#Chapter 44: The Balcony

Gasping, I turned to the origin of the noise: the sky. Pink sparks combusted in front of the clouds. Then orange. Then blue. Then gold. An array of dazzling colors exploded in bursting hued sparkles against the sky, as it was jewelry. Amazed, I started at the sky in both terror and half enchantment. Did they color-code bombs now? Aldrich’s laughter was almost louder than the sky. He watched me as I cowered away, and I turned on him with annoyance. “Why are you laughing at me? What is that?” “You’ve never seen fireworks before?” he asked in a tone that implied I should have very indeed known about them. I slapped his arm. “Don’t make fun of me!” I commanded, still slightly afraid. “No,” I whispered under my breath. “They are simply colorful explosives,” he informed me, chuckling. I frowned as worry washed over me. “So they are bombs?” “What?” he asked, laughing, “no! They are for celebration or display.” “Oh