Where Dark Things Wait: Night Creatures Book One

Chapter Twelve - Sequins and Lace

Isemay answered her door wearing a sparkly golden number that barely existed. The mass of sequins shimmered, covering the scoop neck 'dress' that revealed her ample cleavage and ended a little higher than mid thigh; high enough to be risqué. The dress was backless, held in places by golden laces, and Kalyna felt a burgeoning terror.

"I can't pull off something like that. Tell me you have clothes with more fabric than a handkerchief," she pleaded, which only made her new friend laugh.

Everything about Isemay projected glamour and confidence; a fierce confidence mixed with unbridled sexuality. Her black hair had been fastened back in a time-consuming mass of braids, some narrow, some chunky, all meshing across one another until they joined together into two bunches of tight curls. Her eye shadow shimmered in further golden tones that stood out against her dark skin. Long, false lashes fluttered, to dramatic effect. Even her lips had been gilt, metallic lipstick emphasising their fullness. Isemay was beautiful, and Kalyna felt very much like the plain Jane next to her.

As the vampire led her into her personal space, Kalyna almost managed to push her anxieties aside to chuckle at the decor. The wine-red boudoir managed to be both tacky and elegant at the same time. Elegant, because it had been exquisitely designed with luxurious flocked damask wallpaper on one wall and embossed and painted wallpaper on the other three. The cream ceiling and woodwork were dark enough to have a golden hue, and even the standard issue carpet had been almost entirely covered with a expensive looking silk rug. The standard single bed had been replaced with a double made to look like wrought iron, the head and foot formed from interconnected gothic arches; a statement piece dripped in blood red silk. The room screamed 'money'. It also screamed 'vampire', and that was where the tacky element came into it.

"Wow... This is... Wow..." she murmured. "I was just saying earlier that I needed to decorate my accommodation."

"Last year I went through a minimalist phase," Isemay said, glancing around her room. "It was all green pastel tones in here, with barely any furniture or decoration. I got bored of that quickly. I live in green, utilitarian uniforms, I wanted something... more."

Kalyna only hoped that 'more' included her wardrobe.

Luckily, when Isemay opened the doors of her double width wardrobe, she revealed a rail crammed full of outfits, and only a small number of them in khaki or olive drab. She appraised Kalyna, then rummaged amongst her clothing, tugging out several offerings.

The first dress had barely more fabric than the golden number she wore herself. High necked this time, with a cut out over the chest which would show cleavage. The sky-blue satin fabric formed a skin tight, sleeveless sheath at the top, which fell into a billowing handkerchief skirt that still came too high in places, and the notion of wearing such a dress made Kalyna feel sick. She was thirty-six. She was a mother. That dress belonged on someone younger.

"No," the colour isn't quite right," Isemay said.

Next, she held up a lace body suit in midnight blue, with a plunging neckline that came so far down it would preclude the wearing of a bra. It had long sleeves, but would cling to every curve in a way that left nothing to the imagination. At least the black leather trousers she held up with it would cover everything.

"Closer," she mused. "But girl, you're gonna spend almost every day in pants. We need to get those legs out."

"I haven't shaved," Kalyna noted, horrified at the thought.

"There are unused razors in the cabinet over the sink," Isemay offered, then winked. "By the time you've made your pins presentable, I'll be ready to give you a makeover."

As she'd already agreed to this nightmare, Kalyna headed to the bathroom. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a night out with friends. She could barely remember having friends. She'd given that life up after Cináed and their children died. Even before that, she'd been more interested in her family and her business than in clubbing. This was probably as close as she'd gotten to a night our on the town in over a decade.