A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

"Don't worry, my brothers are pros at this. The fireworks they make are way better than anything you could buy at the store," Calliope said matter-of-factly, a confident grin on her face.

She had no doubt about their skills.

Portia nodded, "True, nobody's gonna play around with their own safety. If they're setting them off, they must be really good."

She looked up at the sky, her eyes full of excitement. "The ones we just saw were already amazing. Do you think the next ones will be even better?"

"Of course!" Calliope replied, her gaze brightening.

Silas, still holding Calliope's hand, glanced over at Quentin, who was prepping another round of fireworks. "Should I have brought some of my own? Maybe something extra special?"

Calliope laughed. "No need. My brothers brought enough to light up the whole neighborhood. Just relax and enjoy the show."

She turned back to the others, pride bubbling in her voice. "Quentin's been making fireworks since we were kids. He's a total genius, and he's even better at it now. Nobody does it like him."

She knew Quentin was talented, not just at fireworks, but at almost everything. Among their group, he was always the calmest, the most reliable, the guy you could count on for anything.

Silas couldn't help but tease, a hint of jealousy in his voice, "So I'm not impressive, huh?"

Calliope grinned at him. "You're in a league of your own. Everyone's got their strengths, no need to compare."

To her, they were all important in different ways. There was no ranking in her heart.

Silas just nodded, letting it go.

Suddenly, the next homemade firework exploded above them-a burst of color, like a thousand stars painted across the winter sky. Red, blue, gold, green-the whole world seemed to glow under the dazzling lights.

It was bigger than anything anyone else had set off that night. In fact, you could probably see it from every corner of town. For a moment, it felt like the whole city had stopped to watch.

Calliope and the others were stunned, jaws dropped, completely awestruck.

One after another, the fireworks kept coming, each one more beautiful and creative than the last. They stood there for ages, just soaking it all in.

When the last firework faded, Calliope suddenly remembered the time. Uriah had already shown up, but Archie still hadn't arrived. That was odd; surely he'd finished dinner with his family by now?

"Callie, let's light this one next! You used to love the big ones you had to carry

over your shoulder," Norton called, lugging a massive firework toward her.

"Hang on, let me make a call first," Calliope said, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Silas asked, concern in his voice.noveldrama

"Archie still isn't here. I'm getting worried," she replied, already pulling out her phone to dial Archie's number.

She knew all too well what Archie's home life was like. Things had gone badly in the past, and she couldn't

shake the uneasy feeling. She

almost blamed herself for forgetting about him.

But when she called, she got nothing. His phone was off. Her face went pale.

Something was definitely wrong.

Seeing the worry on her face, Silas and the others gathered around.

"Callie, what happened?" Portia asked gently.

"Can't get hold of Archie?" Mavis guessed, her own concern obvious. Archie was

the only one not there, and now everyone was starting to worry.