Chosen- A Selection Fanfiction

Chapter 49

I sat with Nathan and his family while we ate. Eona stayed on my lap, and despite her mother's scolding, I didn't mind at all. She gave me a sense of home that I've missed for a long time. I took a sip of my wine what wasn't even as dark as the red on my dress. 

Eona continued to pepper me with questions, like what I was drinking. "It's called wine," I responded. I sat my glass down by the thin stem. 

She looked back at me. "What is it, though?" she asked with a cock of her head. 

"It's really, really old grape juice," I smiled simply. 

Her face lit up. "It's grape juice?" she beamed giddily. "Can I have a drink of your grape juice?"

A smile struck my face as I laughed. "No, sweetie, you wouldn't like it." 

Her face looked puzzled as she stared so hard at my glass I thought it might begin to boil. "But I love grape juice," she pouted. 

Her mother began to laugh, and Nathan joined her as well. They were a beautiful family joined by love; they weren't waiting on something to complete them. If they kept waiting, it would never come. The song would end, and they would regret refusing to listen. 

"Hey, Elisa," a voice asked from behind me. I turned in my seat to see Danielle. 

"Hi," I sighed. "How has your night been?" 

"Good, but my family has been looking for you. Would you mind?" she asked while fiddling with her gloved fingers.

"Of course not," I exhaled. "Please excuse me," I requested while returning Eona to May. "It was lovely to meet you. Have a great night!"

I followed Danielle as we dissipated into the crowd. "Who were they?" she questioned with our arms connected. We walked together to find the Nicholas pack, and I only prayed that I could remember their names. 

"Nathan's family- Queen America's sister. They're very kind," I responded whilst pulling on my sleeves again. 

"Everyone has been waiting to see you again," she said excitedly. "Including the new Mr. and Mrs. Tenor, the main stars of The Bloodlust Chronicles."

"Oh my God, when?" I asked with raised eyebrows.  Clara was married? At the funeral, she was merely engaged!

"About two months ago. Sorry you weren't invited, but don't take it personally- none of us were. They eloped," she grinned, shaking her head. "My God, were her producers upset."

We finally arrived at their family cluster. They all wore light colors except for Clara and her husband, Eli, who wore deep emerald clothing. Ginny's swimmer's build suited her well in her orchid dress, her lithe legs sometimes appearing in and out of the slit from the knee.

 Stephanie was talking to Shelby, and I briefly remembered that Stephanie was the editor at Illea Weekly, which was one of the main reasons that I wasn't shamed worse than I already was after I was brought back in. Shelby had already won a writing award, so it makes sense that the two are together. 

The twins sat with their younger brother, who was the youngest out of the family. His light magenta tie matched Rachel's gown that was so beautiful it was easy to realize how she was a model. The dress Rachel wore was probably picked out by her own personal stylist she shared everything with, who was her twin, Tabby. 

Cami stood with her parents, who were probably awaiting our arrival. She looked amazed by the orchestra in the ballroom, which reminded me of my love for music. The faces of her parents lit up when they saw both me and Danielle walking towards them. 

"Elisa," greeted my aunt Cassandra. "It's been far too long since we've seen you last!" she beamed. She wrapped me in a hug inside of her thin gloved arms. She reminded me of Mother in the way she acted and held herself, but she was more open. Warm, even. It was no secret Mother didn't like revealing her true thoughts, but when she did, it was very worthwhile. 

"We should meet again soon," I sighed in her embrace. I shook my Uncle's hand and nodded to him before greeting Cami. "Well, it certainly has been a while, hasn't it?"

She smiled and put her hands behind her back. "It has," she confirmed. The fifteen year old girl had definitely hit a growth spurt since the funeral, and her hair grew out. She had it pulled behind her in a ponytail. 

"Do you like the orchestra?" I asked. 

"Oh, I love it. I love the one I practice at, too, but I know all of them. This is an amazing orchestra in the ballrooms of the castle in Angeles! I always look forward to coming here solely for music," she said, opening up. 

"I understand. You should see the music room they have here- it's amazing," I remembered softly. I remembered the familiar tingle under my fingertips as they pressed down on the keys. When was the last time I went in there? Would I be able to go back?

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Shelby. "Hey, Elisa! It's so good to see you again," she bubbled. She began asking questions about my dress, and the young writer had only started to ask about the library when her older sister interrupted her. 

"Shelby, enough with the questions. You're her cousin, not a reporter," Stephanie laughed. She pulled me into a hug. "How are you, Elisa?"

"I'm well, thank you. I can't thank you enough for what you did for me at the magazine," I rambled. 

"It's not a problem. It's a good thing we were able to cover it up with some of the sports games, though," she beamed. 

The two were asked to dance by men I assumed they were close friends with. I sat with Ginny, Tabby, and George at the table in Rachel's spot since she was dancing with her boyfriend. Ginny and Tabby were talking all about a new theater show their mother wanted to see, but George couldn't be more disinterested. 

"What are you up to these days, George?" I asked, spinning a glass of champagne by the stem. 

"Chemistry. I'm trying to memorize the periodic table," he said sipping his water rather politely for a ten year old boy. 

My eyes widened. I hadn't done that since I was fourteen. Mother always thought it was rather silly of me when I pursued learning everything about the periodic table, but that was when I was still considering becoming a missionary doctor.  "Why would you want to do that?" I giggled. 

"Because it's cool," he scoffed.

"Well, you know what else is cool," started a voice behind me with a sigh. I turned in my seat to see Harrison buttoning the jacket of his black suit. 

I almost knocked my chair over in an attempt to get up and hug him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed. "Harry! Oh my God, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, El," he whispered. He put me back down, but I still didn't loosen my hold on him when my feet skimmed the ground. "How's life been around here?"

I darted my eyes around the room before biting my lip to meet his gaze. "I'd rather talk about you," I whispered. 

He smiled understandingly. "That can be arranged. Care to dance?"

Y'all I just finished the next chapter and I cried. get. pumped.