I scanned the room, hoping to find familiar faces. Only rich people I'd never met.
"The dinner was supposed to start five minutes ago," said a bejeweled woman.
She was talking to a man in a split-hooded robe, "I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't see the prince for the rest of the evening." I leaned in to hear as he continued, "The prince is a cruel dictator, his subjects are no more than slaves. I came here only for the security of my country. I've heard that the prince is violent, arrogant, and he killed his father and three older brothers to get to the throne." Just more rumors. My prince, he's good.
"Did you hear about his bride? She's half his age, she must have seduced her way to the top."
"The little whore and her family were drowning in debt after the Depression. They had to sell their birthright. A scandal!"
Chatter buzzed over the table, I tried to listen to their conversation.
"I have a surprise for you," someone behind me whispered. Muscles tensed as I turned to see Mia.
As always, she was radiant in her green striped dress, the colors of our stars. Her skin gleamed against the candlelight, she looked stunning, like a princess.
I said, "Mia, you're here!"
"Have you ever doubted me?"
Despite being surrounded by appetizers that cost more than her dress, what she held in her hand was more precious. She was holding a delicacy from my home planet.
I scolded her, "You took that from the table." The table was laden with delicacies and various foods from Pietr's star circle. But I suspiciously noticed it in an empty spot where the desserts should have been.
She laughed, "They're being wasted on them."
Her delicate accent went from rough to delicate, it's always been hard for her to avoid the accent since she was in the swamps.
She had to support the family while I had to marry into another family. She never resented me for it.
I couldn't help but start to nibble, warmed by my memories, stealing fruit from the tree behind the groves.
I asked her, "Will Dad come?"
Her muscles tensed unnaturally. She replied, "He has to sort out some last things with your dowry." Her hands were loose around her sides and she seemed to keep herself afloat. Although her expression was anything but that. Mia was always very frantic but she stood very still. It's unsettling.
I asked my sister. "Is everything okay?"
"I'm so glad I'm here to see you get married." Was she lying? Why would she lie?
"If something's wrong, you know you can tell me, right? I love you."
She switched to our home language, "Yelena, I'm so sorry," her voice trailed off.
I switched to my native language too, albeit a little rusty, "What are you talking about?"
A guiding hand found its way to my shoulder. "Hello," my teacher stood behind me, Dawn.
His golden robes made the floor shimmer with golden light. His full, smoky eyes were blinded by the gold around them. He narrowed his eyebrows, he wiped my mouth as if I were a child.
Her eyes were torn. They didn't break away from me. An air of nonchalant was on him. "And who is this? "
"It's me, my sister, you've met before," I replied.
A predatory look was narrowed into my sister, and I began to feel as if I was caught in the middle of a hunter and his prey.
He was quick to wipe the expression off his face, returning to the same nonchalance that always relaxed me. "That's right, a few summers ago during spring break."
I tried to make eye contact with her but she couldn't look away from me as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Dawn continued, "It was on the Pushna holiday, you asked for special permission from your work to leave to visit your sister." I remember that trip, she was very upset. Mia had a fight with Dad and left early, I tried to say goodbye to her but Dad stopped me.
"Do you remember Dawn? He's my teacher." Her eyes were full of emotion.
she gasped. "Excuse me?"
"This is my teacher," I repeated.
Dawn turned to me, "It's time to meet the groom, he'll be here soon."
May the Holy Mother protect me, I'm scared.
"Mia, you'll have to tell me what you wanted after the ceremony," I told her in our language.
She clutched on to my arm, trying to hold me there. I unlatched her, ignoring her strange behavior. I turned my back on her down the hall to the parlor.