A Gift of Three(19)
Vita
[Grace and Lawrence’s daughter]
When I arrived at the port, Serena and Aida were already there, looking beautiful in their gowns and chatting animatedly while they admired the splendor of the other members of GASP. I took a deep breath before I joined the crowds. Social events like this weren’t exactly comfortable for me. I always felt gauche, and was paranoid that I was boring people when I joined in with small talk. I felt a wave of gratitude for my friends—what would I do without them? When I was around Serena and Aida, I could just hide behind their exuberance. Aida might have been self-conscious in front of the opposite sex, but she was naturally outgoing and loud, and Serena constantly brimmed with confidence and, no matter what the occasion, always seemed to enjoy herself.
They caught sight of me and waved me over. I turned to my mom, giving her hand a squeeze.
“See you there?” I asked.
“Of course,” she smiled at me. “Just remember to have fun tonight… no running off to practice your fire abilities.”
I shook my head, blushing. My mom knew me too well.
“Ah,” my dad replied, raising an eyebrow in my direction, “is that why my usually reclusive daughter is so willing to join a huge social event?”
“It was,” corrected my mom. “Not anymore. I want to see you on the dance floor at least once.”
“All right,” I held up my hands in surrender. “I’ll remind you later how weird it is that you want me to party and not study…but whatever.”
My mom rolled her eyes at me. “You know we think both are important. I just don’t want you to miss out.”
I smiled at her, giving her a quick embrace. She knew I was only teasing her, but I knew how important it was to them both that I socialized more. A lot of people had been telling me the same thing lately, I thought – remembering Zerus.
“I know, mom.”
“Go, be with your friends,” she replied.
I hurried to join them, narrowly avoiding Aiden and Kailyn’s adoptive son Hunter commenting on how beautiful I looked. That was another thing—compliments just made me glow red. I smiled and waved at the werewolf as I rushed past, so as to not cause offense.
“Sorry I’m late,” I huffed, plonking my bag down next to theirs.
“Don’t worry,” replied Serena, “it’s given us a chance to people-watch. Everyone looks amazing—who knew my mom and dad could scrub up so well?”
Aida and I looked at her suspiciously.
“Err… Everyone, Serena. Your parents are insanely good looking,” Aida replied, shaking her head.
Ibrahim, Corrine and Mona (with her husband Kiev next to her) were standing closest to the edge of the port, the witches and warlock waiting for everyone to arrive before transporting us. The dragons would be traveling by themselves—some were coming from The Hearthlands, with those who lived at The Shade presumably having gone on ahead already. My great grandparents Sofia and Derek were standing with my parents, along with River and Ben. They all looked so sophisticated, and inhumanly beautiful.
“Oh, look!” Serena exclaimed, as Shayla appeared with Ash and Ruby and their two kids—the boy, Varga, who was seventeen, and Elonora, a fifteen-year-old who was the spitting image of her mom. Serena rushed through the crowd to meet them, and we followed. Before we reached them, Claudia and Yuri were there, embracing their daughter and son-in-law. Both Ash and Ruby were the same sentry-and-vampire mix that Serena’s parents were, but remained living in Nevertide, though they visited The Shade often.
“Serena, you’ve grown so much!” Ruby exclaimed, hugging her. “And where’s Phoenix? Where are your parents? Where are Benedict and Yelena? And Julian?”
Hazel and Tejus appeared from behind us, and I stood back to let the old friends talk. Benedict, Yelena and their daughter Fiona had to miss this evening’s event, due to an issue in the UK (Yelena’s birthplace), concerning some dodgy ‘Jack the Ripper’ style killings that were unnerving – but we weren’t entirely sure were supernatural-related, hence Benedict and Yelena going to investigate. While they were that side of the world, they’d taken Fiona to stay with Yelena’s parents. As for Julian, he should be here with his girlfriend Ariana… But where was Phoenix? I glanced over at Aida, who was searching the crowd for him, but neither of us could make out his tall figure. As I scanned the crowds, my eyes lighted on Jovi, who looked very handsome in a dark suit, his dark hair brushed back off his forehead, for once, and his facial hair trimmed down to a designer stubble.
Serena was standing nearby, and I noted how beautiful she looked with her head thrown back in laughter at something Ash had said, one arm slung over the shoulder of her mother. I couldn’t help but notice how many guys our age were watching her, but squashed the small flicker of jealousy I felt instantly. I loved Serena—I could hardly blame her for the fact that boys rarely noticed me. It was just because I was too shy, never appearing as carefree as Serena, or as approachable. I suddenly wished that Zerus was coming, but I already knew he had declined the invite. I could just see how the evening would go—fae princes and soldiers gathering around my friends like flies, while I awkwardly hovered by the edges of a dance floor, beyond irritated at myself for being such an introvert.