I could see his hesitancy through his fiddling fingers and downcast eyes. Maybe, I shouldn't have prodded.

   "Let me just— a moment." He said, raising a hand and waving it around.

   "Okay," I told him.

   Even as I waited patiently, Aust continued to struggle to find his words.

   "I'll let you think about it some more... and when you're ready to tell me, come and find me, okay?" I tried to reach for his hand, but he instantly recoiled.

   I don't even understand why I persevered to try to find him and understand why he'd run out so suddenly. Our times together, I thought it had been mutually enjoyed.

   No one has entered my story the way he has.

   It's regrettable that it seems it will end when the clock strikes twelve.

   "How fitting," I whispered when Emma started to lace my dress close.

   "Of course, it fits. I measured you myself!"

   "I think, I should've gone with the witch this year too."

   "No way, Vera. I just had to make you two a match. I mean, you've never had a full-time employee before. It'd have been a waste not to go as a pair."

   "What if Aust had been a girl?"

   "Well, then you get to be Fairy Godmother and Aust would've been Cinderella."

   "What if they were of another sexual orientation."

   "Listen here, Vera, have you never seen the latest Cinderella adaptation? Fairy Godmother can be anyone. So, why can't Cinderella?"

   "You think too much," the familiar girl who still hadn't introduced herself commented. "Not that I can't relate. The Gala only happens once a year, right? You only get to throw such an extravagant celebration today. Have fun with it."

   "Well, I can't say you chose a particularly beautiful one, but you do look adorable." Emma fixed the hood of the girl so the folds were draped with purpose.

   I mustered up my most delighted tone and said, "I do love to see the fairytales come to life."

   "Let's go out, ladies!" Aria was walking hand-in-hand with Emma's sister.

   Together, the five of us entered the fairy-lit store filled with all kinds of people.

   It only happens once a year.

   Sometimes, the faces of the attendees change and other times, they returned. I wondered if Aust would be a face that would someday disappear.

   Like the girl in the library, I thought to chase my story.

   I whipped around at the thought. The girl in the library, typing away, her brunette hair tightly braided behind her. She walked past me with her red hood and mask completely hiding her face.

   "You must've found your story..." I said, finally remembering her smile.