Heartless

❆ Nineteen ❆

    I kept quiet, but his words sparked something inside me, a new realization that had never dawned on me until this moment. All throughout our entire childhoods, Papa had praised the city for all its glory and fortune, even though he'd never seen it himself. He'd filled our heads with senseless dreams of a place where we didn't have to cower from the shadows and isolate ourselves from the other villagers. Mama had never believed any of it. She doubted there even was a city over the mountains, but here we were, standing in one of the biggest homes in the city, dressed like kings and queens— alive.

    I did it, I thought in utter astonishment. I kept my promise.

    We arrived at the tall doors of the ballroom. Hendric pushed them open before I could reconsider turning back. Music instantly flooded my ears, light gleaming off the extravagant crystal chandeliers. Strands of blue and gold flowers wrapped around each of the marble columns throughout the room that glistened with beams of red and white, the floor rippling in the refracted light like a bed of gold. Stars shimmered over our heads, the moon smiling down at us through the glass of the atrium. I gasped in awe. An orchestra stood in the far left of the ballroom, raised on a small dais with thin curtains of sparkling white clouding them. The men and women playing paused their music and glanced at the two of us entering, taking to their knees in gentle bows. Hendric and I acknowledged them in return.

    "Ada!" a tiny voice cried. I turned.

    Kenji loped toward us dressed in a suit of his very own. His jacket was of dark blue wool with silver embellishments on the front that twined in wisps of fleurs and spirals. He flashed us a toothy grin, his cheeks swollen with laughter. "You look funny in a dress," he said with a giggle. Hendric snickered beside me. I gave him another sharp jab.

    "She looks beautiful."

    We jumped at the sound of the voice behind us. Lumea's sparkling heels clicked on the ground as she floated toward us. Her dress of pure midnight blue forced my jaw to the floor in awe. The hem sparkled with white dust that reminded me of a fresh blanket of snow on a dark night. Her white hair streamed down her shoulders in wavy tresses, half parted and braided on the side of her face. A small gasp brushed my ears. I glanced at Hendric beside me and watched his jaw slowly fall. The way he watched her made my breath hitch.

    She stopped just short of us, her ruby red lips parting into a grand smile. She took my hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You look amazing."

    "So do you," I croaked, clearing my throat to find my voice. "Lumea, this is beautiful." I turned in circle to take in the rest of the room. The ballroom was a quaint size, much smaller than one the in the other palace, but it was still breathtaking. "You didn't have to do all of this."

    Hendric laughed. "We know."

    Kenji giggled. "It's your birthday, Ada. We love you." He slipped his hand in to mine. "You kept your promise."

    Hendric stepped toward me, taking Kenji's hand in his. "You kept us safe. And that's more than we could ever ask." He moved closer. I felt Kenji slide away and saw him stand next to Lumea. Hendric took my hands in his. "As your big brother, I think I reserve the right to the first dance." He didn't give me time to protest. He lifted my hand and guided me out onto the floor. I stumbled after him, my feet crying in uncertainty in the heels. The orchestra switched to a new song, a gentle tune that brought a fresh wave of tears to my eyes. His eyes glistened just as mine did. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

    I released a shaky laugh. "I think I do."

    He smirked. "I planned to go up there, you know. I was going to go up there and demand that you come back with us. I didn't care if they stopped giving me medicine or that they were being nice. They had my baby sister up there all alone and I had no idea what they were doing to you." His hand tightened around mine. "I was so scared that they— that he was torturing you or... touching you."