Calla gripped my hand tightly under the table. When I glanced at her, I saw the big grin on her face. “We’re almost there.”

My heart was racing, but not for the same reason as Calla’s. I knew I was partially to blame for the confusion at the end of the ball. Even if all the boys had done what they were supposed to, there still would’ve been some confusion with one extra girl at the table.

The one-note grandfather clock chimed, and every head turned toward the doors of the ballroom. Sarabeth led a procession of three men.

“The Elders,” Calla whispered.

The small entourage moved to stand between the two tables. Given they were called the Elders, I’d expected the men to be in their seventies or eighties. But only one appeared to be that old. He walked hunched over a silver can, seeming to shrink before our eyes. The man had thick white hair that stuck out on his head like quills on a porcupine’s back. I squirmed when he peered at me through his silver-rimmed glasses.

“I am Arthur,” he said. “This is Gorbon,” he pointed to a squat man on his left with a bald head and a bright red birthmark on his left cheek, “And Zander.” He nodded to the man on his right. Zander was the tallest of the three men, maybe in his mid-twenties, and more like hired security than an Elder.

“We are honored to be here to mark the end of this year’s season. We look forward to The Joining tonight,” Arthur said.

The girls clapped politely while the boys were loud, cheering and whistling. Arthur gave them an approving smile.

“Thank you,” Sarabeth said. “The Joining will begin in just a few moments. First, we will have a brief intermission while the girls get changed into more appropriate clothing.”

All the boys stood, giving us the signal we should leave our table. I followed the others out of the ballroom, then back to our rooms where Calla and I quickly changed into our white gowns. After I removed my lace-covered mask, I rubbed where the material had caused some itchiness. I dropped the mask on my dressing table, surprised to find a small black box.

“What’s this?” I asked, holding the box up for Calla to see.

She had already removed her mask and was touching up her makeup. “I think it must be our rings,” she said, holding up a similar box.

This was news to me because James had explained that in Judaculla, there were no such things as wedding bands. All the women wore a nearly identical J pendant. The only difference between them was the varying shades of gold or bronze metal. Since I had never seen Calla’s pendant, I assumed these would be presented by the boys after the last dance.