Chapter 1

“Blue, it’s time to wake up,” Sai urges.

“It’s still early.” I mumble a half-hearted response into the pillow.

“This is your last warning. If you don’t wake up then I’m letting you sleep,” he threatens.

“Nh.” How does he even think that’s a threat?

“And then you’ll miss your party.” This last part is barely audible, and I can’t help but feel that was intentional.

“I’m up!” I pop up my head and throw off the blanket as excitement overtakes my previous exhaustion. “It’s my coming-of-age ceremony. I’m an adult!”

“Yes, I know. That’s what scares me.” Sai sarcastically supplies.

Ignoring his jab, I roll out of bed and stretch my arms up to the sky taking a deep breath. The smell of honeysuckle and lavender fills my nose. When I look over at my plants on my window seal, my eyes are drawn to the sundial standing outside my window. My stomach sinks when I see that it’s the fourteenth hour.

“Sai, why didn’t you wake me earlier!” I stick my head outside my door bellowing my woes down the hall as I glare at my brother’s back.

He turns around and gives me a look that says he’s not going to waste his time explaining to me what’s wrong with my question. Memories flood back of Sai repeatedly trying to wake up. It happened two times, maybe three. Four. Whoops.

Resigning to the fact that my tight deadline is self-inflicted, I can only mutter under my breath as I hustle to get ready. My discarded night gown is thrown in the general direction of the laundry basket as I walk over to the wash bowl. With no time to heat up the water, I make quick work wiping down my body with a cloth. My skin shivers in protest to the cold water, but it wakes me up at least.

Closet, no. Drawer? No. I recall hanging it up, somewhere. I’m not in full panic mode yet, but my heartbeat does pick up when I pass the three-minute mark empty handed.

“Sai?! Have you seen my black underdress?” My panicked request for his help is answered in seconds.

“You left it outside to dry,” Sai responds to my unspoken question.

I peer at my bedroom door then down at my currently nude body. I could put on something to go outside and grab the gown, or—

“Sai.” I sing his name as I prepare to bargain.

Sai’s voice responds outside my door. “It’s right here. Wait five seconds for me to get to safety before you open the door.”

“Thank you, I love you.” Sai answers me with a warning to ‘hurry up’ before going back into his room.

Only after his door clicks shut do I open mine and grab the slip. My time constraint gives me only seconds to relish how the silk feels like butter against my skin before I transition to my vanity to work on my makeup.

The lipstick I pick is my all-time favorite. Its orange shade with burgundy undertones matches my golden-brown skin tone perfectly. I wish I knew how Rumi makes this shade. I’ve begged multiple times, but he won’t tell me. Maybe I should have asked for the instructions as a birthday gift.

My last step for my makeup routine is drawing on the gold ink I purchased for tonight. The color’s so vibrant that each stroke must be perfect. Any mistake will be easily identified.

With a satisfied swipe down the middle of my lower lip, I’m done. The moment I set the gold paint down on the vanity, a light rap against the door draws my attention.

“Is it safe?” Sai asks not daring to enter until the all clear is given.

“Nh, come in.”

I reach for the stain and apply it to every section of my face that the gold paint is on. Then, just to be careful, I apply another layer to my lips. As I do this, I see Sai out of the corner of my eye walk into my room and grab my ceremonial gown from the closet.

Sai holds up the robe motioning for me to stand. I’m still fanning my face as I stand up letting the last of the stain dry. Once I slip both arms in the black fabric, the back seams stitch together closing me into the gown. The way it ripples as the gown conforms to the shape of my body looks and feels magical. This moment makes my ten years of hard work worth it.

“So much money,” Sai mutters.

“Hey, don’t let this surprise you. You’re way taller than me so you might pass out when you find out how much I spent on the fabric for your gown,” I chide.

“Please tell me you didn’t,” Sai begs.

I simply provide a knowing smile back. It’s too late for him to protest, I already started sewing. “You should know, I would never let you have a coming-of-age ceremony without a gown. And don’t forget, the fabric might cost a fortune but it’s cheaper than a pre-made gown.”

Sai shakes his head in resignation, as I continue to stare at my dress in the mirror. Though the gold snake on my back is beautiful, it’s the scales that are the true masterpiece on this gown. The thousands upon thousands of scales.

“At least your ceremonial robe is going to be easier than mine. If we had both been born during the Divinity of Chaos’ season, I would need a whole other decade to finish it.” I wince just imagining that scenario.

“You could just not bother.”

“If you’re not the one buying or sewing, you’re not allowed an opinion. Thank you.”

After shutting down Sai’s protest, I slide into the chair at my vanity that Sai pulls out for me.

“Up or down?” Sai asks as he unbraids my hair allowing the blue strands to fall down the length of my back.

“Let’s see. Half? I want to use the hair ornament I brought but—”

Sai finishes my sentence for me, “But you want people to still be able to see your earrings.” I give him a wink. He knows me so well.

I chat happily as Sai does my hair in silence. This is our normal dynamic. But it’s fine. Sai doesn’t have to say anything for me to know he’s listening.

His hands run through each strand getting as many knots out as he can manage before grabbing the brush. Sometimes, I wonder how much time I can save by chopping off my hair to shoulder length. I’m too scared to follow through with the idea, but I think about it lot. Especially during summer.

“Do you want me to trim your bangs?” Sai inquires.

I open my eyes and reach for my bangs that have passed the bridge of my nose. “Sure, let’s do it.”

I lean forward and let Sai trim them with a pair of scissors. Each sound the scissors make as they snip my hair makes me reflexively clench my eyes tighter, but I stay still. One involuntary jerk and I might have a serious problem. Today is not the day for that.

Sai finishes my hair by securing a gold hair bracket around my high ponytail. Only now that my bangs are trimmed do I realize how much my hair was obstructing my vision from my left eye.

“And that’s it.” Sai runs his hand underneath my top ponytail. “Your hairs getting pretty long.”

“Thanks.” I accept the compliment while I stare enviously at Sai’s hair.

Straight, glossy, frizz free, long for no reason. I would make a deal with a Divinity for his hair. But of course, blessings come to those that don’t appreciate them. All he ever does is pull his hair back in a ponytail and call it a day.

I reach for my earrings to finish the ensemble. The golden snakes curling up in an S shape are identical to the design of the golden snake on the back of my gown. When I snap them on, I can’t help the wince. Having only pierced my ears last night, they’re still tender.

“You didn’t have to pierce your ears for this you know.” Sai says for I think the tenth time.

“Yes, I did. It’s already strange that I have no ear piercings at my age. Have you ever met someone without earrings at their coming-of-age ceremony? And you’re one to talk, you got yours pierced at twelve. As your older sister I can’t allow myself to fall behind just because I dislike something.”

Sai rolls his eyes as he always does when I emphasis our age gap. “You’re only five years older than me Blue.”

“It’s still five years.”

Ignoring Sai as he continues to explain that I don’t need to submit to social norms, I walk back over to the mirror for one last twirl. I love watching the bottom of my dress fan. The way the light catches the scales makes it appear as if the dress is rippling.

“You want me to bring the mirror with us?”

Sai isn’t joking. I think about saying yes for a minute because it would be hilarious to see him carrying this full body mirror to Wirra. But, if I’m not careful, I might be the one carrying it back home.

“No, it’s just, I can’t remember the last time I got to wear black. Look at it.” I spin again for emphasis. “Isn’t this just my color.” This time I get a genuine smile from Sai.

Sai holds out his right hand for me to grab. “If you want to be there on time, then we need to head out. You can stare at the mirror all you want when we come home.”

I don’t take his hand, instead I link my arm with his as we head to the front door. Sai helps me slip into my flats by the front door but just before we’re about to leave, he stops me.

“Hey, Blue.”

Staring at Sai, I wait for him to say what he wanted to. “What?”

Despite my probing he doesn’t finish. Giving up, I urge Sai to get his shoes on so we can go. If it's important, he'll tell me later.

As we stride through the front door with our arms linked, I can’t help but smile. Today feels like one of those good days that you can’t help but be happy about.