"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves."
~William Shakespeare

Lilly

The day of the party was chaotic between training and hurrying back to shower and get dressed. I blasted music to motivate me, and I would've been done half an hour early had my kittens not chosen to get into everything.

At least they didn't try and climb my dress like they did the curtains...

I texted Caleb, asking where the ball was being held because despite knowing the location, I didn't know how to get there. I wasn't going with anyone. I asked Vivienne, but she was going with Chad. Dylan was going with Iris and Caleb. I didn't feel comfortable imposing myself on them. I vaguely wondered if Shane was attending, but thought better of it. No way I was going to the party with Shane, even though I was pretty sure he would've gladly accepted my invitation.

My phone rang, breaking me out of my thoughts. Turning my music down, I answered, "Hello?"

"Hey," Caleb greeted cheerfully. "Figured this would be easier to explain over the phone. You know where my lab is?"

"Yeah, of course," I responded. "I'd be worried if I didn't considering I'm down there all the time."

He chuckled. "Right, so if you keep going farther down that hall, there's a stairwell. Take that, and it'll lead you downstairs to the ballroom entrance."

"Awesome, thank you! I'll see you down there."

"Great! You going with Vivienne?"

"No, she's going with Chad."

"Then who are you going with? Please tell me it's not Shane."

I snorted. "God, no. I'm going alone."

"What? No, you're not. Come with me, Dylan and Iris."

"I wouldn't want to intrude."

"You wouldn't be intruding whatsoever. You're one of us. We'll come get you if you're ready?"

"I have to finish up with my hair and put on my dress, but you're welcome to come up and hang out. You'll just have to put up with the kittens, my music, and the slight mess of my room."

"We'll be up in two minutes. Maybe less if the elevators hurry."

"All right, see you soon." I hung up, my heart pounding as I swallowed the knot down in my throat. For some reason, I felt relieved by Caleb's words. Had they not wanted me to join them, Caleb would've found a reason to exclude me. It was nice to know I had people who wanted me around. I hadn't had that recently, especially with Vivienne wrapped up in work and Chad. I was happy for her, and I think Chad needed someone as light and happy as her, but I missed having my best friend around.

Within two minutes, Caleb and company were at my door. They filed in, taking residence on my bed and chairs while I got ready. Berlioz decided to sit on Caleb's shoulder, Iris cuddled with Marie, and Dylan played with Toulouse. Toothless kept his position next to my makeup bag on the counter.

"Where's your dress?" Iris asked.

"In here with me. I'm putting it on once my hair and makeup are done," I said. "Learned a long time ago when I got mascara on a white dress. Thankfully I was able to get it out but didn't want to deal with that again, so I've opted to do everything beforehand."

"Guys have it so easy. All they have to do is shower if they feel the need, style their hair which let's be honest, usually isn't much, and throw on a suit. They spritz some cologne, and they're done. Most girls will shower, dry and style their hair, do some form of makeup, if not a full face of it like you and I are doing. Hell, some even contour their face. And then we have to get into these contraptions of dresses, match them with shoes, and pick out jewelry. It's complicated," Iris ranted. Dylan and Caleb both looked thoroughly bewildered, but I just laughed and whole-heartedly agreed.

Within the next ten minutes, I was ready to go. The four of us made our way downstairs to the ballroom. I expected the event to be elegant and glamorous, but nothing could've stopped my mouth from falling open at the sight of the room.

Glittering diamonds strung together wrapped around the chandeliers. Fragile, silver tree branches intertwined themselves in the ceiling area above us. Emerald flowers adorned the branches, creating the sensation you were in a forest. The walls were decorated with elegant, green tapestries that matched the color of the flowers. Silver filigree adorned them, mimicking the branches above. It took me a moment before I observed that the silver filigree on the tapestries came off to form the branches overhead. No wonder I thought they were so similar to each other.

While I ogled the room, Caleb took my hand and escorted me to the assigned table. Vivienne and Chad were already there. Thank God I was with people I knew; otherwise, I would've felt totally out of place. It wasn't that I couldn't socialize, but it was apparent almost everyone here knew everyone else. I usually started feeling alone and uncomfortable, which is when I became quiet. My resting bitch face would appear, making me seem unapproachable.

"Evening, Lilly," Shane said, approaching the table and sitting next to Chad. He wore a navy suit, causing his blue eyes to become even more intense. Thankfully Dylan took the empty seat on Shane's other side, so I wasn't subjected to sitting next to the psychopath.

"Hi!" Vivienne exclaimed as the rest of us sat down. "I love your dresses!"

"Thank you! It's brand new," Iris said, glancing down at her white, flowing chiffon dress. With a matte gold belt encrusted with crystals, gold shoes and jewelry to match, she looked like an angel. "I wanted to get something different for the occasion."

"Good evening, everyone," Esmeralda greeted when she approached us. She looked stunning in a dark, emerald green, floor-length dress with delicate, tiny diamonds swirling around on the skirt and lining the neckline. A flashy diamond necklace matched with simple earrings, and a dangling bracelet completed the ensemble. Again, I hoped I aged as gracefully as she did.

"You look stunning!" Vivienne exclaimed.

"As do you, darling," Esmeralda complimented. "You all look amazing!"

Caleb pulled out the chair for her so she could sit down before retaking his seat next to me.

I leaned over to Dylan and whispered, "So, what's the agenda for this party?"

"It's going to be amazing! First, we have a three-course meal, then there's the show. Sometimes it's dancing, sometimes it's magic, sometimes it's a musical. Esmeralda's been into musicals recently, so it wouldn't surprise me if they did something like 'Burlesque' or 'The Greatest Showman' or even 'Frozen.' Although I think people who are hoping for a sequel need to let it go."

Caleb groaned at his friend's pun; Dylan gave a cheeky grin. Conversations started up all around the table. I chatted with Dylan, who seemed unwilling to talk to Shane. I couldn't blame him, but the elder Calhoun brother appeared unaffected by it. He was, I noticed, paying attention to everything going on around him with a calculating gaze.

However, even Shane seemed unable to avoid the distraction the appetizers presented. My mouth watered at the smell of the clam chowder and the basket of rolls. My stomach growled in anticipation, and I could hardly stop myself from inhaling the dish.

After the appetizer came the main course. My steak- topped with lumps of crab meat and some sort of white wine sauce- was to die for, and it was so tender I barely needed a knife. The potato au gratin sat on the side, and I was in heaven. The other choices had been salmon or a vegetarian dish.

"If I eat anymore, I'm going to pop," I mumbled, leaning back in my chair and resting my hands on my stomach as if I had a baby. It sure seemed like I did with how bloated my stomach felt.

I had a food baby, that's what I had.

"Get ready because we have dessert next. Don't worry though, we eat it during the performance, so we have plenty of time to eat our way through it," Dylan said. Sure enough, just as he said that, the desserts were rolled out. Everyone had a cake for their table, one that would give at least two pieces per person. Then there were mini desserts, like a miniature apple cobbler, chocolate eclairs, strawberry cheesecake, cannoli cups, and more.

But as amazing as the desserts were, the show knocked it out of the park.

Liked Dylan predicted, the show was a musical, and one I adored: The Greatest Showman. Many of the performers were shapeshifters, so they were shifting into either people or animals; they danced all over the place, flying through the air, balancing precariously on the tree limbs above, and swinging from the curtains that were previously emerald green, but now they flashed to cerulean blue and scarlet red to match the mood of the song. The tree branches switched between gold and silver.

The show ended in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, it was our time to dance. Chad quietly led Vivienne's to the dance floor. Dylan asked Esmeralda. Caleb looked conflicted between asking Iris or me because either way, one of us would be stuck with Shane; it was evident he didn't want either of us subjected to that fate. To make the decision easier for him, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. I desperately needed to go, so it wasn't a lie. There were a few other people there when I arrived, but they were already occupying stalls.

"Did you see who was all at the Queen's table?" one of the girls inquired as she washed her hands. I knew I shouldn't listen, but it was hard when they were in such close proximity to me. I'm pretty sure they had no idea I was even in here...

"Yeah. I mean, the boys are always there but Shane Calhoun? He shouldn't be here, let alone out of prison," the other girl responded.

"The Queen probably wants to keep an eye on him, and it's probably easier to do that with him at her table. I'm talking about the Earthlings."

"Well, they have powers."

"Vivienne does. Like she's insanely good at Healing. I'm talking about her friend. What's her name? Lisa?"

"Lilly. I think. I guess they worried about insulting her if they put her somewhere else. How is she part of that prophecy? Vivienne, I can see, but a girl with no power after being here for months? It's never taken someone this long to discover their powers. It's bizarre. If you ask me, she shouldn't even be here. She doesn't belong."

"Tell me about it. Let's get back to the party."

I swallowed down the knot in my throat in an attempt to not let their words get to me. Numbly, I left the stall and washed my hands, my party mood gone. My lack of powers hadn't gone unnoticed by everyone else like I'd hoped. They were talking about it about me. In most cases, I wouldn't care what people thought about me because why should the opinions of people I don't know matter to me?

But this was different.

They were talking about my own insecurity, one that'd been eating me up for months.

I couldn't stay at the party and pretend like everything was okay. Besides, everyone would be so wrapped up in the party, I was sure my absence would go unnoticed.

I headed towards the elevators but barely made it two steps before Dylan appeared in front of me. Giving me his signature lopsided grin, he exclaimed, "Hey! There you are! I was wondering where you disappeared to."

"I was using the bathroom. I needed it after all that food," I said.

"God I know. I think I ate my weight's worth in food. Duty calls, but I'll see you back in there."

"Yeah, see you there."

"Hey, you okay?" his brow suddenly furrowed in concern, making my heart go out to him. However, not wanting to ruin his fun, I plastered a smile on my face and assured him I was okay. He bought it, went back to his chipper self, and rushed to the bathroom. I lifted my head to look up at the ceiling in a futile attempt to block the tears threatening to cascade down my face. I headed to the elevators, wondering if this could get worse when I ran into a guy on my way to my destination.