Who would I be, if I could be anyone?
I take a sip of the drink and offer a quick thank you. The flavor is sweet like almonds with a fruity, yet earthy, undertone. I think it’s beetroot, with a touch of hibiscus, and I’ve never had anything like it.
“Is it normally so busy, or is this all a part of the festival?” I ask. “Gil mentioned it, but we hadn’t really gotten into the details—I’m not even sure if we would have ended up making it over here today.”
“Guess you two have been busy.” She gives me a knowing look and—oh God, I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.
“It’s never this busy—except for on a festival weekend, Gil might have wanted to wait to have you meet us, considering we can be a lot—in a literal sense.” She laughs, “It’s every cousin, auntie, uncle, and family friend crowded in our pavilion.”
“I don’t mind,” I reply, ignoring the sudden nerves swelling inside me. “My family isn’t exactly close.”
“Well,” she smiles brightly, “now you’ll have us. Oooo! Let me find us some maps. There are a few stages set up beyond the market, and we can decide which bands we want to go see.”
How can she be so ready to claim me when my own relatives couldn’t?
“But shouldn’t we go back or give Gil a call?” I ask. I know she said they’d be busy working for a while; I figured we’d go for a drive and come back, not go to an entire festival.
Gil should be here.
“Call them?” Angel blinks.
“You know…” I say, mimicking the gesture Angel showed me earlier. When I open my eyes, she’s looking at me like I have three heads, before bursting into laughter.
“Oh, that.” Angel snorts. “I was messing with you.”
“You werewhat?”
“Yeah, sorry, I kind of do that when I meet humans. It’s just—I don’t know—funny?” she says, her eyes getting big. “Are you mad?”
“Well…” I begin. Normally, I’d tell her no, deflect, offer up the easiest answer, but considering I could be “anyone” here, I shouldn’t fall into my same bad habits. “I do feel like you might have used me to steal the keys.”
“Don’t be silly. Gil has talked so much about you over the years. Come on, let’s hang out!” she says, grabbing my hands. Does she really expect me to believe her?
“You tricked me!” I argue, standing firmly in place.
“Okay, yes, a little. But I mean it; I do want to get to know you! And Goldie, the oldest, is way too serious. You look fun!”
Fun.
Fun?
“Okay! Okay! I’m sorry, you’re right! Let me show you why I’m going to be your favorite sister-in-law, okay?” Angel says, straightening her back.
Her shoulders brush mine as we walk side-by-side, and I’m sorry, did she just saysister-in-lawagain?
“Angel,” I protest, my cheeks heating.
“What? I will be—your favorite! I promise you’re going to love this. First, let me tell you about the legend of the four sisters, and you can figure out who you want your blessing from. My personal fave is—”
It’s too hard to follow or hear whatever she’s saying next as a huge surge of people head in our direction.
“Oh! Ah! Hey!” I exclaim, dodging a few hulking creatures with feathers and wings as Angel reaches for my hand. But it’s like we’re salmon trying to swim upstream. Our fingers barely touch before she’s carried off with the tide, and I’m—
Alone.
She’s gone, lost in the crowd. When I try to go after her, figures and shapes blur together, so I go back to the spot she left me. I try to at least—I think this is it.
There’s so many people, I’m shuttled along with the crowd through large arches that appear to be crafted from moss and seaweed. The music intensifies, drawing me forward.
