I heard my stepmother speaking in the background, telling him to hurry up. "Alright, well have fun at your party. Take care of yourself. Be safe."
"I will. Thanks." The lump in my throat sunk like a rock to my stomach.
"Love you, Snow Angel. Talk to you soon."
"Love you-" The phone clicked off. "Too."
Chapter 6
I stood in front of my full-length mirror unable to believe the reflection was mine. Snow White. Klutzy tomboy turned vampire with a fondness for boyish hand-me-downs and Converse. I ran my fingers through the fluffy skirt. Hundreds of different sized ruffles in a soft, see-through material were capped with red satin ribbon. The tight bodice felt like a seamless hug-not to tight, not to loose. The dress hung at just the right length and looked awesome with my red Converse (yeah, not even Cindy could talk me out of my shoe choice). They were brand new. One of the pairs Professor Pops gave me (not the pair from the Vampire Queen). I had a feeling he'd picked out the color to go with my dress. He knew me better than most.
Except maybe the Vampire Queen, my inner voice cringed.
"You look tres gorgeous, Snow," Cindy said.
I laughed internally guessing she must've decided French wasn't as boring as she thought.
I turned back and forth, checking my reflection at different angles. "Thanks Cindy. You did an amazing job on my hair."
She grinned. "No duh. You're going to be the most beautiful girl at the ball tonight."
I snorted. "Whatever."
Cindy shook her head and continued to pet Gatsby, who sat on her lap, purring nosily. She still wore her jeans but had a strapless nude bra on top.
The party was in a half hour, but we'd agreed to meet at Professor Pops' twenty minutes ago.
Cindy's hair was in three loose French braids that came together in the back, near the nape of her neck. She'd curled the ends and pinned them into a bun and put little baby blue flowers in between the curls. Her makeup was a little darker than normal. "Dramatic," was what she called it.
My eye makeup was similar. On her lips she had a light pink gloss. On my lips was a dark red that matched my dress. Cindy spent an hour using different sizes of irons to put curls all over my head. Then she teased and backcombed until my dark hair was like a curly cloud. She left my bangs straight and used some kind of goop to make it stay to one side. I looked like me, only different. Older. More sophisticated.
"You gonna get dressed?" I asked turning to face her.
She nudged Gatsby off her lap and stood. "Yep, right now. Will you help zip me?"
"Sure."
She slid off her jeans and walked over to my opened bedroom door where she'd hung her dress. Beneath was a box, and she removed the most gorgeous, but dangerous-looking pair of shoes I'd ever seen. The heels were thin, like glass, but probably six inches tall. Gunmetal beads adorned the band across the foot and the cuff that went around the ankle.
"You're going to wear those?" I asked, wondering how she'd walk.
"Of course, silly." She slid them on and buckled the cuff. She looked taller than me. "Wow," I said as she unzipped the black garment bag.
"Wow, good, right?" Cindy asked sliding a strapless sequined dress out. "My legs appear slender, and my ass looks toned?"
"Definitely," I said. Who was I to question the girl who lived, breathed, and ate fashion? Certainly not me.
She stepped into the dress and I zipped it up. It was sleek, and clung to her every curve. Each sequin was the size of a penny, and the exact shade of her shoes. Underneath the sequins was a baby blue material in the same color as the ruffled bottom of her dress. She looked like a mermaid. The most dazzling mermaid I'd ever seen. "You look amazing, Cin."
She walked over to the mirror, pulling and tugging on the dress until it was just so. She turned to check out the back. "You think?" she asked, though she knew I knew it was fact. She would be the best looking girl at the ball.
"Since you're the birthday girl, we ought to get you there before everyone else, right?" she asked, walking to the door.
"I suppose," I said, suddenly nervous. I sat on my bed, as though a heavy weight pushed me down. My shoulders turned in. I hadn't had blood in a while. Professor Pops gave me more of the bloodlust tea, and I drank it, but we both agreed it probably wasn't doing any good now that I was no longer a revenant. At this point even Cindy's blood, which wasn't all that fragrant, caused my canines to quiver with need. If she offered, I'd take it, but I really wanted Gabe's, or Christopher's...
Or Dorian's, my inner voice cooed.
"What's wrong? You shouldn't sit. You'll ruin the lay of your dress."