My body had gone rigid.
“I know it’s last minute, but turns out my friend, Cassie, was injured in training the other day, and now she can’t go.”
“Is she all right?”
“She’s fine. Just a sprain. Happened while running the trails,” he’d said with a small smile. We’d all stumbled on the trails plenty of times. “So I’d be honored if you would accompany me.”
And with a sting of guilt, I’d said yes.
The hourof the ball arrived, and I still hadn’t found a moment to speak to Rush in private. Either he was blatantly ignoring me, or he was doing such a good job in his role of hating me that he truly hadn’t noticed me trying to get his attention in the hall. A part of me hated him for how good he was at acting, how impossible it was to tell what he really thought. I had acceptedShep’s invitation, partly because I didn’t want to go to the ball alone and partly because I wanted to see how Rush would react. It wasn’t the kindest reason to go with him, but fear was eating me alive every second, knowing what was on the horizon, and I was in no mood to watch Rush and Scarlett prance around like nothing in the world was awry. Besides, talking to Shep was easy. It didn’t give me butterflies or make my blood like a raging river, but he made me smile, and that felt good.
The dress Vanya donned for the evening was truly exquisite, and it made mine, a commission from Fairfax that felt like a betrayal to wear, look plain in comparison. My family certainly couldn’t afford a brand-new dress for this occasion, and the nicest thing I owned wasn’t sufficient for waltzing under crystal chandeliers to the tune of a string quartet. So, reluctantly, I donned the dress Fairfax had sent. It was a sparkly, lovely thing, or so I would have thought if it weren’t tainted by the madman who’d given it to me. It hung straight from my hips in the newer fashion, not augmented by layers of petticoats or ribbed hoopskirts. I’d eaten more in the months at Cardan Lott than I ever had at home, and my hips no longer looked skeletal and my spine no longer stood out like dragon spikes along my back.
“You look marvelous!” Vanya declared, grasping my arms and kissing both my cheeks as I descended into the common room the night of the ball. The race was set for tomorrow night. One more night before everything fell apart.
She had dressed at one of the nicest hotels in town, where her parents had paid for rooms for her as well as the six-person crew they’d sent along to prepare her for tonight’s festivities.
My eyes traveled down Vanya’s gown, growing wider as I realized her excitement over this dress was, perhaps, understated. Her dress was unlike those worn in Cavaria. It was more of a wrap that left part of her middle exposed, her warm skin tone contrasting beautifully with the white silk crisscrossedwith flowing silver vines studded with jewels. Her hair was pinned half back, secured with several diamond-studded clips, and the rest of her long black hair fell down her back in large waves.
“You look like a princess,” I told her, holding out her hands so I could admire the dress.
Her cheeks sparkled faintly when she smiled. “And you look beautiful.”
My lips quirked up, but my attention was stolen by a whistle peeling through the room. Prescott walked from the archway to the boys’ dormitories, his hands clasped over his heart, his eyes wide and mouth barely open in a dazed smile.
I rolled my eyes as he approached Vanya, bowed low, then took her hand and kissed the back of it. Vanya gave me a look that saidsee, he’s not so bad, and looped her arm through his, heading for the exit.
As I waited for Shep, the girls all exchanged compliments over our dresses. Scarlett and Rush never came through the room, which suited me just fine. I wasn’t sure I could stomach watching them together tonight.
The crowd thinned out, and I was left standing in the center of the room, hands clasped at my waist as I waited.
“Ari,” came Shep’s deep voice a few minutes later. He strode from the courtyard entrance, dressed and smiling as if he’d already been enjoying the evening, and his cheeks held a faint tint from the cold. “You look lovely.”
I smiled and accepted a kiss on the cheek, my face flaring with heat as I worried he felt this made us more than friends. The way he pulled back slowly, eyes on mine, deepened that worry. Maybe going with him had been a bad idea.
“Shall we?” He lifted his elbow, and with a deep breath, I took it.
The ballroom that had sat empty every time I’d walked through it was now bursting with light and decorations and milling people. Tables dotted one side of the room, while the other was reserved for dancing. Columns wrapped with sprigs of greenery hugged the edge of the dance floor. Ribbons of fine pink and white fabric had been tied to the chandeliers and affixed to the crown molding at the walls, draping the room in a springy hue. From these strips of fabric hung thousands of delicate flowers that waved ever so slightly when someone passed underneath.
There was a line to enter the ballroom, giving me ample time to stare at the decorations as we slowly made our way through the wide double doors draped with green and pink and white flowers that cast their sweet scent through the air.
I felt like I was stepping into a dreamworld.
My hand slipped from Shep’s arm as we entered the room. He grabbed it and tucked it back where it belonged, snapping my attention back to him. Beneath our feet was a white carpet rolled out to mimic the snow blanketing the grounds outside. Petals lay strewn all along the carpet. Spring was literally falling down to smother winter in this room.
I scanned the room for Rush, or Scarlett, knowing that if I found her, he’d be close behind. She was easy to spot. In a room full of women wearing winter hues and sparkling dresses, Scarlett wore red. Her honey-colored hair was piled on top of her head, a small crown flecked with rubies nestled among the curls. Several of the girls wore tiaras. I supposed tonight, we were all pretending to be royalty.
My eyes found Vanya and Prescott, and a smile flickered over my face. She was so short next to him, but the way her chin angled up to stare at him while he talked, her eyes so misty and smitten, was adorable. I only hoped he didn’t break her heart or I might secretly untie his dragon saddle one day.
Many of the students’ parents had come for the fundraising ball, and it was interesting to see who stuck closer to their parents’ sides and who tried to avoid them. Mabel hung beside her mother, and Clarence stood stiffly beside his father. Prescott and his older brother stood far from their parents, and from what I heard, Luther’s parents hadn’t come. Fortunately, Luther hadn’t said a word to me since my return.
Shep led me toward a table, and we sat with some of the other third years. Rebecca, a curly-haired girl with tan skin and a gorgeous ivory dress, was seated next to me. She smiled and complimented my dress.
After we chatted with Shep’s friends for a few minutes, Rebecca’s date, a boy named Thomas, asked her to dance. She took his hand, but before she stood, she waved at the table, beckoning us all to follow.
“Come on,” she said, half laughing. “Let’s all dance.”
The other couples smiled and left the table, hands clasped and heels clacking.
