Chapter 14 #2
‘What?’
‘I hear you’re partly to thank for Mia’s amazing dress.’ Aiden shot her a wink over Mia’s head.
‘It was fun working with Phe. It’s not often she lets me play with her spells while she’s still casting them…
Then again, given how long it took to clean up last time, that’s probably for the best!
The bubbles got everywhere. Anyway, I must dash.
Phe likes her Veil Lifter cocktails best when they’re still fizzing!
You both look wonderful. Come find us later! ’
‘We will!’ Mia promised, and they watched as she disappeared into the crowd forming on the dancefloor, trailing shimmers of glitter that sparkled for a few seconds in the air before vanishing.
Aiden grinned as he watched her go, making a mental note to ask Ophelia about the bubbles at some point. It sounded like a good story. ‘Do you fancy one of those?’
‘Maybe in a bit?’ Mia wrinkled her nose, looking adorable. ‘I’m not sure I’m brave enough yet!’
‘More dancing?’
‘That I can definitely handle.’ She stepped back into his arms and the room around them faded away.
A few songs later, his thoughts, and their dance – such as it was – were interrupted when a mummy tapped Mia on the shoulder. She peered at the bandage-clad man for a couple of seconds in confusion. ‘I was going to wait to say hi, but you two don’t seem like you’re stopping anytime soon.’
‘Hello!’ Mia threw herself into the other man’s arms, who cheerfully lifted her off the floor in a huge hug and spun her around, sending a shot of something dark through Aiden. ‘I barely recognised you in this get-up! I can’t believe you’re here!’
‘I’ve missed you too, Mimi.’ The man lowered her to the floor carefully. ‘And you look gorgeous.’
‘You look great too.’ She kissed him on a bit of his cheek not bandaged up. ‘Well, the bits I can see do! I can’t believe how long it’s been. How are you?’
‘I’m good, thanks. But maybe it’s been longer than I realised if you’ve finally made it here! I thought you were going to be foggy-eyed forever.’
‘Part of me still can’t believe it.’ She smiled. ‘So, are you a witch or something?’
‘I’m guessing your awakening is pretty new, as that’s not really polite to ask.’
‘Oops, sorry!’ She covered her mouth.
‘It’s OK, given it’s you asking… Yeah, I’m sighted – I can see magic and it makes my design work a bit easier than if I had nothing – but I’m not heavily gifted. My mum on the other hand…’
‘Her art, right?’
‘Obviously. Now you can see, you should stop by and have another look. It’s really something!’
‘I will!’ She gave him another tight squeeze as Aiden watched, enjoying seeing her so happy but starting to feel a little awkward. ‘When did you get back?’
‘Just last week.’
‘Are you visiting, or can I hope that you’re back back?’
‘A bit of both, hopefully. Firm’s expanding well, so I’m hoping to be a bit more flexible in the future. And I’ve missed this weird old place. And the people. Speaking of, are you going to introduce me to your friend?’
‘Of course! Sorry! This is Aiden.’ She turned back to him and smiled so happily that he forgave her instantly.
‘He works with Ophelia. Aiden, this is Jamie. We’ve known each other since school.
He sort of became an extra brother to me and Katie and tried to keep us out of trouble growing up.
Well, when he wasn’t the one causing it! ’
‘Aww, that’s sweet.’ The man hugged Mia against his side. ‘But probably pretty accurate. So, you’re the one trying to organise the eternally chaotic Ophelia? How’s that going?’
‘She’s not so bad.’ Aiden shook the man’s hand. ‘Nice to meet you.’
‘He doesn’t just organise her,’ Mia told Jamie. ‘Aiden’s a fantastic baker too. You have to try the toadstool cakes and pumpkin biscuits. They’re his work, and they’re amazing!’
‘I will.’
‘So, it sounds like you’ve been away for a bit?’ Aiden needed to find something polite to say to this man with his arm still wrapped around Mia.
‘Yeah, I moved down south for work. There was more work for my company, plus it’s where my partner is from and he had good contacts down there.’
‘Jamie runs a hugely successful construction firm. They take old and proven building techniques and combine them with modern technology to build some amazing, really cutting-edge buildings and offices that are almost zero-carbon impact. That’s about right, isn’t it?’
‘You’re overselling me.’ Jamie shrugged. ‘I spend most of my working hours either covered in construction grime or up to my elbows in blueprints and red tape.’
‘You’re underselling yourself,’ Mia argued. ‘Your mum showed me the magazine article about the visitor centre you built. It was absolutely beautiful.’
‘It was just a local publication,’ Jamie told Aiden. ‘She’s talking nonsense. Ignore her.’
‘I never would.’ Aiden met Mia’s gaze and smiled at her.
‘Right, and that’s clearly my cue to bugger off and let you get back to your dancing.’ Jamie shook Aiden’s hand again and patted Mia on the head, making her scowl at him, and making Aiden feel a whole lot better – even though he knew he had no right to feel that way.
‘When I said he was like a brother, I meant an annoying one! But good luck!’
‘Thanks. You too!’
She ran her hands through her hair, making it shimmer and move, before stepping back into Aiden’s arms.
He lost track of how long they danced for, which wasn’t surprising as Mia often made him forget a lot of the worst things in his life, so stealing his ability to keep track of something as insignificant as time was almost to be expected.
He let his hand wander over her dress a little, so his fingers could stroke along her bare back at the top.
Her eyes locked with his, warm, open and trusting.
‘Mia?’ He twisted the hand that held hers, pulling her closer to him, thinking that the timing was almost fairy-tale perfect, then hesitated. ‘Is it Milena?’
‘What?’ She shook her head, as though clearing a spell. ‘Oh, my name. No. It’s not Milena.’
‘Emillia?’
‘No.’
‘Melisande?’
‘No.’
‘Maximiliana?’
‘No.’ Mia laughed. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name before. Why does this matter so much to you?’
‘Because I…’ He hesitated again. ‘Because it’s something about you I don’t know, and there’s nothing about you I don’t want to know.’
‘That’s really sweet.’
‘It’s true.’ He stroked his thumb over her spine. ‘Will you ever tell me?’
‘Maybe.’
‘Was I even close?’
‘Not really.’ She kissed him. ‘But I’ve told you before that you won’t guess it. How do you feel about getting us some drinks now, and I’ll find our table? These shoes are pretty to look at, but not to wear. My feet could do with a rest!’
Our table. He liked that phrasing – and sharing something with Mia, even if it was just space on a seating plan. ‘Sure.’
She brushed another kiss against his lips and left to find their seats.
Mia sat down and stared around her, still struggling to believe where she was or what she was seeing.
And who she was seeing. Ever since she’d found out about magic being more than something confined to the pages of a storybook, she’d been playing her own secret game of ‘guess the gifted’ with everyone she knew or met.
She wasn’t the least bit surprised by some of the people she saw – but a few made her do a double take.
Was the green man throwing shapes on the dancefloor really Mr Fairhead – the patient who’d survived his heart attack from the sheer good luck of having had it in the hospital while visiting for a broken finger?
And was it the librarian who’d shushed her and Katie in the school dancing with him under the Cleopatra wig?
She looked around some more, and felt her eyes widen when she realised the tiny fairy lights woven into the lush garlands hanging from the beams were actually moving… spinning and twirling in their own tiny dance.
The music – supernaturally being played by invisible musicians, of course – swelled and twisted from a song she knew into something ancient, but oddly familiar.
The notes seemed to weave their way through the room, and the tiny dancing lights changed their patterns to follow them.
A drum beat throbbed low and deep through the floorboards, like a heartbeat beneath her feet, making the floor ripple with light, and she started to understand what Ophelia and Rayenne had meant when they told her magic was woven into the very fabric of Hudsbury.
She watched as a little boy she’d known for years – his mother had been one of her first maternity patients – waved to some of the floating lights, which trickled down towards him.
He caught them in outstretched hands and leaned closer to them.
They exploded around him, spinning, and he laughed in delight.
How could she have known a little boy his entire life, hear all about his first steps, and never know he could do that? It was bizarre.
Her throat tightened – a thick, confusing mix of wonder and something darker.
She wasn’t angry, or sad… not really, but she did feel like she’d missed something wonderful for a huge chunk of her life, and it left her feeling disorientated and like the world was shifting on its axis beneath her feet.
So much in so few weeks that she felt like her head was spinning a bit.
OK, a lot. She stared at the swirling lights, and the tapestry on the wall where deer trot-danced beneath a slowly phasing moon, and tried to remember how to find her equilibrium again.
After she didn’t know how long, warmth butted her foot, making her jump. She lifted the tablecloth to find yellow eyes staring up at her. ‘Hello, Mist.’ She carefully lifted the cat onto her lap. ‘I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised you’re here. You’re hardly a “normal” cat, are you?’
Mist purred and sniffed at the flower on Mia’s wrist.
‘Pretty, isn’t it? From Aiden.’
Mist tapped at one of the bats fluttering on Mia’s dress.
‘Speaking of Aiden, I don’t suppose you know where he is, do you?’
Mist butted against her, demanding affection. ‘OK. We’ll give him a few more minutes.’