by Sable Sylvan
“Delaina, hi, I’m—” started Crystal.
“Crystal, honey, of course I remember you!” said Delaina. “Damien, if I can steal your girlfriend for a second, I’ll get her all set up.”
Crystal walked with Delaina to a table that was near the entrance to the grand ballroom. The table had a few pads of legal paper for Delaina, as well as some pens, a large cooler filled with ice and expensive bottle waters, and of course, there were two plush seats, one for her, one for her interviewees. Crystal was going to be doing the interview section first, Delaina explained, as that way, she would be able to interview as many people as possible before some dipped out early. After that, she would have free reign of the ball. Of course, she was to check her article with Delaina before publication, to ensure no confidential data was published, and was to anonymize data as appropriate. Crystal sat down, and waited for the one or two people that she expected would end up even asking why she was there, because who in their right mind, after being mobbed by the paparazzi, would want to give an interview to somebody working for the Seattle Free Frikkin’ Gazette?
Well, it turned out, the answer to that question was ‘nearly everyone’.
Crystal didn’t expect her interview table to get many takers, but because there hadn’t been a member of the press at the Golden Ball before, it was a novelty, and if there was one thing rich city shifters loved, it was novelty. She ended up interviewing all kinds of people, from models to magnates, but two people out of all the others truly made her night special. A small disorganized line of sorts had formed to talk to Crystal, but a familiar, tall, older gentleman cut the line to sit next to Crystal once she had finished interviewing a lioness shifter who was also a fashion maven with her own line of shifter-sized bikinis.
“Niles! Hello!” said Crystal. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard you were doing interviews for the paper, and I thought, well, if Miss Crystal is doing interviews, I better go and answer some questions,” said Niles.
“Alright, awesome,” said Crystal. “So...whats’ it like to be working at the Golden Ball?”
“Working?” asked Niles. “Oh, no, I’m here as a guest.”
“A guest?” asked Crystal.
“Don’t tell me you thought you were the only sexy young thing the Ashers and Dixons took a liking too,” said Niles with a twinkle in his eye. “I bet you can’t guess who I’m with.”
“Delaina?” asked Crystal.
“Delaina? Ho-boy, no way! She’s a frikkin’ child!” said Niles before laughing heartily. “No...here’s a hint. My date’s wearing plum purple tonight.”
“Plum purple, plum purple...” repeated Crystal, looking around the room. It wasn’t a popular color that night...but then she saw it, a flash of dark reddish purple, and it was on the last person she expected, a tall, stately woman with grey hair in an up-do. “You’re pulling my leg...you’re with Jennifer frikkin’ Asher? The matriarch of the Asher side of the clan?”
“That’s right,” said Niles. “I’m her, what do you call it, boy toy. That’s it, her boy toy, and she’s been a widow for how many years now, so she deserves some fun, but don’t go a-publishing that in the papers!”
“Your secret’s safe with me, any other secrets?” joked Crystal.
“One, in fact,” said Niles. “I’m...not just a limo driver.”
“Oh?” asked Crystal.
“I’m betting you couldn’t tell, but, I’m also a shifter,” said Niles.
“What kind?” asked Crystal.
“Big mouth, big eyes, isn’t it obvious? I’m a frog shifter!” said Niles.
“No frikkin’ way, really?” asked Crystal.
“That’s right...and I have one last secret for you,” said Niles.
“Hit me with your best shot, nothing can shock me more than what you’ve already told me, you amphibious boy-toy,” said Crystal.
“Well, about a month ago, I was in my shift, and I was just hanging out...in the bottom of that well outside,” said Niles. “And...well, you see, Jennifer, she’d read this article by a reporter who seemed whip-smart, had a name that was perfect given what she knew about her nephew Damien’s mate mark, and who had curves that she knew he couldn’t resist. So, she contacted this girl’s editor, and asked for the girl to be invited to the ball, and...I was supposed to see if her nephew would be smart enough to ask the girl out. Well, when it seemed like he wasn’t going to realize he was being set up, that’s when I got, let’s say, hungry. And so I jumped up real high, and I stuck my tongue out real far, and...I licked this large, golden ball, and took it down with me to the bottom of the well!” Niles couldn’t help but slap his knee, and that’s when Crystal realized he was frikkin’ tipsy! She could smell the expensive scotch on his breath, and she was now glad that she wasn’t going to need a ride from him that night.
“Are you frikkin’ serious?” said Crystal, trying her best to keep her cool. She had no idea this had all been orchestrated by a frikkin’ frog!
“I am, and you better watch that tongue of yours now, because here comes the goose herself!” said Niles.
Crystal turned. What did he frikkin’ mean by ‘the goose’? The only person walking over was...
...None other than Jennifer Frikkin’ Asher.
Crystal gulped. This was the woman whose opinion mattered more than any other when it came to dating Damien. Was she supposed to keep sitting? Stand? Salute? Curtsy?
The woman came over to Crystal. “You must be Crystal,” said the woman warmly. “I’m Jennifer, Jennifer Asher. I’m glad you could make it to my little party. I see you’ve met my boyfriend, Niles.”
Crystal was surprised. The woman was very open and candid. “Yes, I’m Crystal, I’m the reporter from the Seattle Free Gazette. May I just say, it’s been an amazing night, and thank you so much for allowing me to cover it,” said Crystal.
“Oh, dear, so formal! Of course I know who you are, I picked you out, after all, and of course, it’s my pleasure to have you here...and from what I’ve heard, I’ll be seeing much more of you, won’t I?” asked Jennifer. “Oh, don’t look so shocked, this isn’t a trick question! I know you’re dating my grand-nephew.”
“Y-you do?” asked Crystal.
“Sugar. If I didn’t want you to date my Damien, why would I have you two introduced in the first place?” asked Jennifer with a wink. “I specifically asked for you to cover the ball, because I’ve been on the hunt for Damien’s perfect mate for the longest time. I had Delaina have you two run into each other, and while Niles improvised and stole your invite, like the slippery frog he is, in the end...everyone gets a happy ending. After all, they don’t call me Mother Goose because I tell a good story.”
“They really call you Mother Goose?” asked Crystal.
“That’s right, because I’m no bear shifter...I’m a goose shifter, and the only thing I love more than my lavish life of luxury is philanthropy, and what’s a better cause than seeing my relatives find the happily ever after to their once upon a time? And if I can find princesses for my princes, well...I consider my life a life well lived,” said Jennifer warmly. “You’re a well put together, well-spoken young woman, and I wish you and Damien years of happiness. You have more than my approval...you have my blessing.”
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Asher,” said Crystal.
“Don’t work too hard, dear, do enjoy the party,” said Jennifer. “And of course...call me Jennifer.” She clasped Crystal’s hands in hers and gave her a kiss on the forehead before she went to hosting her grand affair of the evening.
The stream of interviews continued, people coming to sit by Crystal and talk while drinking iced waters as a break from all the dancing and mingling, but soon, the line dwindled, and there was nobody left to interview. Damien, who had been watching from afar, came over.
“You still busy?” asked Damien.
“Nope, I’ve managed to interview everyone,” said Crystal. “And it took under...two hours? Holy heck, where did
the time go?”
“No frikkin’ clue, but you have enough interview notes for the evening, yes?” asked Damien.
“Yeah, I’ll give them to Delaina to hold onto,” said Crystal. “And then we can actually hang out.”
“Sounds perfect,” said Damien. As Crystal organized her things, Damien found Delaina and brought her over, so Crystal could get up and abandon her post. Damien led Crystal, who by now had managed to meet nearly everyone at the ball, or at least, everyone who had wanted to be interviewed, and led her around the ballroom to see the ballroom decor. Damien hadn’t seen much of it himself, as he’d been so worried for Crystal, for no reason whatsoever, that he had stayed nearby to keep an eye on her.
The ball was, of course, mostly done up in gold colors. There were large golden vases filled with white and yellow flowers. There was a band all wearing black with gold bowties. The biggest item, though, was the giant rotating ball in the center of the dance floor, a giant disco ball that was made of gold-backed glass tiles against a large sphere, rather than the standard silver-backed tiles. The ball was rotating and casting a large warm light over the entire party, a literal ‘golden ball’ that looked a lot like the golden ball shaped invitations to the event actually named The Golden Ball. Every little detail made the evening perfect.
Crystal and Damien finally made their way to the buffet area, where they picked up small gold-edged black ceramic plates and silverware that wasn’t silver, but gold. They picked out the most luxurious of the nibbles available, including little servings of caviar on blini, small pancakes stacked with fresh crème fraîche, gilded with edible gold, like many of the items on the buffet. They both picked up the special cocktail, which came in faceted crystal martini glasses, lined with gold dust mixed with sugar. The cocktails consisted of a clear liquor containing flakes of gold that had been agitated so the gold flakes were dancing, topped with a piece of lemon zest and a piece of orange zest. Crystal and Damien walked out to the balcony to enjoy their cocktails and caviar as they overlooked the labyrinth.
The stars couldn’t be seen from the Asher Manor that night, as the light pollution from Seattle blotted out the stars, but below, in the labyrinthine gardens, what glistened were the dresses and shoes of the many guests, some dancing, some flirting, some loving, as the orchestra inside played dancing music.
“So, what do you think?” asked Damien.
“Of what, specifically?” asked Crystal.
“Of all of this,” said Damien, motioning over the guests below them. “Is this...a life you’d be willing to try?”
“Going to balls? I can take it or leave it,” said Crystal. She took a sip of her drink. “But being with you? That’s an adventure I’d sign up for any day of the week.”
“To adventures,” said Damien, lifting up his glass.
“To adventures,” agreed Crystal. She lifted up her glass to meet his and clinked the edge of her glass against his. “And...to true love.”
“And to fated mates,” said Damien.
“And to tonight,” said Crystal, before sipping at her drink.
Damien took a sip of his drink, and turned to Crystal. She was gorgeous, and not because of the fancy hair or makeup, which of course only added to her stunningness. No, she was beautiful because of her warm heart and hungry eyes that looked at his world for the first time the way he’d never seen anyone look at it before. “And to this,” said Damien, pulling Crystal close with one hand before using the other to pull her chin up to kiss her, right on the lips, for all of his world to see.
Crystal leaned into the kiss. Everything was so perfect, so right. Damien had shown her that he was serious about her, about this, and there was nothing that could possibly ruin this magical thing they had.
“Come on, I want to do something with you,” said Damien, taking Crystal by the hand.
“I’m up for anything,” said Crystal with a laugh.
“Then come on, let’s go,” said Damien, leading Crystal through the edges of the dance floor and past the spot where she’d taken interviews, down a hallway marked PRIVATE with a large, polite, but foreboding sign with red letters.
“It says private,” said Crystal.
“One, I’m Damien Frikkin’ Dixon. No room in the world is private to me. Two. In case you forgot, this is my grand-aunt’s frikkin’ party and I frikkin’ live here,” said Damien. “I want to show you the side of the manor you haven’t seen, that most haven’t seen.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t write about it, Delaina would have my head for breakfast,” said Crystal.
“She’s all meow and no bite,” said Damien. “Besides, if I thought you were that type, would I really be taking you back here?”
“You mean...you’ve never shown a girl this before?” asked Crystal. “Ooh, Damien, you better be careful, or a certain girl might get a certain idea about her being a certain kind of special.”
“Would that girl happen to be you? Because that girl would happen to be right,” said Damien, squeezing Crystal’s hand.
Damien led Crystal through all the rooms in the Asher Manor that most people either had no idea existed or had only seen in vintage photographs. The Asher Manor was mostly unoccupied and therefore, older rooms were shown for tours, but of course, the Ashers and the Dixons still used the old family home as first and foremost a home, and their most precious treasures were in these secret nooks and crannies. There were hallways lined with rugs that belonged in museums, rugs made of patterns that hadn’t been seen in decades. There were private collections of precious minerals and fossils that cost millions of dollars, as well as paintings of all the members of the family, from distant cousins to the progenitor of the Asher and Dixon clans, as well as portraits of those that had married into the clan. There were fully stocked private kitchens, where Damien made Crystal a sandwich before they headed back out into the halls to peep at the treasures hidden in the private sections of the mansion before they headed back downstairs to join the party.
When they had left the party, people had been mulling about chatting, a few dancing on the dance floor, but by the time they got back, the dance floor was filled with gorgeous people dancing in what seemed like intricate patterns. “Miss Wordsworth...would you care to join me for a dance?” asked Damien, offering a hand
“Of course, Mister Dixon,” said Crystal, curtsying to Damien, before taking his hand, and walking with him to the dance floor.
It had been a few years since Crystal had been a high school girl interested in ballroom dance for a single summer, but she still remembered the most important rules. Follow his lead, don’t be nervous, and follow the tempo of the music. She identified the dance and the beat correctly as that of a waltz, and she let Damien lead, one hand holding hers, the other on her waist, his posture perfect. Even though they had a height difference, they were able to dance together gracefully.
Everything was going perfectly. Crystal and Damien were finally together, even though over the last few weeks, they’d both had to learn to trust one another. Now, they had no secrets. They were together, holding one another for the world to see. Damien’s family and friends were all there, seeing that he’d finally found a woman worthy of calling his fated mate, a woman who had literally changed him, and all that was left was for them to have this dance, to have this beginning to their happy ending...
As Crystal and Damien made their fifth round around the dance floor, the floor started to shake. The Manor wasn’t over any subway lines or anything that could explain this. The light flickered, and a vase crashed. Crystal held onto Damien, as everyone held still, looking around, trying to figure out what was going on. Damien kissed the top of Crystal’s head. Crystal sighed, and closed her eyes. If the worst that could happen at this ball was that the lights went out for a few seconds, well...she’d call that a success.
The lights flickered again and the rumbling started again. Crystal heard the sound of something large being rolled. She opened her eyes but it was dark, and she felt herself
get pushed, but she had no clue what was going on, just that she was in the dark and couldn’t see Damien anywhere. “Damien?” she shouted. “Damien! Where are you!” She felt bodies rush around her and push her and she moved so she wouldn’t keep getting pushed, because apparently, she was in the way of something.
There were screams in the background and shouts. The lights flickered back on, revealing a large crowd of people, in a circle around the spot where she’d been with Damien.
Damien.
Crystal rushed over and pushed through the crowd to see what was going on, shouting Damien’s name over and over.
Then, she saw the sight that she would never forget.
Down, on the ground, was her boyfriend, the man who she’d fallen in love with, hard and fast, down on the ground...his legs pinned down by the giant golden ball that had been on the stand in the center of the room.
“Give him some air!” shouted somebody.
“Crystal!” shouted Damien, spotting the curvy reporter. “Crystal, is that you? Are you okay?”
People backed off to let Crystal through. “Damien...I’m fine, but what happened to you?” said Crystal, her eyes welling with tears.
“Crystal, babe...don’t cry,” said Damien, pulling her close to kiss her tears away. “Crystal. Look at me. Honey. Everything’s fine.”
“It’s not fine, you’re pinned beneath a frikkin’ giant disco ball,” said Crystal, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“My legs are pinned, and okay, they hurt like hell, but guess what? I’m a frikkin’ billionaire, so I can afford the best treatment. And, I’m a bear shifter. That means I’ll heal fast, trust me. I’ll go to the hospital, I’ll get fixed up in no time, and I’ll owe you a sleepover,” said Damien. “Honey. You’ve gotta be strong for me.”
“Damien, how did this happen?” asked Crystal.
“Earthquake. It was a freak accident. Lights went out, and...well, I can see better in the dark than you, even in my human form,” explained Damien. “I saw the ball rolling, and I only had time to push you out of the way and try and stop the ball myself...well, I guess I stopped it after all. I didn’t even have time to shift into my bear form. Nobody else got hurt seriously, and most importantly, you didn’t get hurt.”