An Unexpected Invitation
I grudgingly squinted my eyes open as my alarm clock chimed from the nightstand beside my bed.
The time read five in the morning.
A heavy sigh slipped from my lips as I turned off the annoying sound and rolled onto my back, staring blankly up at the ceiling.
As I looked on, I wondered if it would really be so bad for me to take one day off, just once, in all of these long years.
Shaking the selfish thoughts from my head, I rolled out of bed and opened my dresser, pulling out a random pair of jeans and another loose cotton shirt without looking. Once inside the bathroom I shared with the rest of my family, I turned the water on in the shower, and prepared myself for the day.
After showering, I headed downstairs. I was rummaging through the cupboards for breakfast, when I heard the muffled sound of socked feet descending the steps. "Morning, sis," Ash chirped cheerfully, crossing the room to pull a carton of milk from the refrigerator.
"Mornin'" I grumbled back, not nearly the morning person that he was, even after all of these years.
He chuckled as he grabbed the box of cereal from my hand. Before I could protest, he dumped cereal into two bowls and poured the milk over them both. I mumbled a quiet, reluctant, "thank you," as I grabbed two spoons out of a drawer and sunk them into the bowls. Together, we carried them to the table and sat down.
After eating, we got up and walked to the door where I slipped on my old, worn, leather boots, then waited for him to lace up his own.
Once outside in the crisp fall air, we walked in comfortable silence until we came across the familiar fork in the road. There, we hugged and exchanged goodbyes and I love yous. We made sure to do this every morning, even if we were running late. In a world like ours, you learned quickly to make sure to tell your family you loved them every chance you got.
You never knew when it might be your last.
He turned down the path to the right, toward the fields and plantations, while I turned to the left and headed to the center of town. As I shoved open the heavy wooden door to the little bakery, I could hear Heather, the owner, already scuttling around inside.
"'Morning, dear," she said, cheerfully.
"'Morning, Heath," I replied, attempting to mimic her happy tone.
I followed her behind the counter and through another set of doors leading to the kitchen. Not slowing her pace, she swooped up a tub and emptied its contents onto the counter, "Knead this dough, would 'ya dear? And when you're done, I'll need it split into ten loaves. Then, I'll need chocolate cupcakes made, decorate them however you like."
I smiled and nodded in acknowledgement, as I pulled my long, dark hair up into a ponytail and set to work.
~*~
Hours later, I was pulling my apron off of my body and hanging it on a peg in the wall as Heather flipped the sign in the front window to read 'closed'.
"Have a good night, Heather," I said as I slung my bag onto my shoulder.
"Goodnight, dear," she responded, flipping off the light switch on the wall. "Oh, one more thing, Rose," she called as I turned to walk out the door.
"Yes?" I asked, cautiously.
"I'm hiring a new worker starting next week," she said, joining me outside and locking the door behind her. "A young man. I thought that I should let you know, seeing as you will be responsible for most of his training."
I smiled, knowing already who the young man was that she was speaking of. "I think that's a great idea, Heath. We can always use an extra pair of hands around here."
She nodded in agreement before bidding me goodnight.
When I arrived at home, I was surprised to find Lily actually at the stove making dinner.
She turned at the sound of my arrival, and the worried expression on her face stopped me dead in my tracks. "What's wrong?" I demanded in a whisper, searching the room for any sign of disturbance. Had one of them gotten into the house?
"Mom just received a letter in the mail," she explained, her baby blue eyes flicking behind me for a moment before returning to mine. "She hasn't said a word since she opened it, just locked herself in father's old study."
I immediately turned and headed to the study door, at the foot of the stairs. My hesitation lasted only a moment, before I knocked tentatively on the door. My mother's voice came floating faintly from the other side of the door, "Come in."
I opened the door and stepped inside, studying my mother's face for any clues as to what was happening. She pursed her lips upon seeing me in the doorway.
"Mom? What's wrong?" I approached her warily. She was sitting at my father's old desk. Her blond hair was messy, as though she had been running her hands through it repeatedly. But her eyes were what really caught my attention. It was as if she had suddenly aged ten years in the past twenty-four hours. Her eyes that usually shone with life and warmth were dim. Worry lines were etched into her forehead. I couldn't remember ever seeing her this way.
At first, she said nothing, just looked at me with that dim expression. Then, the front door opened, and there was the sound of heavy footsteps down the hallway. "Call your brother in," was all she managed.
"Ash!" I called loudly over my shoulder, never taking my eyes off of her.
The door opened behind me, and then Ash was standing at my side, a wary look on his face, "What's going on?"
Our mother sighed and then looked down at the piece of paper clutched tightly in her hands. "I received a letter in the mail," she began, cryptically. I noticed her hands begin to shake, and immediately placed one of my own atop hers, stilling it.
"A letter from?" Ash prompted.
"A letter from the royal palace," she finally explained.
A heavy silence descended upon the room. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. I fell back into the seat behind me, no longer trusting my legs to hold me upright. Next to me, Ash did the same.
For a moment, she seemed at a loss for words. Then, she delicately cleared her throat and loosened her grip on the letter, gently flattening out the creases she had created on the paper before holding it out to us.
Ash reached out with shaky hands, pulling the letter from her hold. "Dear Dixon family," he began, his voice cracking slightly. He coughed and continued.
"It is with great relief, that we announce the ending of the War of Four Kingdoms. In celebration of this historical event, the DiLuna family has graciously opened their halls to host a ball on the evening of Friday, September 8th.
"A number of families of all five species, and all four kingdoms have been selected to represent their communities at this event, and if you are reading this letter, then we would like to congratulate you on being chosen to attend. We ask that no more than two young adults from each family attend, and a strict formal dress code will be enforced. We warn that should any law be broken at this event, the perpetrator will be dealt with swiftly and severely. We would like to take this time to remind you that for a human to disrespect a race superior to their own in any way, including the rejection of a mate, is a crime punishable by death.
"Come, celebrate the newfound peace between our nations, and rejoice at the end of bloodshed.
"Your prince,
"Gianluca DiLuna"
Ash's words hung in the air, but all I could do was stare wide eyed at him.
He turned on our mother where she sat, looking at her hands, "Mom, you can't seriously be thinking about going!"
She looked up at us, sadness swimming in her blue eyes. "The letter specifies 'young adults'" was all she said.
"Well, then we just won't go!" I exclaimed, pushing myself up out of my chair.
My mother shook her head, a sad smile playing at her lips, "They will take offense if any human family refuses their invitation."
The room was silent once again as we soaked that in.
I pictured all four of my siblings in my head. The thought of sending any one of them into a room full of monsters made me feel sick to my stomach. I couldn't even imagine the horrors awaiting whoever went, but one of us had to. Or who knows what they'd do in retaliation.
"I'll go," Ash and I announced at the exact same time.
He stood and faced me, "You most certainly will not!"
"If I go, I might be able to get close enough to Prince Philip to talk to him," I reasoned, using the human prince of our kingdom as leverage. "He may be able to help us."
"Or some monster could snatch you up and claim you as their mate!" Ash yelled.
"The same could happen to you, but it's a risk I have to take," I replied, evenly, forcibly stopping myself from raising my voice back. The thought of being anywhere near a monster, let alone a whole room full made me feel dizzy, but I pushed through it.
"I refuse to let you go in there alone," Ash argued, stubbornly.
"The invitation says there can be two attendees from each family," our mother's quiet voice interjected from across the desk. We both turned and looked into her sad eyes.
Turning back to Ash, I took a deep breath, "Then, I guess we're both going to the ball."
Ash nodded gravely, running a hand down his face in agitation, "The eighth of September is only two weeks away."
Two weeks. The realization turned the blood to ice in my veins.
Two weeks until Ash and I would quite literally walk into the wolf den.
Two weeks until all of our lives could be changed forever.
I had to swallow the bubble of hysterical laughter that rose in my throat.
It felt like a death sentence.
~*~*~
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