Chapter 48: The Night Of The Ball

Astrid

I stood in front of the mirror, uncomfortable with how different I looked. The dress made me feel elegant, nothing like the poor scholarship girl everyone at Moonshade whispered about.

Ivy adjusted a piece of my hair. "Stop staring at yourself like you’ve committed a crime."

"I don’t recognize that girl," I said, laughing.

"You should," she said, meeting my eyes in the mirror.

I ran my fingers along the fabric. I’d never owned anything close to this in my life. Ivy reminded me I deserved to enjoy the night, then, casually, brought up the obvious.

"Are you nervous?"

"No."

"Liar."

"Maybe a little."

She grinned. "Good."

Moonshade had been completely transformed by the time we arrived. Floating lanterns drifted beneath the ceiling, magical light shimmering like stars caught indoors, enchanted flowers along the walls slowly opening and closing in rhythm with the music.

"This is beautiful," I said quietly.

"Welcome to Moonshade," Ivy said, smiling.

I realized, standing there, that this was the first time I’d ever attended something purely because I’d been invited. Not because I was working. Not because I was surviving. Simply because I belonged here.

My date approached shortly after, complimenting me warmly. "You look beautiful."

I felt myself flush. "Thank you."

He offered his arm, and we entered the ballroom together. He was kind and easy to talk to, and for several minutes I genuinely forgot about everything else weighing on me.

Then the atmosphere shifted, whispers rippling through the crowd, and I turned to see Reed and Xander enter, both dressed formally, royal insignia catching the light, elegant suits transforming them into strangers I barely recognized.

I stared before I could stop myself.

Xander noticed and grinned, walking straight toward me. "You staring at me?"

"No," I said quickly, looking away.

"You were."

"I was looking past you."

He glanced behind himself. "At the wall?"

"Yes."

He laughed, and Reed approached a moment later, his eyes settling on me.

"You look beautiful," he said, simple and unteasing.

My mind went briefly blank. "Thank you."

Xander looked offended. "I complimented her first."

"You accused her of staring."

"Same thing."

I laughed despite myself.

The opening ceremony began soon after, Reed and Xander called forward for the royal dance. I watched them move, both graceful in entirely different ways, Xander confident and playful, Reed controlled and precise.

"You’re friends with them?" my date asked.

"Yes."

"You seem close."

"We’re... getting there," I said, unsure how else to explain it.

My eyes drifted back toward the twins without my permission. Xander caught me watching, and our eyes met across the room. He smiled. I looked away first.

My date asked me to dance not long after, and I agreed, letting the slow music carry us across the floor. He was good, careful, entirely normal, and I should have been fully present in the moment.

I was, mostly. But I noticed Xander watching from across the room, and then Reed too, and my steps faltered slightly.

"Are you okay?" my date asked.

"Yes," I said, forcing my focus back onto him.

When the song ended, Xander appeared, offering my date a polite smile. "Mind if I borrow her?"

My date glanced at me, and I found myself saying, "Okay," before I’d fully thought it through.

Xander led me onto the floor, his usual playfulness returning immediately. "Try not to step on me."

"You’re the one who asked."

"I’m generous."

I laughed, and then the music slowed, his hand settling more securely at my waist, all his teasing fading into something quieter.

"You’re quiet," I said.

"Am I?"

"Very."

"I’m thinking."

"That’s dangerous."

He smiled. "About you."

My heart jumped. Before I could respond, he spun me, and when I returned, we were suddenly much closer than before, neither of us joking anymore.

For several long seconds, we simply looked at each other.

Then the song ended.

I barely had time to catch my breath before Reed approached. Xander glanced at him. "Your turn?"

Reed didn’t answer him. He looked at me instead. "May I?"

I hesitated, then nodded. Xander stepped back, and Reed took my hand, leading me into something entirely different, quiet and slow and controlled, every movement measured. I was hyperaware of everything, his hand at my back, the careful distance he kept and didn’t keep.

"You’re nervous," he said.

"I’m not."

"You are."

"Maybe," I admitted.

He lowered his voice. "Do you want me to stop?"

My heart pounded. "No."

He continued, no teasing, no performance, just the two of us moving together. I felt strangely safe in his arms, safer than I’d expected to feel anywhere in this crowded room.

Then, mid-dance, something shifted inside me. My chest tightened. My skin prickled with an unfamiliar warmth, and for a half second the room tilted sideways.

"Astrid?" Reed said immediately, catching the change in me.

I steadied myself. "I’m fine."

He didn’t believe me. "Are you sure?"

I nodded, and the strange sensation faded almost as quickly as it had come, though it left something unsettled behind it.

I excused myself soon after, stepping out onto the balcony for air. The cool night settled over me, and for a moment, everything felt peaceful again.

Then I heard footsteps behind me. Xander. He leaned against the railing beside me. "You disappeared."

"I needed air."

"You okay?"

"Just overwhelmed," I said.

He didn’t joke this time. "You can tell me if something’s wrong."

"Why do you care so much?" I asked.

He paused, then gave me a small, honest smile. "Because you’re you." That answer caught me off guard more than I expected it to. He looked back toward the ballroom. "Are you having fun with him?"

I understood who he meant. "Yes."

"Good," he said, though his voice didn’t quite match the word.

"You’re jealous," I said.

"Me? Never."

"You’re terrible at lying."

"Maybe," he admitted.

The honesty surprised me. Before I could ask anything further, music drifted out from inside, and he offered his hand.

"Come on."

As I took it, something happened.

A strange warmth traveled through me. I froze.

"Astrid?" Xander asked immediately, noticing.

I looked back toward the ballroom instinctively. Reed stood across the room, and the moment our eyes met, the sensation intensified, my heart pounding almost painfully.

For one terrifying second, I felt as though something invisible was pulling me toward both of them at once.

I released Xander’s hand. "I..."

I didn’t know how to finish that sentence.

Xander looked confused, and across the room, Reed had already started walking toward us, drawn by whatever he’d sensed in my expression.

My heartbeat grew louder in my own ears with every step he took.

I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to steady myself against something I didn’t have a name for.

What is happening to me?