Author Note: Again, I'm modifying chapters and this might take some time. So sorry for the slow update and confusion. There is also a recap of the last few days for Claire.
Life goes on as usual for the next few days. Wake up from nightmares, school, magic lessons with Douxie, homework, dinner, and repeat the next day, but during this time, I've been looking at the book Abuela gave me on the 15th. I can read the text but don't know what it means. Is it a novel, a journal, or what? I don't know, but I don't want to clarify it with Abuela. She might find that insulting. But I still wonder what it is. I keep hearing sobs all day in the back of my head, driving me crazy. I tried talking to Morgana about it, but she hasn't shown up since the morning of my birthday. I wonder where she is and what she's doing. I did open up the rest of my presents. Dad recorded it and sent it to Abuela, who will show it to the rest of the family. The only one I haven't is the small gift Abuela gave me. I open it in private in my bedroom. It's a perfectly circular light blue and purple gemstone. I raise my eyebrow, wondering why Abuela give me this. I think about what she said after the party. Use it wisely. But what does that mean? I haven't told Mom about the letter. I try every day, but when I open my mouth before her, the words get caught in my throat, and my courage disappears. I did examine her presents. The music box is a melody of her lullaby. The jewelry is her old belongings. The book is one she has read every day since she left for college, but the clothes I have no idea what they are, and I don't even ask Mom what they are. Today, it's the 21st. Time to go back to Huntington for the ceremony. All my friends agree to come again, but according to Diego, some family members are unhappy about this. There will be music, food, and plenty of dancing, but no gifts or cake. This is to honor Veronica of Galot. There will only be my family and us so it will be a bit smaller. "The Day of Mourning," my parents and me call it. I wake up from a nightmare but cry in sadness this time. I saw Morgana give up her daughter, but I still question if it's true. I also saw Skrael, Bellroc, and the Half-troll, saying that they come "by the end of when everything began" and "today is the day." I have no idea what threat they're making. I start my routine, getting ready and having breakfast downstairs. Mom drops me off at school, and I continue my day, but today, surprisingly feel more sorrowful than every year before. I even ran into the bathroom and suddenly started crying. I don't understand what's wrong with me, and my powers are aching to burst from my body, but I keep calm and stay in control. Jim sees my struggle and asks what's wrong. I just play it off as me being nervous about the ceremony. Indeed, I am feeling a sense of dread about standing in front of all my family members and making a speech. I get picked up early from Mom again, in the same green dress, and we drive to Huntington with NotEnrique in the back, but before we get out of the car, I give Mom my necklace as she needs to place it on my neck during the ceremony. We arrive, and I get escorted to the dressing chamber and start the ritual as three days ago. I bathed, waxed, even a chocolate pubic wax again, hair and makeup, but the makeup was different this time. It's more blue and makes me look like an angel. Now, I'm going to wear a different dress. I'm left alone in the dressing chamber until they're ready for me. I hear the doors open and people outside. I look at myself in the body-length mirror.
My hair is a perfect tight low Braided Bun. My face was covered in flawless makeup. No acne and no lines. I look at my dress. On my birthday, it was more complex than I wanted it to be. The cloth is a deep sky-blue silk. Like my birthday, the dress is in the style of a traditional Victorian ball gown with a bit of Mexican culture. On the bodice, the off-the-shoulder strap has a second layer of lace with delicate designs made from chiffon. I'm still wearing a corset, and the corset pushes my breasts up. Also, the bodice has odd silver trimming patterns—the skirt is made of three layers. The first layer is sky blue, the second is light blue, and the last is made of grey linen. Also, the same odd silver trimming patterns on the skirt remind me of the ones on Jim's Daylight/Eclipse armor. The dress even has Sarausky crystals sewn on the fabric. And lastly, I'm wearing simple black but stylish dancing shoes. I have to say, this is the best dress Abuela ever made for me.
I hear a knock outside. "Come in," I answer flatly, adjusting my skirt and turning my head to the door.
Abuela opens the door in her ceremony orange dress, and her hair is in a tight bun. "Hello, Claire!" She says sweetly, walking through the door. "You look so beautiful. Are you ready for the ceremony?" She asks, touching my hand.
When I feel her skin, it sends a shiver up my spine. I feel something wrong in my stomach and feel sick. I feel scared, panicked, and dreaded, but I nod. "Yes!" I say calmly.
But Abuela doesn't seem convinced. "Neita, what's wrong?" She asks with concern.
I take a deep breath. "Abuela, I feel like something is wrong. It's not like I'm scared of being around my family, but I am afraid to tell them Diego will be the heir of the Head of the Family, and it's also because I feel like something terrible will happen tonight."
Abuela frowns for a second, then smiles sweetly again, but I can see in her eyes that she's scared too. "It's going to be alright, Claire. Everything will be fine." She lies. "But if something goes wrong, your mom and I will be there for you." She says something truthfully.
I take a deep breath and finally smile. "Thank you!" I reply, and we hug.
"Come on. Everyone is waiting for us," She says before leading me out of the room to see everyone in the courtyard. "And make sure to spin on the platform."
As we got to the main staircase, someone, I don't know who shouted, "There they are!" Then, all eyes are on us. Like last time, I freeze as heat rushes through my head and butterflies flutter in my stomach. My heart races fast in my chest. I take a deep breath, trying to hold in my courage. I lift my skirt and walk down the stairs with Abuela, smiling. My family starts surrounding me and touching me like a goddess.
"Oh my god, Claire! You look so beautiful!" I hear Mary's voice and turn to see her and my friends.
"Yeah! You look so much more beautiful than three days ago. Blue looks so good on you." Zoe adds.
Everyone is wearing the same outfits from the party. "Thank you!" I reply, blushing.
"Yeah, you look more beautiful than last time," Jim says sweetly, rubbing the back of his neck. I give him a peck on the cheek as a thank you, making him blush, and everyone giggles uncontrollably.
"Those patterns on your dress, they look familiar." I hear and turn to Blinky, studying my dress, a bit puzzled. "They look like-"
But he gets interrupted by a bell, making everyone turn to see Abuela and Abuelo standing on a platform.
"Welcome, everyone! Thank you all for coming and making this special occasion and beautiful night! To everyone visiting in the crowd, tonight, on October 21st, we celebrate the sacrifice of Veronica's mother, who gave her up and saved our family history. Today, we thank and honor our descendants and ancestors here tonight, but also honor Claire Nuñez, my daughter's firstborn child." Abuela announces, and a roar of cheering and clapping echoes throughout the courtyard. Abuela raises her arms, and the crowd calms down. "And to properly celebrate this night, we have food, dancing, music, and singing for your entertainment. Enjoy and have fun!" She adds, and we sit at our tables.
I sit down with Jim, Barbara, and my parents again. We ate, talked, and laughed, having a great time like last time, but I saw Mom glance around, looking slightly nervous. I don't blame her for what's going to happen soon. I feel the same way. After about half an hour, Daniela leads me to get ready for dancing. I and all of my cousins dance, including Kyra. The dances were more formal and traditional, but we had fun. I shared a dance with Dad and, luckily, shared one with Jim, but as the music stopped, my heart dropped. All of my family look forward, and we do too. I see Abuela and Mom standing on the platform.
"Claire, will you come up here," Abuela says calmly.
All eyes are on me, and a path is made to the platform. I glance at Jim, reassure him, and release his hand. I walk up to my mother and grandmother and stand beside Mom, as she told me the day before. The ceremony has started. Then, Abuela makes a sermon or something about our ancestors and how vital the sacrifice was to this family. Mom and I glance at each other and roll our eyes. Of course, we don't think this way; we find it sad. Abuela ends and turns to Mom before stepping down the platform. Mom takes a deep breath and steps forward.
"We are here tonight to honor our ancestors, passing down our traditions since Veronica of Galot. Twenty years ago, I stood here to inherit the symbol of how my mother started this family. Now, I stand here to give it to my daughter." Mom says calmly, but I can see she's trying to hold her composure.
She takes out my necklace, and I step next to her. We face each other, but when Mom places the necklace around my neck, she doesn't speak. Just smile sweetly at me. She cups my cheeks, and before I can react, she leans in and kisses me on the forehead. I freeze in shock. I look at Mom when she pulls back and hears her whisper, "I love you." Everyone starts cheering and clapping as we turn to the crowd. I smile as I feel a sense of comfort from my necklace being back on my neck. Mom steps down, and all eyes stare at me again. This part of the ceremony is for me to talk. I take a deep breath and hold my high up high.
I speak to the crowd in Spanish, repeating words I've known since I was six. (You are unique. You are strong, but never forget who you are.) "These words are for the deep love and respect for Javier and Ophelia Nuñez. My parents." I pause to take a deep breath and sniff, holding back the tears in my eyes. "My name is Claire Nuñez..." and I lose my voice. The words get caught in my throat, and I freeze up, trying to keep my composure. I look in the crowd and find my parents smiling at me. "And I come from a long line of firstborns, stretching back to Spain, starting with my first ancestor, Veronica of Galot, 900 years ago. I stand here today not to take anything but to honor her and her mother. A few days ago, someone told me if I don't do something now, I will lose something I love, but they also said that if you let someone go, let them spread their wings and soar, you truly love them." I look down at my necklace, which is glowing purple. "On this day, Veronica of Galot was given up by her mother to give her a better life. She died for her good deed. She didn't want her daughter to die. She wanted her to be free, happy, and safe; that's the greatest love someone could give."
Then I start singing to the crowd. I hope it was a goodbye love song that touched some people's hearts. I manage to keep my voice from shaking. When done, I take a deep breath. "I'm sorry I can't stay and be here to be the new Head of the Family, or my mom wasn't either, but I know that Diego is a good pick. You can't force someone to change. You can only guide and accept them for who they are, and I chose to stay in Arcadia. You guys are and will forever be my family, and I love you." I finish and almost start crying. For a second, the crowd is silent, but then a massive roar of happy cheers is heard. I smile sweetly and take a deep breath, feeling like a 100lb weight came off my chest. I look in the crowd and spot Abuela spinning her index finger around in a circular motion, nodding her head. I remember what she told me earlier. I look up at the sky and see stars and the moon. I raise my arms and start spinning. I hear the crowd shout and gasp. I look down and see fire on my dress. I began to become scared but didn't feel pain, and I trusted Abuela and kept spinning. I stop and look down—the fabric changes from blue to shades of red. Scarlet, ruby, crimson, and grey, but there are still the strange silver trimming patterns. I look up and see everyone staring at me, and I curtsy and walk off the platform to my friends.
That was the most beautiful, strong, and moving speech I've ever heard." Barbara says sweetly.
"You were amazing up there!" Mary shouts.
"Who are you, and what have you done to Claire Nuñez? I've never heard you sing before. It was so beautiful, perfectly pitched and clear." Darci asks.
I blush but shrug my shoulders. "I don't sing to people," I admit, smiling awkwardly.
"And look at what you're wearing. I swear you changed from an innocent girl to a hot woman." Zoe says coolly.
I blush and thank her. Then, I remember something. My dress changed from blue to red, and the trimming patterns resembled Jim's armor. No, it can't be. I start to feel the pain in my head and chest, making me groan. Then, we hear booms and crack around us. The ground starts shaking, and people scream. My eyes widen in horror as I see Bellroc and Skrael floating in the air.
"GET HER!" Bellroc shouts and points their flame staff to me. Then Shadow Mephits appears from the floor, making people run in horror.
Author Note: Study closely the dress that Claire is wearing. Gosh, this was so exhausting to write. Shit is about to go down. Uh oh! More chapters will come. But I need a big break for the holidays. Also, I'm never going to make parts of chapters again until it's totally necessary. Please review.