A couple of months ago….

"Mother! The Gloria Aura starts in a week!" Sarah yelled at the top of her lungs on a Saturday. Christine stood in the kitchen, stirring some vegetable soup in a pot on the stove, while Cailin sat at the table. His mouth was drooling as his stomach grumbled.

Sarah tugged excitedly on her nanny’s dress, jumping up and down, because it would be the first time she would be able to go. The Gloria Aura is a celebration that the KSDL holds once every year. It is similar to News Years, but they celebrate the day of creation when the KSDL was built.

Gloria Aura was once a person. Word says that it was King's wife who died of a terrible sickness all those years ago. She was the one that really built the school and put it together with the help of her husband. So, in memory and thanks, they named the celebration after her in remembrance, even though nobody has ever met her. It is a celebration filled with lights, food, and fireworks. It is a big dance where people come together in harmony, similar to Mardi Gras, with all the flashy colors and beads.

Finley and Cailin at this point had never been. They just did not really care about the celebration. But Cailin was thinking about going this year, since his sister would be joining them.

"I know, Sarah. Have you asked anyone to go with you?"

Sarah's cheeks pinked at her mother’s words as she shook her head. "No, of course not! Me and Camille are going together."

"Sounds nice. Now get some plates and set the table."

Sarah began to whine, but with a warning smack from the towel, and a sharp look, both of the children were up and getting the silverware and plates ready. When Cailin heard the door knock, he looked up with a grin. "I'll get it."

He walked over to the door, opening it, and smiling at Penelope, Finley, and Julian who stood outside the door. Julian and Ella were introduced to Finley's longtime friend about a year ago, and now they were their own little group. While Cailin was still in some extracurricular activities like soccer, and had his multitude of friends, he learned to pay more attention to his close friends. In doing that, it had made his life all the more entertaining.

"Hey, come on in. Where's Ella?" He asked Julian as they all walked inside, Penelope rushing over to the kitchen to help with plating the food.

"Nanny Madeleine didn't let her come, said she had too much homework to do."

Cailin clicked his tongue, shaking his head before wrapping an arm around Finley's shoulders and leading them both into the kitchen. “She'll miss out then.”

"It's not her fault her nanny is a strict hag."

"Julian," Christine snapped, and the boy raised his hands defensively.

"Hey, am I wrong?"

Penelope gave him a funny look, glancing around, before leaning in on the other side of the table. "No, but don't talk with such a bad attitude."

"Oh, my apologies, Lady Penelope." Julian cleared his throat. "It's not her fault her nanny is a strict hag!" Julian stated yet again with a chirpy and happy tone to his voice, making Cailin and Finley bust out laughing.

Penelope rolled her eyes with a small smile on her face. "Just sit-down boys."

"Are you thinking about going to Gloria Aura this year?" Finley asked Cailin after dinner. They both laid on Cailin's bed, facing each other as the brunette ran his fingers through Finley's long hair.

"Maybe. I don't know yet."

Finley's eyebrows furrowed as he turned his head up to look Cailin in the eye. "Do you ever wonder why we never went, or even thought about it until now? We always saw the fireworks from inside our dorms, it was always beautiful."

Cailin hesitated, for he knew exactly why, but he never told Finley about it. "Fireworks scare me," he blurted.

The blonde was quiet for a couple of seconds, then started laughing hysterically. "Finley! It's not funny!"

Finley continued to laugh, tiny snorts interrupting the lyrical sounds, which made Cailin laugh with him. The younger boy covered his nose, twisting to his back. "Finley! Stop laughing, I’m being serious!"

Finley took a breath, trying to calm his racing heart as he chuckled. "I know you are. That's just so funny. The big bad Cailin, who isn't afraid of anything, is terrified of pretty fireworks."

"They're tiny rockets! Where do the colorful explosions land?! I could get burned!"

Finley giggled as he tried to keep himself from having another laughing fit, Cailin frowning at him. "I'm sorry, I’ll stop laughing."

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds in silence, before they both started laughing again. When she still heard their laughter at 3 in the morning, Nanny Christine had to come into the room to tell them to shut up and go to sleep.

Gloria Aura would start in a couple of hours, and all Cailin and Finley's schoolmates were getting excited. It was all Finley heard about in his math class. A small smile was on his face as he remembered the ecstatic look Penelope gave him when he told her that Cailin and him would be attending Gloria Aura. It took a lot of pressure and convincing, but Cailin ended up deciding to go with him.

As soon as she heard the news, Penelope went out into town and bought so much makeup and fake jewels her pockets were dropping. She even went out of her way to buy new clothes for Finley to change into.

"Fin! You're coming to The Aura this year, right?!" Julian asked as he rushed into his English class he had with him. He was holding a bag of freshly picked grapes with Ella following behind, a radiant smile on her face.

Finley grinned, sitting up, and clapping his hands as his friends sat next to him. "Yes! I finally convinced Cailin to come with me last night."

"What colors are you wearing?" Julian asked and Ella gasped, jumping in her seat.

"Oh! My colors are pink and yellow! My mother picked everything out for me already, I’m so excited."

Finley nodded in understanding. "My mother is the same way. She's probably still running around Gillian searching for more things. She said she would make me wings."

Ella could not stop glowing. "Wings?! What kind?! Butterfly?!"

Finley shrugged embarrassingly. "She always tells me I look like a fairy so—"

Ella squealed. "Wow! I’m so excited, you'll look great Fin!"

Finley's cheeks heated as he pouts, crossing his arms. He slouched in his seat as he watched all the other students come in through the door. They were all taking their seats in the rickety desks, throwing paper at one another and laughing.

The blonde shrugged again, moving on with the conversation. "My colors are blue, white and green, I think. Those are my mother’s favorite colors."

"Sweet. I'm just red," Julian stated randomly with a big smile. Finley grimaced, for the other boy’s mouth was full of the grapes he stole from the gardens.

"Close your mouth, you ape."