Page 51 of Enchanted Kisses
In the family room, between the coffee table and the stools at the kitchen counter, Raysa set the bags on the floor. It was like watching Chinese acrobats—the ones who spun twenty plates at once, then stacked them in front on the floor without breaking a single dish.
With a fling of her hair, Raysa straightened. “Voilà!”
I clapped. It seemed appropriate.
“Phew!” She pretended to wipe sweat from her forehead, even though she never sweat and always looked as if she’d just stepped out of a beauty salon. Must be a supernatural thing.
“Water?” I offered, playing along. I grabbed two bottles from the fridge and handed one to her.
“Thanks.”
We both took a long swig.
I set my water down and gestured to the bags covering the rug. “What’s this? Your new spring wardrobe?”
Raysa had money, and so did Caiden. I’d always known it was inherited; I just didn’t know it had been passed down by ancient sentries. Talk about old money.
“This,” she set her water on the counter and waved a hand above the bags, “is for us. Tonight, we play dress-up. Tomorrow, we go to the manor. Did I tell you I’m on the decorating committee for Alliston’s celebration?”
“You? No way.” I feigned shock.
Raysa had also led the decorating committee back in high school. But before she got too excited about the celebration, I needed to tell her I wasn’t going.
“About that,” I started. “I don’t think I should go.”
Her hands went to her hips and her sea-green eyes narrowed. “Lily Gracelyn Ellis, don’t even try that with me. You’re going. I had your dress made. It’s settled.” She glanced at one of two large garment bags. “Want to see it?”
I eyed the long, black bag. “Is it the dress from the picture?”
“That’s the one. I can’t wait to see it on you. You’ll steal the hearts of everyone, but no one more than Caiden.” She unzipped the bag and mumbled something like, “That’ll show Bianca.”
“Who?”
She looked over her shoulder. “What?”
“You mumbled something about Bianca. Who’s Bianca?”
She dropped onto the couch in a very unladylike, un-Raysa manner. “I don’t know how to tell you this.”
“Tell me what?” I lowered to the smaller adjacent couch, every muscle tightening.
“I need you to be at the celebration because I need your help.”
“Please don’t ask me to heal someone. I’m pretty sure I’m broken.”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, it’s not that. Last night, a few of the committee members and I were at the manor, brainstorming ideas and themes. Anyway, we decided to pull an all-nighter and around three in the morning, things got…interesting.”
“Is that why you weren’t on campus today? You were too tired from being up all night with friends?” I should have asked about theinterestingpart, but I couldn’t get past feeling left out. For a year, it had been the three of us. Me and Raysa at first and then Caiden shortly after. She didn’t haveotherfriends—but I guess she did.
She sat forward, oblivious to my pity-party, thankfully. “Yes and no,” she said. “It wasn’t because I was tired that I didn’t come. I can go two or three days without sleep. It was for other reasons.”
“Two or three days?” I slumped into the cushions.
Being a halfsie didn’t have many perks. I couldn’t go one night without sleep, let alone two or three days. And Raysa having a life and friends outside of me hurt, whether it was justified or not. I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere—not in the human world and not in hers.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
I forced a smile. “Yeah. Sorry. You were saying?”
