Chapter 3 Boxing Day
Boxing Day
The Swancrest Academy courtyard is brimming with music and magic.
I’m the only one still inside. There was something I needed to do first.
I’m facing my mother’s statue, located between the base of the two curling staircases in the school’s main hallway. It’s sculpted in her likeness and dressed with the outfit she died fighting in—the glimmering pink armor she designed.
Yes, she was a warrior and a fashion icon. She contained multitudes.
“What do you think?” I say, spinning around, showing her my outfit.
For the most important day of my life, I’m wearing a glittering magenta long-sleeved dress, with equally sparkling heels. The #1 sash is draped across me. My hair is swept up in two swan-shaped clips. A gift from Robin.
Of course, there isn’t any response from the statue.
But I don’t need one.
“You know, the other day, I had this ridiculous nightmare,” I say, rolling my eyes. “That today wouldn’t be the best day of my life. But that was stupid.” I beam. “Last night, I dreamed I got three Fates. I figure that evens everything out. Maybe I’ll get two…”
Silence.
I frown. “Is that greedy? Does being confident make me… unlikable?”
I chew my lip, considering, before quickly stopping so I don’t get any cherry lipstick on my teeth.
“Well, I mean… if I deserve it, right? The Fates don’t make mistakes… They won’t give me anything I can’t handle…”
I sigh, reaching toward her stone hand. The rock has worn smooth over the years in the places my fingers have grazed far more times than I can count, the same spots I’ve touched since I was a child.
“I love you, Mom. I can’t wait to show you what I get,” I say.
Then I stroll outside, toward my destiny.
Robin’s magic has transformed the school’s facade into an ode to celebration. Swirling pink peppermint is strung across the spires; towers of sprinkle-dusted donuts lean precariously in every direction; an orchestra plays itself, invisible hands gliding bows over glimmering strings.
My eyes scan the crowd. All of Heartland is here, separated into an array of roles and cohorts, waiting to accept their new inductees with open arms.
I’ll be standing in one of those groups soon enough.
No, I think, straightening. I’ll be standing in a new one, all my own.
A frosting-thick layer of pink glitter coats everything, and I smooth my finger across one of the tables scattered around the courtyard, watching as it magically replenishes itself.
Robin went all out today, as she always does.
As if called from my very thoughts, she appears suddenly on the raised platform in front of the crowd, in a flash of rain-glitter. She’s wearing a blazer and pants that change shades of rose with her every movement. Her ever-present staff emits a crown of pink glow.
The rowdy, bustling crowd falls silent at the sight of our regal Headmistress. That’s how it always is around her. Everyone is so grateful, so appreciative that she doesn’t just keep her magic to herself.
“It’s time,” Robin begins, her voice magically carrying to even the farthest reaches of the courtyard, “for the Fates to reveal what they have planned for our newest graduates of Swancrest Academy.”
She motions behind her, to a set of rooms and windows that are strictly off-limits except on Boxing Day.
Three stories, with three rooms per floor, each with a large, rectangular vertical window that faces the courtyard.
It’s where the Fates make their wishes known, and where the graduating students show the waiting crowd the futures that have been chosen for them.
“We trust the Fates and their endless wisdom to guide us toward continued peace and abundance so we may never again know the horrors that our land almost succumbed to nearly two decades ago.” There’s a moment of tense silence, and I think of my mom and her strength.
Before the battle that took her away from me, the will of the Fates wasn’t always followed.
Now, their choices decide our futures. “The mist keeps us protected. And the Fates keep us prosperous. We thank them for seeing strengths in us that we might not see in ourselves and for eliminating any doubt or choice so our society can function at the highest level possible.”
A cheer cascades through the crowd.
Robin gives an imperious nod. “Now. This year’s class, please line up.”
We do. My classmates hug their parents, and we make a queue in front of the spiral staircase that leads to the rooms on each floor.
I spot Callie being embraced by her parents before scurrying toward the stairs, giving me a nervous smile as she joins the snaking line of our Swancrest peers.
I hope she isn’t still worried. She doesn’t need to be.
I see Sunny farther ahead in line, and even his customary smirk is replaced by a look of solemnity. Is he feeling nervous, too? Or is he finally taking something in this school seriously?
I wait until everyone is lined up before the turret, then I join at the very end, as is customary for the valedictorian. I’ll be in the final group of nine students to approach the doors, and the very last student to open hers. I’m the grand finale.
Whispers echo across the citizens of Heartland as they watch me take my place. I beam, righting my sash, fielding Congratulations! from all sides. I try not to listen in on various guesses about which Fate I’ll get—Lawyer, Architect, a new one never seen before? (Yes!)
Instead of nerves, pure excitement flurries in my stomach.
I worked for this. I earned this.
As the line inches forward and up the staircase, I’m plunged into the relative darkness of the tower.
I can barely see my classmates—the only light comes from pink specks like shredded stars floating within the stairway—but I can hear them.
They’re whispering about their own guesses for what they’ll get. Then… it happens.
The first wave of cheers ripples through the crowd.
The first set of Fates has been revealed.
I wonder which roles have produced such celebration. As my classmates’ voices ring out around me, I start to think about my own guesses.
What Fate would make Robin proud of me?
What would make me proud of me?
What do I want?
No. I shake my head, hair clips clawing into my scalp. That isn’t for me to answer. I’ll be told what I want soon enough.
Another wave of cheers.
The line moves again.
In this stairway, time seems to move differently. Slower, and faster, all at once. My heart begins to throb with anticipation. I seem to forget the rhythm of how to breathe. My legs feel boneless with suspense. My face hurts with how wide I’m smiling.
This is everything I’ve worked so hard for. My dreams are all about to be nothing compared with my new life once I step into the Fate—Fates?—I was meant to claim.
Everything is about to click into place. The crowd erupts in another torrent of celebration. The minutes drag on, each stair bringing me closer to my destiny.
Until finally… we pass the other landings and reach the three rooms on the top floor. I feel as if I’m about to burst out of my skin with excitement.
A hand falls on my shoulder.
I spin around, only to see Callie, beaming.
“Barbie, you were right! There was nothing to worry about!” she says. Relief floods through my bones at the obvious joy in her expression. She holds up a book and glasses. “Look! Accessories!” Callie exclaims. “I’m a Librarian!” Several birds flit behind her, chirping approvingly.
Perfect. Callie loves to read, and her superior memory will be great for sorting books. She’s helpful. Kind. And, most of all, she seems thrilled.
“I’m so happy for you.” I peer closer at the accessories in her hands. “But you don’t even wear glasses,” I point out.
Her smile grows even wider. “I know, isn’t it great?!”
I nod emphatically. Accessories are always great.
“Wait, Callie. Tell me—what’s it like?” I ask, desperate to know.
“You walk through the pink door into the room. Once you step inside, glitter starts to rain down all around you like the most glorious storm, and when you walk through it, the walls and whatever else is inside the room reveal your Fate! It’s all painted right there, like your own story.
All the accessories you need are tied to the walls with twisting metal wires.
Then, you know the rest. The rectangular window is at the end of the room, and you go show everyone what you got, all while striking a pose. ”
The birds start to squawk. Callie sighs. “I should get back to my family.” The birds have magically multiplied, hovering around us now. Robin is basically telling us to wrap it up.
She squeezes my hand. “I just wanted to say thank you. Find your Fate. I’ll be watching!”
Good. I squeeze her hand in return, and she turns and takes off down the staircase.
It’s my turn now. I push my shoulders back and lift my chin high.
I’m ready to see what the Fates have in store for me.
Misty and Bonbon break from the flock and lead me to the door in the middle of the row.
I give them a grateful smile: They helped me get ready for each day that I did my absolute best. I’ll have to thank them properly after this is all over.
They drop me off with chirps that almost sound like good luck.
I don’t need it. I worked for this.
This pink door is the beginning of the rest of my life. A weak ray of light streams out the bottom, as if my new life inside is spilling out to meet me.
I suck in another deep breath and straighten. I’m ready.
I give an encouraging smile to the students on my left and right as they reach for their door handles. I wait, as instructed, since I’m supposed to be last.
Moments later, cheers erupt from the rooms on either side. Both of the other students have discovered their Fates, and by the sound of it, they got exactly what they wanted. My chest fills with an anticipatory thrill, ready to see mine at last.
Birds caw behind me. It’s time.
Time to make history.
Time to get rewarded for all my hard work.
Time to step into my destiny.
I open the door, and glitter begins to pour from somewhere above me, just as Callie said.
I don’t stop for a moment. I keep walking, brimming with excitement, moving through the slight resistance of the magic, before something pops and gives, like a seal being broken.
As quickly as the glitter began, it suddenly stops, revealing a rectangle of light at the far end of the room, framing the vertical window to the outside, where everyone is waiting.
And nothing else.
I blink.
The room is bare. The twisting metal wires that should contain the accessories are empty, like they’ve been ransacked.
The walls that are supposed to show images of my future are stark white, unpainted.
I frown.
There—there must be a mistake.
I take a step back, then forward, like I might have missed something. But there isn’t another seal. All the glitter is on the floor, scattered across the light cardboard-colored hardwood.
I scoff, waiting for someone to fix this malfunction. I wait…
But nothing happens. No one rushes in. The crowd is just beyond the glass, gone very still and quiet in anticipation.
Something is obviously broken. This isn’t exactly how I wanted to reveal myself, but I storm over to the window, going through with the steps I’ve practiced in my mind a thousand times.
When I finally reach the front of the room, the crowd erupts in gasps, seeing me empty-handed.
“There—there’s been a mistake,” I explain, raising my voice so they can hear me through the window. Because that’s the only possible answer.
I look at the crowd, desperately searching for Robin, and find Callie. Her eyes are wide with shock. I smile at her reassuringly. Don’t worry.
Robin will make this right. My eyes cut to the dais below. I find my guardian still standing on her stage, magical scepter in hand, and relief slides down my spine. She’ll know what to do. She’ll put the seal back, and I’ll do this again, and everything will be okay.
But Robin’s staff has gone dark. When I meet her gaze, her eyes—for the first time since I can remember—are filled with surprise, dismay… and pity.
She doesn’t move a single inch.
She doesn’t right this.
“No. There’s—it’s a mistake,” I repeat. The crowd just stares at me.
“THERE’S BEEN A MISTAKE!” I scream, and the crowd flinches back. I swallow. They’re looking at me—
They’re looking at me like they’re afraid.
It’s the last reaction I was expecting today.
My heart is an erratic rhythm in my chest, a beast trying to break out of its cage. My ears are roaring.
Someone has to do something.
At last, Robin claps her hands, and when she speaks, her voice is even and sure, belying the surprise written across her face. “This concludes our Boxing Day ceremony. Please make your way to the front courtyard for more celebration…”
What? No.
This can’t—this can’t be over.
I haven’t gotten my Fate yet!
The crowd begins to disperse. But not before a voice rings out, crystal clear through the glass, and says—
“The Fates make no mistakes. Fate is final.”
Paige. She’s standing with the Lawyers, arms filled with a leather briefcase, folders, a quill, and a coffee mug. She’s looking at me smugly, like a truth has been revealed that she’s known this entire time. And finally, people are listening.
To her.
A murmur spreads through the crowd as people begin to echo her words. It becomes an endless chant that echoes through the courtyard, through my mind, through my bones, until, finally, Robin is able to lead them away.
No.
This can’t—this can’t be final.
I sink to the ground, my feet finally giving out from under me, my heels slipping off. The clips in my hair fall to the floor, as if even they don’t want to be associated with me.
This… can’t be real.
But I’m not dreaming.
Everyone is leaving.
Boxing Day is over.
The Fates make no mistakes.
This is the true nightmare. Not being assigned a future I don’t want—
But having no future at all.