cover the arch are made with hundreds of stringed faux-beryl crystals that sparkle under the fairy lights

behind them.

Lila and Dad both wear white—Dad, a suit with a dried silver rose drooping out of his pocket. Lila,

a gown with the same dead silver roses woven in the bodice. They feed each other olive-pesto-stuffed

capsicums, and nibble kisses on each other’s fingers.

A hand lands on my shoulder, jerking me out of my observations.

“What’re you daydreaming about, pussycat?” Ernie asks, shifting his chair a touch nearer. Dressed

in a black suit with white buttons, a bow tie, and a bowler hat, Ernie has a cross of wood hanging with

string slung over his back. He’d held it above Annie as they arrived. Puppet and Puppeteer.

He waves a hand in front of my face. “Calling Cooper . . .”

I slap him away with a chuckle. “It’s all so much but I’m happy for them.”

Ernie drinks his cocktail and stares at Dad and Lila. “You’ve got an awesome family, Cooper.”

He focuses his gaze on me and grins, but it’s a shy grin; one I’m not used to seeing on him. “I hope

one day I can be a part of it.”

I sit straighter, my foot knocking into the leg of the table. “You and Annie?”

I don’t say the rest, but he bites his lip and nods.

“I never thought I could ever be so lucky. She’s special.”

“Yes, she is.”

“Would you bless it, if I—”

“You’re going to ask?”

“Soon.”

I pull him into a hug. “If you hurt my sis, I’ll make your life miserable.”

“Good. If I did that, I’d deserve it.”

Annie comes and whispers something to Ernie. He nods and she leaves.

“What’s that about?”

“She’s got a little something to do.”

The waiters serve parmesan-lemon risotto with fried oyster mushrooms and roasted cauliflower

purée.

Jace’s chair is hauntingly vacant. He flew in a few days ago but other than stiff hellos and awkward

conversation, we’ve avoided each other.

As though we wanted to say more but didn’t know how, we ducked into bathrooms or the kitchen

pantry or the garage when we caught sight of the other. I’d seen him enough to know he looked the

same, with a few more creases around the eyes. Laughter I hadn’t been part of.

I search the crowd for his Prince Charming suit: a gold blazer with brass buttons, tassels coming off

the shoulders, and a blue sash. I don’t see—

The music and chattering crowds hush to a silence.

Jace’s voice comes over the speakers, laughter at the edges. “For Mum and Dad, may this day haunt

you and your dreams forever.”

The first few strokes of the piano echo in my belly. It’s perfect in every way.

“Time Warp!” Lila cries. She starts singing along with Jace, while Dad pitches his voice higher and

Annie’s voice hits the speakers.

Ernie grins at my sideways stare. His huge grin lights up the room more than fairy light wetas

dangling from the ceilings as chandeliers. “She’s great, right?”

“Yeah, yeah.” The food is delicious, but all I can do is stare and pick at it.

“You all right?” Ernie asks, eying my food like he wants to gobble my plate.

I slide it over to him. “Fine. I need the bathroom anyway.”

I zigzag through the crowds to the arch leading to the foyer and the band. Jace has removed his

blazer and plays with graceful energy. My sister and Jace are sharing a stool and a microphone. I lean in

the shadows of the doorway and wish I knew a comfortable way to minimize the distance between us.

I slink back into the dining room crowds and make my way to the kitchen, which is temporarily

repurposed into a bar. I perch on a stool and order whiskey. I sip and observe the head table outside. At

the tail end of my drink, Annie and Jace return for their dinner.

I swirl the last sip of whiskey, ice clinking against the side of the glass. Rings of condensation mark

the marble bench.

Someone tugs on my sleeve. I twist. Annie in a smooth doll mask. “Help me for a minute?”

“Sure.”

She pinches my sleeve and drags me to the back room where the wedding gifts are stored. The

whole side of one room is filled with colorfully wrapped boxes with large, obnoxious bows.

“What’s up?” she asks, pulling her mask up to her pinned hair.

“Sorry? What do you—?”

“Mean? Don’t think I haven’t noticed how weird you two are acting. Ernie said you were acting

weird too.”

I swallow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That might work on someone else but not your sister. I know you. You haven’t spoken to Jace all

evening. Barely at all since he came home. What happened?”

I shift in my boots and brace a hand on my fake sword. The cape I’m wearing seems to be choking

me and I unclasp it. The black material puddles at my feet. “It’s been a busy few days, we just haven’t

had time—”

“Not the last three days. What happened to you two? You used to be best friends.” She moves to the

present pile and traces her fingers over the tops of bows and ribbons. “There was even a time when I

thought—” She shakes her head. “Never mind.”

The truth of her suspicions shows in the way she looks at me then looks away.

I fold my arms over a shiver. “What did you think?”

Annie stills her hand on the largest present, silver with drops of fake blood, the one I gave Dad and

Lila. “I—I mean . . .”

Her inability to form the sentence confirms it. I sigh, glad for the whiskered mask even though it

doesn’t change facts.

“And if it was true?” I ask, voice cracking.

“I don’t care.” She lifts her chin and stares right at me. “Broken home, broken rules, right?”

My throat tightens and I shut my eyes for a few beats. Annie closes the distance between us and

rubs my upper arm. “That type of broken is something we all have to live with and accept; but the

broken between you and Jace . . . we all feel it. Dad and Lila too. We want things to be good between

you.”

God, how I wished that too.

Annie kisses my cheek under the mask. “Let’s go back out. We could dance?”

But I don’t think I can face a crowd yet. I need a moment to pull myself together. “Maybe later?”

“Right. I’d better check Dad isn’t pulling Ernie apart piece by piece.”

The air stirs as she shuts the door. I move to the window seat and sit.

Broken home, broken rules.

I breathe in the sharp relief of her words and peel off my mask. I peer at the darkness outside, the

windowpane cold against my forehead. My breath fogs against the glass, and I scribble Jace’s name

through it. I wish things could be how they were then—

The door bursts open. I scrub Jace’s name off the window and leap from the windowsill.

Dad and Lila stop kissing when they see me. “What are you doing in here?”

What are you doing in here? “Just making sure my gift was in order.”

Lila giggles. “Your dad and I just wanted to . . . peek at the gifts.”

Yeah, that’s what they were doing in here. “Well don’t let me stop you.” I cut toward the door but

Dad slings an arm across my neck. “This is the happiest day of my life. Thank you for making

everything so wonderful.”

In the distance, a loud scream sounds remarkably like Ernie.

Dad laughs. “And it just got better.”

I grin. “How many other tricks do you have up your sleeve?”

Lila grabs a present and vigorously unwraps it. “You can also find treats upstairs.”

I leave them to their shenanigans and head toward the chocolate-lava cake. Ernie’s fake blood drips

all down his front and he’s swearing under his breath. “They’re going to pay for that.”

“Oh, yes,” Annie says, dabbing his neck with a napkin. “Let me help you plot.”

I sit and shift my chair in closer to the table. A piece of paper catches my eye. Slipped under my