Magic, Love and Blood

As far back as I can remember, I loved grand balls. The kind where every girl could become a princess, dancing in a colorful, puffy dress with ruffles and a tiara in her hair. As a little girl, I dreamed of dancing in the middle of a grand hall, under huge, sparkling chandeliers, to the live music of violins and pianos… so when my friend Anne suggested attending such an event organized in our town… I couldn’t refuse. “Are you sure there are still tickets left?” I asked, worried, as I typed the event address into my phone. “Yes! Look,” the blonde pointed to the word “available” under the ticket purchase option. “Buy it right away, or they’ll disappear before our eyes. You’ve always wanted to attend an event like this,” she said with a smile, drilling me with her convincing gaze. “You’re right, let’s do it,” I replied, pushing aside thoughts of the savings I had been accumulating over the past month. They were supposed to cover the repair costs of my scooter… but oh well, walking to school wasn’t that bad for now, especially since summer had just begun. I showed the blonde the email confirming the ticket purchase. “I’ll transfer you the money for mine right away,” she giggled and then hugged me. “Thank you, Jenny, for agreeing!” she whispered in my ear. Honestly, I didn’t expect to convince you so quickly. “Ann, just please don’t leave me like last year on my birthday,” I joked, wagging my finger. “Jenny, this time it’s just us, I won’t leave you, and definitely not for some jerk. I’m sorry about that.” The memories of my disastrous birthday came flooding back. Ann and I were supposed to spend the whole day together; go to our favorite restaurant and amusement park… but it turned out her boyfriend came back from a business trip a day earlier than planned, and Ann chose him over me. I was sad then, but enough time has passed, and I don’t hold a grudge against her; I understand she missed him. Even Ann eventually admitted she behaved poorly, but we’ve cleared the air. Besides, I wasn’t perfect either; like the time I spilled coffee on her new laptop. Ancient history. I smiled to myself. “I read a bit about this event. You know, they supposedly welcome every guest by name at the entrance, play live music, and you can even take a walk in a huge garden!” the blonde chirped happily. “That palace is just a few kilometers from our town, how could we have never been there?” she stared at me with expectant brown eyes. “De Freus Family Estate,” I read the website’s headline and started browsing the gallery showing the building modeled after Renaissance style. It might not be authentic, but the palace and gardens still looked beautiful. Perfect place for a ball!” I sighed quietly, lost in thought. “Jenny, I have to go because I promised my mom we’d go shopping together, but I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” I hugged her once more to say goodbye and smiled. “See you tomorrow, Anne.” It was already late afternoon when I took my bag and started my way back home. My leisurely walk took about twenty minutes, during which I watched a few videos on my phone from past events at the palace. Everything looked magical and out of this world. Hundreds of lights, beautifully and elegantly dressed participants, interiors adorned with thousands of live flowers. The ball was to take place two weeks from today. I got lost in thought. Relatively little time to find the dress of my dreams… with a limited budget. Two weeks passed and I looked in the mirror with a satisfied expression. I looked really nice, better than usual. For a moment, I might have even believed in myself. The light blue, shimmering dress surprisingly well accentuated my reddish-brown, long hair. It highlighted my curves, something I didn’t always appreciate as much as I did today. I lightly painted my lips with lipstick, giving them just a hint of red, and applied eyeshadows matching the dress. Maybe the blue of my eyes didn’t stand out as much, but to me, it was perfect. To complete the look, I had white heeled sandals and a neat clutch. I was ready. For the past two weeks, I often found myself daydreaming about how it would be… Anne helped me find my dream dress, so I could already say that part of my dream had come true. It was good that we were going together; if I ended up alone, I wouldn’t dare to dance with a stranger. Though probably everyone would come with their partner or a friend. Ready to leave, I went downstairs to show my mom how I looked. “Jenn, I didn’t recognize you!” Mom interrupted her reading and looked at me over her glasses. “Thanks a lot,” I rolled my eyes and sat on the edge of the couch. Suddenly, hearing a message notification, I looked at my phone. “Sorry for the last-minute notice, but I thought I’d get over it. I feel really sick and can’t make it to the ball.” I was stunned after reading Anne’s message. I can’t believe it! What a little brat! How could she do this to me again? “Is something wrong, Jenn?” Mom immediately knew something was off. She furrowed her brows in concern and ran her hand through her auburn hair. “No… I mean, yes,” I hesitated, but what choice did I have. I couldn’t go there alone. “Anne bailed on me again.” “What?” Mom asked, visibly upset. “She said she’s too sick to go to the ball,” I blinked a few times, trying to hold back unwanted tears. I shook my head. “She wrote that she’s sick; it’s not her fault,” I rationalized. “But Jenn, at the last minute?” Mom tried to comfort me, taking my hand. “Mom, I don’t know,” I impatiently put my phone back into my clutch and got up from the couch. I didn’t know what to do. Should I let another special day be ruined by Anne? “Jenn, you’ll do what you think is best, but if I were you, I’d go. The taxi should be here any minute, right?” Mom tried to persuade me, crossing her arms. “Maybe you’re right,” I admitted. “I can always come back.” I sniffled, looking out the window. The sun was already setting. The orange light reflected off the windows of the houses across the street. Anne hadn’t contacted me since morning; I could have predicted that something unexpected was brewing from her side. I thought she was preparing for the evening; hairdresser, makeup, final adjustments. “You’re right,” I looked at Mom, opening the front door. “I can’t let myself be pushed around… I’ll take lots of beautiful photos, and Anne will regret missing it.” I gave Mom a forced smile. She got up and leaned against the doorframe. “Jenny, remember I’m just a call away, if anything happens, call me,” she comforted me. I could see she was tired. Since Dad passed away from an incurable illness, she had to work two jobs to pay for my school. I also worked whenever I could outside school hours. Despite everything, we didn’t have it easy. In fact, we barely made ends meet, and unexpected expenses severely strained our household budget.