Restored (A Caleo Selection)

3 ~ An Annoyance So Odd

My maids touched up my makeup and hair just before it was time for me to go to dinner. Once more, I had a hard time believing that the girl in the mirror was me.

I descended down the stairs, using memory to make my way to the dining room. When I entered, about half the girls already sat at their places, talking in low tones. I searched the placards for my name and found my chair to be twenty-second, the basket I'd been drawn from. Clever.

I settled into my seat and looked at the group who would be my company while I ate. The girls who would sit on my right and directly across from me had not yet arrived. The girl across from me on the right smiled at me grimly.

"Aren't we all lucky to be here," she said with a fake smile. I studied her, trying to be subtle. She had on a dark gray knee-length dress with a halter top, and she looked uncomfortable, because she kept tugging at the neckline. Her chin-length black hair had one long blue streak through it, and her eyes were such a shocking bright blue, they almost looked green at first.

"I'm Calypso Nightshade," I said, a little uncomfortable. "You?"

"Thalia Grace." The girl laughed without humor. "I'm only here to visit."

I cocked my head, trying to decipher that sentence. Did she just not want to be here, or was there more to her story, like mine? She was oddly unusual for someone who had the air of a wealthy person.

"I'm Reyna Ramirez-Arellano," stated the girl across from me to the left. She had dark skin and straight black hair, and she looked strong. Her eyes scanned the room back and forth constantly.

"I'm Jade Winters." The girl sitting on my left gazed at me curiously. She held herself with a confidence most young girls never achieved. Her hair was a soft reddish-brown, and a light dusting of freckles adorned her small face. "I thought your last name was Nightlock," she added.

I blanched. "Yes, that's what I said, is it not?"

"I thought you said Nightshade." Jade smiled. "Just me, probably."

"Oh. Well. Yes, it's Nightlock." I saw Reyna's expression change, just a little, and prayed that she would let it slide.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"Me?" Thalia and I both said at the same time.

"All of you." Reyna glanced at Thalia first.

"I'm from Dakota. As of the moment." Thalia's lips quirked into a queer smile.

"I'm from Allens," I added.

"And I'm from Hudson," Jade finished.

Reyna's fingers danced over her silverware as though she were wishing they were weapons. "I'm from Fennley." She acted as though she was about to add something, then stopped.

Just then, two of the last girls entered the dining room. One, a brunette I recognized as Julia Feingold, the girl drawn just before me, sat down across from me, and the other, an Asian girl whose name I couldn't recall, sat down on my right.

The second girl smiled at me. "Hey. I'm Alice Miyazawa," she said.

"And I'm Julia Feingold," The other put in. Her face was abnormally expressionless, although I thought I detected some wariness in her eyes. Obviously they were fairly well-off, and perhaps condescending as a result. But Alice didn't seem so bad, and if they were friends, probably Julia was alright.

Reyna leaned forward. "Allens is pretty far out on the east coast, right? I've heard it's beautiful there."

Inwardly I laughed. Outwardly, I gave another polite smile. "It's a lovely place. Lots of beaches and meadows. Not much population, though."

"That sounds nice. Sometimes being alone is good." Jade rested her chin on her hand.

You've never been alone much, have you?

"Well, it sounds awful to me," Alice declared. "No one to prank. I always thought I'd be miserable if I were an only child and didn't have a family to torment. Thankfully, I have four siblings and plenty of prank material."

"Oh, tell them the sheet prank story you told me," Julia exclaimed.

I tuned out Alice's animated tale in favor of taking in the contestants seated around me. I took comfort in the fact that most of them looked just as out of place and unsure as I did. At least I wasn't alone in my unease.

A few moments later, servants filed out and began serving plates of salad and bowls of soup. I picked the spoon farthest away from the bowl and tucked in. The soup tasted wonderful, with hints of basil and oregano. I could hardly remember the last time I'd eaten something this good.

I noticed that Jade finished long before the other girls near us did. I had a feeling that Jade was not exactly wealthy. The other girls always had plenty to eat, and didn't need to eat quickly. She was accustomed to taking bits and scraps whenever she could. I'd been there -- only briefly, but long enough to remember it.

I spotted Hazel a few seats away, and Nyssa and Billie near her. They all looked lovely in their gowns, and I thought that nearly everyone seemed to be faring better than me here, except perhaps Thalia. I couldn't wait to get back to the safety of my room.

Wishing I could escape, I delved back into my mind to avoid the irrelevant chatter of Julia, Alice, and Jade. Thalia was only picking at her dinner, and Reyna remained upright and poised through the entire meal. I suspected she had not led an easy life; alertness that intense came from training, not merely from a rigid personality.

I was just wondering if I could excuse myself politely when a huge crash sounded, and the end of our dining table fractured, and then caught fire. I jumped out of my seat, searching for a fire extinguisher, but a guard had already found one and put the fire out. The screams of girls still echoed through the room, and I stared, stunned, at the smoking table.

"What was that?" A blonde girl cried from down the table. Next to her, a dark-skinned girl looked close to tears.

Then a boy popped up across the room. "Sorry 'bout that. Just experimenting with a new idea," he grinned. He had on jeans, a T-shirt, a tool belt, and an old cap pulled down over his face.

"What are you doing?" You nearly blew up our dining table!" I hollered without thinking.

He gave me an impudent thumbs-up and dashed out of the room before I could see his face clearly. I started after him, then thought better of it and turned to a nearby guard. "Who is that boy?" I demanded.

The guard averted his eyes. "Our...ah...repair boy. He is very talented with his hands."

"What's his name?"

"We, ah, we call him Festus. He hides out in his workshop most of the day."

I studied the guard, then whirled and hurried out of the dining room. Making my way back to my room, I shut the door behind me and looked at my maid who were pinning together a bodice. "Do you know of any repair boys named Festus at the palace?"

The three girls looked at each other, puzzled. "There's a soldier named Frederick, but no one else close to that. And I know the whole staff," Leah said slowly.

I nodded, her words confirming my suspicions. "Thank you. If you don't mind, I think I'll read for a while now."

I donned a more comfortable gray robe and flopped on my bed with a book, but my mind kept turning over the situation tonight at dinner. The boy had been small, dark-skinned, and I thought I'd spotted a few curls of black hair. Maybe that guard had told the truth, but I had other ideas.

I had a feeling that I'd just yelled at Crown Prince Leo Valdez.

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A\N:
I had to incorporate it somehow. Forgive me.