Page 443 of Axis of Fire

It wasn't exactly irrational.

"What else did you see?" I asked. "Maybe there's something else we can change."

"I wasn't paying attention to anything else."

She shrugged as she reached for the handle leading into Madame Zhivorzhinette's dressing atelier.

"Maybe we should just ask for a different dress," I suggested. "I doubt she'd appreciate us destroying the one she made."

"That depends," Stasia said, pulling the door open,

"on how willing she is to negotiate."

******

In the end, I wore the black dress.

Stasia had insisted on it.

Thankfully, we hadn't had to destroy my original gown.

Madame Zhivorzhinette—who had apparently spent the entire night preparing outfits for every student—had agreed to exchange it without much protest.

Now our small group made its way toward the Selection grounds behind Joelle.

Besides Stasia and me, there were Gianna, Seris, Kaeron, Loretta, Pria, Taylor, and, bringing up the rear, Azalia and Aaron.

The path itself felt like part of the ceremony.

We walked beneath archways completely woven from flowers.

Some blooms glowed softly.

Others released delicate melodies whenever the breeze stirred their petals.

The ones growing near the ground filled the air with sweet floral scents that clung to the fabric of our elaborate gowns.

My dress had a simple, deep-necked bodice, while the skirt flowed in layers of tulle shaped like tongues of flame.

The upper half of my wavy hair had been pinned back, leaving the rest to fall over my shoulders and down my back.

I had to admit...

This version felt far more like me.

"I still can't believe they made us wear..." I glanced down at my dress.

"...all this."

I looked over at Stasia.

"This is all for show, isn't it?"

She walked beside me in an emerald-green gown embroidered with gold thread.

Its off-the-shoulder neckline gave way to long, fitted sleeves, while the enormous skirt barely fit beneath the flower-covered arches.

I couldn't even imagine how heavy it was.