Page 331 of A University of Betrayal

Chuck e. myers ‘sea’, Hogwarts Legacy

I stood in front of the large ballroom, from which festive orchestral music rang out. I had always thought that the violin was a beautiful instrument.

Reporters from the Blairville Daily had noticed me and asked if I was Julie Blair, and when I had nodded with a steely expression, they had started taking pictures of me before hurrying into the ballroom, whispering.

Nervousness was building inside me. I felt small in front of the open gates of the Vanderwood ballroom entrance, which filled me with awe for the building and its history.

The man others called my father had been here. He must have stood here the same way. At the Winter Ball of his time.

Admittedly, without the Salma I would have been lost. Not knowing how out of control my emotions would be, I had emptied an entire vial. It helped me to show that part of me without hurting others. It helped me to keep a cool head and face these people.

I listened to the music and looked down at my small baby bump, which was clearly visible in the skin-tight dress, and I tried to ignore the fact that it was too early for that.

The dress was floor-length, with the fabric falling down loosely from just below my hips, from the middle of my thighs. It was made of very light pastel gray-blue fabric, through which one could easily see my skin... studded with thousands of rhinestones that sparkled silver in the light of the lanterns. My shoulders were exposed, and it looked as if the stones were sticking to my skin, as the tight top of the dress was almost see-through. There was also the deep V-neckline that looked like it was melting into my figure with the rhinestones and the hint of a cape made of heavy shimmering threads, in the same design as the rest of the dress, that stretched from my shoulder blades down my arms and sideways over my hips to the floor.

This dress would draw all the attention to me.

The old Julie would have beenterrified,would have run away by now, would already have been struggling with the decision in the store and only picked up the dress to longingly hang it in her closet where it would collect dust.

The new Julie was ready to face the people she had run away from long enough.

The orchestra came to an end. That was my signal.

Never Enough

Loren Allred

I gathered all my courage and as the orchestra began a new piece, I entered the hall.

Every step gave me a better view of the crowd, and I hadn’t even fully entered the ballroom when the first people down on the dance floor turned toward me.

When I came to a halt in the middle, in front of the magnificent banister, I let my gaze wander over the crowd. People I didn’t know, students I’d never met,maybe even Erik.

The fact that he could be down there was supposed to destroy me, but it was as if a part of me was calling out to him, as if I wished that his eyes were on me at that very moment and that he felt a connection.

I didn't believe in anything like that, but the mere thought was enough to send an intense tingle through my stomach.

The attention on me snapped me out of my thoughts, and it was as if I could feel the eyes of every single person in the ballroom on me.

They were staring… atme.

I could feel the eyes of the pack on me, watching me, but I was looking for the people whose attention I intended to steal this evening. And I spotted them in a corner where most of the Circle members’ families had gathered.

They looked at me as if I were their princess, awakened from her slumber after all these years.But I was not their princess.And that was exactly what I would show them.Now.

COPYCAT

Billie Eilish

I started moving without taking my eyes off them, step by step.

People on the stairs moved aside, but my gaze was on the Quatura only. And theirs was on me.

Vivienna’s jaw dropped, as did Grace’s next to her. Was it because they could see my baby bump, or because I was the center of attention?

Either way, it felt incredibly good to walk down the stairs with my head held high, looking at the expressions of disbelief on the faces of the Council members.

Attention had never felt so good.

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