Chapter 38
Luz POV:
Willow stands in front of me, so close I can almost feel her icy exterior. Her hands fiddle with my collar. I think she’s straightening it, but I’m not sure, and I’m too scared to ask. We both say nothing, as her black mood somehow creates a barrier between us. I want to ask her why she seems so different; where her normal jolly self has disappeared to, but I don’t want to offend her.
She finishes with my collar, instead wrapping a long piece of fabric around my neck. She weaves it around a little, looping the ends together until it forms the perfect tie, loosely hung around my neck. In return, I offer her a thankful smile, which she doesn’t give back.
“Are you alright?” I ask her, trying to sound as non judgemental as possible. She hums her response, but still says nothing. Reaching out, I catch the hand that still fiddles with my tie, and she brings her eyes up to look at me. “Are you sure?”
This time, she sighs, clearly deciding that lying would be futile. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.” she tells me, flopping down on the sofa. “This has all just been so overwhelming.”
I frown. I guess I never really took the time to consider how everything has been affecting the others. “Do you want to talk about it?” I ask her, lowering myself down beside her.
She shrugs, not quite meeting my gaze. Holding her hands in her lap, she fiddles with them for something to do. “My dads,” she starts, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. “They don’t want me to be here.”
“Why not?” I ask, although I’m sure I already know the answer.
She sighs again, fidgeting in her seat. I can tell she doesn’t want to talk about it, so I’m grateful that she does anyway. “They think challenging the Emperor is a bad idea.” she lets out a soft laugh, perhaps for the irony, that maybe it is. “They’re just worried I’ll get hurt.”
I offer her a sympathetic look, one that she returns with a soft smile. “They’re right to worry.” I tell her. “This is totally insane, and sometimes I worry that we’ll never pull it off. But you don’t have to be here if you don’t want to.” I take her hand in mine, squeezing gently as she looks up at me with big eyes. Light glints off her glasses, so I can’t see the tears that lace her eyes.
“I want to be.” she tells me, with a small sniffle. “It’s the right thing to do.” I nod supportively as we hold each other’s gaze for a moment. All I can think about is how brave she is. “Thanks, Luz.” she tells me after a while of silence. Her arms find their way around my neck, and I am caught off guard by the embrace. Still, I hug her back. “Come on,” she says, when we pull apart, “you don’t look Prom worthy yet.”
A chuckle escapes my lips as I allow her to pull me to my feet. “You’re right.” I tell her. “Amity will be ready soon.”
She eyes me suspiciously as she leans over to take the purple waistcoat that lies across the arm of the sofa. “Speaking of,” she starts, a hint of mischief in her tone. “Since when are you two, you know, a thing?” She hands the waistcoat to me, and I take it, swallowing back the blush that creeps onto my face. “Not that I’m surprised.” she adds.
I laugh, for lack of an answer, slipping my arms into the jacket. “A better question would be, what’s going on with you and Boscha?”
This time, Willow turns bright red, pretending to busy herself with doing up my buttons. “I don’t know.” she tells me, sincerely. “We’re still figuring it out.” I nod along, unable to hold back the grin that finds my face. She looks up at me, blushing even more at the expression I wear. “I like her a lot, you know?”
“Yeah,” I tell her, with a gentle smile this time. “I know what you mean.”
She steps back away from me, eyeing me up and down. After a moment, she closes the gap again and begins tugging at the fabric around my neck. “Lose the tie.” she tells me as it pulls free from its prison. “Open collar is just more casual.”
She leans down to pick up a mirror from the table, then holds it out for me to look in. Surprisingly, I actually dig this outfit. I’m not sure when Willow got so into fashion, probably through Boscha, but she’s done a good job. My outfit consists of a lilac shirt with a darker purple waistcoat over the top. I’m wearing black trousers that begin somewhere beneath the waist coat, and Willow holds up a black jacket to finish the look.
“Thanks.” I tell her, taking the jacket from her. It’s still warm in here, so I tuck it over the crook of my elbow to put on later.
“One more thing.” she tells me, lifting a small box from the table.
It opens like a chest, revealing a small golden tiara with pink crystals decorating the front. I recognise it immediately, and the breath seems to disappear from my lungs completely. With a gentle touch, I lift it carefully from its home, as though it might break at any moment. The cold material greets my fingertips just as the joy from the memory it holds greets my heart. It seems like so long ago that I danced with Amity under the stars on Grom night. This tiara serves as the perfect reminder of that.
“Here,” Willow says, taking the tiara from my hand. Gently, she reaches up, placing it on the top of my head. I offer her a smile, the excitement I feel for tonight finally coming through in my eyes. Yes, I know we’re strictly attending on business, but just the thought of taking Amity to the prom makes me giddy. Who knows, we may even get to dance.
“Are you ready, Willow?” Boscha’s voice calls from upstairs.
The breath catches in my throat, as I’m suddenly more nervous than I was before. Willow offers me a reassuring smile, before shouting back, “Ready!”
As we both turn towards the stairs, I can’t help but feel a little giddy. My head reels with excitement, yet the nerves still manage to claw their way up my throat. I swallow them back though as Amity’s figure appears on the top of the stairs. She descends them, the very picture of beauty and grace, like some kind of storybook princess. Her wavy hair tumbles around her shoulders, now the most gorgeous shade of brown I have ever seen. I guess Boscha helped her take away the green so that she wouldn't be recognised as easily. It suits her perfectly nevertheless. She wears a purple dress to match my suit, with black netting falling down to her knees. Her nails are painted black too, and she wears a choker around her neck. In the hand that isn’t clutching the wooden banister, she holds the same tiara that I am wearing. As always, she is beautiful.
As her purple heels find the floor, she looks up at me, giving me a smile. “Wow, Luz. You look amazing!” she tells me with a giggle.
My mouth is left slightly open as I take all of her in. I want to tell her she looks great too, but no words seem to come out. Instead, I return her smile, holding my arm out for her to take.
“Remember,” Boscha tells us as we all head for the front door, “we’ll all be around just in case. Just get in and out, and for Titan’s sake, try to keep a low profile.”
Amity and I both nod our response to our instructions and Willow shoos us through the front door. “Have fun, you two.” she says, with a wink specially saved for me. I'm glad too see Willow feeling better than before, although my cheeks flush and I feel very dizzy all of a sudden.
Amity grips onto my arm, allowing me to lead her down the path through the woods, towards Hexide. "I'm terrified." she tells me with a nervous laugh. She doesn't look scared. She's always been so brave, I admire her for that. "What if someone recognises me?"
I don't have an answer to that, nor any reassuring words to say, so instead I bring my spare hand up to touch hers. "Your hair looks beautiful." I tell her, and she blushes. "But it isn't very 'Amity Blight'. I'm sure they'll be looking for your signature green hair, if they're even looking."
She smiles up at me, and I can tell my words have settled her nerves a little. "Thanks, Luz."