above and beyond

Chapter 11

The final week passes by all too quickly, and Gloria knows that she is nearly at her deadline. Leon has been even more busy than usual, with preparations for the ball, and Hop has had less chances to try and get them alone together. Even so, he tries not to show his own worries, finalizing their own preparations, and insisting that everything will be just fine.

The night of the ball is her last chance to secure her place in this world, and her last chance not to lose her friendship with Hop. All she can do now is pray that he is right about Leon getting so swept up in the excitement of the night that he realizes his feelings for her and kisses her on the spot, but as romantic as that scenario may sound, it just doesn't seem very realistic at this point.

Hop certainly has a flair for romance that she would not have expected, and that is something that the two have in common, but pleasant stories like that are only stories if Leon does not actually behave like that when it comes down to it. Not for the first time since understanding her feelings, she wonders if Hop would have done something like that, if he were the one she was trying to kiss.

But she can't keep wasting her time thinking about how things would be if it were Hop instead.

~X~

The big day arrives soon enough, and Hop surprises her with the gorgeous ball gown that she is supposed to wear. Last week, she had been measured for it, but this is her first time seeing the finished dress, and she blinks back tears when she does. Never in her life did she think she would get to wear something so beautiful, and it all at once makes things easier and harder.

If tonight is her last night as a human, then she is glad that it will end in such a beautiful dress, but it will be the only time she will ever get to wear anything like this. Either way, she thanks Hop and goes to try it on, coming out to show it off for him. Hop stares at her, silent for far too long, and she begins to grow nervous.

She doesn't have her notepad in hand so she gives him a question expression instead, and he snaps out of it. "Sorry, it was just...never mind, you look...you look amazing, Gloria, breathtaking! I mean, I'm sure that's exactly what Lee will think."

But is that really what you think? She wants to ask, but she doesn't want to ask, because she doesn't need to know the answer, and isn't even sure that she wants to. No matter what his answer would be, it would only make things even more complicated for her, and she needs her focus to be entirely on Leon tonight.

And for the rest of her life, if this works out.

~X~

Gloria is not sure how she feels about being at a party with so many people, surrounded by humans, with few that she actually knows in attendance. Her strange circumstances have become common knowledge, so while nobody questions who she is, they still keep their distance from her, and she stands by herself, not sure what she should do. Leon is supposed to dance with her, according to Hop's plan, but he is so busy with all of his guests, with plenty of beautiful women wanting a dance, so he has not spared Gloria so much as a glance.

This is not going to work out, she realizes, hanging her head. She is going to be back underwater tomorrow, cursed to spend the rest of her life without a voice, and the rest of her life alone. Already, she had a hard time fitting in, but how will she manage to make friends now that she has done something like this, lost her voice as a result, and will forever compare anyone she does get close to to Hop?

While she is thinking about him, he seems to materialize in front of her, saying, "Hey, don't look so down! The night is still young! Lee is going to notice you soon, I promise, he's just a little busy right now."

She looks up at him with sad gratitude in her eyes, happy that he is trying to reassure her, but knowing that it does not count for much. This is going to be their last night together, and though she appreciates the tireless work that he has done on her behalf, she knows that it all counted for nothing in the end. Why did she think she could manage to make someone like Leon fall in love with her in only a month, when he barely even had time to make conversation with her?

"Let's dance," Hop says, after a moment of silence. "You should at least make sure you can do as good as you did in practice, even with all these people watching, right?"

She decides that she might as well take his offered hand and let him let her to the dance floor. If she is going to return to the sea tomorrow, then she should enjoy her last night with legs as much as she can. Learning to dance with Hop has been fun, so she should at least have the chance to show off what she has learned.

He pulls her close to him as he leads her across the floor, joining the other couples, and for a moment, she can relax and be content like this. Without her notepad, there is no way for her to properly communicate with him, yet she feels comfortable anyway, resting her head against Hop's shoulder, knowing that she would never be able to express how glad she is to have a friend like him, even if she could talk to him right now. This will always be a happy memory, she only wishes that it could stay like this forever.

"Lee is going to kiss you tonight," Hop says. "I just know that he is. We aren't going to fail now, I promise." He sounds so sure of himself, even though there is nothing to be sure of, and she almost wishes that he would stop now, and just enjoy the night with her.

It will all be over soon, but it isn't over yet, and if she has to leave, she wants to spend her last night in his arms, pretending for as long as she can.

The song comes to an end and Hop says, "I'm going to get his attention, alright? Just stand over here and look pretty, and I'll make sure Lee notices you. He'll be over to ask you to dance any minute now, just you wait!"

He takes off before she can stop him, and she has no voice to call after him.