AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Thirteen
Emilia wokeat midday to the soft tap of rain on her bedroom window and muted light spilling in through the white drapes. Once again, the house’s every creak and groan messed with her sleep, and she’d failed to close her eyes until the early hours.
More than a week in Harlow, three days since the call with her dad, and still freedom hung on her like an ill-fitted dress. She kept expecting Anthony would pop out of nowhere to exact his revenge.
Compared with the new daytime distraction of working at the nursery and Aggie’s quirky hot-takes on life, the quieter nights were when Emilia’s racing thoughts returned and her nerves fared worse. She couldn’t remember her last night of decent sleep. She pushed the bed covers away with a sigh and resigned herself to yet another day nursing a dull, sleep-deprived headache.
At least I have a bed and a day off from the nursery…
Yes, there was that. And positive thoughts felt better on the soul than the constant sense of doom that followed her, so she stood and padded toward the kitchen, her bare feet cold atop the wooden floors.
She made a cup of tea and took it to the front veranda, her pulse quickening at the new buds on the plants Aggie had given her. The rain-dappled growth brought a promise that this garden might be more than a simple side project, that maybe she could succeed where she’d always assumed she’d fail. That maybe she would be around to watch her flowers grow, and Blaine’s appearance and Anthony’s disappearance didn’t have to defeat her.
Tall brown grass swayed in the light wind, emitting a gentle rustle while a blue-green glint flashed in her peripheral vision. She focused on that glint, narrowing her eyes to an object poking from her letterbox.
Who’d be sending mail so early into my move?
Dread rippled over her skin and churned her stomach as she raced over the veranda’s weathered timber boards, her bare feet soon stinging on the crushed gravel path.
Before long, a glossy emerald green envelope glistened in her palm, tidy ink swirls spelling out her name, embarrassingly un-terrifying. Then again, looks could be deceiving.
She worked a finger under the seal and tore it open, raindrops chilling her bare shoulders, the cool wind adding to that chill. Star-shaped sequins fluttered in a slow spiraling dance to her feet. She laughed. Someone had put a great amount of effort into this particular creation.
Inside the envelope was a peacock blue card; she pulled it out and read:
Dearest Emilia,
You are cordially invited to the annual HarlowMoonlight Soiree.
This year’s theme is A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Dress up. Wear your dancing shoes. And bring a plate of food to share.
Best Regards,
Aggie McKey xox
She pressed her hand to her chest and smiled, her doubt even more on the ridiculous side now. Aggie, the mischievous town matriarch, had mentioned nothing about a soiree, and the dressed-up invitation hinted that this event would be a big deal.
Emilia bit back a wide grin and ran toward the house, the gravel path once again making her regret placing mistrust over putting on shoes.
Inside her bedroom, she collected her phone and called Ally. “Did you get an invite too?”
“Oh, is this for the soiree?” Ally’s voice sprung forth even brighter and more excited than usual. “Not yet, I’m at work, but Mom’s probably got the invite taped to the fridge by now. What’s the theme this year?”
“A Midsummer Night's Dream.”
Ally unleashed a high-pitched squeal, forcing Emilia to pull the phone from her ear. “What? What is it?”
Ally sent forth a series of staggered breaths before she replied, “My idea. They finally picked my idea. Geez Louise, this is so exciting. The soiree is like the biggest event of the year. It happens every spring, and everyone in town comes along before the place gets swamped by tourists over the next two days for the town fair. It’s something Blaine started five years ago to get more people into town. You know, to help local businesses. It’s grown every year since.”
Emilia’s heart beat a little faster at the mention of Blaine’s name. “Oh, really? Tourists?”
“Ya, but just at the fair. The soiree is mostly townsfolk and their guests. It’s the best. Oh, can you sew? We should make costumes together.”
Emilia laughed and kept Ally waiting, overrun with the memory of nights at her mother’s side in their tiny kitchen, the smell of sunflower perfume enveloping her at the even tinier dining table. Her mother had taught her how to work the old sewing machine there. Back when she’d known nothing but simple comfort and a cohesive family.
She cleared her throat from the huskiness forming and answered Ally. “I can work a sewing machine with the best of them.”
