The Cheshire cat smile that appeared on Velaria’s face proved how much she adored all things regarding appearances and most of all, her obsession which was to doll people up. She had always wanted to dress Arianna in a way that would accentuate her beautiful hourglass figure, a figure that was uncommon to the Nocturnes who were mostly slim and figureless, making even the most gorgeous girls look boyish in fact. That made the rest of the girls in their school green with envy. But they covered up their envy by labelling it as an abnormality instead of what it really was; true beauty. The rumours that spread made Arianna so self-conscious that she never wore anything that was sleeveless or bare-backed. She hardly wore dresses for that matter; the only time she did was for public function where her attendance was compulsory such as the upcoming ball. Finally I have the chance to change how she looks at herself. If I’m lucky some of those girls might even be there. I can’t wait to see their faces after I’ve given Ari the make-over that’s passed due. Arianna’s voice brought her back from her thoughts.
‘So.....will you
help me?’ Arianna asked while getting up and smoothing down her slightly mussed
hair.
‘Of course I
will. Just leave it to me. I’ll personally pick everything out from the
jewellery you’ll be decked out with to the hair and make-up. All you have to do
on that day is come over to my place 3 hours before the ball starts.’ Velaria
replied brightly.
What! Three hours? Arianna
was about to squeak out loud when her phone began to ring. Why would Dominic be calling at ten in the morning? He normally wakes
up just after noon. She stared at the screen, her porcelain doll face
creased into a small frown as her finger hovered over the buttons.
‘Hey, Dom.
Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?’ Arianna answered as she pressed the phone
to her ear and cupped the other hand around the speaker.
Dominic’s usual
hypnotic voice drifted through the phone, ’I could say the same about you, but
judging by Velaria’s conversation in the background I guess she dragged you out
to get a gown for the ball.’ he drawled. Arianna turned to find Velaria conversing
with the salesgirl and rolled her eyes. No matter how many times Dominic
displayed his exceptional hearing, Arianna still doubted his supposedly
boastful claim of having the best hearing among their peers.
‘I’m a vampire
just like you and my hearing can’t even compare with yours. Who did you make a
deal with to obtain such an outstanding skill?’ she grumbled. Dominic
chuckled, ’ I have my grandfather to thank for that. The gene must have come
from him. Till this day, I have yet to successfully sneak up on him. There’s
also the fact that Vela told me yesterday she was going to take you shopping. I
suppose you could say I did have a hint.’ There was a trace of a smile in his
voice.
‘You could have had
a lead with that. Now, I guess you didn’t just call to ask which gown I chose?
Is there something wrong?’ Arianna voiced with a hint of concern. ‘Nothing major.
It’s just that Max called and wanted to meet us for tea later at 3pm.’
Maxwell Rigel,
also known as the Regent of the Nocturne society who just happened to be
Dominic’s grandfather was the only person on the Council who knew the part they
played in keeping the Nocturne society harmonious and hold the power their
society had in check. A secret that they strove to keep.
‘I’ll pass the
message onto Vela. What about Adrian? Have you told him yet or is he still
hung-over? It’s a Sunday after all and he’d most probably been up partying all
night yesterday.’ Arianna used to wonder what her twin saw in Adrian. Her first
impression of Adrian was that he was a playboy just like any other Nocturnes
who lured girls in with his angelic looks and went through bottles of liquor
like water. However, when she had been mourning Gabriel’s death, he was one of
the few people she leaned on for comfort besides Dom and Vela. Since then, she knew
he could be trusted and together the four of them became the best friends that
they are today, inseparable and bonded by ties of trust. Of course, trust among
them hadn’t just magically appeared with a snap of a finger. In the two years
since Gabriel’s death, the four of them had forged a bond that was unbreakable
and steady, almost as strong as a blood bond. Christine was evidence of just
how deep their trust in each other ran. But that was a story for another time.
‘I just spoke with
him. He’s wide awake and he says he acquired some information while he was out
yesterday, so he proposed we meet at Cove later at 1pm before going for tea.
How does that sound?’ Dominic asked.
Arianna replied,
’Sounds good to me. See you then Dom.’
‘I can hardly wait.
See you, Arianna...’ he answered softly. She still heard the trace of a smile
in his voice. The gentle click of the receiver ended the call.
by S.Dawn & R.Shiori
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