“I wish I could explain it better,” I sighed, and grabbed my mascara.
“I suppose I will find out on my wedding night.” He laughed.
“I guess so.” I capped the mascara and turned to look at him. “How do I look?”
“Beautiful as always but are you going to wear that towel on your head the whole time?” he asked, smirking. The previous conversation was closed.
“Yeah. I guess I should go ahead and take care of my hair. Do you have another piece of that gauze she gave us?” I asked, reaching for the towel and stopping. I figured I should probably do this after I got the tattoo covered, just in case.
“One second.” He left the bathroom and returned with the tape and gauze that Rose had given us. He covered the ink and taped it down. As soon as he stepped away I took the towel off my head and let my hair fall.
“You think that Rose is expecting anything?” he asked, his voice confused.
“Oh, I’m sure she is,” I said, laughing. “Honey, she’s the kind of girl who would eat you up and spit you out. However, play along for now but don’t do anything you will regret.” I pointed at him.
“I won’t do anything I regret, I just don’t want to break her heart in the process,” he joked. I couldn’t believe we were actually talking about this.
I ran a brush through my damp hair and looked at him. I knew he was toying with me, but I didn’t think he knew how much he was. It was hard enough for me to grasp the idea that Adam and I had something and now even harder that I was going to have to share with another Warden. How was she going to feel when she learned it was all a game? I didn’t want to hurt Rose, but if this was the only way that we could get close to her then we had to.
There was a knock on the door and Adam left to answer it. I sure hoped he was throwing on a shirt on his way. I could hear Mona talking to him in the living room as I walked out. She looked at me with a little less disapproval than the day before as I threw on my Vans. I didn’t have any other dress shoes other than my boots. I glanced at Adam and shook my head. The boy was going to have to learn to put on a damned shirt.
“You ready?” Mona asked. She looked amazing in her black dress with matching hat. She looked just like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Here I am standing there looking like the reject from Mean Girls.
“About as ready as I’m going to be,” I smiled. She looked at my shoes and frowned.
“You used to have an impeccable fashion sense. What happened?” She turned up her nose at me.
“I became a teenager?” I asked, hoping that was the correct answer. She smiled and shook her head.
“That must be it. Either that or all those small towns you lived in got the best of you.” She reached out her hand for mine and, like a five year-old, I let her take it. “Tell your boyfriend you will see him later.”
“I will see you later.” I smiled at him and blew him a kiss. He broke out into hysterical laughter when we walked out the door.
“I don’t know how you can keep your hands off that boy,” she said when we got into the elevator.
“Mona!” I said, astonished. My god she’s my stepmother.
“I mean it. Boys your age aren’t supposed to have bodies like that. It was almost like the Heavens opened and blessed him or something.” She fanned her face. My goodness, who else was going to be fawning all over Adam?
“Wow,” was all I could think of to say. She had pretty much made me speechless.
“Your father’s isn’t bad, I mean it’s actually quite lovely. I would have loved to see that man when he was your boyfriend’s age.” She grabbed my hand and led me out of the elevator and out the front door to the awaiting limo.
“Oh God, Mona. I could have gone my whole life without hearing that.” I felt bile in my throat.
She looked at me and smiled wickedly. For a second I saw what my father was talking about. This woman did have skeletons in her closet. I felt a chill cross over me.
“So how long have the two of you been together?” she asked as she pushed me into the back of the limo. Taking her seat, she crossed her legs and told the driver where to go.
“We aren’t together,” I said, trying not to sound like I was lying. I wasn’t exactly in the middle of a lie, it was the truth, but I found myself longing to be just his and him just mine.
“Seriously? By the way you two look at each other I would assume you two have been together for some time.” She shrugged. “I guess I’ve just been out of the game too long.”
“I suppose.” I crossed my arms across my chest and looked out the window.
“My goodness your hair has got so long.” She reached across the gap and grabbed the bottom part of my hair and pulled it lightly toward her. “No worries; we will get all these split ends taken care of. Why did you dye your hair this color anyway? You were always beautiful with your blonde hair.”
How was I supposed to tell her it wasn’t colored? “Well actually my hair darkened over the years. One morning I woke up and my hair was black.”
“Well that’s just bad luck for you. It was beautiful. But we deal with what we get. I was a redhead until I married your father and then suddenly I turned blonde.” So she did understand better than I thought.
We rode in silence the rest of the way to the salon. When we got there a gentleman opened the door and helped us out. He smiled brightly at Mona and sort of gawked at me. I suppose when you have the gorgeous Mona followed by me it is a pretty big shock. We walked inside the ritzy salon, everyone saying hello to my stepmother by name.
“Nina this is Dawn.” Mona introduced me to the lady behind the counter. She looked at me and forced a smile but I could tell she was appalled by my appearance. If this is how Julia Roberts felt in Pretty Woman I was going to have a pretty hard day.
“Oh, Damien’s daughter,” Nina said, offering her hand. I reached for it like I would anyone else but it went limp in mine and became more of a shaking of the fingers.
“Yes. We need a miracle on this hair of hers. Is Paulo available?” What the hell was that supposed to mean? Who the hell was Paulo?
“Of course, he always has an opening for you. Let me get him.” Nina walked away in her six-inch spikes and perfect hair to find a tall skinny Italian man with a huge smile. He walked like his hips were about to fall off.
“Mona!” he squealed, and they made kissy faces in the air. I just stared in shock. I had seen this on TV but never face-to-face.
“Paulo. This is Dawn, my stepdaughter.” She motioned to me again, and instead of putting my hand out I just nodded I couldn’t stand another fish handshake.
“Oh my.” He looked shocked as he started to mess with my hair. “Have you been living in a cave your whole life darling?” I felt insulted and it took everything in me not to reach up and burn him with my fingers.
“No,” I said slowly.
“It’s OK, come with me. Paulo make you beautiful.” He threw his hands up and winked at me. Dread consumed me. What was Mona about to have him do to me? He led us back to a private booth and shut the door. Walking around me, he bit his bottom lip, pinched the brim of his nose, and tapped his foot. “I got it!” he exclaimed, grabbing a brush and scissors and starting to work on my hair. I sat there and took it. I had to remind myself I owed it to Mona for doing everything for me.
By the time he finished I had no clue who I was anymore. My hair was cut to my shoulders, I had bangs that came straight across my forehead, and he had managed to straighten my hair. I looked from side to side. I looked like a rejected Cleopatra. I was going to smack myself for telling Adam not to do anything stupid, when I ran off and did this.
Chapter Ten: Reminders of the Girl I Was
“Oh, you look so beautiful.” Mona sipped on her afternoon cocktail. We were sitting in her favorite bistro having what, I suppose, you could call a meal. There wasn’t even enough food there to fill me up. I was so going to be hungry in half an hour.
“Thanks. It’s going to take some getting used to.” I reached up and ran my fingers down my shortened tresses.
“It’s very fitting for a beautiful young woman.” She took another sip and motioned to the waitress for one more. I guess when you don’t have to drive and you have the money it’s perfectly OK to be lit by the end of lunch.
“If you say so,” I said, laughing.
“So, tomorrow night I’m having a party at the house. I have invited all your old friends,” she smiled. I felt like I was supposed to be excited to see the girls that were a part of my life when I thought I was a normal girl. “We are doing cocktail style. So we need to get you a nice dress to wear. Does your boyfriend have a nice suit and tie?”
I rolled my eyes. No matter how many times I told her that Adam and I weren’t together it went in one ear and out the other. “What color?”
“Oh, most definitely red.” The waitress had brought Mona another drink and she had already consumed half of it.
“I can deal with red,” I said, taking a sip of my soda. She had offered to buy me a real drink but I had refused. I didn’t want to get back to the apartment drunk.
“Perfect,” she cooed. “All right, so after I finish this drink we will head to the department store and pick you out a new dress.”
Great. More shopping. I felt dread again. I hated shopping. I also hated the fact that I had to get another dress. Why had I left my formal hanging in my old bedroom? That was one thing that I never asked Shawn to bring to me, thought I wouldn’t need it.
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I didn’t have to try anything on unless I wanted to. They had girls that dressed in the clothing beforehand and walked like they were on a catwalk. If I wanted to try something on I just had to tell them which one. There was only one that struck Mona’s attention and she demanded that I put it on.
A simple red, straight-skirted, strapless number. It actually looked pretty good with the hair, and for just a moment I could see the little girl who had walked away from all of this looking back at me.
“Oh, it’s perfect,” Mona clapped, having me spin. She had yet another cocktail in her hand. The woman either had a drinking problem or the way I looked beforehand really was a mess.
“You think?” I reached for the price tag and she stopped me.
“Honey, don’t look at that. No price is too much for my little girl. Think of this as a graduation present.” She put the champagne flute down and stood up. “Now I saw a black one around here that was similar.” She waved over the sales lady and asked her to find the same dress in black plus a pair of size eight dress shoes that could work with either dress.
I walked out of the store in the black cocktail dress and six-inch black stilettos. My white and red dresses hung neatly in a bag on my arm. I felt like a whole new girl and not the kind that I liked either. I would probably wear this dress once or twice and it would sit in the back of my closet in a bag for the rest of time.
Mona looked at her designer watch and frowned. “I forgot I have tea with Mrs. Helm this afternoon. Do you mind if I drop you off at your place? I will have a car come around for you and Adam tomorrow at three.”
“I understand,” I said a she began to pick up the pace.
“You never told me if the boy has a suit.” We were back in the limo and she was pointing the driver toward the apartment.
“I don’t think so but we can go and get one tonight,” I said, crossing my ankles. I wasn’t as dainty as her; I couldn’t get away with crossing my legs.
“No, no I will have Mitch drop one by tonight. If you two are out he has a key; he can leave it in the bedroom. You both took the master bedroom I assume.” She winked at me.
“No. I took the master, he insisted,” I choked.
“Oh honey, don’t lie to me. I looked in the other room. That bed was untouched.” She winked again. She wasn’t going to think anything other than the fact that we were together. I felt like smacking her but I let it slide. I hadn’t seen her in years so this is the least I could do.
She let me out in front of the building, the driver getting my dresses and other bags of things I didn’t need. She had spent a fortune on me today. I carried everything upstairs and opened the apartment door, walking into Adam getting dressed in the living room while watching old episodes of Three’s Company.
“Holy sweet mother of merciful Jesus,” he said the moment I walked in. “Dawn is that you?”
“Oh, don’t patronize me Adam, I’m in no mood.” I put the bags down on the floor and straightened my skirt. “My feet hurt, my back hurts, and I’m scared to death my boob is going to pop out and say hello.” I moved around uncomfortably.
“You look amazing!” His eyes were about to pop out of his head and his mouth wouldn’t shut.
“Where are you going?” I asked, taking the heels off and basking in the glory that was carpeting. I walked into the bedroom and hung the two dresses up in the closet. I had only worn the white dress for a few hours so it was still good.
“I’m meeting Rose downstairs in half an hour. She was going to show me around town.” He buttoned up his blue shirt and smiled.
“Oh. So you have a date,” I said, my heart hurting. I was going to be alone tonight.
“Naw, we are just going to go and walk around. It doesn’t mean anything.” He picked up his shoes and sat down on the couch. “You want to go with us? If you do you will have to change because I can’t pretend to be into her if you are looking all hot.”
“No, I think you need to do this on your own. I will just sit here, order Chinese, and watch chick flicks.” I put my feet up on the coffee table.
“You sure?” He stood up and looked at his watch.
“Yeah, just text me and let me know how it’s going.” I threw my head back and sighed.
“All right,” he said, slowly checking his phone. “She’s here.” He bent down and kissed me briefly on the lips. “Don’t wait up,” he teased.
After Adam left, I got up and changed into my comfortable yoga pants and a tank top, pulling my hair up into a ponytail and grabbing my laptop. I sat down on the couch, flipped open the lid, grabbed the TV remote, and turned it to an old horror film. The Wi-Fi password was on the bar so I got up briefly to retrieve it and sat back down on the couch. My email loaded and I glanced through the lines of junk, deleting what I was obviously not interested in. I had an email from Krista. It also had an attachment. I read the email first before opening the picture she had attached.
Dawn,
We had some new allies show up today. One of them looked familiar. I thought that I would enclose a picture for you. He said he knows you.
Krista
I opened the picture and felt tears in my eyes. It was Aaron. He was standing in my backyard looking toward the trees. His hair had gotten longer and his eyes looked even bluer than before. There was an odd beauty to him at this moment. I felt my heart twitch. It was as if it was trying to remember that it once had Claim on him. Why was he there? He said that he was busy with training and stuff. What made him show up at my house?
Krista,
What does he know? Why is he there? Is he staying or just visiting?
Dawn
I knew I was asking a list of questions but I wanted to know whether he would be there if we got home. She got back to me quickly, which meant she was sitting somewhere swiping through her new phone. She wasn’t sure what she thought of the technology but she was impressed by the ability to connect with anyone.
Dawn,
They came to visit and speak with your parents. He only knows that the grandfather was a ruse. He doesn’t know what you are or where you are. Your mother said he is different, more dignified. He is quite a catch, I can understand why you had to have him.
Krista
My hope was shot. He wasn’t going to be there when we got back. However, if he knew that my grandfather didn’t exist then he knew who my m
other and father were. He also knew what they were as well. I gulped.
Krista,
Is he mad? Does he feel deceived? Have you spoken to him?
Dawn
I waited a second for the response.
Only for a moment. He was quite gentle. He said he had a feeling there was something more to you, that the fire was real. Whatever that was supposed to mean. He also said he would call you when they return to their home. I don’t know what he is though. He’s not vampire but he’s just as dignified as one.
Damn it! I was hoping that I would at least learn that bit of the mystery. Why wouldn’t he call me now? Why did he think that there was more to me? Oh, so many questions running through my head and I was unsure of any of the answers.
I’m home alone now. He can call me tonight.
I sounded needy but I didn’t care. I had to know he was OK. Well, I knew he was OK. I just wanted to hear his voice.
I will try and tell him. The others tend to keep him quite busy.
I sighed. It was always worth a shot.
Thank you, Krista. You have no idea how much it means to me that you are there.
I looked up at the TV as the main female character went running up the stairs, as she was being chased by the villain. I shook my head. Why do they always run up the stairs and not out the open front door?
I will do what I can Dawn. And thank you, it means a lot to me that you are happy I am here. Let me know if he takes the time to call you.
There was no need for a response; she knew that it was the first thing I would do. The greatest accomplishment of my life was assisting in raising Krista from the dead. She was an amazing girl. I put the laptop down with no need to finish going through my emails. I didn’t want any more news. All I wanted was for my damned phone to ring.
I fell asleep on the couch at around nine and was woken by the buzzing of my phone on the inn table. I grabbed it and rubbed my eyes. It was a text from Adam. Good Lord, was it really midnight?
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