Page 25 of Midnight Whispers
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I tugat the hem of the short black dress Flora demanded that I wear. Between the low-cut neckline exposing the top of my breasts and the length barely cupping below my ass, this dress is leavingverylittle to the imagination.
“These can’t really be ourcostumes, Flo. Can this even really be considered a dress?” I ask as I look myself over in the mirror.
She’s curled my hair, which has fallen into loose beachy waves down my back. The makeup might be just as bad as the dress, honestly. Flora covered my eyelid in shimmery dark gray eyeshadow—asmokey eyeis what she called it—and put a deep red lipstick on my full lips. Only after adding the fake fangs, of course.
“You look hot as fuck, Lil. Please, babe,” Flora begs, “for one night don’t be such a prude. Mystery man will bebeggingyou to take him home in this. Now hold still!” She drips fake blood onto my bottom lip. It begins to run down my chin and dries quickly.
I sigh heavily. “I don’t even look likemyself.”
“That’s the point, goof. It’s Halloween!” She stands back and looks me up and down. “I’ll be shocked if you don’t get laid tonight.” I look away from her, refusing to acknowledge the heat that’s blooming in my cheeks. I would never be good at poker, and I’ve never been able to lie. My face gives away literallyeverything.
“The Uber is here. Let’s go!” she exclaims.
The drive to the building where the event is being held isn't long. It used to be the original government building or something, so it's near the center of town. Vines crawl up the cream-colored building, invading the brick and wooden framed door and windows. Most of the town, if not every adult, are in attendance and dressed to impress.
The costumes range from scary to, well, slutty and I’m fitting into the slutty category tonight. However, the heads that are turning in my direction are making me feel… sexy, maybe even powerful. I adjusted my dress, pulling down the hem and trying to adjust the top to expose my breasts some more.
Flora looks at me and gleams with pride. “Yesss, bitch! You have the curves, now show them off!”
The inside has been transformed into a great party space, and like most of the town's events, there was no expense spared. Halloween has been one of the town's favorite holidays to celebrate for generations and this has always been one of the biggest events. It’s after ten, so all the families have left the party and returned to their homes, and now it's mainly the singles and the adults who are childless that are here. I look around the room for Cedar, but I don’t see him anywhere.
Flora turns to me with a grin. “It’s an open bar, so I’m going to get us something! What do you want?”
“I don't like to drink, Flo. You know that!”
“Okay! If you change your mind, let me know!” she sings, and smiles while walking over to the bar.
I follow the music into the room behind the stairs. The only lights are the colored ones coming from above the DJ booth. There are a ton of people dancing in the space, so it's a little crowded for my liking. But it takes almost no time at all before I get lost in the music, feeling the rhythm sending waves through my body. My movements are fueled by the sensation of being watched. I dance through a couple of songs before I realize how ridiculously thirsty I’ve become, so I head to the bar. Looking through the crowd as I make my way across the first floor, I’m searching for Flora while also looking for Cedar again.
“Can I have some water?” I ask the bartender, ignoring the awkward side glances from the others standing at the counter.
She hands me a bottle of water and I mutter my thanks as she goes back to taking orders from everyone else. A chill blow through the room and the hairs on my neck stand up. My attention directs across the room, to the dark corner near the threshold.
The breath hitches in my throat as I make eye contact with someone leaning up against the wall. He has one leg propped up, maintaining his balance. I look him over. He’s dressed in all black, but his striking dark brown, almost black, eyes command my attention. They almost get lost in the skeleton face paint he’s wearing It’s both terrifying and alluring at the same time.
The corner of his mouth curls mischievously, but his eyes never leave mine. There’s something magnetic about him that’s pulling me in his direction, which my feet desperately want to oblige. As if they have a mind of their own, my feet begin to move toward him. The room blurs around me, as if every other person has left and the only two who remain are him and I. A sense of familiarity hangs thick in the air between us as desperation to be near him fills me.
My trance is broken when Flora interrupts my path.
“Hey!” she shouts. “I’ve been looking for you. I met themostamazingguy. I swear he’s reincarnated from a Greek god or something.” I try to look over her shoulder, but the man is gone. Disappointment fills my chest.
“Earth to Lil. Are you listening?”
“Sorry,” I replied, looking back at her quickly. “That’s great! What was his name?”
“Dammit. I knew I forgot something.”
Laughter erupts from both of us.
“Let’s go dance!” I exclaim.
“I’ll meet you there. I’m going to see if I can hunt him down and get his name.” She turns quickly and goes back from where she came.
After I find the trash for my water bottle, I leave the room and go back to the dance floor. Easily finding the rhythm, I lose myself in the music once again. Music has always been something I loved. Before Mom left, I took dance classes in L.A. Ballet, jazz, tap, you name it… I took the classes. Dad tried so hard, but he couldn’t keep up with the time commitment or financial burden as a single parent. Was I disappointed? Yes, but I just added it to the list of ways my mother hurt me.
I sway back and forth, moving my body to the rhythm with my eyes closed. A familiar chill washes over me, my skin erupting in goosebumps at the sensation. My body stills as a foreign firmness pressed against me.