less glamorous, but perfect for mischief.
Darcy looked like she belonged to the red carpet. She wore a black silk dress with a plunging neckline and thigh-high slit. Her crimson hair was pinned up in a loose, elegant twist that let a few waves dance freely around her face. Her stilettos were sharp as daggers, and a faux fur stole draped from her elbows like a banner of ruthless luxury. Around her neck hung a simple gold chain; subtle, yet regal. Her look screamed: I'm not just back. I never left.
"Damn, Darcy," Rudolf muttered as they slipped through a side hedge into the utility path. "You look like you're about to seduce a prince and stab him in the heart."
"I will," she replied without missing a beat, eyes focused forward like a general entering enemy territory. "But the time of seduction is over, Rudolf. Only stabbing remains."
Jared, clad in black jeans, a sleeveless hoodie under a fitted leather jacket, and scuffed combat boots, walked beside her, chewing a toothpick. His jaw was tense, trying hard to seem relaxed. His lip ring glinted every time he smirked, which was often.
"Where's Lash?" he asked.
Darcy raised her wrist and checked the time on her thin silver watch. "She texted five minutes ago. Already on the rooftop. She's probably chilling and playing a videogame on one of the flat sections of the roof. Well, she has to wait a few hours until it gets dark. Around 11:00 Sami will start the karaoke tourney— everyone will be gathered around the stage; the Chicken King will be crowned then and there."
Rudolf pulled a folded diagram from his inner jacket pocket— just a rough sketch of the balcony, the stage below, and the fishing line path. "We did a dry run earlier. The bucket's secured on the steel frame above the karaoke lights. The knot is perfect. One pull, and splat."
Darcy nodded. "And the line?"
"Transparent as air," Rudolf said proudly. "Threaded along the balcony's edge. No way anyone sees it under the string lights."
"At the right time, Lash will descend from the rooftop to the balcony and then she only has to give a light pull," Jared added. "After the act she will climb the rooftop again. The fishing line still in her possession and the balcony door still locked— nobody will understand how it was done, how it was possible."
''That sneaky cat girl is very capable of that,'' Darcy said, her red lips curled. "Perfect. Everything is set well in position.''
''It's still uncertain if Jake goes up the stage,'' Jared said.
''What are you talking about? You know how much Jake loves attention, and you know that at every karaoke session Jake - often taking that wrench Misa with him - takes on the centre stage to make a show, to act like a popular cool kid that is approachable and funny; he was always playing the Robin Hood back in high school!'' Darcy said with spite.
''Okey, I'll trust your predictions, your majesty, Queen of Schemes Darcy,'' Jared said mockingly. ''Let's make a radioactive chicken out of Jake.''
"Chicken King in three... two... one," Rudolf muttered.
The three glanced at each other one last time. No words. Just the nod of war-time accomplices, then slipped through the mansion's side door like shadows.