I wasn’t completely relaxed, either, no matter how much I tried to pretend that we were on the ground, not high up inthe sky on a piece of floor made of tiles, possibly being held by some sort of steel hand.
When we were done with the cakes, the tables opened again, pieces slid in and out, and dishes full of the main course were in front of us. Waiters came and replaced our glasses and jugs with new ones, too.
It was so surreal because the sun was climbing back higher and higher in the sky, and the moon had completely faded, and we were still there. The Great Clock was stuck at eight-thirteen, but right now nobody seemed to mind. I didn’t mind, either, though I looked up at it every few minutes, as if to remind myself that we were still part of the real world.
For a while there, it was…okay. It was fun, even. I had more than half a glass of wine and my head buzzed lightly. March never stood up from his chair and I was completely comfortable eventually. The others didn’t call me names right now and didn’t look at me like they hated me (except maybe for Levana every now and again). It was peaceful—a more peaceful dinner than any other I’d had since I’d woken up here.
Then came the guests.
32
The feast was being served backward, and after we finished dessert and the main course, the waiters came to collect the empty plates. The White Queen called for everyone to get up, see the world below us, mingle, and dance with one another.
I would rather stay seated, but the others were already on their feet, getting as close as they could to the very edge of the floor to look down, see the Labyrinth better. March stayed seated, too, for which I was thankful. I wasn’t going to ask him tostayagain if he wanted to get up, but I would most likely panic if I were left to sit there on my own.
“Iknewit!” Russ called. “I knew we’re being held up—come on, look!”
The guy was lying on the floor on his stomach, and he’d gone all the way to the edge to look down underneath us.
It was terrifying to watch from where I was sitting, and while others were brave enough to go close and do the same, I didn’t even consider leaving my seat. I didn’t need to see what was under there—I believed them just fine.
After the queen called formingling,guests came to greetus one after the other. They came with their drinks in hand and with their sneaky smiles, their gleaming eyes and their rehearsed words:it’s an honor—for you, to serve as Hands, and for us to be here with you tonight!Like someone had told them to say these very words. Like someone had written it down for them before this banquet.
It didn’t take long for the discomfort to find all of us again. And the more time passed, and the more people we met, the stranger it became. Some of the Hands danced, and a couple hung out at the edges to look out into Neverwhen, but most had come back to the table. I don’t know why that made me feelsaferwhen we were all stuck here together, but it did.
Each new guest who came by our table was drunker than the last. They would try to talk to all of us, but a Club woman was the first one to go directly for March. She ignored the rest of us and went to touch her glass full of red wine to his, then allow herself to grab his arm, and test the strength of his biceps—all the while telling us how incredibly strong he looked on projections, too. How good he looked in his suit.
I was too shocked to feel anything other than utter disgust, especially since the woman was right there, standing over me, and I had to push my chair back just to see her better. The sun fell on her face that had just started to wrinkle, and her eyes were brown and bloodshot, and her drunken smile revealed far too many of her crooked teeth.
“So kind of you to notice,” March said as he casually pulled his arm away from her reach and turned to face her with his whole body. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, too. He was smiling, but it was forced. “Now I’ll be able to enjoy my evening more knowing that.” I doubted the woman picked up on his sarcasm. “You do that, too. Cheers.” He turned his back to her fast enough that it left no doubt she was being dismissed.
The woman wanted to say more, but then someone slammed their shoulder against hers and pushed her against her partner’s side.
“Oh—so sorry about that, so sorry!” said Elida with both hands raised.
“The warden herself,” said the man with a deep nod, while the woman flinched. She actually flinched when she looked down at her shoulder, where Elida’s shoulder had touched her, thenwipedher pale skin, too, not-so-casually.
“Yes, yes, the new warden,” she muttered and turned toward us again, no longer amused.
Elida stepped back with that forced smile. “Please, carry on, carry on,” she muttered, feeling more uncomfortable than I’d ever seen her before. Without a glance our way, she slipped into the crowd and disappeared.
“So sad, what happened to her brother,” said the man. “A shame—such a brilliant, bright mind to be reduced to…to…”
We all watched him intently, hoping he’d say more, but he couldn’t seem to find the words fast enough, before the woman waved.
“Yes, yes, they’re all brilliant and bright,” she said dryly. “Come now, darling. Let’s mingle.”
Before she turned to walk away, though, she winked at March.
The way my blood came to a boiling point so suddenly. The way I imagined throwing my drink at her face.
“Enjoy your evening!” her partner said, and the way the woman walked, she was more than a little drunk.
But the man still turned to her as they went, and said, “Fascinating how they’ve changed so much, yet not at all, isn’t it?!”
They laughed.
They walked away.
