Sacrifice for a Wish

Chapter 7

It took Mika the whole week to get the costumes ready for the ball, but she pulled through for us the way I knew she would. My dress was a thing of beauty.

The dress was an ice blue with Swarovski crystals adding shine and elegance. The fabric although an ice blue had touches of green and lilac to really make the blue pop. The full ballroom style skirt was made of silk and hung over a frame of crinoline. The dress also had a fitted bodice that was placed over a corset, an extremely uncomfortable piece of clothing to wear. Also, part of the costume was a black velvet choker, a blonde wig, long satin white gloves, a blue headband that matched the color of the dress and the Louboutin shoes that were made from lace and Swarovski crystals that Mika had somehow acquired at fashion week even though there only twenty ever made.

"You'll need to remove your necklace, it will clash with the choker," Mika told me as she helped me into the hoop skirt before starting on my make up.

Mika unclipped it and it fell loosely in my hand. The Lost Boys had given it to me before the dance last year. I rarely took it off and the thought of not having it with me, hurt my heart but she was right it would not go with the costume. I took it off and left it in the small jewelry box sitting on my dresser so it wouldn't get lost.

I went along with everything but the wig, it was just too itchy and heavy to wear for any length of time. So instead, Mika pulled my brunette hair into a French twist and then placed the headband. Fala was helping mom with her costume, makeup, and hair while Mika helped me with mine.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the dress Mika had made for my mom and it was just as stunning as mine. Her dress was also a ball gown, but instead of looking like a puff of smoke, hers was embroidered white satin with gold filigree. The sleeves reached her elbows and had an extra frill of tulle. The skirt was full and voluminous, with a full petticoat underneath. Behind her head was something Mika called a Medici collar. It was a large collar that stood straight up and was made with wired fabric and lace. A pale cornflower blue cloak with pink ribbon sat on a chair next to her for when she was done with her makeup and an icy blue cloak edged with embroidered ribbon sat next to it for me.

When Mika and Fala were done with us I could barely believe my eyes. It almost looked like we had stepped out of a fairy tale, mom even had a magic wand made from quartz. Our Venetian masks were my favorite part of our costume. The half-faced masks dripped in Swarovski crystals and lace filigree. Mine was an ice blue to match my dress, it was delicate and beautiful, and a small butterfly adorned the top of the mask. Mom's mask was white with gold thread weaving through the whole mask to give it extra sparkle. The masks were placed, tied, and pinned to keep them secure.

Since the mirror that the invitation had arrived in was in my room, that's where everyone gathered shortly before 6:30. When the boys walked in their mouths dropped and not one person said anything until Mika broke the silence with, "well it looks like my job here is done. Enjoy the ball everyone!"

"Gentlemen, I think the words you are looking for are 'Ladies, you look amazing!'" Coach said in his deep voice.

"Thank you, Coach," I smiled shyly at my father. It was so difficult to call him anything but Coach.

The boys' voices quickly returned to them, and they all gushed over how beautiful they thought mom and I were. I knew they were just trying to make me feel better, but it did feel nice to hear their kind words. I studied each of them while we waited for a magic mirror to take us to magical world that may or may not exist.

They each wore a white coat with gold epaulettes that had a thick fringe on them. Phoenix wore green pants, Saint navy blue, Stone ruby red, and the twins wore a dark purple. They all had shiny black shoes, pristine white gloves and a gold belt that wrapped around their trim waists and white jackets and a gold chain hung from one shoulder to the other. They also each had a sash that sat across their body and it matched the color of their pants. They looked like actual Princes.

Coach was no less handsome. He wore a blue suit with lighter blue epaulettes and a red sash across his body. He had the same shiny black shoes but a darker blue belt. Instead of a mask he had a monocle and twirly mustache attached to a stick. When he first put it up to his face to talk, I started snickering and he stuck his tongue out at me which caused me to laugh even harder and the rest of the room joined in on the merriment. It relieved some of the tension that saturated the room.

Fala grabbed my hands, "be careful. I know you can do this. I hope you find all the answers you are looking for."

I threw my arms around Fala and hugged her tight. I caught her off guard, but she hugged me back, nevertheless.

"Have fun," Fala whispered in my ear. When I pulled back, I smiled.

At 6:30 sharp the mirror rippled and changed. Instead of the reflection I usually saw, I could see the front of a castle with lights hanging everywhere and people getting out of carriages. We all took a deep breath and one by one took a step forward into the mirror and out of our world.