by Karin Biggs
“What’s in Witch’s Brew?” asked Eli.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to play,” she said. “Just our newest court members.”
Eli made a dramatic sweep across his forehead, which elicited a giggle from Jasmine.
“And I can’t reveal the mystery ingredients—that would ruin the intrigue. But this game is a tradition among the Second Seasons. Rumor has it one year somebody added urine. It could have been made up or…it could have been Witch’s Brew!” Raya leaned her head back and cackled.
“That’s repugnant,” muttered Darden.
“Is there alcohol in there?” asked Heather. “It’s against my religion to drink.”
I nodded because in a way, it was against my religion too as a health-obsessed Capalon.
“Then to be safe, you’ll just have to follow through with your truth or dare, Miss Romaine.”
Ari raised a finger. “What if we don’t want to play?”
“You have to play. It’s tradition. In fact, let’s make you our first victim.” Raya set the bottle and wine glass on the table, then rubbed her hands together. “So, Ari. Truth or dare?”
“Um, truth?”
Jasmine whispered something to Raya, who nodded. “Ari, how far have you gone with your girlfriend?”
Ari’s face paled, and I suddenly wanted to hide at the bottom of a grape barrel.
“Can I have another question?” he asked.
Raya shook her head. “Nope, this is the game, New Man.”
Ari’s mouth fell open.
Raya tapped the tabled. “Oh, come on, how long have you been dating?”
Ari ran a hand through his hair. “On and off for two years.”
Raya’s eyes widened. “Two years! Well I’m sure you’ve at least gone past Stage One.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“You know, up here.” Raya made a circular motion with her palm over her chest.
Ari didn’t respond.
“So that’s a ‘yes’? You have to answer or you chug the Brew!”
I found the grape stompers to be quite entertaining in that moment. I even spotted the maestro taking a turn, willing him with my eyes to fall and chip a tooth on the edge of the barrel.
Raya and Jasmine let out ‘ow-ows’ in response to whatever response Ari gave, causing my stomach to churn.
Raya cleared her throat. “Okay, who’s next? Heather—truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
Raya convened with her cohort and had to calm her giggling before she gave her instructions. “Heather, Ambassador Lane over there just recently returned from a climb up to the top of Mt. Forrestin. He was boring me with the details earlier. We dare you to ask him about his climb up Mt. Foreskin tonight!”
“Ew, no. I’m not saying that to a guest. Maestro will kill me.”
“You chose a dare, Heather. So, you must follow through or—” Raya flashed the bottle of brown-orange liquid.
Heather winced.
“What’s your decision?” asked Raya.
Heather groaned. “I’ll do the dare.”
“I’ll be watching you to make sure you do it, New Lady.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I rolled my eyes at Heather’s unnecessary politeness.
Maestro called the court to attention, instructing us to line up for the presentation of the Mondarian Anthem.
“Paris,” whispered Raya. “You’re safe now. But be ready.”
After our performance, I watched with Raya and Jasmine as Heather approached Ambassador Lane during a casual Social Hour. “Good evening, Ambassador. I heard you enjoyed a recent climb of Mt. Foreskin?”
Jasmine and Raya’s faces lit up, and I had to bite my own lip to keep from laughing. The Ambassador answered the question as if he didn’t hear the intentional slip.
As I listened to a guest talk about his sea-faring kingdom’s recent acquisition of an antique collection of ferry boats, I pondered which option I would select for Raya’s game.
What if I revealed myself on accident by requesting truth?
What if I revealed myself on accident through a dare I had to perform on a guest?
I had rehearsed lying about my identity enough to make up artificial facts on the spot. Holding my composure with a stranger was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.
Truth. I had to pick truth.
When the maestro instructed to take our seats, Raya congratulated Heather on her follow-through, then turned to me. “I haven’t forgotten who’s next! Paris, truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
Raya whispered to Jasmine while I held my breath.
“Describe your first kiss in detail.”
My whole body relaxed. “I’ve never been kissed. So, who’s your next victim? Reese?”
Raya lifted her hand. “Wait, you’re sixteen and have never been kissed?”
“She’s seventeen today,” Darden said. “Remember, it’s her birthday?”
“Seventeen!” she laughed so hard, she had to hold on to Jasmine to keep from falling off her chair.
Had I revealed too much with my honest answer?
“Okay, okay,” Raya waved her palms to calm herself and Jasmine from their laughter. “Your answer doesn’t count, so…I dare you to get your first kiss tonight!”
I shook my head. “That’s not fair. I answered the question.”
Raya’s eyes hardened. “No, you nullified the question so as the game leader, I’m initiating a dare.”
I clenched my fists under the table. “But in mathematics a null is a value of zero, which is still—”
Darden thought it was a great time to clear his throat and shoot me a warning glare, throwing me off my explanation.
Raya sat tall in her seat and crossed her arms. “Paris, you’ll kiss a court man at the after-party in the Lounge tonight for all of us to see, or you chug the Brew.”
I slouched low in my chair, hiding my face behind a balled fist.
“Don’t look so mortified, Paris. It’s a fun dare!” Jasmine said.
“It’s an unfair game of manipulation,” I murmured.
Raya moved on to her next victim, Darden, who chose dare.
“I dare you to let us read a page out of that notebook you’re always scribbling in.”
Darden tightened his grip on the notebook full of secret magic tricks. “Hand me the Brew, please,” he answered, without skipping a beat. Darden chugged the wine glass full of the mystery liquid. When he finished, Raya instructed him to tip it over his head to prove every drop was gone. The table applauded his effort and I swear Darden’s dark skin turned a shade of green.
Agnes approached our table. “Your table’s turn to stomp,”
“Yes, ma’am,” we responded as a group.
My heart pounded with fury as we headed to the grape barrels.
Who does Raya think she is?
I’ve never kissed a boy and I definitely can’t kiss a Mondarian boy.
Urine is sterile, right?
Darden and I removed our shoes and climbed into a large wooden barrel, full of red and purple grapes. After forty-five minutes of stomping with guests, I took a water break at our table, where Reese sat by himself.
I smiled between sips of water as I watched Layla prance around in circles, arm in arm with a guest in a nearby barrel.
“Somebody’s enjoying this party,” Reese said, watching Layla with me. “Too bad she’ll find a way to insult that poor guest and crush his soul by the end of the night.”
I set down my glass. “She’s not that bad.”
“Not that bad? She insults me every chance she gets. Just this morning in the Lounge, she asked if I could stop practicing my songs because they were ‘melting her brain.’”
“Consider it flattery. She only insults the people she likes.”
“So, you’re telling me she likes Genevieve?”
“Well…not exactly…”
“By the way, if you need to complete your dare, I’m more
than willing to help.” Reese flashed a smile. “You know, in the sense of strictly helping you to avoid drinking a liquid that might be part piss.” He shuddered.
I scratched my face to hide my flushing cheeks. “That wouldn’t upset Raya?”
He shook his head. “Nah. She’s got a thing for some Third Season. She was telling me all about it in our barrel, which was why I felt the need to excuse myself.”
“Oh. Well, thanks for your offer.”
“Time for us to return to the barrel,” Darden said over my shoulder.
“Yes, sir,” I said with a sigh.
Guests trickled in and out of our barrel, some full of laughter, others disgusted with the feeling of the grapes between their toes. I found the wet, squishy bottom therapeutic against my sore feet. I nearly slipped and Darden caught me just in time before I landed on my rear end, when I heard booming laughter.
I knew that laugh.
I turned to see the Duke of Pallerdon heading straight for our barrel. I was practically invisible to anyone who visited Capalon, but one time at a product-trade dinner, the Duke of Pallerdon insisted that I sit with him. He proceeded to tell me the details of his divorce from the Duchess of Pallerdon and how he had moved on to a younger, healthier version of his former wife. “Darden, give me your glasses.”
“What? Why?”
“Because that man knows me,” I said, tilting my head toward the salt and pepper-haired man and his young wife. “Not me, Paris, but the real me.”
“This one, Lilac! Come on dear, the help will assist us,” boomed the Duke’s voice.
“Darden, now,” I said in a sharp whisper.
Darden reached for his glasses, but then his hands changed direction, pressing hard on my back, knocking me to the floor of the barrel. Holding me down with one hand, he used the other to smear grapes across my face.
I shrieked, sending the Duke into a roaring laughter.
“Oh, that’s going to take a while to clean off, missy! Ha! Come, Lilac, we’ll give this barrel some space. Let’s try the next one.”
I wiped juice off my eyelids and spat out sour bits of grape skin. “What in the name of the Ancient Data was that for?”
Darden spoke in my ear. “Hey, you wanna keep your Capalon swearing down? You really thought putting on my glasses would hide your face?”
My chest swelled with anger. “It was all I could think of!”
Darden’s attempt to stifle his laughter failed. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”
“No, I got it,” I said, reaching for the edge of the barrel, only to slip and fall again, on all fours.
The tables closest to our barrel took notice of my messy mishap and responded to their entertainment with a mix of laughter and applause.
Heat scorched my skin. “I’m going to clean myself off and don’t even think about following me.”
“But we have to be two to a barrel.”
“I don’t care!”
I finally made it out of the barrel and marched to a white tent set up with hoses and towels. When I entered, I was greeted by a giggling Heather, who wiped grape juice splatter off Ari’s forehead. When they saw me, Heather burst into laughter and Ari’s jaw dropped.
I turned my back and buried my face in a towel.
“Wow, Paris, you really took a tumble in there,” Heather said behind my back.
I ignored her and pulled grape bits off my face and out of my hair.
“I’m going to grab some more food,” she said to Ari. “Wanna come?”
Ari said something I couldn’t hear and Heather exited the tent—her perfectly clean, blonde hair bouncing behind her.
“Are you okay, Paris?” Ari asked, his voice close to the back of my neck.
“Yeah, I’m great,” I said in a deadpan response.
He rounded the front of the bench and extended another towel to me.
I reluctantly accepted, using it to wipe my arms.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the post of the tent. “You know you don’t have to do Raya’s dare.”
“I know. I’m just…thinking about it.”
“What’s there to think about? Raya’s just being manipulative.”
I untucked my shirt from my skirt to watch grapes spill onto the grass around my feet. “I get it, Ari. What’s your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem, I’m just trying to help.”
“I don’t need your help.” I twisted the knob of the hose, but my hand kept slipping over the brass.
Ari reached over and twisted on. “But it’s your first kiss. Don’t you want it to be on your terms and not Raya’s?”
“It’s just a kiss,” I said, splashing the cold water over my legs. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
“I just don’t think you should be afraid of the consequences. Darden pretty much chugged that drink, so it can’t be that terrible.”
I expelled a sharp laugh. “I shouldn’t be afraid of the consequences?” I shook my head. “Aren’t you contradicting yourself?”
“Why, because I didn’t take the drink?”
“Not only that, but…never mind.” I dried my hands and shut off the water.
“No, I want to know. Please, enlighten me,” Ari said with a less than pleasing sarcastic tone as he crossed his arms.
“Okay. The drum solo auditions—Staci said you have the best roll out of anybody but you didn’t audition because you didn’t want to take the opportunity away from a returning court member. And your stipend money—you feel like you’re responsible for your dad, when you should be taking care of your own future. Your dad is an adult and he can pull himself out of his own mess if he wants to, which clearly he doesn’t.” I couldn’t stop as I gesticulated with a hand-towel. “And on top of it, you’re with a girl who cheated on you and you took her back because you blame yourself for some reason.” I opened my arms and looked around. “Where is she, Ari? Is she really at a family reunion or is she sneaking around behind your back again? Look at the outsider dates—they’re having a fantastic time! Why? Because it’s the king’s Mansion! VIP’s from other kingdoms beg to have an invitation to come here and your girlfriend chooses a family reunion?”
Ari’s jaw tensed. “Maybe I don’t enjoy hurting people, okay? I’ve seen my dad do it too many times to count and I refuse to be like him.”
“But when are you going to take control of your own life? Start doing things for you and not what’s going to make other people happy?”
He shook his head and forced a curt laugh. “This is coming from the girl who refuses to think about anything other than what her family wants her to do.”
“Unlike you, I don’t have a choice.”
“Yes, you do. Everyone has a choice, Paris. And I choose to not hurt people to benefit myself, but apparently you have no problem with it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Heather. She told me all about how you talked your way into getting her solo.”
My hands strangled my towel. “That’s not at all close to the truth and if you believe that, then you really are a dumb drummer.”
We stared at each other until Ari turned and marched out of the tent.
I hurled the dirty towels into a basket.
“Paris?” Darden emerged from the shadows, making my heart jump.
“My helpful date, there you are. Thanks so much for dunking me in the grapes. That was just so…so smart. And now I’m a purple court member. What’s Maestro going to say when he sees me?”
“The event’s almost over, so hopefully nothing. But we should get back to the table for our official dismissal.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. McCray. Hey, wait up.”
Darden didn’t slow his pace, causing me to have to hop over the tent’s staked ropes to catch up to him. “So, let’s do it at the beginning of the after-party. That way we can get it over with and I can shower.”
“Do what?”
“Kiss! You’re obviously my pick since we
’re supposed to be ‘spending more time together.’”
Darden shook his head. “I’m not kissing you.”
“Why? It’s just a kiss. Then I can get Raya off my back.”
“No.”
I stopped Darden. “Why?” I lowered my voice. “Are you still mad about the whole pepper spray thing?”
“I do still have pain around my eyes from that stuff, but no.”
“Then what’s your issue?”
Darden looked up at the twinkling lights. “It’s not my issue.”
“Okay, you’ll have to be more clear because I don’t speak magician.”
Darden’s mouth opened and closed a couple times until he finally spoke. “I’m required to be perceptive to be a superb magician.”
“Yeah, so what?” I said with crossed arms.
“Ari’s my best friend.”
“What’s Ari got to do with this?”
Darden sighed. “I’m not kissing you, Miss Marigold.”
“Yeah, well, then I’m not helping you with…you know…secret magic that requires my help. And I found out who she is, by the way. For how perceptive you are, you missed a huge detail by picking a girl who already has a boyfriend.”
Darden’s jaw tensed. “Fine.”
“Fine? So just like that, our little deal is off?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You’re a true weirdo, Darden McCray.”
“No, I’m a true genius. Hey look, the Queen of Capalon.” Darden looked past my shoulder and I turned to see a sea of empty tables. When I turned back around, Darden had disappeared. “Damn magician.”
I plopped on the chair back at our table and avoided eye contact with anyone else.
Raya approached me and I cut her off before she could give me another warning about her ridiculous dare. “I’m taking the punishment.”
“Really? With all your attractive options on your birthday of all days? Bad decision, New Lady.” She scanned my face. “And what happened to you? Did you go for a swim in the grapes?”
“Just give me the stupid drink, Raya.”
Raya pressed her palms against the table and leaned over me as if I was a misbehaving child. “We might be playing a game, but I still have seniority over you. Do you understand?”
I wanted to shout back that I was actually the Princess of Capalon and if anyone held the most authority, it was me. But instead, I sucked in a breath and narrowed my eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”
