(I just realized I uploaded the wrong chapter. Here is the real one.)

I wake to the sound of Elsha rapping at my door. I groan, rub my eyes, and struggle into a sitting position. My eyes won’t focus as I look at the clock on my desk. Judging from the blurry shapes, I’d guess it’s somewhere around seven in the morning. Ugh. It’s too early. Elsha pounds on my door again.

“What?” I yell, hoping she can hear me.

“Got any plans for today?” she says as she opens my door.

“Yeah? Why?”

“I want to go over to Watercolor square and get some supplies. And I was kinda hoping you’d come with me.”

Groaning, I flop back against my pillows. “Gimme a minute.”

I pick up my phone, open my messages and send a quick text to Ryuji, hoping it’s legible enough. My eyes don’t want to focus on the screen.

“’Kay. We can probably head over there now and be back in time for my friend to show up, hopefully. Either that or he’ll just have to meet us there.”

Ryuji’s answer flashes onto my screen. I try to get my eyes to focus long enough to read it.

We’re heading over there today, anyway. Go ahead and bring her along. Maybe she’ll get some inspiration too.

“Good news,” I say, closing my eyes. “Ryuji says you can come along. So get dressed and find me some caffeine. It’s gonna be a long day.”

Silence answers me. Oh, well. If she didn’t hear me, that’s on her.

I find myself slowly drifting back into oblivion. I’ll sleep for just a few more minutes before getting dressed…

Something soft slams into my face, startling me awake.

“Don’t go back to sleep!” Elsha calls as she retreats from my room.

“Hey!” I give chase, still unsteady on my feet, but my pride is in question. I can’t let her get away with smacking me in the face with a pillow.

I catch her just before she can enter her room and yank her back, knocking us both to the floor. She lets out a squeak, and I slap my hand over her mouth.

“You’re going to wake everyone up if you start laughing,” I whisper-shout, trying to keep my own laughter at bay.

She squirms in my arms, giggling. With a twist, she breaks free and bolts into her room, slamming the door shut.

“Coward!” I shout, no longer caring if I wake anyone up. She’s already made enough noise.

After fifteen minutes, we’re dressed and ready to go, bundled in coats against the cold morning air. We walk together, heading down the street toward Inkdrink Square, where Ryuji said to meet. A handful of cars drive by, but otherwise the neighborhood is silent this morning. It isn’t until we get further into the city that things become more lively, and we have to hold hands so as not to get separated on the sidewalk.

Once we reach the square, I breathe deep, freed from the crowds. A handful of people bustle through the square, most heading either to the library or the cafes. I spot Ryuji standing next to the fountain with two other familiar figures. Snowdrop spots me and waves, doing little jumps while her iridescent wings flutter behind her. Anton just nods, hands tucked into his hoodie pocket. He looks so casual, as if the cold doesn’t even bother him. Then again, it’s hard to read his expression behind the large sunglasses that cover his eyes.

“Good morning, Keelin!” Snowdrop says, the ends of her chunky knitted scarf bouncing as she dances in place, obviously cold.

“Morning,” I say with a shiver, then turn to Ryuji. “How many other people did you invite?”

“This is it. Sunny and Minnie said they couldn’t come,” he says gesturing to the group. “Come on. Let’s go get something hot to drink.”

We all head over to the famous Inkdrink Café, and the place is already filled with patrons; sleepy-eyed writers standing in an awkward line, each one too nervous to try to talk to each other. Only a handful of them look wide awake, mostly likely because they’d been up all night or are part of that mysterious race of being called ‘morning people’. Ryuji is one of them, looking like he’s been awake for hours, bright with plenty of energy. He gets in line, hands in his pockets, already dancing in place with impatience.

I bide my time behind him, Elsha standing next to me. We play stone-claw-parchment to see who will pay for both our drinks and, unfortunately, I lose. By the time I get to the front of the line, I’ve already decided my drink. The goblin barista, a tall teenager with light-green skin and generic, model-like features, gives me a very familiar wink, to which I reply with my signature eye roll. Even though he’s been flirting with me since the moment I stepped through the doors two years ago, I still have no idea what his name is.

“What will it be today?” he asks, the light that streams through the windows hitting his polished cheekbones at just the right angle.

“A jasmine tea for me, and a hot chocolate for Elsha.”

“Coming right up.” He gives me a dashing smile and a flip of his gorgeous, curly black hair, and I pretend I’m temporarily blind while I dish out cash from my pocket.

“Let’s wait over here where he can’t bat those stupidly perfect eyelashes at me,” I grumble, grabbing Elsha by the arm.

We wait in the corner while he takes orders and the other barista, a petite dwarf girl by the name of Carey prepares our drinks. I cross my arms as I watch. Part of my irritation is because of the goblin boy’s blatant flirting—now he’s turning on the charm for Snowdrop, who’s eating it up—but also partly because every time Elsha orders hot chocolate, I can’t go for a faux chocolate. Because the last time I did, they mixed up the order and I ended up vomiting for a week. I have not trusted faux hot chocolate again.

It's disgusting how Elsha got just about every werewolf trait except chocolate being poisonous. Meanwhile, I’m not even a proper werewolf and I got all the bad traits. Like being allergic to silver and getting cranky on the full moon.

By the time everyone has their drinks, Ryuji finally decides to explain what in the world we’re all doing here.

“Today, we’re taking a trip through the different artistic districts on the prowl for inspiration. We’re going on a ‘feast of the senses’ if you will.” He says this last part with a flourish towards the café door, as if presenting the opening act at a circus. “Perhaps it will shake up our perspectives and give us poor, starving artists some ideas. Because I’m fresh out and we all know Anton needs all the help he can get.”

Snowdrop laughs at this and Anton just shrugs. I watch the exchange, still not sure where I fit in this group. That had to have been an inside joke. Does Anton regularly run out of ideas?

Together, we leave the café and Ryuji leads us on a brisk walk across the square toward an alley that cuts through the east side. Snowdrop has to trot to keep up, but eventually she gives up and just hovers above the ground, wings flapping so fast they make a gentle whirring sound.

Our first stop for the day is in Thread n’ Needle Square. This square is subdued, with a single fountain and plenty of flowering trees and bushes. The whole place looks like a giant garden. A goblin woman poses while a photographer takes photos. She looks stunning, her deep green skin contrasting beautifully with her scarlet dress that flickers at the edges as if aflame. Long golden horns curl up through her black hair and are decorated with bands of black metal.

I try not to gawk as we pass by. Man, I’d give anything to look that good.

We enter one of the shops, which is situated right next to a huge building that I can only guess is a workshop from what I can see through the windows. Inside, the place is alive with color. And not only that, but every person inside is wearing a patch on their outfits that signify they’re members of the Stitchery Guild.

Elsha whistles, impressed. “Wow, this place is like a whole department store. See? They’ve even got a second floor and third. And it’s all clothes!”

One of the girls turns and spies our group. She waves, and Anton waves back, a small smile on his lips. I stare, shocked. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile before.

“Let me guess,” Snowdrop says, putting her hand on her hip. “You sew too, right?”

Anton gives a helpless shrug. “I work mostly with leather. And I’ve made a few of my own outfits.”

Snowdrop throws her hands in the air. “That’s it! I’m staying away from you. You reek with too much talent! Next thing you’re going to tell me is you play the guitar, too.”

“Actually, I don’t.”

Snowdrop narrows her eyes, not believing him for a second. I can’t either. He seems like the electric guitar type. Anton’s smile widens, almost smug.

“I play the flute.”

“Get outa here!” Elsha looks at him like he’s sprouted three heads. “For real?”

“F’real my dudes.” Anton stretches out his arms, fingers laced together, then puts them behind his head. “There are a lot of things about me you’d be surprised to learn.”

I shake my head at this whole exchange. Of course he plays the flute. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I want to go shopping,” I say, breaking up an argument between Snowdrop and Elsha over what kind of flute Anton plays. “There’s a lot of clothes here that are calling my name.”

This catches their attention. Before I know it, Snowdrop and Elsha have dragged me further into the shop, where we admire the clothes set out for sale, picking corset-top dresses and three-piece suits for the others to try on. Snowdrop does most of the modeling and trying on, while Elsha and I pick clothes we think would look good on her. After a while, Ryuji appears from wherever he had disappeared to and we subject him to the same treatment, finding suits and casual clothes and making him try them on.

He steps from the changing rooms wearing a deep-black suit with a midnight-blue vest underneath and a pair of sunglasses. He poses for us in an exaggerated way, wings flared. I laugh and give him applause for his efforts in trying to look cool.

“You know,” Elsha says, giving me a sly look, “he really does clean up nice.”

I know exactly what she’s hinting at, and I give her a look that says, cut it out. Ryuji seems to have heard her comment because he brightens.

“You really think so?”

Elsha leans back with her arms crossed. “Yeah, I do. There’s a handsome man hiding underneath all that goofiness.”

At this, Ryuji tries to make a serious face, giving us what he thinks is a smolder, but it doesn’t have the desired affect. Snowdrop, Elsha and I all burst into laughter. Ryuji tugs at the lapels of the suit, looking offended.

“I might just buy this suit to spite you all.”

“Do it!” I say while Elsha and Snowdrop continue laughing. “Show them who’s boss!”

Ryuji gives me a wink. “At least I have one ally.”

We all head to the check-out counter, where Snowdrop buys several of the outfits she tried on and Ryuji buys the suit. We head up a floor in the store while searching for Anton, who seemed to have disappeared. On the second floor, I stare in awe at all the beautiful gowns out on display. Each one is a masterpiece, perfect for a gala or a ball, and each one most likely costs an arm and a leg and your firstborn.

I spy a midnight-blue dress and drift over to it, fascinated. It’s a classic ball-gown shape and studded with black and white jewels that wink like stars. I touch the skirt, made from enchanted fabric that feels like liquid moonlight between my fingers. What I wouldn’t give to have a dress this pretty and actually look good in it. Snowdrop would look stunning in something like that. Not me. I can imagine her wearing it, looking like a tiny piece of the heavens fallen to earth.

Still, I can’t help but stare at it longingly as I walk away. It’s just too darn pretty.

 I rejoin Elsha and Snowdrop and we cross the room, looking over the other dresses like we’re at an art museum—keeping an appropriate distance away from the displays and our hands far, far away from the expensive-looking fabrics.

Anton finally appears, coming down from the third floor. Ryuji rejoins the group and looks that the screen of his phone.

“Alright, on to the next square!”

Anton jerks his head toward the stairs. “I wanna show you all something first.”

“Ooh, what is it?” Snowdrop says, eyes wide.

Anton smiles. “You’ll see.”

Anton leads us back down to the first floor and over to the window, where mannequins display clothes. He points to one dressed in a black leather jacket and trousers, chains and straps and a sprinkling of red embroidery bringing the whole piece together. It looks so complicated and cool at the same time I can’t help but be impressed.

“Wow, did you make this, Anton?” I ask, putting the leather suit and his smug expression together.

Anton nods. “You better believe it. Hand-sewed a lot of the detailing. And I made those chains myself.”

Elsha stares at him, mouth open in shock.

“Sometimes customers will see it and I’ll custom make the set for them. It’s a lot of fun, though I really need to design something else just to give myself variety.”

“You should really just go into fashion and start your own business,” Snowdrop says. “It’s really good.”

Anton shrugs. “Nah. This is just a hobby.”

“Just like writing is a hobby, too?” I ask.

Nodding, Anton rubs that back of his neck. “I’d rather just stick with working the night shift as an EMT. I like my job. I help people. That’s what I really want to do.”

Snowdrop shakes her head. “Sometimes, people just don’t deserve the talents they have. You should totally be utilizing them!”

“I do, kind of. I make paintings for this one charity event each year where they auction off art and the proceeds go to helping kids with blood-curses.”

“You paint too?” Elsha asks then throws her hands up. “What am I saying, of course you do.”

My arm tingles, and I grip the spot where my curse sits. “That’s really kind of you.”

Anton smiles and shrugs it off. “Hey, I’m just trying to do my part for others.”

Ryuji checks the time again. “If we don’t get moving we’ll be out late.” He makes his way toward the doors, all energy. “Onward, peasants!”

“Aye, my lord!” Snowdrop shouts back, skipping behind.