The sunlight from the window doesn't have to wake me up this time.
My body wakes up full of energy today because I am genuinely excited to eat breakfast with my friends. As I aggressively brush my teeth, my hair is a mess, and I am still in my pajamas. My feet almost slip on the wooden floor as I rush to my closet.
I rush to throw on my mage cloak. The door quickly shuts behind me as I head toward the cafe.
The last thing I want is to be late. My eyes catch sight of most of my friends sitting at a table in the corner. Ivy and Neve are talking to each other. Zephyr and Matteo are arm wrestling. Leena is half asleep with her head on the table. Ignis is nowhere to be found yet. As I walk closer to the table, Matteo catches sight of my figure.
"Hey, man! Watch me beat Zephyr in an arm wrestle. He is going down!" he says as I see his arm visibly shaking to take down Zephyr's arm. From the looks of it, Matteo is not doing so well against him.
"Don't listen to him Nico, I am taking it easy against him," Zephyr says while grinning and looking into Matteo's eyes as if to intimidate him.
Smack!
Matteo's arm and hand hit the table with a strong enough thud that several other tables look at us. "Let's do this again!" Matteo says, visibly frustrated.
"Maybe another time," Zephyr says, grinning. I sit down, pretending I hear none of what has just happened.
The server comes over and takes my order. As everyone is talking to each other, I think about the events of last night. A serious shadow falls over my face as I realize the pressure of being an underground revolutionary leader.
"Hey, are you okay?" Ivy says to me, looking concerned.
Before I can respond, Leena spots Ignis coming over and immediately says, "Ignis, why are you late? That's so unlike you."
Ignis laughs and sits down next to me before replying to her. He is genuinely smiling with happiness and we are all wondering what is making him so happy.
"I apologize sincerely for being late. I was talking with the Principal Keeper, who shared some news that will be shared with you shortly. You will all know in about an hour, but I will tell you now. There will be a ballroom dancing event tonight called the Keeper Golden Ball. The Keepers want to hold it to raise morale among the students."
"Even though we know who they are, the event itself is not bad. It will make the students happier, even if the reasoning behind it is a lie," Ignis says in a somewhat cheerful tone.
"That sounds like a fun event!" Ivy says happily. The others are quick to agree.
"Would you like to go to the dance with me?" Zephyr asks Leena confidently. Leena replies, "Why not?"
Matteo also offers Neve to dance with him and she says yes, because she has nothing else to do for the night. That just leaves me and Ivy. Honestly, I am nervous about asking her out because I don't know if I can ask just as friends.
"Hey…Ivy, would you want to dance with me?" I say with as much confidence as I can muster up.
"I would love to!" Ivy says, giggling slightly.
My world feels more colorful from that moment forward.
I am not even kidding you. Seeing Ivy's smile reminds me of when we had fun at the waterfall together. I wonder if what I am feeling is truly more than just friends or just some weird feeling.
The breakfast continues as my friends discuss what they are going to wear and whatnot. As breakfast ends, the Keeper Principal announces over the magical intercom to have everyone meet in the West Arena as soon as possible. All the students gather from everywhere and we all walk together to the West Arena.
What's important about the West Arena? Nothing except it's the only Arena left on campus that is barely damaged. We all gather inside the Arena itself and wait as the Keeper Principal walks up on the platform.
"Thank you all for coming here despite the constant violence within the past few days. Our reports have confirmed the HLH has gone into hiding somewhere and we are safe for now."
"We promise that. To reward our victory from yesterday, we are holding an event tonight called the Keeper Golden Ball! The Keeper judges will assess the best pair at dancing, and they will award the best pair with a promotion and potentially magical artifacts," the Keeper Principal announces to everyone.
The students start rapidly whispering to each other. A lot of them are getting visibly excited, as this is a chance to be promoted without risking fighting in the field. A lot of the students are discussing dress ideas and asking each other out to dance.
The Keeper Principal signals everyone to be silent for a moment. "That will be all! We will hold the ball at 6:00 pm in this very place. You are all dismissed for now," he says.
Everyone is still so happy about the news. I am frankly so nervous about the event and about dancing with Ivy. I have no idea how to dance that well. Before the event, we all split up and do our things. I go back to my dorm to read. Everybody else does their own thing. Before anybody knows it, the time of the ball has arrived.
People's dresses and suits shine with brilliant colors. The fashion tastes of each couple range from minimalistic to extremely exotic. Many people love to combine their ballroom outfits with their elements. For example, the fire outlining the crimson suit of Ignis and the ice butterfly hairpin from his girlfriend Crystal Frost simply wows the crowd. Crystal's dress also has real snowflakes dancing across her dress.
The elegant music starts up, and everybody dances to the best of their ability. The only thing Ivy and I know how to do is the box step. One, two, three, and one, two, three, I keep saying to myself in my mind as we dance.
The feeling of my hand on Ivy's waist and holding her hand with my other hand is enough to distract me. We almost trip over each other, which I think is going to ruin the experience, but she ends up laughing, which makes me laugh as well. I love how she makes me feel comfortable in my skin.
Ignis and Crystal steal the show, which has an entire crowd forming around them. They are doing complex ballroom dancing techniques. They are doing an advanced version of the standard waltz. Their steps sound like feathers hitting the ground as Ignis twirls Crystal while they hold hands. The crowd goes wild over it.
Before we know it, the event has ended.
The Keeper Principal is about to announce the results of the dance. "The winners of the Keeper Golden Ball are Ignis Grey and Crystal Frost!" the Keeper Principal announces enthusiastically.
Everyone cheers happily. "Go Ignis!" several of the students shout together. "Go Crystal!," another group of students shouts in excitement.
The atmosphere feels so light for once, and I feel at ease. My friends surround me. Everyone is glad, and there is no violence going on in the academy. My hands still feel warm as I notice Ivy and I are still holding hands.
I am about to comment on it when I feel a warm sensation on my cheek for a moment. Ivy's cheek brushes up against mine. Before I can say anything, Ivy says to me, "It's your turn next!" as she disappears into the crowd.
I attempt to run after her, but she is nowhere to be found in the crowd. I guess I will have to try next time, as I raise my hand to feel my cheek. The warm sensation is still there. My mind still can't process everything. None of my friends can be located. My guess is they all are tired and go back to their dorms.
As I arrive back at my dorm, I change out of my suit into comfortable sleep clothes. What a night, I tell myself as I slowly fall asleep.
This is probably the best night of sleep I am going to get.