RED

Red {2}

The picture is of Katy ... please vote and comment! <3 

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Melodie shrieked and fell backwards. Her date ran forward and grabbed her by the arms to stop her cracking her head open on the floor, and righted her again. Hands on hips, Melodie turned to look at Katy.

'You can't control me, Katy!' she snapped. 'I have every right to come in this dress.'

'Every right. So you do.' Katy's voice was ripe with anger. 'But you have no right to take what is mine and the Prince Catus is.'

'Not yours yet, Katy,' Melodie replied maliciously. 'And let's get real. Why would he want to marry you?' There was a ripple of laughter, and some applause, which soon ended at the look on Katy's face. The malice on Melodie's face soon deserted her when she saw the disgust and anger gleaming in her eyes. 

'Get out of my face,' she snarled. She spun round and gave the crowd gathered a furious look.'So, how many of you are planning to vote for this bitch?' she snarled. Nobody answered. Katy tossed her hair angrily, stamped her foot. 'None of you? No, I don't believe that. Come on, get your hands up. I want to see you useless scum.' Still nobody answered. Katy made an impatient noise and stalked up in her red stilettos, pausing at a pretty, chesty bruenette. 'So, Anna? You're just going to desert your best friend? Don't lie! I know you're planning to vote for her.'

Anna stood up, and glared at Katy. 'Yes, I am. And you know what, Mandon? Maybe I'm tired of you controlling our lives. Nobody wants an immortal Mandon. It will ruin our lives. You blackmail, you steal, you murder. Goodbye, Katy.' She stepped out of the way, dragging her date with her. Katy's eyes flashed in anger and she stalked out. 

A few minutes later, she walked back in again, seemingly cooled down, and danced a slow dance with Bryan. She waited expectantly to see if another girl would dare come in red. 'Bryan, get me a drink. Pinot gris. Don't get it wrong. Pinot. Gris.' He jumped up and almost ran to the bar. Rolling her eyes with irritation, Katy checked her DKNY solid gold watch. If nobody arrived in 15 minutes, then she could relax. A girl in red wouldn't arrive late to the party.

*

"Oh my god! Katy is going to kill me!" wailed Leia.

"Leia," Catus sighed.

"This is crazy," she whined. 

"Nope, it's love." Catus gave her a soft kiss. Denying all the stereotypes, he wasn't pale, amazingly old, and he had no urge whatsoever to bite her. Vampires just had supernatural strength, speed, were harder to kill and also immortal. Softly he kissed her and she felt herself relaxing beneath him. "You look stunning," he whispered. "Just get in that room and shock them."

"Well, I don't know," she muttered viciously. "Katy might laugh herself to death." He shook his head. 

They were outside the rooms of the ball. Through those doors were the two enormous staircases that led down to the hall. Everyone would now be inside. When she went in, she in the scarlet dress, everyone would either laugh, sneer or just ignore her. And Katy would have no trouble in putting her in her place. She winced, took a deep breath, and flung open the door.

To say Katy was shocked would be an understatement. Someone she didn't even know was coming in. And not only that, but it irritated her to see how classy her dress was. It made her stunning strip of satin look slutty, underdone. Her hair was so beautiful and natural. Could you see Katy's dark roots? She patted her blond hair self-conciously. Melodie didn't look that pretty in comparison, but this girl definitely put her out. She clenched her fists in anger.

She stalked up to Leia, her eyes glittering angrily. 'Who even are you, nerd?'

Leia imagined Catus was beside her. What would he say? He would look at Katy in disdain and say his name proudly, knowing she would faint as soon as she knew he was royalty. Her own name meant nothing - but she knew that saying it proudly would earn her some credit, even if her confidence completely deserted her afterwards.

'Leia Bingham,' she replied coldly, trying to look scornful as possible.

Everyone inhaled sharply. You did not talk to Katy like that.

'Who even are you?' snarled Katy. 'The shadow behind the lockers? Let me give you some advice, Leia Bingham. Put away that dress, put on a normal one and go back to being the loser that nobody knows. Because you are not going to win this competition.'

'How do you know that, Katy?' Melodie suddenly snapped. 

Katy turned around in fury. 'Get out of this, Melodie!'

'No!' Melodie snapped. 'Leia is pretty, she's friendly, she's rich, she goes to Nottingham Academy. Why shouldn't she come to the ball in a scarlet dress? Maybe you're not going to get your own way, just once, for the first time in forever. But you know what? Good. Come on, Leia. Let's go get a drink.' Hardly daring to breathe, quailing from the look Katy was giving her, Leia followed.

'Thanks,' she mumbled. 'For covering me. You're Melodie, right?' She was one of the popular girls. Everyone knew her, even if they hadn't spoke to her, like Leia.

'How do you know?' Melodie asked good-naturedly.

Leia sighed. 'You're one of "them" kids. The popular girls. Everyone knows.'

Melodie didn't take the compliment without noticing it or brag, like Leia expected. Instead, she looked pleased. 'Not really. And I'm definitely kicked out after this.' She smirked, looking over at Katy, who was furiously ranting on to a few blonde clones. 'I meant what I said up there, though. You look great.'

Leia blushed. 'Thanks, Melodie.'

'And you are one brave chick for standing up to Katy Mandon,' Melodie added.

'Stupid chick, more like,' she mumbled. 'I'm going to lose.'

'Don't bank on it. There are so many people longing to see Katy Mandon go down,' Melodie told her seriously. Her face was almost unnaturally pale, she was amazingly skinny, but she had never looked so powerful. 'And you are the girl that's going to do it, Leia. People are buzzing about you. This crazy stunt - some unknown girl coming in here in red like she owns the world and dissing Katy - won't go unnoticed. You can put the Mandons in their place.' And she walked off to talk to her friend Anna.

Leia bit her lip. Melodie seemed so keen on this. What had Katy done? And didn't she realize that if Leia won, she would die? She crossed her arms. And the way she had said "Mandons". Not Katy, but "Mandons." As in the whole family. Something wasn't right.

But she was going to trust Melodie for now. Because she had to trust somebody, and it seemed that Melodie was one of the only people in the world that believed in her.