The Infinity Ball

II

Felicity

I wake up the night after the Infinity Ball, wearing a pastel orange nightgown. Lucinda opens my door as I'm getting dressed in my closet. My sisters don't come in my room unless I'm running late, so I'm nervous.

"Licity!" she calls. "Do you remember our schedule?"

"Yeah," I say. "We just have some public stuff."

"What public stuff?"

I can tell that Lucinda knows what public stuff we're doing today. I on the other hand have been too busy figuring out who is currently betraying me. Heh heh heh...no time to check my daily schedules! If only I knew what Lucinda wants me to say. Cause if I don't tell her what public things we're doing today, she'll shove my bad memory in my face.

"Um...a fancy lunch?" I ask.

"No," says Lucinda. "You have such a terrible memory, Felicity. We're eating lunch in the palace. Right now, we're going to go to the opening of Philomena Seaver's newest cafe."

"Philomena Seaver has another cafe?"

"Yes, and Father told her we'd be at the opening so make sure you look good enough for the paper."

Lucinda leaves and I sigh deeply. I'm tired of my older sisters being on top of things. They always wear the right clothes and say the right words. Especially Lucinda. I know she's almost thirty and a mom and the heir to the throne, but she used to be so immature and spoiled when we were kids. Then she comes back after her honeymoon and she's mature and wise. It took her less than a year to grow up. Yet I'm eighteen and I don't have the energy to work that much on improving myself. If the Infinity Ball keeps being dangerous, I might have more sleep deprivation than usual.

I go down the hallway to the elevator, then press the first-floor button. My family usually meets in the biggest hallway before going to public events. Since I'm alone in the elevator, I must be the last one to go downstairs. I'm also probably the one who got the least sleep last night. I'm sure Aviana even got more sleep than I did.

Everyone is in the big hallway when I get there, even some fairy godmothers. Lucinda and George are standing together. She's holding Aviana. Father and Kara are looking over the room sternly, more so Father. Jemima and Cynthia are busying themselves by playing hide-and-seek while Jemima's fairy godmother yells at them to stay in the room. Rose is braiding Snow's hair, holding a light blue ribbon. Millicent and Arnold are talking to each other. They're engaged, so sometimes Arnold comes over to go with us to public events. Hattie is reading a book. It looks like a different one than the one she was reading at the Infinity Ball last night. All my stepsisters are chatting. They often talk to each other off to the side, without the rest of us sisters. Zora is looking at Nowpic on her phone. Frederick's creepy fairy godfather, Rupert Stiltskin is holding him. But where's Briar?

"Father, where is Briar?" I walk up to him. "Is Carmela waking her up?"

"Who's Carmela?" Father asks. "And who's Briar?"

I raise an eyebrow. Father isn't very funny and doesn't make jokes very much. Why would he joke about not knowing who his daughter was of all jokes? Briar's a real person and my youngest sister.

"She's your daughter," I remind him. "Your youngest daughter."

"My youngest daughter is Cynthia," Father tells me. "Cynthia Elise."

"I know they're twins, but remember, Briar Rose's younger," I say, hoping he's making a joke.

"I don't know anyone named Briar Rose," says Father. "Get in the limousine and stop talking about fake sisters."