Yesenia smiled at her. “I’ll come find you soon. Have fun, Meadow.”
Once Khan guided Leo and Yesenia away, she searched for River but noticed he was at a stall with Nora, looking at a kitten with rainbow-colored fur.
Laurie spoke up. “What would you like to do first, Emmy? Dance? Eat? Look at the stalls?”
She tightened her arms around each of theirs. “All of it! I want to do as much as possible.”
He chuckled. “As you wish. Let’s start with the stalls and wait for a slower dance, so we can all dance together.”
“I’m not the best dancer, even with my lessons. So you’d better watch your feet.”
Joseph said, “You’re far better than you think, love. And with us surrounding you, you won’t have to worry about your bracelet, either, and can just fully relax.”
Even though Meadow was getting better at controlling her magic without the training bracelet, she’d opted for caution tonight. “Just make sure you two behave during the dance. Especially since I promised to stop by Nadia’s family’s booth, as well as Helena’s sister’s one, too. And I don’t want to be kicked out for indecency before that.”
Laurie whispered, “We’ll save that for our properly improper masquerade balls at Nyx’s Kingdom.”
She smiled. “I can’t wait. But for now, I think I see Nadia. So let’s head in that direction.”
They made their way around the sides of the square, and Meadow kept getting distracted by all of the proudly displayed items, made with and without magic, and how much more charm and character they had versus buying things from giant box stores or massive online platforms. Maybe they treasured things longer here since they were a bigger deal to purchase?
And even though she was tempted, she refrained from buying anything yet, wanting to see her friends first.
She reached Nadia’s brother’s stall. And even though it belonged to her brother, Nadia stood nearby and was helping out. She waved and came to greet them. “Meadow! You look lovely, and your vampires aren’t too bad themselves, either.”
“Your dress is stunning. A little different from the rest, but in a good way.”
All of them wore flowing dresses, but Nadia’s had small shapes embroidered along the hem, sleeves, and bodice. They almost looked like hieroglyphs, but not quite.
She traced some of the shapes along the top of the sleeve. “It’s the old fae witch language in Egypt. Few speak it any longer, let alone read it, but my mother loves to embroider it on clothing. And since my brother runs an import business that often sells Egyptian items, ones that he combines with his powers of magical tricks to make things even more memorable for special occasions, it seemed appropriate to wear this.”
Meadow had never met a fae witch who had light magic. They were usually referred to as magical tricksters since they could construct light displays that lay dormant until something was opened.
Before she could stop herself, she blurted, “Will he and the others put on a light-work display tonight?”
Nadia nodded. “That’s the idea, as long as the weather stays nice. But you don’t have to stay here and talk to me all night. Go have fun with your vampires! This is your first fae witch festival, and after all the training you’ve been doing, you definitely deserve some fun.”
“Thank you, Nadia. As long as you promise to have some fun yourself.”
“I will. My husband should be around shortly, and then we’ll dance.”
After saying goodbye, Meadow turned to Laurie and Joseph. “So, what should we do next?”
The music changed to a slower tune, and Joseph smiled. “Speaking of dancing, this is our song. Come on.”
Her heart raced as they led her out onto the dance floor. She really wasn’t that great of a dancer, and yet she knew how much Laurie and Joseph enjoyed it.
You danced with Joseph at the ball, after all. Trust them. You know you do.
And soon Joseph was behind her, his hands on her waist, as Laurie took her hands. They began the intricate dance of moving and twirling, alternating which person she faced.
They weren’t the only trio on the dance floor, and even some older children were dancing, too.
Between the lights overhead, the music, and the laughter all around her, Meadow couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so happy. Oh, she loved being naked and in bed with Laurie and Joseph, too. She always would.
But for a girl who’d been in hiding for so long, never getting the chance to experience life, it was magical.
Just as the music died down, someone screamed. Within seconds, a thick, dark smoke rose up from the dance floor.
