The Scared and The Scarred

Chapter 2

When I woke the next morning, I was pleasantly surprised to realize I had got a good nights sleep, despite my worries. After getting out of bed, I put on my robe and made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen, making myself a rather large cup of coffee, my morning ritual. Adding milk and hazelnut creamer, I stirred it, taking a sip and smiling. I loved coffee enough to practically live on it.

I made my way back up the stairs, careful not to spill my coffee, and took a seat in front of my vanity. I pulled a curling iron from one of the drawers and turned it on. Finishing my coffee, I brushed my hair, and began the long process of curling my waist length black hair. After about an hour or two, my hair finally fell in large curls. I had made sure not to let the curls fall flat though, leaving my hair with quite a bit of body to it. I now started my makeup, using a brush to apply foundation the exact shade of my skin, then adding concealer and bronzer to perfectly contour my face. I brushed a little highlighter over my cheekbones, giving them a light glow.

Winged eyeliner traced my eyelid, over the top of light pink shadow. Alecia had insisted I wear fake lashes, telling me every other girl there would be. I had picked a soft pair that weren't too long, but looked natural, light and beautiful. I applied them and stared at my reflection. It looked like me, but a way better version. My skin looked perfect, and my eyes sparkled. I smiled at the mirror, touching my face with my manicured hand. Alecia had done my nails yesterday. They were now longer, an oval shape painted a pearl white. She said they would look perfect with my dress.

My dress sat in my closet in a zipped bag that hadn't been touched since it had been brought in yesterday. I was both excited and scared to look at it. I walked over to it, taking it out of my closet and laying it on my bed. Slowly, I unzipped the bag, revealing the dress to me for the first time. I pulled it out, took my robe off and slipped it on.

The gown was gorgeous. Since it was custom made for me, the fit was perfect. The top all the way down to my waist was form fitting. It was a nude pink color and covered in jewels that ran into the silky, flowing, white skirt of the dress.

My back was completely exposed and no matter how many times I tugged on the sleeves, they rested on my wrists. I stood in front of the mirror for an hour thinking over every word I would speak, every reaction I would have to any problem that may arise. I thought about how many people may be there, a few hundred? A thousand? My heart rate increased and I subconsciously tugged on my sleeves again, uncaring of the fact I knew they would never reached my hands.

"Celia, are you ready?" My fathers voice spoke from the bottom of the stairs. I was shocked it was already time to go, I knew the ball started at 6, so it must have taken me longer to get ready than I thought. "Yes.." My reply was quiet, voice shaking. "Alright then, lets get going, we have to arrive with Aulex and since he's alpha he has to be early." I put on my shoes, which were a tall heel the same color as my dress, took one last look in the mirror, and walked out the door before I ran into the bathroom and locked myself in, away from the rest of the world.

My dad was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, when he saw me, he smiled, and began making his way to the front door, knowing I would be following. We stepped outside and I was shocked to see a shiny black limo parked in front of our house. He opened the door motioning for me to get in. Once inside, I tried counting in my head to calm my wild heart beat, but it wasn't working. This limo spoke more about this ball than my father had, it was going be very fancy, and there were going to be many guests. We don't rent vehicles like this unless were trying to impress a large number of packs.

Not realizing the limo had stopped, the door opening broke me out of my thoughts. I hadn't realized we we're already here. Had I zoned out for that long? I took a deep breath, pulled on my sleeves, and stepped carefully out of the car. I nearly stopped breathing as I took in my surroundings. We had pulled up to a huge, beautiful hotel. There were too many people dressed in gowns and tuxes walking up the stairs to the entrance to count. I walked as closely to my father as I could, keeping my head down, and my face covered by my perfectly curled hair.