BY SOME DIVINE MIRACLE, the entire crew made it to the Christmas Music Fest in one piece. Sierra drove the white van down the streets of Lockfell like a burning demon had been chasing them, threatening their life. Gwenn held on to both Aura and Milo so as to not fly out from her seat. Scarlet yelled at Sierra, holding onto the passenger seat for dear life. Alas, when they parked, Sierra turned her flashing green eyes at them with a growing grin.
"We're fine. See?" She motioned to the packed lot, with more cars slowly making their way down the different lanes.
"You're a menace behind that wheel," Milo panted, pressing a hand over his heart. Everyone laughed as Sierra flipped him off.
Jake swung the doors open, stepping out into the brisk evening air. Everyone else followed suit, clambering out of the van like they needed to feel the ground under their feet. Gwenn could feel her muscles relax when the distant music flowed from the festival like a hazy promise of loud distraction.
Glittering lights flashed overhead. Enormous candy canes opened the entrance to the festival, a swarm of people walking under them decked in Santa hats and the occasional reindeer headband.
Zilla fidgeted ahead, grasping onto Raphael's hand tightly. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, leaning down to whisper into her ear. Milo sighed beside Gwenn, wriggling his fingers together as they all faced the entrance. Whatever Raphael had told Zilla didn't calm her down, but she stretched her lips into a grim smile.
Inside, Gwenn couldn't help let her jaw drop at the insanity. It was like they dropped a Christmas bomb onto the space and let it explode. Garlands hung over every arc and frame. Lights shined so bright, they didn't even need help seeing in front of them in the growing darkness of the night. Different figures of snowmen, reindeer, Santa, elves, and nutcrackers stood frozen mid-wave as they passed through.
Kiosks and mini stands all were swarmed with people, hoping to buy snacks and souvenirs of their attendance. Wooden shops to the likes of a quaint Christmas town stood to the side, decorated in fake snow, blinking lights, and dark green garlands wrapped in tinsel and glittering ornaments. A riot came from a particular shop as she passed by, a tight crowd cheering with glasses as they asked for more. Gwenn realized it was a bar right in the middle of the festival.
That promised a rowdy night for the town of Lockfell.
"Ay Dios mío," Zilla murmured as they approached the center of the festival. A circle of bushes surrounded the most colossal Christmas tree she had ever seen up close. It was decorated with large, bright, multicolored bulbs and an array of ornaments that glimmered in the night. People turned to take pictures in front of it at every corner-families, groups of friends, and even lovers (both calm ones and ones that didn't care about showing everyone what they liked to do). But behind the circle, the stage loomed before them, a band already giving festival-goers the time of their life by covering multiple Christmas songs.
"Z, let's go kill it!" Sierra whooped, grabbing onto Zilla's arm and pulling her towards the stage. They laughed as the two struggled with each other. Sierra kept pulling her to the daunting stage. Zilla complained that she needed a minute to breathe.
They both stopped, and Zilla stared off at the stage. Gwenn had to admit it was a big one. The audience swarmed the space, standing so close to each other they resembled sardines.
"I'm gonna puke," Zilla said. All of them turned to her, already disagreeing with her. "I shouldn't have..."
Raphael snickered beside her. "You already signed up, mami. You have to go through with your commitments."
Gwenn frowned in his direction, but, like the rest of the group, chose to ignore his comment.
"Zilla, you're gonna do great," Milo spoke up. "You have the best voice in all of Lockfell, Hales Bay, and Old Watford combined. Go blow them away, stupid. We're all gonna be here for you." He turned to the group as if asking them to back him up. "Right, guys?"
YOU ARE READING
Forever Luminescent
General Fiction"Just shine like you always do." Gwenn Davidson has always known she was adopted, but after clearing up her stuff for her first move out of her parent's house, she finds an old blanket gifted to her by her birth mother that triggers an avalanche of...
