Genevieve craned her neck to look up at the maid.
"They aren't looking pleased? Surely, that doesn't mean they are about to call off the banquet, right?" she probed.
"Why don't you find that out yourself?"
They got to the second floor, and Genevieve remained quiet as the maid continued to pull her down the hallway and past her parents' bedroom.
"We just passed—" she started to say, when the door of the next room, her own room, swung open, and not one, not two, but three smiling faces popped out the threshold.
They were her father's, her mother's, and her twenty year older brother Vince's. Genevieve sighed in relief and broke into a smile of her own. It was obvious from her parents' expressions that the banquet hadn't been called off after all.
Not only were they dressed for the party, but they were also carrying small boxes which she presumed to be her gifts. The maid who had pulled her up here immediately released Genevieve's collar so she could bow to the Master and Madam of the household, while the latter hurried over to her parents.
''How are preparations going, Tanya?'' Her mother asked.
''Without an hitch, Madam,'' the maid replied. ''The guests are being led to the ballroom immediately they arrive. And we've had no trouble so far.''
''Meaning all that's left is for my girl to get dressed and go join her guests?'' her father asked the maid, even though his eyes were fixed on his daughter.
Tanya nodded again. ''Yes, Master.''
Genevieve's mom waved her off, ''Then you should go and resume your task of coordinating the others. It's my daughter's first birthday which her friends from school have been invited to,'' she instructed, and continued with a stern tone, "No complaints or dissatisfactions should be recorded."
The maid nodded, bowed gently once again and turned around to walk back the same way she came.
Meanwhile, Genevieve was immediately surrounded by her family, her brother being the first to speak.
"Happy birthday, Eve. Congrats on another year closer to adulthood," he wished, pushing the box he had been carrying into her hands. "Here's your birthday gift. But don't open it yet. Wait till later when I'm outta here."
In her usual manner, Genevieve rolled her eyes and made to open the box.
"You won't fool me with an empty box, Vince. I know you better than you think," she stated.
"Oh really? Then you know I'd rather throw my money away than buy a gift for an overpampered younger sister—"
"Vince!" Genevieve cut him off and was about to spout a perfect clapback to his insult when her father interrupted.
"Now, now, let's not get into any arguments today. Eve, take your gifts inside and unwrap them later. You don't want to keep your friends waiting," he said. Adopting a stern tone, he added, "And you, Vince, stop getting on your little sister's nerves! Especially not on her birthday!"
Eyes sparkling with mischief, Genevieve stuck her tongue out to mock her brother for her father taking her side even though he had always done that for as long as she could remember. Before she could add words to her action, her mother pushed her inside her room, ''Now, can we go take our bath and change into the dress we prepared for the birthday girl?''
Successfully distracted, Genevieve nodded with a smile as bright as sunlight dominating her face. She took a step into the room and was about to close the door when the sound of footsteps approaching halted her movement. Popping her head out to see who it was, she realized it was one of the elite guards who guarded the gates of the estate.
Her mother tried pulling the door close, but Genevieve held it open with all her strength, wanting to listen to whatever the guard had to say, like the nosy girl she'd always been. After a few seconds of struggle, her mother let out an exasperated sigh and allowed her be, but kept a tight grip around her wrist.
The guard bowed to each of them one after the other before speaking, ''Sir, there is a car outside with two girls and their parents, but they don't have an invite—''
''Then don't let them in. Do you still have to ask that?''
''Why not, Papa?'' Genevieve spoke up, loosening her mother's grip from around her wrist and going to stand in front of her father.
Her father looked at her like she had grown horns on her head.
''Because they don't have an invite, obviously.''
Genevieve blinked, her expression growing sour.
''But Papa, you also know the invitation cards Mama provided for me were too few to be enough. I had to invite some of my friends without it, and now that they are here, it would be unethical to turn them away.''
''True,'' her father agreed, "But it would be stupidly risky of us to allow them in when we had no prior knowledge that they would be coming. We can't vet their identities in such little time. It's dangerous."
''Danger, danger, danger! Come on, Papa, what danger could a bunch of harmless high school students possibly cause? It's just a birthday banquet and not even a field trip for heaven's sake!''