Page 89 of Akarnae

Eventually Alex had to move as the Ronnigan household began to fill with more and more people. Apparently Bear had been telling the truth when he’d said that Kaldoras was a community event for his family.

Benny and Sal arrived first, bringing with them a large flagon of Sal’s homemade dillyberry juice to serve with lunch—much to everyone’s pleasure.

Next came Dorothy’s sister, Tessa, who surprised Alex by pulling her into a hug and giving her a small wrapped package, saying, “To go with your dress.” Inside were two tear-drop earrings, delicate and beautiful. Alex stammered her thanks and tried to apologise for not getting Tessa a gift in return, but Tessa just laughed, saying she hadn’t expected one.

A number of other guests arrived and, just before they all sat down to eat, Anton Grey hurried through the door, apologising for his tardiness. Alex was more concerned by the smoke coming off the back of his jacket than anything else, and she watched as Bear quickly spoke to the Chemist, pointing him towards the bathroom.

Anton rushed off, calling out, “So sorry! Had a little accident in the lab! Be right back!”

They all laughed and waited for him to return before they sat down to start Gammy’s amazing feast, revelling in the happiness of the day and enjoying one another’s company. Not for the first time, Alex felt the warmth of contentment stirring in her chest. She never would have guessed upon arriving in Medora that she could have felt anything other than alienated and isolated in this strange, new world. But sitting around a table brimming with food and merriment, she realised her presumptions couldn’t have been further from the truth. She felt safe. She felt comfortable. And, most importantly, she feltloved.

“What are you thinking about, Alex?” Jordan asked from across the table. “You look like you’re miles away.”

Alex shook her head and offered him a soft smile. “I’m just having a moment.”

He glanced at her quizzically but only said, “Well, when your moment’s over, can you pass the potatoes? They’re begging for my attention.”

Alex chose not to comment on the mountain of food already covering his plate and instead handed the potatoes over. As she turned back to her own delicious but much more appropriately sized meal, she sent a silent thought back to her world:Merry Christmas, Mum and Dad. I hope wherever you are, you’re as happy as I am.

Twenty-Nine

The days following Kaldoras passedby in a blur of food and laughter. Johnny and Blake were due to leave after lunch on New Year’s Eve, so the family—which now included Jordan and Alex—crammed in as many experiences together as they could. One of those experiences included a walk into the village so that Alex could prove to them that Ye Olde Bookshoppe existed.

Unfortunately for Alex, when they entered the bookshop all they found was a half-collapsed building. No books, no weapons or jewellery, and no Lady Mystique. If not for Gammy’s reassurance that she’d previously met with the lady, Alex would have questioned her own sanity. Instead, all any of them could do was shrug and try and put the strangeness out of their minds.

Woodhaven turned out to be a winter wonderland, with everything from a fantastic sledding hill to a small frozen lake that was perfect for ice-skating. They skated and sledded until the point of exhaustion, and even had a snowman-building competition which ended in a massive snowball fight.

Before she knew it, the week came to an end, and it was time to say goodbye to Johnny and Blake.

“You take care of yourself, Alex,” Johnny said, pulling her into a hug.

“I’ll try,” she promised.

“Be good, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Blake said, giving her a hug as well.

“That doesn’t give me a lot to work with,” she replied with a knowing smile. If there was one thing she’d learned about Blake in their short time together, it was that he enjoyed the thrill of a challenge.

“Exactly,” he said, adding a wink for good measure.

While she was sad to see them go, Alex was also excited, because it was finally the day of the New Year’s Eve Gala.

“I better go and start getting ready,” she said after Johnny and Blake departed.

“Do you need any help?” Dorothy asked.

“I think I’ll be fine, thanks,” Alex said. “But I’ll call if I need anything.”

As she headed up to Blake’s room, she couldn’t help but chuckle when she heard Bear whispering incredulously to Jordan, “It’s three o’clock! Does she seriously need two hours to put on a dress?”

Alex ended up thoroughly enjoying those two hours, despite the ridicule of her friends. Every so often it was nice to actually be girly and feel like the young woman she was.

“Ten minutes, Alex!” came Bear’s voice through her door.

“Coming!” she called back.

She glanced one last time at her reflection, still surprised by what she saw. The dress Dorothy had designed for her was stunning. It was a sky-blue colour and made out of silky material that flowed softly down her body, swishing as she moved. On her feet were the silver strappy shoes William had given her, and she wore the teardrop earrings from Tessa along with Evie’s wildflower clip pinned into her hair. All in all, she felt—and looked—like a princess.

“Alex! Come on!”

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