Köhler (Book 9 of the Köhler Series)

𝐋𝐕𝐈

"Black for a Christmas Party...."

"Black and red. Casino colors plus Christmas isn't really our family thing. Yeah, our parents and grandparents celebrate for the younger ones, but I think you have caught on by now. The adults are not the religious types." Ava spoke, helping Shanice as she got fitted for her dress. Adele always had her in something beautiful but sedative, which her dad was about to have a heart attack about.

"Damn, you're beautiful. My cousin is about to have a heart attack."

"Yeah, well, my dad will have a bigger one. It's see-through, and he still sees me as his little girl... hey, do you know what Xavier has planned today before the party?" She asked Xylia, who was sitting behind them, stuffing her mouth with cake.

"You're gonna be a fat pig."

"Ryleigh!" Shanice yelled as the girl glared at her sister with her nose turned up. She believed they were upset with her, but it didn't make it right to down her sister. Yeah, Xylia made a mistake one that she was paying for.

"Says the one that had a pregnancy scare at fifteen. Suck a fucking dick bitch... a big fat one as that hoe!" She smiled, taking another bite of her cake before turning to Shanice. "No, Xavier loves to be secretive at times. All we know is to bring you to the main house at noon, which is an hour away. Unless Oma knows." She spoke, looking over at their Grandmother, Adele, as she shrugged.

"I know nothing, and Xy control your mouth. Ryleigh apologize to your sister; you have no room to speak ill of someone. Now go try on your dress so we can go, and Shy put on this." Adele said, handing her a black dress with sheer sleeves while Xylia sat back and smiled.

"That's one of my designs."

"How can you draw, and Xavier can't?"

"I can't. Opa helped me with that. I described it to him, and he drew it. We got our mom's genes with; can't draw worth a damn. He's the model... we both are, but he does it better than I. I know how to put ideas together and tell my dad, uncles, Oma, and Opa how I envision it." She said as Shanice took the dress and quickly ran into the dressing room to change while all the rest sat there with smirks like they knew something that she didn't.

Shy noticed the entire time she was in the dressing room that Xy, Ava, and Rochelle were whispering to each other until she returned. By then, they had all changed, and Adele was waiting by the door. "I'm taking that all the women will be dressed in red tonight and the men black."

"No, most of us are wearing black and red. Then you have some in white, blue, green, or whatever color you feel best. You and all my granddaughters decide to go with red, and red is what you got."

Adele was right, she asked, and she picked but didn't know that all the others had picked red too. Not that it mattered. She was just curious how all of them ended up with red dresses. "Miss...."

"Girl, don't make me punch you in the fucking mouth today! If you don't learn to call me Oma or fucking grandma, don't speak."

"Oma??"

"I'm hiring you a tutor. Oma means grandmother in German... while we are at it, let's go over the basics. Mom or mother is Mutter, father is Vater, brother is pronounced Bruder, sister is Schwester, and grandfather is Opa or Großvater, which we usually use Opa for grandpa. I will write them down so you can have visuals." She said as Shy repeated what she had told her to remember. Xavier had taught her some of it, but between learning a new language and schoolwork was killing her. Lucky for them, they were on Christmas break. It allowed her to breathe and enjoy doing things with her family, friends, and Xavier.

"Go ahead inside, Shanice. We're coming." Ava said, pushing her out of the SUV as she looked back at them, confused.

"Why do I have this faint idea that you all know what's going on?" She asked as Xylia stepped out of the car, pushing her into the main doors. It was quiet inside, and it scared her a little as Xy guided her downstairs to the ballroom or whatever it was pointing for her to go in. The one thing she noticed was the trail of rose petals along the way.