?Chapter 0346


    Charlotte and I flipped through the fabrics on the table near the sewing machines.


    "It has to be a bright color, right? Something that says, I''m having fun," I said. I picked up a bolt of red fabric." What about this one?"


    Charlotte shook her head. "Red means danger. You''ll give someone an anxiety attack."


    That... was a good point. Red was the color of blood and stop signs and red gs. I lowered the bolt of fabric.


    "Blue is more rxing." Charlotte held up a bolt with a pattern of deep blue flowers.


    "But does it say fun? I look at that and feel like I need to take a nap."


    Charlotte lowered the fabric back to the table, then touched her finger to her chin. We looked both looked over the table once more.


    Dark purple was out. Green might work, but... Green was the color of money. It would probably remind the people about their debts? Or was I overthinking this? My head was starting to hurt.


    "What about a golden orange-yellow?" Charlotte asked. She picked up three distinct fabrics. A pastel yellow, a warm creamy orange, and a shimmering gold. "We could doyers. You''d look like literal sunshine."


    "That could work!" I pped my hands together.


    "Great," Charlotte said, bright too.


    Elva made a show of walking toward us, just to make a loud humph noise, and storm away into the closet. She mmed the door behind her.


    I gave Charlotte an apologetic look.


    Charlotte shrugged. "I''d be disappointed too, if I was the kid. Though I agree with your side of it, of course." *Thanks."


    I''d already told Elva that she couldn''t attend this event with me. She usually enjoyed the dances, and I wished she could have fun at this one too.


    But with the n to catch Jane brewing, likely to culminate at the event, I couldn''t risk Elva being there. Especially if Jane could use the close proximity to amplify Elva''s curse. Though, I couldn''t say any of that to Elva. I was trying to shield her from as much of the danger as I could.


    But without revealing the real reason, every fake reason I came up with sounded like a lie. Even Elva could tell.


    Though the one I had used to put my foot down, "They ran out of girls'' sized dresses," was themest of the bunch. She knew we made all the dresses. I''d panicked.


    I didn''t know what to do.


    At the very least, I could apologize.


    So I walked to the closet door and knocked. "Elva? Can I talk to you?"Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    Her little, sniffling voice came through the door. "Can I go to the party?"


    "No, honey, I''m sorry."


    *Then, no!" she shouted.


    *Please, Elva. I just want to apologize. I''m so sorry for hurting your feelings. I wish you coulde to the ball with me, I do. But you just can''t..." I said.


    The door opened a crack, and Elva looked through it with one eye. "Why not?"


    I didn''t want to lie anymore. "You just can''t."


    "But... I can be g-good. I''ll do chores!"


    *Oh, honey, you are good! It has nothing to do with how you''ve behaved." I dropped to my knees,ing down to be level with her. "It''s not your fault at all."


    The eye of Elva''s that I could see welled with tears. "It''s not fair.."


    "No," I agreed. "It''s not. I''m so sorry, honey."


    Slowly, the door opened more, and she stepped out. She held out her arms, asking for a hug, and I returned it at once. I held her as she cried, and I cried a bit too.


    When Jane was captured, and everything was safe again, I would take her to every event I could. Every ball. Every dinner. I''d make her a hundred different dresses if it would make her smile.