The Greater Bonesborough Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts and Natural History glittered white and gold in the afternoon sun as Luz and Azura approached from the north. They walked along one of the wide, tree-lined pedestrian concourses that braced the acres of lush greenery that the Museum faced, its well-manicured "Yard" crisscrossed with packed-dirt trails and dotted with thickets of oak and willow that grew dense in the park further away from the grand four-story building. The "Green" closer to the wide marble staircase was flat and open, the better for public gatherings or open-air performances.
"I don't know if they're actually named the Yard and the Green, but that's what Steve and Tía Lily always call them, and if anyone knows what they're talking about, it's those two." Luz hummed thoughtfully before glancing down at her quiet companion, "I'm not sure if Lilith will be here today—her schedule's odd 'cuz she's a big shot—but Steve is always around. He's great." She squeezed Azura's hand lightly before gently adding, "You can go to him for help too, cariño." Azura watched the shadows from the trees slide across the brown-haired girl's features as they walked until Luz happened to meet her eyes, and she jerked her gaze away to the Green beside them. Luz smiled and looked back to their destination, and didn't see the light-pink blush spreading across pale cheekbones.
Luz pointed out a patch of lawn where she and her family had sat for last year's fireworks display, and she described an arts and crafts fair the Museum had hosted there just the month before. "Extraño," Luz gestured toward the far edge of the Green, "I wonder what that's all about." A stage had been constructed with its back to the Museum, facing out into the lawn. Workmen in grey uniforms and purple hard hats were busy unspooling electrical cables, and mounting lights and speakers around the performance area. Everything was decorated in greens: swirls of sharp mint, delicate sea foam, and a deep forest green. There were accents in gold and purple, and the visible electronics on-stage all sported a similar purple and gold aesthetic. Small signs had started to appear beside the pavement, set into the edge of the lawn. Some read Siren of the Green, others were printed with Siren at the Met. Azura turned her nose up at the placards, but Luz pointed at the first style and chuckled, "Hey look, it is called the Green."
They reached the pavement at the end of the lawn and walked across the four-laned street separating the Museum building and the park, joining the small stream of other patrons as they moved up the stairs. Luz craned her neck to look up at the enormous Siren at the Met banner strung across the Museum portico, while Azura huddled close to her shoulder. The bottom of the banner caught Luz's eye and she muttered aloud as she read: "Sponsored by the Fine Arts Programme of Blight Industries? Huh, I thought they were just in manufacturing." She looked down at the quiet girl holding her hand and elbow and gave her a smirk, "Ah, corporations, right? It's probably just a tax write-off." Azura huffed and shrugged, and Luz's eyes softened. "Not a fan of crowds, huh?" Luz asked and Azura gave a quick shake of her head. "Just stay close to me while we get through security, then we can take it easy."
Azura looked more and more uncomfortable as they neared the doors, and Luz felt a swell of concern for the pale girl. "Mi compañera, get under here," Luz smiled as she tried to lift her arm and the shorter girl let go long enough to slide up against her side, before she tucked Luz's arm over her shoulders. The brown-haired girl chuckled as she patted Azura's arm, "Don't worry, here's what'll happen." She pointed up the stairs to the long line of glass doors, "We'll go in any of those middle doors, then there'll be the metal detectors in the middle of the lobby," Luz looked up for a moment as she thought, "There's four of 'em. We'll put our bags through the conveyor belts and one of Steve's guys will wave you through, it'll be fine." Azura shook her head and pointed at her throat, and gave Luz a worried look over her sunglasses. Luz grinned, "I was thinkin' about that on the way here, and I have a plan." She sounded exceptionally confident when she said that, which sent Azura scrambling to pull the notebook from Luz's backpack.
YOU ARE READING
The Siren at the Museum (The Girl Who Sang #1)
ФанфикA chance meeting on the subway is the best thing that's happened to Luz in practically forever. She has so many questions about her new friend 'Azura', like "who were those men chasing you?" and "why can't you say anything?" The reviews are in: ...
