What Keeps Our Hearts Beating

Chapter 19

A lightning storm illuminated the majestic ball room for the Halloween dance, and Lacey felt her heart jitter in anticipation and fear. She wore the sea-green hummingbird costume that her father had sent to her for the dance, and though beautiful and creative, and she was sure Sandra was going to have a conniption that her costume may beat her in the Halloween competition, it was a peace offering with her father. Wearing it, she was showing that she did appreciate him making the effort to come and see her. She stared at herself in the dusty floor length mirror, the sea green leotard hugging her frame and the multi-colored wings spreading out behind her. She wore a green feathered beret over her curls that she had pulled back for the occasion and she wore her lip gloss over her lips to add some color to her face. She heard a pitter patter of feet and she saw in the mirror reflection Zoey. She clapped her hand over her mouth and giggled gleefully.

"You look so beautiful," she said, muffling a near sob.

"Thanks Zoey," she said blushing. "And what about your costume?"

"Oh," Zoey said grabbing a white coat and putting it on. "Dr. __ said I can wear this lab coat and be a chemist. A real chemist. Isn't it great?"

She twirled around in the white coat and Lacey beamed, like she was staring at her little sister getting ready for her big dance. "You truly are a chemist in the making. You look amazing."

She smiled brightly and then went over and hugged Lacey. "I hope that all goes as planned and that Dr. Henry will help Brasen."

"She will," Lacey said, more so to reassure her own nerves. "Once she and my father hear the truth from him, they will surely help us."

"I hope so," Zoey said, trying to stay positive. She dug her hands into the lab coat pockets, too big for her little frame, and then hopped off. "I better go finish the hor'deurves preparations. Ming won't stop eating the little pigs in a blanket. Sandra will kill him if they are all gone before the dance."

She did one last twirl with the coat and then dashed off. Lacey took one last breath and then realized she should go find her father, who would now be her date for the ball, since Raiph was going with Sandra. Sandra was up all night making the new costume for her date, rubbing it in Lacey's face. Some ridiculous bear costume and the sewing machine buzzed in her ear and kept her from sleeping soundly, also Raiph's look of betrayal and sadness didn't help things either.

She wondered what Brasen was going to wear to the event, and if he would even have a costume. She hadn't seen him since the previous Tuesday and hoped that everything was still on track. She hadn't heard from Dr. Weber that there were any changes to their arrangement and her father would surely ask to see the boy who was the main attraction. She passed her mother's portrait down the gilded hallway leading to the ballroom, some of the guards eying her as she passed and her feathers flailing behind her like she was a dancer floating through those hallways she now knew by heart. Memories had been flooding back to her now, of playing hide and seek with her mother in the main hallway, hiding behind the statue of armor and the large velvet blue curtains. Of her mother peeking her head through and saying "I found you." And Lacey squealing in delight and then running off, pigtails flailing to the next obvious hiding spot as her mother counted, her voice echoing in that large high ceiling with the sky painted above like they were outside, though they were indoors. It was now that being indoors so often with her mother made sense, of her conquering her own depression and health issues, being stowed away in her bedroom on the beautiful spring days when Lacey would yearn to go outside. Begging her mother who looked so ill and forcing a smile.