placebo's machine

Danced 14

Danced

“Can you see them?”

Jan patted Eva’s back, between the shoulder blades, feeling for the wings. “Nope.”

Eva pulled at the collar of her vest, feeling constricted. “It’s a bit uncomfortable, but I suppose it’s necessary.”

Jan tugged her hand away. “Don’t do that. You’ll stretch out the cloth and it won’t fit right.”

Eva stopped, stroking the silky brown fabric instead. “Do you think I’ll be too cold?”

“Only your shoulders are exposed. Besides, we’re having a warm spell now.”

Jan tilted up Eva’s chin. “You look so pretty,” Jan smiled. “I’ll do your hair now and we’ll be ready to go.”

Jan sat her down at a stool next to the table, standing behind her and carefully braiding her hair. Eva swung her legs back and forth, kicking at the blue striped fabric of her dress with her shiny new boots that finally fit right. Kurt walked in then, and took off his glasses and made a big deal of cleaning them on his shirt. “My, can this really be our little Eva?” he chuckled. “You look so much older.”

Jan pulled a few pins out of her pocket, succeeding in pulling Eva’s hair out of her face. “All of this is my handiwork, so thank me when you get asked to dance a thousand times.”

“There’ll be dancing?” Eva tapped her fingers on the edge of the stool. “I can’t dance.”

“Don’t worry,” Kurt assured her. “Just wiggle your hips and say, ‘You barbarians do not deserve to dance with such a lady as me!’” He mimicked in a falsetto, even demonstrating the shaking-the-hips part.

“Just tell them that your father has a gun,” Jan added under her breath. “That’ll scare them away.”

Jan tied off the end of her braid with a brown ribbon. She took Eva’s face between her hands, squishing her cheeks into what could not possibly have been a flattering position but saying anyway, “You’re beautiful.”

“Shall we go?” Kurt asked, bowing and opening the door, ushering them out.

Eva walked carefully, stepping away from even slightly wet ground or rocks to avoid tripping. Jan said that first impressions did not matter, but Eva figured that it wouldn’t hurt to have a nice one anyway.

The festival started late, almost at sunset. It was, according to Kurt, in one of the nicer parts of town, though Jan muttered that didn’t make it exactly safe. Eva was not to stray away from the boundaries of the torches or to eat food that others had not already tried. Eva didn’t see a problem with that- she wasn’t feeling very adventurous or hungry, for the matter.

Jan had been holding Eva’s hand, but she wiggled her fingers and Jan let go, giving her a sheepish look. “You’ll be okay?”

“I think so,” Eva replied, looking straight with a little bit of apprehension. I hope so.

The sun had set, the horizon was orange, and the festival was beginning.

It was near to a tall hotel, next to what Eva supposed was the town hall and a library. The library had a ‘closed’ sign on it, though the hotel seemed open but nobody showed any interest in it.

Benches were arranged between torches, and a bonfire sat in the middle with tables positioned around it. Though the tables were not by any means full, the food looked good and there was enough for everyone.

Eva, Kurt and Jan were some of the last to arrive, having to squeeze through a nauseating crowd that was packed around the edges, some drinking but most talking. Eva turned her head in every direction, trying to find others that were not beaten down adults. Here and there she caught a small flash of motion that seemed springier than that of the others, but it never seemed to last very long.