Page 3 of Voices in the Stars (The Lost Witch #1)

The morning fog had lifted. A chill lingered even with the sun shining above us.

At least I was wrong about something today.

The last thing I wanted to deal with while surrounded by all these people was the unbearable heat.

Hands waved around me in animated conversations while laughter rang out above the music being played.

Dresses flowed in flashes of colors as women swayed and spun.

My gaze caught onto one of the girls dancing.

Her giggles were shrill and easy to hear over the stringed instruments.

Her dance partner openly grimaced every time her mouth opened.

It made me grind my teeth. It was impossible for her to be that oblivious.

There was no reason for her to deal with him.

No, instead she kept up a happy mask as she was ignored.

As they slowed down, she reached a hand toward the other men standing around. Their lips twisted with smiles and laughs as they watched her. One nudged another man’s shoulder who quickly shook his head, stepping away from her.

I sipped on the fizzy champagne I had grabbed earlier.

Round tables filled half of the area across from me.

A few of the older guests sat at them. Women fanned themselves from the nonexistent heat while their judging gazes passed over everyone nearby.

They leaned into each other, their eyes piercing as they whispered and laughed together.

Several times that gaze was focused on me.

My skin crawled as it felt like they were seeing every secret I had.

With a shiver, I pulled my attention away from them before I lost what little nerve I had .

Silver trays filled with food and drinks bobbed through the crowds as hands snatched up everything that was being offered.

The servers were ignored as the guests smacked on their food, mouths full as their heads were thrown back in laughter.

One man took a step backward, cutting one of the servers off.

They tried to stop, but the food went sliding, spilling over the man’s suit.

His lips twisted into a snarl as he yelled at them.

Their head bowed as they accepted the verbal lashing. My grip on my glass tightened.

“Sandwich, ma’am?” One of the servers stopped in front of me.

I thanked the man, grabbing a small sandwich that he presented to me.

“You look lovely today,” he commented as he moved beside me, using me to hide from the crowd.

I choked on a laugh that threatened to come out. The smirk on his face as he refused to look at me told me all I needed to know. My first impression of this dress was right. If anything, it wasn’t harsh enough. I looked like an ivy bush had a baby with a hydrangea.

“Thank you, Oliver,” I said to him instead. “How’s your wife?”

Oliver was one I tried to talk to as often as I could.

He wasn’t constantly around like Marie. He was only here for the parties.

Somewhere in town, he had a small house filled with many children and a wife.

Speaking with him now, I could feel the stares burning into us.

Adrian’s fiancée is wasting time talking to the help rather than his family or any of the other strangers here?

How scandalous. My eyes rolled just at the thought.

There were few people here who would acknowledge anyone serving them.

Unless it was to bark orders. One moment.

All I needed was a single moment with some of these people, and they would never want to talk to someone like that again. I settled for a long drink instead.

The burning of the alcohol was a wonderful distraction. Still, I rubbed the scar on my chest, hoping to ease the hot feeling thrumming underneath it. Oliver glanced over at me, his smile faltering for a moment.

“I hope you had a nice morning,” he said instead.

I smiled into my glass as I took another sip. The way he was unfazed by everyone else helped dissolve the rest of my anger. There was nothing I could do about any of their situations right now, anyways, besides letting them know they at least had a friend in me.

“Oh yes,” I answered.

“Try to leave some for the others next time,” he whispered before bowing and turning away.

He moved through the rest of the guests with a smile plastered on his face.

No one paid him any attention. The closest he got was when someone blindly reached out to grab a sandwich.

In moments, he vanished in the crowds. The occasional glint of the silver tray was the only sign that he was still out there.

Gazes snapped away from me as I looked over the crowds.

A shiver ran down my spine as the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention.

No one was looking at me, yet it felt like thousands of eyes were piercing my skin.

I wrapped my free arm around my middle, trying to ease my quaking.

It felt like the sunny morning was replaced with the dead of winter as ice chilled me.

Every instinct screamed to run. My knees ached with the need to move as I was again struck by the odd feeling that there was somewhere else I had to be.

I turned, glancing at the few people who mingled by the hedges behind me.

My gaze snapped on a little boy who was standing among them.

He was wearing a pressed, blue suit that looked too nice for a child to wear.

Something that would get stained with one wrong move.

It hung loose around his shoulders, and the sleeves covered his hands.

It must’ve belonged to an older sibling at one point.

The way it fit him was similar to the way some of Josi’s clothing fit me.

The sun reflected on his greasy, slicked back hair.

I tried to conceal my grimace. I would be trying to hide, as well, if that’s how I was dressed.

I glanced down at my clothing. Maybe I should’ve been over there with him. I’d blend in perfectly.

As I looked back at him, his head tilted as he stared back. A too large smile stretched out on his childish face. His lips turned white as they were pulled thin. My heart leapt as he lunged at me.

A tight grip on my shoulder stopped my flinch. I was spun around, my mind already racing with excuses as to why I was trying to leave. My mind immediately recognized the manicured nails that were digging into my wrist. My shoulders sagged as I came face to face with my mother .

Her dark hair was streaked with silver that shone in the light.

It was tied in a tight knot that rested on top of her head.

For once, her face wasn’t pulled into a permanent smile.

Instead, her scowl was deeply etched into her features.

Even her painted face wasn’t enough to hide the many layers of anger and disappointment.

“Where are you going?” she hissed, letting go of my wrist.

I ran my hands down my dress, resisting the itch to tug at any loose strands I might find.

“I was trying to mingle.” I shrugged toward the people who were still talking near the hedges.

The little boy was gone. The couple he had been standing next to were still chatting away, hands waving wildly.

How long would it take for them to notice their son had gone missing?

Unease coursed through me. If he was still there after nightfall, he would be trapped until the morning.

I tried to shake the feeling away. The party would still go on for many more hours.

The day had just begun. Someone else would notice.

“Don’t lie to me.” She pointed a long finger at me; her nails were pink to match her dress.

“He’s waiting for you.” I opened my mouth, hoping it would quickly spit out some excuse as to why I couldn’t go see Adrian right now.

“I’m tired of you doing nothing but sitting on that damn roof all day.

He is the key to getting you out of my house. Now go.”

Tears burned the corners of my eyes at hearing her say it.

Listening to her arguing with my father was one thing, but to stand here as she spouted the same thing to me?

My spine went stiff as her words settled deep within my chest. The differences between the way Josi and I were treated never felt fair, but it never hurt as badly as those words did.

What could I have possibly done to make her hate me?

She smirked as I paused. There was no one on my side.

My sister and father were the peacekeepers.

Whatever my mother thought was best, they would fully agree with her.

I sucked down a cool breath before turning away from her.

Dealing with Adrian would hurt less than standing here and letting my mother keep insulting me.

My eyes immediately found the man I had been avoiding.

Adrian was standing close to the entrance of the house.

My stomach twisted as I looked him over.

Underneath a black blazer, his shirt was the same green color of my dress.

It even had the same flowers embroidered along it.

We looked like a real couple dressed like this.

Nausea twisted my stomach at the thought.

There was a food runner with a tray filled with teacups in front of Adrian.

Each one had a name card that matched the contents within that his gaze carefully scanned.

The runner shifted her weight from foot to foot.

Her gaze darted at the people crowding around Adrian as they huffed, tapping their feet as they waited for him to pick.

Poor thing. If any of the guests grabbed a cup of cold tea, she would get an earful for it.

“Lady Grey is my favorite,” I chimed, announcing my presence as I pushed through the mass.