Page 60 of A Dusk Of Stars

What the… “What does this mean?” I ask as I look up at them.

“I don’t know,” Alaric says simply. No jokes, no sarcasm. Just plain ‘I don’t know’.

It makes me more afraid than the thing itself. I grab the book and start leafing it, but it doesn’t seem like the rest has anything to do with the drawing.

I lean to take a whiff of it. It’s by some kind of magic it’s been put here.

I shake my head and take a deep breath. “It’s fine,” I tell the two of them when I look up and see the concern in their eyes. “Just leave this with me and go have fun, please.” Leave and preferably forget all about me, I think to myself.

“No,” Raven says with determination in her voice, “we’re not doing that, Anna.”

“I thinkyouneed to have some fun, too,” Alaric chimes in.

“Should we play a game?” Raven asks.

“No, silly,” he replies with a laugh. “It’s the Ball I’m talking about.”

“The Ball?” I ask, frowning. But the very thought is so absurd, at least it bursts the self-pity bubble a little. “Are you kidding me? It’s the last thing I want to do right now." Smiling, I roll my eyes. "Go to the Ball.”

“Anna, you’re coming to the Ball with us,” Raven says firmly. Alaric nudges her to add, “And I’m not taking no for an answer.”

For a second, I just look at her. It's already decided, though. She’s never asked anything of me and I’m not going to say no to her. “Alright,” I concede with a smile. “Let’s go.”

I get up and move to lead the way to the Main Hall.

“Oh you’re not coming dressed likethat,” Alaric stops me, dragging his eyes down my outfit.

“I need to lay low, Alaric,” I tell him. “This is the way I dress and I can’t be attracting any attention after everything that happened today.”

He winces. “We’re about to enter a hall crammed with people in suits and gowns. I think it’s your hoodie that will be attracting attention.”

As much as I want to protest, he’s got a point. “Fine,” I say with a sigh. “Give me ten minutes and meet me in the Entrance Hall.”

Raven nods contently, while Alaric throws me the biggest grin. “Party,” he bellows.

***

The Main Hall looks like a crystal forest with the icicles hanging from the ceilings and the snow covering the floor. There are bars and booths lining the walls to our left and right, a stage with the musicians across from us and the dance floor taking up the rest of the space, interspersed with high tables designed to look like crystal trees.

As soon as we step in, I see that Alaric was right. Even in my little black dress and high-heel boots, the people gathered here are all more dressed up than I am.

Unfortunately, the outfit doesn’t make me blend in more than my hoodie would have.

My stomach drops when I notice the glances that some of the people are throwing me, followed by rushed whispers.

I guess this is about the incident at the exam.

“Word sure spreads quickly,” I tell my friends as I nudge them to keep walking.

Trying to shrug it off doesn’t seem to help. Now the crowd seems to be parting around me, the glances and the whispers even more insistent.

What really rubs me the wrong way is my friends looking at me with sad eyes.

I just can’t bear to be the recipient of such looks,orlet myself become the reason they end up not having fun.

“Why don’t the two of you have a dance?” I ask them, motioning at the dancing floor.

They look at each other, and I see the hesitation in their eyes.

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