Page 88 of Mistaken Magic

Aspenwas the most generous personI'dever met.Sure, she was selective about it, butIdidn't blame her.Shealso never asked for half as much back as she gave.Withher, it was the little things.Theway she noticed ifIwas worried about something or how she knew the right way to show meIwasn't fucking up - like with the comments aboutKeir.

Ijust likedher.

WhenIwas out of the shower,Ileaned into her room to let her know it was her turn.Sheran her eyes over me in my towel, then shooed me out.Iwarned her she had to wait for the big reveal, then closed the door on my side.Ihad two hours to get ready.Thatwould be enough time for my hair to dry, but also to screw up my makeup at least once.

WhenIfinally looked as good as possible,Iput on the dress.Likemagic - and probably because of it - the fabric shifted to hug my curves, fitting perfectly.Thelong sleeves were made of some sheer fabric with a pattern of vines stitched into it.Thataccented the neckline of the sheath dress that fell to just above my knees.

Itwas elegant, appropriate, and looked so good on me.WhenIlooked in the bathroom mirror,Ifelt likeIwas seeing someone else staring back.Mylong, dark hair fell in soft waves.Myeye makeup made my dark eyes pop.Mylips were in a nude shade, just becauseIknew eating wouldn't work well with lipstick.Ilooked like some valedictorian ready to give a speech, not the new girl atSilverOaks.

Iwas standing there asAspenreturned.Shepaused, her mouth falling open. "Wow," she breathed. "Youare the most beautiful girlI'veever seen."

Iglanced at her reflection in the mirror. "Ilove the dress."

"There'sjust one thing you need," she decided, hurrying back to her room.

Confused,Iturned to follow, but she was back beforeIcould do anything else.Holdingup a pure white flower, she placed it against my throat, then made one of her little gestures.Somethingraced from her fingers, up around the back of my neck, and then stopped.Turningto the mirror,IfoundInow had a necklace, and the flower was the pendant.

ThenAspenmoved beside me.Thetwo of us were almost the same height.Shemight be a half inch taller at most, but whereshe was so pale,Iwas dark.Myskin was olive, my hair was a natural black.Mydress was a purple shade of blue.Herswas a yellow shade of green that made her look even lighter - but it worked.

Thenshe looked at my feet. "Oh, no!"Aspendeclared. "Youcan't wear your school shoes!"Onceagain, she spun and left the bathroom, returning a moment later with two silver leaves from some plant. "Shoesoff,Rain.Standon the leaves."

"Isthis howCinderella'sgodmother worked?"Iasked even asIobeyed.

"Close," she admitted. "See,Idump some of my magic into the plants.Thatmeans whenIneed to use more,Ialways have it around my room."Thenshe closed her eyes and scrunched up her face before snapping her fingers.

Theleaves changed, shifting to shoes.Iwas looking down to watch and got to see the straps grow from nothing, racing around my feet and ankles to make the most amazing silver heelsI'dever seen.Theywere intricate, with loops instead of simple crisscrosses, and looked exactly like something a "fairy" would make.

"Oh, those are nice,"Isaid.

Aspenjust kicked out her own foot, showing a matching pair. "Imight like the style."Andthen she offered her arm. "CanItake you to dinner,Rain?"

"Likea date?"Iasked.

Shenodded once. "Justlike a date.Maybea secret one, butIam honestly dying to show you off."

"ThenI'dbe honored."AndItook her arm.

Thepair of us made it down to the dining hall with five minutes to spare.Fromthe sounds inside, everyone else was already here.Well, everyone except the three guys leaning against the wall, watching us come closer.Torianwore a crisp black-and-white suit - his sleeves even had cufflinks! - but therewas no other color on him at all.Surprisingly, it made his eyes seem even more vivid.

Thenthere wasWilder.Histie was in a green-and-yellow pattern that complementedAspen'sdress nicely.Hisshirt was black, his suit was a steel grey, and the only other color on him was a pocket square that matched his tie.Withhis darker skin, the whole look was very, very impressive.

Iturned toHawkejust as he desperately made a face atTorian.Witha sigh, the "king" made a small gesture andHawke'stie and pocket square changed color, shifting from red to lavender, and settling on a periwinkle color that perfectly matched my dress.Hiscoat and pants were charcoal, just a bit lighter thanTorian'sblack, but it worked with the new colors.

"NowRaindoesn't look like the misfit,"Hawkesaid.

"Trustme,"Toriantold him, "she didn't before."Helet his eyes run down my body. "Aspen, you are evil."

"Iam, huh?" she agreed, moving to catch my arm again. "Now, let us show you how to make an entrance.Ladiesfirst and all that.Justremember to keep your chin up,Rain, because the jesterswillbe watching."

Itwas like one of those scenes from a teen drama movie.Theones where the popular girls walk in slow motion down the halls, except this was us.Aspenstepped off andIstayed at her side, but the three guys fell in behind us.Torianwas in the middle withWilderflankingAspenandHawkejust beside and behind me.

Thefive of us marched down the aisle, heading to the court's usual table.Thingshad been moved around, but not enough for me to get lost.Itried not to gape and gawk, butIstill noticed everyone turn to see us.Aspen'sexpression was damned near regal, soIdid my best to match it.

Aswe passed, people began to talk.Theconversation was soft, like a wave that followed behind us, but it was impossible to miss.We'dbeen noticed, andIhad a feeling that had beenveryintentional.Then, when we claimed our spots at the table,Torianmoved me to his side, bumpingHawkedown one chair.Italso put him between me andAspen, butIdecided that was ok.Theway we were sitting, my back was against the wall, which meant the entire room spread out before me.

Thebeautiful room.UnliketheThanksgivingdecorationsIwas used to, autumn wasn't the theme here.Thiswas all about winter.Whiteflowers served as accents, but so did bare branches, holly, and berries.Mistletoewas everywhere, as were fat flakes of snow that drifted through the air but never reached the tables.

Thingsshimmered: the lights, the accents over the doors, and so much more.Itwas like living glitter had been used to add a little sparkle.Theplates, table cloths, and most of the decorations were white.Everythingelse was silver.Itried to take it all in, but that was impossible.Therewas just enough magic to make this wondrous, but not enough to make it impossible, andIloved it.

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