“A time I like to forget.”
“We could always go to Tennessee.” I shot a look of surprise at her suggestion.
“I think we are both fine in Westfield, not reliving our family trauma.” I grabbed her arm, linking it with mine as we walked closer to the castle.
It was easier to see the decorations that had been set up in better detail. The open landscape of the castle greeted us with small tabletops lining the edges of the walls, covered in dark tablecloths. Three bright red pillar candles, encompassed in ivy, were placed in the center of each. The middle of the walkway was left open and free for mingling amongst the party guests as they were slowly arriving. I looked around at everyone dressedup; some women were in ball gowns or simple dresses, and most men were in full-blown suits.
I pulled away from Jemma and ran my hands down the front of my dress.
“You look wonderful,” Jemma leaned in and whispered to me.
“That’s not what I’m worried about.” I knew I looked amazing in the dress Jemma had ordered for me. But I took a deep breath as I took in the amount of people around us.
So many people.
“Breathe for me.”
“What do you think I’m doing?” I gave her a pointed look as I took a few more breaths, my fingers playing with the lace of my dress.
Jemma was dressed up in a deep purple gown that fit her petite figure perfectly and complemented her dark skin, with black and white accessories. I stood in a simple white slip dress with a dark green lace overlay that went all the way to the floor, with a slit along the leg. The sleeves were a few sizes too big for me, designed to create a flowy look. My white strappy heels barely peeked out from the bottom of the dress.
I was worried about us standing out with those around us, people knowing who I was, but I found that it didn’t matter, because no one was paying attention to us.
“You look just as stunning, you know.” I reached up and placed a hand on the crown I was wearing, making sure it was straight.
When the dresses Jemma had ordered arrived a few months ago, I’d joked with her that the only thing that was missing was a crown, so when I put on the dress tonight, she pulled out a dried white rose flower crown for me to wear.
“Oh,” Jemma gave me a little shimmy. “I know.”
She winked as we came up to the open dance floor, where more guests were lingering.
The theme of the evening was a pop of color. Jemma and my colors weren’t really as bright as some others, but it meant we blended in a little more. I readjusted my dark green lace mask that matched my dress.
My mask was probably the most revealing, while with others, you could hardly tell who they were with it on. Most men had a half-face mask on, like in the Phantom of the Opera.
“Hors d'oeuvre, ma’am?” A server snapped me back into focus, holding out a tray of small crackers with jam and cheese on top.
“Sure.” I shoved one in my mouth, hoping the nerves coursing through me wouldn’t make it come back up later.
Soft music filled the space around us as a string quartet began to play. This was most definitely not what I’d expected from a gaming award show. That was, until ten chords into the song. My head jerked to those around us, wondering if they were hearing what I was, the theme song toLeague of Witches.
A smile crept across my lips as I soaked in the familiarity.
Oh, nerds.
“Let’s check out the rest of the castle.” Jemma looped her arm in mine, guiding me to where she wanted to go. “Maybe we’ll find me a prince, since you’re not looking.”
“Like you’re actively looking,” I scoffed as she led us to a set of stairs.
“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.” She shrugged.
I rolled my eyes as we took the first step on the stairs. A dark green carpet lined the center, while each step was crowded with what looked like black roses.
“Can you believe they themed this as aLeague of Witchesmasquerade?”
I turned around to two men who were talking at the bottom of the stairs.
My head shot back to Jemma, whose eyes were wide with realization. We knew the night was in honor ofLeague of Witches, but I don’t think we had any idea they would be theming the decor to it as well.
