A Wizards Fairytale

Chapter 11

Time flew by as everyone started to plan for the Yule ball. While most of the students from all three schools were excited for said dance, Aries couldn't care less. Madame Maxime had informed him that, as a champion, he was required to open the Ball with a date and dance the first dance. He had agreed but managed to get permission to go home after the ball. There was no way he was going to spend Christmas away from Lena. They would probably stay at Rue's house. Aries hated spending Christmas at home. It would never be the same, and he didn't want to pretend it would be. He still tried to act enthusiastic around Christmas for Lena's sake, but the truth was his heart had been hardened to the holiday.

Still, Madame Maxime had told him he needed a partner for the ball, and so he wasted no time asking Gabrielle, who was not only very attractive but also wasn't one of those girls who would drool over him. (There were other reasons, better ones, but Aries chose to stick to the practical because they still made sense to him.) To nobody's surprise, she said yes.

Jacques, on the other hand, had a wave of bad luck and asked out every girl who already had a date. Eventually, Aries had tired of seeing his friend get rejected repeatedly and asked Iris, who had not accepted any of the many offers she had gotten, to be Jacque's date. His cousin happily agreed, relieved that she would not have to go with a date she'd have to pretend to be interested in. Iris had been seeing one of the fishermen on one of their papou's many boats over the summer, and apparently the fling had carried over into the school year. The Kalgarias family was an old and respectable family in Greece. They were very prominent in business and trade, particularly fishing. There were few boats in the port that did not belong to their papou.

It was hard not to get excited about the ball, however, with the whole student body buzzing. Decorations were put on display, dress robes ordered, and dates procured. The latest gossip revolved around those topics as well as who would be the band for the ball. Aries, who had always loved music, couldn't help but be interested in this conversation.

Of course, he hadn't expected to discover the choice while eating breakfast two days before the ball. He was sitting with Jacques, Gabrielle, and his cousin, half-listening to the two girls' excited speculations on dates and such. He was snapped at of this daze when he heard a familiar exclamation of, "Maestro!"

Aries groaned as he turned around to see Jacquette Bay giving him a very familiar sly smile. She hadn't changed much: same short, sleek curls that always seemed to be in her eyes, same dark brown almost black eyes lined heavily with eyeliner, same baggy yet edgy clothing only she could ever pull off. Just by looking at Jac, you could never guess she had been trained in classic piano. Then again, you could never tell that by looking at him either. "Geez, are there so few people to annoy in New York that you have to come all the way to Scotland to bug little ole me?"

Gabrielle watched the girl smile angelically. "Well," Jac played along, "I tried to get along with the mere peasants, I really did, but I needed more of a challenge."

Aries raised an eyebrow. "And now the real reason you're here, Jac, please?"

Jac sighed dramatically. "You're no fun anymore, Maestro. I'm here to make sure my band's set for their next gig."

"I thought you guys lost your drummer."

"Well..."

Aries held up his hands. "Wait, don't tell me. You were at a bar, and there was this guy. You had a couple of drinks and just happened to find out that he was an amazing drummer!"

His friends looked at him strangely. "How did you know that?" Jacques asked warily.

Aries rolled his eyes. "Because it's the reason her band can't keep a drummer. She meets them in bars, they join the band, she hooks up with them, and then they break her heart, thus signaling their ejection from the band."