Chapter 38

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The party before the storm.

I peer at the glittering face of the pocket watch containing my tear juice while Zahra orchestrates the Secret Santa around the Christmas tree swallowing the center of the main classroom. That tree is a glorious mess, if I'm being honest. But that's what happens when you give kids a bunch of ornaments and don't micromanage what they do with them.

Lifting my attention, I find Pollux's smile and get a few warm fuzzies in the center of my chest. "Very pretty."

"It's a pocket watch."

"I can see that, yes."

Despite all the dark shades that surround even his human guise, Pollux is sunshine itself when he meets my eyes. "I wanted to show you sooner, but it's been a busy week, and then Meda and I were late today, and you were playing a game, and I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to interrupt."

It would not have been. He's lucky the kids are distracted right now. Very few things are quite as entertaining to a child as a real live pocket watch. If spotted, it will become miraculously sticky within approximately two seconds.

I cross my arms and arch a brow. "Speaking of, why were you late? Meda's never been late to school before, so I can only assume someone else was the culprit."

Pollux's smile melts away. "I resent what I'm almost positive you're insinuating."

"You dared to make my little late to a party. Is it because you hate Christmas? How dare you."

He plops the watch in his pocket and crosses his arms so we match. Now we're both standing with our rumps to my large classroom desk, faces stern and arms folded.

Quite the pair.

"Your little waited until early this morning to tell me the agenda for today, including this Secret Santa, which she had not thought to locate an actual definition for and clearly wasn't paying attention to when it was explained. Midway through telling me how she was excited to put Mia in a sack when it was her turn to play Santa, I dragged her to England so she could get a gift."

"England," I say, as I recognize the fact someone educated my Meda on Krampus. Mm. Delightful. Zahra and I will have words later.

"Yes. England," Pollux states. "It was roughly five in the morning. The shops weren't open here yet, and Meda is still in the process of learning sign, so she hasn't started any other languages. I often go to England for their teas, so I knew which faerie paths were fastest. And not waterlogged."

"England," I repeat, "not the twenty-four hour Walmart."

He regards me dryly. "Kassandra, do you think I know where the twenty-four hour Walmart is and the trods required to get there? No. Do you think I know that it's roughly time for shops to open in England when it is five in the morning here? Yes. I also know the conversion rates, so don't worry. Even though Meda was eager to buy the entire store, I maintained that she keep roughly to the twenty-dollar spending limit."

Well, thank goodness for that. The last thing I need is for Andromeda to gift Mia something couture from a boutique in England then tell the truth about how she got it. There would be a riot. I'd have to calm the masses or organize a flight to Great Britain since we will not be taking eleven kids through Faerie trods, thank you very much. Their little bodies would probably get drunk on magic immediately.

Sighing, I push off my desk. "Do you want to stay here and wait for everyone to realize the frogs I gave them are colorful ammo, or help me get the frozen pizzas through the microwave? It's a one-person job, truly. Albeit a touch soul-crushing." Let's just say that in the "excitement" of answering a million questions for my parents every time I got home from school this past week, planning the move to Pollux's haunted mansion, crocheting over a hundred frogs, and planning the games for this event, I sorely neglected to ask for food assistance until roughly too late.

Therefore, I have a freezer full of rectangle party-size Totino's boxes, and a veggie platter that cost about as much as the pizzas.

I do try ever so hard to provide an option for balanced nutrition…despite knowing the likelihood the ranch will be used as pizza dipping sauce and somehow wind up on the ceiling.

Pollux stretches his neck. "I'll come with you. I'm not certain I'm cut out for frog warfare."

"Excellent decision," I say as we work our way past the packaging mess and toward the dining room. "Do you think we should cut the pizzas up and arrange them on a tray like a Christmas tree or stars or something? No matter what we do, the first ones will be kind of cold once the last ones go through, but it's not much of a party if I pass them out to each little while they're still hot, is it?" My shoulders droop. "Is this a moment where functionality battles social construct? Which provides more dopamine—warm food or togetherness?"

"My, she's yours all right." A voice I've not heard for several weeks jerks my attention off Pollux and to Prince Cael, who is using the sleeves of his robes as oven mitts to carry a piping hot tray of cookies to the table. It is overflowing with food before he so much as reaches it.

"Hi again, Kass!" Brittny cheers while her husband, Ollie, preoccupies himself with arranging pastries.

In the corner, Alana constructs a castle out of perfectly cubed pieces of cheese.

Something buzzes like static in my brain a second before a pot of tea appears beside other pots of tea, an assortment of teacups, and several cake stands.

"Pila says not to worry if the children break anything," Cael informs me. "She made the teasets herself, and they were only practice."

My mouth goes a little dry as his words register. The shining beautiful teasets I'm looking at—all painted with little flowers and curly vines—were made by hand? And we don't care if they get broken?

"Um…" I begin as my brain lags and chokes. "Pila is here?"

"Willow said she absolutely would not be around children while they were eating when we asked her if she wanted to help, but Pila overheard, and as she is hoping to raise a sprout soon, she was eager to be around more children. She's young yet, so she is unable to drop her glamour for you, but she has been around for the few movie nights you've been to." Setting the fact I've met Pila twice already aside, Cael beams at Pollux, who seems to have gone stoically still behind me. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think I was not clear in my request," Pollux grumbles, eyes narrowed on a massive vase taking up the center of the table. "Are…those what I think they are…?"

"Burrito bouquets!" Alana finishes assembling a cheese tower, and her eyes spark. "I also brought gift card presents for each student. Merry Live Más!"

Pollux rubs his temple. "Your…burrito bouquets…look cold?"

Cael pats one hand against Pollux's back. "It's a lost cause. Simply rest assured that I insisted they were bought and assembled this morning."

"Bought and assembled this morning with love," Alana interjects.

Pollux turns to me. "I'm sorry. I thought I was helping. I forgot that my friend lacks the ability to do anything like this without going overboard. This is a bit too extravagant to maintain in future years, isn't it? It's also way too much food for everyone. I should have known better. I should have provided clear, step-by-step instructions, an outline, something with pictures."

"Hey. I'm feeling somewhat personally attacked," Ollie comments.

"Most of this was Ollie." Cael chuckles as he stacks his now-empty cookie tray with others on the microwave. Fanning his fingers, he says, "I'm just here to help fast-travel the food from Willow's ovens. The quickest path goes directly through unseelie territory, and I believe it's red cap hunting season."

Pollux tenses as he pulls his gaze toward Ollie. "I immensely appreciate your efforts and willingness to help. Forgive me. I assumed the unnecessary extravagance was on account of Cael thinking it funny."

Cael's face shifts distinctly to convey What? Who? Me? Mess with you? Never. In fact, I'm wounded you would suggest such a thing. I'd believe it, too, if his expression didn't melt into a wicked smirk after approximately two seconds.

Ollie laughs. "Sorry. It was me. It's called stress baking. You should try it sometime."

"I assure you. I have."

"We should exchange recipes, then."

Pollux's mouth opens, and closes, then he says, "I'd…like that."

"Neat."

Alana begins humming as she layers crackers around her castle, and Cael wanders over to her while Ollie and Brittny finish stacking pastries. I watch, feeling my brain bzzt every time a new tea accessory blinks out of thin air.

My face is frozen in a smile as I clasp my hands together in front of my Christmas tree skirt.

Is this a lot?

Yes. It really is.

But the kids will love it.

Unless a parent or someone from the board pops in, I won't have to figure out how to explain where in this world the budget for it came from. And I'm sure if a parent or board member causes issues, someone here can make it disappear using glamour magic.

Should any of these people be here without having gone through the background check process? No, not really. But it's not like Zahra will have any problems with keeping things secret. So it's fine.

Totally fine.

And totally amazing.

But totally unexpected.

And, gracious, I can't even thank a single person here.

Pollux touches my arm as I fight to keep myself together. I have been crying so much lately. It's like my emotions are committing a mutiny and rebelling against their lifetime of being subdued. He says, "It's okay. I shared the link to the disturbing quiz with them. They are allowed to be in proximity to children."

I close my eyes. Knowing Pollux went that far to help me, and knowing that these people—including an online celebrity, royalty, and a woman about to be an author with one of the most prestigious publishing houses in this country—spent at least thirty minutes obliging, does something to my chest.

It's like Pollux said last week…

So much can happen in five years.

Zahra's voice drifts from behind me. "Kass, the children want knives and forks so they can bang them on their desks and demand food. How are things going in… Holy swear."

Turning, I find Zahra in the doorway, eyes wide.

"Well," she says. "Hey, gang."

The gang choruses varied greetings back.

"Oh." Zahra shifts her attention toward an empty slice of space. "Pila's here. Nice to hear you again." Planting her hands on her hips, Zahra grins. "Epic. Should we get a picture before the children destroy everything their grubby little hands can reach? I think we should. And, obviously, we should get it with an enchanted phone." Opening her palm toward Pollux, she says, "Gimme."

Pollux does not question the Zahra. For he has, already, learned that it does no one well to question the Zahra. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he delivers it to her wordlessly and shuffles himself toward everyone when they gather around the head of the table.

Lifting Pollux's phone, Zahra whistles. "So that's what you look like, Pila. I don't know why I wasn't expecting to see you with the glamour-removing camera. How come everyone doesn't have their wings and things?"

"There's a difference between glamour and the form we're currently taking. For the sake of potential human interaction, those of us who can are presenting our human guises." After a handful of flashes, Cael leaves the group and steps forward, hand outstretched. "Your turn."

Zahra sparkles as she hands him the phone, trots into the picture, and lifts her hand behind my head.

I swat at her. "Stop giving me bunny ears."

"No. Also—" She wiggles her three fingers against one side of my head. "—they're axolotl fins."

"What?"

"It's a team effort," Pollux murmurs from my other side, and I have no idea what the camera catches when my mouth drops open, but I have a feeling it's more genuine than my polished photo smile ever could be…