Dani glanced around, trying not to cringe away from everyone. Remembering how these people had watched dispassionately as she was transformed against her will kept her from getting comfortable. Now and then, women she didn’t know approached her, congratulating her on her sixteenth. All seemed eerily normal, no cage, no casting spells, no talk of witches. Even the banner no longer mentioned a “witchday” but only read HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAT AND DANI!
“You’ve grown so fast, my dear,” gushed one middle-aged lady in a purple flowered dress as she emerged from the crowd. She gave Dani a one-armed hug as her other hand expertly kept her drink from spilling. “Your mother must be so proud to have such a lovely daughter.”
“What are you talking about?” Dani answered. “You know I didn’t grow up like this. You were there when my sister-”
“Ah-ah.” The woman cheerfully silenced the girl with a finger to her lips. “We mustn’t talk about such things, right now. Your mundane guests have started to arrive.”
“Mundane?”
“Oh, you know, humans.” The woman leaned forward to whisper. “Non-magic. We can’t have them finding out about us. They wouldn’t understand.”
Dani nodded, backing away slowly. “Okay. Um, makes sense.” It struck her as odd that she was clearly no longer included in this “mundane” category. “Well, I’d better go greet them. Pardon me, uh, ma’am.”
Smiling, the woman raised her glass and gave her a wink. “Just call me Helena. And I’ll see you again, soon, Dani.”