The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles, #1)

Chapter 29

After that, the rest of the week flew by and Christmas Eve was upon us. Classes still met, but they released early. I was dumping my books at my locker when Angel found me.

"Surprise!" She shoved a package wrapped in red tissue paper into my arms. "Merry Christmas, Sloane."

"Oh." I was taken aback; I hadn't gotten her anything. Actually, I hadn't gotten anyone anything because I was so poor. "Thank you, but you shouldn't have."

"Please," she said, waving me off. "It's nothing much, but I'll bet Aden will be speechless when he sees you in it. See you tonight!" She winked at me and danced off before I could inquire what it was.

I didn't dally. Though the ball wasn't until later that evening, I wanted to take as much time as I could to get ready. Thinking about my date with Aden – my first official date ever – made my palms sweat. I hadn't forgotten about our kiss, and the thought of being twirled around in his arms all night made my stomach flip-flop. I was still a little uncomfortable with my outfit, a modest black dress I'd managed to scrounge up enough Krillion for at a local shop. It was clearly worn, with fraying seams, but I hoped if I did my make-up and hair well enough, nobody would really notice.

Rook walked me home, jabbering excitedly about Angel and the ball that evening. Things between us still weren't perfect, but I had decided Rook was the least of my worries.

"You really like her, don't you?" I asked.

He gave me a small smile. "Yeah, I do. A lot."

I laughed. The holiday spirit was contagious. "I'm happy for you, Rook. You deserve it."

He beamed at me, and for a few precious minutes, it felt like it did before, when we were younger and the world hadn't fallen apart.

After we said goodbye, I raced upstairs to get ready. I was used to dressing up for my mom's events and was actually pretty good at applying make-up and doing my hair. Though I preferred jeans and t-shirts, "dressing to kill" was sort of a specialty of mine, as I'd had plenty of practice.

I found myself growing anxious as I entered my room, eager to dig into Angel's present. I set the package on my bed and tore away the tissue paper. My jaw dropped. It was an evening gown made out of flowing ruby red gauze. The material gathered at one shoulder and dropped to the floor in a form fitting flow of red rhinestone studded poinsettias. Not only was the dress "to die for," but a pair of strappy silver heels came with it, along with some teardrop silver earrings and a matching bracelet. Angel had thrown in an entire outfit.

"Thank you, Angel," I whispered in awe, lifting the dress from the destroyed tissue paper.

Feeling incredibly excited, I hung it up and jumped into the shower, making sure I shone by the time I got out. I dried and styled my hair into long barrel curls that framed my face. My makeup was a little heavier – I had applied silver eye shadow and ruby lipstick for dramatic effect – but I looked glamorous and not cheap. After pulling on some underwear, I slipped into the dress. It fit like a glove, showing off my small waist while flaring out slightly around the hips. It was soft, and the material moved gracefully. I was a little more anxious about the shoes, but after putting them on, I found they weren't nearly as scary to walk around in as they looked. After placing the jewelry on my wrists and ears, I gave myself one last once-over in the mirror before starting down the stairs.

My first few steps were wobbly as I adjusted to balancing my weight on the spindly heels. I clutched the banister, just to be safe. The last thing I wanted was to break an ankle.

Aden was already at the door, decked head to toe in black military finery. The uniform was similar to the other one he often wore, only he looked more like a prince than an officer. His head turned, and I swear his jaw dropped.