Perfect Pet

Ch. 9: Silver Tongue

I hadn't seen much of my vampire classmates yet. Mostly consisting of seeing their backs as they moved down the halls in the opposite direction from me, there wasn't enough to leave an impression yet. No one explained why we were kept separate but I assumed they wanted the ball to be our formal introduction. Everyone would be dressed to kill and the big names in vampire society would be there to oow and aww over us. Vampires were a lot like humans in that they wanted to find couples to root for.

Not wanting to be alone, I decided to go to Claire's room to hang out. Kali spent most of her free time in the library reading and didn't appreciate interruptions. She was following through on her research idea and peppered me with new facts she learned at lunch. I wasn't loud by nature but even I couldn't understand how she could sit in silence for so long without moving. It was easy to see her starting to relax though, whatever she was finding soothing that part of her that was still apprehensive about the whole situation.

Closing my door, I headed down the hall to Claire's room. She had a sharp tongue and even sharper sense of humor, making for just the distraction I needed as River's absence yawned in me stronger than ever.

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The sound of the zipper sliding up let me know that I was ready to go. It was Saturday night and my first time to see what being in the vampire world was actually like. My experiences amounted to only Benjii and he wasn't even in the same stratosphere as the ones coming tonight. I might as well just say this was my first time being around them. Technically true since Turned and Pureblood vampires were as different as night and day. Would my prior engagements with my mother be enough? Or would I embarrass myself to the point of no return? I swallowed hard at the picture, trying to stay calm even as my freshly painted nails dug into the soft skin of my palms.

Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach, the feel of their wings tempting me to throw up.

Thanking the seamstress for her help, I had one last look at myself in the mirror before joining everyone else out in the hall. My chestnut hair was pinned in a stiff bun with a braided crown. A favorite go-to that I was able to do on my own and was quick to pull off. My eyes were done with a shimmery rose gold shadow and a sharp wing. Mascara made my naturally long lashes flan out and dark red lipstick was the needed pop of color. The overall look was sleek and sophisticated, just what I was going for. It would be hard to overlook me like this.

"You look great," Claire greeted when she saw me. Kali nodded her head in confirmation.

"Thanks." My intertwined fingers were not cooperating as I tried untangling them.

"You alright?" Claire narrowed her eyes in concern, the amber tones more pronounced thanks to a brown smoky eye. "No reason to be afraid. They can smell fear you know."

"They can?" Kali chocked out, face paling under her foundation.

"How the fuck should I know? It's an expression." Claire turned away from her, fed up with her simplicity.

"You've got such a potty mouth. Is it really necessary?" Kali huffed at her back, her mouth popping open in indentation when Clair only turned around long enough to stick out her tongue.

Their bickering calmed me down and I chuckled at their antics. It wasn't an act for me which helped ease the tension in my shoulders even more. If they were relaxed enough to fight on a day like this then I could walk into that ballroom with my head held high. It was okay to be scared but I couldn't let it rule me. I had done that before and look where it got me. I was repeating the matrix in my head when Miss Roham stepped around the bend, her stern eyes glaring at us behind her spectacles. "Is everyone ready, girls?