"You smell so good," Alice murmured as Magnus guided her to sit back down on his lap after he'd appeared and motioned for her to stand up. "What is that?" She asked, bringing her face close to his neck and breathing in deeply, releasing a hum of approval.

"Ralph Lauren." Magnus murmured, putting his arms back around her as the party by the lake continued to steam ahead around them... She leaned into him, feeling affectionate as she began to draw circles on his chest and trace lines across his shoulders. She'd noticed he'd had this look in his eyes, and for some reason it sent warm waves through her body...

She had a feeling he'd done something... but what that was she wasn't sure yet, so she decided not to comment on it... knowing he'd probably tell her later if she asked.

Magnus didn't react to her touch although he enjoyed how it seemed to slow his heart rate... instead he very carefully listened for the moment the commotion would reach them, waiting for the perfect and discreet moment chaos would unfold and he'd be able to whisk Alice away from it and claim innocence. He was smiling without realising, and to an outsider it looked like Alice's affectionate touches were making him happy but in reality he was overjoyed that an nuisance in his life had been neutralised.

It had gotten slightly chillier now, with the wind seeming to pick up the cold from the large body of water just in front of them. The lake rippled and washed up against the shore, creating pleasant background noise as the evening seemed to continue as normal for a little bit... only minutes after Magnus had returned to the group they'd stood up to join the large gathering of people dancing behind the car with the large speakers placed in its boot. Alice noticed quickly, even in her intoxicated state, that again something was different with Magnus.

He was relaxed, and was smiling more as he held her hand, taking her with him into the gathering of people as the group followed. He was offered a spliff from Charlie and took it, placing it on the edge of his lip as Alice watched him intently with a small smile playing on her lips.

The spliff was lit for him, the other boys seeming to gather around him excitedly to see him in such a mood as the sound of Money Trees by Kendrick Lamar echoed loudly from the speakers. Alice bit her lip a little, reaching for her phone to capture the moment as if it was a rare work of art that would only be on display once in a blue moon...

She began filming him... seeing him standing in the middle of his friends whilst taking a long toke of the white roll up. He saw her with her phone raised, and exhaled the smoke through his nose before mouthing the words to the song, "everybody gon' respect the shooter, but the one in front of the gun lives forever." He motioned to his chest and tapped it lightly with his free hand, acting arrogantly as Charlie laughed, understanding the reference, "And I been hustlin' all day, this a way, that a way, through canals and alleyways, just to say- money trees is the perfect place for shade and... that's just how I feel,"

Charlie cheered him on along with his other friends, and he moved closer to Alice's phone, looking directly into the camera and taking another brief toke before continuing to mouth the words, "A dollar might, just fuck your main bitch, that's just how I feel. Nah. A dollar might, say fuck them- ... that you came with that's just how I feel."

Alice lowered her phone when she finished filming, unable to process for a moment how handsome her boyfriend was, on and off camera, before she tucked her phone away and grinned, reaching for his body to bring herself closer to him. He was in such a good mood that it seemed infectious, and people gravitated towards him like moths to a flame. He seemed drunk to those who were already intoxicated and they egged him on whilst calling out the lyrics too. But he was just having fun, having released a surge of dark energy that had been building for a while. He tucked Alice under his arm, and she glanced around whilst smiling, watching how everyone interacted with him, gazing at him like he was some kind of celebrity, mimicking his behaviour without realising they were.

She was fascinated with how Magnus had created this... false god... narrative for himself just by, in a way, saving so many of his friends from being punished for serious crimes they had committed and giving them the opportunity to remain members of society.... if they followed his rules. There was a mixture of admiration, fear, respect and jealousy in all their eyes as they looked at him... and she wondered what would be in hers if she could see herself and the way she looked at him as well. She'd never seen him like this, not really, and suddenly felt the realisation suddenly seep in as she figured out the possible reason why... her facial expression changed for only a second but she fixed it, looking up towards Magnus who was taking another toke on his roll up.

He looked down at her, and saw that she had guessed in her eyes... he could see a mixture of admiration and something else that caused him to smile. He chuckled a little then offered her the roll up as if to symbolise he wasn't worried. She hesitated for a moment before taking it, and there were whoops to encourage her as she placed the roll up to her lips and inhaled, all of the while keeping her eyes on him. She'd watched Magnus do it, and held the smoke inside her lungs for a few seconds before coughing a little. "Steady... steady," Charlie smirked, patting Alice's back as she coughed and covered her mouth. He took the roll up from her, took a toke and handed it back to Magnus.

"I've done it before," she spluttered out and Charlie laughed as Magnus smirked.

"Yeah yeah, we all have," he replied with a chuckle before handing her a beer to drink to calm her throat down... it seemed that things were starting to settle down, and for a moment, just a moment, Magnus forgot what he had done. His attention was focussed on Alice as she seemed to become a little dazed and smile a bit more and he was amused at how fast it took an affect on her... but it was then that he heard it. The yelps, the screams and shouts... the way people were stopping their dancing and glancing in one direction before deciding it was time to leave.

He felt goosebumps rise across his skin as he heard someone shout someone's been stabbed! Over the music before others began to yelp and run as if there was a murderer running around with a knife in his hand. He stopped, placing his hand on Alice's back to get her attention as the gathering around them began to disperse in panic and hurry away and towards their cars to leave, as if subconsciously, they didn't want to be held accountable for a crime none of them committed.

"Let's go," Magnus murmured, leaning down to murmur it in Alice's ear. She glanced up at him, but had no time to respond as he grabbed her hand and whisked her away and into the flow of people, with some running and some walking to their vehicles. The others had barely seen Magnus and Alice leave, and glanced around for them as they were separated by everyone rushing away from the scene of the crime by the lakeside. There were too many underaged drinkers, some high off illegal substances and some in possession of them with the intent to sell. There was more of an underground scene than the police and most residents knew about... hence why nearly everyone was sliding into open car doors and slamming then shut before disappearing into the night with the sound of skidding tires filling the air.

Expect there were a few left... who were gathered around their friend, waiting for help to come as they tried to stop the bleeding by using coats, jackets or t-shirts, although it was too late... most of the blood had gushed from the wound in his throat and seeped down over his skin and dripped down onto the pebbles on the lake side shore. It had only been ten or fifteen minutes since Magnus had used that penknife, although time seemed to slow down and make it seem like hours had trickled idly by instead of minutes.

Alice was hustled into the passenger side of Magnus's car, her heart thudding as she sobered up quickly, her mind registering the commotion surrounding the car as she heard the distant sound of sirens. "What's going on?" She asked as Magnus climbed in moments later, putting the car into gear seconds after he closed his door and was reversing the car out of its spot under a tree to join the queue of cars leaving the scene... He didn't answer her, but his silence told her everything she needed to know. It was him that had done it... but now she wondered who it could've been even though she had her suspicions.

Both of them were quiet now, and Magnus didn't feel the need to say anything as he held the steering wheel with one hand and watched the car ahead of him intently. He was calm, relaxed, but he could tell just from Alice's silence that she was getting amped up on the energy seeping from the situation around them. She was looking out the window, watching people jog past the car to get to the road, some people were walking or scampering off into the hedges with cigarettes in their mouths, looking suspicious. "Seems as if everyone's got a few secrets they want to keep tonight." Alice mumbled as the car moved along.

"Looks like it." Magnus replied quietly just as they got out onto the main road after a few minutes and drove in the opposite way to a majority of the cars.

Magnus glanced into the rear view mirror and seeing an ambulance and several police cars swerve into the parking lot for the lake. He could see one car had stopped the flow of traffic, parking in the entrance way to stop people from fleeing the scene of a crime. He smirked to himself, and continued to drive at a steady, unnoticeable speed, glancing up again and noticing a few cars turning around and driving his way instead to escape law enforcement.

They'd slipped out completely undetected, and it only seemed to fuel Magnus's ego. He couldn't fight the grin any longer and released a dark chuckle that caused Alice to look over at him. He kept looking straight ahead as he drove them back to his house, cruising up the windy road lined by trees that swayed softly in the wind as if to greet him as the car sped past. They arrived soon enough at the Johnson mansion as Alice texted her parents to say she'd be staying at Magnus's that night... All the lights seemed to be on, and it was quiet up here on top of the hill. All they could hear was the soft rustling of the trees and the occasional hoot from an owl... And if Alice hadn't been so familiar with the property and the people living inside, she might've been scared of the house that seemed to stare down at her with an intimidating presence.

There was a dark energy attached to this beautiful property that didn't go unnoticed... and every time Alice was here should feel it tingling through her limbs and standing the hairs on the back of her neck up, but she always put it down to assuming she was getting nervous to see Magnus's parents again and brushed it off.

It was late by now, just moving past eleven o'clock when the pair climbed the stairs to the large front door that was left unlocked for them... since Magnus had let his parents know he wouldn't be back too late. As Alice stepped in, she could smell the freshness of the place that had obviously just been cleaned and she smiled a little as she slid off her shoes by the door. "I think my parents are still up." Magnus murmured, watching as Alice sniffed her hair and hummed. "What?"

"I don't want to smell like smoke." She mumbled, watching as Magnus moved over to her and smelt her hair.

"It doesn't smell like smoke," he replied, smelling her usual lavender shampoo instead. "Do you want something to eat?" He asked since she had been drinking a fair amount. She nodded, thanking him quietly and followed him to the kitchen, noticing how there were fancy decorations up for what looked like a big event.

"I thought tomorrow was a small gathering," Alice said as Magnus opened the fridge and glanced inside, scanning the numerous fully stocked shelves for the glass storage boxes the chef usually stored left overs in.

"Small?" Magnus replied, "Small to my mother is three hundred people." he added, "Did you buy a dress?" he asked, turning to look at her. Alice stared back at him in silence, parting her lips and looking a little worried suddenly.

"I thought I could just find something in my wardrobe," she replied quietly as Magnus looked back into the fridge and pulled out a few storage boxes filled with food. "... What kind of event is it?"

"Wedding anniversary." Magnus replied, turning around and placing the boxes on the island in the centre of the kitchen and peeling off the lids. There were steamed vegetables and thin slices of what he assumed to be beef, he pushed one of the boxes towards Alice and turned around again to get cutlery from a near by draw.

"Oh," Alice whispered, "I don't think I have anything fancy enough. I don't have a gift either,"

"They don't want gifts," Magnus replied, "I'm sure we can find something somewhere my mom has dresses all over the place." he added, since it was a little last minute for them to find anything online and he couldn't bothered to drive somewhere to shop tomorrow since he was sure they'd both be a little hung over in the morning.

"Magnus I don't wanna look like an idiot," Alice whined, picking up the fork he'd given her and spiking a few of the vegetables. He chuckled, murmuring that she wouldn't and wandered to another part of the kitchen to get them both some filtered spring water from a separate fridge in the pantry. Alice could hear footsteps just as Magnus disappeared around a corner, and Alice looked up to see Julia walking in with an empty glass of wine, her hair up and dressed in a fluffy pink lounge wear matching set.

"Oh!" she beamed, and Alice smiled happily, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment since Julia was make up less and looked like she wasn't expecting any guests. "Allie, darling- how was your evening?" She cooed, putting the wine glass down and wandering over to her. Alice hoped she didn't smell like smoke or beer as she was hugged affectionately by her boyfriend's mother, and blushed.

"It was fine," Alice replied lightly, feeling herself turning red and cursed herself in her head. "A little busy so we left early." She added, even though she was sure Julia would find out what had happened at some point.

"I didn't know you were staying over this evening." Julia replied lightly, "We were expecting you tomorrow,"

"Um, yeah it was a last minute decision... I hope that's okay." Alice replied politely, tucking her hair behind her ear and watching as Magnus returned from the pantry with two bottles of water.

"That's completely fine darling, where are your bags? I'll have Sarah take them up to Magnus's room," Julia continued, turning away from Alice and walking back over to her wine glass. Alice parted her lips to say she didn't bring anything with her, but Julia kept speaking. "Oh, Magnus, would you be an angel and fetch me a bottle of the... um, 1797... Chateau Margaux... Please."

Magnus sighed angrily and turned back around, walking back into the pantry after putting the bottles of water down. "1797?" Alice asked, "As in the year?" She wondered in surprise. Julia turned around and smiled widely,

"Yes," she replied kindly, "An absolutely ethereal taste, really one of a kind. Would you like to try some?"

"Oh no, I'm okay," Alice breathed, just imaging the price tag on a bottle of wine that was over two hundred years old. And if she didn't like it, it would be such an immense waste that she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. Julia carried on the conversation as she waited, wondering what Alice was up to, how her family life was, what her plans for the summer were...

At the same time, downstairs in the wine cellar, Magnus scanned the numerous shelves for the specific bottle of wine his mother was asking for... it had been refurbished a few years ago with modern glass casings for the most expensive and rare bottles of wines and new racks for the others, the stone walls added a rustic feel to the medium sized room and it was temperature controlled so that the wines could be kept in perfect condition...

Magnus could feel draft and hummed to himself, finding it annoying that it was brushing against the back of his neck and turned around, trying to find the source since there was no way to reach the outdoors from this room... it took him a few minutes, but he followed the breeze, now that it had distracted him, and came to a rack of wine that looked a little off... he wondered why and stared intently, tracing his finger across the wood until he noticed one bottle of wine that was a little cleaner than the rest. He tried to pull it off to see if there was something behind it, but as he did so it lifted... causing the rack to begin whirring and moving to one side.

"Hell no." He laughed quietly, glancing towards the staircase that led back up to the pantry. The secret door was opening slowly, making an eerie humming noise that echoed towards him... the hallway behind was pitch black... and revealed nothing to the naked eye even when the door had fully moved to one side. Magnus stared down into it, letting his imagination run ahead of him and create pictures of what could be down the other end. He knew about his mother's secret company, I.AM industries, and he knew they had some intensely complicated technology too... but this... this surprised him.

He wanted to go down and have a look, but he got the feeling that he would be crossing a line that was not even meant to be revealed to him. Magnus stared for a little longer before he noticed a button just on the wall inside the long dark hallway and pressed it, causing the door to begin closing again. "I'll come back to you later..." He murmured, licking his lips briefly as he put a pin in this discovery and turned away to find the bottle of wine his mother was asking for.

A couple of minutes later he returned upstairs holding the bottle by the neck. Alice was still holding steady conversation with his mother, and he sauntered back into the room and poured the wine for his mom who thanked him. "Alice was just telling me about this security system problem she's having." Julia said in a careful but light voice as if to suggest she was annoyed that Magnus hadn't told her. He stared at his mother, wondering how she had managed to get it out of Alice in such a short time before he looked at Alice.

Alice wasn't even sure how she had done it, but Julia had been asking so many questions about her home life and her life in general... it had just slipped out. "Really." Magnus replied calmly.