THE FLOWER CHILDREN

Chapter 21

THE next day, Asmeen woke up in excitement, wondering why exactly she was so excited.

Then she remembered. The ball.

She shot straight up, blinking hard. When her vision cleared, she could see Wylla already up, giving her a knowing look.

"Elyn and I couldn't sleep either. Well, she said she had to study before the ball."

Asmeen let out a laugh, grimacing at her own sour breath. "Typical Elyn."

After the three of then were done washing up, they studied for a while. Then they were called down for a tense breakfast—ever since their father had come back from his trip, he'd been in a sour mood. Probably because sales were getting worse. Asmeen was glad to be escaping the house for the evening, especially since her father would probably remember her mother even more today.

They'd met on a blood moon and fallen instantly in love. It was perfect timing, seeing as her mother was just about to retire as the leader of the Flower Children. They were soon married, and then they had Asmeen. But then, fate had interfered.

Asmeen and her father had been on their own after that, until he'd met Azol. They'd married for convenience, but that was how she'd found her sisters, so Asmeen didn't mind. Azol wasn't cruel to her either. It was a happy ending.

They spent some more time studying, Elyn quizzing them until lunch. And after that they all got some rest—the ball was likely to continue late into the night, and Asmeen didn't want to be sleepy during the ball.

When they awoke, it was about time to be getting ready. They all got ready in their respective dresses. Asmeen got plenty of praise, from Wylla and even Elyn.

She looked at all three of them in the looking-glass. She didn't think they'd ever looked this beautiful.

Wylla had pulled Elyn's golden hair back and loosely secured it at the nape of her neck, weaving in little red roses that she'd found somewhere. The roses matched her dress, which had a modest neckline, but sleeves that slipped off her shoulders slightly, letting her shoulders show. Asmeen had thought it would be too plain, but Elyn looked like she was shining even in the plain fabric.

Asmeen still wasn't quite sure how Wylla had managed to make all the colors stand out—at first sight, her red hair, down in curls, and green gown seemed to be too vibrant to stay together. But Wylla had made it, and the dress, a bit too tight, perfectly accentuated her curves. It was the least modest out of all of theirs, but Wylla made it seem grateful and respectable.

Then Asmeen looked at herself. Wylla had pulled only half of her dark hair up, leaving the rest flowing behind her shoulders. Her dress was white—a bit risky, but Asmeen thought she could make it work—and breezy. It was also the least modest dress Asmeen had ever worn, the sleeves floating below her shoulders, so her neck, shoulders and collarbones were exposed. Wylla had said it looked lovely on her.

Then, Wylla painted the standard, shimmery gold body paint onto their skin, in free, looping swirls. It stood out the most on her, because of her darker skin. Asmeen, for a moment, was worried that it would clash with Wylla's hair or outfit, but miraculously it didn't.

After that, they set off. Wylla separated to go with her large friend group, while Elyn made her way to the ball alone. Asmeen made a quick detour to Nara's house, as she had to pick Nara up and accompany her, Nara being her guest.

She knocked, and Nyma opened the door, a wide smile spreading over her face as she took Asmeen in. "Bjóll, you do look beautiful, Asmeen!"

Asmeen smiled, trying not to mess up the red juice Wylla had painted onto her lips. "Thank you." She even attempted a curtsey.