CHAPTER 31
1503 Words
ADINNA’S POV
Riley actually meant it when she said she registered both of us.
She doesn’t care that I have notes sprawled across my bed or that I’m halfway through revising for tomorrow’s test. She just storms into the room like a hurricane and waves her phone in my face.
“Get up,” she says. “We’re going dress shopping.”
I groan. “Riley, no. I have to study.”
She plants her hands on her hips. “You’ve been studying since dawn.”
“Exactly.”
“Which means,” she says, tugging at my blanket, “it’s time for a break.”
“I don’t take breaks,” I mutter, as I clutch the blanket tighter.
Riley yanks harder. “You do today. Come on, Adinna. You’re not escaping this one.”
I sit up, my hair falling into my face. “You can’t just drag me out whenever you feel like it.”
Her grin is full of mischief. “Actually, I can. You’re my emotional support wolf.”
I glare at her, but she’s already in my closet, rummaging through my clothes like a burglar on a mission.
“You’re impossible,” I tell her.
“Flattery won’t save you,” she sings.
I sigh and give up. There’s no fighting her when she’s like this. Riley gets what she wants or bulldozes through anyone who tries to stop her.
By the time I manage to pull on a sweater and sneakers, she’s practically vibrating with excitement.
The walk to the boutique is torture as she talks non-stop about colors, fabrics, and neckline cuts, while I try to pretend I’m invisible. The streets around the Academy glow under the early evening light, and I keep my head down, hoping that no one notices me.
Riley doesn’t share that same fear. She waves at every familiar face, laughs too loudly, and twirls once just because she can. I envy her ease and the way she moves through the world like she belongs everywhere.
Me? I just try not to trip.
We stop in front of a small boutique with a gold sign that reads Luna’s Charm. It’s tucked between two taller buildings, its windows glowing with soft amber light. Inside, gowns shimmer under the chandeliers, and every color reflects like captured stars.
My jaw tightens. “You didn’t tell me it was this fancy.”
Riley grins. “I told you we were shopping for the ball. What did you expect, a thrift store?”
“I was hoping so,” I mutter.
She loops her arm through mine and pulls me inside. The doorbell tinkles like a laugh.
The air smells of roses and expensive perfume. Mannequins line the walls, dressed in gowns that look like they cost more than my tuition. My first instinct is to turn around and leave, but Riley’s grip is like iron.
A woman glides toward us from behind the counter. She’s tall and elegant, with silver streaks in her dark hair.
“Riley,” she says warmly, her voice soft but rich. “It’s been a while.”
Riley beams. “Hi, Miss Liora! I told you I’d come back before the Solstice Ball.”
“And I see you brought a friend,” Miss Liora says, turning her gaze to me.
I force a polite smile. “Adinna.”
“Pretty name,” she says with a nod. “Let’s find something worthy of it.”
Before I can protest, she gestures to the racks of gowns, and Riley dives in like she’s been waiting her whole life for this moment. She flutters between different dresses, coloured blush pink, deep emerald, and silver lace, while I stand still, feeling out of place among so much sparkle.
Riley waves a dress in front of me. “Try this one!”
It’s a flowy thing covered in sequins that glint like a disco ball.
“I’ll look like a chandelier,” I say flatly.
She frowns. “Okay, fine. What about this one?”
It’s baby blue, soft and delicate.
“I’ll spill something on it in five minutes.”
She groans dramatically. “You’re being impossible!”
“I'm being realistic.”
Miss Liora chuckles softly from across the room. “Let her choose, Riley. The right dress calls to the wearer.”
I don’t believe that, but I walk toward a rack anyway just to make Riley stop fussing.
Most of the dresses look like they belong to someone else, someone graceful, confident, and shining under moonlight. Then my hand brushes against a black gown tucked between brighter colors.
It’s simple with no glitter, no beads, and no complicated layers. Just sleek fabric that glows faintly under the lights. I pull it out, expecting Riley to complain, but even she pauses.
“That one?” she asks, with wide eyes.
I nod slowly. “Yeah. I don’t know why.”
“Try it on,” she says, her voice suddenly quiet.
Inside the fitting room, I slip into the gown and turn to face the mirror, and for a moment, I don’t recognize myself.
The fabric hugs my shape perfectly, smooth and elegant. It’s bold but not loud. Strong without needing to prove anything. I stand taller without meaning to.
When I step out, Riley gasps. “Oh, wow.”
I freeze. “Too much?”
“Not enough,” she breathes. “You look—Adinna, you look powerful.”
I glance at the mirror again. Power. The word sits strangely in my chest heavily, but not unpleasantly. For once, I don’t look like a victim of rumors or Jace’s games. I look like someone who could walk into a room and make the air shift.
I don’t even notice Miss Liora approach until she’s beside me, watching my reflection. “Black suits you,” she says. “It carries mystery and truth.”
I blink. “Truth?”
She nods slowly. “The kind we can’t hide from, even when we try.”
Her gaze flickers to the Ace card hanging around my neck. My hand instinctively goes to it. It feels cool under my fingers.
“You keep it close,” she says softly. “Does it mean something?”
“It’s just… mine,” I reply, not knowing how else to explain.
She hums. “Every token carries a story. Sometimes it’s a warning. Sometimes it’s a promise.”
Her words settle uneasily in my stomach.
Riley breaks the silence. “We’ll take it!” she says, practically bouncing.
Miss Liora smiles and leads her to the counter. I follow, still half-dazed, running my hand down the gown’s smooth edge. The more I wear it, the more it feels like a second skin, like an armor disguised as silk.
As Riley chats with Miss Liora about accessories and discounts, I catch my reflection in a nearby mirror again. The light catches the silver chain of my necklace. The Ace card gleams faintly against my skin, sharp and cold.
For a moment, I wonder what it would feel like to take it off.
But I don’t.
I’ve worn it for so long it feels like part of me. Like if I let it go, I’d lose something vital—something that connects me to who I was before everything started falling apart.
Miss Liora places the gown carefully in a black box, wrapping it in tissue paper that whispers like secrets. “The Ball changes destinies,” she says quietly, meeting my eyes. “Be sure of the one you choose.”
My chest tightens. “What do you mean?”
She only smiles, mysterious and calm. “The moon sees more than we do.”
Riley grins, oblivious. “Ooh, spooky.”
But I can’t shake the chill that crawls down my spine.
We step outside, and the night air is cool against my skin. Riley loops her arm through mine again, humming a song I don’t recognize. The box feels heavy in my hands, heavier than it should.
“See?” she says. “That wasn’t so bad.”
I look up at the faint stars peeking through the clouds. “It wasn’t,” I admit.
She nudges me. “You’re gonna be the best-looking one there. Watch.”
“I’m not trying to impress anyone.”
She grins. “Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”
I laugh under my breath. For once, it feels easy.
As we walk back toward the Academy, I steal another glance at the box in my hands. Somewhere deep down, a quiet voice whispers that maybe Miss Liora is right, that some nights change everything, even when you don’t want them to.
I touch the Ace card again, tracing the edges. It glints under the moonlight, a reminder and a weight.
“Maybe destinies do change,” I murmur to myself.
Riley doesn’t hear. She’s too busy humming, too full of life to notice the shadows following me home.
- Writer
