Cassia sighed as she combed through her straight, seaweed hair, trying her hardest to get every last tangle un she was finished, she threw on her pink star headband and fidgeted with it, making sure it was perfectly straight on her head. Normally she wouldn't have bothered, but today...
Ring Ring!
"Hello?", Cassia asked, picking up her phone.
"Hey Cass! I was calling to see how you were holding up. Are you and your parents headed over there yet?", Bongo Abdul, one of Cassia's middle school friends, asked.
"Not yet but we're leaving shortly..", Cassia whimpered.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"I don't know..it's just been a while since I've seen them. I wonder if I'm gonna screw everything up.."
"You wouldn't be the only one", Bongo laughed slightly, "My last family reunion, I dropped the mashed potatoes and spilled them all over my shirt. My grandma was so mad.."
"Pfft..well, we're all eating out since no one could agree on who's house to visit. So I guess I lucked outta that!"
"Man..", Bongo moaned, making Cassia laugh slightly, "You still coming over tomorrow to study for the history test Monday?"
"Yeah, if I make it out alive.."
"Heh, I don't envy you."
"Cassia! Are you ready to go hun? You know how my mama feels about being late!", her father, Cosmo, yelled across the hall.
"Oof. I gotta go. It's show time.", Cassia gulped.
"Good luck. You'll do great.", Bongo said before hanging up the phone. Cassia took a deep breathe and placed it on the charger before leaving her room. Mama Cosmo also had a thing against phones at the dinner table...
The drive over to the restaurant was made with almost pure silence. But while Cosmo was daydreaming happily in the passenger's seat, Cassia and her mother, Wanda, would occasionally exchange somewhat nervous glances.
"Mom? If we could just poof wherever we want, why are we driving?"
"Well champ..we're, uh, not in a rush or anything."
"Oh you guys need to lighten up! It'll be fun! I think Mama's starting to warm up to you...", Cosmo teased.
"Yeah Ok Cosmo. The day Mama Cosmo likes me is the day the sky falls down."
"The sky's gonna fall down?! When? I wanna see!"
"Ugh..."
Cassia's stomach dropped as they arrived at the Fairy World Bistro, wondering if it was too late to jump out the window and fly away. As she took off her seatbelt and looked around to see who was all there, at the front stood a woman with very curly, teal bee-hive hair, wearing a mint green dress. Yep, it was too late.
As soon as the group made their way towards the entrance, the woman smiled warmly as she saw her father make her way towards her, inviting him into a hug.
"Oh Cosmo! How I've missed my boy so much!", Mama Cosma cried, before turning towards her mother, her kind face melting almost instantly "Wanda.."
"Mama Cosma..", Wanda sneered back.
"Uh..H-Hi Grandma!", Cassia said, grabbing the older woman's attention. She smiled politely before scanning Cassia's outfit, a slight look of disgust on her face.
"Cassia dear. I think you and I might have to go shopping one day. Your mother seems to be buying your skirts too short."
"Uh..", Cassia looked down at her black skirt, which barely rose above her knees.
"Why don't we all go inside!", Wanda yelled suddenly, motioning for Cosmo and Mama Cosma to go back inside before turning to Cassia, "Are you ok, sport?"
"I think so. Can we go home yet?", Cassia moaned, making Wanda laugh slightly.
"In about an hour. Are you sure you're going to be ok?", she asked, looking Cassia directly in the eye.
"Yeah. Let's just go in.", Cassia said, walking inside the restaurant with her mom. Almost as soon as they entered, her eyes were welcomed with glass windows everywhere, with flowers decorated in corner and near chandeliers. The tables were covered with a while tablecloth, and included gold plates and silverware, with glass cups and a napkin with each seat.
They looked around and saw a long table in the back, where Cosmo, his mother, and some other people sat around speaking to each other. Wanda's parents sat at the end of the table, with her mother, a tall woman with plum swirly hair and a purple dress, was already helping herself to some wine. Her sister, Blonda, was busy snapping pictures of herself and scrolling on Twitter, trying to see if her latest movie was trending yet.
At the opposite end, Cassia saw her father hugging a nervous man that looked almost exactly like Cosmo, except he wore reading glasses and a lime green sweater over his white shirt. As soon as they separated, the man's nervous expression softening into a smile, reaching out his arms towards Cassia.
"Sweetie, remember me? Oh, come give me a hug,", he squeaked, hugging Cassia a bit too tight, "Aw I can't believe you've gotten so big! Seems like yesterday I was just putting you in your crib."
"Ack..Good to see you too, Grandpa Cosma.", Cassia coughed, trying to get out of his grasp.
"Linnie, don't choke her!", Mama Cosma snapped, before Papa Cosma loosed his grasp, jumping slightly at her voice. He blushed slightly as some of the surrounding tables began to stare, making his way quietly to his seat.
"Any chance you plan on getting off the phone, Blonda?", Wanda asked her sister, who just snapped a picture of her water filled glass.
"Ugh. Fine! You just don't understand what it's like to be famous. I have to keep my followers posted constantly!"
"I'm sure they can wait 5 minutes.", Wanda said, earning an eye roll from Blonda, before turning her attention back to Cassia, motioning for her to come say hi. Cassia floated awkwardly over, slightly relaxing as she made her way towards her more "fun grandmother"
"Hey Pumpkin! How are ya?", she laughed, taking a sip out of her half-full glass, "Want something to drink? You seem thirsty."
"Mom! Don't give her wine!", Wanda snapped, receiving a glare from Mama Cosma from the far end of the table.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! I know she's not old enough! I was just gonna pour something from the water pitcher."
"Uh..I'm ok Grandma Fairywinkle. Really."
"You sure? You don't have to be bashful. If you want something, just say so!"
"She said she's fine, sugar plum.", Wanda's father, Big Daddy, stepping in, before slapping Cassia playfully on the back, "How you doin' Cassia? How's school?"
"It's going. Almost making all As. Just need extra help in history sometimes."
"Ah that ain't too bad. You take after you mother. Hey, keep up the good work. You're gonna need it if you want a successful business one day."
"Thanks Grandpa Fairy-"
"Grandpa Big Daddy, sugar plum."
"Grandpa Big Daddy. I appreciate it."
As soon as Cassia finished talking to everyone, she sat in between her mother and father in the middle of the table. Wanda's mother poured a second glass of wine while Cosmo's father stole soft, worried glances as Cassia. The waiter came by and delivered bread and take everyone else's wine order. At long last, now that everyone was starting to take their attention off her, Cassia felt her shoulders relax slightly, allowing her to sip on her water until she heard a glass clink at the end of the table…