“I’ve been bored for centuries, Sebastian, but I highly doubt your business idea is going to change that. And I’m already one of the top businessmen in the world. There’s nowhere else to go.”
“There is in another industry, one that doesn’t exist yet.”
I rolled my eyes. “Get out of here. I’m not interested.”
“Xavier, please—”
“Wait, I do have a question for you,” I said.
“Shoot.”
“How in the hell are you walking around in the daylight?”
Sebastian’s smirk grew wider. “If you read my business proposal, I’ll tell you my secret.”
I groaned. “You’re just as annoying as you were two hundred years ago.”
“What can I say, I’m nothing if not persistent. So, we have a deal?”
I thought about it, not because I would go into business with my brother, but I did want to know his secret. It concerned me since the last time we found a way to walk in the daylight, it meant the decimation of an entire species.
“Fine, I’ll look over your business plan, but I make no promises other than that. And if I do, you’ll tell me the secret to walking in the daylight.”
“Deal,” Sebastian said, reaching his hand across the table.
I hesitated, since entering into any deal with my brother was the equivalent of selling my soul to the devil, but this seemed relatively minor. It would waste a few minutes of my time, nothing more. And besides, I didn’t have a soul anymore anyway.
I grabbed the packet out of the trash can and placed it on my desk with a heavy sigh. Before I could open it, Sebastian said, “I’m starving. Think I’m going to grab a bite to eat.”
“Sebastian, please don’t—” I wanted to tell him not to eat the locals. He looked too much like me, and the last thing I wanted was for him to raise suspicions. But he was gone, out the door in a flash before I could say a word.
I groaned, knowing that in his wake, he probably left a lot of confused and startled people. I pushed myself out of my chair and walked to the dining room where people were clearly talking about what they’d just witnessed.
“What was that? A draft?”
“It looked like a person, but no way.”
I raised a hand and made my announcement. “Sorry folks, I left a back door open and there was a big gust of wind, nothing more.”
No other way to explain it, at least as far as they could tell. Many of them seemed shocked still but shrugged it off and continued with their meal as if nothing had happened.
Sebastian lived his life carelessly. If he thought I was going to live that kind of life alongside him, he was dead wrong.
I turned to head back into my office when my eyes fell on Kara. She caught me staring and stared back, a small smile on her lips. She was dressed in her street clothes and heading for the door.
The world around us seemed to disappear. It was just Kara and me, and I saw her wearing that silky black gown from my dream. She blushed and turned away, and the room around us appeared to be normal again.
Kara wouldn’t look at me again; instead she turned and rushed to the back, her cheeks bright red. It was like we had the same thought, remembered the same dream, but that was impossible.
Kara
“There, mostly laced up. No need to go all the way since you’re just going to take it off,” Julia said, standing back to admire her handiwork.
I turned around carefully, the bottom of my dress bowing outward, requiring a wider berth than I was used to. As soon as I saw myself in the mirror, I couldn’t stop smiling.
“It’s perfect,” I gushed.
With only days to put the costume together, Julia’s mother and the two of us had done a damn fine job. Maybe not completely historically accurate - we were fairly limited on time and didn’t want to spend a fortune on a Halloween costume - but it was close enough that people would understand what I was going for.
The light blue and white dress came complete with a corset top that cinched in my waist and made it look tiny compared to the bottom part of the dress, which poofed out around me. The corset top also pushed out my chest a bit, giving me even more cleavage than normal.
“Oh, can’t forget this,” Julia handed me a jewel encrusted fan.
My eyes widened as I ran my fingers over the elaborate jewels and artwork on the fan. “Where did you get this?”
Julia grinned. “I made it.”
“You made this?” I squeaked, gazing at the intricate fan.
“Yeah, consider it my gift to you.”
Tears welled in my eyes. My best friend had always been artistic, though life had prevented her from pursuing her talents. She had to take care of her mother, who had health issues, and work to support the two of them. The fact that she took time out of her busy life to make me something so beautiful meant the world to me.
“Thank you,” I said, reaching for her. It was hard to hug with such a big dress, but I did my best. “I feel bad I didn’t get you something for your costume.”
“That’s not how gifts work, silly,” Julia laughed. “Besides, I have everything I need for my costume.”
Julia’s costume lay on her bed, untouched. She’d wanted me to try mine on first, to make sure we knew how to lace a corset and put it together fairly quickly. I wouldn’t be able to wear it to work, but rather would change into it after I got off.
We were going to pile my hair on top of my head and give me some big, poofy curls. I hoped they’d hold up throughout my short shift. I’d freshen my makeup afterward too, since surely it would melt off. I stuck to simple makeup for work and packed the rest into my purse to reapply afterward. Most of my costume would come together later, but Julia could wear hers to work and was encouraged to do so as a hostess greeting people.
“Alright, let’s get me out of this and work on you next,” I said.
“We don’t have to do much for me,” Julia laughed. “Just my hair and makeup, which will be pretty simple.”
Julia had chosen a simple, elegant costume. A lot of people told her she looked like Audrey Hepburn, so that made her costume decision easy. A simple black sheath gown, long black gloves, a pearl necklace, a tiara, and a cigarette holder, minus the cigarette of course, and voila! Instant Holly Golightly costume. Classy and luxurious, perfect for greeting VIPs as they entered and enjoyed their meals prior to the party.
“We’re gonna look so hot,” Julia said as I helped fix her hair. “And like, classy hot too. We’re going to fit right in with the celebs and socialites.”
As I looked at her in the mirror, I couldn’t help but agree.
Ooo000ooo
The mirrors in the bathroom weren’t full-length, but I’d have to make do. After several hours of cooking for the meal before the ball, my time had come to actually enjoy it. Julia and I were crowded into the bathroom giggling like idiots as I slipped into the gigantic gown and she laced me into my corset top. A few of my curls fell free, which we had to fix. Nothing a couple bobby pins couldn’t handle.
Then came the makeup - lots and lots of makeup, which was something I wasn’t used to wearing. A light powder to my hair and face, along with some lipstick and long, black eyelashes. Again, we weren’t going for a hundred percent accuracy here, but I thought the end result looked good.