“Ava!” Ez exclaimed. “You’re engaged!”
“How did you—? Ugh, Chancey!” Ava cried.
“I hope you don’t mind. I invited some guests,” Chancey said proudly.
“I can’t believe you’re gettingmarried!” Eddie squealed.
“I believe it,” Alistair countered. “I can smell the hormones on these two. It was bound to happen.”
“This is just so unexpected!” Opal gushed.
“Yeah, well, can we stop standing around talking about it?” I asked impatiently. “We’re kind of in a hurry.”
“Then it’s good I was in the music room and grabbedthis,” Ez said.
Ava yanked backward, pulling on my arm. “Would you get that camera out of my face?”
“It’s for the family!” Ez cried. “Mom and Dad won’t want to miss this, and Alana will kill us if she doesn’t get to watch the video.”
“Ugh, fine,” Ava groaned. “Come on.”
We continued down the hall and slipped into the chapel unseen. Kallie and Marcus were already there. I heard them clinking glasses.
“Where’s Hemlock?” Marcus asked.
“On her way,” Ava replied.
“Ooh, where’d you get the booze?” Alistair asked.
Kallie giggled. “It’s a fae illusion. It isn’t real.”
“I don’t care,” Alistair said. “Pour me a glass.”
“Oh, and me!” Eddie added with a giggle.
Suddenly, everyone was asking for a glass of champagne. Ancestors, we hadn’t even gotten married yet, and our friends were treating this like a party instead of life or death.
“Guys, stop,” Ava complained, but no one heard her. The chatter was too loud.
“Kallie, did you put up all these decorations?” Ivy asked.
“I sure did,” she said proudly. “It was an easy illusion, really. What do you think?”
As everyone gushed over the decorations, I leaned over to Ava. “What’d she do?”
“The chapel is decorated with white tulle and lace, and there are rose petals running up the aisle, all the way up to an arch. They’re being completely over the top.” Ava groaned, like she was less than pleased. She wasn’t into this wedding at all.
That stung... but I knew Ava hadn’t asked me to marry her because shelovedme. She was just trying to save me from being deported out of here.
“They know this isn’t a real wedding, right?” I asked.
Ava huffed. “They’re acting like it is.”
Kallie turned to us. “The decorations might be false, but there are a couple of things I wanted you to have for real. I found some tulle in the Arts & Crafts room, and I made youthis.”
Ava went speechless for a moment. “Uh… a veil?”
The fabric brushed my arm as Kallie placed it on Ava’s head. “Yep. And I also made you these.”
